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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Disaster in the making for BN?

 
In all elections and in any contest, there are the favourites and the underdogs as well as the surprise candidates, and in the GE13 in Malaysia it is no different with our own list of expectations.

Top of the list is Anwar Ibrahim, who is the leader of the Pakatan Rakyat opposition formation and the favourite to seize the post of prime minister of Malaysia, a feat never actually possible by the opposition in the country’s 55 years of history.

Anwar, once the prime minister designate chosen by Dr Mahathir Mohamad to take the helm of the government, fell in disgrace in 1998 only to rise again from the ashes of historical isolation and he deserves the highlights.

The GE13 is seen as the election crafted by Anwar, with his strategic meddling against the Barisan National’s, forcing the ruling coalition to push the election dates nearly to the limit of legality.

The personality of Anwar has overshadowed the four years of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak rule, to the point that the latter has constantly refused – much to Anwar’s expectations – to debate the opposition leader.

A debate that would have been the final nail in the coffin of the BN had it been held in the run-up to the polling date.

Anwar survived a slew of sodomy and sexual misconduct accusations, winning several cases against his most virulent and hard core opponents while he downplayed the hard hitting criticism of Mahathir – his nemesis – and that of his former friends turned foes.

The major timelines of Anwar’s political career can be summed as follows:

Vibrant youth leader, founding member of the Malay Youth Islamic Organisation or ABIM, had a rapid rise of fame and leadership position within Umno, he catered for the poor and needy with low cost housing projects and many other crucial economic measures.

As opposition leader, he united a divided opposition group leading them to a massive victory in the 2008 elections, winning five states and a whopping 82 parliamentary seats. A feat never seen before in Malaysian political history.

Anwar is, once again, set to create another historic moment in Malaysia if he grabs the PM post from Najib.

The one element that could prevent Anwar from making history is his apparent lack of support among the Malays in the Malay heartland, in villages and in remote areas in Sabah and Sarawak.

These votes may be crucial for the opposition to overturn the tide in the GE13.

 Disaster in the making

Unfortunately for the BN and the Umno, Najib is on the defensive and is going in the GE13 with the psychology of an exiting PM, with his guaranteeing a smooth handover of power if the BN were to lose, and this in itself is a very historical first in Malaysia.

Najib shows that he is feeling the intensity of Anwar’s looming shadow over his regime, with the outright copying of the main economic proposals found in the Pakatan manifesto after haranguing the Malaysians over the so called bankruptcy that is looming if the Pakatan were to rule Malaysia.

The only thing that can keep Najib in power is the potential support from a majority of the Malays towards the Umno and a divided Indian Malaysian vote, which would leave the Pakatan with the certainty of the Chinese votes alone.

However, the overbearing presence of Malay right wing extremists within the Umno and the shadowy role played by Mahathir in the current government affairs, may cost Najib his job and the BN seems to be aware of this disaster in the making.

Najib escaped a humiliating defeat in 1999 when he won by a slim margin, defending his parliamentary seat but his popularity as PM is undoubted among a large number of Malaysians, garnering support and admiration to a certain extent in the shortest time possible.

Malaysia could be living the last moments of the BN-Umno in power in this decade as the Pakatan is expected to perform and to deliver if they are to win the elections, thus relegating Najib as the last PM of the BN-Umno era.

The Altantunya Shaariibuu case, the Sodomy 2 and the long delay in calling for the elections could bog Najib down whereas his own statement that he needs his team to win and not only him suggests that there is an eel under the rock.

The other main leaders to watch in this GE13 are the Kelantan Menteri Besar, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who it is being disclosed may be on his last campaign, with PAS president Hadi Awang who is also on the way out after the GE13.

Nevertheless, a game changer would be PAS winning more seats than its partners put together, which would mean the PKR and DAP would have a headache on their hands as Hadi may be proposed as the next PM.

Nevertheless, Anwar’s main caution in the coalition are Nik Aziz, Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng and they would probably combine their forces together to ensure that the prime minister issue is resolved peacefully with Anwar in power.

Kit Siang is another major political figure who is probably going into the battle for the last time, in the event of a victory by the Pakatan. He will surely be survived by his son, Guan Eng who will then play a bigger role than the one his plays as the chief minister of Penang.

Nurul’s battle against the minister

In Umno, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is seen as the rising figure who can replace Najib if the BN-Umno wins with a tinier margin than that of 2008.

He will surely sideline Najib in this case, thus the focus on the government side is on how Muhyiddin will fare in his seat, which is seen as a safe seat for the Umno.

Among the crowd pullers, we have Chua Jui Meng who is the PKR Johor figurehead.

Jui Meng is seen as the real crowd puller for the PKR in Johor as his influence among the Chinese voters in the Umno state is undeniable – if he is seen on the soap box of the PKR on the campaign trail, it may simply mean the Johor Chinese would shift gun towards the opposition.

Last but not least, all eyes should be on Nurul Izzah Anwar, who will be battling the FT minister Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin, a battle seen as crucial for the minister as well as for Nurul though in all logic, the daughter of Anwar should beat the incumbent minister.

 Ali Cordoba writes extensively on local politics.

-FMT

Ex-general has assured Anwar will be safely sworn-in if PR wins

 
Ex-general has assured Anwar will be safely sworn-in if PR wins - Kee KwongOne reason why the latest movement in town 'Malaysian Spring' is making waves may be because its message of peaceful change through peaceful means resonates deeply with the hearts of many Malaysians. Indeed 'change' seems to be what many people in the country want.

The message of change is especially poignant now as rumors reverberated around the country that should Prime Minister Najib Razak and his scandal-tainted Umno-BN coalition lose their hold on power, there could be chaos, unrest and even violence.

Tan Kee Kwong, a senior PKR leader who played 'host' to the Malaysian Spring movement at Wangsa Maju on Saturday, urged for calm. He is confident that the Pakatan Rakyat coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will sweep to power, and the changing of guard will be a peaceful one.

"General Ghaffir spoke at the ceramah (political rally the night before) and he said, on behalf of the army we will make sure that we will escort Anwar Ibrahim from his house in Bukit Segambut safely to 'angkat sumpah' (take his oath) in the King's palace which is not very far away. He said he has worked with the police for 30 over years and he believes the police will do their jobs professionally and in a neutral manner," Kee Kwong told Malaysia Chronicle.

"So we urge for calm because there are all sorts of slanders going on - stock up lah , there will rusuhan (riots) lah, Tanda Putera (movie of the May 13, 1969 racial riots), what have you! But the people are not scared. Let me tell you a personal story about a former neighbor, a lady lawyer. Last time we talked about it, she would be very scared but this time I met her, 'if there is violence, so be it'. I was surprised, shocked because they are very very rich but she said, 'No we are not running away."

Kee Kwong, the PKR candidate for the Wangsa Maju parliamentary seat, was referring to retired Lt General Abdul Ghaffir Abdul Hamid, who together with a growing group of senior ex-military officers have spoken out against the scare-mongering tactics deployed by the Umno-BN.

Alarmed at the barely-veiled intimidation, the group of retired military men have promised to use their still strong influence to ensure their former staff practiced fair play when the crunch came.

Malaysia is due to hold its 13th general election on May 5. GE13 is expected to be the 'dirtiest' ever in the nation's history, with Najib and the Umno-BN having already declared they would defend their 55-year-old stranglehold on the federal government "at all costs" and even if it meant "crushed bodies" and "lost lives".



Hope and peace transcends the vested interests of any political regime

Lightening the political atmosphere with creative initiatives aimed to remind the nation that hope and peace transcended politics and the vested interests of any one group, including the once mighty Umno-BN, the apolitical Malaysian Spring has managed to strike a chord with the citizenry. Its presence is starting to be felt around the nation's capital.

A lot of its impact is due to the simplicity of its modus operandi. The group conveys its message by planting colorful flags in the ground to look like spring flowers, and this has charmed many ordinary citizens into volunteering their time and services.

"This group of residents from this area Wangsa Maju is very passionate about what is happening to the country. They are the Malaysian Spring. Spring in Chinese represents change. And in Malay, it's called the 'musim bunga' (season of flowers). That's why it is so brightly colored. This 'musim bunga' means that from one season to the next step, there must be changes," Datin Anne Tan, who is Kee Kwong's wife, told Malaysia Chronicle.

"And that's what this group led by Mr Leong Heng Chee (in Wangsa) explained to me. The group is actually an apolitical group of people. They say they just want the change. Whichever party (does not matter), they just want the change and therefore they want some nice beautiful new ideas, new things happening to this country."



-Malaysia Chronicle

Sensing trouble in Putrajaya, BN brings in Mahathir as reinforcement

 
Former UMNO strongman Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been roped in by UMNO to campaign in its stronghold Putrajaya for its secretary general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who is being challenged by PAS vice president Husam Musa.

The decision to bring the former prime minister into direct campaigning comes amid strong indicators of an 'upset' for BN despite Adnan's earlier boast that Husam would be defeated by two-third majority.

Yesterday, large crowds rarely seen in this city of civil servants welcomed PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat during the latter's stopover. The crowds' size and enthusiasm - during the Friday prayer and later in the evening near the administrative buildings, had shocked BN leaders, according to insiders.

Pictures of Nik Aziz and the mammoth crowds greeting him went viral on internet.

An UMNO source told Harakahdaily that BN's 'war room' had now marked Putrajaya seat as grey, as opposed to white which means 'safe seat' in election parlance.

Mahathir will be giving a speech at Presint 9, Putrajaya tonight.

But not far from him, popular Islamic preacher Azhar Idrus will also hold his talk in Presint 19.

“It’s a sad story now that UMNO top guns need to come to defend what used to be their stronghold. This was the place they did not have to campaign! This indicator from Mahathir is very telling on BN’s lifeline," the source said. -HD

Wake up and stand up for democracy

 
Wake up and stand up for democracy! This is the new message being spread by controversial singer, Namewee and his friends Ashtaka and 5Forty2, through their latest music video posted on YouTube.

The video, which runs for nearly five minutes, was posted on Friday by the singer himself. It is peppy rap composition sang in four languages; Chinese, Malay, Tamil and English.

The song starts with images of demonstrations worldwide before being focused on the happenings in Malaysia.

The message in the music video: the people should stand up against abuse of power and corruption.

“The time is now, regardless whether you are young or old. Let’s fight for our rights and freedom,” said Namewee via his composition.

The lyrics in Tamil reads, “All these years, have you not awakened? Do you want to continue sleeping like the rest?”

The music video has already drawn 118,132 views as of Sunday noon, with 4,958 likes and 50 dislikes.

One of its viewers called Omgunner said,” This is what I call a music video, better than MCA’s ‘Love Is in the Air’ 100 times.”

Another viewer, Siau Chein Yap said that the people should take heed of the message in the video and vote for change for the sake of the future generation.

The music video is produced by Poet Production, Pop Studio and Studio 21, directed by Kenneth Lam and Morn Liew.

Recently, MCA’s FT candidates appeared in a karaoke like music video titled “Love is in the Air” to garner support to their bid.

Tamil singer Dheepan Chakravarthy also penned a song titled “Beribu-ribu Tahniah”, praising the success of MIC and Barisan Nasional.

However, both the videos became the butt of jokes among viewers and the latter video was subsequently removed from YouTube. -FMT

Question mark over local ISPs playing politics

 
Since nomination day, Harakahdaily has come under severe DDOS (distributed denial of service) attacks. But lately, our IT team found that there was more to it.

Having tested broadband services from all local internet service providers (ISP), we discovered that only YES4G and Time Internet have no problems accessing our web.

Users of ISPs such as TM Broadband, Unifi, Streamyx, Maxis, Celcom and Digi however have complained of unusually slow speed when accessing the Harakahdaily portal.

A pageview chart screened by us also revealed that connection was being 'dropped' every now and then when using these ISPs.

“If the matter is true, such dirty tactics must be stopped. ISPs should focus on their job to deliver the best service to its customers any desired websites without restriction,” said Zulkifli Sulong, Harakahdaily's editor-in-chief.

Harakahdaily is not alone. Malaysiakini’s IT team reportedly observed similar trend. The portal today questioned whether ISPs had been ordered to reduce access or restrict some websites.

Malaysiakini chief executive officer Premesh Chandran was equally serious in urging ISPs to butt out of politics.

"ISPs should stay out of politics and make sure their staff do not follow illegal instructions which undermine the accessibility of their networks. They should also ensure shared gateways are free of tampering and restrictions," said Premesh.

Harakahdaily’s readership has meanwhile overtaken other major news sites, including UMNO-owned Utusan Malaysia's internet edition.

As a precaution to future attacks, all our news will be also posted in full on our popular Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/harakahdaily.

“Users who find it hard to access our portal, please tell your friends to get our news from our Facebook page as well,” said Zulkifli. -HD

GE13: Overseas voting begins

 
Registered Malaysian voters living abroad began casting their ‘overseas’ votes for the 13th general election today.

BERNAMA reported that voting had commenced in Australia, India and China.

In all polling centres, the process went off without a hitch with many voters expressing their pleasure at being able to do so for the first time.

In AUSTRALIA, Malaysians turned up in large numbers to cast their vote at three polling centres across the country.

Officials in Canberra, Melbourne and Perth said the postal voting was smooth and orderly, which they described as a credit to Malaysians.

Malaysian High Commissioner to Australia, Salman Ahmad, said that “everything went smoothly”.

“There was a good atmosphere with Malaysians catching up with friends and relatives.

“We had some food stalls and I think everyone had a good time,” he said.

Considering it was the first time polling was conducted overseas, he said the experience would be helpful in the future.

In Melbourne, where about 1,700 voters had registered, the crowds were overwhelming with two queues stretching more than 70 metres outside the Malaysian consulate in St Kilda Rd, for almost the whole day.

A young Malaysian said she had arrived at the Malaysian consulate at 10am and had completed voting about 2pm.

“It was not a pleasant experience standing for so long but I am very happy I had the opportunity to vote,” she said.

Long distances travelled

Polling in Perth, which had about 350 registered voters, also went without a hitch.

Many Malaysians travelled long distances to vote. Perhaps, the longest distance covered was by a Malaysian in Sydney who found his name in the Perth list.

He flew almost five hours to Perth, which cost him about A$640 (RM1,997) in airfares alone.

A Brisbane doctor flew to Melbourne, incurring costs of about A$350 (RM1,092) in airfares with incidentals amounting to about A$250 (RM780).

“I am lucky I have accommodation at a friend’s apartment in Melbourne,” he said.

Sydney voters mostly went to Canberra while those in Adelaide came here.

Polling could not be held in Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide because they do not have Malaysian consulate services.

Meanwhile in INDIA, Malaysians came out to vote in three different locations, namely New Delhi, Chennai (Tamil Nadu) and Mumbai (Maharashtra).

In New Delhi, 31 citizens, including 23 Malaysian High Commission staff cast their votes.

The rest are Malaysians residing in various places in North India.

Ghanaseharan Muniandy, who was among the early birds, said the government’s initiative of enabling Malaysians residing overseas to vote was a move in the right direction.

“It enables me and the rest of Malaysians globally to exercise our democratic rights. Otherwise, many of us would have been left out,” he said when met at the Malaysian High Commission here today.

Malaysia’s come a long way

He believed that Malaysia had come a long way, in terms of political maturity.

“The government has opened up and heard the people’s call, which is good,” said Ghanaseharan, who works for a Malaysian company based in Chandigarh, Punjab.

Another voter in New Delhi, Sunita Chima, said: “It is a great deal today to be voting.

“The Malaysian High Commission in New Delhi has been very informative and supportive, considering postal voting has been implemented for the first time for Malaysians living overseas.

“This is the first time for me, taking my vote to the ballot box. Better late than never, they say.”

At the Chennai Consulate-General, a total of 53 Malaysians are expected to vote, including consulate staff, Malaysians working in South India, as well as students.

As for Mumbai, 15 Malaysians are voting at the Consul-General’s office.

Voting in China

IN CHINA, 61 voters who made up about 34% of 177 Malaysians voters residing in Beijing have cast their votes via post at the Malaysian embassy here as of 11am today.

The postal voters comprising 55 absentee voters and 122 Malaysians residing abroad and Election Commission (EC) workers will exercise their right to vote today.

Malaysian ambassador to China Iskandar Sarudin was here at 11am to cast his votes for the Rembau parliamentary and Rantau state constituencies.

He also lauded the EC’s move in setting up a station to facilitate Malaysians to exercise their right as voters with the new postal voting system.

Besides the Malaysian embassy here, Malaysians residing in China can also cast their votes through postal ballots at the Malaysian consulates-general in Shanghai, Kunming, Guangzhou and Hong Kong between 9am and 6pm today.

Those residing in Taiwan can cast their votes at the Malaysian Friendship and Trade Centre, Taipei.

-Bernama

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Phantom voters being flown in from Sabah?

 
Speculations are rife that the government has chartered five aircraft from the Malaysian Airlines System Bhd’s charter division MAS Charter to facilitate a covert operation to fly Malaysians from Sabah to the peninsular in time for the May 5 general election.

Sources said the operations had begun on April 24 and an aircraft engineer had been seconded to oversee the maintenance of these unscheduled flights.

Sources here claimed that of the five planes that have been charted, three are Boeing B747 and two Airbus A330s.

According to sources, the A330 planes can hold about 300 passengers while the B747 can ferry 350 passengers.

It is also rumoured that these flights will each be making two and three trips a day respectively.

This means that the B747 alone will be able to ferry 2,100 passengers, and the A330, some 1,200 passengers a day.

In total between April 24 and May 4 (the end of the charter) an estimated 36,300 individuals will have arrived in KLIA and in Johor international airport in time for the May 5 general election.

All these flights are scheduled well after midnight and into the wee hours of the morning.

The hush-hush manner of the operations has raised questions and curiosity on the social media.

It’s a known fact that Barisan Nasional is facing a pivotal general elections and is desperately seeking to tip the scales in its favour.

And Sabah is the coalition’s famed fixed deposit of legalised illegal immigrants. Sabah has some 1.3 million illegal immigrants who hold Mykads and are now Malaysian citizens courtesy of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration’s Project IC agenda in the 1990s.

Speculation is rife that these 36,300 “voters” will be placed in “borderline” constituencies in Selangor and Johor.

Selangor, BN’s crown jewel, was wrested by opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the 2008 general election. The state has 22 parlimentary and 56 states seats.

Pakatan has mounted an all-out assault on Umno’s fortress in Johor.

Johor has 26 parliamentary and 56 state seats.

-FMT

Security in Lahad Datu under control: IGP

 
The Inspector General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar assured that security in Lahad Datu is under control leading up to polling day on May 5.

"I am always in contact with Armed Forces Chief, Gen Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin in planning strategy for the deployment of security forces over there.

"Operation Daulat has not ended. Apart from Sabah Police, we can dispatch men from peninsula when needed," he told reporters after visiting Negeri Sembilan police contingent here, today.

Ismail said security forces were stationed in certain locations to prevent terrorists from disrupting the election process.

The improved security situation in Lahad Datu saw the presence of many people during nomination for election candidates on April 20.

Asked about a report that 35 Kiram terrorists were shot dead by Philippine security forces while trying to enter Malaysian waters, Ismail said that Zulkifeli will confirm the report with his Philippine counterpart.

Commenting on the explosion at a Barisan Nasional (BN) rally in Nibong Tebal recently, he said the police are still conducting an investigation.

Ismail said the public should not worry because the police have increased patrols and placed officers at rally sites to avoid recurrence of the incident.

"As I said yesterday, the police must be informed of rallies so that we can plan and check against negative elements."

He was satisfied with the planning made by Negeri Sembilan police contingent in preparation for the 13th general election.

ANWAR OVERTAKES NAJIB: 43% want Anwar as PM, 39% for Najib

 
ANWAR OVERTAKES NAJIB: 43% want Anwar as PM, 39% for NajibAnwar Ibrahim has a slight edge over Najib Abdul Razak as a prime ministerial candidate, according to a survey by Universiti Malaya's Democratic and Election Centre (Umcedel).

The survey, involving 1,407 respondents residing in Peninsular Malaysia in early April, indicated that 43 percent of voters believe Anwar was qualified to be prime minister while 24 percent of voters disagreed and the rest were unsure.

As for Najib, 39 percent of voters said he was qualified to be the prime minister, while 31 percent disagreed. Another 30 percent were unsure.

Interestingly, 54 percent of Malay respondents said Anwar was qualified to be prime minister while only 28 percent said the same for Najib.

Among first-time voters, 48 percent of respondents believed Anwar to be qualified as prime minister while 25 percent of respondents said the same for Najib.

Compared to Umcedel's last survey results in January, Najib's rating had dropped four points while Anwar and increased by one point.

In terms of Malay respondents, Najib's rating had dropped by 18 points while Anwar's rating had rose by nine points.

 Anwar seen as 'more Islamic'

Both Najib and Anwar are pretty much neck and neck in other areas.

Najib has a slight edge in terms of "friendly-ness" compared to Anwar.

Fifty-four percent of respondents believe Najib to be more "people-friendly" compared to 46 percent who said the same for Anwar.

“Of course Najib is higher (in the polls) - he appears on TV almost every day, compared to Anwar who only appears when there is something not good about him,” said Umcedel director Mohd Redzuan Othman at a press conference today.

Najib is also seen as slightly more capable administration-wise compared to Anwar, while Anwar has a slight lead in terms of accountability and vision to develop the country.

However, Anwar has a clear lead in terms of exhibiting Islamic virtues, with 43 percent of respondents stating that he has such values, as compared to 37 percent saying the same for Najib.

Sex video doesn't sell

Meanwhile, the survey also found that 62 percent of respondents said they were not influenced by a sex video of an alleged Pakatan Rakyat leader floating on the Internet.

Thirty nine percent of the respondents said they were convinced that the sex video was a piece of "Umno propaganda" aimed at making personal attacks, while 39 percent said they were unsure.

Twenty two percent of respondents disagreed that the clip was "Umno propaganda".

“It appears that the smear campaign that is going on (in the mainstream media) on Anwar, is not really having a bad effect on him,” said Redzuan.

Meanwhile, the 63 percent of survey respondents said they wanted to see a debate between Najib and Anwar while 19 percent disagreed with the idea.

 -malaysiakini.com

Malaysia's Customs deputy director-general shot dead

 
The Royal Malaysian Customs Deputy Director-General Shaharuddin Ibrahim was shot dead on Friday while on his way to work.

Shaharuddin, 58, who lived in Dengkil, Selangor, was confirmed dead at the Putrajaya Hospital at 9.20am.

Bernama news agency quoted Kuala Lumpur Crime Investigation Department head Ku Chin Wah as saying that two men on a motorcycle fired three shots at a vehicle Shaharuddin was travelling in at a traffic light junction.

The vehicle was heading towards Lebuh Wawasan from Lebuh Sentosa at about 8.15am.

Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar said a special team has been formed to investigate the murder.

"Investigation is in progress... I will ascertain it is conducted thoroughly and we will find those responsible," he told reporters after a programme with security members.

He said the victim was shot in the neck, head and left side of the body.

He added that the incident was not connected with the General Election and assured the people, especially in Putrajaya, not to worry about their safety.

Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin sent his condolences to the family of the late Shaharuddin.

"I am saddened over the incident and regret the tragedy that befell the late Shaharuddin. I hope his family will be patient in their time of bereavement," he said.

Muhyiddin said investigations will be carried out immediately to bring those responsible to justice.

- Bernama/CNA/de

Nong Chik a pushover for Nurul: Lembah Pantai to become PR stronghold

 
Nong Chik a pushover for Nurul: Lembah Pantai to become PR strongholdPerhaps the best and most highly obvious act of Barisan Nasional’s act of desperation to win the 13th GE is for Raja Nong Chik to go for broke in the constituency of Lembah Pantai against incumbent Nurul Izzah Anwar.

Toppling Nurul, to Nong Chik, must be equivalent to ousting Anwar from the arena of Malaysian politics as Nurul is now touted as to possibly become the nation’s first woman prime minister if everything goes according to form.

The Mahathir and Razak dynasty is being slowly and steadily eclipsed by the rise to take over the full reins of power by the Anwar dynasty and Nong Chik has most likely failed to realize what he is really up against in his bid to become Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai.

While Nong Chik’s reasons for wanting to contest in this constituency is perfectly understandable, that “I got married here, my children were born here and my daughter got married here,” makes sense in a sense, he will need to provide more valid reasons in order to win here.

While Nong Chik has long prior to the run up to the 13th GE began his moves to take control of Lembah Pantai by ensuring that his arch-rival for the seat, Sharizat Jalil, was pushed out of contention, and has orchestrated government machinery to assert his hold on the constituency, the moves have been carefully watched and monitored by constituents.

But the biggest fault of Nong Chik, admitted to by a growing number of voters in the area, is that unlike Nurul Izzah, who comes across as a person who goes to the ground to walk the talk, Nong Chik’s ploy’s are seen as mischievous and he fails miserably the credibility test.

Exposing the “modus operandi” of Nong Chik

The underhanded manner in which he is using as his ‘modus operandi’ for trying to wrest Lembah Pantai back into the BN-UMNO fold is not being realized by some people in Lembah Pantai as ploys used by Nong Chik is usually sly and cunning.

He is attempting to pull wool over the people’s eyes and hoodwink them that he cares for them and has been busy currying favor especially with the Indian segment of Lembah Pantai as they are currently the fence-sitters who he thinks may tip the balance of votes in his favor.

But if Sharizat is best remembered by Lembah Pantai constituents for her sheer arrogance and insensitivities and the corruption of her household in the National Feedlot Corporation fiasco, Nong Chik also comes across as being equally dubious in nature.

When it was disclosed by Nong Chik that Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur or Kuala Lumpur City Hall is offering low cost housing loans to low income earners from a funding of up to RM1.5 billion from the EPF it was viewed with horror and fear by Malaysians fearing over the safety of their retirement funds in the EPF.

This was when Malaysians realized the sly and cunning nature of Nong Chik in seeking to look good to people at whatever cost as the savings stored in the EPF became the scapegoat of Nong Chik and the federal government in their bid to try and fulfill promises of housing the poor.

This is the way and manner of Nong Chik in securing votes for himself and BN, by engaging in risky and bad ploys. It is anyone’s guess what else is on his mind, as now he is hell-bent on trying to evict Nurul Izzah from the post of MP of Lembah Pantai.

Nong Chik however will be well advised to first take a good look at his backyard as minister of federal territories and urban well-being as the state of his portfolio has been neglected to the extent urban poverty in the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur has escalated to alarming levels.

Other questionable dealings by Nong Chik

Those in cahoots with the real character and nature of Nong Chik, those in the know of his wheeling’s and dealings, have come forward despite the fear and risk of reprisal, to allege that he was actually a “prominent shareholder” of an offshore company called RZA International Corporation which has made investments that were sanctioned by the BN government but deemed as questionable by others.

While Nong Chik has gone on board to vehemently deny these allegations by stating that the instructions were given by his father and that he has no links whatsoever with RZA International Corporation, others allege that his father was running the company as the man up front for him.

When the issue began to heat up and create and stir controversy, he took the opportunity to ask his father to wind up the company and its dubious activity and the position of becoming a federal cabinet member was alternatively arranged in place for him.

It is understandable why Nong Chik is useful to BN-UMNO. He has the kind of qualities and ways and means which fits in well with their grand scheme of things to control and manipulate the reins of power to ensure that BN-UMNO is able to hold sway over the country as the governing elite.

In addition, further aspersions were cast on the integrity and ways of Nong Chik when it was claimed that the mansion in which he resides in the fashionable area of Taman Tun Dr Ismail is said to be valued between RM15 to RM 18 million.

While Nong Chik has refuted all allegations of impropriety in his wheeling’s and dealings, by saying that the home he resides in was purchased ten years ago and to which he conveniently states that he has no knowledge of its real worth, the people of Lembah Pantai see it as another case similar to former Selangor Chief Minister, Khir Toyo’s RM24 million palatial home.

Nong Chik states further that the mansion was purchased using funds obtained by him as a successful businessman and also from his father whom he states was also a prosperous businessman.

While he is allowed room to have his say and defend his way and manner of conducting business and governance, the constituents have warmed up comfortably to Nurul Izzah and want to see to it that the power to govern in this constituency is reinforced by her and not to the likes of people like Sharizat and Nong Chik.

BN-UMNO’s Sharizat and Nong Chik unfortunately lack not only credibility but focus, and they are seen as BN leaders who are self-seeking and self-serving, for whom many Malaysians are turned off with as they have had enough of those that aim to profit at the expense of the rakyat.

 Nurul Izzah set to govern for many more years to come

Nurul Izzah has become a shining star among the people of Lembah Pantai for her ability to “walk the talk” and go to the ground despite the odds stacked against her by the likes of people from BN-UMNO like Nong Chik and Sharizat.

Despite her youth, she displays excellent tact and wisdom and people skills like her father, the illustrious Anwar Ibrahim, and is unafraid to roll up her sleeves and go to the ground to assist the people with hard work and industry.

The same cannot be said for Nong Chik as his greatest sweat exuded is to plant a few trees dressed in his trademark glittering orange garb and most of the time be seen sitting at ease and looking pretty in Bangsar and Brickfields garlanded by the Indian crowd.

If Nong Chik hopes and aspires to have any impact or influence on the people of Lembah Pantai he should first learn to do things in a right and proper manner and not resort to cunning and sly tactics to earn the people’s favor.

But why many people in Lembah Pantai is up against him is for the way he lacks the willingness to subscribe to a democratic code of ethics as his conduct and behavior in trying to go about disregarding and disrespecting the youthful Nurul Izzah is viewed with disgust and displeasure by a growing many people.

Nurul Izzah is expected to triumph and prevail with consummate and relative ease in the upcoming 13th GE against any rival pitted against her because she has earned the respect and admiration of the people and this why there should be no change to the status quo on Lembah Pantai for a good many more years to come.

 Malaysia Chronicle

MCA chief blasts Pak Lah for being Islamic

 
MCA president Chua Soi Lek has resorted to lambasting his former boss Abdullah Badawi, under whose leadership Chua was once forced to resign from the government following his sex scandal.

Amid latest survey results pointing to opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's popularity compared to Najib Razak for the prime minister post, Chua set out to make a point by taking a dip at Pak Lah's educational background.

He said Pak Lah was educated in Islamic Studies and as such did not know about economics [sic].

"When Pak Lah led the country, every day he would talk about Islam Hadhari (progressive Islam) but never about the economy," he lamented. 'Islam Hadhari' is Pak Lah's prime ministerial slogan before it was replaced with Najib's '1Malaysia' battlecry soon after the latter took over in 2009.

Saying Anwar also comes from similar religious background, Chua, who has in the past invited condemnations for publicly berating Islamic values, Chua said Najib's rule was however different.

"They [Pak Lah and Anwar] don't know about the economy, they only talk about doa (prayers)," said the MCA chief as quoted by news portal Malaysiakini.

In 2008, announcing his resignation from all party and government posts weeks before the general election saw MCA losing most of the seats it contested, Chua said that his decision was in the context of Islam Hadhari.

"I am afraid if I continue to hold the positions in the government or the party, it would be a burden to the government and the party, especially in the context of Islam Hadhari and healthy political culture mooted by my party president (Ong Ka Ting)," the then MCA vice-president had told newsmen.

Yesterday, University of Malaya Centre for Democracy and Elections revealed that Anwar was the favourite for the post of prime minister ahead of Najib. The survey had interviewed some 1,407 respondents in Peninsular Malaysia between the day parliament was dissolved (April 3) and nomination day on April 20.

-HD

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Labuan seat conflict could cost PKR

 
PAS has “pulled out” of the battle for the Labuan parliamentary constituency, leaving the seat open to a straight fight between Barisan Nasional’s Rozman Datuk Isli and PKR’s Ibrahim Menudin.

Federal Territory PAS commissioner Mohamad Noor Mohamad said the party had directed its candidate Hadnan Mohamad to scale back after Pakatan Rakyat top leadership met to resolve a “technical glitch” involving overlapping candidates in at least seven seats.

Hadnan and Ibrahim had both filed their nomination papers last Saturday for the May 5 election.

A disappointed Hadnan said that he accepted the leadership’s decision.

But sources here believe that Ibrahim, a former Sabah Umno treasurer, has already lost the support of PAS in Labuan.

“PAS has been active in Labuan for a long time. PKR is hardly here. In fact, DAP is more active.

“PAS was very sure of the seat. Members feel they have been wronged. Also, they don’t like Ibrahim. They don’t trust him,” said a political observer here who is a frequent visitor to Labuan.

Hadnan’s heavy insinuations to the media were also revealing.

Following the announcement yesterday, he said: “We started our work as soon as the 12th general election was over, but now we are ready to sacrifice, [not contesting] here for the sake of our relationship within Pakatan.

“Therefore, we hope our friends in Pakatan will accept and respect this decision,” Hadnan said, adding that the Labuan PAS’ decision “not to continue our conflict [with PKR]” showed that the members were “loyal and obeyed” their party leaders.

PKR not reliable

PAS has been eyeing Labuan, a hub for offshore banking and a duty-free island, for years, having contested and lost three attempts at elections.

In the months preceding nomination day, DAP has also expressed an interest in the seat but backed down once told that the coalition leadership had agreed in 2011 to let PAS contest the seat.

A confident PAS was hoping to win the seat with DAP and PKR lending their support in the 13th general election.

In the 2008 general election, BN’s Yusuf Mahal won the seat with a majority of 8,457 votes.

PKR leadership, meanwhile, believed that Ibrahim, 63, a corporate figure who rose during the Mahathir regime, was more suited to take on BN in view of the island’s characteristics.

Ibrahim is an entrenched corporate figure who had led several big corporate companies, including government linked companies like Malaysia Mining Corporation Bhd, Suria Capital Holdings Bhd and Sapura Kencana Petroleum Sdn Bhd.

He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

The swap with PAS involved PKR having to relinquish its demand for three state seats in Terengganu in exchange for Labuan, Sungai Acheh in Penang and Panti in Johor.

Back BN, PAS told

Meanwhile, Rozman, the BN candidate in Labuan, has urged the disappointed PAS community to back his candidacy.

“I hope PAS supporters would vote us as BN’s struggle is far better and more reliable than PKR’s.

“I believe they [PAS supporters] have their own principles and they know how to evaluate PKR as they are in the same coalition,” he told BorneoPost. -FMT

Malaysian election violence spikes with bombing

 
KUALA LUMPUR: Hundreds of cases of Malaysian election violence including a bomb explosion have been reported since campaigning for tightly contested May 5 polls got under way four days ago, police said Wednesday.

malaysia.jpg

In the latest incident a bomb exploded in northern Penang state late Tuesday near a political gathering of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, resulting in a 35-year-old security worker being injured by flying debris.

“It was a time bomb. But it did not contain any splinters or shrapnel,” Rosli Chik, local police spokesman told AFP.
Police later found a second bomb in the area and detonated it.

Prime Minister Najib Razak and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim condemned the culprits responsible for planting the bombs.

“The timing of the explosion and location of these devices are highly suspicious and are clearly meant to create fear and provoke disorder,” Anwar said in a statement.

A total of 387 incidents were reported in the first three days of the two-week campaign, which kicked off Saturday, and at least 15 people have been arrested over the violence, national police spokesman Ramli Yoosuf told The Star newspaper.

“They were in possession of weapons such as machetes and suspected of slashing rival party supporters and criminal intimidation, mostly while putting up flags and banners,” Ramli was reported to have said.

He added that hundreds more incidents had been reported earlier, between the April 13 dissolution of parliament and the official start of campaigning.

The pro-government newspaper gave no indication of who was carrying out the acts of violence. The opposition has complained that their supporters have been victims in most of the attacks, although AFP has been unable to confirm this.

Malaysia is bracing for long-anticipated elections that experts say could herald the country’s first change of regime since independence from Britain in 1957.

The vote pits a coalition — dominated by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) that has ruled Malaysia with a tight grip for 56 years — against an upstart opposition promising a more liberalized society.

The independent group Bersih, which advocates clean elections, had previously warned that political violence and intimidation could potentially sway the expected close vote.

Ramli said the cases of violence included individuals attempting to run down rival political supporters in cars, adding that one election operations center in a northern state was set on fire, but giving no other details.

No deaths have yet been reported, but Malaysian media last week reported a man was left in a coma after a beating by ruling party supporters in the north of the country. The man was later reported to have regained consciousness.

-arabnews.com

In Kuala Selangor, Dzulkefly not spared by gutter politics

 
PAS's Kuala Selangor candidate Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad has condemned the distribution of flyers by his opponents, saying slanders were being spread despite calls by various quarters to avoid dirty campaigning.

"This sad mentality of gutter politics prevailing here is against the aspirations of what the public wants," said Dzulkefly, who is being challenged by Irmohizam Ibrahim, an aide of caretaker prime minister Najib Razak.

Dzulkefly referred specifically to two flyers, including one which attacked him personally under the heading "Get to know PAS's parasite Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad".

The flyer among others accuses Dzulkefly of corrupt practices and of trying to destroy the Islamic party by embracing 'religious plurasim', a less-understood yet favourite phrase used by UMNO leaders.

Yet another flyer states that Pakatan Rakyat wants to remove Islam as the religion of the Federation, abolish constitutional monarchy and even dismantle the police force.

"We reassert all these are nothing more than downright lies meant to delude and hoodwink the less discerning rakyat of the Malay segment of the electorates," said Dzulkefly, who defeated BN's candidate in 2008 by 860 votes.

"The public demands that we conduct ourselves with integrity. During this political campaigning period, in espousing our ideas, it should focus on policy debates, critically analysing promises in the manifesto, scrutinising the quality of administration-governance and credibility of the leadership provided," he stressed, while saying an official complaint was being lodged with the Election Commission. -HD

TRICKY FOR BN IN KOTA BELUD

 
It will be an uphill battle for Sabah Barisan Nasional secretary Abdul Rahman Dahlan to retain his Kota Belud parliamentary seat in the 13th general election.

Abdul Rahman is in a five-cornered fight in Kota Belud, the birthplace of Umno in Sabah.
In the 2008 general election, he won the seat with a 3,020 majority garnering 17,842 votes against his sole opponent then Saidil Simoi of PKR. Saidil chalked up a respectable 14,822 votes.

But this time, it will be tricky for Abdul Rahman, even though the Sabah Umno state deputy chief Salleh Said Keruak has expressed confidence of BN retaining the parliamentary seats and sweeping the three state seats within the Kota Belud constituency.

The three seats are Tempasuk, Kadamaian and Usukan. Salleh is contesting in Usukan

Abdul Rahman’s predicament began when he had to fend-off a strong opposition from his own Umno party via Lamsil Hamidsor. Lamsil is contesting as an independent against party wishes. He has since been expelled.

Many here believe that Lamsil is a plant sponsored by dissenting voices within Kota Belud Umno who are silently campaigning to deny Abdul Rahman a second consecutive win after he won Kota Belud in 2008.

In 2008, Abdul Rahman was “plucked” from adjacent Tuaran to replace Salleh as MP, much to the angst of the locals. He won nevertheless but with a much reduced majority from previous BN’s victories.

Abdul Rahman, a Umno loyalist, is also finding it very hard, if not impossible, to neutralise the surging support for PKR young candidate Munirah Majilis, who incidentally is Salleh’s second cousin.
On top of that, is the ground reality in Kota Belud, where the Dusun community make up the bulk of the voters.

 Muslim candidates in Christian turf

Their votes are expected to be split between PKR and another surging opposition party, the State Reform Party (STAR) through its candidate Jalumin Bayogoh.

Added to this is is the sole Christian candidate in the fray, journalist activist Kanul Gindol, who is perceived to be the under-dog in the five cornered tussle.

Then there is the possible protest votes from the Iranun communities in Tempasuk who were denied a chance for any seat.

Iranun leader Pandikar Amin Mulia had been lobbying hard for the community to be given either the Tempasuk seat or the parliamentary seat.

Many among the Iranuns are now supporting fellow Awang Laiman Ikin, the PAS candidate for Tempasuk.

For parliament, their votes could go either to Munirah or Lamsil, something that Abdul Rahman is already aware off.

Meanwhile the entry of Gindol 47, in the five-cornered tussle could pose grim possibilities for PKR and STAR alongside the BN.

Local observers said Gindol’s participation may now swing the votes from the Christians who comprise 50 percent of the electorates.

This pose a threat to attempts by all three parties contesting to get the already-agitated Christian voters in the area.

This is worrying both BN and PKR camps. STAR, on its end, is already going around explaining why they picked a Muslim instead of a Christian for the Kota Belud seat especially after it had announced a Muslim candidate Majimis Timbuong for the adjacent Kota Marudu parliamentary seats which also has an overwhelming majority of Christians.

Already, according to observers in Kota Belud, the Muslim voters were split between BN-Umno and PR-PKR-PAS with most Iranuns in Tempasuk could be again voting for any opposition candidates.

Kota Belud has 51,467 voters, the fourth largest parliamentary seat after Sepanggar, Silam and Tawau in term of number of voters.

Fed-up of proxy fights

Independent candidate, Gindol when contacted said he sees himself as the best alternative for a complete change and overhaul in the district’s political landscape.

“Many in Kota Belud are fed up with promises years in years out, with pivotal figures always busily putting up their own cronies and proxies.

“There’s little thought to the real needs on the grounds — better infrastructures, a fairer power-sharing formula among the communities in the district, and restoring dignity of being Sabahans,” he said adding that he was using the “key” as his symbol in the polls.

He said he was well aware that he was trailing behind the other four candidates but was hopeful that “this would change”.

“Right now I am in the last spot but I hoping to get into number four spot in days time, and then go for the third spot. When third spot, I would mount a serious attempt to defeat the top two…” said Gindol, without elaborating his strategies. -FMT

Dumb 'Keling', filthy Ganges & elephant Gods?

 
Dumb 'Keling', filthy Ganges & elephant Gods : SHOULD INDIANS FORGIVE ZUL NOORDIN?Think tank Political Studies for Change (KPRU) sees Zulkifli Noordin’s candicacy for the Parliamentary seat in Shah Alam as a support by Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno towards extremism and contradictory to the ‘1Malaysia’ concept so widely campaigned by the President of BN Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

As it is well known, Zulkifli Noordin was once before being fired by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KEADILAN) in 2010 as an elected representative under KEADILAN. It was during his tenure under KEADILAN, he began to display his racial attitude.

Before he started to show his racial attitute, in an interview with an online news portal in 2008, according to him, “I am a Member of Parliament (MB) serving the people, notwithstanding religion, race and background. My Service Center is handled by Malays, Chinese and Indians, even my most hardworking employee is an Indian.” His words will be contradicted by his own racial expressions in several video clips as well as his writings in his blog.

His extremist conviction was firstly seen in the same year in an incident involving him crashing a forum by the Bar Council on issues pertaining religious conversions. In that incident, he was reported to have accused that if the Bar Council was to continue with their anti-Islam view, they will have to face him as he will defend and fight for Islam. In the same year, Zulkifli Noordin also accused Islam of being attacked from the left, right, above, below, back and front, notwithstanding from the government and the opposition.

In 2009, his tendencies to rebel against KEADILAN can be vaguely seen. He criticized with KEADILAN MP’s of urging the House of Representatives be dissolved by noting that “the representatives of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) should not stoop low of BN and its’ representatives should be a better example for the new generation.”

Also in 2009, Zulkifli Noordin also voiced out that, “it is his personal jihad to defend the rights of Muslims untuk profess and practice Islam. He will continue doing so until his last breath...Muslims only want their lives back.”

In 2010, his tendencies to state racial statements and extreme began to shine with his words, “...some atheist are the ones causing the big problems that we face today. It is a sick mentality and attitude that we need to address.”

In the same year, before he was fired, Zulkifli Noordin took the opportunity to criticize Khalid Samad whom was at that time the Member of Parliament for Shah Alam as according to Khalid Samad, the Non-Islamic Religious Enactment (Control of Propagation Amongst Muslims) 1988 was outdated. And according to Zulkifli Noordin, Khalid Samad’s statement was “a insult to Islam and the Islamic institutions within this country, particularly in the state of Selangor”. Post his swipe at Khalid Samad, he decided to lodge a police report against Khalid Samad for allegedly insulting Islam.

Keling, dirty Ganges & elephant deities

In a video clip from eight years ago which was only released in March 2013, Zulkifli Noordin took the opportunity to insult the Indians by questioning the sanctity of the Ganges River. According to him in that clip, “I have gone to the Ganges River. How can it be holy? There are chicken carcasses and twigs floating on the river.” In the same video, Zulkifli Noordin also took the opportunity to say the following on the purchases of broken Hindu deities, “Many Indians were rushing to buy elephant deities, even though one of it was had a broken trunk...I asked the vendor why would they buy the deity, the vendor replied, ‘I never thought to fix the broken trunk.”. He then continued in the same video by saying, “the Indians know it is dumb (referring to the act of fixing the broken trunk).

Also to be noted are his words in the same video, in which he dubbed the Indians and Chinese as illegal immigrants that was brought in by the British during the colonial period. According to him, they were only made citizens of this country in accordance to the Social Contract made between the Chinese, Indians and the Malays.

After the said video was released, surfaced another video which showed Zulkifli Noordin spewing the following words, “There were these Baghdad folks that believed, what keling carrying his Hindu holy book, I saw and I have proof. This keling brought the holy book and swore on it that he was believed.” Or in the original words, “Ada badigol Baghdad ni percaya, entah keling mana bawa kitab Hindu dia, ‘saya ada tengok, saya ada bukti’. Keling ni bawa kitab Hindu sumpah, dia percaya”.

Zulkifli Noordin was finally fired in 2010 as his actions no longer reflected the principles of a KEADILAN member and instead it mirrored as if he was an UMNO member. This and combined with the police report he made against Khalid Samad and his unwarranted actions at the Bar Council became grounds of him no longer having reasons to hide his extremist tendencies.

All of this does not yet include his blog entry titled, “DAP Still Chauvinistic, Racist and Extremist!” dated 17th December 2012 in which in that entry, he accused of the political party Democratic Action Party (DAP) as wanting Lim Kit Siang , Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh as the front-liners in the opposition as according to Zulkifli Noordin, this was to allow the hudud, qisas and ta’zir that you dreamed to be fought and stopped!”. Also in the same entry, Zulkifli Noordin also accused of Lim Kit Siang as being one of the masterminds behind the 13th May 1969 tragedy.

Hence, KPRU believes that Zulkifli Noordin’s candidacy will backfire on UMNO as Malaysians whom are technology wise have seen his habits in the internet and the video clips see him as an extremist which is unqualified to gain any votes from any race in this country.

He does not reflect the peace loving attitude of the people and his candidacy reflects Najib as a political leader that isolates the Indians and the Chinese as well as encourages the extremist behaviour in a country in which the people actually reject such behaviour. His candidacy will however be a positive nudge for the opposition and in turn bring a loss to the BN and not PAKATAN. -MC

STAR BLASTS PM ON MALAYSIAN HISTORY

 
State Reform Party (STAR) had blasted the caretaker prime minister for "his ignorance about Malaysian history."

Sabah STAR Deputy Chairman Daniel John Jambun said that he was utterly shocked by Najib's speech in Bongawan yesterday in which he said that, " Sabah made the right decision to join the Malaysian federation, which paved its path to independence on Sept 16, 1963 ."

"This is really shocking coming from the prime minister, as it shows his ignorance about Malaysian history. He does not know the genesis of Malaysia , his own country," Jambun said. "No wonder the Malayan attitude towards Sabah 's rights and autonomy will never change, all because of this ignorance about historical facts which is also the problem with all Malayan ministers and government officers.

"Obviously Najib needs to be educated that Sabah never joined Malaysia, but formed Malaysia together with Malaya, Singapore and Sarawak. And this creation of Malaysia did not lead to Sabah 's independence. We became an independent and free nation two weeks before that, on August 31, 1963 ."

Jambun, who is contesting for the Sepanggar parliamentary seat under the STAR ticket, he was disgusted by the whole attitude of Najib's speech which was one of brazen condescendence as if Sabah is so dependent on Malaya for its existence and survival.

"Najib should know that without the participation of Sabah and Sarawak there would have been no Malaysia , and Tunku Abdul Rahman knew this," he said. "The Tunku was desperate for the participation of the Borneo states because he knew that without Sabah and Sarawak the Malayan Malays would have been outnumbered by the combined Chinese populations in Malaya and Singapore .

"So having heard what Najib said yesterday, Sabahans need to ask themselves whether it is worth supporting BN/Umno which is still ignorant about our history and our real aspiration within the federation. Sabahans now cannot be sure if the Malayan leaders will ever respect Sabahans or have their hearts truly committed to the wellbeing of Sabah and its future in the federation.

"They think we owe them something big while in fact it is the other way round. We helped the creation of Malaysia , and after that Malaya took so much from us that we became the nation's poorest state. We have become Malaya 's underling and provider state getting very little from the national budget for our development.

"And now the PM comes here and expect us to be thankful. He even tried to firghten us with security matters by saying only BN can defend Sabah ," Jambun said. "He has also forgotten that without the votes from Sabah and Sarawak , the BN would have lost Putrajaya in 2008. Having seen this, it is time for Sabahans to decide to reject BN on May 5."

-Sabahkini

‘Promising’ days ahead for PKR in Sabah

 
Peninsular-based Pakatan Rakyat has made some major inroads into many areas and corners in Sabah with PKR leading the pact in terms of voter acceptance and influence.

PKR appears to be gaining grounds with multi-ethnic groups in the KDMs and Chinese communities included.

With the increasingly open and public discussions of Sabah political affairs, it now seems that a shift is indeed taking place from within the opposition, and PKR is seeing a surge of support in both the rural and urban front.

In the 13th general elections, Sabah is among the key battlefronts for Barisan Nasional.

An independent political observer, Saimin Suberik, opined that Pakatan could win around 10 parliamentary seats in Sabah.

“I think Pakatan will win in Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Tuaran, Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Tawau, Penampang, Ranau, Beaufort, Pensiangan, Batu Sapi, and Sipitang,” he said, qualifying his observation based on his research and feedbacks.

Suberik, who was at one time a researcher with state-owned IDS (Institute for Development Studies), said that his survey done for west-coast parliamentary seats, until yesterday, showed “promising days” ahead for PKR-led Pakatan in Sabah.

Asked on what might have contributed to the surging support for Pakatan in Sabah, Suberik said it has to do with the “peoples’ trust and confidence” that Pakatan is the right party to replace the tainted Umno-led BN.

On the state constituencies, Suberik said, based on feedbacks in west-coast, Sabahans appeared wanting to let state-based opposition parties to take the lead.

But this could be a different story altogether for state seats in Sabah’s east-coast where Pakatan is more preferred than the two state parties — State Reform Party (STAR) and Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP), he added.

Another observer who only wanted to be known as Jimmy gave Pakatan the edge over STAR even in a few Kadazandusun constituencies, initially perceived by many as STAR stronghold.

“Let us wait until next week and we should be able to read more signs from the grounds and the parties,” Jimmy said adding that embattled candidates would also know their fate by then. -FMT

Najib under fire after wife fails to pay 2 AES traffic summonses

 
ROSMAH AGAIN! Najib under fire after wife fails to pay 2 AES traffic summonsesRosmah Mansor, the controversial wife of embattled Prime Minister Najib Razak, has been caught red-handed! According to data from the Road Transport Department, the self-styled First Lady of Malaysia has not paid two traffic summonses issued under her husband's unpopular Automated Enforcement System.

"Lo and behold, we have been lucky. Her name popped out when we did our checks! It is a clear double standard when the wife of the PM doesn't pay the AES summonses. If the PM is so serious and confident that such a system is so good for road safety and for the public, he must ensure that every single one of the people closest to him must abide by AES," PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli told a press conference on Wednesday.

Deliberately left in limbo until GE13 is over?

The Najib administration had rolled out the privatized RM700 million AES project last September amid heavy criticism. Both the Opposition as well as the general public had accused him of corruption in the less-than-transparent deal with the two companies contracted to install and run the speed-trap camera system - Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd dan ATES Sdn Bhd.

However, despite the public outcry, Najib refused to budge. He has remained silent, with critics accusing him of deliberately leaving in limbo the highly unpopular project until after the general election and using conflicting statements from the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Transport Ministry to further confuse the people.

The AGC had in December said it would freeze prosecution of all unpaid AES summonses, while a few days later Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha made it clear the police will continue operating the controversial AES speed trap cameras. Since then, there has been no word from the Najib administration on whether the project would stay or be dropped.

"We (the Pakatan Rakyat Opposition) made it very clear AES will be abolished and so will the summonses issued so far. AES will be a remain a pertinent and major factor in the elections and BN should not remain silent. The implementation has been suspended because there are some outstanding issues. It is quite clear they (BN) are non committal and they are completely silent. That means it is going to be business as usual when they get to power," said Rafizi.

It's all about double standards and CORRUPTION

The AES system began in September 2012 with a pilot phase of 14 cameras, with the RTD pledging to roll out a total of 831 cameras by end-2013 to catch speeding motorists, which it claimed would help prevent more road deaths.

Critics, however, say the system is too error prone, with no avenue for victims to protest, the fines too heavy and the project rushed through so as to benefit the two firms Beta Tegap and ATES.

To back his claims, Rafizi handed out printouts from the Election Commission showing Rosmah's details, such as her identity card number, and from the Road Transport Department, a summary of the summonses issued to one Rosmah Binti Mansor which carried the same I.C. number as in the EC's printout.

The summonses costing RM300 each were issued to the same car. The first offense was recorded on Jan 27, 2013 at 16:49:36 hours along Km 1.6, Lebuh Sentosa and the other on Mar 3, 2013 at 20:08:48 hours also along Lebuh Sentosa.

"Obviously, we all know Datin Rosmah has many cars. We will see how she will respond. But to me, this is about double standards. If you want to bring politics to a higher level, this is not such a small matter at all.

"There's always been 2 Malaysias. One applicable to the rest of the country. The other applicable and enjoyed by the privileged and connected cronies close to the political thieves. The fight against corruption has always been like that. If you steal one steal one box of formulated milk, you will be jailed for one year. But corruption of RM600 to 700 million, the case will be postponed and in the end the guilty escapes and and the government drops the case."

No confidence in Najib, waiting for PR to win and scrap the fines?

Indeed, Rosmah's latest scrape is unlikely to endear her to the people. Already disliked for her brash ways, she is also distrusted because of her love and pursuit of the ultra-lavish lifestyle. Her shopping sprees in the world's costliest cities are legendary and she is notorious for her scandals over a RM24 million diamond ring and a huge collection of Birkin bags.

Yet she cannot pay up her RM600 fines, questioned Rafizi, and this from a system her husband has insisted on foisting on the people allegedly to benefit his business cronies?

The fast-rising PKR leader called on Najib to make clear what was now the status of the AES. Would it be scrapped or would it be resumed once the elections were over?

Taking aim at Rosmah, Rafizi also asked if her refusal to pay the fines was an indication that she had no confidence in her husband's ability to win the May 5 general election.

"How a small elite group connected to the political elite is sheltered from all these is actually a a big issue which should be presented to the public to make their choices. For that reason, I call on Prime Minister Najib Razak to clarify to the public whether or not the BN will continue to implement the AES if they win the general election. When I saw AES summonses that Datin Rosmah had left unpaid, I thought Datin Rosmah was not confident BN would win and was waiting for PR to cancel the summonses!"



-Malaysia Chronicle

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

War veteran vs political veteran

 
The two men competing for the hearts and minds of the 96,515 voters of Johor Baru in this general election could not be more different.

Where Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) Tan Sri General (retired) Hashim Hussein is loud and hearty, Umno's Tan Sri Shahrir Samad is soft-spoken and genteel.

Where Hashim is dark-haired, Shahrir sports a head full of white.

Where Hashim is new, Shahrir is familiar – and perhaps this is the most crucial difference between them.

At a morning walkabout at a pasar tani in Bandar Baru Uda here on Sunday, Shahrir was warmly greeted by some 60 stall owners and countless more doing their shopping.

Many who recognised him called out to him and spoke to him like old friends. Quiet and affable, he needed no introduction to most of them – having been the incumbent here for almost three decades.

Accompanied by his wife, Shahrizan (who is Chinese), Shahrir spoke fondly of Johor Baru.

"It is very kampong-like, still, and very united… whether Malay, Chinese or Indian.

"People say Johoreans are different… yes, we are different. We were 1Malaysia here even before the concept was thought of," he told theSun over coffee just before the walkabout.

In contrast, Hashim, who went on a walkabout at Century Park yesterday morning, was jovial and enthusiastic but relatively unknown to the people there.

Accompanied by PKR Tanjung Piai chief, Dr Lee Boon Peng and several other PKR members, Hashim greeted shop owners and introduced himself to them, helped by Lee, who was his Mandarin translator.

Faced with the mostly-Chinese speaking crowd, Hashim however had a clear message that needed no translation – "Ubah!", which has been the rallying cry of the opposition in Johor.

Later, when approached by the press, Hashim was clear about his plan to wrest Johor from the grasp of Barisan National – by using his war experience.

"I have devised a tactical and operational plan, which all I can say is the same time-tested plan we applied in war – in a foreign land, faced with three warring factions in Bosnia-Herzegovina. I also have a Masters in War Studies, and as a soldier I will apply these tactics on the ground. All this I will use to win Johor Baru," he said.

The JB-born Hashim, who was the 18th army chief of Malaysia, is well-aware of the challenge he faces against Shahrir.

"Sun Tzu said, know your enemy and know yourself and you will not fear a thousand battles. I do not underrate my enemy," he said.

When asked about the protest organised on Sunday by some 200 former army personnel who claimed Hashim was 'ungrateful' and a 'traitor to race, religion, and country', Hashim said in a democratic country they are free to do what they want, and so is he.

"Of course, we know who is instigating them, but truth be told if I had joined Umno they would have hailed me as a hero. I know my choice is right. I believe our children and grandchildren deserve a better life – I myself have 16 grandchildren.

"We have to be mature, because we want to be a developed country in seven years time. In developed countries, like United States, democrats do not label republicans as 'traitors' when democrats take over the government," he said, dismissing the complaints as 'cheap publicity'.

The two opponents may be different in most ways, but one major factor unites them both – the battle to get the most votes in the May 5 ballots.

-thesundaily.my

Sulu forces won’t spoil M’ysia polls

 
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More anti-gay propaganda from Malaysia government

 
More anti-gay propaganda from Malaysia governmentMalaysia’s ruling government is continuing its propaganda against the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The ruling party’s deputy leader Muhyiddin Yassin warned the country’s Muslim community that the spread of LGBT people and freedom of religion are threats to the very core of what it means to be Malaysian.

According to the Barisan Nasional (BN) deputy chairman, these were “efforts by foreign influences who are trying to divide the Muslims in the country, backed by masterminds from among Malaysian Muslims themselves.”

“We cannot be careless, the challenge against Islam’s position comes in many ways,” Muhyiddin (left) said at a meet-and-greet session with employees of Islamic agencies at the Usamah bin Zaid Mosque in Wangsa Maju here.

“There are parties who are becoming more strident in demanding freedom of religion without limits, including the right for Muslims to become apostates,” he said.

Malaysia’s LGBT population is well-versed in government propaganda, said activist and lesbian Mariam, who said that the attacks against Muslims is “part of the government’s efforts to get votes and spark national identity and Islam. It’s wrong.”

She told Bikyanews.com that “they believe people will be in fear of gay people because of all the propaganda and the recent play that went around.”

She was referring to a musical touring Malaysia that aims to “make aware” parents and children to the “negative affects” of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has sparked the ire of the gay community in the country.

“This is just another part of the propaganda that is hitting this country,” said lesbian activist Norhan. She told Bikyanews.com that Malaysian LGBT must fight against these pervasive attitudes by showing the real side of being gay and lesbian.

“We are people and for a country that is promoting so much about tolerance and acceptance within Islam, they are again creating something that is hateful and will lead to anger and possible violence,” she added.

Director Rahman Adam was asked by the government to stage the musical to tackle the “worsening social issue” of LGBT people in Malaysia.

“I was compelled to do something as an art professional to oppose LGBT issue that has affected our society, including school children,” said Rahman at a press conference to launch the musical earlier this month.

“We want to awaken the youths and parents to this issue.”

Asmara Songsang (‘Abnormal Desire’) is showing at the national Palace of Culture (Istana Budaya) in Kuala Lumpur on March 1 and 2 and will be taken to all 12 states in Malaysia throughout the rest of this year.

All performances are free and likely funded by the government or an Islamic organization.

The piece of “educational” theater is the latest effort to ‘tackle’ what the government and Islamic authorities perceive as the ‘spread’ of LGBT people in Malaysia.

The recent spate of anger towards the government came after a reported 16,000 people participated in “seminars” sponsored by the Education Ministry aimed at teaching parents and educators in the country about how to identify LGBT behavior in youth and combat it.

Deputy Education Minister Mohd Puad Zarkashi said 21 seminars had been held and the ministry would be conducting more.

“It is like a disease but it can be cured with early intervention,’’ he told a press conference after opening the seminar.

For Mohammed Islam, the continued intolerance against the LGBT community is directly opposing the professed message of tolerance being pushed by the government and Prime Minister Najib Razak about Islam.

“I feel this is counter to everything we are being told and what we are telling the world about Islam,” the 24-year-old graduate student and gay Malaysian, told Bikyanews.com. “If we are going to be a leader in the world and talk about tolerance, we must be accepting to all people and citizens. These seminars are just continuing to show Malaysia as a backward country.”

Unfortunately, this is not the first time the ruling government has lashed out against the LGBT community. Last year, the government called LGBT “of the devil.”

The Umno, in ending its final assembly gathering ahead of elections that must take place before April next year, said that anti-Islamic elements threaten the country, singling out homosexuality and those who promote liberalism in “mainly Muslim Malaysia.”

One delegate called for a rehabilitation center for the LGBT community to “re-educate” them and bring them back to society.

“We want to transform them from zaman kejahilan (dark age of ignorance),” Tanjong representative Mohd Shaharudin Mohd Hasan Tajudin told the over 2,000 delegates at Umno’s cavernous Putra World Trade Center (PWTC).

Shaharudin also suggested that high school students be taught to reject the LGBT lifestyle — along with pluralism and liberalism — in their religious education.

Another delegate, Ariffin Mohd Arif from Kimanis, called for an official sanction against those who spread pluralism and liberalism, which he called a “teaching of the Devil.”

“Just like al-Arqam … we must take action against these people. Our actions must be strict, and we must not budge,” Ariffin said.

The religious issues elicited animated responses from the delegates, with Shaharudin exclaiming that Umno fighters shall be “bathed in blood” should anyone mock Islamic principles.

-http://bikyanews.com

PR can win GE13 with MASSIVE MAJORITY!

 
PKR's fast-rising star Wong Chen: PR can win GE13 with MASSIVE MAJORITY!WITH VIDEO It looks like Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has got himself another 'star' to help his People's Justice Party or PKR stamp its mark on Malaysia's hyperactive political scene.

44-year-old Wong Chen, slightly geeky, slightly nerdy-looking, is the head of PKR's investment and trade bureau. In reality, he is sharp as a razor and as wholesome as they come. Blessed with double-barreled academic qualifications, a supportive wife and two young children, his plate looks already full. But whether the Malay literature student and corporate lawyer by training likes it or not, his bosses are going to dish out more responsibility for him to shoulder. They seem to think he can handle it.

Wong Chen was given the coveted Kelana Jaya parliamentary seat to contest. With the urban electorate clearly behind the Opposition, Kelana Jaya is indeed a plum seat to get. Suddenly, he is the envy of his colleagues. Yet he has managed to escape the worst of the backbiting and malicious gossiping that often holds back newbies like him. This, his friends say, is a testament to his " extremely" humble and friendly ways.

We can win MASSIVE!

In an exclusive interview with Malaysia Chronicle, Wong Chen talks about himself and his aspirations. The usually quick-talking first-time candidate shows an unguarded side, unconsciously revealing how important the family unit is to him.

It is also clear he is passionate about his quest to bring "change" to Malaysia. While he tries not to give in to over-exuberance over the Pakatan Rakyat's chances in the May 5 general election, it is evident that he is completely sure his side will win and win hands-down too!

"In the urban areas, we are very confident. We are very confident because we believe. After two-and- half days of campaigning, I can sense that the urban areas are very strongly with us. The key to winning big in this general election really is fought in the rural areas and in particular rural areas in the peninsula. Sabah is something that no one really knows what will happen, so we just leave that aside. The analysis is still coming out, we don’t know how the Suluks are going to vote or are they going to just not vote as a protest and what are the Kadazans going to do? They are all tied up to this RCI thing. Now I think the battle ground is really Peninsular rural heartland and that hinges on Felda, it hinges on the price of commodities and rubber and palm oil. It also hinges of the policies and strategies that each party adopts," Wong Chen said.

"We are adopting a simple strategy of engaging people and talk about policies, talk about rising cost of living and stuff like that. And from the BN side, it seems they are just going in negative campaigning strategy, trying to scare the rural folks, you know 'Malays are going to lose power', bring up the Allah issues, bring up the sex videos, I think that this kind of negative campaigning is going to create a big backlash for BN, and if that happens, we will win Putrajaya big and not just by a comfortable win but massive majority."

"So my analysis is you have to go to the rural areas and if you see the people are silent because the rural folk are more deferring and more humble, they don’t really like to voice political opinions but if you interview people and find out they are not talking openly. They are keeping silent, more likely than not they are actually Pakatan Rakyat supporters. So in that aspect I have been down many times to the rural areas and the people go - shhh 'rahsia' (secret). If they give you that signal you know we are going to win. That's why I'm confident and that's why the party is ready to roll."

New breed of creative and smart politicians

As befitting his 'yuppie' image, even his campaigning style seems to be unique and creatively thought-out.

His supporters are going around the constituency handing out copies of his trademark "round" John Lennon-type spectacles in a bid to put a human face to his campaigning and make more interesting the plethora of issues he plans to make a stand on. Many of these concern corruption and might seem daunting or even boring to the layman due to the sheer amount of technical and financial details he has fitted into his presentation.

Wong Chen also praised Nik Nazmi, the Seri Setia assemblyman, and Hannah Yeoh, the Subang Jaya assemblywoman for helping his Kelana Jaya campaign. Both Nik and Hannah are in the same age group as Wong Chen and his wife, and they all have children who were born around the same time.

And though Wong Chen doesn't name any names, he could not help thanking one his benefactors - an uncle of Nik Nazmi's - whom he credits for having mentored and given him the opportunities to rise in his career.

We append below the transcript of the interview with Wong Chen.



-MC

In 22 seats, UMNO leaders stand against BN candidates

 
While the conservative UMNO-controlled media have been focusing on overlapping seats between PAS and PKR - seven out of 727 total seats being contested - at least 22 seats are seeing UMNO members entering as independent candidates to contest against BN.

Leading the rebelion are Wanita UMNO deputy chief Kamilia Ibrahim (right) - who has since quit her post - contesting as independent in the Kuala Kangsar parliamentary seat, and former Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry minister Shariff Omar, who is vying for Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat and Sungai Dua state seat.

From the Sepang UMNO division, its Youth chief Suhaimi Mohd Ghazali and liaison committee member Hanifiah Mohamed are standing in Sepang to give a four-cornered fight which includes BN's Mohd Zain Mohamed and PAS's Hanipa Maidin.

Raya Permai UMNO information chief Mokhtar Salahudin and Bandar Tun Razak UMNO secretary Sukeri Abdul Samad are independents in the race for Bandar Tun Razak parliament seat, against BN's Tan Kok Eng.

The rest of UMNO members and leaders standing as independent candidates nationwide are:


1. Rusli Baba, Bukit Persekutuan UMNO member - Lembah Pantai parliament seat.
2. Edros Abdullah – Subang UMNO member – Kota Damansara state seat
3. Mustaf Talib – Sungai Buaya Selatan UMNO member – Batang Kali state seat
4. Fadzil Hanafi - Former Tanjung Seri state assemblyman - Alor Mengkudu state seat
5. Sobri Ahmad - Sungai Limau UMNO committee member – Sungai Limau state seat
6. Md Ghazali Salamun - Bakri UMNO committee member– Bukit Naning state seat
7. Mohd Azaman Johari - Felda Adela UMNO deputy chief – Pengerang parliament seat
8. Mohd Zan Abu - Ledang UMNO committee member – Gambir state seat
9. Yunos Mustakim, Parit Baru UMNO chairman – Gambir state seat
10. Mohd Yusof Majid, former Setiu MP – Permaisuri state seat
11. Zulkiflee Salleh, Pekan Kertih UMNO treasurer – Kemasek state seat
12. Mohd Nuhairi Muhammad, Bukit Perah UMNO member – Ajil state seat
13. Ja’afar Jambor, Kampung Kumbang Panjang UMNO member – Alur Limbat state seat
14. Md Ali Mustafa, Kampung Ibol UMNO member – Seri Menanti state seat
15. Jusbian Kenneth@Kini, Kikangsa Kayul UMNO member – Kuala Penyu state seat
16. Mohd Arshad Abdul, Sungai Sibugah UMNO Youth member – Sungai Sibugah state seat

Former Selangor MB Mat Taib bids farewell to UMNO

 
PAS today netted a very unlikely individual, who today declared his support for Pakatan Rakyat by handing over his PAS membership form.

Former Selangor Menteri Besar Muhammad Mohd Taib, a controversial figure from UMNO who once made headlines over his arrest in Australia for carrying a large amount of undeclared cash, today announced that he was ditching UMNO.

But perhaps anticipating a barrage of criticisms by PR supporters wary of the coalition accepting past UMNO leaders, Muhammad said he was not after any positions.

And this is proven true since his announcement is made after nominations day.

"I joined PAS not to become a candidate or to seek party posts," he said at an event to announce his PAS membership, accompanied by top party leaders including president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang, deputy president Mohamad Sabu and deputy Murshidul Am Dr Haron Din.

This morning, Muhammad, a former UMNO information chief who held the Selangor MB post for eleven years until 1997, informed UMNO secretary general Tengku Adnan Mansor of his decision.

A copy of his letter, dated today, is also sent to UMNO president Najib Razak.

Muhammad, fondly known as 'Mat Taib', said there was a pressing need for the nation's development to be injected with spiritual values.

According to Mat Taib, these days he spent his time in mosques and participate in sessions to deepen his religious knowledge.

In welcoming Mat Taib, Hadi said he had met him more than a year ago.

He said the announcement of Mat Taib's decision to join PAS was deliberately delayed to avoid any perception that he would be made a PAS candidate. -HD

Two stir up trouble at Bentong MCA ceramah

 
Two stir up trouble at Bentong MCA ceramah Former MCA Wanita chief Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun had a close brush with a hooligan when an unidentified man, believed to be an opposition supporter, confronted her during an election campaign ceramah at Kampung Perting here on Saturday night.

In the 9.30pm incident, two men on motorcycles had earlier attempted to disrupt the ceramah by blasting their vehicles' horns and revving their engines repeatedly.

Subsequently, one of the men got down from his motorcycle and walked towards the makeshift stage before confronting Chew, who was delivering her speech.

His action prompted Chew, who was standing on the bed of a pickup truck, to pause her speech before other MCA members rushed to her aid to stop the man from getting close to her.

MCA Bentong division's publicity bureau head Lim Chau Leng said the man and his accomplice left 20 minutes later after they were ordered by senior MCA members.

Lim said quick action by MCA members who were standing near the makeshift stage prevented any untoward incident as the man could have tried to attack Chew.

"Although he appeared unarmed, anything could have happened. This is shocking as previously, our ceramah in Bentong would go on peacefully without any trouble.

"MCA had lodged a police report on this matter. We hope police will be present at future ceramah to ensure the event continues smoothly. I would like to remind the culprits not to continue causing trouble as it will only scare the public," he said yesterday.

Lim said both men were believed to be opposition supporters as they had tied flags of the respective political parties on their motorcycles.

He said Saturday's ceramah was the first organised by MCA Bentong, with six speakers invited to talk.

- New Straits Times

Group wants answers from all candidates

 
A local civil society group has issued an open letter to all Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional candidates seeking their views on pressing issues affecting Penangites, especially the islanders.

In its online open letter, Citizen Awareness Chant Group said it welcomes the candidates to provide their feedback, views and stance on issues ranging from high-density housing projects to car parks in the state, especially areas within city perimeters and its suburbs.

“We represent residents who are concerned about their neighbourhood and want answers,” said the group in its e-statement to the press today.

The group said it wanted both sets of candidates contesting 13 federal and 40 state seats to furnish their views on the following issues.

Tanjong Bungah

1. A 40-storey apartment block, next to Tanjong Bungah Hotel, in which neighbouring residents did not receive any objection notice.

2. A high-rise project on the beach opposite the Moonlight Bay project.

3. The illegally reclaimed land at the old Tanjong Club, next to Penang Swimming Club.

Pulau Tikus

1. On the Moulmein Rise project, why the island municipal council (MPPP) allowed land conversion from residential to commercial when surrounding areas are all residential plots and the project was not fronting the main road.

2. MPPP approved this project as a “small office home office” (Soho) development. In essence, the developer is entitled to commercial density but can sell units for residential purpose. Does that mean a neighbour can purchase a unit in the project and use it as a retail shop/karaoke/cafe? After all, it is a commercial title.

3. Since MPPP has allowed Soho project on this land, does that mean the developer need not comply with open space and affordable housing guidelines? Where is the developer’s contribution to low-cost housing?

4. Why has MPPP not made the traffic impact assessment report public? What are the recommendations?

5. The developer promised public car parks, where the fees are at reasonable prices. Has the MPPP imposed a condition on the developer that the public car park will be handed over to the council to manage?

6. Where is the temporary car park for the markets while the project is under construction?

7. What is going to happen when the management committee takes over pursuant to the Strata Title Act given that the developer would then no longer have control.

8. Why is there no service road for this project?

9. Why some residents did not receive notice to object pursuant to the Town & Country Planning Act.

10. Has MPPP instructed the developer to conduct a dilapidation survey for the buildings surrounding the project and the costs to be borne by the developer prior to the start of the construction works? This is very important for the residents, because when piling starts and if their homes are damaged, the developer will not be able to dispute that damage was caused by their piling works. (Contact the Architect Centre http://www.architectcentre.com.my/ac/p1.asp?id=1)

11. Dilapidation survey should be done for houses surrounding the project by the developer. The developer has done the survey for only one block apartment.

Sungai Ara hillslope project

1. Despite the Penang Structure Plan (PSP) been gazetted since June 28, 2007, to prevent any risk of landslides and soil erosion by prohibiting any development on hill height exceeding 250 ft above sea level and slope gradient exceeding 25 degrees, MPPP has granted the planning approval without even making any site inspection and even allowed the developer to excise out the hill land under the Land Conservation Act 1960 in order to circumvent the restriction of such land status.

2. The MPPP has not been sensitive to the residents’ objections to this massive hill development despite the fact that Penang has been identified as one of the landslide-prone areas.

3. There are many proven history of landslides and soil erosions on hills that have caused loss of lives and properties in Malaysia, which has prompted the PSP strict guidelines to be gazetted. But the authorities had disregarded these prohibition and granted the planning approval at the expense and risks of the residents living on the foothill.

4. It is of public interest that this massive hill project that comprised 14 blocks of condominiums ranging from nine to 18-storey including multi-storey car parks to be built at the edge of the hill slopes be cancelled as the state government and the appeals board cannot risk the residents’ lives and also the environmental damage for the greed of the developer.

Padang Kota

1. Swiftlets in the heritage area

2. Problem of flooding in the Pykett , Khawsimbee, Westland, Padang Victoria loops.

4. Chowrasta Market renewal: will the street market be taken away?

Kebun Bunga

1. Penang Sports Club (PSC) extension of lease for existing land used by the club.

2. Penang Turf Club (PTC) height control and density of the upcoming development

 Air Itam

1. A columbarium at Savoy Gardens not more than a km from the Air Itam dam.

For all constituencies

1. In relation to expert reports, have an environment impact assessment (EIA) or a Traffic Impact Assessment report (TIA).

2. The current practice is for the developer to pay and appoint the consultant. We are of the opinion that this practice is not conducive to an unbiased report. What would you propose or implement to ensure more independence in the reports produced?

3. Soho: allowing developers to build using commercial density but selling units as residential, a loophole indeed.

4. What about affordable housing requirements and open space requirements?

5. Car parking requirements by local councils – a car park lot per unit for residential and a car park lot per 1,000 sq ft for commercial projects. Is this sufficient?

6. What about visitors’ car parks?
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