SOS ! Girl Appeals for Bone Marrow Donor

Very sick girl seeking AB blood type donor

Blog for Change by Peter

The message below from an email forward tells of the desparate search by Chen Siew Cheng: Tel 02-23708099 Fax 02-25507098 for a bone marrow donor with AB blood type for a very sick girl. Will appreciate if you pass the message to anyone willing to listen:

A simple forward this mail to others will be a meritorious deed, and it doesn't waste much of your time.

Thank you for doing that in advance. Please act as soon as possible.

Chen Siew Cheng : Tel : (02)23708099, Fax : (02)25507098. Please forward to the person who has AB blood type of bone marrow and hope everybody will forward the mail to your friends so that they can have the opportunity to find the 'right person' to help.

The success rate maybe very slim, that's why we used the e-mail method hope to find the right person. It may not be the smart method, but to us, this is final chance.

To the family member of the leukaemia (blood cancer) patient, every second counts. We anxiously need a AB blood type of person to donate his/her bone marrow, and although it only have very little chance to match, but we still have hope for it. Because of your loving kindness to pass the mail along, she may stand a chance to recover.

So, please put a little effort, the little girl may have chance to live because of you.
Thank you very much and a thousand words cannot express our appreciation.

Lim Seong Boon
Keng Tobacco Trading Sdn. Bhd.
Seremban
012-6083783

The Moral Naturalists

July 23, 2010

The Moral Naturalists

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/23/opinion/

by David Brooks

Washington, Conn.

Where does our sense of right and wrong come from? Most people think it is a gift from God, who revealed His laws and elevates us with His love. A smaller number think that we figure the rules out for ourselves, using our capacity to reason and choosing a philosophical system to live by.

Moral naturalists, on the other hand, believe that we have moral sentiments that have emerged from a long history of relationships. To learn about morality, you dont rely upon revelation or metaphysics; you observe people as they live.

This week a group of moral naturalists gathered in Connecticut at a conference organized by the Edge Foundation. One of the participants, Marc Hauser of Harvard, began his career studying primates, and for moral naturalists the story of our morality begins back in the evolutionary past. It begins with the way insects, rats and monkeys learned to cooperate.

By the time humans came around, evolution had forged a pretty firm foundation for a moral sense. Jonathan Haidt of the University of Virginia argues that this moral sense is like our sense of taste. We have natural receptors that help us pick up sweetness and saltiness. In the same way, we have natural receptors that help us recognize fairness and cruelty. Just as a few universal tastes can grow into many different cuisines, a few moral senses can grow into many different moral cultures.

Paul Bloom of Yale noted that this moral sense can be observed early in life. Bloom and his colleagues conducted an experiment in which they showed babies a scene featuring one figure struggling to climb a hill, another figure trying to help it, and a third trying to hinder! it.

At as early as six months, the babies showed a preference for the helper over the hinderer. In some plays, there is a second act. The hindering figure is either punished or rewarded. In this case, 8-month-olds preferred a character who was punishing the hinderer over ones being nice to it.

This illustrates, Bloom says, that people have a rudimentary sense of justice from a very early age. This doesnt make people naturally good. If you give a 3-year-old two pieces of candy and ask him if he wants to share one of them, he will almost certainly say no. Its not until age 7 or 8 that even half the children are willing to share. But it does mean that social norms fall upon prepared ground. We come equipped to learn fairness and other virtues.

These moral faculties structure the way we perceive and respond to the world. If you ask for donations with the photo and name of one sick child, you are likely to get twice as much money than if you had asked for donations with a photo and the names of eight children. Our minds respond more powerfully to the plight of an individual than the plight of a group.

These moral faculties rely upon emotional, intuitive processes, for good and ill. If you are in a bad mood you will make harsher moral judgments than if youre in a good mood or have just seen a comedy. As Elizabeth Phelps of New York University points out, feelings of disgust will evoke a desire to expel things, even those things unrelated to your original mood. General fear makes people risk-averse. Anger makes them risk-seeking.

People who behave morally dont generally do it because they have greater knowledge; they do it because they have a greater sensitivity to other peoples points of view. Hauser reported on research showing that bullies are surprisingly sophisticated at reading other peoples intentions, but theyre not good at anticipating and feeling other peoples pain.

The moral naturalists differ over what role reason plays in moral judgments. Some! , like H aidt, believe that we make moral judgments intuitively and then construct justifications after the fact. Others, like Joshua Greene of Harvard, liken moral thinking to a camera. Most of the time we rely on the automatic point-and-shoot process, but occasionally we use deliberation to override the quick and easy method. We certainly tell stories and have conversations to spread and refine moral beliefs.

For people wary of abstract theorizing, its nice to see people investigating morality in ways that are concrete and empirical. But their approach does have certain implicit tendencies.

They emphasize group cohesion over individual dissent. They emphasize the cooperative virtues, like empathy, over the competitive virtues, like the thirst for recognition and superiority. At this conference, they barely mentioned the yearning for transcendence and the sacred, which plays such a major role in every human society.

Their implied description of the moral life is gentle, fair and grounded. But it is all lower case. So far, at least, it might not satisfy those who want their morality to be awesome, formidable, transcendent or great.

A version of this op-ed appeared in print on July 23, 2010, on page A23 of the New York edition.

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Bad FDI news for Malaysia: Down by 81 percent in 2009

July 23, 2010

Bad FDI news for Malaysia: Down by 81 percent in 2009

by Aidila Razak@www.malaysiakini.com

A nosedive in foreign direct investment in Malaysia in 2009 follows a continued downward trend in FDI, increasingly overshadowed by regional players, noted a United Nations report.

According to the World Investment Report 2010 unveiled today, FDI plunged 81 percent from US$7.32 billion (RM23.47 billion*) in 2008 to just US$1.38 billion (RM4.43 billion) last year.(*Calculated based on exchange rate of US$1 = RM3.20650)

The 2009 FDI is less than half of the annual average FDI inflow between 1995 to 2005, which encompasses the long recovery period following the 1997 economic crisis.

Malaysias performance also pales in comparison with neighbouring economies like Thailand and Indonesia whose FDI figures did not contract as severely, despite the global financial crisis.

Thailand suffered a decline of US$4.44 billion (RM14.24 billion) while Indonesia saw a more modest drop of US$2.60 billion (RM8.32 billion) in foreign investments in 2009.

The severe dip also places Malaysia in the red for the first time in the last 15 years, with figures for cumulative FDI surpassing incoming investments by about US$1 billion (RM3.21 billion).

Doubts over high income target

Speaking at the UN Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur today, Universiti Malaya economist Rajah Rasiah (at podium in photo) said that Malaysias poor performance casts doubts over whether it can achieve the targets set to achieve high income status.

Malaysia is fortunate ! to be i n a good neighbourhood, located among growing countries. The three largest recipients of FDI are located in Asia (but) Malaysia does not even make the top 10 list of recipients, he said.

He added that this is remarkable for a country with a specific FDI policy, unlike Taiwan which is placed 10th in the list.

Conversely, Malaysia is doing well in FDI outflows, ranking fifth in the list of South, East and Southeast Asian countries investing abroad. Speaking to fund managers, I get the impression that we have the resources to invest locally but not many viable options to do so. Even local investors find us less attractive, he said.

Human capital a barrier

The main stumbling block, he said, remains our narrow human capital pool which leaves industries stagnating in low-end production.

Rasiah added that while foreign investor laud the ease of doing business in Malaysia, a lack of skilled labour, research and development and technological capabilities is placing the country on the losing end of the increasingly competitive FDI battle.

Malaysia has 300 to 400 science and technology workers for every 100,000 persons, as opposed to 3,000 in countries which made the transition from middle to high income status, he said.

Similarly, the country is under-investing in research and development at only 0.64 percent of GDP, while others like Taiwan and South Korea are investing about 3 percent of theirs.

It should also look at mirroring such nations in developing a vetting mechanism for FDI to ensure that the investments can be a catalyst for human capital and technology development.

This will include screening FDI by choosing those with technologies that could be upgraded along the value chain and monitoring to ensure a transfer of expertise takes place.

We allow foreign firms in by giving grants and tax incentives, so we must ensure that spillovers (in terms of technology transfers) occur, he said.

The bottom 40 percent of the population should also be assisted insofar as developing their skills to meet the shortage in industry.

In assisting the lower income population, we should look at developing skills like precision engineering and die casting, which are sought after by foreign investors, he said.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Election petition: Decision on Kamalanathan's bid on Aug 5

KUALA LUMPUR: Come Aug 5, the Election Court here will decide on an application by Hulu Selangor MP P Kamalanathan to strike out an election petition by Zaid Ibrahim who lost in the parliamentary election.High Court Judge Azahar Mohamed, who sat as election judge, set the date after counsel for both parties wrapped up their four-day submissions today.

Zaid, who is now Federal Territory PKR chief, filed the petition on May 24, naming Kamalanathan, returning officer Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan and the Election Commission as respondents.

Zaid, who lost with a 1,725-vote majority in the election on April 25, wants the court to declare the results of the election as null and void, on the grounds of corrupt practice in the form of bribery and promises to the voters.

At the outset, Kamalanathan's counsel Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin, in his reply to submissions by Zaid's counsel yesterday, said the PKR chief in his petition, had failed to plead the elements of promise and bargain which led the voters to change their mind in not voting for Zaid.

He also submitted more on the technicality and administrative point on how the petition was served and filed, which he said, was defective as it did not follow the mandatory requirement under the Election Offences Act 1958.

In replying to Firoz's submissions, Zaid's counsel Malik Imtiaz Sarwar said the court should not focus on the several election petition cases which were struck off upon hearing the applications to strike them out.

Instead, he said, the court should set a policy in rejecting such applications and proceed to hear the evidence, by way of a full trial.

During the hearing, Firoz, in persuading the court to allow Kamalanathan's application, said that almost 90% of the election petitions had been struck off by the Election Court and the ruling was affirmed by the Federal Court, without the trial! being h eard.

- Bernama
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Najib offers pre-poll goodies for key state

By M Jegathesan

LONG BANGA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has travelled to a key state on Borneo island to make multi-million-dollar development promises in a bid to galvanise support ahead of landmark elections.

Najib arrived at the remote highland village of Long Banga in Sarawak by helicopter yesterady, accompanied by a high-powered team including four senior ministers.

Local politicians have said that state polls could be held in Sarawak as early as October, and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition -- which rules nationally -- is intent on a big win after the humiliating 2008 general election.

Pundits say that fresh nationwide elections could follow soon after the Sarawak polls, which will provide the BN with an indication of levels of support in the state that are key to its holding power nationally.

Najib's four-hour visit to Long Banga, home to indigenous tribespeople, comes after the BN suffered a disastrous defeat to the opposition in a parliamentary by-election in Sarawak in May.

The premier was in an ebullient mood after receiving a spectacular welcome in Long Banga, telling some 2,000 people from the Penan, Kayan, Saban and Kenyah tribes that their welfare and economic needs will be guaranteed.

He was treated to a traditional hornbill dance, and performers in bright yellow and black outfits sang songs calling for the resolution of long-standing problems like land rights and infrastructure.

"The response is great. It was very spontaneous. The promises will be delivered," Najib said.

'Taib should go'

The premier pledged RM100 million to complete the long overdue Beluru-Lapok road which connects the coastal town of Miri and villages in Baram district deep in Borneo's interior.

He allocated RM6 million for a mini hydro-electric dam for Long Banga, RM1 million for a road linking ! the vill age to an airport, and RM500,000 for a mobile medical clinic.

One Penan family trekked five hours through the jungle to hear Najib's pledges.

"We have heard many promises. We are frustrated as our land problems are not solved yet," Daud Sedin, 35, said. "Maybe I will turn to the opposition now."

The Penan are some of the most disadvantaged of Malaysia's indigenous people. Najib did not address complaints that their traditional land is being razed by logging and plantations, nor allegations of rape by timber company workers against Penan women.

Henry Tugak, 52, a member of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu, a governing coalition member and the ruling party in Sarawak, said many voters were dissatisfied after two decades of promises to build the Lapok road.

"Najib came here to steer Sarawakians to vote BN. But it is going to be tough. Victory is not going to be easy as there is also unhappiness with chief minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. Morally he should go," he said.

Taib has been in power in Sarawak for 29 years and voters and businesses are increasingly disgruntled with his long reign.

Malaysia's political landscape was transformed in the 2008 national election which saw the opposition secure unprecedented gains, seizing five states and a third of parliamentary seats and threatening the BN's half-century grip on power.

- AFP

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

1976 air crash: Ex-Sabah CMs in RM50m suit

By FMT Team

KOTA KINABALU: Two former Sabah chief ministers will square off in an RM50 million defamation suit over an air crash in which another chief minister Fuad Stephens was killed.

Harris Salleh, the chief minister from 1976 to 1985, has filed a suit against Yong Teck Lee the chief minister from 1996 to 1998, for allegedly insinuating that he was involved in the air crash tragedy.

Harris is claiming damages of not less than RM50 million from Yong, who is also the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) leader. Yong is named as first defendant and his party, second defendant.

He is also seeking an injunction to restrain Yong from printing and publishing further libellous statements in any form.

The writ of summons was filed through his lawyers Messrs Maringking & Co at the High Court here on Monday.

Harris said that the press statements by Yong calling for the reopening of the file on the tragedy that saw Stephens and several members of his cabinet killed on June 6, 1976, also rekindled speculation as to how the plane had crashed in Sembulan on its approach to the airport.

Harris contends that Yong's statement suggested that he (Harris) conspired with others to grab power through the assassination of Stephens.

Yong made the call (for reopening the file) after Umno veteran and former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah recounted how he left the ill-fated aircraft at the very last moment prior to take-off that saved his life.

Harris claims that Yong has sensationalised the Nomad aircraft crash as a political tool to maintain his and his party's political momentum in the run-up to the next state and general elections.

Yongs comments were widely reported in the press and also published in the party's official website.!

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Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

PAS challenges UMNO to ban all full tudung (Ninja suit)

The Burka in Saudi Arabia, France and Syria

By Batsman

Some Malaysians seem to be in confusion with regards to the reaction to the laws and traditions on dress codes for Muslim women which are now current in Saudi Arabia, France and Syria. They flop around in a daze unable to get beyond labels and imagery such as secularism and extremism, pseudo-liberals and religious zealots. Consequently, it is an emotional decision which is made rather than an intellectual one with regard to this issue.

Let me try and alleviate the suffering. The problem is, when one gets both emotionally and intellectually stuck with dress codes, one is unable to go beyond to higher concepts of ethics, morality and relations between cultures and peoples.

The trick to escape intellectual incapacity is to try and look at the issue from different angles. Is the issue simply one of dress codes or is it more complex and involves religious bigotry or even a question of minorities?

To understand the different reactions to roughly the same things happening in France and Syria, one has to look at the differences between France and Syria. Obviously there is a great deal of differences – in fact a whole world of differences. But which are the pertinent differences? For this one requires some integrity and not distract with irrelevant differences and issues.

One of the relevant differences is that Muslims are a minority in France while they are a majority in Syria so the treatment of Muslim traditions and cultural practices has to be different. Let me give some other examples.

In China, Han Chinese are in the majority while some tiny minorities are swamped and even in danger of going extinct. In trying to control their overall population, the Chinese came up with the policy of controlling the number of children per family through incentives and punishments. Obviously this ethically should apply only to Han Chinese and an exception made for the minorities to make sure their numbers do not dwindle further. It is gratifying to see that the Chinese took the right ethical decision. Here some complications and unwanted consequences arose, but I hope people will maintain integrity and not distract from the issue to harp on them.

France therefore has an obligation to see that its minorities are not suppressed whether in the physical sense (genocide) or in the cultural sense (cultural genocide) and are free to practice their own cultures and traditions even if they seem strange and difficult to understand to the majority of Frenchmen.

Obviously a Negro looks strange and difficult to accept in an all white setting of Frenchmen and Frenchwomen (whether the Frenchwoman feels excited or fearful is another matter). But this does not mean the Negro has to be physically eliminated from French society. The same goes for strange cultural practices.

In Australia, the strange cultural practices and value systems of the Aborigines were unacceptable to the All-white Australians, so they forcibly took away Aborigine children from their families and placed them in white Australian families in the hope that the Aborigine can be bred out of the children. They hoped (or used the excuse) that assimilation can be achieved when black-skinned Aborigines behaved and talked like whites and shared all the cultural values and traditions of the whites. The result was not just cultural genocide but real physical genocide. I believe the white Australians have apologized for this crime.

I do not say the problem of minorities is an easy problem to solve, but precisely because of this difficulty, some greater tolerance and acceptance must be practiced. Obviously the French do not have this quality in them.

In Syria, the Muslims are in the majority. Obviously what they do in their own country and what they decide is their own business. Why try and behave like the whites and question what the Syrians do or do not do with their own culture and their own dress codes? This is like practicing cultural imperialism. I think the Syrians are quite capable of doing the right thing. Obviously some Malaysians voluntarily and willingly try and behave like the whites, talk like the whites and share all the cultural values and traditions of the whites. They even apply whitening creams to make their skin look whiter and adopt the white man’s domineering ways. But this is your problem not mine.

In Saudi Arabia, the Saudis have decided to do things differently from the Syrians. Obviously this is also up to them. The unfortunate thing is some Malaysians also try to copy the Saudis and behave like them and wear the same things as they do. This would seem to make Malaysians look like copy cats, so this issue now affects Malaysians too. Malaysians have to decide what the appropriate dress code is for themselves.

The other problem is – there are not many choices. One either dressed like the westerners with western style clothes or dress like the Saudis with Saudi style dress code. So it would seem Malaysians are cursed to be copy cats all their lives. With this it is really good to see that some Malaysians still wear their traditional clothes on a daily basis.

As for me, I really don’t want to worry about dress codes too much. I prefer to leave people to decide what they want to wear, unless of course dress codes become a big sensitive issue for domineering psychopathic types and the situation threatens to be uncomfortable and distressing for everyone.

So I feel in a way, I have wasted my time writing this article on such a silly issue, but (sigh!) it is better than to see Malaysians trapped in a morass of intellectual incapacity and making funny, strange, disgusting and unacceptable noises.

heeheehee

Khir and Noh in sandbox fight for Najib's love

By FMT Staff

SHAH ALAM: Like children competing for parental approval, the sand issue in Selangor has become a race to prove who has the greater influence between former menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo and Noh Omar, the deputy chairman of the Selangor Umno liaison committee.The aim, according to PKR's Seri Muda assemblyman Suhaimi Shafiei, is to prove to Umno president and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is the better man to lead Umno's assault in the next general election.

"Its an ongoing feud, a war of influence. The separate press conferences by the two on the sand issue proves that there is an ongoing war, he said, adding that both parties have been trying hard to hide their differences ever since he exposed their enmity on Feb 20.

According to Suhaimi, proof of their clash was evident when Noh hired a helicopter to search for evidence on the sand issue in his efforts to blacklist Pakatan Rakyat and at the same time smear mud on Khirs face.

He said Khir, on the other hand, is using other approaches to defuse Nohs increasing influence in the state.

Both are using the sand issue as a springboard to garner political influence and Najibs attention. They each are racing to be champions on an issue which they themselves stirred-up, he added.

'It was worse during Khir's time'

Shuhaimi said illegal sand mining was worse during Khirs tenure, especially in Batang Berjuntai and Kuala Langat.

Why is Noh focussing on these areas? My believe is that he wants to embarrass Khir because the latter had shown illegal mining in the Dengkil area, which is under (state assemblyman) Marsum Paing, a strong supporter of Noh.

Batang Berjuntai is under (state assemblyman) Amiruddin Setro who is Khirs right-hand man now, he added.

Suhaimi also revealed that there was a third play safe force in Selangor, which is Kuang asse! mblyman Abdul Shukor Idrus and his supporters, who would only bet on the winning horse.

They would follow whoever that feeds them. For the moment they are close to Noh Omar because he is a minister. Khir is only an assemblyman and his grip has weakened, he said.

Yesterday, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim made a scathing remark about the Selangor police's silent indifference to sand thieving, despite the fact that a report complete with evidence had been forwarded to Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and copied to the Selangor police chief.



Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Diva: Kwan Usamanee - Niz Aziz's Secret Admirer

Narai Hotel, Bangkok

The four star Narai Hotel is located in the city's business, shopping, and entertainment area of Silom, and connected to the skytrain. Because of the proximity to the expressway, guests can easily take a taxi to go out dining, shopping or to the popular tourist attractions. Business travelers will find the Narai’s central location, business center, function/meeting rooms, internet access highly convenient. The 472 spacious, air-conditioned rooms are equipped with modern amenities. The hotel also provides for a range of facilities to ensure an enjoyable experience for the guests.

Save Penang football, Guan Eng urged

By Athi Shankar

GEORGE TOWN: The Football Association of Penang (FAP) is in a mess and the only person who can save it from further deterioration is Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, said a former football official.Claiming that he has 60% of the club affiliates on his side, former FAP vice-president Gary Nair has demanded that Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim voluntarily step down as FAP president.

He warned Zahrain that failing to do so would see him being impeached by affiliate clubs and eventually thrown out through an extraordinary general meeting.

So its better for Zahrain to step down gracefully.

Under Zahrain, Penang football has become worst in terms of its on-pitch sucesses, and financial and football management, he said.

He added that the state government must step in now to stop the rot and drag FAP and Penang football out from its current disgraceful state.

He said it was timely for Lim to either assume the presidents post himself or get someone more dedicated, determined and professional to run the show.

He said only a state government intervention can strengthen the FAP financially, given that the chief minister would have more pulling power to lure sponsorships.

Moreover, the chief minister could bring more stability to the association leadership, Nair said.

He said he had spoken about FAP problems to Lim and hoped the latter would respond soon.

Football insult

The Penang football team has already been relegated from Super League to Premier League next season even though the current season is not over.

To add insult to injury, this is the first time in the history of Penang football that the team had failed to qualify for the Malaysia Cup competition.

"Penang may not have won the prestigious trophy... but not making it to the Malaysia Cup competition is a humiliat! ion, sai d an upset Nair, who once served as Penang Super League side manager.

He disclosed that the FAP financial situation was so bad that salary payments to players and staff were delayed for the past few months.

They were paid for May only last Monday, he said.

He said it was shameful that the state team could not use its traditional ground -- the City Stadium in George Town -- for its home matches because it had failed to settle rental arrears to the local council (MPPP).

The state football team plays its home matches now in state-owned Stadium Batu Kawan on the mainland.

Our football is so bad that the team is playing before empty stadiums.

Previously, football fans would come early in the morning to my house to get free entry tickets from me as I am entitled to six.

But now, they dont want the tickets even when I offered them, he said.

Zahrain took over the FAP presidency from former deputy chief minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin in late 2008.

Trouble started within months of him stepping in when several incumbent senior FAP officials, including Gary, declined to seek re-election in the AGM following a fallout with Zahrain.

Since our departure, the situation in FAP has deteriorated to an all-time low under Zahrains leadership.

The management is in utter shambles while football development is in dire straits, alleged Nair.

He chided Zahrain for seeking to contest for a vice-president post in the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) in its upcoming congress when he cant even put his own house in order first.

The local football league season for local clubs, including the junior leagues, has also been prolonged due to poor management and financial constraints.

Zahrain must step down and the chief minister has to step in to save Penang football, said Nair.

Zahrain is expected to hold a clear the air press conference this weekend in FAP house.



Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Podcast: Fantastic Fact and Funny

by patrickteoh

The Millenium Monument, Putrajaya. Why do we love phallic symbols so much?

(Somebody commented that the monument looks like a rocket. Yes it does. But because it is a Malaysian rocket its engines have been stolen.)

According to the Deputy Minister of Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing this monument is to record and display the nation's history and the success stories of past leaders. You decide if it was RM21million well-spent.

Who makes a better opposition?

from Hornbill Unleashed By Ding Jo-Ann

THE last general election birthed a situation that was not common before 2008: the Barisan Nasional (BN) functioning as an opposition. Although the BN has been the opposition in Kelantan for many years, it was a completely new experience for them in Selangor, Penang, Perak and Kedah. Indeed, the blanket term “opposition” previously used to describe DAP, PAS and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) can no longer be used as they now form the government in several key states.

How has the BN adapted to this new state of affairs? Has it embraced its role as the opposition in Pakatan Rakyat (PR)-controlled states? Has the PR continued to play its role as an effective opposition in BN-controlled states and at the federal level? The writer asks political scientist Wong Chin Huat.

TNG: Have the political parties functioned as an effective opposition — for BN in the PR-controlled states and for PR at the federal level and in BN-controlled states? How can they do better?

Wong Chin Huat : The BN refused to accept its defeat in the PR states and has tried to undermine the state governments. By extension, it is therefore also undermining our federal system. For instance, the BN federal government denies PR state governments public funds that are due to them. To cite two examples — petroleum royalty and Penang’s heritage fund. The PR states are also sidelined by the tourism ministry. Even at the grassroots level, the BN refuses to accept PR state-appointed village committees and set up parallel ones instead. This behaviour is akin to kids who cannot accept losing a game.

The PR has performed well as the opposition, both at the federal and state level. However, as state governments, they have practised some discriminatory policies against the BN opposition. For example, they denied BN state lawmakers theirconstituency funding, and are also keen to fill local councils with party loyalists, on the pretext that the BN is doing the same. They say that to do otherwise would be shooting themselves in the foot.

The PKR-led Selangor government’s latest moves in enacting aFreedom of Information (FOI) law and appointing an opposition member to head the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) must be praised. This is the first ruling party in Malaysia’s history to do so. In contrast, Selangor Umno has been silly in opposing both these initiatives. Obviously, Umno is dreaming of returning to power in the near future and would not want measures that would create a more level-playing field for the opposition. Umno is dreaming of returning to rule without check and balance, just as they did before March 2008.

Citizens must now apply pressure on the BN as well as PAS and DAP to follow Selangor’s footsteps in the governments they lead. Enough lip service about reforms. Just deliver.

Are there signs that the BN and Umno have started to reform in response to their relatively poor performance in the last general election?

Umno, under Datuk Seri Najib Razak, has tried to rebrand itself as a centrist party under the1Malaysia banner. Many blast Umno for its tacit support of ultra-right groups like Perkasa, but that is really not an issue. If there are free and fair elections, you can simply kick out racist parties if you don’t like them. The real threat is if your votes do not count.

Hence, the real measure of whether Umno can or has changed is whether they are willing to democratise this country, contest in elections and accept the election outcome no matter what. Next time Najib or (Umno Youth chief)Khairy Jamaluddin talks about change, just ask them this: Will Umno bow out in a dignified manner should they lose the next general election? No other questions are relevant until this is answered!

Malaysia is still effectively an electoral one-party state. The only substantial difference between Umno and the Chinese Communist Party or the Communist Party of Vietnam is those parties do not hold elections. Umno still thinks that they are the natural rulers of Malaysia. In that sense, the Chinese and Vietnamese communists are more honest.

Any other comments on how parties can be more effective as the opposition?

After 2008, everyone has been talking about the need for a two-party system. But we cannot build a two-party system [simply] by voting. We need to change the institutions. We need to dismantle the electoral one-party state Umno has built and ensure room for opposition parties to survive healthily and make a come-back instead of contemplating defection, coup or sabotage. This would be beneficial for Umno itself, which could one day be occupying the position of the opposition.

BN and PR need to negotiate (© svilen001 | sxc.hu)

Both sides need to sit down and negotiate the rules of the game for a genuine multi-party democracy, which we have not had since 1963. We need round table negotiations like those in Poland, Hungaryand Czechoslovakia, which made these countries consolidated democracies.

There is a reason why both BN and PR are interested only in toppling each other, instead of negotiating for peaceful co-existence and vigorous multi-party competition. It is because they are political gamblers. They like our “winner-takes-all” system. They believe they can or have to win big. Deep down, they don’t believe in having an opposition that functions like the government-in-waiting. And they don’t trust their opponents to be kind to them either. Hence, Selangor Umno’s ridiculous response to FOI and the PAC chair appointment.

Because there will only be one winner, the fight is very cut-throat. Do people hate this? Does the public want to see healthy politics instead? Then tell both the BN and PR to negotiate as if they will be the opposition after the next general election. Don’t be impressed by both sides’ gestures to signal moderation on ethno-religious issues.

The real problem that holds us back is not racism, but authoritarianism. So, don’t pick a good master, but be the master yourself and kick out the servants if they do not perform well

Restructuring federal-state relations: Critical issue in next polls

Power must be devolved, decision-making must be decentralised, and development funds must be shared all the way down, asserts Francis Loh. An important issue in the next general election, no doubt, must be the restructuring of federal-state relations. Our federal system of government needs to be transformed from a centralised to a more co-operative one. Indeed, cooperative federal systems are the norm throughout the world, not only in Canada, Australia and Switzerland, but also in India, South Africa and Nigeria This means that there must occur more devolution of power, decentralisation of decision-making, and of course disbursement of development funds from the federal government to the state governments. And the civil service must act more professionally to serve the government of the day, regardless of party affiliation.

Two years of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rule especially in Penang and Selangor has highlighted how centralised our political system is. It has also highlighted how the BN federal government can dominate over PR-led state governments as a result of the former’s control of development funds. Whereas such funds are channeled to the state governments, as in the cases of Pahang, Johore and Malacca which are BN-led, the same development funds are channelled to the federally appointed State Development Officers (SDOs) in the cases of the PR-led states. This is so although the PR state governments have been duly elected into office by the rakyat.

The war of words between Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and the federally appointed State Development Officer Nik Ali bin Yunus on 20-21 July over the Botanic Garden expansion project highlights this domination of the federal government over the state government.

First, the Garden's expansion project falls under the control of the Tourism Ministry rather than the Penang state government or the Penang Municipal Council. To any Penangite, surely the state or municipal authority would be better informed of how best to carry out the expansion of the Garden! And even if the federal Ministry was in charge, why did it not devolve power and funds to the state and local authorities? One can imagine that if the state-government was BN-led, there might have been more consultation and perhaps even decentralisation of decision-making.

In this regard, we should recall how the federal government had disbursed to the BN-led Malacca state government its share of the heritage conservation funds but denied the PR-led Penang state government its share of the same, channelling the funds instead to the 'Penang Representative Office' of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, owned by the federal Finance Ministry. Yet Malacca and George Town share joint listing as Unesco heritage sites!

But the recent episode highlights a second way of federal domination. Lim blamed Nik Ali, who is responsible for overseeing the channelling of all federal allocations for projects in Penang, for “openly and blatantly sabotaging the state government”. It is significant that the SDO chose to declare the Chief Minister as ‘biadap’ at, of all occasions, a press conference called by Penang Umno leaders! Isn’t a civil servant supposed to serve the government of the day? And in the case of Nik Ali, should he not be serving the interests of the Penang state government to which he has been appointed State Development Officer, notwithstanding that he is a federal appointee?

Indeed, it is not only Nik Ali who has facilitated federal domination over Penang; the SDOs in the other PR-led states have also been giving the PR-led governments in Selangor, Kelantan and Kedah a hard time, as the Menteris Besar of those states have complained from time-to-time .

In this matter, we need to recall how the Pas-led Kelantan government and the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS)-led Sabah governments were bullied by the federal government authorities during the 1990s. Then, so-called Federal Development Offices were set up in both states in order to bypass the state governments too. No wonder, federal appointees like Nik Ali consider it their duty to favour the BN federal government over the PR-state governments. No amount of name-calling by the SDO will whitewash the popular opinion that most of the federal appointees to the state government have been acting very unprofessionally. They have been biased towards the BN government rather than acting fairly towards the PR state governments.

Underlying the recent exchange of words between the Penang CM and the SDO, therefore, is this discriminatory way by which the PR-led states are treated by the federal BN government. In also captures the bias of most of the federal officers. In effect, they have not given due recognition to the wishes of the rakyat who voted PR-led governments into office in five states in the 2008 election.

In the recent case concerning the construction of two monstrous arches at the entrance to the Botanic Garden, which look completely out of place, and one of which is tilting, there had been minimum consultation of the rakyat prior to the construction. Concerned NGOs had complained to the Penang-state government about the cutting of trees, the cementing over of various parts of the gardens to build a car park and hawker complex, and the construction of the arches too as these developments occurred. Now that the Tourism Ministry has declared that the arches will be brought down, it is clear to the NGOs and concerned Penangites that the Gardens expansion project is indeed a federal project, and that the SDO does, in fact, have oversight of the project and should be held responsible for this wastage.

In this regard, perhaps the NGOs should have directed their complaints to the federal authorities in the first place. Whichever the case, there had been no consultation of the rakyat by the federal Tourism Ministry until it had become obvious that a disaster was in the making, when it was discovered that one of the ugly arches was tilting. And of course, there had been no consultation whatsoever on the part of the federally appointed SDO even up till now. (Of course, he would plead that it is not his job to do so since he is only involved in disbursing the funds.)

That said, the NGOs believe that the Penang state government could have been more pro-active and acted more responsibly in the face of such an ill-conceived project, even if was federally funded. It could have intervened to prevent this wastage of RM150,00. In this regard, it must share a part of the blame.

One way to prevent such wastage is to make sure that the restructuring of federal-state elections becomes a priority for all the parties in the next elections. Power must be devolved, decision-making must be decentralised, and development funds must be shared all the way down.Francis Loh is honorary secretary of Aliran.

MACC is serious about busting corruption

MACC gets cracking in low-cost housing probe

According to Disney Fairy Tales Press, MACC is going all out to kill the sharks ... !

But there are exception: -

Dr M cleared by MACC: Nazri

‎
The Sun Daily - 8 Jul 2010

KUALA LUMPUR (July 8, 2010 ): The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has not found any element of corruption involving former prime minister Tun Dr ...

MACC Does Not Intend To Investigate Writer Barry Wain's Claims‎ - Bernama
MACC to train private and public sector executives as 'watchdogs'‎ - Malaysia Star (blog)
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Free Malaysia Today - Bernama
all 13 news articles »

By Terence Fernandez. TheSun

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) visited the offices of two developers recently as part of its investigations into the allocation of low-cost homes to the undeserving. Officers from MACC headquarters in Putrajaya and Shah Alam went to the offices of the developers which built low-cost houses in Ara Damansara and Prima Damansara last Friday. Apart from taking statements from company executives, the six officers also removed documents including name lists of house-buyers, in the two-hour operation.

"This is to help us identify those who bought the houses and if the list matches those provided by the state or local councils," said an MACC official.

"If the lists of house-buyers do not match the list of those eligible for low-cost homes, it will help narrow our investigations," he said, adding that executives of the companies were co-operative.

On Wednesday night, about 10 MACC officers spent three hours at the Seri Jati low-cost flats in Ara Damansara to record statements from complainants.

The 17 people who turned up were part of a group of 47 former squatters who had claimed they were not offered low-cost homes but were instead forced to rent the homes from those who did not qualify for low-cost housing – including senior Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) officers.

Many residents who were from the Kampung Tropicana and Kampung Lindungan squatter settlements were offered homes at the Seri Jati flats, but many more were not allotted units.

There were also business operators such as a sundry shop owner and a nasi lemak vendor who were relocated from the squatter settlements but yet claimed they were denied requests for a shop unit at the ground-floor of the flats.

One of these shoplots was instead given to a man who owns a bungalow in SS1, here – a house that is estimated to be worth about RM1.5 million.

On Aug 13, MACC Chief Commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed held lengthy meetings with his officers to set the direction for the probe. It is understood that the MACC has cast its net wide to include developers, state officers as well as councillors, council officials and politicians – both past and present.

Statements have also been taken from the State Housing and Property Board, while the ineligible owners of low-cost units are also expected to be questioned soon.
TheSun, which exposed the extent of the low-cost scam in May, had also handed over documents to the MACC and met with Abu Kassim to brief him on what our own investigations revealed. "I don’t care who, even if they are from the top, if the allegations are true, it is stealing from the poor and we will go out of our way to get those involved," Abu Kassim said.

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   Sun2Surf

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