Ibrahim Ali Versus Najib: 1Malaysia Wins

August 15, 2010

Perkasa issues Najib an Ultimatum

by Hazlan Zakaria @www.malaysiakini.com

Malay rights NGO Perkasa today told PM Najib Abdul Razak that he must do all he can to address the economic woes of Malays, or risk losing their support in the next general election.

If nothing is done, Malays will react. They might be silent now, but they will show their displeasure at the next general election. The Malays will reject UMNO outright, Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali told a press conference in Kuala Lumpur.

He warned that UMNO and the PM would lose the votes of the Malays should the government continue to kowtow to non-Malays and allow the erosion of Malay economic privileges, which he said are enshrined in the federal constitution.

The Malays are worried by the governments approach to spurring the economy. And the minister in charge seems to be keen in taking away what remains of Malay and bumiputera wealth, claimed Ibrahim.

He was responding to the 12 resolutions which the MCA congress came up with yesterday, one of which demanded the reduction of the 30 percent bumiputera equity.

In addressing the Chinese Economic Congress, Najib who is also finance minister had given his assurances to the congress that the Foreign Investments Committee (FIC), which monitors the application of the 30 percent bumiputera equity policy, will soon be dismantled. Najib also said he would welcome more Chinese involvement in Malaysias economic development.

Striking a raw nerve

Both statements struck a raw nerve with Perkasa, which has been championing for Malays to be given a greater econom! ic stake .

I condemn and censure the demands by the congress to reduce the bumiputera 30 percent equity and for more non-Malays to be appointed into government-linked companies.

The Pasir Mas parliamentarian argued that not many Malays are directors or are employed by the non-Malay cartels which have been given special considerations by the government, such as Robert Kuoks sugar empire or independent power producer YTL.

As such, Ibrahim said he believes the 30 percent equity and positions reserved for Malays in GLCs are vital to ensure they have their share of the nations wealth.

The Malays and bumiputeras do not want to be given only table scraps. We also want the main course of the economic stake, said the veteran politician.

Malays, Ibrahim stressed, are no longer satisfied by mere pittance such as the occasional duit raya, welfare assistance doled out by the government and even the targeted RM1,500 minimum income for bumiputeras.

These, he said are only bread and butter to Malays, who want their lions share.

Nazir the Chinese hero

Ibrahim also hit out at the PMs brother and CIMB head Nazir Abdul Razak for claiming that the New Economic Policy (NEP) had been bastardized to enrich the few.

Nazir is talking nonsense, snapped Ibrahim. He added that Nazir is far from qualified to make such an assessment on this or on other economic matters.

Even if he is a banker, he is new. And we have to ask how he got to where he is today. CIMB did not become successful because of him, Ibrahim sniped.

He added that CIMB was previously Bank Bumiputera, and was helped by state petroleum firm PETRONAS several times before it was able to stand on its own. Let him be the Chinese hero, but I am fighting for my own race, said Ibrahim.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Is the New Economic Model (NEM) a myth or a reality is it still at trial balloon stage?

Recently news headlines on the New Economic Model (NEM) have suddenly dominated the media like IMF asks Malaysia to take decisive action on reforms and Najib tells Chinese to lead reforms under NEM, 10MP in the past 24 hours.References to NEM appears to have come into vogue again, coming out from the shadows from where it had been banished when the Tenth Malaysia Plan was unveiled in June in Parliament.These beg the question whether the New Economic Model, announced by the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on 30th March this year is a myth or reality.The NEM has been described as one of the four critical pillars of Najibs National Transformation of Malaysia, representing the ambitious Economic Transformation Programme to transform Malaysia by 2020 into a developed, competitive and high income economy with inclusivity and sustainability.The fourth pillar, the Tenth Malaysia Plan, which was adopted by Parliament in early July, is to operationalise the NEM in the five years from 2011-2015.

However, strident objections from rightwing extremist groups to the NEM, particularly to its biggest idea to begin the dismantling the New Economic Policy (NEP) with the implementation of transparent and market-friendly affirmative action, which will transition from ethnic considerations to emphasize the lower-income 40% of households have led to Najib distancing and even dissociating himself from the NEM.This was why before he presented the Tenth Malaysia Plan in Parliament in early June which is to operationalise the NEM, Najib made the shocking statement that the NEM is not the Governments final stand but merely the trial balloons of a group of experts from the global markets perspective.Is this why when the DAP National Publicity Secretary and MP for PJ Utara, Tony Pua made the proposal for the removal of bumiputera discounts for luxury homes and commercial property to improve competitiveness and restore investor confidence while retaining the seven per cent discounts enjoyed by Malays and! other b umiputeras for homes below RM500,000 which is fully in line with the Biggest Idea in the NEM for needs-based affirmative action policies Najibs Umno Cabinet Ministers were in the front line among Tonys critics and detractors.The time has come for Najib to declare unequivocally whether the NEM with its Biggest Idea to replace ethnic considerations with needs-based affirmative action policies is still a myth or reality whether it is still at the level of trial balloons or whether it has the full and commitment of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Mr Prime Minister Najib Razak, please don't be a nincompoop

Richard Loh

This is the tweet that our Prime Minister Najib sent out on Friday.

Najib Razak: The Chinese community celebrates the Hungry Ghost Festival this month. Another opportunity to appreciate the diversity of Malaysian culture.

Is that the expression of a man worried man about fading Chinese support, or an ignoramus or just a complete nincompoop?

I am a Malaysian Chinese and this Hungry Ghost Month has nothing to do with me one bit, neither is it a culture or a celebrated festival.

If this tweet is to gain more Chinese support, the PM is surely grasping at the last straw trying to stay afloat. The non-Muslims are always reminded not to talk about Islam because of their limited knowledge. So if we are to follow these sort of classifications, it is also advisable for the Muslims not to talk about other religions if they are not familiar or knowledgeable about them. After all, fair is right, right?

Why is the PM, a Muslim who has no knowledge of non-Muslim religions, trying to preach and talk about the Hungry Ghost Month as though he knows a lot and claiming the Chinese community celebrates the Hungry Ghost Festival.

My advice to the PM, stick to your job description and stop using religion to pursue your agenda.

Maybe, the PM should spend his time and efforts to try and resolved his 1Malaysia New Culture:


This country is turning upside down and the Prime Minister is not doing anything about it.



- Malaysia for All

Najib panned for doublespeak at Chinese Economic Congress

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

Amid growing doubt about his ability to really launch a New Economic Model for Malaysia, Prime Minister Najib Razak has urged Chinese firms in the country to spearhead his proposal which aims to level the economic playing field, make the economy more competitive and less susceptible to corruption.

But despite trying to ingratiate himself with the crowd attending the Chinese Economic Congress on Saturday, Najib failed to convince his audience that he was either sincere or serious .

“At the Malay Consultative Council economic congress just two months ago, he talked about defending Malay rights and that the NEP will not be sidelined no matter what,” an economist with a foreign bank who had attended today’s congress told Malaysia Chronicle.

“Now at the Chinese Economic Congress, he tells the Chinese to spearhead the NEM. What is he talking about - which is to go, which is to stay? The NEM or the NEP - or are both to stay? If that is so, then he must kick-start the NEM. How can the Chinese spearhead something that has no details, no programs? He cannot blame the financial community for thinking that he is speaking with a forked and talking through his hat at the same time."

Double-cross

Indeed, things have gotten worse in Malaysia – both politically and economically. Foreign direct investment, the lifeblood of the country’s econmy, shrank 81 percent in 2009 but the government is still in denial mode.

Racial and religious tensions, never far from the surface, have increased as Najib continues to stay silent allowing hawks in his Umno party to ratchet up Malay rights and supremacy rhetoric in a bid to garner voter support from the community, which forms about 55 percent of the country's 28 million population.

Pundits say most of the blame will have to be shouldered by Najib himself because the buck stops with him. Despite massive pressure piled on him by ex-premier Mahathir Mohamad, his own deputy Muhyiddin Yassin and the ultra-Malay rights groups like MPM and Perkasa, they believe Najib still holds in his hand more than enough power to insist on which direction to take to steer the country out of trouble.

But he has studiously avoid making any major decisions. His timidity has become his greatest downfall. Within his own Umno party, plans are afoot to oust him while amongst the Chinese and non-Malays, there is little confidence about his ability, only great fear that he will “double-cross” them.

“He is now talking about the NEM as though it is designed for the Chinese and it is the Chinese who are not accepting it. Why not ask the Malays to support the NEM? That to this day and age a man with Najib’s educational background can still revert to racializing the economy shows his 1Malaysia is just a slogan – not a vision or something useful that can help revamp our system,” Batu MP Tian Chua told Malaysia Chronicle.

Holding on till the next general election

Even the International Monetary Fund thinks Najib needs prodding on the NEM. It has asked Malaysia to take "decisive" action on reforms.

“The board of directors agreed that the comprehensive structural reform agenda, at the heart of the New Economic Model, holds out promise of faster and inclusive growth. Further gradual liberalisation of product and labour markets will help exploit policy complementarities, encourage private investment and harness the benefits of reform," the IMF said in its latest report.

But as in the past, the brickbats and feedback are likely to fall on deaf ears. Due to his own scandal-plagued past, pundits say it may be impossible for Najib to effect any real change at all.

They believe the most that he could do was to hang on until the next general election when they expect him to be ousted either by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Rakyat or by Umno factions led by Mahathir and Muhyiddin. Malaysia has to hold national polls latest by March 2013 but speculation is rife that snap elections will be called in the second half of 2011.

“The Malaysian-Chinese community must once again take up the reins and take up a more leadership role through economic innovation in genuine partnership with other communities. The community continues to be the backbone of the Malaysian economy through its small and medium enterprises,” Najib exhorted the congress this morning.

International Monetary Fund: Take Decisive Action on Reforms

August 15, 2010

Washington DC.

IMF advises Malaysia: Take Decisive Action on Reforms under NEM

The IMF has asked Malaysia to take decisive action on reforms under a model program aimed at revamping a controversial four-decade-old affirmative action policy.

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced in March his New Economic Model or NEM, aimed at reforming elements of the policy favouring the countrys majority ethnic Malays in a bid to boost economic competitiveness.

Details of the reform program, including its timing, have not been announced yet. The Washington-based International Monetary Fund said on Friday (August 13, 2010) it was looking forward to the NEMs rollout.

In a report after annual consultations between the IMF executive board and the Malaysian government, the Fund acknowledged the ambitious vision of Najibs administration for a far-reaching economic transformation over the longer term.

The Board Directors agreed that the comprehensive structural reform agenda, at the heart of the New Economic Model, holds out promise of faster and inclusive growth, the report said. Directors looked forward to a decisive effort and sustained momentum in implementing this agenda, it said.

They also called for an effective communication strategy to forge broad public support for these efforts.
Further gradual liberalization of product and labor markets will help exploit policy complementarities, encourage private investment and harness the benefits of reform, the report said.

Najib, who came to office last year, said the New Economic Model was designed to boost growth, create a

People Expect Decisive Action! on NEM and No Pandering to PERKASA

high-quality workforce, and attract badly needed foreign investment.

The model also aims to stem Malaysias brain drain with measures to retain skilled professionals, and make markets more competitive by phasing out price controls and subsidies.

Favourable growth prospects

The affirmative action policy which hands Malays privileges in housing, education and business has been criticised as uncompetitive and improperly benefiting the elites. Under the planned changes to the policy, the government will seek to raise the income levels of all disadvantaged groups, rather than focusing solely on ethnic Malays, the dominant ethnic group in the Southeast Asian nation.

Najibs reforms face opposition from conservative Malay rights groups. The country has sizeable ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities, who mostly deserted Najibs ruling coalition in 2008 elections.

The IMF also said that Malaysias near-term growth prospects were favourable. The economy was projected to expand by 6.7 percent in 2010 but growth is expected to moderate to 5.3 percent in 2011, the IMF report said.

It also said that IMF staff felt Malaysias ringgit currency appeared to be weaker than its equilibrium level in real effective terms. The IMF Executive Board, according to the report, agreed with the Malaysian authorities view that a stronger ringgit could boost over time the role of domestic demand as a growth driver and promote a shift toward higher-value added industries.

- AFP/www.freemalaysiatoday.com

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

IMF asks Malaysia to take 'decisive' action

(AFP) - The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Malaysia to take "decisive" action on reforms under a model programme aimed at revamping a controversial four-decade-old affirmative action policy.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in March a 'New Economic Model' or NEM, aimed at reforming elements of the policy favouring the country's majority ethnic Malays in a bid to boost economic competitiveness.

Details of the reform programme, including its timing, have not been announced yet.

The Washington-based IMF said yesterday it was looking forward to the NEM's rollout.

In a report after annual consultations between the IMF executive board and the Malaysian government, the fund acknowledged the "ambitious vision" of Najib's administration for a far-reaching economic transformation over the longer term.

The board of directors "agreed that the comprehensive structural reform agenda, at the heart of the New Economic Model, holds out promise of faster and inclusive growth," the report said.

"Directors looked forward to a decisive effort and sustained momentum in implementing this agenda," it said.

They also called for an "effective communication strategy" to forge "broad public support" for these efforts.

"Further gradual liberalisation of product and labour markets will help exploit policy complementarities, encourage private investment and harness the benefits of reform," the report said.

Najib, who came to office last year, said the New Economic Model was designed to boost growth, create a high-quality workforce, and attract badly needed foreign investment.

The model also aims to stem Malaysia's 'brain drain' with measures to retain skilled professionals, and make markets more competitive by phasing out price controls and subsidies.

The affirmative action policy which hands Malays privileges in housing, education and business has been criticised as uncompetitive and improperly benefiting the elites.

Opposition from right-wing groups

Under the planned changes to the policy, the government will seek to raise the income levels of all disadvantaged groups, rather than focusing solely on ethnic Malays, the dominant ethnic group in the Southeast Asian nation.

Najib's reforms face opposition from conservative Malay rights groups.

The country has sizeable ethnic Indian and Chinese minorities, who mostly deserted Najib's ruling coalition in the 2008 general election.

The IMF also said that Malaysia's near-term growth prospects were favourable.

The economy was projected to expand by 6.7 percent in 2010 but growth is expected to moderate to 5.3 percent in 2011, the IMF report said.

It also said that IMF staff felt Malaysia's ringgit currency appeared to be "weaker than its equilibrium level in real effective terms."

The IMF executive board, according to the report, agreed with the Malaysian authorities' view that a stronger ringgit could boost over time the role of domestic demand as a growth driver and promote a shift toward higher-value added industries.

Global warming: Aussie group to work with Swak tribal leaders

By Free Malaysia Today

KUCHING: Nine tribal leaders in Sarawak have signed an agreement with an Australian based grouping to certify carbon credits under the avoided deforestation program known as REDD+.

The agreement with the Indigenous Customary Land Owners of Sarawak will see Shift2Neutral, a grouping of individuals and companies committed to a sustainable future, work directly with the tribal leaders to achieve realistic change and ensure the protection of their native flora and fauna.

The move underscores regional concern over the increasing effects of global warming and the urgent need to save the worlds third largest island from indiscriminate deforesting.

The immediate protection of tropical rainforests is critical if we hope to turn the tide on global warming, and the added benefits of conserving these sensitive ecosystems are immeasurable," said the group said in a statement issued recently.

The spokesman said via avoided deforestation, Sarawak could ensure the protection of the carbon that is already stored in vegetation.

"The cutting of forests releases billions of tons of greenhouse gases (from carbon stored in trees, plants and soils) into the atmosphere.

Roughly 20% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions are caused by deforestation. By comparison, the entire global transportation sector is responsible for roughly 14% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, the group said.

READ MORE HERE.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

By not questioning PM on the NEM, Chua is abetting an illusion

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

As expected, MCA president Chua Soi Lek gave himself backache bending over backwards to show his support for Prime Minister Najib Razak’s New Economic Model and 10th Malaysia Plan.

The Chinese leader is indeed in an unenviable position, due to a personal sex scandal and an unshakable public perception that he would never risk his political position to speak up for the community or for the average Malaysian.

Under so much pressure, it was unsurprising that Soi Lek felt the need to defend his political standing and as such chose to use phrases that he may have thought were hard-hitting in his speech at the Chinese Economic Congress on Saturday, where Najib was the guest of honour.

Soi Lek called on the PM to “do the right thing”, spoke about “liberalization” of the economy and even jabbed at improving the procurement systems of government-linked firms. But he also made sure he steered clear of calling for open tenders.

The MCA president busied himself giving generous helpings of advice and suggestions on what the NEM should embrace, but most of his proposals were general ideas that have been bounced around the economic scene for years.

Most importantly, in the final analysis, Soi Lek ducked the most crucial questions. He did not ask the PM - is the NEM for real, and if so, when is it going to start?

“If he were to ask, he would be seen as putting pressure on Najib – which is taboo. So they will go along … I praise you, you praise me. That has long been their style and this culture of hero-worship and subservience to whoever is in power will never change,” Gopeng MP Lee Boon Chye told Malaysia Chronicle.

Abetting an illusion

Indeed, the feedback is strong that Soi lek may have been silly to “go on and on” about the NEM when its existence is still so much in doubt.

In the run-up to the June unveiling of the 10th Malaysia Plan, Najib got an earful from the Malay Consultative Council who told him in no uncertain terms they were against any attempts to dismantle the New Economic policy.

Not only did Najib agree there and then with the MPM but when the much-touted 10th Malaysia Plan – a blueprint of the country's economic activity for the next five years until 2015 - was announced, there was mention at all of the NEM.

The NEP was introduced in 1971 and it aims to eradicate poverty and distribute wealth fairly but through the decades of Umno political dominance, the plan has been abused to promote special rights for the Malays so that the party could maintain its political dominance.

The abuse of the NEP and the endemic corruption it has spawned has led many foreign investors to call for its repeal. Najib proposed the more inclusive NEM when he came to power in April last year. The new blueprint is supposed to replace many of the protective barriers in the NEP that investors have long complained about.

“It is irresponsible to hype up the NEM when as the second largest party in the BN, the MCA’s duty is to ensure that the plan is rolled out as soon as possible and not to abet in any exaggeration that the plan is good and all is fine, when there may not be any such program anymore. If the NEM is not going to see the light of day, then it is only lying to itself, the country and its own members in Chinese community,” Boon Chye said.

Zambry in hot soup for giving land worth RM6-8 mil to cronies

Malaysia Chronicle

Perak Mentri Besar Zambry Kadir has come under fire for alleged corruption after he gave a 50-acre piece of land worth between RM6 to 8 million to a company owned by an Umno crony.

The news comes amid a storm of Umno and MCA accusations against the DAP for issuing recommendation letters to help businesses win contracts from the Selangor state government.

“This is the biggest joke. Here they just hand over the state’s land to their cronies. Not once have they thought about the aqua farmers who have been toiling the land for more than 20 years,” Teja assemblyman Chang Lih Kang told Malaysia Chronicle.

Unkindest cut, and not the first time

Chang has lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over the land in Kampung Sungai Itek in Gopeng, Perak. He has also demanded that Zambry be suspended from the Land Committee and that approval granted to the crony firm is immediately revoked pending investigations.

“This is the unkindest cut of all. Zambry not only ignored the claims of the farmers who have worked on land and contributed to the state’s economy all these years but he actually gave away the land to his cronies. It is a clear case of abuse of power,” said Chang.

The land is currently being cultivated by ornamental fish breeders and farmers, who have for years been applying for land titles from the state authorities but to no avail. When they found out about Zambry’s grant, they complained to their assemblymen.

Chang then raised the matter in the Perak state assembly and a written reply revealed that the land had been given to a company called Safura House of Diamond Sdn Bhd under the state’s Proper Village Planning Plan. A check with the Companies Commission of Malaysia showed that one of Safura’s shareholders is the deputy chief of Umno Gopeng.

“It is actually the second time this sort of shenanigan has taken place. The first scandal also took place in Kampung Sungai Itek, where the UMNO Gopeng division chief was given 10 lots of land in the planned village scheme,” said Chang.

More farmers are being evicted

He warned that if the federal authorities ignored the charges against Zambry and if the MACC delayed taking action, more farmers would be expelled from the land.

“Their livelihood will be badly affected. It is the duty of the government to care for the people and not grab their land from them and give to their friends and families,” Chang said.

"Through the years, the farmers in Sungai Itek have invested a lot of their savings and if they are evicted, they will have nothing. Even if Zambry offers compensation, the water quality might not be suitable for fishes. So what is going on, where are the priorities?”

Nazir helps to knock down NEP, but can Najib push through NEM

Wong Choon Mei, Malaysia Chronicle

CIMB CEO Nazir Razak minced no words in repudiating the New Economic Policy, which many in the financial community believe is standing in the way of the introduction of New Economic Model.

At the Chinese Economic Congress, where his brother Prime Minister Najib Razak earlier urged the Chinese community to spearhead the NEM, Nazir reiterated what many in Malaysia’s opposition have been saying through the years.

"There seem to have been a bastardization of the NEP," Nazir said during a question-and-answer session on Saturday.

"What I don't understand is giving these people Approved Permits. If you just want a small number of people to make money, might as well just give them money."

Nazir was referring to the New Economic Policy which Najib had wanted to phase out and replace with the New Economic Model.

Bravado

But again, Nazir’s bravado is unlikely to impress seasoned financial practitioners although it may spark return fire from ultra-Malay rights groups like Perkasa and MPM or even former premier Mahathir Mohamad.

Already, many investors are disillusioned about the economic reforms promised by his brother, Najib. Few believe that even with the endorsement of all the best economic minds in the country, including Nazir, the PM would still lack the courage to push through a new economic model.

“It is not so much Najib's sincerity. It is his lack of fire power. At the end of the day, nobody cares whether he is getting the heat from Perkasa or Mahathir or MPM. He is the PM, he must do it. If he can’t, nobody can and it is no point talking about it and getting people’s hopes up,” an economist who attended the Congress told Malaysia Chronicle.

Indeed, if the writing on the wall is not bad enough after foreign direct investments plunged 81 percent in 2009, Najib’s own department has warned Malaysia can go bankrupt just like Greece and Dubai by 2019.

The NEP or New Economic Police was introduced in 1971 by Najib and Nazir's father, Abdul Razak Hussein, who was the country's second prime minister.

The plan aimed to eradicate poverty and to distribute wealth fairly but due to decades of political dominance by Najib's Umno party, it has become associated with Malay supremacy over other ethnic groups. It has also become a cover for corruption and a tool for the party's top leaders to stir up Malay sentiments each time they felt the need to shore up political support.

The New Economic Model that Najib proposed when he came to power last year is a more inclusive model that aims to level the economic playing field by eradicating protectionist barriers set up through the years, mostly by Mahathir, but were never part of the NEP's stated goals.

Sodomy 2: A Travesty of Justice

August 15, 2010

Case Against Anwar Ibrahim Must Be Dropped

by Azeem Ibrahim (www.huffingtonpost.com)

Anwar Ibrahim is the leader of Malaysias opposition. Since reemerging in Malaysian politics in 2007 he has done well, quadrupling the new opposition coalitions representation in Parliament, winning 47% of the popular vote, and taking control of six of Malaysias fourteen states and territories in the March 2008 elections. He has become the biggest threat to the sitting governments 53-years of uninterrupted rule.

Perhaps that is why the Malaysian judiciary is pursuing a charge of sodomy against him, again. In 1998 he faced a similar ordeal in the midst of a popular uprising against the rule of then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamed.

Viewed as a threat to the ruling partys status quo, Anwar was sacked from his position as Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, arrested and sentenced to 15 years solitary confinement after a trial many believed was marred by political interference, falsification of evidence, blackmailing, coercion and torture of witnesses, harassment of defense lawyers, and refusal to admit witness testimony favorable to the accused. Anwars current trial looks to be a repeat of the travesty of justice that landed him in prison last time.

Firstly, there is overwhelming evidence that the charges are a government conspiracy. Just a few days before he filed the police report accusing Anwar of sexually assaulting him, the accuser met the current Prime Minister Najib Razak, then Deputy Prime Minister. When asked about the meeting, Najib first denied it ever happened, but later changed his story, admitting that the meeting took place, but claiming that it was to discuss scholarship opportunities for! the acc user, who is a college dropout. Najib then changed his story again, admitting that the accuser had come to him to complain about the abuse he had received under Anwar. Najib, the son of Malaysias second Prime Minister, was at the time Prime Minister in waiting. It was he who had the most to lose from an ascendant Anwar Ibrahim and opposition coalition.

In the days before lodging his police report the accuser also met a police officer who had falsified evidence in the 1998 trial. And the current trial is being led by an Attorney General who is believed to have fabricated evidence in Anwars previous trial.

Secondly, the charge does not match the accusation. The accusations as detailed in accusers testimony in court suggest forced sodomy, effectively rape. By pursuing a different charge from the one made by the accused, the Attorney General is opening himself up to some embarrassing questions. If he believes that Anwar raped Saiful, why not charge him for it? But if he really believes Anwar and Saiful engaged in consensual sex, why only press charges against a popular leader of the opposition, and not also the former intern?

It is likely that he is not charging Anwar for the rape of which he is accused for the simple reason that he knows the charge would not stand. Anwar Ibrahim was almost disabled in 1998 after a near-death beating at the hands of the Malaysian police, is known to have a disabling back problem. It is completely improbable that he could mount an attack on a younger, more agile man. It looks very much like the Attorney General has ignored the charge because he knows that there will be insufficient evidence in court to make it stick.

A third suspicious aspect of the whole affair is the lack of evidence. If the accuser was indeed assaulted then there would be some evidence to prove it. However, forty-eight hours after the alleged incident he was examined twice, once in a private hospital and once more in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital. In ! both cas es doctors ruled out any possibility of assault or penetration the minimum amount of evidence necessary for a court to proceed with a trial. Moreover, the lag in time from the alleged incident until the time he was examined leaves wide open the possibility of planting or fabricating evidence.

A fourth reason for suspicion is clear evidence of obstruction of justice in this case. Anwars defense team and medical experts have yet to receive much of the information they need to do their jobs effectively. Medical reports, CCTV recordings, and even witness statements have all been withheld by the prosecution. The judiciary has systematically denied Anwars attorneys access to the facts of the case before and during the trial, leaving the defense with one arm tied behind its back.

Lastly, the charges emerged just months after the opposition made unexpected gains in the 12th Malaysian General Elections and in advance of Anwars threat to call for a vote of no confidence in Parliament and take over the government. There has been a general campaign to discredit and destabilize the opposition in general and vilify Anwar Ibrahim specifically, of which these charges seem to be just another example.

The Malaysian judicial system has acquired a poor reputation, taking in interferences with due process, the pursuit of political persecutions, and succumbing to political interference. This time, it looks like the system has not only abandoned the prospect of giving Anwar a fair trial, it has even abandoned any prospect of showing the world it is making any effort to give him a fair trial.

Only 10% of the Malaysian population believes the charges, and there has been a chorus of international outcry from lawmakers and human rights organizations in Australia, Europe, and the United States.

It is clear that the trial has been unfair from the start. Every day that it continues is a further blot on the Malaysian judiciary. The charges are tainte! d, incon sistent, and lacking credibility; the evidence flimsy where it exists; and the process skewed in the interest of the government.

I have no axe to grind in Malaysian politics. I am moved to write only by a sense of injustice, and outrage that this process might be allowed to stand. It does not just threaten Anwar Ibrahim. It threatens the development of Malaysian democracy, which would otherwise have the chance of being an example throughout the Muslim world.

In the interests of justice and Malaysias international image, the case against Anwar Ibrahim must be dropped.

Azeem Ibrahim is a Research Scholar at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, Member of the Board of Directors at the Institute of Social Policy and Understanding and Chairman and CEO of Ibrahim Associates.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/azeem-ibrahim/drop-the-charges-against_b_682271.html

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Felda cannot sue' Suara Keadilan' says lawyer.......

The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) cannot sue for slander Suara Keadilan as the government agency was established using taxpayers' money, a lawyer said today.

Felda is a legal body set up with the people's money. Felda was established to assist and benefit the people. The laws are clear. Felda cannot sue (Suara Keadilan), said the publication's counsel N Surendran.

The legal principles are clear. Whatever (government) body is set up using the people's money and for the good of the people cannot sue for defamation every time it is criticised by the people, Surendran added.

According to him, based on the common law as practised in the local, state and federal governments and statutory bodies cannot sue the people.

If it (law suits against the public) were allowed, then the right of the people to criticise the government, government institutions and statutory bodies would be affected, said Surendran, who was speaking at a press conference held today at PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya. Also present were PKR vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah, PKR's Felda bureau chairperson Suhaimi Said and former land and cooperatives minister Tan Kee Kwong.

To a question, Surendran(left) said he has yet received a writ of summons from Felda, though a letter of demand was issued by the government agency on July 1. Felda was set up to offer schemes to assist settlers, not to be used by a small group of people to attack opposition political parties, Surendran said further.

That was not the (original) aim of Felda. Felda was supposed to help rural settlers with farming schemes. How can a body like that, set up with such a purpose, use its funds to attack indi! viduals and political parties? It's not logical at all, he added.

In the same press conference, Suhaimi alleged that the money Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had announced would be given to Felda settlers - between RM150 to RM350 each person - was from funds collected by the settlers themselves.-Abdul Rahim Sabri

source:malaysiakini

Baca 'Peguam: Felda tidak boleh saman Suara Keadilan' di sini.

But anything is possible in 1Malaysia's kangaroo courts..........

cheers.
See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

SUPP visits Putrajaya history repeating itself?

By Joe Fernandez

It really comes as no surprise that the Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) leaders held an emergency meeting yesterday with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak in Putrajaya. It is not known how long the meeting with Najib lasted and whether it went as planned. A shroud of secrecy surrounds the impromptu meeting.

The party has walked down this path before with former prime minister Hussein Onn.

In 1980/81, SUPP secretary-general Stephen Yong led a similar delegation of party leaders to meet Hussein (right) regarding the growing political instability in Sarawak.

Thatmeeting contrasts with SUPPs current moves to put Putrajaya in the picture on the current political situation in Sarawak.

It was simpler in those days. The SUPP had demanded the removal of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Rahman Yakub, a Melanau Dayak, or the SUPP would quit the BN.

Rahman was a proxy groomed by prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, who paved the way for Rahmans family to seize political control of Sarawak on the basis that a Muslim must be the chief minister. Tunkus successors continued the policy of the federal governments proxy control of Sarawak by using the minority Muslim Melanau in general and Rahmans family in particular.

The SUPP stand then was that Rahman was sidelining the Chinese community in the economic management of the state. Nepotism, cronyism, collusion and corruption were serious issues. Land was another grievance of the Chinese community.

The party was also bitter over Rahmans overzealousness in embarking on virtually forced conversions of non-Muslims to Islam. This affected the Dayaks who formed a third of the SUPP membership although poorly represented in the party leadership line-up the most.

Rahman fought his removal by organising mass rallies in Sarawak! and him self spoke at a 50,000 strong rally at the old Kuching Airport thundering defiance against the federal government and SUPP, but to no avail. The federal government decided to abandon Rahman as long as it did not risk its control over Sarawak.

Out of the frying pan

Finally, Rahman had to step down but not before he demanded that his nephew, Taib Mahmud (left), be appointed as his successor and that he become the Governor. Rahmans stint as Governor was short-lived as SUPP prevailed on Taib to remove him.

Many Malays and some Dayak leaders were bitter over Rahmans removal and complained that the Chinese leaders had benefited more than them under his leadership. They saw SUPPs complaints as a bid to cut them down to size and deny their empowerment and economic rise.

Rahman is credited with enriching a handful of hand-picked Dayak leaders at the expense of the community. He cast the net wider among the Malay community however, and unlike Taib has not been noted for favouring the Muslim Melanau at the expense of the former.

SUPP has generally been happy with Taibs land policies until recently, when the urban Chinese were asked to renew their land lease agreements at exorbitant rates. Taib reportedly told the Chinese, Take it or leave it. Other people can pay for the land (if the Chinese do not want it).

In the wake of the defeat in the Sibu by-election this year, the state government has embarked on a policy of selective discounts, determined by the Land Office, for the renewal of land leases. This excludes those who voted against the BN.

Generally, Taib did not repeat some of Rahmans mistakes. He kept Islam on the back-burner! in the overwhelmingly non-Muslim majority Sarawak. He also cut out the Malay community except in government jobs or the token scholarships and kept the Dayaks even poorer while taking away their land under one pretext or another.

The result was the infamous 1987 Malay-Dayak revolt against Taib, who with an eye for newspaper headlines, dubbed it the Ming Court Affair. This was the name of the hotel in Kuala Lumpur where the Parti Bangsa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) and Malay dissidents from Taibs Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) met to consider a no-confidence motion against Taib in the state assembly. The Dayaks and the Melanau in PBB stayed out.

SUPP an unlikely opponent

Now, its the turn of the Chinese to complain about Taib. The Dayaks and Malays are cynically looking on from the sidelines and quietly applauding them.

SUPP patentlyblames Taib for DAP making increasing inroads in Sarawak. They feel implicated by the DAPs complaint that Taib has a finger in every economic pie in Sarawak. And if they are not seen to be taking up the same issue against Taib they risk being obliterated at the forthcoming state elections.

SUPP is apparently raising two issues with Putrajaya.

One is the Chinese communitys loss of confidence strangely echoed by SUPP in Taibs administration and leadership. And Rahman, 82, is reportedlygrooming his daughter Norah Abdul Rahman to take over from the ailing leader.

SUPPs stand is difficult to swallow since the party has solidly stood by Taib since 1981 and even actively participated in the systematic disenfranchisement of the Dayaks, and to a lesser extent, the Malays.

As recently as just before the Sibu by-election, SUPP leaders were even hailing Taib as an extraordinary chief executive who would be hard to replace. SUPP chief George Chan, whose daught! er is ma rried to Taibs son, had nothing but gushing praise for his relative by marriage.

Taib has however been bitterly complaining in private that SUPP is unfairly blaming him for the loss of Sibu. He has not been able to get over being asked to stay out of the fray in Sibu since the people are very angry with him. Taib dutifully stayed out, forcing Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin to lead the BN campaign.

The other major SUPP complaint against Taib is that the party is not ready for the forthcoming state elections. It cannot assure the BN that it can deliver any of the 19 seats traditionally allocated to it.

Something had to give way sooner or later on Taib.

And with the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) not lifting their finger even an inch on widespread allegations of Taibs abuses of power to feather his own nest, SUPPs visit to Putrajaya may seem like something is being done about Taib. MalaysiaKini

But whether they will achieve anything is highly debatable, since SUPP has been cahoots with Taib for three decades.

Filed under: corruption, Human rights Tagged: Anak Sarawak Bangsa Malaysia, Sarawak, Sarawak politics, Save Sarawak, SUPP
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

NEP deviated from Its Original Purpose, says Nazir Razak

August 14, 2010

Nazir Razak :NEP deviated from Its Original Purpose

by Aidila Razak@www.malaysiakini.com

In the harshest rebuke yet of the abuse of the New Economic Policy (NEP), CIMB Group CEO Nazir Abdul Razak described the NEP as having been bastardised by deviating from its original purpose.

I have strong opinions about how the NEP has been bastardised over the years, he said in a question-and-answer session after delivering a talk at the Chinese Economic Congress this afternoon.

According to Nazir (right), while the NEP has come a long way from the social engineering experiment originally aimed at eradicating poverty, the policy has since appeared to enrich small pockets of people.

At that time, no one knew what the outcome would be. It was a social engineering experiment that no one had ever done before in any country. So they gave it 20 years. And they felt that after 1969, they had to give it a try.

But now it is so embedded in everything that we do in every part of the government, in every part of businesses that it has become a problem.

And today, every time I mention the NEP, I get blasted, lamented Nazir, when fielding a question from the floor on his thoughts on the policy.

What I dont understand is giving these people Approved Permits (AP). That should go.

If you just want a small number of people to make money, might as well just give them money, said Nazir, was reported to be the highest-paid GLC CEO back in 2007, drawing in an income of RM9.35 million then.

Incidentally, the main architect of the New Economic Policy when it ! was draw n up in 1971 was Nazirs own father, the countrys second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.

Ignore extremist groups

Boldly departing from the normal comfort zone, the banker also said that the affirmative action needs a relook. Now we need to address what kind of affirmative action we want to have. It is so infused in everything. But we will one day need to confront it one way or another, said Nazir, who is the younger brother of current PM Najib Razak.

The NEP officially came to an end in 1990, but its policies still continue to this day. Najib has announced a New Economic Model back in March to reform and rebuild the Malaysian economy.

However, details still remain to be made public. Speaking after delivering his luncheon address titled Strength in Diversity, Beyond the Rhetoric, Nazir also told the mainly Chinese participants to look beyond party calls advocating the rights of their own race.

Careful not to name names, he advised the participants to ignore them when asked on his stand on such groups.

We have to accept that in a free and open society, we have to expect extremes. A few noisy people in the corner do not make up the majority or represent the majority.

We as the majority have the strength to ignore them. Dont get too caught up with what others are saying, or what they are doing. Dont waste your time engaging with them, he said.

Earlier, Nazir also pointed out that he is a descendant of an immigrant family. I told Tan Siok Choo (grand-daughter of one of MCAs founding members Tan Cheng Lock) that her family came to this country earlier than my family, he said in between chuckles.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?