Ah Bah: "We can beat Utusan because Najib wants the Mamak die too .."

Utusan’s got 14 days to apologise to Guan Eng

The Malaysian Insider

December 22, 2010 GEORGE TOWN, Dec 22 – Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has given Utusan Malaysia two weeks to apologise before he takes the daily to court. Lim’s lawyer, Jagdeep Singh Deo, told reporters today he had sent a letter of demand to the national Malay newspaper yesterday asking it to withdraw certain words said to be slanderous in its December 20 article titled “Kebiadaban Guan Eng (The Rudeness of Guan Eng)”. Utusan had said to have called Lim a racist and an “anti-Malay” in the article that ran a day after the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) rally. Lim who is the party’s secretary-general also wants the paper to publish an apology and pay compensation for defaming him. Jagdeep said Lim had denied the allegations in his notice of demand. “He has also not gone against the Malays or oppressed them, did not cancel the Maulidur Rasul procession or stop the Malays from trading in Komtar during Ramadan month and has not demolished any villages,” said the lawyer who is also the state DAP vice-chairman,. “Neither has the chief minister used funds from the Penang Turf Club for the senior citizens’ appreciation programme,” Jagdeep added. Lim had vowed personal court action against the Umno-owned daily for allegedly calling him a foreign stooge and urging the DAP be banned. “These are lies printed by Utusan,” the first-term Penang chief minister told The Malaysian Insider two days’ ago. “I have no choice but to take a civil suit for defamation against Utusan,” Lim said, adding his party would also file a separate defamation suit against the paper. Jagdeep said Lim had sent Utusan Malaysia five letters of demand since 2008. One defamation suit has already been filed in court, he added.

Utusan Malaysia has lost the plot

by Tony Pua

Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has completely lost the plot with its daily extensive attacks against DAP and is the single largest hindrance to national unity Never before in history has the DAP, a party Utusan Malaysia has previously regarded as irrelevant, become the object of obsession to the Umno-owned newspaper. In the last 3 of 4 days, the DAP made the front page of Utusan Malaysia with headlines like “Muslihat DAP”, “Guan Eng dikecam” and “Umat Islam perlu tolak DAP” on the 18, 20 and 21 December respectively. Not only did the DAP and its leaders consistently make the frontpage, Utusan dedicated dozens of columns to DAP with titles such as “DAP perkudakan Anwar”, “DAP alat politik negara asing”, “DAP salur matlumat kepada Kuan Yew?”, “DAP gentar dengan 1Malaysia”, “DAP tiru strategi PAP”, “DAP yang sebenarnya memperalatkan 3R”, “DAP amal politik ala aparteid”, “Kebiadapan Guan Eng”, “Guan Eng semakin bersikap perkauman”, “Guan Eng perlu cermin diri” and more.

The above hasn’t taken into account the fact that for the past year, Utusan has often granted DAP leaders exclusive frontpage coverage to Karpal Singh, Teo Nie Ching and even myself, for daring to suggest that the housing discount for the wealthy bumiputeras be channelled towards helping the bumiputera poor. In fact, if one were to conduct a search of “DAP” in Utusan on Google based on the year of publication, 2007 will return 291 results, 2008 – 876 results, 2009 – 12,400 results and 2010 will give a record 29,800 results to date. It is most laughable when Utusan had to plead to its readers not to boycott the paper due to “political sentiments” (“Pembaca akhbar tidak boleh terikut-ikut tindakan memboikot Utusan Malaysia kerana sentimen politik…”) and blame Pakatan Rakyat for its affected business. Circulation for Utusan has plummeted drastically in recent years from 256,247 in 2004 to 213,445 in 2006 and 169,548 in 2009 or a 33.8% drop in 5 years. Profit before tax for the newspaper group has also plunged from RM21 million to RM7 million over the past 4 years. It appears that Utusan is attempting to rationalise its loss of readership due to external factors instead of looking inwards at their incessant racial posturing, outright lies and inflammatory headlines such as “Bangkitlah Melayu” as being the main causes. In fact, based on the statistics above, there is a correlation between the rapidly increasing attacks against the DAP and the rapidly declining circulation of the newspaper. National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Hata Wahari, who himself is a Utusan journalist had demanded that Utusan Malaysia abolish editorial policies which go against “journalistic ethics” in order to tackle a severe drop in its readership circulation. He claimed that the Malay daily’s reporting was “biased” in nature, saying that positive coverage revolved around Barisan Nasional (BN) while negative reports were specifically reserved for Pakatan Rakyat (PR). He added that Utusan also does not give an opportunity for an accused to answer certain allegations by choosing not to publish it. Even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had accused Utusan of becoming “racist” in its reporting in September this year. In fact, Utusan is a proven liar with leading opposition figures, MP for Pokok Sena, Mahfuz Omar and Tenaganita Director, Irene Fernandez, awarded RM120,000 and RM200,000 in damages respectively in defamation suits against the paper. Dozens of other defamation suits are still waiting to be disposed in the courts. The relentless attacks on the DAP only serves to prove that DAP and Pakatan Rakyat are making major inroads in proving to the people that we are not only competent in governance, we have proven that despite having a DAP chief minister in Penang, Malays and Muslims enjoy greater rights and benefits than under a BN administration. This is due to a more caring government, which is able to fund its welfare policies through more effective and efficient administration, as well as reducing wastage and corruption through open tenders for all government projects. I had on 1 November 2010 challenged Utusan Malaysia to an open debate on its many allegations against the “racist” DAP. Unfortunately, the editors chose not to defend their allegations with facts and figures in the open but continued to throw baseless, wild and wicked accusations against the DAP. This proves that Utusan’s cowardly agenda is to flood its readers with lies and half-truths against the DAP and Pakatan Rakyat for it has no ability or courage to withstand impartial public scrutiny. The Prime Minister, despite his call for “moderation” in reporting, has failed to reign in his party’s newspaper and his 1Malaysia policy will only fail as a result of Utusan’s extremist and racist reporting. [Media Statement by Tony Pua, DAP National Publicity Secretary and Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, 22 Dec 2010]

Christmas present

from Politicalcartoons.com Recent Cartoons by Luojie@cagleblog.com (Luojie)

One Israel row: Nazri gives new evidence to rebut Anwar

I raise this because Anwar says he has proof. I have shown my proof. I want to see who is bluffing here, says Nazri

By Patrick Lee

FULL REPORT KUALA LUMPUR: Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz today presented new evidence to refute Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's claims that 1Malaysia was inspired by "One Israel".

The evidence came in the form of a sworn statement (see below) allegedly written by an US political adviser, Robert M Shrum. The statement said that Shrum was involved in Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's 1999 "One Israel" political campaign.

Shrum said that Apco Worldwide had nothing to do with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 1Malaysia concept.

"I was there (in the campaign), and Apco was not involved in One Israel or any other work for Ehud Barak or the Labor Party in that campaign," the statement said.

"In sum, Apco Worldwide and its personnel did not undertake work relating to One Israel."

Nazri, who was speaking at a press conference in the Parliament lobby, said that the letter had been made available to him last week.

Asked if he received the letter before or after Anwar's suspension, he said: "I don't know. It could have been on my table for the last 10 days. I did not think it was that important."

Nevertheless, Nazri later said that the statement had been prepared on June 7 this year, and had been sent by Apco to Parliament last week.

However, he added that he had not seen the letter until yesterday as it was not sent directly to his offic! e.

Story follows after image:

Part of Robert Shrum's sworn statement which was released by Nazri Aziz today

False stories

Nazri said that Shrum's statement had strengthened Apco's letter sent to Parliament on Aug 19 this year, two months after Nazri claimed the Shrum statement was written.

"I raised this because he (Anwar says he) has proof. I have shown my proof. I want to see who is bluffing here," Nazri said.

He also said that Anwar used up all his chances to defend himself before the Rights and Privileges Committee this year.

Now he is telling false stories at the night market and does not have evidence, he said mockingly.

If you want entertainment, go and hear Anwar speak. Maybe he knows he is going to have to lie (to defend himself). That is why he is avoiding (defending himself), Nazri added.

Anwar was suspended from Parliament for six months on Dec 16 after a vote was called over his 1Malaysia-One-Israel allegations.

Azmin Ali (Gombak-PKR), R Sivarasa (Subang-PKR) and Karpal Singh (Bukit Gelugor-DAP), who rose up in his defence, were also booted out of Parliament.

See What Barisan Nasional Gotta Say?

Manglish at the Home ministry

Posted by hartalmsm

The Malaysian Home ministry is (in)famously known for issuing ISA detention orders.

Well, here is another aspect which the public may not be aware of (see screenshots below) -

[Note: These are Google cache screenshots of the Home ministry's web page on english FAQs for printing licenses taken on 21st December 2010]

Why screenshots. you may ask?

Because yesterday, on Twitter, fellow blogger Walski revealed the original ‘manglish’ version (shown above) which somehow has now disappeared from the Home ministry’s website.

The ‘newly minted’ english FAQs is now in BM (duhhhh!) as shown below -

And Najib says our his ministers are not incompetent as alleged by a neighbouring nation.

Yeah right! Tell that to his cousin.

Still, does this remind you of missing immigration records?

WHY NAJIB IS UNFIT TO BE OUR PM...

from desiderata-ylchong by desiderata

Fellow blogger up my alley Sdr Hussein Ahmad counts the ways!:)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Unfit to be Prime Minister....of any country!

When I look at Najib, Muhyiddin, Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali - all those bombastic self-proclaimed Ketuanan Malay “leaders,” I do think of Hang Tuah! Huh! All they remind me of are Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada, Mobutu Sese Seko, Robert Mugabe and His Excellency Benito Mussolini Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire. Yes at one time or another they were all leaders of their people, all striding to the sound of brass bands and traveling around in motorcades flanked by armed guards. Leaders they might be but they were all totally oblivious to the look of contempt and disgust from the very masses that they consider themselves to be Lord and Master over. Totally oblivious of the massive harm they have done to the country they ruled. Totally oblivious to the crumbling ruins of their government because all they see are the trappings of power and their personal needs. Never the misery of the people they rule.

I want you all to understand this. When in power these kinds of leaders will do what they want. They would not investigate themselves. MACC, the AG, the Judiciary and PDRM (among other Government entities) are there to ensure that these leaders are given the means and leeway to do what they want. And what they want is to stay in power and make money for themselves and their cronies.
And who are the people who have been in charge in Malaysia? For 22 years of the last 30 years it has been this man call Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. The fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia whose political career has lasted 40 years and still counting.


Just as Singapore has been shaped by one iconic man Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia too has been shaped by one man, Mahathir……and therein lays a tale. Singapore is one of the world’s most prosperous countries with strong international trading links with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. Malaysia has the most prosperous politicians and strong family links with these politicians will ensure that your personal capita GDP will be equal, if not better than that of many African Politicians with similar inclinations to rob their own country blind. Transparency International Corruption Perception Index of the past 16 years puts Malaysia as the worst country in Asia-Pacific. Malaysia is the 7th most corrupt nation in Asia. Corruption is common among the country's political and business class. Bribery and other corrupt practices pose major problems for companies operating in Malaysia. The business of government is equally corrupt. So while Singapore has taken the high road, Mahathir has taken the low road and he has, unfortunately, taken us along for the ride.


Now we have Najib Tun Razak. This man is unfit to be our leader. Unfit to be the Prime Minister of our country. He would have a hard time holding on to a position as Manager of any decent size organization where decency, honesty and integrity are required of its employees – as it should be of any individual holding a position of responsibility.


But in UMNO he thrives! He is their President! He can fool UMNO, he can fool the Attorney General of Malaysia, he can fool the IGP, he can fool the Cabinet (though one can argue that the closing of one eye and the shutting of the other has the same effect!) – but try as hard as he can, he will not fool us and of course he cannot fool his wife. After all it takes a thief to catch another thief…birds of a feather flocks together…get my drift?


Why is Najib unfit to be our Prime Minister? Let me count the ways…..


Hands down the tragic murder of Altantuya tops the list. Don’t ask me about it because I am bias. Go ask that Indian kachang putih seller, the Pak Chik selling satay by the roadside or that Chinese guy selling Yong Tau Foo at the market in Lucky Gardens each morning. Ask them about Najib and Altantuya. This is what they say:


NAJIB IS GUILTY UNTIL AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY CLEARS HIM.


No need to swear in the mosque, no need to discredit Bala’s SD, no need to say that the murderers have already been caught, gone to trial and have been sentenced. The damming thing is this Najib – YOU know that WE know that YOU are involved somehow and somewhere in that sordid saga of the RM$500 million submarine commission for Razak Baginda and in the murder of Altantuya. Whether the facts are made known during your time, your children time or your children children’s time is to be seen. The truth shall prevail but you will not.
Under your watch MACC murdered Teoh Beng Hock while he was under their custody. PDRM bludgeon Kugan to death and shot Aminurasyid to death! All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again. You Najib did not even try! A political police force? Is that what PDRM has become? Huh! If today PDRM has become a tool for the survival of UMNO and BN then be assured that after the 13th General Election the people will claim back PDRM and not leave it to be the force of evil that PDRM has now become but cleanse it to become once again a Force for good.


This is also the same Najib that made an offer of RM$5 Million to the people of Rejang Park during By-Election time to elect BN's Robert Lau. Truly a courageous (in politician lingo that means stupid!) and remarkable (in our lingo this also means stupid!) attempt by our Prime Minister to BUY a by-election. An enlightened electorate rejected his offer.






During Najib’s stint as Minister of Defense the procurement of arms and equipment became an ‘art form’ that impacted favorably on the financial well being of his and UMNO's cronies.

Eurocopter.
Ministry of Defense signed a Letter of Intent to acquire 12 Eurocopter EC725 Cougar helicopters for the sum of RM2.3 billion. Brazil paid only RM$1.2 billion for 50 units of the same mode.


Sukhoi Fighters. 18 Sukhoi Fighter Jets were bought for RM3.2 billion. A 12 percent commission of RM380 million was paid to its local agent IMT Defence Sdn Bhd whose Chairman was Adib Adam, former Chief Minister of Malacca. The same Malacca that once had an UMNO child molester as its Chief Minister.


Naval Patrol Boat. Ministry of Defense paid out RM4.26 billion to PSC-Naval Dockyard for only RM2.87 billion of work done. The Malaysian cabinet waived late penalties of RM214 million. 14 progressive payments amounting to RM943 million was paid out to PSC-Naval Dockyard without payment vouchers or relevant documents dealing with the payments. The technical incompetence of PSC-Naval Dockyard to undertake the contract can be confirmed by the fact that PSC had never built anything but trawlers and Police boats before being given the contract by Najib.


Missing Jet Engines Two fighter aircraft engines from the Royal Malaysian Air Force went missing in May 2008. Enough said.


Any individual that is involved in any one of the above truly shameful straight out grab for the Rakyat's money would not be considered for employment at any reputable business entity. In Malaysia he becomes our Prime Minister! Camna ni? Does that not make him an unfit person to be Prime Minister of our country? I rest my case.

Beware the spinners — Othman Wahab

Don’t politicise the issue. Don’t sensationalise the issue. Don’t speculate... Don’t, don’t, don’t....

This has been the staple diet dished out by the Barisan Nasional and its compliant and supine mainstream media for the past few decades. (Don’t think for yourself).

Therefore, it is not surprising that Azman Ujang, who was former head of national propaganda agency, Bernama, should offer the same drivel in an editorial posted on The Malaysian Insider.

First he tried to sound sympathetic to the “plight” of people in selangor over the water impasse in the state between the state government and Syabas and gang and its protector, the Federal Government.

He even throws in a kudos for the Pakatan Rakyat for keeping an election promise and giving the people in the state water for free. But then he begins propaganda (I am not sure whether its for BN or Syabas) slamming Khalid Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat.

“Just by using common sense, we all know that a period of 10 years is very short when it comes to planning and executing water projects. Isn’t it better and wiser to eliminate politics in issues relating to water?

“Then, there’s politicking which the Khalid administration has kicked up with the state’s water concessionaires, which is yet another tough knot to untangle. Politicking in the sense that the concessionaires were companies awarded the big cake by the previous Barisan Nasional state government,” Azman wrote today.

The point is that anyone who has been following this water issue would know that the Pakatan state government has tried to broker a deal with Syabas and others. They have even asked for the water agreements to be declassified so that the public can learn how onerous and one-sided these agreements are (no thanks to Lim Keng Yaik and Khir Toyo).

But it is in the interest of the Federal government backed by a certain big player (he has his own jet and stands to make several billion ringgit if his terms are met) to create a crisis situation. In the last issue of Selangor Times, Khaled Ibrahim states that his government is prepared to go to international arbitration to settle the issue.

Is this the action of someone who does not want to resolve this issue? But of course Azman Ujang would not know because he gets his info from the paragon of all information, Bernama and other mainstream media.

I expect his public relations drivel in the mainstream media but surely Malaysians who are relying more on the alternative media expect portals like The Malaysian Insider to distinguish between factual stuff and public relations stuff.

I seldom endorse UMNO blogger'svews, but Sakmongkol maketh an exception!:)

by desiderata

This following article shows a good reading of what The Third Force is at at the present time of Malaysian politics, and I mostly agree with the first portion of his observations. Desi will come back later to add his thoughts on those points that I beg to differ from Sdr AK47 holder!:) -- YL, Desi

So meanwhile, ENJOY:)

Wednesday, 22 December 2010

3rd Force: between the concept and the actual.

Malaysians on the whole have more affinity with actual political entities. They are more confident and comforted with a materialized organizational form like a political party. Something that has structure, policies and agenda. On the whole, they are less likely to be attracted to pure concepts such as for example the so called 3^rd force in Malaysian politics?

Who or what is the 3^rd force in Malaysian politics? Does it exist in materialized form with structure, policies and agendas? Or is the 3^rd force more of the projection and extension of personal ideals and beliefs which are not unique anyway to the beholders. The same ideals and belief are better articulated and fought for by organized corporeal political parties.

I seriously doubt if RPK and his band of merry men, will make any impact on Malaysian politics. How does it exist? In a substantive corporeal form as a political party or just a 3^rd force in concept form?

MCLM or the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement is at the moment a loose association of likeminded individuals moved by the concept of civil liberties and some understanding of what it means to be democratic. And at the moment, democratic means anything BUT Barisan Nasional or UMNO's policies.

I am not trivializing the motivations of these well intentioned individuals. The issues raised and the concerns voiced are undoubtedly pertinent and very relevant. But perhaps more suited to discussions in the PJ civic center or maybe in the private rooms at Le Bodega or the terraces of private clubs in Kuala Lumpur. Or in the forums attended by starry eyed university students.

And where will the likely constituencies of the MCLM be? Probably more suited to urban constituencies in small pockets of socially conscious groupings such as NGO movements, liberal PTAs, something like that.

They will face formidable competition from established political groupings such as PR, which is something more solid than just some intellectualized concept.

Malaysians with a well-grounded political experience based on political parties that exist in form and substance are likely to stay away from a nebulous concept of a 3^rd force. What are its agendas? Its plans? Other than a coalition of individuals with a pronounced disgruntled objection to UMNO and BN.

Even the re-emergence of Zaid Ibrahim in a renamed political party will not make any difference in Malaysian politics. Zaid Ibrahim and his self-sustaining politicians and candidates will not stand a chance in the coming elections.

The optimism of 3^rd force entities and Zaid's party is based on a misreading of our political mood.

The misreading stems perhaps fro over reading and unbounded optimism attached to the results of the 1eth GE. I say perhaps we have over read the support for opposition parties as being a permanent shift. As such I think, there will a shift back of allegiance to BN and notably UMNO. When that shift happens, the casualties will the MCLM and parties such as headed by Zaid IBrahim.

UMNO and BN will not be able to recapture old political territories but they may be able to recover some lost ground. UMNO's success at that will depend on several factors but that will not be discussed here.

Where is the 3^rd force really? In my opinion the actual 3^rd force in Malaysian politics are the political parties in Sabah and Sarawak. They have tasted blood and they now know they can be the kingmaker in Malaysian politics. Whichever political parties win in Peninsula Malaysia will have to factor in the Sabah and Sarawak politicians and will have to accommodate them.

Posted by sakmongkol AK47

Hey, Big Spender!

Four days ago, our DPM said that that "the country has met the target of eradicating abject poverty this year following proactive action taken by the government to assist the affected group. He added that although poverty could be eradicated, the government's agenda to continue to eradicate poverty relatively was ongoing by expanding the various training and guidance programmes to raise the income of the poor.

CLICK HERE for more.

It does not make sense that on one hand the government tries to eradicate poverty while on the other hand, we see excessive spending.

Today, Free Malaysia Today reported HERE that since taking over the reins in April, 2009, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has spent nearly RM9 million on foreign trips. The report said that PKR Senator Syed Husin Ali revealed a list containing details of the trips in the Parliament lobby this morning. The list provided by the Prime Minister's Deparment, showed that Najib had gone on 42 official trips abroad which cost RM8,724,895.91. The most expensive of these trips were visits to Japan, the United States and Vietnam. The trips cost RM2,094,635.39 and took place between April 5 and 22 this year.

That is A LOT of money, isn't it?

In July 2010, MP Liew Chin Tong reported in his blog HERE that The Prime Minister’s Department’s allocation for 2010 is a whopping RM12 billion, not RM4 billion as some people may have perceived it to be. MP Liew also said:

Under a separate category of “development”, the PMD received RM 8.238 billion. Thus, the total budgetary outlay for the PMD in 2010 is RM12.1 billion, as revealed by the Federal Budget Estimates.

The PMD’s budget wasn’t so huge not too long ago. In the entire Eighth Malaysia Plan period (2001-2005), the development budget of the PMD was RM7.2 billion, or 4.3 per cent of the Plan’s total allocations. This means the development allocation for 2010 alone (RM 8.2 billion) surpassed the sum allocated for the first five years of the 21st century.

The PMD, which was already relatively strong and powerful compared to other Commonwealth countries, has grown beyond recognition, especially over the course of the last decade.

Its development budget underwent a four-fold increase in the 9th Malaysia Plan , driving its allocation up to RM 29.6 billion, or 13.5 per cent of the Plan’s total.

The huge increases in the PMD’s budget in 2009 and 2010 have never been seen before. The combined operating and development expenditure for 2009 was RM14 billion; nearly double the RM7.1 billion allocated for 2008. The total for 2005 was a mere RM4.1 billion in comparison.

A different way of looking at it is that the development budget for 2009 (RM10 billion) was five times that of 2005 (RM2 billion) while in 2010 (RM8.2 billion), is four times that of the base year.

Take a look at our GDP growth rate AT THIS LINK and note the downward trend.

Note the negative responses to the NEM as reported HERE in The Malaysian Insider.

In the light of such statistics, rising costs of living and diminishing purchasing power, is the government ready to cut costs by being prudent so that the rakyat will not have to bear unnecessary burden?

Is it right that so much money is spent whilst many are suffering because our wallets are getting lighter? We cannot breathe normally because the possibility of further subsidy cuts will drastically reduce the relative buying power among the poor, not forgetting the possibility the implementation of GST looming over us!!!

What lies ahead for us, Malaysians? Here's a summary of possibilities as reported HERE.

1. Prices of goods and services will rise from 2011 to 2015 as the Najib administration moves to cut subsidies gradually and rein in a deficit budget, according to a report by The Economist, despite speculation of imminent polls.

“Government efforts to rationalise the country’s extensive subsidy scheme will exert an upward influence on prices in the forecast period (2011 till 2015),” said the magazine’s Intelligence Unit report on Malaysia for December.

2. The price of fuel and sugar went up on December 4 as part of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s ongoing drive to reduce subsidies although a Cabinet minister had assured no price hikes for the rest of the year.

3. The price of RON95 increased by five sen to RM1.90 per litre, diesel by five sen per litre to RM1.80 and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by five sen to RM1.90 per kg. Sugar also cost 20 sen more at RM2.10 per kg.

4. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) country report also expected the government to introduce the Goods and Services Tax (GST) within the next few years and predicted an annual inflation of 3.4 per cent from 2011 till 2015.

5. The EIU report noted that the third quarter this year experienced considerably slow growth, which was expected to persist in the fourth quarter.

6. “Data for the first half of 2010 show that the economy expanded by an average of 9.5 per cent year on year during that period, but data for the third quarter point to a marked slowdown in the rate of GDP growth, and this trend is expected to continue in the fourth quarter,” it said.

“The Malaysian economy is expected to move on to a more stable growth path in 2011-15, when we expect real GDP growth to average 5 per cent a year,” added the report.

7. Malaysia’s economy grew 5.3 per cent in the third quarter of this year after a strong first half due to slowing external demand and reduced government spending.

But where was the reduced spending? By how much???

READ MORE HERE

Layers of corruption The most Unfit Prime Minister says if you let me needle you in the front I promise to needle you at your bud

from Suara Keadilan Malaysia by truthseeker

taxidriver's webnetwork think this

Unfit to be Prime Minister....of any country!

That we are among the most corrupt societies in the world needs little reiteration. But that's not the real bad news. The real bad news is that our corruption has several layers - in fact layers upon layers - which may make it all but...

one were to trace the genesis of the epidemic of corruption it could be argued that the disease could well have been spawned during MAHATIR's regime and the licence raj inevitably fostered both the generation of black money and the unholy nexus between politicians, bureaucrats and big business. With its catchy slogan of 'BERSEH CEKAP AMANAH' and its populist gimmicks i's asocialism was in fact the legitimising of a mahatirmafia.

Corruption is not about money and power alone. It is anything and everything that compromises morality. And today morality is the first casualty everywhere — from Parliament to dirtiest Toilet Ministery, from mall to TAXI PERMIT and from stock market to school.

This is not a news item that is likely to make the government or its vast machinery sit up and take note. After all, in all 'fairness', we have a humongous machinery in the name of government that does not sit up and take note of anything for that matter, does it?

Clearly, service mentality and the Government rarely go together in our part of the world. This is because by definition, one is supposed to have no service or performance matrix for government servants. By definition, no one in the government sector may easily be penalized, leave alone lose his or her job, for such cavalier treatment of those they are supposed to serve. And yet, the same government servants will be at their servile best before political masters who often demand services they are not entitled to.

The most Unfit Prime Minister says if let needle you in the front i promise to needle you at your bud
Popout

related article

When I look at Najib, Muhyiddin, Mahathir, Ibrahim Ali - all those bombastic self-proclaimed Ketuanan Malay “leaders,” I do think of Hang Tuah! Huh! All they remind me of are Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada, Mobutu Sese Seko, Robert Mugabe and His Excellency Benito Mussolini Head of Government, Duce of Fascism, and Founder of the Empire. Yes at one time or another they were all leaders of their people, all striding to the sound of brass bands and traveling around in motorcades flanked by armed guards. Leaders they might be but they were all totally oblivious to the look of contempt and disgust from the very masses that they consider themselves to be Lord and Master over. Totally oblivious of the massive harm they have done to the country they ruled. Totally oblivious to the crumbling ruins of their government because all they see are the trappings of power and their personal needs. Never the misery of the people they rule.

I want you all to understand this. When in power these kinds of leaders will do what they want. They would not investigate themselves. MACC, the AG, the Judiciary and PDRM (among other Government entities) are there to ensure that these leaders are given the means and leeway to do what they want. And what they want is to stay in power and make money for themselves and their cronies.

And who are the people who have been in charge in Malaysia? For 22 years of the last 30 years it has been this man call Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. The fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia whose political career has lasted 40 years and still counting.

Just as Singapore has been shaped by one iconic man Lee Kuan Yew, Malaysia too has been shaped by one man, Mahathir……and therein lays a tale. Singapore is one of the world’s most prosperous countries with strong international trading links with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. Malaysia has the most prosperous politicians and strong family links with these politicians will ensure that your personal capita GDP will be equal, if not better than that of many African Politicians with similar inclinations to rob their own country blind. Transparency International Corruption Perception Index of the past 16 years puts Malaysia as the worst country in Asia-Pacific. Malaysia is the 7th most corrupt nation in Asia. Corruption is common among the country's political and business class. Bribery and other corrupt practices pose major problems for companies operating in Malaysia. The business of government is equally corrupt. So while Singapore has taken the high road, Mahathir has taken the low road and he has, unfortunately, taken us along for the ride.

Now we have Najib Tun Razak. This man is unfit to be our leader. Unfit to be the Prime Minister of our country. He would have a hard time holding on to a position as Manager of any decent size organization where decency, honesty and integrity are required of its employees – as it should be of any individual holding a position of responsibility.

But in UMNO he thrives! He is their President! He can fool UMNO, he can fool the Attorney General of Malaysia, he can fool the IGP, he can fool the Cabinet (though one can argue that the closing of one eye and the shutting of the other has the same effect!) – but try as hard as he can, he will not fool us and of course he cannot fool his wife. After all it takes a thief to catch another thief…birds of a feather flocks together…get my drift?

Why is Najib unfit to be our Prime Minister? Let me count the ways…..

Hands down the tragic murder of Altantuya tops the list. Don’t ask me about it because I am bias. Go ask that Indian kachang putih seller, the Pak Chik selling satay by the roadside or that Chinese guy selling Yong Tau Foo at the market in Lucky Gardens each morning. Ask them about Najib and Altantuya. This is what they say:

NAJIB IS GUILTY UNTIL AN INDEPENDENT JUDICIARY CLEARS HIM.

No need to swear in the mosque, no need to discredit Bala’s SD, no need to say that the murderers have already been caught, gone to trial and have been sentenced. The damming thing is this Najib – YOU know that WE know that YOU are involved somehow and somewhere in that sordid saga of the RM$500 million submarine commission for Razak Baginda and in the murder of Altantuya. Whether the facts are made known during your time, your children time or your children children’s time is to be seen. The truth shall prevail but you will not.

Under your watch MACC murdered Teoh Beng Hock while he was under their custody. PDRM bludgeon Kugan to death and shot Aminurasyid to death! All the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again. You Najib did not even try! A political police force? Is that what PDRM has become? Huh! If today PDRM has become a tool for the survival of UMNO and BN then be assured that after the 13th General Election the people will claim back PDRM and not leave it to be the force of evil that PDRM has now become but cleanse it to become once again a Force for good.

This is also the same Najib that made an offer of RM$5 Million to the people of Rejang Park during By-Election time to elect BN's Robert Lau. Truly a courageous (in politician lingo that means stupid!) and remarkable (in our lingo this also means stupid!) attempt by our Prime Minister to BUY a by-election. An enlightened electorate rejected his offer.

During Najib’s stint as Minister of Defense the procurement of arms and equipment became an ‘art form’ that impacted favorably on the financial well being of his and UMNO's cronies.

Eurocopter.

Ministry of Defense signed a Letter of Intent to acquire 12 Eurocopter EC725 Cougar helicopters for the sum of RM2.3 billion. Brazil paid only RM$1.2 billion for 50 units of the same mode.

Sukhoi Fighters. 18 Sukhoi Fighter Jets were bought for RM3.2 billion. A 12 percent commission of RM380 million was paid to its local agent IMT Defence Sdn Bhd whose Chairman was Adib Adam, former Chief Minister of Malacca. The same Malacca that once had an UMNO child molester as its Chief Minister.

Naval Patrol Boat. Ministry of Defense paid out RM4.26 billion to PSC-Naval Dockyard for only RM2.87 billion of work done. The Malaysian cabinet waived late penalties of RM214 million. 14 progressive payments amounting to RM943 million was paid out to PSC-Naval Dockyard without payment vouchers or relevant documents dealing with the payments. The technical incompetence of PSC-Naval Dockyard to undertake the contract can be confirmed by the fact that PSC had never built anything but trawlers and Police boats before being given the contract by Najib.

Missing Jet Engines Two fighter aircraft engines from the Royal Malaysian Air Force went missing in May 2008. Enough said.

Any individual that is involved in any one of the above truly shameful straight out grab for the Rakyat's money would not be considered for employment at any reputable business entity. In Malaysia he becomes our Prime Minister! Camna ni? Does that not make him an unfit person to be Prime Minister of our country? I rest my case.

Posted by Hussein abdul Hamid

Pua links Utusan’s slide to anti-DAP campaign

By Clara Chooi

December 22, 2010

Pua claims there was a correlation between Utusan’s coverage of DAP and the paper’s drop in sales. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — DAP continued to harangue Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia today, claiming this time that the newspaper’s “obsession” in attacking the opposition party had likely caused its declining circulation.

Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua said in a statement today that there was a significant pattern to Utusan Malaysia’s circulation figures and the increase of its articles on DAP.

“It appears that Utusan is attempting to rationalise its loss of readership due to external factors instead of looking inwards at their incessant racial posturing, outright lies and inflammatory headlines such as ‘Bangkitlah Melayu’ as being the main causes.

“In fact, based on statistics, there is a correlation between the rapidly increasing attacks against the DAP and the rapidly declining circulation of the newspaper,” he said.

Pua pointed out that his theory was proven in how the increase in the number of articles attacking DAP could be matched with the paper’s plummeting circulation.

He claimed that a Google search with the keyword “DAP” in Utusan by year of publication would return 291 results in 2007; 876 in 2008; 12,400 in 2009; and a record 29,800 in this year alone.

“Never before in history has the DAP, a party that Utusan has previously regarded as irrelevant, become the object of obsession to the Umno-owned newspaper,” he said.

Pua also cited a list of examples that he said proved Utusan’s relentless attacks against DAP. Among them were articles like “Muslihat DAP”, “Guan Eng dikecam”, “Umat Islam perlu tolak DAP”, “DAP perkudakan Anwar”, “DAP alat politik negara asing”, “DAP salur maklumat kepada Kuan Yew?”, “DAP gentar dengan 1 Malaysia”, “DAP tiru strategi PAP”, “DAP yang sebenarnya memperalatkan 3R”, “DAP amal politik ala aparteid”, “Kebiadapan Guan Eng”, “Guan Eng semakin bersikap perkauman” and “Guan Eng perlu cermin diri”.

“The above hasn’t taken into account the fact that, for the past year, Utusan has often granted DAP leaders exclusive front-page coverage to (DAP chairman) Karpal Singh, (Serdang MP) Teo Nie Ching and even myself, for daring to suggest that the housing discount for the wealthy Bumiputeras be channelled towards helping the Bumiputera poor,” he said.

Correspondingly, Pua added, the newspaper’s circulation dipped from 256,247 in 2004 to 213,445 in 2006 and 169,548 in 2009.

This, he said, translated to a 33.8 per cent decline in just five years.

Pua also claimed that the newspaper group’s profit before tax had plunged from RM21 million to RM7 million in the past four years.

“It is most laughable when Utusan had to plead to its readers not to boycott the paper due to ‘political sentiments’ and blame Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for its affected business,” said Pua, adding that it was clear that Utusan had shot itself in its own foot.

He also mocked the newspaper for its “biased” stance, claiming that its continued attacks only proved that DAP and PR had made major inroads in proving its competency to the people.

“We have proven that despite having a DAP chief minister in Penang, Malays and Muslims enjoy greater rights and benefits than under a BN administration.

“This is due to a more caring government, which is able to fund its welfare policies through more effective and efficient administration, as well as reducing wastage and corruption through open tenders for all government projects,” he said.

The DAP publicity chief pointed out that Utusan journalist Hata Watahari, in his capacity as the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president, had demanded that the newspaper stopped its “biased” reporting.

Hata, he pointed out, had also claimed that Utusan’s editorial policies infringed journalistic ethics as positive coverage was only given to BN.

“Even the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz had accused Utusan of becoming ‘racist’ in its reporting in September this year,” said Pua.

He added that Utusan was a “proven liar” as even the courts had found the newspaper guilty of defamation, leading to the award of RM120,000 to PAS MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar and RM200,000 to Tegananita director Irene Fernandez in previous cases.

Recently, DAP’s Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng announced that he would be filing a defamation suit against Utusan for allegedly printing “lies” about him and the state administration.

The Umno paper had accused the DAP of being a tool of a foreign government and called for the party to be banned.

It also featured remarks by Umno leaders who, among others, called the DAP the “king of racism”.

“I had on November 1 challenged Utusan to an open debate on its many allegations against the ‘racist’ DAP but its editors chose not to defend their allegations with facts and figures in the open but continued to throw baseless, wild and wicked accusations against the DAP,” Pua said.

‘Third Force’ says no to three-ways

By Debra Chong

December 22, 2010

Haris said MCLM was not set up to split the opposition vote. — Pictures by Jack Ooi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — The Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) last night said it was trying to help the opposition pact regain momentum in the coming elections.

Its president, Haris Ibrahim, moved to quell public scepticism that its independent candidate initiative would cause a vote-split with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and derail the drive to topple the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government.

“This thing about three-cornered fights, we also don’t want,” Haris told a public forum here last night.

“We see it as a major hurdle to taking power in Putrajaya,” he added.

Haris said MCLM had held informal talks with PR leaders, including at the national level, and claimed feedback was positive.

But he admitted they have not spoken to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The lawyer who blogs on the website, the People’s Parliament, explained that MCLM was trying to pressure the PR parties to identify early those they planned to field in the 13th general election and where, so that voters can decide who they wanted to represent them.

Haris said that in the past the parties’ picks would be disclosed only a week before nominations, and sometimes, on the day itself.

“I’ve been told ‘If we disclose too early, BN will come and buy them’,” he related.

He claimed the second reason given for maintaining secrecy over the identities of the candidates was to prevent possible “sabotage” from within the parties, by grassroots’ members who may be dissatisfied with their central leaderships’ choices.

Malik was offered up as MCLM’s first candidate.

Haris said the MCLM will be using PKR’s yardstick to measure the performance of all PR incumbents and will send the reports directly to each party’s top leadership.

The reports will not be made public, he added, to preserve the dignity of the MPs.

“If they are looking for capable replacements [for the incumbents], we will try to assist them with candidates,” Haris said.

He explained that the main idea behind the “third force” was to replace the present batch of self-serving MPs with those the London-based group saw as responsible representatives committed to draw up laws in the public interest.

“We don’t want another frog festival,” he said, reminding the crowd of the five PKR lawmakers who exited the party earlier this year.

Haris told reporters later that MCLM was working on drawing up a contract with the independent candidates to ensure they would not betray the public’s trust.

“We haven’t worked out the details yet, but they may have to pay some kind of compensation if they decide to join a party or whatever,” he said.

The civil society initiative has named lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar and Sreekant Pillai as their two independent candidates to date.

Haris said MCLM is aiming to get 30 people.

He stressed that the independent candidates had each been subjected to a stringent background check by hired private investigators and were required to sign a statutory declaration disclosing all their assets.

The Malaysian Insider understands they have 18 such candidates in their books at the moment.

Student group Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia last night pledged to join the MCLM’s efforts.

Its chief, Shazni Munir Mohd Ithnin, told reporters it was vetting three people as possible candidates.

Haris disclosed that MCLM had failed to draw any women candidates to join its line-up.

“We’ve been asking NGOs for women candidates, but frankly, no one has come forward,” he said.

He sidestepped a question on the poor response from the women rights groups.

“You have to ask the women NGOs. I can’t answer on their behalf,” he replied.

Haris said he personally does not believe in having a “quota system” because “it takes us back to the sectioning of society”.

He also said that the movement had no plans to contest in Sabah and Sarawak, but refused to disclose the constituencies their candidates would run in.

However, he hinted MCLM was looking at certain urban seats in the Federal Territory and Penang.

Haris had earlier named Wangsa Maju and Bayan Baru as examples where PKR may be persuaded to deal.

The incumbent MPs — Wee Choo Keong for Wangsa Maju and Datuk Zahrain Hashim for Bayan Baru — were among the four PKR lawmakers who had quit the beleaguered reform party citing differences with the central leadership. A fifth MP was sacked for breaching party discipline.

Penang to snub snap polls, says DCM

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

December 22, 2010

Mansor said the state government would be able to convince voters if given time. — Picture by Jack Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 22 — The Penang government will only call for state elections in 2013 and no sooner, even if the Najib administration wants to hold general elections next year, said Datuk Mansor Othman

The Penang deputy chief minister said the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government was confident it could woo over even its harshest critics if it was allowed see out its mandate, only scheduled to expire by 2013.

“At the moment we are saying that we may not go along at all with the general election. We are going to carry out the full term. We are sending the signal to them (Barisan Nasional) that we may not want to follow them,” Mansor told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview recently.

The PKR vice-president disclosed that all three PR parties would likely stick to the current seat allocation in the next state elections.

“There will be no seat changes for PAS and PKR... Except a few renegotiations, but most likely status quo,” Mansor said.

The DCM claimed that BN state governments would also not go for snap polls, citing the Perak as an example, where the state has been adamant on not holding state elections despite calls from the PR after BN took over the administration last year.

“I believe that BN will do the same. They postponed [the] Sarawak polls, [and] if they are not scared, they should open up Perak (for elections),” he added.

It is understood that PR remains undecided over whether the four state assemblies under its control should be dissolved in case of snap polls, speculated to be held as early as next year.

Mentris besar and chief ministers can independently advise the state Rulers or governors on when to dissolve their respective state assemblies. The PAS-ruled Kelantan has always followed BN’s timing despite keeping the state since 1990.

The prime minister can also do the same at the national level by obtaining the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. By convention, the general and state elections are held together.

The Malaysian Insider understands that PR leaders who disagreed with simultaneous elections are worried that Kedah might fall to BN in snap polls.

The PAS-led state is said to be the weakest link in the coalition due to under-performance.

Mansor also told The Malaysian Insider earlier that Umno’s regular attacks against the Penang government could cause PR to lose some state seats in the next general elections.

He said that the persistent attacks by Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia have managed to turn urban Malay voters against the Penang administration under Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, whose government controls 29 of the 40 state seats. Umno has the remaining 11 seats.

But Mansor remained optimistic that the attacks against the Lim administration would lessen if the state government was allowed to see out its full term.

According to the politician, Penang was now going into the second phase of its development projects and the completion of that phase would be able to “change” the minds of the state’s harshest critics.

“We are going through a second phase. The first (phase) was when we showed people that we can govern, (as) there was a myth that said we could not govern. In 2009 alone, there was RM88 million in surplus, and this was recognised by Auditor-General’s report and Transparency International.

“It will take some time... if we go into second term, people will be able to see what we are planning to do. This is the second phase, we have to show results. It’s moving on to the second stage, physical projects are coming up... there will be more FDI coming in,” he said.

Mansor said that one of the state administration’s priorities now was to transform Penang into an educational hub and encourage more students to study here.

“Penang used to be the centre of religious studies at one time, we can revive that. In terms of education, we have set up a science council, modelled after San Jose model in California, led by industry players in the private sector. If the education hub is not turned into racial issue, we can engage with good universities to come in,” stressed Mansor.

The Najib administration recently announced that it was going ahead with 10 infrastructure projects in Penang in what the prime minister called encouraging “economic growth in the national interest”, despite being political foes with the Lim state administration.

Jet-setting Najib's trips cost nearly RM9m

By Patrick Lee

KUALA LUMPUR: Since taking over the reins in April, 2009, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has spent nearly RM9 million on foreign trips.

PKR Senator Syed Husin Ali revealed a list containing details of the trips in the Parliament lobby this morning.

The list, provided by the Prime Minister's Deparment, showed that Najib had gone on 42 official trips abroad which cost RM8,724,895.91.

The most expensive of these trips were visits to Japan, the United States and Vietnam. The trips cost RM2,094,635.39 and took place between April 5 and 22 this year.

Najib's first outing overseas was to Thailand on April 10, 2009 – a mere week after he took over from former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. It cost RM78,507.55.

Other notable trips included a nine-day trip to France from Oct 1 to 9 in 2009, where Najib spent a total of RM630,467.

The most expensive trip to a single country took place between Sept 20 and Oct 8 this year, when the premier spent RM1,043,923 in a visit to the US.

He also spent vastly different amounts in two separate trips to Thailand.

In his trip to Thailand from Nov 23 to 25, Najib spent a mere RM3,346.08.

Two weeks later, in his Dec 6 to 10 Thailand trip, he incurred a cost of RM84,572.04.

"I want to know what is the real profit from all these trips overseas, and what is the return from all this expenditure," Syed Husin told the press.

First Lady

The senator also revealed that Najib had spent 274 days out of his 588 days in office (up to Nov 19, 2010) overseas.

This earned considerable ire from Syed Husin, who accused the prime minister of spending half his time overseas, when he should have been taking care of the country's problems.

Asked if he knew the size of Najib's entourage in his overseas trips, Syed Husin he said, "We don't know his (exact) expenses, or the size of his (entourage)."

He also said that the premier brought his wife, Rosmah Mansor, on many of these trips.

However, he could not elaborate which trips were attended by Rosmah.

Meanwhile, the senator also revealed that the three-day First Ladies Summit from Oct 13 incurred expenses of up to RM4.498 million.

The summit was initiated by Rosmah, and saw participation from representatives of 16 countries, including Malaysia.

Syed Husin had asked for a detailed account of the summit's total expenditure. He received a written reply from the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

However, he said that the reply was inadequate as it only showed the total amount, instead of a detailed account.

He also criticised Rosmah for usurping the role of the First Lady, saying that the position was reserved for the Raja Permaisuri Agong.

"What is the basis of giving RM4.5 million to the Najib's wife to have this conference? What about the role of the Raja Permaisuri Agong?" he asked.

Malaysiakinis Newsmaker of 2010: Ibrahim Ali

Ibrahim Ali is Malaysiakinis Newsmaker of 2010

by Hazlan ZakariaThe turbulent waters of 2010 stirred waves, continually shaping and reshaping the shifting sands of Malaysian politics.

A once rising Pakatan Rakyat receded in popularity as the BN tasted victory in three by-elections, continuing to command or buy over popular support, whichever version is to be believed. But these events paled against the exploits of one person who towered over the rest and dominated newsheadlines.

This has undeniably been the darling that none has been able to resist reading about. Independent Pasir Mas parliamentarian Ibrahim Ali has been at the leading edge of the ultra-Malay rights tide as founder of Perkasa.

Pugnacious Super Katak

He may be dubbed a super-katak who is hopping mad, but there is no doubt that the pugnacious Ibrahim is Malaysiakinis Newsmaker of 2010.

Called spirited by some, though others shudder to see the Napoleon complex in him, Tok Him as he is also known has been the X-factor that has made readers go click-crazy and comment-mad.

Much like Shakespeares Richard III, Ibrahim is the villain that everyone loves to hate; one who unashamedly walks the walk and talks the talk.

For all his current cockiness, the man came from humble beginnings. Born on Jan 25, 1951 in Kampung Pasir Pekan in Tumpat, Kelantan, he is the fifth child and eldest boy of 13 siblings. He was favoured if not pampered by his father, a village headman.

A pious mother ensured that Ibrahim was taught Islam and to be committed to it from young. It is the likely source of his professed fervour for the religion.

His father, although uneducated, was an influential man. However, his allowance amounted to a pittance in having to support such a ! large fa mily. Ibrahims childhood was therefore an austere one.

A self-proclaimed pure Kelantanese with a probable dash of Thai in him, Ibrahim grew up with childhood friends who included non-Malays, mostly of Thai origin with a hint of Chinese.

He was in Form Six in 1969 when his father, a staunch PAS supporter, was arrested under the Public Order (Preservation) Act 1958. This helped to shape Ibrahims destiny.

Triple Expletives

Ibrahims first brush with activism and politics began when he entered what is now Universiti Teknologi Mara, but was then known as Institut Teknologi Mara.

Driven by his fathers example, Ibrahim championed the cause of the Malay underdogs. Literally following in his fathers footsteps, he too was incarcerated under the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA).

He shared a cell in Kamunting in 1974 with then student leader Anwar Ibrahim, in the first of two periods of confinement under the preventive detention law.

But Ibrahim soon shaped up and conformed to UMNO, loyally fighting for the party until the fateful split which saw the formation of splinter Semangat 46 (S46).

Ibrahim followed the fading star of then S46 leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, only to be out in the cold when the movement fizzled out.

He later stood under a PAS banner and won the Pasir Mas parliamentary seat for the third time in 2008.

Ibrahim is possibly the only MP who have won the same seat under three different parties UMNO (1986), S46 (1990) and PAS (2008), earning him the super-katakmoniker.

But the prodigal son of PAS did not stay with the Islamic party for long months after reclaiming his Pasir Mas seat, he broke away to become an Independent. Last year, he regained prominence when he founded Perkasaand declared his unadulterated views on Malay rights and supremacy.

Journalists soon learned to dread his prolific text-messages each day, but the public soaked up the vitriol and responded in kind and often not kindly. His pet topic is the New Economic Policy. He was instrumental in organising theBumiputera Economic Congress in May, which successfully pressured the Najib administration into promising protection of the Malays in its New Economic Model.

A month later, Ibrahim was locked in a protracted slanging match with UMNO Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin over a MCA leaders comments on scholarships for bumiputera students. Some argue that Ibrahims pinnacle of achievement was his unbashed triple expletive on global television stationAl-Jazeera. It turned him into the icon for Malay supremacy, even across the seas.

A recent heart attack has not mellowed him. His first act after a medically-imposed hiatus, was to hold a press conference to laugh off the claims of those who said he was in a coma or worse.

Going under the knife has not dulled Ibrahims wit or caustic speech, while therevocation of his datuk-ships from the Kelantan palace has not chastened him either.

Love him or loathe him, it cannot be denied that his month-long silence left an empty space in the public domain. But hes back!

Letter & Opinion From Joe Public

Rosmah's First Ladies Summit cost RM4.5mil....

The recent First Ladies Summit came with a price tag of close to RM4.5 million at the government's expense.The brainchild of the prime minister's wife, Rosmah Mansor, the inaugural summit hosted 15 wives of heads of state from around the world - although mainly from African countries - in Kuala Lumpur in October.

In a written reply to the Dewan Negara today, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil revealed that the total expenditure for the three-day summit came up to RM4,498,949.99.

In response, PKR senator Syed Husin Ali baulked at the figures, claiming that Rosmah is not even the nation's rightful First Lady.

Why is the First Ladies Summit organised by our prime minister's wife when, in our country, the First Lady is the Permaisuri Agong?

This brings into question the basis of giving RM4.5 million to the PM's wife to organise this meet while no role was given to the Permaisuri Agong, he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby this morning. The summit, themed 'A Child Today, A Leader Tomorrow', was aimed at highlighting the need to nurture children who will be future leaders.

'Encroachment by Permata'

During the press conference, Senator Mumtaz Md Nawi from PAS questioned the involvement of the Permata Negara programme - another of Rosmah's initiatives - with different government agencies. We appreciate the concern of anyone in looking after the welfare of children.

"But in a parliamentary democracy, there have to be boundaries in the programmes involving the Women, Family and Community Development, Education, Higher Education, Youth and Sports Ministries and the Prime Minister's Department," said Mumtaz.

This is especially since there has been an announcement that the Permata Negara programme would involve te! enagers. To what end is the power of the Prime Minister's Department or the prime minister's wife being used in outlining a national policy?

Rosmah had said in June that the Education Ministry would be taking over the programme from 2012 when two relevant laws are amended. Permata - which started out as an early childhood learning programme - has also been allocated RM111 million in the 2011 Budget.

'Najib spent half his time overseas'

Meanwhile, Syed Husin noted that premier Najib Abdul Razak has spent more than half of his time in power overseas. Revealing the written reply to him by Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, Syed Husin said that Najib had spent RM8,724,895.91 on his 42 trips abroad over the span of one-and-a-half years.

In the 588 days between April 3, 2009 and Nov 19 this year, Najib had also spent 274 days abroad. Why is he spending so much time overseas when there are a lot of problems in the country, especially at the expense of the taxpayers?" asked Syed Husin.

I want to know what are the benefit and returns of spending so much time and money on travelling so often.

source:malaysiakini

Bukankah bila Rosmah mengistiharkan dirinya sebagai "Wanita Pertama" seolah2 dia telah membelakangkan dan memalukan DYMM Permaisuri Agong. Kalaulah Pakatan Rakyat yang buat begitu Utusan Meloya dan UMNO akan meroyan serata kota dan desa mengheboh "Pakatan menghina Raja2"

RM 4.5 mil bagi wanita2 pertama itu untuk sesi minum teh dan makan kek, memang tak baloi. RM 4,5 juta itu boleh dibelanjakan untuk membina sekolah2 di luar bandar atau membekal air dan elektrik bagi sekolah di kawasan ulu.

Apa guna diadakan mesyuarat khas bagi wanita2 pertama sekiranya hanya nak bincang pasal kepimpinan dan kanak2. Awat ! kempinan Najib tu bermasalah kah? Pasal kanak2 pula,sistem pendidikan kita dah sedemikian di mana mereka mengejar sijil daripada menjadi manusia pintar. Akibatnya ribuan kanak yang tak tahu membaca dan menulis walaupun mereka berada di sekolah menengah.

Patutnya persidangan wanita2 pertama bicang saja tentang masak2an,buat kek dan cara2 melayan suami masing mengikut cara terbaik sekali.....

cheers.
Letter & Opinion From Joe Public