Time to say no to 1Malaysia under UMNO regime

Racial sentiment is being deliberately played up to create tension in case BN need to use it as an excuse to carry out a crackdown prior to the next GE (general election). So always address these issues calmly and don't fall into their trap.

We are all losers. This is another sad day for justice, peace and democracy in Malaysia. When will Malaysians grow up and one day say that we are "anak bangsa Malaysia" without referring ourselves to any particular race?

The top Umno people love to have this type of racial tension going all the time as they can use it as an excuse to introduce all sort of draconian measures to continue to rule the country, if they suspect that they are likely to lose the next elections.

The smart thing for all Malaysians to do now is to just lie low and vote BN out at the next elections.

While PM Najib Razak is holding court in United States talking about 'Islamophobia and the middle ground, etc' to the world at large, his own backyard is a circus of goons, proclaiming 'panglima perang', 'hulubalang Melayu' ready to go to war!

Ketua Polis Negara (police chief), why is a Perkasa mob burning pictures of a specific person free to continue without hindrance, while peaceful candlelight vigils against the ISA illegal and suppressed by force using the FRU?

Perkasa is now fearless and can choose to take the law into its own hands. What is the government doing? Where is the law enforcement? Perkasa is loud, daring, provocative and getting more charged up by the day.

It is indeed a sad day for Malaysia as the government is not doing anything to manage the situation. We need real change soon.

Malaysiakini
01/10/10

Umno goes after Namewee BUT Perkasa is free to do anything under the sun.

Given the BN government’s famed fondness for double standards, few Malaysians were surprised by news that controversial rapper Namewee was now a step closer to arrest with the Investigation Papers against him having been submitted to the Attorney-General for a final decision.

Indeed the speed of the investigation process against Namewee has been remarkable. Just a month ago on August 31, he was grilled for three hours at the Taman Tun Dr Ismail police station. A few days later, he was hauled in for questioning by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission for 7 hours.

And on Wednesday, Information Minister Rais Yatim says the Investigation Papers had already been submitted to the Attorney General last week itself. This means that all in – it has only taken the Malaysian authorities a total of three weeks to conclude their probe.

Yet for the two school principals whom Namewee got into trouble over, no decision has been reached although nearly two months have passed since police complaints were lodged against them. The two teachers had hurled racial slurs at their non-Malay pupils.

“It is sad that inter-racial relations in Malaysia have deteriorated to such an extreme stage thanks to the deliberate manipulation of Umno and the refusal of their cohorts like MCA, MIC and Gerakan to challenge them. The injustice is pretty sickening but that is Umno’s tactic – to wear everyone down until nobody bothers to fight back,” PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

The antithesis of what Umno stands for

All eyes are now on Prime Minister Najib Razak, who earlier this week had exhorted the United Nations to choose moderation over extremism.

Kit Siang
“Najib should know that the question all Malaysians are asking is when he is going to walk the talk and provide leadership in the country to galvanise the moderates, NGOs and social movements in Malaysia to take a stand against the rise of extremism – both racial bigotry and religious extremism – in the past 18 months of his premiership,” DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said in a statement.

“What is most ironical is that the rise of extremism in Malaysia, both racial bigotry and religious intolerance, is under the patronage of his No. 2 in government, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. This is why for 47 days, as DPM and Education Minister, there is not only government inaction against the two school principals who made incendiary, insensitive and racist statements against students in school, there is not a word of condemnation from Muhyiddin against such open challenge and contempt for Najib’s 1Malaysia concept.”

Khairy
Nonetheless, Najib is likely close an eye. In fact, most Malaysians expect him to twist the matter around and pin-point Namewee as the extremist and the racist, rather than Perkasa or the two teachers. Already Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has urged the authorities to take tough action against Namewee.

According to pundits, what Umno fears most is that Namewee, who has a huge youth fan-base, might become too influential with his "Say No to Racism" message. This would put their party in a bad light as anti-racism would be the antithesis of what Umno stands for.

"The Namewee issue should be taken seriously by the authories. Concerned that more might follow Namewee," Khairy wrote on his Facebook page.

Don't give up Namewee
Namewee got into trouble after he released a three-minute video clip entitled ‘Nah’ to lash out at one of the school principals, Siti Inshah Mansor, after it became apparent that the Education ministry had no intention to punish her. Siti Inshah not only told her Chinese pupils to go back to China, she also likened Indian students to dogs.

At a Youth function in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night, ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa staged a rowdy demonstration calling Namewee babi (pig) and pengkhianat (traitor). They also burned enlarged posters of Namewee. But the police refused to arrest any of the Perkasa protesters, insisting that the organizers of the Youth function ended their event early instead.

Not content, Perkasa members continued their attacks the following day. Calling themselves panglima perang dan hulubalang Melayu (Malay warriors), they vowed to stalk Namewee and disrupt his concerts when he goes on his scheduled tour around the nation soon.

“I found it really amusing that to Perkasa, 'panglima perang" and "hulubalang Melayu" today is about burning posters and stalking rappers,” DAP information chief Tony Pua said on Twitter.

MC
01/01/10

No action by the govt for National Civics Bureau (BTN), deputy director called the Chinese ‘slit eyes’ and Indians ‘drunkards’.

The federal government’s “weak-kneed” decision in refusing to consider shutting down the BTN despite repeated calls through the years from civil society groups and opposition leaders.

The BTN incurred infamy for the indoctrination courses it conducts for top civil servants and university students, with many attendees complaining of the overt racism in its syllabus whereby the Malays are taught to distrust and even hate the non-Malays.

“In the first place, why was the announcement of the Cabinet decision to ask the Chief Secretary to investigate the latest racist remarks of a Biro Tata Negara official made by the MIC Minister for Human Resources Dr S Subramaniam and not by the Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, who had chaired the Cabinet meeting during Najib’s absence?” Lim said in a statement.

“Is it because the controversy over BTN’s latest offence against Najib’s 1Malaysia concept is regarded as a trivial matter not serious enough to warrant the personal attention and concern of the Deputy Prime Minister?”

Tepid response from MCA, MIC and Gerakan

Indeed, despite huge public outcry, non-Malay BN component parties such as MIC, Gerakan and MCA have tried to help Umno protect the BTN.

Kit Siang
MIC president S Samy Vellu and Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon have both told the press the incident was “blown out of proportion”, while MCA president Chua Soi Lek suggested the BTN deputy director Hamim Husain be sent for counseling.

Perkasa, an ultra-Malay rights group linked to Umno, has also defended the BTN.

“These actions are not enough. In fact, the blatant refusal to punish BTN is a slap in the face of the Chinese and Indian communities. The actions of the MCA, Gerakan and MIC in supporting Perkasa to help Umno sweep the case under the carpet is a disgrace to their constituents,” PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

IMalaysia or 1Hypocrisy

Earlier this week, Hamim was caught telling a Puteri Umno function that only Malays had the right to rule Malaysia and he also described the Chinese as ‘mata sepet’ or slit-eyes and Indians as 'si botol’ or drunkards.

Lee Boon Chye
His remarks came even as Prime Minister Najib Razak was in New York preaching moderation over extremism to the United Nations General Assembly. In his maiden speech to the UN, Najib had also bragged about his multi-racial 1Malaysia plan.

Back home, Najib was heavily criticized for his hypocrisy.

“Tsu Koon seems to be speaking the same language as Perkasa which has claimed an overreaction with the issue ‘blown out of proportion’ over the racist and derogatory remarks of BTN deputy director Hamim Hussain. In failing to consider whether BTN should be dissolved, Cabinet has done a great disservice to 1Malaysia concept propounded by Najib,” said Kit Siang.

Meanwhile, PAS vice president Mahfuz Omar has called on the government to dissolve BTN.

“The time has come for the government to scrap the BTN, and not reform it. The agency has been abused to fan racial sentiments in the country, and this is not new as it has been doing so since its establishment," said Mahfuz.

MC
01/10/10

Rakyat fed-up with Umno's attitude

UMNO back stabs among themselves and with BN while another minister is busy on the world stage trying to sell 1Malaysia concept to the United Nations ! Adolf Hitler had his vision of a Greater Germany in the 1930s. So , what is so great about this non performing 1Malaysia? There is no need to have sitcoms and comedy shows on the television anymore when the Berita Jam 8 ,9 and 10 are full with such entertainment plus some horror side of it from our local PM , DPM , ministers , MPs , ADuns , judges, MACC and the police.

Koh Tsu Koon is already such great "entertainer" on the prime time news. We have somebody who failed his own KPI taking care of the KPI. As well as somebody whom once said will not take up any govt position but returned as a non elected minister. Do not be overly worried , nobody is fed up. Next time we will make sure that such clowns will lose their election deposit.

In fact, it is high time that ALL politicians stopped making cheap party points, against others within their own parties as well as those in the Opposition. High time, too, that they got down to doing what they were elected to do, GOVERN THE COUNTRY.

Umno leaders were constantly trying to deride policies and proposals initiated by the opposition with their “smart aleck remarks”.“They don’t really care if the policies are sound and effective… all they are interested in is looking and sounding great in front of their followers.

The same attitude that induced the federal government to lash out at the opposition state with various unjustifiable accusations. The list of objections and complaints by Umno leaders against oppositions are endless… Now they are harping on halal issues in Penang.

“What is wrong with UMNO and federal government?

01/10/10

Reasons why Tamil and Chinese students go to vernacular schools

The Chinese and Indian parents send their children to Tamil/ Chinese school because they are worried that the quality of teaching and learning in national schools is not comparable with that of the Tamil/Chinese schools. Not only the Chinese and Indian parents are concerned about this but there are also some Malay parents who feel the same. 70000 Malay students study in Chinese schools. There are lot of elite Malay students who study in international and private national schools. There are also Malay parents who have initiated organised campaign for bilingual schooling system. It shows that all is not too well in national schools.

The teaching and learning in Tamil and Chinese schools encourages and promotes the students to learn mathematics and science. They are given a lot of homework and school work. The teachers in these schools are concerned about the welfare and performance of their students and the Indian and Chinese parents and also some Malay parents feel from their experience that the environment in the national school is not comparable with that of the Tamil and Chinese schools. What are the actions being taken to increase the number of non Malay students in national school? We can take one product as an example, if the product is good for sure it can attract a lot of customers. If the customers don’t come, we must re-examine and improve our product and not find fault with customers. That is the way we can succeed.



In addition, from the parent’s experience, national schools are not serious about teaching POL. Usually in national schools, POL is taught after school session or on Saturday. This shows that the national schools are not serious about the teaching of Tamil and Chinese language and the parents are worried that if they send their children to national schools, their mother tongue is lost. In Singapore, there’s no Tamil/Chinese school. But the students in that country can speak and write their mother tongue well. This is because their national school takes this task seriously and makes the learning of vernacular language compulsory to all students in their national schools. The government has proven that it is serious about the learning of vernacular language in the national schools. Therefore, no one request for Tamil/Chinese school. But in Malaysia, the parents of Indian and Chinese students do not trust the government because for the last 50 years, they have not shown any sincere effort in teach vernacular language in national schools. I ask the Minister of Education, are there any plans to improve the teaching of vernacular in national school?



Moreover, the national schools looks like religious schools. This is also one of the reasons why Indian and Chinese parents refuse to send their children to study in national schools. I call upon the Minister of Education to address this suspicion and doubt of Malay, Chinese, and Indian parents and reveal the actions to be taken to improve the quality of teaching and learning in national school to be better than that of the Chinese and Tamil schools. The following activities in national schools drive away non Malay children from national school.



1. While reciting prays in morning assembly the HM should remind the non Muslim students to pray to their own God. Do not ignore them. Do unto others what you want others to do to you.

2. There are lot of signboards written in Jawi surrounding the school, especially in the rural area. Does the HM expect the non Malay children to read these signboards?

3. There are a lot of prayers – when the Muslims pray, remind the non Muslims to prayer to their own God. Do not ignore. The teachers treat them as though they do not exist in the school.

4. The teachers entering classes only acknowledge and greet the Muslim students and straight away start teaching without greeting the non Muslim students, they don’t exist in the class.

5. During festival or religious celebration – there are only programs for Muslims but don’t have any class or programs for non Muslims students. They waste the whole day doing nothing but lazing around.

6. When quoting or showing examples, the teachers just quote from Muslim scripts or Islamic books but do not even mention about the non Muslim leaders. The contributions of non Muslim leaders in the field of politics, social, science, and so on are ignored. May be the teachers don’t know. But they should be aware of this if they want the Indian and Chinese parents to send their children to national schools.

7. During the JQAf – the non Muslim students go to QI class and they are allowed to do their own work because the teachers don’t know what the syllabus in QI entails.

8. Name tags of the teachers are also in Jawi. How can the non Muslim students read Jawi?

9. Canteen – there are non Muslim students who don’t eat beef or are vegetarian. There are no tags that indicate what kind of meat. Not bothered about the sensitivity of other races.

10. The numbers of non Muslim teachers are very minimal in the national schools. The national schools are short of capable teachers who can lead the Malaysian students to the real 1Malaysia.

With all the short comings in national schools and its management the UMNO leaders are blaming others for not sending students.

30/09/10

UMNO's 'Politicising race and religion may hurt economy'

Stop politicising race and religion as it is making investors anxious, said top banker Azman Hashim. Not mentioning names, the Ambank chairperson said that this "very Malaysian phenomenon" is seeing certain parties make decisions "not just based on...impact on the rakyat but based on political advantage." NONE"The first question foreign investors used to ask me was 'What is the economic outlook for your country?' "Now (they ask)

'What are the prospects of political stability and sustainability of racial and religious harmony?' "Racial and religious insults appear particularly on the Internet...for now cool heads prevail but how long can we expect to remain cool?" he said. azman hashimBesides the politicisation of race and religion, Azman (right) said that other critical challenges to Vision 2020 is a lack of English proficiency due to "policy reversals" and the "high cost of corruption".

The Perdana Leadership Foundation chairperson's opening speech at the foundation's CEO Forum, which attracted about 400 industry players, hits home in view of recent heated discussions over race and religions among political parties and race-based NGOs. Feeling the heat.

Recently the DAP has been under attack from Umno and Malay rights NGO Perkasa for issues pertaining to bumiputera and Islam. DAP-Serdang parliamentarian Teo Nie Ching felt the heat over her visit to a surau in her constituency, while colleague Petaling Jaya Utara Tony Pua faced the music for proposing the scrapping of bumiputera discounts for luxury property. lim guan eng slaughters cow 310810 lim guang eng nizar jamaluddinBoth have been called to give police statements on the matter this week.

In Penang, DAP secretary general and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was slammed when a cleric mentioned his name in a sermon, and again when doctored photos of him slaughtering a cow made its rounds. Perkasa has also been on the forefront of the race struggle, leading the Malay Consultative Council in pressuring the government against doing away with racial quotas.

Whether or not their efforts paid off is arguable but some connect this to the lengthy chapter on bumiputera affirmative action in the 10th Malaysia Plan despite bold proposals to do away with race-based quotas in the New Economic Model. NONESpeaking on the need for meritocracy at the following forum, Maybank Investment CEO Tengku Zafrul Tengku Aziz lamented that he is forced to hire some remisiers in order to fill quotas.

Fellow panellist Khazanah executive director Nungsari Ahmad Radhi added that there is also a need for open discourse and for people to be allowed to be critical. "In the former Czechoslovakia, people used to live dual lives, a public life and private life, so after 40 years of that you lose your humanity. "We have lost the ability to speak to each other, except to insult each other," he said.

30/09/10

Perkasa defended the racist remarks made by a National Civics Bureau (BTN) official

Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said that unfair assumptions were being leveled against BTN deputy director Hamim Husain before investigations had even taken place.

“Things are being blown out of proportion, little things are being made into a big issue. We do not know whether the allegations against this person is true or not,” Ibrahim (picture) told reporters today.

Hamim had on Monday, during a closed door Puteri Umno function, referred to the Chinese and Indian community as “Si Mata Sepet” and “Si Botol” respectively when asking Puteri Umno members to approach the non-Malays for votes.

“The ‘si mata sepet’ that has never gone to a mosque or surau only has one vote. The ‘si botol’ that only knows how to go up to Batu Caves up and down only has one vote,” Hamim told the closed-door gathering, as reported in The Malaysian Insider.

The Cabinet, disappointed with Hamim’s remarks, has instructed the Chief Secretary to investigate the BTN official.

“We do not know whether the allegations are correct. If we do not know the facts, we cannot point fingers,” said Ibrahim.

The outspoken Pasir Mas MP argued that no action had been taken against rapper Wee Meng Chee for producing a “racist” video clip.

“Namewee makes a video clip which is so controversial, yet no action is taken against him yet,” said Ibrahim.

The DAP and MCA had yesterday demanded that Hamim be immediately punished.

DAP has pushed for an immediate dissolvement of the BTN courses while MCA wants it to be overhauled.

The BTN, a state agency charged with running courses on patriotism for civil servants and undergraduates, came under fire last year for promoting racism.

The Najib administration had promised a revamp of BTN’s courses following a widespread public outcry.

30/09/10

Riches to rags: Umno has ruined Sabah

BEAUFORT: Former state finance minister Mohd Noor Mansoor has lashed out at Umno for impoverishing Sabah after it spread its wings to the state.

In a strongly worded speech in the pro-Barisan Nasional hinterlands, the former Berjaya Party leader accused the peninsula-based party of mismanaging a once rich state to one of the poorest in the country.

Speaking to a large gathering during the annual general meeting of six Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) committees, he warned that Umno was introducing communal politics into the state to ensure its grip through a divide and rule policy.

“Sabah was once one of the richest states in Malaysia when the state was ruled by political parties from Sabah such as Usno, Berjaya and Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS).

“Umno impoverished Sabah when it came to this state. Sabah is rich in resources such as oil and gas, (but) it became poor because of Umno,” he told SAPP members and their supporters from Bongawan, Membakut, Klias, Kuala Penyu, Lumadan and Sindumin, over the weekend.

Solution is political autonomy

Mohd Noor lamented that after 14 years of BN rule, problems such as the booming population of illegal immigrants, grabbing of native lands by plantations, shortage of power supply and poor infrastructure continued to plague the state.

He said this was despite of all the promises to resolve the problems and announcements of huge allocations for Sabah by the federal leadership, from time to time.

The solution, he told the gathering, is through ensuring political autonomy through a party that is from Sabah that does not have to kow-tow to leaders in the peninsula as Umno leaders in the state now have to.

Only then, he said, Kuala Lumpur would not interfere in local affairs and a Sabah-based party would be able to govern the state smoothly.

FMT
30/09/10

Umno’s fight to stay in power is threat to stability

A recent report by The Economist has singled out intrigues within Umno and the ruling party’s determination to stay in power at all costs as the biggest threats to political stability in Malaysia.

The Economist Intelligence Unit country report also suggested that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) would make gains, but was “unlikely to garner enough parliamentary seats to form a majority government.”

Malaysia’s stability over the last five decades has depended on three “steadying factors”: Barisan Nasional’s (BN) firm hold on power, Umno’s tight control of BN and Malay majority support for Umno,” said the magazine’s Intelligence Report on Malaysia for October.

It noted, however, that all three were no longer a given, as shown by BN’s poor showing in Election 2008 and the historic sweep by PR parties of five states and 82 parliamentary seats.

“The March 2008 general election showed that all three influences have weakened. As a result, these forces may prove unable to hold the country’s political framework together in 2010-14,” the report said.

“Political intrigues within Umno, coupled with its determination to stay in power at all costs, therefore constitute the biggest threats to political stability in Malaysia.”

Factions within Umno have been embroiled in a struggle to determine the party’s direction in recent months, following attempts by party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to implement market-friendly reforms.

Najib, who is also the prime minister, has faced considerable opposition from conservative elements within his own party to reforms that are seen to threaten Malay special rights.

He also faces an uphill struggle to sell his New Economic Model (NEM) to the Malay community at large — whose response has been tepid — and has come under attack from increasingly influential Malay pressure groups like Perkasa.

On top of that, former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad continues to snipe from the sidelines.

The Economist Intelligent Unit report also predicted that BN would lose more seats in the next general election as Umno could no longer count on the support of “better educated, liberal middle-class Malays”, who favoured the opposition.

“The most likely election outcome would seem to be a further loss of seats for the BN, as younger moderate Malay voters — disenchanted by political scandals and Umno’s strong promotion of Islamic values — decline to give it their support, and Indian and Chinese voters remain reluctant to return,” it said.

MI
30/09/10

Umno will not listen to Barisan Nasional (BN) component party interests during GE13.

A possible head-to-head fight between Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his deputy for the top party post at the next Umno presidential election will be a source of political instability, a country report by the influential Economist Intelligence Unit said.

The report pointed out that Najib risks losing the presidency to his second-in-command Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin if Umno fails to make up lost ground in the Sarawak state election.

The state election has to be held by July 2011, and is widely seen as a bellwether for the next general election. The Umno presidential election is expected to take place after that, in late 2011 or early 2012.

“Under these circumstances, there will be even greater resistance to economic reforms, undermining the credibility of the prime minister, Najib Razak, and even placing his position as president of Umno (and thus his premiership) at risk,” the report said, adding that the most likely contender was Muhyiddin.

The report also mentioned that Umno will likely “turn inward” during such contests, and cautioned that the ruling party might not pay heed to Barisan Nasional (BN) component party interests during this time.

“Umno tends to turn inward during leadership battles, ignoring the interests of other parties, and this is even more likely to happen at a time when its status is threatened,” it said.

The report had earlier identified political intrigues within Umno and its determination to stay in power at any cost as potential sources of political instability in the next five years.

Najib is struggling to keep control of his party as he continues to try pushing through much needed economic reforms aimed at making Malaysia more competitive and innovative.

He faces considerable opposition from conservative elements within Umno but appears reluctant — or unable — to rein in dissenting party members, who openly voice their disapproval of Najib’s New Economic Model (NEM).

The NEM is seen by some as a betrayal of the pro-Bumiputera New Economic Policy (NEP) — authored by Najib’s father and Malaysia’s second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak — and a threat to Malay hegemony.

Malay rights group Perkasa, backed by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, has been an especially vocal critic of NEM initiatives that propose reduced Bumiputera equity quotas.

MI
30/09/10

Not satisfied, Perkasa declares racial 'war' against Namewee

In a sign of how emboldened Perkasa has become after its leaders managed to pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak into an embarrassing U-turn, the ultra-Malay rights group has vowed to create more trouble for Malaysian Chinese rapper Namewee when he tours the country to launch his music album.

The words that Perkasa leaders are now using against Namewee are becoming increasingly violent, calling him a coward and accusing him of trying to be a Tionghua hero.

“As we have warned before, from the way they are behaving, Perkasa and Umno are trying to re-create a May 13 type of situation. There is already more than enough proof to arrest and charge the Perkasa leaders involved for inciting hatred and using inflammatory words. The police should act immediately. Why aren't they doing so?” PKR vice president Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

Babi, pengkhianiat
On Tuesday night, about 50 Perkasa members protested outside the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall where Namewee was attending a Youth forum. Despite their rowdiness and racial taunts calling Namewee babi (pig) and pengkhaniat (traitor), the police did not make any arrests.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders have condemned the new Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar for double standards and racial favoritism. They have demanded that he act immediately.So far, the authorities have kept silent despite the obvious deterioration in public confidence.

On Wednesday, not content with the ruckus they created the night before, Perkasa Youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah declared 'war' on Namewee, calling him a coward for not coming out to meet the Perkasa group last night.

“If he was so brave why didn't he step out yesterday? If he is trying to act like a Tionghua (Chinese) hero, then why did he not have the guts to face Malay warriors last night? We only wanted to talk,” Malaysiakini reported Arman as saying.

Tionghua hero versus Malays warrior
Arman said Perkasa members were ready to act as panglima perang dan hulubalang Melayu (Malay warriors), and would shadow Namewee during his tour.“We accept news of his tour with open arms. If he performs inside, we will 'perform' outside too,” he said

He also accused Namewee of disrupting the racial harmony in the country with his ‘Nah’ video clip that had lambasted two Malay school principals for hurling racist remarks at their Chinese and Indian pupils.

Again, the Najib administration failed to take action against the two teachers although it is now nearly months since news first broke that they had asked their Chinese pupils to return to China and one of them even likened Indians to dogs.

"The video has disrupted racial harmony. Who made the video? He made a mistake, so why hide behind the police?” Arman asked.

Najib's weak hold on the country

Pundits blame Najib for the flare-up in racial tensions, accusing him of being too weak to stand up to the growing extremism showed by Perkasa and the right-wing members of his own Umno party that include Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Najib - weak leadership
Earlier this month, Najib and his supporters had tried to distance Umno from Perkasa. Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan publicly announced that Umno rejected Perkasa and wanted nothing to do with it. However, there is speculation that prominent members in the Umno supreme council had threatened Najib with a no-confidence vote if he persisted in abandoning Perkasa.

Hence Najib's decision to U-turn, which also forced Tengku Adnan to issue a denial of his earlier statements.

Perkasa was formed early this year following enormous negative publicity for Umno after Najib gave the green light for mass demonstrations against non-Muslims being allowed to use the word Allah to describe God. Fearing a backlash from the non-Malay eletorate, Umno then "outsourced" its traditional ideology of Malay supremacy to Perkasa.

MC
29/09/10

whether Prime Minister Najib Razak will walk his talk after preaching moderation over extremism to the United Nations or will he close an eye

For while he was in New York giving his maiden speech to the UN general assembly, back home, two nasty incidents took place that reeked of racism, intimidation and extremism. One involved ultra-Malays rights group Perkasa, which is linked to Mahathir, and the other the National Civics Bureau (BTN) which is a unit directly under Najib’s own department.

“Very soon, the world will know who Najib Razak really is. A visionary leader or the proverbial empty vessel that makes the most noise,” Batu MP Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Ineffective and weak

But perhaps, most Malaysians have already placed their bets and written off the 57-year old Najib as the least effective and the weakest of the country’s six prime ministers so far.

Few expect him to do anything even though the deputy director of BTN Hamim Husain had called Malaysian Chinese “mata sepet” or slit eyes andMalaysian Indians “si-botol” or alcoholics. Hamim also suggested only the Malays had right to rule Malaysia.

As for Perkasa, whose patron is Mahathir and whose members are mostly from Umno right-wing, Najib has already lost several knock-out rounds to them. Just weeks ago, he was forced to U-turn on a decision to sever ties with Perkasa. Not only was the flip-flop embarrassing for Najib, it has further emboldened the conservatives in his party to treat him and his 1Malaysia plan with contempt.

“Najib is being challenged more and more each day by the Umno radical wing. He dare not confront the Umno core ideology which is Malay supremacy and which has now been outsourced to Perkasa. So for him to act against Perkasa is to act against Umno,” Tian said.

Barely-veiled contempt for Najib and his 1Malaysia

On Tuesday night, Perkasa held a noisy protest outside the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, where they publicly incited hate and anger towards Malaysian Chinese rapper Namewee. Despite the manifestly racist slurs they hurled at him and the amount of commotion and public disorder they created, the police did not make a single arrest.

As for BTN, Najib is again expected to come up with some compromise solution, such as a transfer rather than outright sacking, although the BTN deputy director has clearly overstepped the boundaries of what is acceptable.

“Of course Najib won’t do anything. Look at the two school principals that Namewee scolded in his video clip, have they been punished? What more the BTN deputy director? So this is the Umno game – there may be infighting between Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Najib but their overall goal is the same – to stay in power,” PKR Youth leader Badrul Hisham Shaharin told Malaysia Chronicle.

“This means they won’t upset the boat that is taking them to their destination. But they will still fight each other – for sure Muhyiddin will challenge Najib for the Umno presidency but that’s another game and fought using different weapons. That’s why Perkasa doesn’t even bother to give Najib face. Even the BTN deputy director and the Puteri Umno chief dare to rubbish his 1Malaysia plan in public because they all know there is nothing that Najib can do to them. He is the one who is powerless, not Muhyiddin or Mahathir."

Indeed, within Umno circles, there is already talk that Mahathir has picked Muhyiddin to succeed Najib and warm the PM's chair until his son Mukhriz Mahathir is ready to assume the top job.

MC

Najib's speech in UN has put himself in an embarrassing quandary

While Datuk Seri Najib Razak was urging all nations of the world to "choose moderation over extremism" to promote international peace and harmony in his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Monday 27 September 2010, it is surely shocking that back in Malaysia at about the same time, a senior civil servant spewed out one of the most extremist and venomous speeches against the Chinese and Indian communities.

Federal Territory Biro Tata Negara (BTN) deputy director Hamim Husin referred to the Chinese and Indian communities as Si Mata Sepet and Si Botol when speaking at a Puter Umno function.

“The Si Mata Sepet who has never gone to a mosque or surau only has one vote. The Si Botol who only knows how to go up and down Batu Caves only has one vote,” Hamim was quoted as saying, when talking about getting votes from the non-Malay voters.

It surely is most malevolent and seditious for the senior BTN officer to use such a contemptuous, pejorative and derogatory terms of Si Mata Sepet (slit eyes) and Si Botol (alcoholic) to describe the Chinese and Indian citizens.

The flabbergasted speech by the BTN deputy director makes our Prime Minister sounds like a first-class hypocrite at the United Nations!

The Prime Minister has urged world leaders to embark on building a "Global Movement of the Moderates" from all faiths to work together to combat and marginalise extremists, whom he said, had held the world with their bigotry and bias.

"It is time for moderates of all countries, of all religions to take back the centre, to reclaim the agenda for peace and pragmatism, and to marginalise the extremists. This Global Movement of the Moderates will save us from sinking into the abyss of despair and depravation," Najib told the world leaders gathered at the United Nations General Assembly.

Yet, back in his own country, a senior civil servant desacralizes his fair and impartial homily on inter-racial and inter-faith relationship.

The BTN, as an agency to train and develop civil servants, should be in the forefront of preserving and promoting racial equality, harmony and peaceful co-existence among the people.

It should be educating and acculturating the civil servants to lead all races to work towards achieving the inclusive OneMalaysia policy mooted by the Prime Minister.

However, the BTN has been shown to be an extremely racist and highly divisive politically-orientated agency to promote the supremacy of one particular race, which is in direct contradiction to Najib's inclusive OneMalaysia policy.

During the height of the controversy over the BTN in the last quarter of 2009, various former participants of the BTN courses had testified that the agency is basically geared towards the propagada and promotion of an exclusive political agenda.

For example, the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat state government in December 2009 prohibited state civil servants and students in state-owned tertiary institutions from attending the BTN courses, claiming that they were an indoctrination process by the Barisan Nasional federal government and aimed at brainwashing Malaysians to hate all those opposed to its political agenda.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders have accused the ruling Barisan Nasional federal government of using the BTN to brainwash civil servants and tertiary students to hate the opposition, and asked why the BTN courses are not open to the public and are conducted in secrecy.

Pakatan Rakyat leaders and former participants have also claimed that the courses were racist in nature and emphasised the idea of the supremacy and superiority of one particular race.

It was also reported that former BTN participants revealed that they were not allowed to take along their mobile phones and other electronic media gadgets, while course notes were not allowed to be taken out of the lecture hall.

The latest malicious and malevolent remarks on the Chinese and Indian communities by the Federal Territory BTN deputy director has again highlighted the fact the BTN is in fact an indoctrination tool to instil and reinforce a racial supremacist agenda, which is, for all purposes and intend, an antithesis to Najib's OneMalaysia ideal.

The predictable danger of such an indoctrination scheme causing untold harm to the already very frail and fragile multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and mulit-lingual Malaysian society is very real. It can even result in a veritable racial explosion, if not checked, curbed and controlled.

For the most part, those participating in the BTN courses consist of pre-university students, government scholarship students, civil service recruits, and civil servants sent for refresher courses.

With the BTN leadership comprising people with mentality like the Federal Territory deputy director, instead of seeking to instil the spirit of patriotism and love for the country, and promoting racial equality, justice, harmony and peaceful co-existence, the BTN is an utterly destructive agency which should be closed for good.

Najib has told the world leaders at the United Nations: "We must choose moderation over extremism. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side."

If that is what the Prime Minister sincerely believes in and wants to happen, he must show the world by example that he practises what he preaches in his own country.

Then, among his first actions should be the dismantling of the BTN, and the taking of disciplinary action against the racist civil servants, such as the Federal Territory BTN deputy director and the two school principals who cynically and contemptuously run down the non-Malay students in their schools. The actions should include sacking these people, and charging them for sedition.

In the case of the Johor principal who liken her Indian students to dogs, and told them and the Chinese students to go back to India and China, it has been more than two and a half months since the incident was exposed, yet no action has been taken against her. The most ridiculous and stupid statement issued by the federal government is that the Education Minister has no power to act on the case.

Najib also must act fast to rein in and restrain those political racial rousers in his own party Umno who are playing the communal card, causing the racial temperature and tension to rise with their irresponsible blazing stirring of sensitive issues.

He should also put a stop to all the fierce and destructive racial attacks propagated in the media owned by his party. The series of communal onslaughts on the human, fundamental and constitutional rights of the people must be made to cease immediately.

Until our Prime Minister acts on these matters, his speech at the United Nations General Assembly will just be sounds from an empty gong, with no substantial and essential value.

My SinChew
29/09/10

Najib - the weakest PM so far, Namewee: Pakatan demands arrest of Perkasa rabble rousers



Perkasa - trying to stir up physical fights
Malaysia Chronicle

Pakatan Rakyat leaders are demanding the strictest action be taken against Perkasa for burning pictures of controversial rapper Namewee and inciting racial tensions outside the Kuala Lumpur-Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, where Namewee was giving a talk to a Youth forum.

“The police should have arrested them immediately. Even for the Teoh Beng Hock vigils, the police simply arrested sympathizers who weren’t do anything rowdy. They just grouped together to light candles in his memory but they still got rounded up and roughed up. Why did the police not give the same treatment to the Perkasa group? Their behavior was violent, they incited fear and should be detained under the Sedition Act,” PKR Youth leader Badrul Hisham Shaharin told Malaysia Chronicle.

Trying to recreate May 13



Inciting fear and intimidation
The Perkasa-led protest is the latest racially-tinged incident to erupt in Malaysia, where ethnic tensions and polarization has risen to alarming levels due largely to Prime Minister Najib Razak’s weak leadership.

Najib has not been able lead his Umno party away from its traditional use of racism and religious bigotry to cow the non-Malays into submission, thereby allowing Umno to cling to political power.

In fact, the mixed signals that he has been sending has further emboldened ultra-Malay rights groups like Perkasa and the National Civics Bureau (BTN) to increase their extremist speeches and behavior.

Last night, more than 50 Perkasa members gathered outside the KLSCAH, demanding that Namewee come out and show himself to them.

Many wore the exaggeratedly high songkoks or hats that symbolize Malay culture, waved the Malaysian flag and shouted Namewee babi (pig) and pengkhianat (traitor). They then proceeded to burn pictures of Namewee, hurling abuse and creating further commotion.

Although, no one was injured and no one was arrested either despite the blatant incitement.

“This is getting very dangerous. They came after Namewee because they know he is attending a Youth forum, where the younger participants are more willing to fight back physically. They are trying to crease unrest, maybe even another May 13. Good thing Namewee has a sensible head on his shoulders. If he did tell the audience to keep calm and ignore the Perkasa taunts, a riot could have easily taken place,” DAP MP for Taiping told Malaysia Chronicle.



Najib - the weakest PM so far

Najib's weak leadership to blame

The 27-year old Namewee found himself at the centre of a racial storm that many pundits believed had been stirred up by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in a bid to escape having to take action against two school principals.

The two teachers had hurled racist remarks at their non-Malay pupils and Namewee had produced a three-minute video clip entitled 'Nah', lambasting their actions. Nonetheless, Muhyiddin turned the video clip on Namewee and counter-accused him of being anti-Malay.

Given that Perkasa is widely believed to have the tacit support of Muhyiddin and former premier Mahathir Mohamad, few Malaysians expect the police to take any disciplinary action, although they also said they would not be surprised if the police arrested Namewee instead.

The incident is also a slap in the face for Najib, who on Monday told the United Nations General Assembly in New York to reject extremism and also boasted about his multiracial 1Malaysia plan. Again, given Najib's track record for hypocrisy and inaction, Malaysians expect him to arrest Namewee for extremism rather the Perkasa rabble-rousers.

“Enough is enough. We demand Najib take responsibility. No point going to the UN and making a speech about rejecting extremism when back home he openly supports Perkasa. No point talking about zero-tolerance for racism when the BTN, which is under his department, is indoctrinating the civil service into hating the non-Malays. If Najib fails to act again, he should resign as prime minister. Malaysia deserves better leadership,” Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

29/09/10

Perkasa burns Namewee's photo, creates tension, fear

A group of 50 protesters from Malay rights group Perkasa gathered outside the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) in Kuala Lumpur tonight to protest against controversial rapper Namewee as he was about to speak at a youth forum.

The angry crowd, brandishing Malaysian flags, then proceeded to burn enlarged photos of Namewee.
Superimposed on Namewee's face in the photos was a pig's snout. Shouts of 'Namewee babi' and 'pengkhianat' (traitor) were also heard.

The protestors, some of whom wore Perkasa's trademark red headbands, were held back from approaching the main gate of the assembly hall by a team of 50 anti-riot police in two police trucks

Namewee, who was addressing an audience of 600 people inside the hall, called on everyone to remain calm.

The rapper was speaking at a youth summit together with SCAH chief executive officer Tan Ah Chai at a session entitled 'Youth, why do you need to 'Nah'?

At about 9.30pm, due to commotion and the resulting tension, the organisers decided to end the session.

Perkasa confirms role
KLSCAH Youth chief Ng Chong Shoon said that the dialogue session was cut short due to the 'tension' caused by the Perkasa gathering outside the hall.

He urged all the audience to leave the hall calmly and not to react to the provocation from Perkasa members.

"The police have assured our safety, including Namewee's, so we hope they will keep their promise."

Selangor Perkasa chief Ahmad Zambri Zahari, when contacted, confirmed that Perkasa organised the demonstration in from of KLSCAH, led by the organisation's youth chief Arman Azha Abu Hanifah (photo).

The protesters eventually left the area at about 9.30pm with the police staying put to keep a watchful eye as the crowd in the hall also dispersed.

After the event ended, Namewee took the opportunity to sign copies of his posters and albums for his fans.

Ironically, Tang, who spoke earlier, said that it was Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, and not him, who should have a dialogue with Namewee.

Asked by journalists for his reaction to the protest, Namewee said: “I have no comment, I'm not politician. I came here to for an anti-racism event.”

But they came for you?
It's not my problem.

They burn your photos...
Not my business - they burn my photo, not me.

Will you apologise as demanded by Perkasa?
No, apologising is not the point. I'm here to help solve the issue of racism.

Are you scared of Perkasa?
I'm not scared. I believe the police will protect me.

Namewee left KLSCAH at 10pm in a car escorted by a group of his fans, and flanked by two police officers on motorbikes.

Malaysiakini
29/09/10

Reject extremism: Najib and his bullshits

It is all very well for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to say that ‘the moderates’ should ‘reclaim the agenda for peace and pragmatism’, in his maiden speech at the United Nations General Assembly. But shouldn’t he be cleaning up his own backyard first?

He maintained that all faiths needed ‘to work together’ and that extremists ‘held the world hostage with their bigotry and bias’. He suggested that “we must choose moderation over extremism”.

Ten days earlier, Najib had already lectured to us about extremism. But his message then was vague and non-committal.

At the 65th session at the UN headquarters in New York on Sept 27, Najib expanded his views on extremism and said, “We must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side.”

Why dare tell the world to reject extremism, when at home, he refuses to censure the ‘extremists’? If he cannot even act in his own territory, then he shouldn’t be patronising others on the world stage.

Najib said the real issue “is not between Muslims and non-Muslims but between the moderates and extremists of all religions, be it Islam, Christianity or Judaism. Across all religions, we have inadvertently allowed the ugly voices of the periphery to drown out the many voices of reason and common sense.”

He praised the efforts of some American Evangelical Christians who prevented the threatened burning of the Quran: “This is a clear example of what can be achieved when moderates in each faith stand up to the extremists who are trying to hijack the universal values of our religions.”

So why are his reactions and responses very muted when it comes to the religious intolerance by Muslims at home?

Many people will recall the ugly scenes popularly dubbed ‘the cow-head’ incidents or the incendiary reaction of Malaysian Muslims with the use of the word “Allah”.

Why can he not interfere and propose that laws dealing with issues of ‘conversion’, be it conversion to Islam (eg. automatic conversion of minors) or conversion from Islam (persecution of various individuals for apostasy) are fair, just and speedily executed rather than allowed to drag on causing those who are affected, including their families, added trauma?

Najib commended both President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for supporting Cordoba House, a mosque and multi-faith community centre, which will be built near the site of the World Trade Centre.

He said, ““We must support the objectives of the Cordoba Initiative, an organisation that focuses on promoting peace, understanding and moderation, both between Muslims and non-Muslims and within the Muslim communities.”

And yet at home, state governments are slow to give their approvals for the construction of churches or temples despite the federal government’s ruling that non-Muslims have a right to worship.

It has not gone unnoticed how churches of old in Malaysia, built at a time of greater interaction and before the creeping tide of fundamentalism, have more character, exhibit greater architectural definition and look less like shop-lots or factories.

Najib says that Malaysians observe the various religious and cultural celebrations of the various religions.

So what? That is nothing new as other nations do too. Moreover, Malaysians just love any excuse to have a good time. Many are well aware that one slip by the non-Muslims is enough to make the Muslims cry out that they are ‘offended’, their religious sensitivities bruised - an escalation in tension is the result.

Najib boasted about how he had “introduced a philosophy known as 1Malaysia. . .to bring all people together in a just and harmonious relationship” and “we celebrate our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society for strategic strength and harmony”.

Again, we note his reticence in spelling out who he was referring to, when he lashed out against the forces of extremism at home.

The levels of aggression and intolerance shown by some Malays towards non-Malays and non-Muslims have risen. When Malays who make racial slurs go unchecked, Najib is not practicing what he preaches. - Malaysian Mirror

29/09/10

How can Najib be so shameless to preach to the world about the good while practicing the bad in his own homeland?I

The Prime Minister of Malaysia in his tweet is encouraging Malaysians to read his speech that he delivered at the UN General Assembly, and welcome their thoughts.

My thought is that it was such a shameful and hypocritical speech. His full text can be read here.

I hope President Obama and other world leaders will take his speech with a grain of salt.

Let me differentiate what he preaches to the world and what he practices in his own country. I would like to remind the world leaders that Malaysia is quick to condemn other countries wrong doings but others were blocked from interfering with Malaysia internal problems even if they had signed or supported any of the international law agreements.

2.Let me reaffirm Malaysia’s unwavering and continuing support for the United Nations and the multilateral principles, based on international law, which it embodies. Let me also reiterate Malaysia’s commitment to doing our part in this collective endeavour.

In Malaysia the international law he spoke about was put into cold storage and he uses his own laws on humanity and democracy. He can arrest and lock up anyone under the Internal Security Act (ISA) without charges. The Press, Print & Publication Act (PPPA) had stifled freedom of speech to the extend that many were under investigation for seditions and a reporter arrested under the ISA simply for reporting what was said by others.

3.It is imperative that we have to achieve peace premised upon a covenant of the willing and not one enforced by way of hegemony through fear and coercion. Such peace can only be achieved if we are willing to constructively engage each other through dialogue. Such discussions would help in creating a deeper understanding as well as appreciation and respect of each other in our conviction to create a better future for all citizens of the world.

In Malaysia, racial polarisation and religious confrontation were at its worst since independent yet any discussions and constructive dialogue on racial and religious issues were illegal and condemned with their reasoning being that they are sensitive. The government itself is enforcing the way of hegemony through fear and coercion. Many opposition leaders are now under police investigations for talking about race and religious issues even though they were carried out in good faith.

4.As a trade organization, WTO remains relevant to today’s economic climate and Malaysia believes that the Doha Round must return to its original objective of ensuring free, fair and equitable trade.

Malaysia wanted the world to recognise free, fair and equitable trade but not willing to do so within its own country. The ridiculous pricing of its national car and the fall of FDI are just two examples.

5.Since the adoption of the MDGs a decade ago, which galvanized the world into collective action; there has been lack of efforts on joint endeavours towards the betterment of humanity. The missed opportunity at last year’s climate change meeting in Copenhagen is a wake-up call for all of us. We need to bridge the gaps towards resolving and addressing the issues of climate change which affects the lives and livelihoods of the peoples of the world and our future generations.

Malaysia, here again call upon the world for the betterment of humanity which they themselves are not doing anything about its poor handling of humanity in the country.

Vast forest are being destroyed for its priceless timber and soon, coal-fired and nuclear plants will be built and he got the guts to talk about climate change.

6.On 7 June 2010, the Malaysian Parliament unanimously passed a Resolution condemning the brutal Israeli attack on the humanitarian convoy in international waters.

Is it not hypocritical of Malaysia to condemn the brutal Israeli attack but letting loose its police force to crash peaceful rallies and demonstrations with arrest, firing tear gas and spraying chemical lace water onto protesters? Talking about humanity..it must be a real joke.

7.We were happy to see establishment of the UN Investigation Panel and the International Fact Finding Mission of the Human Rights Council. The report has found that the conduct of the Israeli military and other personnel towards the flotilla passengers was not only disproportionate but also demonstrated levels of totally unnecessary and incredible violence. This inhumane attack constituted grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law

Malaysians are facing inhumane attack and arrest that constituted grave violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law. Malaysians can get arrested for wearing black, get arrested for lighting candles, get arrested for drawing cartoons, get arrested in rallies and get arrested simply for voicing against the government. Many going in for interrogations by the police and macc did not come out alive but in body bags. Will Malaysia allow the UN Investigation Panel and the International Fact Finding Mission of the Human Rights Council to come in to investigate all the inhuman actions of its government? I can provide you all with the government standard answer, "Malaysia has its own laws, we do not need outsiders to interfere with our internal affairs".

11.While harnessing our efforts to promote international peace and harmony we are concerned with the increasing trend in some parts of the world to perpetuate or even fuel Islamophobia. I therefore urge us to embark on building a “Global Movement of the Moderates” from all faiths who are committed to work together to combat and marginalize extremists who have held the world hostage with their bigotry and bias. We must choose moderation over extremism. We must choose negotiations over confrontation.

Did anyone ask the Prime Minister what is happening in his own country and is he practicing what he preaches at the UN in Malaysia? In Malaysia, the word "Allah" is banned from usage by the non muslim, while mosques and suraus are allowed to be built without any difficulties, other religion places of worship are facing objections. Cow heads were been dragged to proof their objection of Indian temple being built. Non muslim are not allowed into mosque while no action taken on those muslims who entered a church and desecrated the holy communion.

13.We commend President Obama and Mayor Bloomberg for rising to the challenge by affirming the rights of supporters of the Cordoba House to be located near the site of the World Trade Centre. This project will include a mosque and aMulti-Faith Community Centre open to all. We support the objectives of the Cordoba Initiative, an organization that focuses on promoting peace, understanding and moderation, both between Muslims and non-Muslims and within the Muslim communities. All countries should encourage and support initiatives that promote mutual respect, peaceful coexistence and reject the extremists who divide us all with issues that have in the past brought misery and hatred.

Malaysia is happy to see that the Cordoba House include a mosque and a Multi-Faith Community Centre open to all but did he tell you all that in Malaysia no such thing can happened or realised? Even open discussion about Islam and entering the mosque is a no no and could get you arrested for sedition or ISA. How can the PM support such initiative half way across the globe but not willing to do so in his own country? Do you think the PM will agree for calls to build other religious place of worship within Putra Jaya?

14.Malaysia is a multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and democratic society that has benefited from the positive interaction and synergy between the various communities. Mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship co-exist in harmony. It is this equilibrium that leads to moderation or “wasatiyyah” in the Islamic tradition of mutual justice.

I agree with the PM on this point if we are still living in the 50's and 60's but the whole scenario at present time are not so rosy and there is no showing or practicing of his so call "Islamic tradition of mutual justice". He allowed his party controlled media and malay NGOs to heighten the tension of unfounded reporting regarding racial and religious issues.

15.We are therefore well poised to play our part in promoting religious understanding, harmony and tolerance. To further strengthen our process of national unity, I have introduced a philosophy known as 1Malaysia.

Did he explained the reasons why after 53 years of independent there is still no national unity and the people are still so divided by race and religious intolerance? I will skip this 1Malaysia rhetoric as Malaysians including the PM's own ministers are having a hard time understanding it.

With the PM 1Malaysia, RACISM is getting worst with racist remarks coming out from the PM own top party leaders, civil servants, NGOs and multi media. The PM can talk and talk just like his shameful and hypocritical speech at the UN but he simply has no guts to tackle nor take any actions against those racists.

29/09/10

The Princess of Malaysian Reformasi

This Princess has grown out of the shadow of her Famous Father and Mother, she speaks her mind , at 30 her maturity has set her for greater heights, I’m sure she is the leader for the next generation, our children are in safe hands if she is the leader.

Well it is in the genes, her father was a great student leader during his time. With Abim he managed to express his views which was well received by the people. From then on he climbed the ladder of success with UMNO, but was brought down by another shrewd man who cannot stand competition, and that’s when Reformasi was born and a Princess took the stage as Puteri Reformasi.

Nurul Izzah acknowledges that she grew up as a Reformasi spokeperson when at a young age she was put up to speak up for her father at various venues as well as in the international arena. This exposure is what moulded this lass into what she is, a very cool calculated and articulate person. Her reasoning is well received by all races, even if she makes any mistakes in judgment it will be easily forgiven given her age, but I doubt she will make any rash statements without understanding the problems unlike Ibrahim Ali, or Muyihiddin Yassin.

Ace in the Pakatan

She will be the catalyst for Pakatan Rakyat, the ACE for the opposition. This girl will bring in the numbers and the MAKKAL SHAKTI cry in GE 12 is going to be ‘REFORMASI’ in GE 13. Her challenges to Ibrahim Ali and Mahathir are a far cry of what is going to come from her. She is a fresh voice and hope for the people of all races . She is well accepted by Chinese, Indians, Malays as well as the other ethnic races.

This is a good sign for Pakatan to walk to Putrajaya soon. Pakatan should now work towards racial harmony on high gear, to counter Perkasa and Mahathir’s racist views. Being a shrewd politician Mahathir can sense the political tide changing. As such he is devising a very diabolical plan to divide the Malays from the other races. He feels if all the Malays voted for UMNO, then they have a slim chance to win GE13 from Pakatan.

How stupid can this be coming from a man who was admired by all in Malaysia (including the Chinese) . But in the last decade, he is in self destruct mode, so farewell and good riddance to bad rubbish. Quote as said by Waythamoorthy : A Racist is one who “denies others their place in the sun”


Nurul Izzah, just keep a level head always, and do what your heart is telling you to do, you’ll win the vice president’s post hands down. There will be bigger things coming your way soon. If Khairy thinks he will be the youngest Prime Minister in Malaysia, he is very wrong, It is all yours for the taking soon.

29/09/10

Najib not only embarrassed the nation but also drew world attention to the huge double standards practiced in Malaysia,

Many have said that Malaysian system is just a step away from the full-blown apartheid system previously in place in South Africa.

“Frankly, no one in the UN will bother to listen to him especially when he has the reputation of being the mastermind behind Sodomy II. So when he makes a speech like this that every other leader has at one time or another said before, it is sweet dreams time for them. Tell me, which leader would call for extremism and not moderation,” Batu MP Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Extremism and racism at home

Amid great fanfare and trumpeting by the Umno-controlled media, Naib made his maiden speech at the 65th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Monday. In his speech, he called on the world to reject extremism, saying that extremists were holding the world hostage with their bigotry and bias.

Tian Chua - Najib's speech lacked fresh ideas
“We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side,” Najib exhorted the august assembly.

“To further strengthen our process of national unity, I have introduced a philosophy known as 1Malaysia ... a vision that seeks renewal and rejuvenation to bring all people together in a just and harmonious relationship. 1Malaysia calls for the acceptance of diversity as a source of greater unity. We seek to celebrate our multi-ethnic and multi-religious society for strategic strength and harmony.”

Yet even as he spoke, back home in Malaysia, the National Civics Bureau which is directly under his department was busy sabre-rattling Malay rights, insisting that only Malays were fit to rule Malaysia.

The point made by the bureau or BTN was immediately endorsed by the head of the Umno Youth women’s wing Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin. Najib is the president of ruling party Umno. Her comments were perceived as extreme as they denied the non-Malays who form 45 percent of the country’s 28 million population the right to hold even the No. 2 post.

“I believe and I’m confident that without a Malay filling the post of prime minister and other important posts, the position of the Malays will be eroded. As what we have read and understood, even the opposition leader himself dares to sell the honour of the Malays by offering a second important post in the country if he becomes prime minister,” Rosnah said.

Time is running out - for Najib

Nonetheless, despite Najib’s famed double-speak, opposition leaders said he was right in one aspect – time was running out, especially for Malaysia where racial polarization has deteriorated sharply with each passing year.

Lee Boon Chye
This year alone, apart from the manifestly fabricated sodomy trial brought against Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim tagged by the press as Sodomy II, several incidences have tarnished country and scared investors away.

One such incident was the reaction to the use of the Allah to describe God by non-Muslims. Najib and his party took the stand that Allah could only be used by Malays and Muslims, although top Islamic clerics in the country, the Middle East and even the U.S. have ridiculed such a postulation as “extreme”.

It was also Najib's tacit approval for the staging of mass demonstrations to keep "Allah only for Malays" that led to the spate of church violence across the country, lasting nearly a fortnight.

And it was amid the resulting swirl of enormous negative publicity that Najib and his cohorts in Umno gave the green light for the birth of ultra-Malay rights group Perkasa, to which Umno “outsourced” its extremist ideas. Perkasa is now the executing arm for the race-championing and religious bigotry tactics that Umno traditionally deploys to divide the races and cling to political power in the country.

“What more can we say about Najib, I think almost every Malaysian has given up on him. He must stop this very irritating habit that showy public relations can solve the country’s problems. He is the prime minister, not APCO (Najib’s controversial PR consultant),” Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Racism, skewed educational opportunities, macro and micro management of the economy must be done, not talked about and U-turned on even before they can be implemented. If he wants to show he is serious, start by taking action against extremist elements in Malaysia – Perkasa, BTN, Mahathir. Just do it and the citizens will respond. The UN and the world leaders are not fools. They will gauge him based on the satisfaction level of the people in his country, not his grand speeches.”

29/09/10

Only Malays can rule: PAS' Siti challenges Puteri Umno to debate

PAS MP for Kota Raja Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud has slammed Puteri Umno chief Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin for “blindly echoing” the recent statements made by former premier Mahathir Mohamad that the position of the Malays would be threatened if a non-Malay became Prime Minister.

She also challenged Rosnah to a public debate on the topic that has sparked widespread public misgivings amongst all the races.

“It is sad and disturbing that in this day and age, after 53 years of nation-building, there are still people who think like this. I am shocked that the police and the Home Ministry have not taken any action on remarks that are blatantly seditious,” Dr Siti Mariah told Malaysia Chronicle.

“I advise all Malaysians not to be frightened by this sort of talk. It is Umno beating the racial drum for votes because they have no other ideas and are too lazy to go to the ground and reach out to the people. It is of course nonsense. The Malays will not lose power, only Umno and BN will lose power. If the Puteri Umno chief is serious, then I challenge her to a public debate. Let us fix a time, venue and day. ”

Isn't this extremism

Rosnah’s comments follow similarly derogatory remarks from the deputy director of the National Civics Bureau Hamim Husin, who as a guest speaker at the Puteri Umno function, had also suggested that only Malays had the right to rule Malaysia.

Puteri Umno's Rosnah
“I believe and I’m confident that without a Malay filling the post of prime minister and other important posts, the position of the Malays will be eroded,” Malaysian Insider reported Rosnah as saying at the function.

"As what we have read and understood, even the opposition leader himself dares to sell the honour of the Malays by offering a second important post in the country if he becomes prime minister.”

It is worth noting that even as Rosnah and Hamim made their comments, her party president Prime Minister Najib Razak was urging the world to reject extremism at a United Nations general assembly.

“We must, and I repeat, we must urgently reclaim the centre and the moral high ground that has been usurped from us. We must choose negotiations over confrontation. We must choose to work together and not against each other. And we must give this effort utmost priority for time is not on our side,” Najib said in his maiden speech to the UN.

Chief hypocrite and little Napoleon hypocrites

DAP's Kor Ming
Pundits said their actions reflected the hypocrisy typical in Umno and demanded that the Home Minister investigate Rosnah, Mahathir and Hamim for making the inflammatory comments.

"If a non-Malay had made those sort of statements, he or she would have been detained for sedition if not the ISA. But do you think Najib will take any action against Mahathir, Rosnah or Hamim?” Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming told Malaysia Chronicle.

"Even the cartoonist Zunar was arrested and remanded for one day just for drawing cartoons about Najib and Rosmah, and yet our Prime Minister wants to tell the world to choose moderation over extremism. Is this not hypocrisy of the greatest degree?"

29/09/10

Richard Branson: Drop Sodomy II, "fundamentally wrong"

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia is wooing British tycoon Sir Richard Branson to be part of the country's multi-billion-dollar economic transformation programme.

The founder of the Virgin Group is positive about Malaysia's investment outlook. But he said the ongoing sodomy trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is damaging the country's reputation.

Sir Richard Branson has a huge following in Malaysia. To many young entrepreneurs, the 60-year-old tycoon is an inspiration, which was why they paid top dollar to attend his session at a conference on alternative investments in Kuala Lumpur.

The Malaysian government, which recently launched its 10-year economic transformation programme, hopes the Virgin empire Sir Richard Branson founded will also look to invest in the country.

Dr Jalilah Baba, director general of Malaysian Investment Development Authority, said: "We would like to work with him on a few programmes to attract investments here, either his direct investments or in terms of funding or in terms of technology."

Already, Sir Richard Branson is talking about opening up hotels in major cities in Asia under the Virgin brand.

He said: "We are going to try to create Virgin city hotels, very much in the spirit of Virgin. I am sure we will be doing some in this region."

The tycoon also called on the Malaysian government to take bold steps to liberalise its economy, with the government cutting back its role in order to stay competitive in the global market.

Sir Richard Branson is also positive about Malaysia's investment outlook. But he added that the sodomy trial of Anwar is doing the country a disservice.

He said: "I hope the case gets dropped. The case is fundamentally wrong and it does not make Malaysia look good in the world map.''

The authorities have downplayed his remark, saying it is his personal opinion. They added that Malaysia is committed to political and economic liberalisation.

Dr Jalilah Baba said: ''In order to comment (on) whether you should drop it (the Anwar case) or not, you should know all the facts of the matter, you should study all the facts of the matter.''

CNA
29/09/10

The unfairness in the Malaysian education system :Kor Ming

MCA promised to build 6 new schools and relocate 13 SJK(C) as part of its election manifesto on 31/1/2008. However, until today less than 10% of these schools have been completed.

They have cited various reasons but actually, the BN administration is just lacking the political will to implement the reforms and fulfill their election promises.

To make the matters worse, the Education ministry crafted guidelines that all government reserve land can only be used to build Sekolah Kebangsaan, excluding SJK (C ) and SJK (T).

The ministry has also imposed ridiculous guidelines that all parties wishing to build new government-aided schools such as SJK (C) or SJK(T), the board of the school must raise at least 80% of the building funds before it can apply for the permit to build the new schools.

As a result, the Chinese community has been forced to raise at least RM100 million annually to support the well-being of the 650,000 students studying at the 1,284 SJK (C);out of which 85,000 are Malay students.

It must be remembered it is incumbent upon the Government to provide schools and basic education to all Malaysians regardless of their color and creed. Asking the citizens to raise funds on their own to build schools makese a mockery of Najib's 1 Malaysia concept.

Citing reasons to consolidate Sekolah Kebangsaan, the Ministry has also imposed guidelines that students from SK are not allowed to transfer to SJK (C) or SJK (T) but not vice versa, even this may be against the wishes of the parent and the student himself.

This open infringement of fundamental liberties and naked discrimination policy has been allowed to exist for too many years. After 53 years, MCA and Gerakan are unable to change or to repeal such unjust guidelines as until today, UMNO does not believe in multiculturalism and multi-racialism for a truly Asian Malaysia.

29/09/10

Hadi: Mahathir's venom shows how desperate Umno is

KUALA TERENGGANU (Harakahdaily) - PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang said UMNO’s failure in improving the plight of the Malays as it had been claiming was a betrayal to the Malays, while its unjust practices, abuse of power and rampant corruption tarnished the good name of Islam which it claimed to be championing.

Hadi was rebutting former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's remark that PAS was using Islam and justifying its cooperation with non-Islamic parties such as DAP, while at the same time warning Malays that a non-Malay would helm the country should Pakatan Rakyat come to power.

Hadi said Mahathir's latest attack showed UMNO was getting desperate to stay in power, adding that this was the case whenever the race-based party was at its weakest.

“History shows that UMNO is a colonial heritage ...to weaken the Muslims,” said Hadi, who is also the Marang member of parliament.

Earlier, PAS vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man joined other PAS personalities in their response to Mahathir's remarks, saying it was an attempt to scare the Malays away from PR with warnings that Malays would lose their power.

Tuan Ibrahim said the people could "no longer be duped with the same rhetoric".

“The people can now evaluate how UMNO has failed to carry out the trust to govern the country and uplift the Malays. As a result, a new term ‘Umnoputra’ has emerged to show how UMNO fails to help the Malays,” he said in a statement to Harakahdaily.

He added the failure of the New Economic Policy (NEP) to uplift Malay economic life by meeting the 30 percent quota clearly illustrated how UMNO had failed the Malays.

'UMNO once had more seats than Gerakan in Penang'

On Malays in Penang, Tuan Ibrahim (left) charged that in trying to cover their failure during BN-Gerakan’s administration, UMNO now tried to portray that their plight was due to the present state government led by Lim Guan Eng.

“The fact is, UMNO once had actually more seats than Gerakan,” he reminded.

Tuan Ibrahim said Malays had started to become close to PAS following UMNO’s failure to protect them, adding that PAS's principles were based on Islam and not Malay nationalism so that justice can be served.

“PR is now seen as the defender of the marginalised group,” said Tuan Ibrahim, who is also PAS's state commissioner for Pahang.

Giving an example, he cited oil revenues which failed to improve the living standards of the country's poorest citizens in Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan and Terengganu.

“Just imagine that if 20% oil royalty was returned to the states with the poorest citizens in the country by average – namely Sabah, Sarawak, Kelantan and Terengganu – without any corruption and power abuse, these rural states whose people have been neglected for 50 years can be improved and we shall see the emergence of a great country,” stated Tuan Ibrahim.

On a lighter note responding to Mahathir’s latest criticism, Tuan Ibrahim recalled how the late PAS president Ustaz Fadzil Noor would pray for long life for Mahathir "so that he could see the destruction and repercussion to the country because of his administration".

29/09/10

Pakatan demands explanation for BTN's only Malays can rule

In a sign that pundits said only reflected the duplicity in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia plan, the National Civics Bureau which falls under his department, continued to crank out racist propaganda aimed at shoring up Malay support for his Umno-BN coalition.

“From long ago, we have always stated that for Malaysians to take 1Malaysia seriously, the first agency to be dismantled must be the BTN," Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham told Malaysia Chronicle.

"But Mahathir objected and of course Najib didn’t do anything except promise that BTN courses would no longer contain racist references. But again, this has turned out to be another lie. Najib owes the nation an explanation. A clarification should be made by the BTN.

Only Malays can rule

At an Umno closed-door function on Monday, BTN deputy director Hamim Husin had made comments that suggested that only Malays had the right to rule Malaysia.

Ngeh Koo Ham
Hamim’s words comes hot on the heels of a warning by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad that should the Malays support the Pakatan Rakyat led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim, then they would lose political power and suffer bullying by the other races.

According to Mahathir, the prime minister of Malaysia would then be Chinese or Indian or any other non-Malay ethnicity. His remarks drew immediate condemnation, but obviously not from Umno or Najib’s department.

“The rights of Malays, is to rule the country. Simple. Malays must unite in the face of threats,” Malaysian Insider reported Hamim as telling Puteri Umno delegates on Monday.

In an immediate response, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang challenged the non-Malay components in the BN coalition to also demand an explanation from Najib.

“Will Tsu Koon, MCA, BN ministers demand that the Cabinet act against the BTN deputy director?” Kit Siang said on Twitter.

MC
29/09/10

Would Najib would dare charge Mahathir with sedition.

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's warning that “Malays would lose power if Pakatan Rakyat were to come to power”, is not his first racist rant since his retirement. He delights in taking pot-shots at Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration and excels at instigating unrest.

Why would the Malays lose power under Pakatan? The Malays lost whatever power they had under 22 years of Mahathir's rule.

Mahathijavascript:void(0)r is racist, but Najib would not dare charge him with sedition. Mahathir certainly acts like he is the 'co-premier' and his flirtation with extremist NGOs like Perkasa, must embarrass the current administration.

At times, we can be forgiven for thinking that he must be the second most powerful person in the government. His ruthless desire to cling onto the reins of power and pretend to speak out for ordinary Malays must create chaos in government circles. He is great at divide-and-rule.

If he is the 'Father of Modernisation', then he is out of touch with the people of 21st century Malaysia. Most Malaysians would be open-minded and accepting of one another, but for the politicians. I would accept a non-Malay prime minister of either sex and sexual preference, provided that person is a strong and capable leader.

Malaysia's riches lie not its mineral wealth or its agricultural produce; its most important resource is its people. Why can't we set aside racism and simply move forward?

We are a hardworking nation but Mahathir's policies, perpetuated by his successors, have degraded us. With 10 years left until 2020, by when he hopes Malaysia becomes a developed nation, we still bicker over which race does what, where and when. Instead of emulating our neighbours, we behave like children squabbling in the playground.

Isn't it a bit rich for Mahathir to suggest that Pakatan leaders might be a bunch of self-serving and racist politicians?

Mahathir and the other politicians in the BN coalition have already proven themselves to be self-serving and racist.

Research has shown that politicians are the least trusted group of people. The history of politics is the history of lies, and Mahathir could be considered the most professional in this group.

Once people like him have tasted power and climbed the ladder of authority, the lies, deceit and cover-ups have a cumulative effect.

He hates ordinary Malays to get on with their non-Malay counterparts and yet his chums are powerful Chinese tycoons.

Absurd claim

Mahathir is vehemently against the west and accuses it of undermining countries. However, he was happy to offer George W Bush his full support and cooperation in the aftermath of the Sept 11, attacks. He used this tacit approval to tighten his grip on political dissenters at home, using the ISA.

He has a problem with western values and their concept of 'absolute freedom' and told the US Congress in Washington: “The west is very impatient. You want overnight change.”

And yet, for 22 years, he altered the Malaysian landscape with his policies which polarised us, increased corruption, worsened nepotism and created the systematic destruction of our institutions.

His argument is that the Malays would lose power under Pakatan. That is absurd. He leaves the non-Malays with a persecution complex or the Malays feeling victimised.

This man is prepared to sacrifice the ordinary person to protect his, and his cronies' domination of wealth and power. Malaysians from all walks of life are left frightened, angry and worried.

Similarly, the Umno cohorts are also fearful of what will become of them when Pakatan gains power. We, the taxpayers of Malaysia, want them jailed and our money returned.

Mahathir and other extremist leaders imagine we're living in a Malaysia where the Malay reigns supreme for life.

Ideas like these will cripple the nation. This is the power that Mahathir has over easily-influenced and unprincipled Malays.

Malaysia is financially insecure. Our civil service is shored up with injections of cash even though large swathes of it are overstaffed and inefficient.

Mahathir has turned the Malays into a work-shy part of the Malay community. The country is suffering economically and our most gifted people seek jobs abroad. Talk of Malay rights just distracts Malays from valuing hard work and rewards.

The anomaly is that Bangladeshi fishermen are invited to take up 6,000 jobs in our fishing industry. Why? What happened to our once thriving fishing economy? Where are the government policies to modernise our fishing fleet and lift our fishermen out of poverty?

Taxpayers' money is indiscriminately spent on divisive projects like the Biro Tata Negara (BTN, National Civics Bureau) or the unpopular National Service (NS). A few months of NS are insufficient for promoting unity. The BTN indoctrination traps Malays in a dependency culture.

Power-mad talk

Racial harmony and unity is an ongoing process, best started as early as possible in life. Mahathir's racist policies are myopic. They have neither made Malaysia better nor improved the lives of the Malays, or any other poor Malaysians.

Let us not kid ourselves. Mahathir is not making the Malays 'gain power' or 'have power'. He is merely referring to Umno's (and BN component partners) hold onto power, over us. It is for their own ends - and certainly not ours.

What happens if people did not vote Pakatan? By Mahathir's reckoning, the Malays will still have power.

'Power' is meaningless if people still don't qualify to tender for contracts, have to pay a higher road-toll, are at the mercy of trigger-happy policemen or racist school principals, don't trust the judiciary, cannot afford cars or houses, and face escalating prices for petrol, electricity and basic foodstuffs?

Who will the Malaysians blame then? It won't be Pakatan. It will be Mahathir, his cronies and Umno.

Mahathir's power-mad talk has only managed to cause tensions to rise. As a retiree who has caused irreparable damage to race relations, why doesn't he just stick to making the bread rise in his bakery business, 'The Loaf'?

Alas, the talent of the Malay youth to loaf or lepak, is well-known.

29/09/10

Taib's sister grabs multi-million dollar forest for just RM 250

Sarawak Report

In an act of breathtaking meanness and greed the multi-billionaire Taib family are seeking to deprive impoverished Ibans of one of Sarawak’s last remaining hardwood forests, for a paltry compensation of just RM250 per family.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Report has received exclusive new leaks which indicate that the Chief Minister himself stands to personally profit by a million times that amount (an estimated RM250,000,00) in corrupt backhanders from the deal.
Raziah Mahmud and Quality Concrete Holdings
This latest illegal raid on Native Customary Rights Land is being carried out by Quality Concrete Holdings Berhad, a company part-owned and directed by the Chief Minister’s own sister, Raziah Mahmud. The Taibs, one of the richest families in Asia, have already started harvesting the timber, which is worth millions of US dollars, even though the majority of the villagers are refusing to accept the deal.

“We have been threatened that if we oppose this claim we are going against the government and opposing development” explained one protester, “but why does the government act like a common thief in this case and how much development can we achieve for RM 250?”.

Already driving into the forest without permission

The threatened area is a small range of hills near Sebangan not far from Kuching, consisting of 3,305 hectares of forest. The surrounding region has already been devastated by state-sponsored logging promoted by the Taibs in the 80s and 90s.

However until now it was not considered economic to tackle the raised ground, which has been farmed and hunted for generations by 16 villages of Iban dwellers.

The villagers explain that the area is carpeted by hundreds of thousands of tall trees, some of it valuable primary jungle containing hardwoods that are now painfully scarce. The Secretary General of the Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) Nicholas Mujah, who comes from the community, says that there are up to 700 tons of Belian, Meranti, Bulyan, Selangan, Kapur, Kempas, Tekam, Resak, Lon, Penyau, Ruan and Engkaban available per hectare. These all command top prices in the world market, although the logging of such rare timber is now internationally condemned.

The area is also a refuge for some of Sarawak’s remaining wildlife and birdlife, much of which has been wiped out by the Taibs over the past 30 years.

Corruption and conflict of interest

Conveniently on the Board - Raziah Mahmud, Taib's sister

The Iban owners of the forest say they are happy to conserve the wood for future generations and to conduct sustainable logging for their needs. However, the aging Chief Minister, who has already earned billions out of corrupt logging deals seems to have been unable to resist the prospect of grabbing more money by cutting it all down.

In this case, like so many others, he has used a relative, his sister Raziah Mahmud, to conduct the plunder. Raziah is a shareholder and paid Non-Executive Director of Quality Concrete Holdings, a public company largely owned by the family of Tiang Ming Sing and Tiang Ming Kok (the Chairman and Managing Director). She is therefore directly profiting from her connections with the Chief Minister, who hands out all timber licences.

The CM’s cut will be at least MR250 million - Exclusive new Revelations
However, following new leaks, Sarawak Report is now able to further reveal an even more shocking form of corruption involved in the deal. Top timber company insiders have exclusively confided to Sarawak Report that before issuing any timber licence the Chief Minister always demands an extra secret cut, to be paid upfront into one of his offshore bank accounts.
MR250 million? Not bad, even for a multi-billionaire Chief Minister!
The insiders say that Taib traditionally demands a rate of RM 100 per ton of timber. However, in this latest case the sum is likely to be substantially larger, given the value of the hardwoods at the Sebangan reserve.

According to the whistle-blowers, the Chief Minister calculates his cut by getting State Forest Department officials to assess how much timber is available in each concession.

So, if the 3,305 hectare Sebangan forest contains 700 tons of wood per hectare, this would mean that, at conservative estimates, Taib will have bagged just under 250 million ringgit from issuing the licence. That is well over $80 million US dollars at current exchange rates and is almost exactly a million times the amount being offered to the Iban families who rightfully own the land!

Sarawak Report would therefore like to ask Quality Concrete to confirm if they have yet made such an up front payment or if they are paying part up front and part later, which is sometimes the arrangement, or whether they are claiming that on this occasion they have been for some reason let off the payment?

Robbing his people blind

Simple people robbed of their heritage

Such miserable deals have been the pattern by which the Chief Minister has deprived numerous communities in Sarawak of billions and billions of ringgit-worth of timber and made himself one of the richest men in Asia. Instead of going into promised development the money has gone into Taib’s foreign bank accounts, leaving the people of Sarawak among the poorest in Malaysia, despite their rich natural resources.

Strong-arm tactics – lies and thugs

In this latest case the Taibs are again attempting to abuse their control of state officials and adopting strong-arm tactics to force the unwilling villagers to hand over their forest, firstly through misrepresenting the terms of their licence.

The truth - Raziah's conditional licence expires in two months!

Quality Concrete have in truth, only been issued a conditional year-long Occupation Certificate to log the timber, for the very reason that this is Native Customary Rights (NCR) Land.

This certificate has been issued under Section B of the Forest Ordinance, which specifically means that Quality Concrete need to achieve the consent of the Iban landowners before commencing any logging.

However, Raziah and her business cronies have of course done no such thing, because they know that such consent would either be withheld or would only come at a reasonable price for the land! They have instead sought to imply that they are fully licenced to strip the forest.

No warning and no permission asked
”Nobody warned or consulted us about anything” explains Sadun Ason, the Headman of Kampong Ensika, one of the affected communities. “The first I knew of it was when a villager called me to say he had seen logging equipment being shipped up river by boat on 11th July. We then immediately called the Pengulu, who astonishingly said he knew all about it and told us that there is nothing we can do to protest, as the whole matter is perfectly legal and we have no rights!”


Traditional meeting - community representatives discuss the crisis

The 16 villages involved are rightly suspicious of this Pengulu. Taib undermined democracy in when he removed the right of longhouses to elect their own headmen and Pengulus and started to appoint these ‘representatives’ himself.

He pays them a miserable monthly salary to keep them loyal. Nevertheless, these characters usually still come from the local community and are accepted by the residents.

However, in this case a new Pengulu was appointed a few weeks before the issuing of Razia’s logging licence. He is a PBB member from an outside town. The headmen are naturally furious he kept them in the dark about Quality Concrete’s plans and the previous Pengulu has also testified against such behaviour and joined their protest.

“If there is anything that relates to the joint ownership of the forest the Pengulu should discuss the matter with the headmen and likewise the headmen would talk to their villagers. All these resources are shared resources and it is not right for the Pengulu to make a decision, especially such an important decision on his own”, says Ason emphatically. “Rightfully, the Pengulu and headmen should be the ones to protect the forest, but we end up fighting him”.

Deceitful tactics by the loggers and their official backers



Coming down - logging of valuable wood has started

The villagers have tried to blockade the site and have demanded proper information and paper-work from Quality Concrete. But Raziah and her co-directors have been characteristically unforthcoming. Outrageously, they have also started driving a road into the territory and harvesting valuable timber in the process.

At a meeting organised by the police on 2nd July, officials from the Forestry Department and Land Survey Department showed their bias by meeting first, separately with the representatives of Quality Concrete and their lawyers, along with the suspect Pengulu.

The officials then came out and claimed to the villagers that the land was not gazetted and claimed there was no evidence the area was NCR land. However, Sarawak Report has obtained evidence proving this claim was untrue. In fact the Land Registry’s own records show that the land has been gazetted since 1956 and is indeed Native Customary Rights Land. The licence Quality Concrete has been given is subject to any NCR claims. Meanwhile, internal documents from the Forestry Department also show that officials have now instructed Quality Concrete not to encroach on the vast majority of the area contained in the provisional licence unless and until the dispute has been settled.



Gazetted since 1956 - this proof of NCR status came from the Land Registry!

Sarawak Report has copies of all these documents, however in typical fashion the officials on the ground, working with Raziah Taib and Quality Concrete and their lawyers, have attempted to conceal these facts from the villagers.

Bullying into submission
Meanwhile the timber company and Pengulu have been working hard to browbeat and divide the community into submission. They have gone around all the longhouses offering MR25o ‘compensation payment’ to each family prepared to sign away their rights to the forest and MR800 to each headman. This may be a laughable sum, but Taib has kept his people financially poor for a very good reason – it makes them easier to rob of their natural wealth.

On 13th August a group of 11 villagers including three of the 16 headmen were transported in Quality Concrete’s own vehicles to Sibu, where they were given a reception and dinner and then asked to sign documents in the absence of any legal representative. They were not given copies of the documents to bring back, but they were told that they have now legally signed away their rights to the forest.



Dirt poor - this family took the money

These headmen have now gone round other long houses and persuaded a number of the desperately poor villagers that, since they have no choice in the matter (not true), they had better take what money is available to them.

A minority of the villagers have now been persuaded to go to the nearby town of Sebuyau and sign away their claims for a mere MR250. They had no legal representative and have been offered no copies of the documents they signed – most are illiterate.

“The worst thing about it is that it has divided the villages in such a terrible way”, says Numpang Suntai who has been helping coordinate the protests. “Some are so brow-beaten and poor they feel they must accept the money, but the others know that in the long-term the consequences will be terrible for us. We look at neighbouring areas where this has happened and we know we will suffer. We won’t have any wood, our land will be taken, the wildlife will be gone, the water of the river will be affected and the fish will all die. We will be hungry. Our life is tough and we have no real income, so we depend on the forest”.
Numpang dismisses the idea that there might be jobs and development. “There will be no jobs at all, they use Indonesians to cut down the forest and Indonesians to work on the palm plantations. They only offer MR7 a day to work on palm plantations and we can’t live on that. The Indonesians find it worth it, because of the exchange rate for them”.

A fit leader for Sarawak?

Taib of course believes that he will triumph in this matter. The fight for Sebangan’s final forest has reached a critical stage, which he, his sister and their timber company collaborators have experienced many times before. They have all the finance, the official backing and of course, access to intimidation as well.


The villagers are already fearfully expecting the arrival of the notorious logging company ‘thugs’, the strongmen who so often come to intimidate local communities who hold out against them. Meanwhile, the Pengulu and the logging company legal teams are misleadingly informing the protesters that because some people have now signed it will be impossible to stop the logging.



Campaigning on landrights - PKR's office in Kuching
There is still hope for justice
However, signs are that people are waking up to the Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud. It will be interesting to see whether the new information revealing the true extent of Taib’s personal profit from this raid - his MR250 million cut -will alter the dynamics of this particular forest battle.

Sarawak Report will also be forwarding the inside leaks from the Land Survey Department and Forestry Department to the protestors’ newly acquired legal team, headed by Baru Bian in Kuching.

Baru, who is Sarawak’s top human rights lawyer and the PKR leader in the state, has started to win significant court victories against Taib in the local and federal courts .



Agent for Change - Baru in campaigning dress at his desk

Taib’s last grasp?
This scandalous new case will join over 200 other native land rights cases on his desk, all of which directly challenge the Taib family’s devastating plunder of the state.
Most importantly, the Chief Minister will soon have to face the electorate with a record that no politician on earth would wish to have to defend.

MC
29/09/10