Awake YE citizens.

Malaysia

1. BN, Pakatan fine-tuning candidate lists, likely more new faces

By Jahabar Sadiq
Editor

Jul 23, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — New faces are expected to dominate the candidate lists from both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as both court the nearly three million new voters in the coming elections slated as early as this September, sources say.

The Malaysian Insider understands that BN is drawing professionals from a number of agencies, including Putrajaya’s efficiency unit PEMANDU, in its quest to regain the two-thirds parliamentary majority and states lost to PR in Election 2008. PR component parties have received hundreds of resumes from those who think they can do a better job as lawmakers.

“Datuk Seri Najib Razak (picture) is going through the list a few times. Each seat has at least four possible candidates and he wants the best, the winnable there,” a BN source told The Malaysian Insider, using the prime minister’s term for those capable of winning seats.

Najib, who chairs the 13-member ruling coalition, has told the component parties that seat allocation will now be based on potentially-winning candidates rather than the previous formula of sharing seats as the MCA, MIC and Gerakan did badly in Election 2008.

Among the changes are the BN chairman personally selecting and recommending candidates for those parties apart from his Umno, particularly younger people who can attract the youth vote. The prime minister has launched several programmes, including tweetups and last week’s 1 Malaysia for Youth (1M4U) in the capital city, to bring the younger generation to his side.

“Najib is thorough. He is already eyeing one candidate from PEMANDU, and we are not talking about Idris Jala, to get more support,” another source said, referring to the efficiency agency, Performance Management and Delivery Unit, headed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala. Jala is a senator but is not a member of any BN component party.

The Malaysian Insider reported yesterday that the Najib administration was looking at a snap election in September before Malaysia Day if it goes through with a plan to dissolve Parliament next month.

Sources said Najib’s aides and BN officials have briefed a number of people on the plan to hold elections between Hari Raya Aidifitri, which falls on August 19, and the proposed Budget Day of September 28. Malaysia Day is on September 16.

But the prime minister, who is seeking his first personal mandate, had said on Saturday that BN had yet to finalise its candidates for the upcoming general election.

“The list will be finalised when the time comes. Everything else is just speculation,” Najib had said when asked about report saying he had rejected half of the names submitted for the list.

Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan said yesterday the party has activated its 6,667 district polling centres across the country to strengthen its election machinery as elections are near.

PR parties have also predicted possible polls after the Aidilfitri festivities, with PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang saying BN was taking advantage of the possibility that voters would not return to their hometowns to cast their ballots so soon after the festive celebrations.

But PR sources said each party — PKR, PAS and the DAP — has already submitted preliminary lists to their leaders for the final selection.

“All party leaders have their lists and are going through them now. There are just a few seats that need to be swapped and that will be done when Parliament is dissolved,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

A DAP source confirmed that there are a few new faces would be contesting in the general election although some veterans have indicated they want to stay on. “It is only natural because the 2008 victory has given confidence to many,” he added.

The Malaysian Insider learnt that PR’s federal seat allocation is 66 for PAS, 47 for the DAP and the rest for PKR including a few seats to be given to partners in Sabah and Sarawak. “We have to work with local parties in Borneo, so there will be some seats for them,” a PKR source said.

Nearly 13 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots if a general election is called involving all 222 federal seats and 505 seats in 12 states. However, the four PR-ruled states have yet to say if they will hold elections the same day as the general election as their mandates only expire next April. Sarawak has already had its state election last year.

Malaysia

2. Islamists, Reds scare a pre-polls boost for BN, says DAP

By Thanusya Shanmuganathan

Jul 22, 2012

Lim highlighted BN’s efforts to kindle ties to China’s communists even as the Special Branch attempts to raise the spectre of communism. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 ― Lim Guan Eng accused the police Special Branch unit today of spreading the fear of terrorism and communism among voters to help Barisan Nasional (BN) triumph in the coming polls.

The DAP secretary-general denied his party has any links to communist elements, pointing out instead that it was Umno’s leaders who have fostered close ties with the Communist Party of China

“This is an electoral ploy and part of the political agenda of the Special Branch to frighten Malay voters to support Umno and BN.

“This is a shameful act of political opportunism by Special Branch to make a baseless attack on DAP without needing to show proof,” Lim said in a statement here.

Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, was responding to Thursday’s claim by Special Branch chief assistant director of the E2(M) national social extremist threat division Mohd Sofian Md Makinuddin that communist elements were trying to penetrate the DAP while Jemaah Islamiah (JI) terrorists were infiltrating PAS.

“The question here is, does Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein dare to direct the Special Branch to prove to the public how communists are infiltrating the DAP?” Lim asked.

He added that if Hishammuddin failed to do so, this would prove that the Special Branch has political motivations and worked under the influence of the ruling Umno.

The Special Branch is a special intelligence unit in the police force tasked with collating information to protect Malaysia from perceived threats of subversion.

Lim also questioned why the Special Branch was insisting on continuing to “fight” communism when it was former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Nor and not Pakatan Rakyat (PR) who had signed a peace agreement with the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) on December 2, 1989.

“If the Special Branch is so intent on fighting communists, then they should be fully ashamed for failing to perform their duty by acting against Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin,” he said.

Lim said that were communism an actual threat to Malaysia, Khairy should be arrested and charged for allegedly trying to revive the ideology by setting up a permanent secretariat on October 12, 2009, to strengthen ties between BN Youth and the Communist Youth League (CYL) of China.

Khairy had previously said the permanent secretariat would facilitate continuous bilateral programmes to promote a stronger bond between the two entities.

“Sofian and other top Special Branch officers should resign their posts for failing to arrest Khairy for forging a direct relationship with the CYL but instead they are trying to find communist shadows in the DAP when there are none.

“This latest smear campaign by Special Branch against the DAP shows that Umno is in denial of its own communist links,” he said.

He added that whatever tactics employed by BN and Umno, the public was no longer willing to be deceived.

“The people yearn to live in the light with human dignity, integrity, freedom of information, truth, justice and democracy,” he added.

Hishammuddin previously claimed he has no knowledge of communist ideology or JI elements infiltrating any political parties in Malaysia.

However, he said that the police will continue to monitor and investigate in case those allegations were true.

Malaysia

3. Pakatan says willing to accept polls defeat for peace’s sake

UPDATED @ 04:18:22 22-07-2012

By Thanusya Shanmuganathan

Jul 22, 2012

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will accept any outcome in the 13th general election, which sources now believe will be in September, even if it fails to wrest federal power, several leaders have said.

The leaders repeated DAP MP Lim Kit Siang’s promise yesterday that they would do everything in their capacity to prevent any trouble on the streets after the polls and avoid a repeat of the bloody racial clashes of May 13, 1969.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar pointed out to The Malaysian Insider that it was Umno and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) blood that PR is baying for, not that of innocent Malaysians.

PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar told The Malaysian Insider that the first course of action PR will commit to should it claim Putrajaya would be “to investigate the corruption that exists in BN”. — file pic

“So if we win, the first action would be to investigate the corruption that exists in BN,” she vowed when contacted last night.

She said, however, that if PR is defeated, the pact was willing to accept the wishes of the electorate.

“We will accept a clean and fair result, regardless whether we win or lose.

“[But] If BN wins the election by cheating, we will not accept it,” said the Lembah Pantai MP.

Her father, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who has been named the federal opposition’s prime minister-in-waiting, had recently said that the coming 13th general election would be his final shot at power.

The polls are expected to be the toughest to date for the ruling BN under Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who desperately needs to capture a stronger parliamentary seat-majority to strengthen his mandate.

In Election 2008, a BN pact led by Najib’s predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi lost its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority and five states — Selangor, Penang, Kedah, Perak and Kelantan — to the loose coalition of DAP, PKR and PAS.

Opposition leaders, preparing for a greater tsunami, believe that BN leaders have grown desperate and are willing to pull out all the stops to ensure PR does not claim the Putrajaya throne when polls are called.

On Friday, Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin raised again the spectre of the May 13 racial riots in Kuala Lumpur and urged the country’s youths to stand united to avoid a similar incident from occurring.

Nurul Izzah accused Muhyiddin of using the issue as a scare tactic to frighten Malaysians into voting for BN for the sake of maintaining public peace and order.

She asked instead if BN would be willing to accept defeat, adding that their alleged threats of violence were because they were afraid of their own shadow.

PAS has been around for a long time. Our credentials are enough to prove that we have never challenged the results of any previous GE and will not do so in the coming GE. — Dzulkefly Ahmad

PAS MP Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad concurred with his PR ally, saying his party would not resort to violence should it lose the next election.

“PAS has been around for a long time. Our credentials are enough to prove that we have never challenged the results of any previous GE and will not do so in the coming GE.

“However, if we find any irregularities in the votes, we will take action through the best legal means available. Otherwise, all parties must comply with the results,” he said.

The Kuala Selangor MP, however, asked that all demands of polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 be fulfilled before the elections are called to ensure a clean and smooth polling process.

“Only then will the people truly accept the results of the election and another May 13 incident can be averted. After all, the people only want a clean and fair election,” he said.

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua said his party had always accepted past election results despite its belief that the polls process had been rigged.

“We know that in order to win, we have to overcome artificial hurdles put in place by BN & the Election Commission (EC). The call for free & fair elections includes a freely accessible and unbiased media during campaign periods. This is one of the biggest challenges we face,” he said via Blackberry Messenger last night.

Pua also gave assurance that whatever the outcome of the coming polls, the May 13 tragedy would never be repeated in Malaysia.

“We in DAP and Pakatan are ever ready to sit down with BN to ensure that whoever wins, no May 13 will ever be repeated in Malaysia.

“The question is will BN agree to it in order to reduce the fears of Malaysians?

“If not, then it is clear that BN is really just using May 13 as a ploy to win elections, and not really sincere in wanting to ensure a peaceful outcome regardless of who win the next GE,” he said.

4. M'sia's green movement goes political

·       Anil Netto, IPS ·       12:29PM Jul 22, 2012

Three years ago, Sherly Hue lived the life of a typical career woman in Kuala Lumpur, working as a marketing executive promoting building materials.

But one day, she received a phone call from her worried parents that would forever change her life.

Hue's parents, who were looking after her four-month-old son in Bukit Koman, a small village of 300 families in Raub, in the central state of Pahang, requested that he be relocated to Kuala Lumpur.

A gold mining company had started operations in Raub and her parents felt it was no longer safe for the baby to remain in the village.

In 2008, a US expert in mining contamination had visited the area and concluded that the gold mine did not comply with international standards and could cause long-term contamination.

The facility, only 200-300 metres away from the village, uses the 'carbon-in-leach' method and consumes 400 tonnes of sodium cyanide a year.

In Kuala Lumpur, Hue sat up and took note. ''I searched on the Internet for cyanide in gold mining and found a lot of cases and accidents in many countries - even without spillages.''

Hue quickly relocated her son and her mother to Kuala Lumpur, while her father, a retired contractor-turned-smallholder, decided to remain in their village to tend to his plantation.

There was no turning back for Hue. "After I found that this project appeared harmful, I approached the secretary of the committee (opposing the gold mining operations)."

She put her marketing experience to good use and proposed to the committee that it should print booklets for an awareness-raising campaign.

Hue, now 34, is vice-chairperson of the Pahang Raub anti-cyanide gold mining committee and a key figure in Malaysia's blossoming environmental movement.

Landmark gathering

On Oct 9 last year, the group participated in a landmark gathering, dubbed Himpunan Hijau 1.0 (Green Gathering), at a beach in Kuantan, capital of Pahang, to endorse the 'Earth Charter'.

A paragraph from the charter encapsulated the vision for the new green movement. "Let ours be the time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life."

Among civil society groups and activists supporting the launch were those opposing a controversial Australian rare earth refinery run by Lynas Corporation in Kuantan and those opposing high tension power cables in Rawang, central Selangor state.

Also attending was the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) and a group of indigenous Orang Asli.

Four months later, on Feb 26, a second gathering, Himpunan Hijau 2.0, was held, focusing largely on the campaign to oppose the Lynas Corporation refinery.

This time, some 15,000 people from all over the country converged on a field in Kuantan in what was the largest environmental gathering in Malaysian history.

But even these large gatherings were topped by Himpunan Hijau 3.0, when some 20,000 'green shirts' gathered on April 28 in the shadow of the Kuala Lumpur City Centre towers in an event timed to coincide with the third Bersih rally to push for electoral reforms.

The splash of Himpunan Hijau greenies in a sea of over 200,000 yellow-shirted Bersih supporters captured national attention.

The mammoth rally rattled the administration of Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Police responded with heavy handed action, including using military-grade razor wire to barricade a public square, firing numerous volleys of tear gas and chemically laced water into the crowds and even assaulting protesters.

Coming of age

At the Himpunan Hijau 3.0/Bersih 3.0 rally especially, it was evident that the environmental movement had come of age, touching a chord among many young people like Sherly Hue.

How did this happen in a country where the green struggle was until last year, very much in its infancy?

Dr Khim Pa (centre), one of those spearheading the Penang-based People's Green Coalition, a group of environmental activists that participated in Himpunan 3.0, marvels at the newfound awareness.

''Young people are more attuned to these environmental issues. They had been brought up on a constant diet in school on the need to recycle refuse and old newspapers.

"The conservation movement had also created general awareness. Young people were exposed to campaigns to plant trees, protect wildlife like the orang utans and tigers, and conserve rivers," Pa said.

From here, young people simply made a logical leap in deduction, he believes: "They have made the connection - on the one hand there is a general movement to create awareness about the importance of conservation but on the other, you are allowing in toxic industry. The young people can make the link."

Hue herself believes the Internet, especially social media networking sites like Facebook, played a major role. 'Previously, youths were not interested and did not dare to come out (to protest); they were more interested in playing games and shopping,'' she notes.

But Facebook disclosed a lot of information that young people could not read in the mainstream media. ''These issues caught their attention and worked on their emotions to pay closer attention to these social issues,'' she says.

''But it was the anti-Lynas campaign that really grabbed attention, especially over the issue of radioactive waste," she said.

The Himpunan Hijau and Bersih rallies have not escaped the attention of the authorities.

A senior police 'special branch' assistant director was reported as saying the police were concerned over opposition parties and non-government organisations which "play up controversial issues and incite the public to hate the government before the general election".

He said opposition parties were supporting the Bersih, green and other protests with one eye on the coming polls, which must be held by next June at the latest, though the prime minister may call a snap general election anytime.

Green and yellow

Khim Pa said the green movement is now enmeshed with the yellow-shirted electoral reform push. "The whole country has woken up to this problem of environmental degradation."

Toxic industries in the developed nations have found that they can move their dirty or toxic operations (such as aluminium smelters) to developing countries where environment standards or enforcement or both are lax, says Pa.

A dermatologist by profession, Pa points to the high incidence of skin problems in Raub.

This relocation to developing countries is often facilitated by local intermediaries or cronies, or through the involvement of local partners.

Pa believes that many Malaysians have now come to realise that without clean electoral rolls, they have no hope of voting in a new government that is responsive to their concerns.

Hue concurs: ''I believe our elected representatives play an important role in highlighting issues in Parliament. If the representative does not stand with the people, we have to replace the person. But if the electoral process is not clean, our right to vote becomes useless.''

Meanwhile, the marketing executive-turned-activist will no doubt be looking forward to Himpunan Hijau's next major focal point on Sept 2 in her hometown of Raub.

- IPS

---

4. The 222 idiots we have in Parliament

NO HOLDS BARRED

Sunday, 22 July 2012 Super Admin

Is Communism a threat to Malaysia’s security? If so then why are we still friends with China, Cuba, etc., and why can their citizens come to Malaysia and our citizens go to their country? Is this not a threat to our national security? If the answer is no then what is wrong if Malaysians become Communists? We are friends with Communist countries. We can go to Communist countries and they too come to Malaysia. So where is the danger?

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Okay, maybe we do not have 222 idiots in Parliament. Maybe we have only 200 idiots in Parliament while the rest are not idiots. But that is bad enough. The fact that almost two-thirds of the Members of Parliament are from Barisan Nasional and the rest from Pakatan Rakyat means that the idiots come from both sides of the political divide.

And this is what concerns me -- that the stupidity is not confined to just those from the government.

While it is the ‘duty’ of the opposition to oppose anything and everything that the government does and says, and while it is the ‘duty’ of the government to do the same concerning the opposition -- at least as far as Malaysians politicians are concerned in their very narrow-minded way of looking at things -- there should be certain things that they agree on when it concerns the good of the nation. However, in the case of Malaysia’s Parliament, this can never be.

And this is a great disservice to the Malaysian voters who sent these people to Parliament.

Let us take the matter of haram (that which is forbidden by Islam). It is haram for Muslims to drink liquor. In fact, the ruling of haram is not only regarding the drinking of liquor but also serving, buying, keeping, profiteering from, giving as presents, etc. In short, Muslims cannot be associated with liquor in any way, not just from drinking it.

Hence the State and Federal Religious Departments conduct raids to arrest Muslims who drink plus to arrest Muslims who work in establishments that serve/sell liquor. Not only you can’t drink but you can’t work in such places that deal in liquor as well.

Considering, according to the Federal Constitution of Malaysia, Islam is the religion of the Federation, and if this is the law, then I have no problems with that. Until such a time the Constitution is amended we shall have to live with that law, whether we consider that law a good law or a bad law. The law is the law, as they say. Of course, they also say that the law is an ass, but that would be another discussion for another time.

As I said, I have no problems with this if that is the law. But I do have problems with this when the law is applied to only the establishments owned/managed by non-Malays while the establishments owned/managed by Malays are exempted from this law.

For example, I have personally seen Malaysia’s national airlines, MAS, serving liquor to Muslims. And I saw this even during the month of Ramadhan when these Muslims are supposed to be fasting and should not be drinking water let alone liquor. And the MAS personnel who were serving these Muslim customers are Muslims as well.

So what do we have here? Muslims working in a Malay-managed and Malaysian government-owned airline serving Muslims liquor during the ‘holy’ month ofRamadhan. Is this double standard? What excuse can the government offer for the ‘exemption’ given to MAS that would never be given to a bar or pub owned by, say, a Chinese?

Can you see how confusing this is? And what are the 222 Members of Parliament doing about this? Nothing!

Next point. Malaysian Muslims are forbidden from following the Shia dogma. Many Malaysians who embraced Shi’ism have been arrested and sent for rehabilitation. It is a crime for a Malaysian Muslim to become a Shia.

But it is only a crime to become a Shia if you are a Malaysian. If you are a foreigner it is not a crime. Why is that? What is wrong with becoming a Shia? Is Shi’ism dangerous? Is it a deviant sect? If Shi’ism is forbidden then it should be a crime not only for Malaysians but also for everyone, non-Malaysians included.

I mean: Malaysia wants to ban gay entertainers from entering the country. If you are gay then you are not welcome to perform in Malaysia. A gay lifestyle is forbidden. Both the Malaysian Prime Minister and the Malaysian Opposition Leader agree on this (at least there is one thing that they agree on). So gays are not welcome in Malaysia as it ‘sends the wrong message’ to the Malaysian youth.

However, while gays are not welcome in Malaysia, Shias are not subjected to the same ban. We send Malaysian gays to prison. We send Malaysian Shias to prison. We ban foreigners who are gay. But we don’t ban foreigners who are Shia. This is the part that I do not understand.

Iran has an Embassy in Malaysia. Malaysia has an Embassy in Iran. Iranians who are Shias are allowed into Malaysia. Malaysians are allowed into Iran. But we arrest and jail Malaysians who become Shias. And we don’t arrest and jail Shias who are not Malaysians.

Can you see how confusing this is? And what are the 222 Members of Parliament doing about this? Nothing!

In May 1974, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, who became Malaysia’s Second Prime Minister in September 1970, visited China. In December 1989, the Malaysian Government and the Communist Party of Malays (CPM) signed a Peace Treaty in Hat Yai, Thailand. Hence the ‘war’ (called ‘The Emergency’) officially ended.

In the past, Malaysians were forbidden from travelling to Israel, South Africa, Cuba, China and Russia. Now, Malaysians are only banned from travelling to Israel. South Africa, Cuba, China and Russia are now our friends. Only Israel is still our enemy.

But Cuba and China and still Communist. However, they are no longer our enemies. Tun Razak went to China in 1974 when the ‘war’ was still on. It was only 15 years later in 1989 that the ‘war’ officially ended.

Hence we became friends with China even while the ‘war’ was still on. But Communism was banned in Malaysia. However, we could become friends with Communist China even though we were still officially at war and even though China backed the ‘war’ and gave refuge or political asylum to the CPM leaders.

Then, 15 years later, a Peace Treaty was signed and hence ended the war. Malaysians can go to China and Chinese can