A New Team in PKR with Azmin Ali as Deputy President

BREAKING NEWS:

Nurul Izzah, Tian Chua, Fuziah Salleh and Penang Deputy Chief Minister 1Mansor Othman are the new Vice Presidents of PKR. The outcome of the contest for the 4 VP posts is as follows:

1) Nurul Izzah Anwar – 13,170
2) Tian Chua – 11,460
3) Fuziah Salleh – 8,891
4) Mansor Othman – 8,477
5) Xavier Jayakumar – 6,984
6) N Gobalakrishnan – 6,721
7) Yahya Sahri – 6,436

Azmin Ali, Deputy President with a new Team vows to clean up and refocus PKR

by Clara Chooi @www.themalaysiainsider.com

PKR’s newly-elected deputy president Azmin Ali basked in the euphoria of his victory today by firing biting insults against his former contender Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, charging that the leader had been a failure from day one.

Deputy President of PKR

Azmin, who stormed to an easy victory when the PKR’s fractious polls closed last weekend, accused Zaid of lacking humility and failing to be team player although the party leadership had graciously awarded him numerous top posts when he joined last year.

The Gombak MP also bade Zaid “good luck” in the latter’s bid to form a new party but sarcastically took a dig at the leader’s ambition by adding, “I am not so sure if he can succeed or not”.

“Well, good luck to him. I want to see whether he will succeed or not. In the months, you have seen his true character. He is not a person who can work as a team, he is not a team player so how could you lead a party, or any organisation for that matter, if you cannot listen? If you do not have the humility to listen to others? You want to lead the party, you must listen to differing views, [Zaid has] no spirit of comradeship at all, so I am not sure if he can succeed or not,” he told reporters at the MP’s lounge in Parliament this morning.

Azmin had at first brushed off questions about Zaid, who had last week announced his resignation from PKR, pointing out that he was not “interested” to talk about his competition in the deputy presidential race.

“He is no longer a member of the party so I am not interested to make any reference to him,” he said, when asked to respond to Zaid’s countless attacks and allegations on the PKR leadership. When pushed for a response, however, Azmin charged that Zaid had failed to produce any supporting evidence in his numerous complaints of voting irregularities in the party’s first-ever direct elections.

“He has failed to adduce evidence. How could you make your allegations through media engaged by UMNO and Barisan Nasional and you fail to support your claims with evidence? Until today, he has refused. What do we do? And yet the secretary-general has made public announcements and explanations that there is no basis to the allegations,” he said.

Azmin had earlier pledged that as the newly-appointed deputy president, he would make it his goal to wipe out “traitors” in PKR, in a move to cleanse the party and restructure the organisation.

But when asked if he believed that Zaid was a “traitor” to PKR’s struggles, Azmin smiled and said, “Well, let the members decide, now that we have seen his true character.”

He admitted that it had not been a mistake to allow Zaid into PKR but pointed out that the former UMNO man blew up his chances to succeed in the party when he failed to perform as an effective leader.

“We have given him ample opportunities to perform and to work as a team, to contribute to the party. He was one of those leaders who got all the privileges… compared to the others, people who struggled for the past 12 years but were not even appointed to the supreme council or the political bureau. But Zaid… within seconds of his arrival into the party, we placed him as member of the political bureau, the highest body in the party, and as the supreme council member, as a candidate in Hulu Selangor, you name it, all these privileges given to him but he has failed,” he said.

As such, Azmin told Zaid not to blame the party leadership for his many failures. “Do not blame us, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim or the party president (Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail),” he said.

Wan Azizah, he said, was a “unifying factor” in the party, rubbishing claims that she was a powerless president.

“Do not undermine my president. She has a soft power, she has been able to conduct herself the last 10 years and she is a unifying factor. She has done a tremendous job as a president,” he said.

Nurul Izzah as Vice President with the highest votes

Azmin also took time to sing praises of Anwar’s daughter, Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah, who is said to have secured one of the four vice-president’s posts in the PKR polls.

He claimed that he did not view Nurul’s entry into the top party leadership as a family “dynasty” or “nepotism”, and declared that the young leader was an asset to PKR.

“She certainly has a strong appeal, especially among the younger generation. She has a potential to strengthen the party’s unity and she has performed well, even when her father was behind bars. She is a very effective MP in Parliament, and I strongly believe that this is the right time for her to play a major role in the party to prepare for the coming general election because our focus is on the younger generation of voters,” he said.

Azmin also brushed off talk that BN was said to be capitalising on PKR’s troubles to drum up support for itself in the coming general elections, said likely to be held by next March.

“What problems in PKR? Do not look at isolated cases in one or two divisions. What you fail to look at is the principle of this electoral reforms where we, as a young party, we have the courage to embark on electoral reforms to empower every single member with one vote,” he said.

He challenged UMNO to take a leaf from PKR and hold its own direct elections. “Certainly they are not ready to do that,” he said.

MB: Selangor state elections need not be held soon

Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim does not see any need to hold state elections soon.

On the contrary, he said the state government should be given enough time to prove itself.

“I am of the view that state elections need to be held within four years. They should not be conducted too early so as to give elected representatives the chance to repay the trust of the people by providing them the best service,” he told reporters here at the monthly gathering of the Selangor government.

Khalid said the government should not burden the people by holding elections too soon as this would mean wasting public funds. — Bernama

Low turnout still ‘good start,’ says PKR sec-gen

By Adib Zalkapli

November 22, 2010

Saifuddin reiterated that PKR’s direct elections were unprecedented in local politics. — file pic

PETALING JAYA, Nov 22 — PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution today described the party's just-concluded direct elections as a success despite the low turnout of under 10 per cent.

“This is our first experience, so who can we compare ourselves with? Umno only allows 2,000 members, MCA also about 2,000. The same with MIC,” Saifuddin told a press conference here.

“It is a good start for us to continue the system in the future,” said the Machang MP.

The party amended its constitution last year allowing all of its 400,000 members to vote for divisional leaders and the 20 members of the central leadership council — including the president, deputy president and four vice-presidents.

However, only about 30,000 members from PKR’s 217 division had voted up until yesterday. During the party’s divisional meetings where division leaders were elected, about 70,000 members turned up to vote.

“Last weekend the turnout was 13.6 per cent. The week before it was 8.4 per cent,” said Saifuddin.

He also announced today that only members from the Kuala Langat division have not voted for the PKR national leadership and that polling would be held there on Thursday.

According to Saifuddin, the official results would be announced on November 28, the final day of the PKR annual national congress.

The congress starts on November 26, when the party’s Youth and Wanita wings will meet.

“Interestingly, in this congress, 60 per cent of the divisional leaders are made up of newcomers in the line up for division chiefs, deputy chiefs and vice-chiefs,” said Saifuddin.

“There is also an increase in the participation of youths and women in the leadership, the details of which will be presented during the congress,” he added.

A total of 2,460 delegates and 1,025 observers are expected to attend the annual congress.

In Selangor, another DAP rumble looms

By Baradan Kuppusamy

November 22, 2010

Kok has been tasked with staving off the challenge of the Reform group. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 22 — Like Perak, Selangor DAP is locked in a heated contest between two rival factions vying for control of the party in the state, with over 1,000 delegates set to decide the outcome on November 28.

An establishment group of incumbent DAP leaders, MPs and state assemblymen led by Seputeh MP Teresa Kok is facing another band, which calls itself the Justice and Reform group.

The reform group consists mostly of disgruntled party veterans, some of whom were bypassed by the success of 2008, and they are rallying around Selangor Speaker Teng Chang Khim.

While Teng denies he helms the group, its members are campaigning on the basis that he does. According to the members, Teng must shun the limelight to avoid drawing the wrath of the party’s senior leaders.

“He is not exactly loved... so he has to be in the shadows. But he is our leader,” a DAP veteran in the Reform group claimed.

The reform group also claimed Teng was campaigning extensively, meeting the grassroots, and speaking about the need for reforms.

Teng (left), who was the equal and rival of DAP secretary-general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng before Election 2008 propelled the latter to national prominence, declined comment when contacted by The Malaysian Insider.

The tussle is for the control of the 15-member state DAP leadership committee in Selangor, where DAP has expanded exponentially since 2008.

Before, delegates from about 30 branches used to take part in the elections. Today, that number is 144, and each branch also sends seven delegates to vote in the leaders.

Heavy campaigning is already underway via social networking sites such as Facebook, on blogs and, more traditionally, leaflets.

Face-to-face meets are also on the rise, with meetings and dinners in urban centres across the state where the DAP branches and members are concentrated.

“I have not seen such heavy campaigning before,” said a delegate from Hulu Selangor. “Contestants are making promises and wheeling and dealing to get votes.”

Kok recently transferred her membership from Kuala Lumpur to Selangor to take charge of the establishment group and ensure its victory. Party sources said if her team wins, she is expected to be made the Selangor DAP chairman.

Together with Kok in the establishment team are incumbent chairman Ean Yong Hian Wah; his deputy Tony Pua; secretary Lau Weng San; director of political education Lee Kee Hiong; publicity secretary Tiew Wai Keng; and others, mostly councillors and JKK heads.

On the Reform side are — aside from Teng — Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim; veteran grassroots leaders James Ooi; T. Kannan; M. Batumalai; and Senator S. Ramakrishnan.

Several DAP leaders like Klang MP Charles Santiago, assemblyman and lawyer M. Manoharan and Hannah Yeoh are considered to be neutral in the scrap and have been claimed by both camps.Their names also appear on candidate line-ups of both camps.

The job of leading the establishment team, ostensibly endorsed by Guan Eng and party advisor Lim Kit Siang, fell on Kok because of her popularity among party grassroots and also because she is relatively scandal free.

Yong was considered too politically weak to lead the charge against Teng, while Ronnie Liu was discounted after his image was tainted by the recent “support letters” scandal.

Newcomers like Pua and Santiago were similarly considered, but had not been picked because their grassroots links were considered weak.

“Teng is a difficult man to defeat not only because he has widespread support among rank-and-file... but also because of the open backing of Boon Hock,” said a DAP Selangor leader, referring to sacked DAP veteran Tee Boon Hock who was campaigning for the Reform group on the hopes that he would be accepted back into the party should they take control of the state DAP.

Tee is looking for a way back into DAP.

Tee’s backing was considered crucial because as the former organising state secretary, he was the man in charge of handling party functions and conducting elections.

“He knows the Selangor DAP grassroots better than anybody else. He was Kit Siang’s point man in Selangor,” said a DAP leader. “He took Kit Siang everywhere in his old car, he gathered the crowd for him.”

“Now he is doing it for Teng and the reform group,” the leader said.

The Reform group flexed its muscle earlier last month by winning a series of DAP Socialist Youth and DAP division elections, defeating candidates fielded by Liu and others,

A leading Reform group veteran, James Ooi, had also beaten Pua last year and Lau Weng San, the Kampung Tunku assemblyman allied with the establishment group, this year.

The basis of the Reform group’s campaign is their promise to rewrite the rules. They want to change the way largesse is distributed and make top leaders accountable to grassroots members.

They also want to fight for a better deal in the form of awards, posts and directorships in government-linked companies for DAP members within the confines of Pakatan Rakyat.

“At the moment we are second rank and sometimes third behind PAS and PKR,” said a Reform group leader. “If we win we will put the DAP on first rank.”

The establishment group has been using Facebook, Twitter and direct face-to-face campaigns to convince voters that it would be a “disaster” for Selangor DAP if the “trouble makers” win.

The campaign has, however, been brushed off by their rivals.

“They are political garbage with an axe to grind. They are losers and they should be defeated,” an establishment group leader said.

In the high-stakes contest, both groups aim to capture at least eight of the 15 state committee seats, which would allow the winners to name the chairman, deputy chairman and other posts.

Party insiders said the rebels have an uphill task to unseat the establishment group, mainly because the establishment group enjoyed the advantage of incumbency and the power they already have made the carrots they dangle more credible.

“It is a powerful attraction and not easily resisted,” a DAP veteran said.

Azmin vows to scour PKR of 'traitors'

The recently-concluded PKR elections has revealed 'traitors' within and newly-elected deputy president Azmin Ali wants to flush them out. Newly-elected PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has vowed to rid the party of “traitors” following the bruising two-month-long party election process which has soured the party's public image. NONESpeaking to reporters at the Parliament lobby today, Azmin said the “clean-up” will begin immediately after the party's national congress on Sunday. He urged party members to develop “principles of loyalty” to preserve the reformasi spirit and ensure that there will no longer be any treachery within PKR. “When there are traitorous leaders, not only will the party be scarred, even civilisations will fall. Look at Perak. When there were two traitors, not only was the party fractured, but the state fell (to BN),” said Azmin. He said that the party must institute training regimes to inculcate loyalty and the party's ideology for the grassroots and the party leadership so as not to see a repeat of the recent drama in the party. “PKR needs a structure and organisation that is clear and compact so that we can go to the ground, meet with the members and the people to explain party policies and the programmes,” he opined. While he admits that there was a lot of infighting, Azmin blamed a lot of the bad publicity to Umno-linked Malay daily Utusan Malaysia and broadcaster TV3. But the focus, he said, is to solve the issues identified, so it won't be repeated in the general elections. 'Don't undermine my president' Azmin also defended party president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail from allegations of being a placeholder for party de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and rubbished any rift between him and the party boss. “You don't undermine my president. She has a soft power, she has been able to conduct herself the last 10 years. She is a unifying factor in the party, she has done a tremendous job as president. “I have no problem (with her leadership), I mean we have gone through thick and thin together for the past 26 years,” said the party stalwart. The PKR deputy president-elect also heaped praises on Anwar's daughter, who is also Lembah Pantai parliamentarian, Nurul Izzah Anwar who is vice-president elect. azlan“She has a strong appeal among the younger generation and she has potential. That's why I dismiss the idea of nepotism or dynasty in the party. Unlike BN or Umno, Nurul Izzah has potential to strengthen the party, she has performed well even when her father was behind bars.” Nurul Izzah, he said, also performed very well in the last elections. “She defeated a senior cabinet minister. She is a very effective MP in Parliament and I strongly believe this is the right time for her to play a major role in the party in preparing for the general election because our focus is on the younger generation and young voters,” he reasoned. 'Zaid failed since day one' Still basking in the afterglow of his victory, Azmin also took the opportunity to again hit out at former fellow deputy president hopeful Zaid Ibrahim. zaid ibrahim quits pkr 191110 bye“Yes, he has failed since day one,” said the PKR leader. He said that Zaid has been given ample opportunities and privileges not even accorded to long-standing members to perform and to contribute to the party but did not deliver. “He is one of those leaders who got more privileges compared to others, people who struggled for the last 12 years, they were not even appointed to the supreme council or the (political) bureau. We put him as a member of political bureau, the highest body in the party, as a supreme council member, as a candidate in Hulu Selangor. “You name it, all these privileges were given to him but he has failed. Don't blame us. So don't blame Anwar or the president of the party for that matter,” he argued. Quizzed about Zaid's intention to form a new party, Azmin wished his one-time rival good luck. “He is not a person who can work as a team, he is not a team player, how could you lead a party or any organisation for that matter, if you can't listen, if you don't have any humility to listen to others,” said a sceptical Azmin. Anwar: No guarantee deputy will become president Meanwhile, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said despite his protege Azmin's win in the race for the deputy presidency, it does not assure the latter of ascending to the party president's post. NONEAnwar said there was no guarantee that anyone holding the post of deputy president will then become the president. He also denied suggestions made by Zaid that the party would be weakened by his leaving the party as he would bring 2,000 of his supporters with him. “I am certain PKR will not be weakened by this episode and we will emerge stronger than before,” he said. Anwar said that whatever the circumstances, he would be leading the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election.

Motion on Special Court thrown out... twice

DAP lawmaker Karpal Singh lost his bid to debate why the Rules of the Special Court had been amended without MPs' approval. An amendment to the Rules of the Special Court 1994, which hears cases of alleged wrongdoing involving members of the royalty, was gazetted on Aug 5 without going through debate in Parliament. The amendment - Rule 14(A) - allows all proceedings in the Special Court to be held in camera except for delivery of judgment, which is to be done in open court. An emergency motion seeking to find out why the amendment was approved without the involvement of lawmakers was rejected this morning in chambers under Standing Order 18(7), by Dewan Rakyat speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia. NONEDAP's Bukit Gelugor representative Karpal Singh had filed the motion last week, arguing that the new clause would add to the inconvenience that citizens face. “This provision has not received the corresponding approval of the rakyat. A citizen can be sued by a ruler in the Special Court automatically,” Karpal told reporters. “The citizen is further handicapped as he cannot sue a ruler in civil or criminal capacity without the consent of the attorney-general.” The Special Court was formed in 1993 to remove legal immunity provided to royals under Article 182 of the federal constitution, and to ensure that they can be held accountable for their actions. “The Council of Rulers should not be allowed to arbitrarily take this step on the principle of equality before the law,” said Karpal. “The law is no respecter of persons, however high (placed). Parliament would be abdicating its duty and function if it does not intervene immediately in the public interest to ensure that the rights of citizens are given every protection.” He also said the amendment is a “draconian provision” as all court proceedings should be public for the purpose of transparency, as provided under Criminal Procedure Code and Courts of Judicature Act 1964. “There is no conceivable reason now why this has been departed from arbitrarily, as the Special Court has been in existence since 1993.” 'At Rulers' request' On Nov 10, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, when replying to points raised at the committee stage of the debate on the Supply Bill 2011, had said that hearings of the Special Court would be held behind closed doors as requested by the Malay Rulers. NONENazri said Rule 14(A) of the Rules of Special Court provide for this, but that the court would be opened to the public for delivery of the verdict. Special Court proceedings held in camera can only be attended by members of the court, lawyers, witnesses, those involved and those granted permission. In rejecting the motion this morning, the speaker said the minister had already touched a great deal on the matter. Despite this, Karpal brought the matter up in the House again today, only to see it being rejected by deputy speaker Ronald Kiandee. It is understood that the legal fraternity, unhappy with the new rule, will launch an online campaign soon against the amendment.

Of Teeming Egos and Narcissism

November 22, 2010

Of Teeming Egos and Narcissism

by Terence Netto (received via e-mail)

When Zaid Ibrahim joined PKR in June 2009, less than a year after resigning on a matter of principle from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawis cabinet, there was a role waiting for him more certainly than there had been one in Abdullahs team when the latter abruptly appointed him de facto law minister in March the previous year.

Basking in public esteem over his decision to quit because he disagreed with the ISA detentions in September of 2008 of controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin, DAP MP Teresa Kok and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng, Zaid found himself propelled into the role of policy coordinator for the opposition Pakatan Rakyat.

Though there was never such a position in the lexicon of the opposition, the candidate and the role met in near perfect unison. Pakatan, improbable in its beginnings as a loose grouping for electoral purposes of PKR, DAP and the Islamic fundamentalist PAS, was in need of a common platform.

That need became pressing after Anwar Ibrahim had pulled off the biggest feat of Malaysias post-May 13 history by barnstorming the country to deny BN its customary two-thirds majority in the general election of March 2008.

Coming as it did with control of an unprecedented five state legislatures (Perak has since reverted through chicanery to BN), Anwars tour de force made feasible things previously held to be inconceivable.

Zaid fell in easily with this mood of the newly possible. This was enticing to Zaid. He had found quitting Abdullahs cabinet easy to do because the judicial reforms for which the former PM had selected him to pu! sh ran i nto heavy weather caused by erstwhile cabinet colleagues, Rais Yatim and Syed Hamid Albar.

The latter fought a rearguard action on behalf of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the likeliest to be shamed if judicial reforms proposed by Zaid had gone through. Abdullah remained non-committal in these intra-cabinet battles.

A Johnny-come-lately

Within weeks of his arrival in PKR, Zaid found grating the jealousy a Johnny-come-lately is apt to stir among the entrenched and the longer-serving. A seasoned politician would have found aspects of his reception par for the course. But not Zaid Ibrahim, a man whose wealth was amassed from the lucrative legal contracts on the North-South Highway that were steered his law firms way by former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.

Zaid displayed a Ive no time for all this hauteur whose more obvious demonstrations were the brevity of his attendances at PKR central leadership council meetings and at Wednesday nights politburo meetings. He would leave these meetings, sometimes in less time than it took to get from his Tropicana golf resort home to the PKR headquarters in Merchant Square nearby.

Zaid and the Politics of Sabah and Sarawak

This lack of interest in the warp and woof of party affairs would have been understandable given his oft-expressed stance that he was not interested in holding high position in PKR. It would have been more understandable if he had remained focused on his immediate task which was the formulation of the common policy framework for Pakatan, to the exclusion of other concerns.

But from October 2009, Zaid began to take positions that were at variance to Anwars on issues like Sabah and Sarawak. Ructions in the Sabah chapter of the party saw Zaid sympathetic to forces allied to Dr Jeffrey Kit! ingan. On Sarawak, Zaids exertions had the same thrust which was empathy for the locals desire for autonomy in matters of leader- and election-candidate selection.

Invariably, Zaids positions were at odds with Azmin Alis which were influenced less by what was the best thing to do in light of PKRs main plank the peoples right to decide than by who and what were good for his popularity as the presumptive party No 2.

Incumbent Dr Syed Husin Ali had already signaled that he was not interested to retain the post in the party polls that were scheduled for late 2010. Azmin was readying for a run for deputy president. He looked on Zaid as a rival whose protestations of a lack of interest in rising in the party hierarchy were met with skepticism.

Anwar pressured by party reformers

In tandem with this rise in competitive rivalry between Azmin and Zaid was the discontent, plentifully bubbling by late 2009, felt by some factions in the party towards Anwar for what they viewed as maddening refusal to introduce changes they espoused as good for the partys organisation and structure.

By late 2009, this faction began looking to Zaid as their candidate to become the No 2 in the party. With Zaid at deputy president, they felt they would force the changes to party structure and organisation that Anwar had disdained to introduce.

More than others in the party, Anwar possessed an appreciation of the reality that PKR was a confluence of interests tenuously uniting ideologically disparate groups. He was the only one who could hold it together, just as he was the only one who could hold the avowedly secular DAP and the theocratic PAS together in the Pakatan coalition.

Anwar knew that any changes to the party structure and organisation that cut across the interests of his core supporters would have! to be h eld in check because some of these supporters had already become professionals the party had become their whole life and vocation, and the protection of its already-in-place bureaucratic structures was more important to them than the interests of the party, or for that matter, the people it represented.

In other words, he knew the soft underbelly of the party and that he had to bide time before he could do anything about it. This was increasingly intolerable to the make haste crowd of would-be party reformers.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Withdraw Syabas licence, says Khalid

The licence should be withdrawn if it is found to collect the cost of 20 cubic metres of subsidised water for Tabung Budi. The licence of Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) should be withdrawn if it is found to collect the cost of 20 cubic metres of subsidised water for Tabung Budi. Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said Syabas had no right to collect the money from water consumers who benefited from the state government subsidy. "Consumers wishing to donate cost of water subsidy should return them to the state government and not Syabas as it is state money meant for the people. "We want the licence given to Syabas withdrawn for failure to honour the water privatisation agreement," he told reporters after attending Selangor government monthly gathering and Innovation Day celebration in Shah Alam today. Khalid said that he would discuss the matter with the state legal adviser and finance officers as the agreement did not state that Syabas could collect the subsidy. Tabung Budi allow consumers to waive their right to 20 cubic metres of free water worth RM11.40 monthly and return it to Syabas. Syabas said the money would be used to reconnect the supply of those denied water for failing to settle their bills. Describing the move as hypocrisy, Khalid said that Syabas was not charged with caring for the welfare of the people. "I will write to Syabas asking whether it is against the privatisation agreement signed in 2004," he added. - Bernama

2,460 delegates to attend PKR congress

Almost 60 percent of the newly-elected division leadership are new faces, says secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said 2,460 delegates are expected to attend the three-day party congress from Friday, along with 1,025 registered observers. “We have also invited representatives from other political parties in Pakatan Rakyat, NGOs, distinguished individuals and representatives from foreign consulates,” he said. NONEAddressing the media today, Saifuddin said that the focus of the president's address would include the need to strengthen the party as “dynamic, multiracial and competitive”. “Focus will be placed on the party's image as the party of the future, through highlighting innovations like direct elections and our truly multiracial nature. “Fifty percent of our members are Malay, 23 percent Indian, 12 percent Chinese and 15 percent are of Sabah and Sarawak ethnicities." Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who has retained the presidency uncontested, will focus on PKR's commitment to Pakatan Rakyat to build a coalition which is a “credible alternative to BN”, said Saifuddin. The president will also put the spotlight on the success stories of Pakatan-governed states, and their “pro-people policies” including education and the economy. “We will also address topics pertaining to Malay issues and present our vision of a dignified Malay society,” he said. 60 percent division leaders are new Saifuddin will also announce the results of the central polls on the last day of the congress. azlanUnofficial results show that Azmin Ali has won big in the deputy presidential race while Fuziah Salleh, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Tian Chua and Mansor Othman have been elected vice-presidents. “The interesting thing about the results is the fact that almost 60 percent of the division leadership are new faces, with large involvement of youth and women members. “But I will present a more detailed analysis at the congress,” he said.

PKR, Stop Taking Indians For Granted!

As a member of PKR, I have to express my bitter disappointment with the way the party leadership has marginalised issues to do with the Indian poor and underclass of this beloved country.

So easily have the party’s top leaders forgotten that about one out four PKR members is an ethnic Indian.

So easily have they forgotten that without Hindraf, there would have been no tsunami of March 2008 which carried many PKR candidates to victory in many parliamentary and state assembly seats.

So easily have they forgotten that in the two and a half years since that electoral tsunami, the party they are leading have done practically nothing to address the plight of the Indian poor in the states that the party and its allies govern.

So easily have they forgotten that Indian poor look at PKR as the best, if not only, alternative to the other existing parties through which real political will can be found for meaningful action to uplift the socio-economic status of the disadvantaged Indian masses.

Alas, that hope has turned into disappointment. PKR is proving itself to be no different from MIC, PPP, IPF and the like. To all of them, the Indians are nothing more than a vote bank. Pursue them for their votes with all sorts of promises but forget about them once the elections are over or worse, treat them and their demands for rights and social justice as nothing more than a nuisance.

Witness yesterday’s demonstration against the party leadership at the PKR headquarters in Petaling Jaya. Yes, it was prompted by anger over the disgraceful way the supposedly democratic party elections were conducted. But look at who formed the overwhelming majority of the protesters. Yes, ethnic Indians! There is a groundswell of dissatisfaction and frustration within the Indian community about the way PKR has been treating the Indians.

Listen to what one Indian protester said about the Indians at the top level of PKR’s leadership: they are not really Indians - convey Indian-related grouses to them and they could not be bothered. Listen to what those protesters said about the party’s electoral fortune: without Hindraf, there would have been no 2008 tsunami.

To Anwar Ibrahim, Azmin Ali, Wan Azizah and the rest of the party leadership – ignore the signs at the party’s peril. The recent party elections have shown PKR to be just another of version of Umno which means Indians will continue to be shunted aside and marginalised. Don’t take Indian voters for granted! MIC without Samy Vellu may just look attractive again. What happened in March 2008 may not come your way again.

Angry PKR Member,

GOVAN NALIAH
PKR Membership No: B050000688

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from tumpang sekole...? by ali allah ditta

Dulu.......

Bekas MB Mohd. Khir Toyo menyerahkan penyapu kepada YDP Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor pada majlis anugerah Bulan Kualiti 2007 di Shah Alam. Yang Dipertua Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor (MDHS), Tukiman Nail adalah penerima pertama ‘penyapu’ ialah Pejabat Daerah dan Tanah (PDT) Hulu Selangor serta Majlis Daerah Hulu Selangor (MDHS).

Sekarang.....

Pegawai Daerah Hulu Selangor Tukiman Nail yang dahulunya terima penyapu daripada Khir Toyo kerana kutipan cukai tidak memuaskan kini mendapat anugerah kutipan cukai yang terbaik daripada MB Khalid Ibrahim.

cheers.

Zaid's resignation accepted immediately, no longer PKR member

Zaid - overstayed his welcome, gets his comeuppance!

PETALING JAYA — The PKR political bureau last night agreed to accept Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s resignation with immediate effect, ahead of his December 16 deadline.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution stressed, however, that the former law minister was not being sacked from the party.

“This is a political party, it is not like leaving a job. Because it was his wish to leave, the political bureau agreed to grant his wish,” said Saifuddin.

“We want to make it easy for Datuk Zaid to make his next political move,” he told a press conference here.

Zaid, who was a deputy presidential contender in the just-concluded PKR elections, announced last week that his resignation from the party would take effect on December 16.

Zaid’s resignation letter, said Saifuddin was received by the party headquarters on November 19.

“In Keadilan, a member loses his membership if he is sacked or if he submits his letter. In Zaid’s case he sent in his resignation letter,” said Saifuddin.

“It is up to him if he wants to appeal, but I can’t answer a hypothetical question,” he said when asked if Zaid appeal for his membership to be reinstated.

When announcing his resignation last week, Zaid also said that he would most likely form a new party to contest in the next general election.

The former Kota Bahru MP had earlier accused the PKR leadership of condoning electoral fraud and malpractices.

He had also called on PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and incoming deputy president Azmin Ali to step down, accusing them of being the source of party problems.

Zaid, once at the forefront of local politics, created headlines when he quit his ministerial post in 2008 under the Abdullah administration, citing his disagreement with the government’s detention of DAP leader Teresa Kok, blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin and journalist Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act.

He was later booted out from Umno and joined PKR in 2009, a move that was said to have helped boost the party’s credibility which has suffered greatly after Anwar’s September 16, 2008 takeover plan flopped.

Zaid was also PKR’s candidate in the Hulu Selangor by-election in April but failed to defend the federal seat

Zaid was also tasked with formalising the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition and framing its common policy framework.

He was also named the PR pro-tem committee chairman in the coalition’s registration application. - Malaysian Insider

Sodomy II: Another blow for Anwar, court denies medical notes

The Kuala Lumpur High Court has dismissed Anwar Ibrahim"s application to be given the medical notes in relation to the sodomy accusation against him.

Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah ruled that, from the evidence given by Hospital Kuala Lumpur's former general surgeon Dr Mohd Razali Ibrahim, there was nothing which could be construed as material contradiction on which a hunch could be acted upon.

"As a conclusion, I find the defence has failed to meet the legal requirement necessary for this court to order the prosecution to supply the defence with the doctor's notes."

Furthermore, the judge said Razali had testified that he was not involved in history taking.

That task had fallen on Dr Siew Sheue Feng, one of three doctors who had examined complainant Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on the night of June 28, 2008.

On the admissability of the final medical report, Justice Zabidin dismissed the defence application to challenge it, ruling there was no merit.

"Just because Dr Razali, in trying to explain the discrepancy in the laboratory number referred to the toxicology report, does not render the final medical report as inadmissable," he said.

The judge had ruled that the final medical report by the HKL doctors is admissable as evidence, despite objections from Karpal.

Appeal to be lodged

Karpal said that, while the defence respects the judge's decision, the court has not addressed the issue of his latest submission this morning, that all documentation must be before the court for it to form an opinion.

There was a brief exchange between Karpal and the judge, with the lawyer arguing that the judge had failed to address a case law which he cited earlier.

"You must respect my decision," Justice Mohamad Zabidin said.

Karpal replied that he would take the matter up on appeal. - Malaysiakini

Malacca better than Penang? Guan Eng tells Rais to show proof

GEORGE TOWN - The Penang state government has asked Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim to provide evidence to back his claim that Malacca is better than Penang in promoting its arts, culture and heritage.

According to The Star, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng claimed that the statement was politically motivated as even his officers have lauded Penang for work done in promoting heritage since George Town was listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

“Dr Rais should not forget that the state had been deprived of the promised RM25mil funding for being jointly listed with Malacca as a World Heritage Site.

“Malacca received RM30mil and we are criticised for not doing enough for heritage conservation. But despite such discrimination we have made progress in certain key heritage areas,” Lim said in a statement yesterday.

He was commenting on a statement on Saturday by Dr Rais that Penang should take more initiative to promote its heritage.

Lim said the state had established the George Town World Heritage Incorporated and a Heritage Technical Review Panel, and also allocated RM3mil for heritage conservation under its 2011 budget,

“For these reasons, Rais’ allegation of lack of commitment to heritage conservation by the state government is groundless.

“He should instead heed his own advice by not politicising heritage conservation but treat Penang equally with Malacca in terms of funding,” Lim was quoted as saying by The Star.

Lim added that Dr Rais should co-operate rather than confront, and he should also not distort the truth and ignore facts.

PKR's historic direct polls: Turnout was low but it's a good start

Saifuddin - We did it despite all sorts of sabotage!

PETALING JAYA — PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution today described the party's just-concluded direct elections as a success despite the low turnout of under 10 per cent.

“This is our first experience, so who can we compare ourselves with? Umno only allows 2,000 members, MCA also about 2,000. The same with MIC,” Saifuddin told a press conference here.

“It is a good start for us to continue the system in the future,” said the Machang MP.

The party amended its constitution last year allowing all of its 400,000 members to vote for divisional leaders and the 20 members of the central leadership council — including the president, deputy president and four vice-presidents.

However, only about 30,000 members from PKR’s 217 division had voted up until yesterday. During the party’s divisional meetings where division leaders were elected, about 70,000 members turned up to vote.

“Last weekend the turnout was 13.6 per cent. The week before it was 8.4 per cent,” said Saifuddin.

He also announced today that only members from the Kuala Langat division have not voted for the PKR national leadership and that polling would be held there on Thursday.

According to Saifuddin, the official results would be announced on November 28, the final day of the PKR annual national congress.

The congress starts on November 26, when the party’s Youth and Wanita wings will meet.

“Interestingly, in this congress, 60 per cent of the divisional leaders are made up of newcomers in the line up for division chiefs, deputy chiefs and vice-chiefs,” said Saifuddin.

“There is also an increase in the participation of youths and women in the leadership, the details of which will be presented during the congress,” he added.

A total of 2,460 delegates and 1,025 observers are expected to attend the annual congress. - Malaysian Insider

VIDEO Guan Eng : Rais Yatim has bad motives against Penang

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng slams Information Minister Rais Yatim for not backing up his claims that Malacca was performing better than Penang as a tourist spot.
Read also: Malacca better than Penang? Guan Eng tells Rais to show proof




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Teresa ticks off "devious, deceitful and despicable" MCA over student loans

Sharp-as-a-knife Teresa minces no words!

KUALA LUMPUR — The Selangor state government accused the MCA today of turning education into a racial issue, saying that the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) administration has been “race blind” in giving out education loans.

MCA leaders had accused the PR government of giving out its state education loans to “only 12 Chinese students out of 4,000” applicants.

Selangor senior executive councillor Teresa Kok called MCA leaders, namely Datuk Ti Lian Ker, Datuk Donald Lim, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong, Tan Sri Dr Fong Chan Onn, and “their cyber troopers” who had made those claims as “devious, deceitful and despicable” for turning her initiative into a racial issue.

Kok, who is also the Seputeh MP, said the MCA leaders had given out the wrong figures and that the “race-blind” interest-free education loans were given out in a fair manner.

“Firstly, MCA is deliberately misleading people with the false data that only 12 students of Chinese background out of 4,000 had received these education loans. This data is false and inaccurate,” she said, adding that the 12 students who had received the loans came from a pool of 742 applications received in 2010, and not the inflated 4,000 figure cited.

Kok emphasised that there was no racial quota imposed for the education loans and that students were judged based on their academic merit and household income.

“Secondly, only 12 students of Chinese background submitted their application to receive the education loan this year. All 12 applications were approved,” she said.

She called the MCA’s move as a “desperation to stay relevant” to the Chinese community and its “inability to mature beyond this outdated race-based paradigm”.

“Thus, it is most disappointing that MCA has chosen to twist this initiative which is beneficial to students of all races in Selangor into a racial issue to attack Selangor Pakatan Rakyat. It is further despicable and low of MCA leaders to resort to manipulating the truth to make themselves out to be such ‘heroes’,” she said.

MCA central committee member Ti had said the low number of recipients also showed that Chinese, Indians and other communities were still in need of a specific group or organisation to protect their interests, as reported earlier today.

He further said that this was proof the DAP lacked sensitivity and called it a failure as it was not able to protect the interests of its grassroots, who are mainly Chinese.
- Malaysian Insider

More dirt emerge on PM's private secretary

By Teoh El Sen

PETALING JAYA: New allegations of corruption have surfaced against Zakiah Ibrahim, the Prime Minister’s private secretary who was recently accused of accumulating some RM200 million in wealth by misappropriating funds.

PKR leader Badrul Hisham Shaharin, also known as Chegu Bard, said he was in possession of documents containing the allegations, including photos of a mansion said to belong to Zakiah and to cost RM5 million.

He called again for a response from Zakiah and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

FMT has also received, by e-mail, a copy of the new allegations.

The informant, now calling himself "Deep Throat JPM", questioned how Zakiah had managed to acquire such an expensive home on a private secretary’s salary.

He attached to the e-mail a set of photos of the mansion in Taman Setiawangsa, claiming that Zakiah had been staying there since last December. One of the photos bears the caption “Zakaya”, a play on Zakiah’s name and the Malay word for “wealth”.

"If she is brave, then deny that she has a mansion worth RM5 million with the interior design costing up to RM2 million, as she hired the best consultants from Da Vinci Group Holdings," the informant wrote.

Chegu Bard lamented that MACC had done nothing about the allegations of Zakiah’s corruption, which have been in the news for more than a week.

He said: "The problem is this: if it was a Pakatan leader that was being accused as such, MACC would act as if they were fire fighters and rush in to try their very best to dig more dirt and blow up the issue.

"But why is MACC this time so silent and deaf?

"I challenge MACC to honestly investigate and give an explanation on whether Zakiah is really guilty of all those things she has been accused of.

"I also challenge Zakiah herself to come forward. There are a lot of things that are doubtful here, including her bank loans and the new allegation on her home. The public deserves to know."

Waiting for more documents

Asked whether he would be lodging a report with the MACC, Chegu Bard said he was waiting for more documents from the same source as well as other sources.

He said he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak but had yet to receive a response.

'Deep Throat JPM' challenged Zakiah (right) to deny that she arranged a loan of RM200 million from two financial institutions to an alleged crony company for a business worth RM20 million.

He said: "Can she deny that on May and June she met with a Datuk O, an Umno division head from a state up north, on a solar project with the promise of a RM5 million commission?

“Who are the two Chinese businesswomen who eventually acquired the project and allowed Zakiah to share the profit of RM35 million, RM30 million more than promised by the Umno man?

"We also challenge MACC to investigate a direct negotiation project in Sabah involving one of Zakiah's cronies. Also investigate what has happened to the gold mine project in Pahang.”

He alleged that Zakiah teamed up with relatives of the Pahang Menteri Besar to start the gold mining project.

Immense influence

He also alleged that Zakiah had "absolute power" over the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance and claimed this could be confirmed by Fauziah Yaakob, secretary of the Finance Ministry’s government procurement division.

Deep Throat JPM promised that more "shocking" exposures would follow.

Early this month, FMT reported that an informant had accused Zakiah of misappropriating funds and accumulating the extraordinary amount of RM200 million.

The allegations were made in a set of documents purportedly leaked by an insider.

The documents described Zakiah as “a woman with immense influence in the Prime Minister's Office” and alleged that her modus operandi was to switch proposals made by other companies with those of her own cronies and to share the wealth thus acquired with Umno division heads or members of royalty.

Attempts to reach Zakiah for comment have been unsuccessful.

Also read:

'PM's private secretary pocketed RM200m'

Batu Sapi PKR wants Zaid sacked before he quits

By Queville To

KOTA KINABALU: The PKR branch in Batu Sapi has called for the immediate sacking of Zaid Ibrahim from the party, to send a strong message that PKR does not condone such behavior in the party.

Zainuddin Hassan, the division's secretary, citing the timing of Zaid's resignation as well as his series of actions and comments, believed the former Umno member was merely there to disrupt the party.

He said Zaid's whole aim seemed to be to undermine the party and cast doubt on the credibility of PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim and his wife-cum-party president, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

“What Zaid has done of late is clearly not in the best interest of the party but aimed to cause friction among the leaders and members in order to inflict the severest damage to the party.

Hence, the party leadership should 'stop being kind' but to immediately sack him instead of allowing him to leave the party with one-month notice,” he said.

Zainuddin said the unanimous resolution was passed by its committee during a meeting held in Batu Sapi, Sandakan on Friday.

“We are of the view that PKR leadership should not condone a 'Trojan Horse' like Zaid (Ibrahim) or anyone else, as this is not the first time that such a character had appeared and attempted to undermine the stability of the party.

"It’s time for the party leadership to act tough on such characters,” he said in a brief statement issued here on Sunday.

Zainuddin also dismissed Zaid’s claim that his call for Anwar to quit the party was supported by some party members.

He also stressed that Batu Sapi PKR will continue to give their full support to Anwar as the de facto leader and Wan Azizah as PKR president.

Success stories of Pakatan states to be touted at PKR congress

By Rahmah Ghazali

PETALING JAYA: The 'success stories' of Pakatan Rakyat-led state governments will take centre stage at the PKR congress this Friday to bolster support for the 11-year-old party.

Secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said that the goal is to strengthen the party and offer themselves as an alternative to the the federal ruling-coalition, the Barisan Nasional.

Pakatan currently heads four state governments - Selangor (PKR), Kedah (Pas), Penang (DAP) and Kelantan (PAS).

Several other pertinent issues will also be featured in party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ibrahim's keynote address at the three-day conference, said Saifuddin

"The success stories of Pakatan-led governments with their pro-people policies will be the highlight. Education, economy and issues affecting the Malay will also be addressed."

Saifuddin, the Machang MP, said Wan Azizah will take pains to elaborate on the merits of direct elections for top positions in the party with the 'one member, one vote' policy.

"We are truly a multiracial party, with 50% Malays, 23% Indians and 15% from Sabah and Sarawak. This is the only multi-racial party since we started in April 1999," he said.

Direct elections has given the party a breath of fresh air as evidenced by results. Sixty percent of the current leaders are expected to be new faces, he added.

The seventh PKR congress will start with the Youth and Wanita wings on Friday, followed by the national congress on Saturday and Sunday.

The congress will be attended by 2,460 delegates and 1,025 registered observers.

"We have also invited other Pakatan Rakyat parties, NGOs, distinguished individuals and foreign delegates to the congress," said Saifuddin.

Polls irregularities: 'Mere isolated' cases, says Azmin

By Patrick Lee

KUALA LUMPUR: Incoming PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has dismissed irregularities in the party elections, terming them as mere "isolated cases", despite various quarters doubting the polls which had been plagued with controversies from day one.

“Don't look at isolated cases which are one or two divisions. We conducted elections in 208 divisions. Only seven of these divisions have suffered some technical problems during the process,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here today.

The PKR polls which began some two months ago ended last weekend. The party is the first political organisation in the country to introduce the "one-member, one-vote" system where ordinary members were allowed to pick not only division but also national leaders.

The election was filled with controversies week-in, week-out with allegations ranging from vote rigging, ballot manipulation, phantom voters to accusation that the PKR central election committee was taking sides.

Initially, the heated deputy president's race was a three-cornered race among Azmin, incumbent vice-president Mustaffa Kamil Ayub and former PKR Federal Territories chief Zaid Ibrahim. The tussle between Azmin and Zaid was on the cards as Mustaffa was always considered an outsider in the race.

However, the contest fizzled out when Zaid, citing the irregularities, pulled out of the contest saying that Azmin, the blue-eyed-boy of party de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, was using underhand tactics in the run-up to the polls.

Zaid, the former minister in the prime minister's department, has also announced that he would leave PKR, which he claimed did not practise what it preached when it came to transparency and democracy.

Mustaffa, on the other hand, has said that he would continue the contest under protest. The polls came to an end yesterday and Azmin was a clear winner, taking the party number two post with a handsome margin of more than 11,000 votes.

Mistake in red-carpet treatment for Zaid

Hitting out at Zaid again, Azmin said the party made a mistake by rolling out the red carpet for Zaid after the latter decided to leave Umno to join the opposition party.

“Soon after his arrival in the party, we made him a member of the political bureau, a supreme council member, a candidate in Hulu Selangor (by-election), you name it. All these privileges were given to him. He failed from day one,” said Azmin.

He also said that Zaid had failed to produce evidence of irregularities in PKR party elections, even when he had been asked to do so.

“How could you make such allegations through the Umno and Barisan Nasional-owned media, and fail to support your claims through evidence?” Azmin asked, despite stories of election irregularities published by various media including online portals.

Azmin said that any complaints regarding the party's elections should be forwarded to both the central election committee (CEC) as well as the party secretariat.

“But they must produce strong evidence to support their allegations. There is no way that the CEC and the secretariat can conduct investigations without any evidence,” he said.

Azmin also wished his former rival the best of luck in future political endeavours.

“Good luck to him. I want him to see if he succeeds or otherwise,” he said with a sneer, promising to "clean" the party after the PKR congress on Nov 27.

Reasons for poor turnout

Azmin also tried to instil some credibility in his victory, saying that the low voter turnout in the election was due to logistical problems, among other factors.

Only a fraction of the party's 400,000 members participated in the polls and many suspect that even the small number was largely made up of phantom voters.

“I do not dispute the low turnout. Some areas are very remote. We don't provide logistics such as buses or coaches to ferry voters to the polling station,” he said, adding that bad weather was also to be blamed.

Low voter turnout at the party elections was a norm over the past two months, with dozens of divisions recording lower than 10% turnout.

However, Azmin said he was encouraged by the voter turnout, adding that it was proof of PKR's democratic superiority over Umno.

“More than 70,000 members participated in the last PKR divisional AGM (in September). The most you get at the Umno general assembly is 2,000 members. Which is more democratic now?” he asked.

However, it must be noted that while PKR practised the open system, Umno has always followed the divisional system, where office-bearers of a certain division attend the party's annual general assemblies as delegates.

“I challenge Umno and BN whether they have the courage to empower their own members to decide the future of the party... certainly they are not ready to do that," he added.

The Gombak MP also praised Nurul Izzah, the daughter of Anwar, on her victory as vice-president.

Others who made the veep cut were party strategy director Tian Chua, its election director Fuziah Salleh and Penang PKR chief Mansor Othman.

“Nurul has an appeal to the younger generation. She has performed well, even when her father was behind bars. She even defeated a senior Cabinet minister at the last general election, and she's very active in Parliament,” he said.

Dismissing claims of nepotism, Azmin also said that Nurul had an important role to play in getting younger votes for Pakatan Rakyat.

Court to hear Jenapala's case against PKR Thursday

KUALA LUMPUR: The High Court will hear on Thursday former PKR deputy secretary-general P Jenapala's originating summons for a declaration that he is qualified to contest the deputy president post of the party.

Justice Aziah Ali set the date after meeting counsel of both parties in her chambers today.

Another application by Jenapala for an injunction to stop PKR from declaring its election result for the deputy president’s post will be not be heard on that day as counsel Ranjit Singh and Razlan Hadri representing PKR gave an undertaking that PKR's polls results only will be announced on Sunday during the party's national congress.

The congress is scheduled to be held between Nov 26 and 28.

Ranjit said PKR's constitution clearly stated that the official results could only be announced during the convention.

Today, the court was scheduled to hear Jenapala's application for an injunction to restrain PKR through its office bearers or agents from taking further steps towards the completion of the election process relating to the post.

On Nov 19, Jenapala filed an originating summons at the High Court (Appellate and Special Powers) registry and an affidavit-in-support a day later.

In his affidavit, Jenapala had stated that he was allegedly stripped off his membership without his knowledge and no notice was given to him.

He also claimed that he was not given the right to be heard and defend himself.

In the affidavit, Jenapala stated that he joined PKR in May 1998 and served as the party’s deputy secretary general from early 2008 until his verbal resignation in Dec 2008.

Entitled to contest

In his originating summons, Jenapala stated that he was suing the party to get a declaration that he was entitled to contest the position of deputy president.

Jenapala is seeking a declaration that his disqualification as a candidate for the post of PKR deputy president was unlawful and contrary to his rights as a party member.

In the suit, he named PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, her deputy Syed Husin Ali and secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail as defendants in their capacity as office bearers of the party.

Counsel James Khong represented Jenapala.

- Bernama

Politics of hatred and sympathy!

At the airport while waiting for my flight, I was engaged with warm discussion with a lawyer from Australia who happens to be on the same flight with me to Jakarta. Being a lawyer who travels frequently into Malaysia, he seems to have a good grasp of Malaysian political scene. As anticipated the subject of Anwar Ibrahim came into picture and he is very clear about legal issues surrounding Anwar. He told me that the same thing will never happen in Australia and would probably still happen in some country in the African continent or in Myanmar. He says he felt sorry for Anwar and he feels many Malaysian feels the same.

The Aussie lawyer may have his view but fact remains that he does not live in this country. He is a tourist and sometime a businessman that transits at Kuala Lumpur regularly. His opinion to a certain extent is valid but I am appalled at the comparison that he made against Africa and Myanmar. That I felt was tad bit unfair.

He is right to point out that the shortcomings in the Malaysian legal system but to compare it with Africa I think it is bit uncalled for especially I dont really know the situation down there and he himself admitted that he has never been then himself. There is a small probability that the situation is some states there is actually better than here.

On the politics of sympathy, it is a Malaysian way. We are always sympathetic to the oppressed individual. Worst still when one gets a blue eye while in custody and continue to be invited into prolong legal harassment. I say invited because in many situation politicians walks along the path that got them entangled with the law. In PKR, many politicians survived on the sympathetic wave towards Anwar. He and his family has become the Kennedy of Malaysia and many politicians realized that without Anwar they would not be elected as the masses will support the flag, the icon and those associated with it.

On another front, a group of politicians continue to spread venomous allegation with regards to the ruling party. They would turn everything that the incumbent do into an issue that creates hatred towards the government. A good example is the 108 storey building that is to be built around Merdeka Stadium. Politicians spin it around and made a private project into a government abuses and cronyism project. Had anyone actually question Najib on why he brought the issue of a private project in to a government budget when the two is not related?

It is easy to say reformasi. Someone told me that the judiciary, the police and MACC is to be reformed. Reformasi can be an emotionally charged word. To some it means transformation. I have not heard any politician that talks about on how they intent to reform the organization. Reform into what? How will it be reform? What is to be achieved? Wouldnt it be more meaningful to fully understand any party or individual to explain on how he or she intent to do when he gets into the position of power. Reality is talk of reform is cheap and easy. Doing it is another thing all together. Ask the Selangor government? They know how difficult it is? For example they are not able to renegade many deals that is unfair to the state that was etched in stone. In America Obama is still trying to reform the healthcare services.

Today I salute Azmin for his political creativity and his victory. It is not difficult to win when the referee is on your side. He says he wants to remove all the Trojan horses in the party. I think there arent any Trojan horses in the first place. It is just another ruse to ensure that he eliminates all his political opponent. We really need to ask ourselves who is the real Trojan? Is it the guy who criticize the select few or the guy who damaged the party by not playing the game according to actual party rules? I wonder how many people are convinced of this Trojan horses. Has anyone study the po! tential damage of PR chances in GE 13 to reach Putrajaya as a result of the flawed election of process in PKR. The damage is not being done by Zaid. It is done by people who does not play by the rules and gets away with it.

When Anwar was sacked by Tun Mahathir back then, Utusan carries a headline, Tersungkur di pintu shurga. With latest development the chances of the entire PR group may tersungkur at the steps of Putrajaya.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Syabas may default on payment, risks losing investors' confidence

Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas) risks defaulting payments to its bond holders as coffers of the water services firm may be drying-up, leaving Syabas with insufficient funds to pay stake holders, an opposition MP has claimed.

To rub salt to the wound, Syabas bonds amounting to a whopping RM1 billion would mature this year, while payout for bonds maturing next year was even higher.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said while the issue was all about economics and finance, it had also became a political contention between Barisan Nasional-led federal government and Pakatan Rakyat-led state government.

In 2006, the Parliament passed the Water Services Industries Act where it called for a holistic management of water services, Santiago told FMT in a recent interview.

With the passing of the Act, distribution of water was no longer separated and managed by different entities but giving the state government the legal position to acquire water assets from Syabas, its parent company Puncak Niaga Sdn Bhd (manages water treatement), Syarikat Pengeluar Air Sungai Selangor (Splash) (building, operating and maintaining Selangor River Water Supply Scheme Phase 3) and Abass Konsortium (operating and maintaining Semenyih River).

Santiago said the previous BN state government had sent letters to the four entities on the matter before the 2008 general election.

However, after Pakatan took over the state government after the last general election, negotiations broke down after Puncak Niaga and Syabas rejected the state government's offer despite the latter offering RM5.7 billion to acquire water assets.

The Water Assets Management Berhad (PAAB) evaluation estimated the state's water assets to be worth RM1 billion but the state government offered RM5.7 billion.

Last year, an offer of RM10 billion was made to the entities but ! was also turned down. The point here is Syabas and Puncak Niaga should have taken up the offer,said Santiago.

With Syabas now risking a default, its major bondholders (CIMB Principal Asset Management, Hong Leong Investment Bank and Great Eastern Life) are said to be urging the federal government to offer a bail-out to Syabas or risk its bonds being downgraded.

If the federal government provides a bail-out for Syabas, not only it will be paying off the bond holders but it will also acquire Syabas' debt which will put the government further into debt,said Santiago.

Memo to the King

The DAP lawmaker added that not only will this tantamount to crony-capitalism, the federal government would also risk violating the Water Services Industries Act.

In 2005, Syabas was given RM2.9 billion in soft loans and grants by the federal government when it acquired water distribution function from Perbadanan Urus Air Selangor Berhad (PUAS).

In 2008, the federal government again provided it with RM320 million, with no interest for five years and payable within 20 years.

However between 2005 till 2009, Syabas accumulated RM44.5 million in revenue after disconnecting 809,000 water connection. Most of those affected were poor people,claimed Santiago.

He added that while the state government was trying to fulfill the requirements under the Water Services Industries Act 2006 by trying to provide a holistic water services management to the people, the federal government is throwing spanners into the works by planning to retain Syabas as the water supplier for the state.

The federal government had told the state government in a recent meeting that it wished to retain the status quo, that is Syabas controlling 52% stake in the company while the state government only retains 48% which is in direct violation of the Act.

Therefore, while the cronies are being bailed out, the state government has to wait for the federal government to consent to our deal de! spite us being supported by the Water Services Industries Act, said Santiago.

The Selangor state government plans on Dec 5 to submit a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a bid to stop the federal government from bailing out Syabas and return water assets to the state government. -FMT

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More dirt emerge on PM's private secretary

By Teoh El Sen

PETALING JAYA: New allegations of crime have flush opposite Zakiah Ibrahim, a Prime Ministers in isolation secretary who was not long ago indicted of accumulating a little RM200 million in wealth by misappropriating funds.

PKR personality Badrul Hisham Shaharin, additionally known as Chegu Bard, pronounced he was in possession of papers containing a allegations, together with photos of a palace pronounced to go to Zakiah as good as to cost RM5 million.

He called again for a reply from Zakiah as good as a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

FMT has additionally received, by e-mail, a copy of a brand new allegations.

The informant, right away calling himself "Deep Throat JPM", questioned how Zakiah had managed to acquire such an costly home upon a in isolation secretarys salary.

He attached to a e-mail a set of photos of a palace in Taman Setiawangsa, claiming which Zakiah had been staying there since last December. One of a photos bears a caption Zakaya, a play upon Zakiahs name as good as a Malay word for wealth.

"If she is brave, afterwards repudiate which she has a palace value RM5 million with a interior pattern costing up to RM2 million, as she hired a most appropriate consultants from Da Vinci Group Holdings," a adviser wrote.

Chegu Bard lamented which MACC had done zero about a allegations of Zakiahs corruption, which have been in a news for some-more than a week.

He said: "The complaint is this: if it was a Pakatan personality which was being indicted as such, MACC would act as if they were glow fighters as good as rush in to try their very most appropriate to puncture some-more mud as good as blow up a issue.

"But why is MACC this time so silent as good as deaf?

"I plea MACC to overtly examine as good as give an reason upon either Zakiah is really guilty of all those things she has been indicted ! of.

< p>"I additionally plea Zakiah herself to come forward. There have been a lot of things which have been doubtful here, together with her bank loans as good as a brand new claim upon her home. The public deserves to know."

Waiting for some-more documents

Asked either he would be camp a inform with a MACC, Chegu Bard pronounced he was waiting for some-more papers from a same source as good as alternative sources.

He pronounced he had sent a letter to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak but had nonetheless to receive a response.

'Deep Throat JPM' challenged Zakiah (right) to repudiate which she organised a loan of RM200 million from two financial institutions to an purported associate company for a business value RM20 million.

He said: "Can she repudiate which upon May as good as June she met with a Datuk O, an Umno multiplication conduct from a state up north, upon a solar plan with a guarantee of a RM5 million commission?

Who have been a two Chinese businesswomen who in a future acquired a plan as good as allowed Zakiah to share a distinction of RM35 million, RM30 million some-more than betrothed by a Umno man?

"We additionally plea MACC to examine a approach traffic plan in Sabah involving a single of Zakiah's cronies. Also examine what has happened to a bullion mine plan in Pahang.

He purported which Zakiah teamed up with relatives of a Pahang Menteri Besar to begin a bullion mining project.

Immense influence

He additionally purported which Zakiah had "absolute power" over a Department of Revenue in a Ministry of Finance as good as claimed this could be confirmed by Fauziah Yaakob, secretary of a Finance Ministrys supervision buying division.

Deep Throat JPM betrothed which some-more "shocking" exposures would follow.

Early this month, FMT reported which an adviser had! indicte d Zakiah of misappropriating supports as good as accumulating a extraordinary amount of RM200 million.

The allegations were done in a set of papers purportedly leaked by an insider.

The papers described Zakiah as a woman with measureless influence in a Prime Minister's Office as good as purported which her modus operandi was to switch proposals done by alternative companies with those of her own cronies as good as to share a wealth to illustrate acquired with Umno multiplication heads or members of royalty.

Attempts to reach Zakiah for comment have been unsuccessful.

Also read:

'PM's in isolation secretary pocketed RM200m'

Affirmative Action (Part 2): The Value of Affirmative Action

By Lord Bobo

LoyarBurok is publishing this 3-part article it received from a law student at a local university who prefers to be known as Batu 5. Part 2 takes an incisive look at whether the NEP has achieved its objectives?

In 1971, the Barisan National coalition launched the New Economic Policy (NEP) as a response to the 1969 race riots. They figured that, since economic inequality between the races was so entrenched that resentment would occur between the impoverished Malays and the wealthier Chinese, (another sterotyp: of course there were rich Malays and poor Chinese), more affirmative action policies were needed to accelerate the stake of the Bumiputera in the economic pie. So, new (positive) discriminatory policies were introduced such as the requirement that all initial public offerings (IPOs) set aside a 30% share for Bumiputra investors, the Amanah Saham Bumiputera scheme, Bumiputera housing discounts, more scholarships for Bumiputeras (JPA, Mara, PNB etc.), the establishment of Majlis Amanah Rakyat and ITM (though formed before 1970, it is still outside the bounds of the Federal Constitution) and many more policies. It is a privilege, not a right (a privilege is a special entitlement, whereas a right is an irrevocable entitlement).

Interestingly, the objective of this NEP was to ensure that the Bumiputera would have a 30% stake in the economy by the year 1990 (20 years). Its 2010 and were still far from that ambitious goal of wealth redistribution. Were still around 18%, and this includes stakes in government linked companies (GLCs). Why oh why? Were we (or they, BN) too ambitious? Were we firing blanks? Did we miscalculate?

First, most Malays do not appreciate the concept of affirmative action. As I sai! d, the r eason why affirmative action is implemented is to level the playing field. It gives a fair platform for everyone to compete and play. So, when affirmative action is conferred to a person, it becomes his duty to compete. He has a civil obligation (though I personally believe it should be a legal obligation) to compete with other races who are perceived to have the upper hand. The individual has no reason why he cannot do as well as his peers, or better for that matter. The moment he fails to compete with other races, he fails not only his race but himself. He is perceived to be equal and hence he should contribute to the Malays stake in the economic pie. The platform is beautifully set.

The problem is, most Malays are not aware that it is their duty to compete. Since they believe that affirmative action policies are rights (and not privileges) they believe that these policies would always be there not only for them but for their children as well. So we see most Malays taking fewer risks to improve their living conditions. They are content on being wage-earners or attaining a government job when the situation (of achieving 30% stake in the economy) demands them to open up businesses and become national champions. Open up corporations, own corporations and take more risks. Most of them have stakes in GLCs; having the word government with corporation doesnt demonstrate your ability to compete lah!

Secondly, there is a problem with the implementation of the NEP. The Article 153 policies along with ITM and MARA covers a wide radius of Malays, be they urban or rural, because it is mostly about education and scholarship. And most of us know that these two elements are the key to the economic advancement. As we can see, the policies enshrined under the NEP targets urban Malays. I mean, IPOs or housing discounts in the middle of the city would not benefit those in the rural areas much.

Since most NEP policies target urban Malays what is the harm in that? It means that youre benefiting those who h! ave alre ady benefitted. Instead of concentrating resources to help the rural Malays (the most prominent stakeholder), youre advancing the interest of the urbanites. Urbanites become more and more complacent because they have more access to affirmative action status. So this dampens their ability to compete as the government is always there to bail them out.

What makes it worse is that in Malaysia, affirmative action is hereditary! Shocked? Yes it is, and you know it. The father who benefited from affirmative action would ensure that his son would go through the same process. If the father was in ITM, the son would be in ITM (or UiTM) because he can, and its cheap. The education fees can be channelled to renovating a house or to build a swimming pool. Or, maybe buy another house with the discount in housing for bumiputeras. What is worse is that a father might have strings (or cables) to pull to ensure that his kids can get a government scholarship to study overseas. Even if you are a smart kid, if your father can afford it, that scholarship is supposed to go to a smart, poor kid. It is presumed that if your father benefited from affirmative action, he can subsidise your tertiary education. This creates a vicious cycle where even when an urban Malay is rich, he would still be dependent on the government because he can, and it is more convenient to do so. As resources are finite, the more deserving rural kid would be deprived of his opportunities to succeed.

As such, the subsidy mentality, the fear of competition and the theft of opportunities prevails among us and prevent the noble goal of equality. The government has given everything to assist you to succeed, yet you still require crutches to thrive in the real world. What Im saying is just a stark reality that we see in our everyday lives.

Next: Part 3 Where Are We Heading?

Batu 5 is a law student and a debater. He considers himself a full time debater and a part time law student.! He beli eves that intervarsity debating is the best thing in the world. He also is a dreamer as he plans to establish a company which is too big to fail for Malaysia with his girlfriend. He believes that Malaysia is in a class war, and his class, the learning/student class is losing out. Courtesy of Loyarburok.com

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