Malaysia reverses move to raise tolls amid protest



The Associated Press



Published: February 28, 2009



KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Malaysia's government has reversed its decision to increase toll rates for five key highways following a public outcry amid an economic slowdown, officials said Saturday.



Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is currently in Thailand for a regional meeting, was quoted by the New Straits Times as saying the toll hike would only add to the people's hardship.



"At a time when we are planning a stimulus package ... to help the people, toll hikes are impractical," Abdullah said in the report. "There was also a lot of resistance."
The government earlier this week announced that tolls would be raised Sunday by up to 50 sen ($0.15) at collection booths on the North-South Highway spanning peninsular Malaysia and four other vital expressways in Kuala Lumpur, the largest city.



But consumer groups, truck and bus associations as well as opposition lawmakers had slammed the move, saying it would burden Malaysians.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was quoted as saying the Cabinet decided Friday to defer the hike in toll rates. Under contractual obligations, the government has to pay 287 million ringgit ($78 million) this year to compensate the companies that maintain and operate the routes, he said.



An aide to Najib confirmed his comments but couldn't give further details.
Malaysia's economy grew 4.6 percent last year, below the government's target of 5 percent. Many economists have predicted a recession this year. The government is to unveil a second stimulus package March 10 to boost growth after a seven billion ringgit ($1.9 billion) injection announced earlier.



The Star newspaper said Abdullah denied the government's move to postpone the toll hikes was due to three by-elections in April, when the National Front ruling coalition hopes to keep a firm majority in parliament.

YANG MENGAKU AHLI PAS KENA TURUN.BEGITU JUGA YANG SELALU LAUNGKAN REFORMASI

Arah Pemuda PAS hadir 'Himpunan Bantah PPSMI' 7 Mac ini


KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Feb (Hrkh) - Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS, Salahuddin Ayub mengarahkan pemuda-pemuda seluruh negara untuk sama-sama menyertai perhimpunan aman membantah PPSMI pada 7 Mac, Sabtu nanti.


Katanya, ahli yang mengaku mereka adalah pemuda PAS haruslah memastikan kehadiran mereka sebagai komitmen terhadap perjuangan mengembalikan serta memartabatkan Bahasa Melayu yang semakin terpinggir akibat dasar PPSMI.


"Kita juga akan memastikan pemuda-pemuda PAS negeri dan kawasan supaya hadir dan menyertai perhimpunan membantah PPSMI itu nanti," katanya semasa dihubungi.
Malah, katanya, antara usaha Pemuda PAS menyokong himpunan 100,000 yang dianjurkan oleh Gerakan Mansuh PPSMI (GMP) iaitu mengadakan 'road show' seluruh negara sebagai penerangan jelas kepada rakyat bawaha dasar itu tidak boleh diteruskan.


Salahuddin juga memberi jaminan, kekecohan tidak mungkin akan berlaku jika tidak ada provokasi oleh pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab.
"Saya jamin perhimpunan itu akan diadakan secara aman dan mereka yang datang tidak akan buat kacau melainkan ada pihak yang sengaja melakukan provokasi," katanya.


GMP yang dipengerusikan bekas ketua pengarah Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP) Dato' Dr Hassan Ahmad yang dianggotai kumpulan NGO, sayap-sayap Pemuda PAS dan KeADILan akan menyerahkan memorandum bantahan PPSMI kepada Agong.- azm/mks.


ADA YANG MASA KEMPEN CEKAK PINGGANG DAN SAMBIL MAKAN ANGIN.....





UMNO YOUTH WEBSITE BROUGHT DOWN BY THE MIGHTY PEN







Filed under: 11:43 Tags:

The Mighty Pen wishes to announce that it has brought down the Umno Youth Main website, and the moment it is operational again later, all its activities will be monitored by our overseas intelligence network on a daily basis.. EARLY ANALYSIS OF THEIR TERRORIST ACTIVITIES POINT TO HINDRAF TARGETTED ACTIVITIES.
DARI NOTO UMNO
The following message has been placed by this Umno Youth website for publicity stunt and lack of readership. It is a terrible pity indeed that this website owner visited The Mighty Pen website more than 40 times today and yet does not learn a lesson. Hey, bloody small fry! You want to take us on! We ask your Najib, Hishammuddin and Khairy to take us on! Not you who is penniless, (sorry penisless!) What “majlis penutup” you are talking about. Can’t you see your masters website “telah pun ditutup.” Please get this into your head, we did not go after them! They came to us! And they paid the price! The price of liberty and freedom that can be dictated only by The Mighty Pen!

Please read the warning of that website here (in Bahasa Malaysia):

The following message has been placed by this Umno Youth website for publicity stunt and lack of readership. It is a terrible pity indeed that this website owner visited The Mighty Pen website more than 40 times today and yet does not learn a lesson. Hey, bloody small fry! You want to take us on! We ask your Najib, Hishammuddin and Khairy to take us on! Not you who is penniless, (sorry penisless!) What “majlis penutup” you are talking about. Can’t you see your masters website “telah pun ditutup.” Please get this into your head, we did not go after them! They came to us! And they paid the price! The price of liberty and freedom that can be dictated only by The Mighty Pen!

Please read the warning of that website here (in Bahasa Malaysia):

ARTICLES 27/02/2009, justice

KELAB BMW UTARA AKTIF-KELAB AKTIF UNTUK AHLI-AHLI












Kelab BMW Utara kini semakin aktif dalam beberapa program.Kelab yang ditubuhkan untuk aktiviti sosial termasuk juga dalam berbagai bidang termasuk juga membincangkan suasana politik negara ini diwakili dari berbagai fahaman politik dan juga latarbelakangbaik profesiaonal dan bukan profesional.Walau berbeza fahaman politik namun ianya tidak menjadi halangan untuk bersama dalam satu kelab.BIMMER UTARA.




HARI INI MEREKA KE IPOH PERAK DAN KE CAMERON HIGHLAND......




Malaysian PM: Push back Rohingya refugees



The Associated Press
Published: February 27, 2009

CHA-AM, Thailand: Malaysia's prime minister has called for Myanmar's Muslim boat people to be pushed back if they attempt to land on any Southeast Asian shores in search of asylum, a newspaper said Friday.

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also took swipes at Myanmar and Thailand on the issue of the Rohingya refugees, which has escalated into a major problem for the region and one of concern internationally.

Thousands of the stateless Rohingya have fled Myanmar as well as refugee camps in Bangladesh in recent years, but their plight was only highlighted recently when hundreds were believed to have drowned after being pushed out to sea by the Thai military.

"But if we cannot be firm we cannot deal with this problem. We have to be firm at all borders. We have to turn them back," Badawi said in an interview with the English-language Bangkok Post.

Badawi was scheduled to arrive at this beach-side resort Friday for the annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a 10-nation bloc with includes Myanmar. The Rohingya issue is expected to be discussed on the sidelines of the three-day conference but is not part of the official agenda.


Thailand has called for a special regional conference on the refugees, who often attempt to land in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
"We feel that they are being pushed onto us instead of Thailand accommodating them somehow," Badawi said who also criticized Myanmar's military regime.

"Of course, we know they come from Myanmar (Burma). When we ask Myanmar, they ask: 'Are you sure they are our people? What evidence have you got?'" he said.
It was unclear from the interview how Bawadi reconciled his call for Thailand to accommodate the refugees while at the same time saying that they should be pushed back from Southeast Asian shores.

The Rohingyas, an ethnic minority not recognized by Myanmar's government, number about 800,000 in that country. Hundreds of thousands have fled to Bangladesh, Malaysia and the Middle East.
"From Thailand they come to us, from us they go to Indonesia. We don't want to be unkind. But the problem has been about people who come to us without permits," Badawi said.
The prime minister said he would be pleased to see international organizations helping to solve the problem.

"They (the organizations) are very concerned and at times they are critical of actions taken by governments," he said.
Human rights groups have been highly critical of Thailand for allegedly abusing groups of Rohingya refugees whose rickety boats reached its shores and then towing them out to sea without adequate provisions or fuel for their craft. Thailand has denied the allegations.

"This is not just Thailand's problem. It's a problem for all the region's countries, whether they are countries of origin, countries of destination or countries of transit," Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has said.


Crunch time for Anwar's coalition


Crunch time for Anwar's coalition
Fri, Feb 27, 2009
The Star/Asia News Network



by Baradan Kuppusamy

ALMOST a year after making huge electoral gains, Malaysia's Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition is facing its most trying time yet. It has been dealt setback after setback this month, sparking division in the ranks and tension in its leadership.

PR has lost one jewel in its crown, Perak, after losing its majority in the state assembly. In Kedah, state minister V.
Arumugam quit amid bigamy allegations, forcing a by-election. Selangor state minister Elizabeth Wong has offered to resign after photos of her semi-naked began circulating.

Meanwhile, Selangor Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim faces a "cows and car" controversy that may lead to charges of abuse of power or corruption.

If he is forced out, naming a new MB will be tricky: All three parties in PR will stake a claim.

Topping the bad news is a surprise by-election in Batang Ai, Sarawak, after the death of an incumbent. It is bad news because it comes at a time when PR supremo Anwar Ibrahim - though gaining popularity in Sarawak - is still unprepared for an acid test, despite repeatedly claiming that he would win the state by next year. It is the key to his hopes of becoming prime minister.

Serious infighting within Sarawak's PR - between Chinese leaders of Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party - is simmering under the surface, and could explode despite constant mediation by Anwar.

The next three months will be long and hectic. Maintaining political momentum will tax Anwar's energies and political skills to the maximum.

He is no stranger to setbacks. His long career, starting from his time as a student rebel in the 1970s, is nothing but a series of great comebacks after serious setbacks.

But across the political divide, Umno is gaining strength and the potential is there for the party to unite again under a new leader: Premier-in-waiting Najib Razak. Let the PR beware.

An opening in cyberspace closes


ASIA HAND



By Shawn W Crispin



BANGKOK - When a state-linked Cambodian Internet service provider (ISP) blocked access this month to a critical non-governmental organization report detailing the government's alleged mismanagement of natural and energy resources, the censorship closed the loop on the region's fast-closing cyberspace. The Cambodian government has prioritized improving its Internet controls and legislation, despite the fact less than 0.3% of the population is online, one of the lowest Internet penetration rates in the world.



The recent bust of an alleged terror plot against the government revealed that authorities had capability to hack intosuspects' - and perhaps perceived other adversaries' - e-mail accounts. It wasn't long ago that Asia's Internet was being heralded as an inexorable force for democratic change across the predominantly authoritarian-run region. Rising Internet penetration rates and the proliferation of websites that provided alternative news and critical views, particularly in countries where the state had long dominated information flows, marked substantial democratic gains.


Across the world, governments are now bidding to claw back those gains and assert tighter control over the Internet through improved surveillance and censorship capabilities. Meanwhile, new laws are granting state authorities in many countries new powers to block and censor online content, often in the arbitrary name of maintaining social order or national security.



The battle for Internet freedom is particularly pitched in Southeast Asia, where even nominally democratic governments are now cracking down on journalists, bloggers and ordinary Internet users. China has emerged as the region's Internet censorship role model, with its successful use of sophisticated filtering and surveillance technologies, widely known as Beijing's "Great Firewall". Those capabilities have been widened through a new government-run computer monitoring information system, known as the "Golden Shield Project". Of the 28 journalists now imprisoned in China, as tallied by the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), 24 of them were charged and sentenced for articles and commentaries they posted online.


In its recently released "Attacks on the Press" compendium, CPJ contends that a growing number of Southeast Asian governments have moved to emulate China's cyber-censorship techniques. The advocacy group argues that as Western nations have moved to engage China's authoritarian regime, several Southeast Asian governments no longer feel obliged to follow through on the democratic reforms - including commitments to Internet freedom - the West had once pressured them to adopt. Those pressures are expected to diminish further as the US looks towards China to help bail-out its bankrupt financial and banking systems through the continued purchase of US treasury bonds.




The US's collapsing demand for regional exports and flagging outward investments is expected to eventually translate into reduced diplomatic clout in Southeast Asia, a retrenchment that will likely enhance China's already rising regional influence.



Long-time US ally Thailand stands as a case in point. The Thai government has launched one of the most aggressive crackdowns on Internet freedom seen anywhere in the world - so far without a peep of dissent from Bangkok's US embassy. The crackdown was presaged by the passage of the 2007 Computer Crime Act, which among other measures made the use of proxy servers to circumvent government blocks on websites an offense punishable by imprisonment. The Information Technology and Communication Ministry has since earmarked millions of dollars to develop and deploy improved firewall technologies and the ministry now maintains an Internet "war room" where officials conduct surveillance over Internet content. The ministry said in early January that it had closed down 2,300 websites for posting materials deemed critical of the Thai royal family.




The Justice Ministry has since indicated it will seek a court order to block another 3,000 to 4,000 sites for the same reason. At least one Thai Internet user is currently in prison for posting materials deemed offensive to the royal crown, and two bloggers were temporarily detained but not formally charged on similar charges in 2007.


Cyber-backslider



Nominally democratic Malaysia is another prominent backslider. The government pledged in 1996 not to censor the Internet to lure foreign funds to the Multimedia Super Corridor project, an ambitious state gambit that aimed to incubate Malaysia's own version of the US's Silicon Valley. The no-censorship policy allowed online news providers and bloggers to report and comment on news that the state-controlled mainstream media either neglected or was instructed from above to ignore.



That commitment was symbolically dropped last year when the government ordered local ISPs to block access to prominent blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today news site, which has a larger readership than several established state-influenced newspapers. He has been charged and detained under both the Sedition and Internal Security Acts for online writings which were critical of the government. According to the CPJ, it's still unclear whether Malaysian authorities have deployed the same type of filtering and monitoring technologies seen in China, but the government is known to monitor Internet content through three different state agencies, including the Prime Minister's Office.




According to e-mail correspondence shared with this correspondent, Raja Petra, now temporarily released on Internal Security Act charges, is under family pressure to flee the country rather than stand trial in Malaysia's politically compromised courts. The situation is worsening in less democratic countries.



Vietnam, known to maintain some of Asia's most extensive Internet controls outside of China, has in recent months moved to introduce more stringent regulations governing bloggers and their postings. Singapore authorities recently harassed an Asia Times Online contributor for a November story that detailed the island state's mounting financial troubles. Police claimed that the article had been sent with added malicious comments to the head of state, opposition politicians and newspapers from the reporter's e-mail account. The reporter denied the charge and police officials later indicated that an unidentified hacker had sent the message from her account. Either way, the reporter has been put on official notice that her online writings and e-mail activities are under surveillance.



Meanwhile, countries as repressive as Myanmar are dedicating significant resources to Internet censorship. The country's technological failure to control the Internet was apparent for all to see when undercover journalists sent footage and reports of the 2007 Saffron Revolution street protests to outside news organizations, forcing the regime to unplug the Internet altogether before its fatal, final crackdown. Still, it's unclear how many undercover journalists the authorities have been identified and jailed as part of their wider crackdown on dissent.



There are indications that Myanmar authorities have since received censorship training from Russian and Chinese officials. Some contend that this explains the mysterious distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on a number of exile media groups' websites last year. Soe Myint, editor of the New Delhi-based Mizzima News, said during a recent presentation in Chiang Mai that the cost to effectively protect his website from future DDoS attacks is beyond his news organization's financial means. Despite these growing attacks, there is some cause for hope. Human rights organizations, investors and several prominent US Internet companies, including Yahoo!, Google and Microsoft, agreed in a joint initiative last October to follow guidelines to protect online expression and privacy when faced with repressive government requests for user identities or assistance in blocking targeted websites.



Meanwhile, some regional media groups have received foreign assistance to locate their servers anonymously and remotely in second countries to guard against future DDoS attacks. And ever-evolving proxy server and other roundabout firewall technologies continue to put Internet users in countries as isolated as Myanmar a step ahead of government censors. Yet even with those agreements and technologies, Asia's Internet is a substantially more dangerous space than it was previously.



Southeast Asian governments are now responding with bigger budgets and heavier hands to the technological and political challenge presented by online expression. Under that mounting assault, previous high hopes for the medium's democracy-promoting potential have in large measure faded.




Shawn W Crispin is Asia Times Online's Southeast Asia Editor and Asia Program Consultant to the Committee to Protect Journalists. He may be reached at swcrispin@atimes.com. (Copyright 2009 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)







Anwar fails to stop trial from being moved to High Court




updates




The High Court said it had the power to revise a decision of a subordinate court. -The Star/ANN -
Thu, Feb 26, 2009The Star/Asia News Network



KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA : PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim suffered a setback when he failed to stop the prosecution from pursuing a revision to have his sodomy trial moved to the High Court.



The High Court yesterday dismissed Anwar's preliminary objection against the prosecution's application to have the Court revise the Sessions Court's decision to hear Anwar's case at the higher court.



Justice Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, in delivering his decision, said under the Criminal Procedure Code, the High Court had the power to revise a decision of a subordinate court, and that the preliminary objection was premature.
"The preliminary objection is dismissed,' he said, adding that the prosecution could present their submissions on their revision application.



Anwar is on trial for allegedly sodomising his former aide Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan in Bukit Damansara on June 26, last year.
On Nov 7, Sessions Court Judge S.M. Komathy Suppiah ruled that a transfer certificate signed by Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail was invalid.



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had earlier given an assurance that Abdul Gani and Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan would not be involved in Anwar's second sodomy trial because Anwar claimed they had tampered with the evidence in his first sodomy trial 11 years ago.



However, Solicitor-General II Datuk Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden submitted that the Sessions Court had refused to transfer the case despite the law clearly stating that the Attorney-General had the power to transfer cases.



To make it worse, he said, the Sessions Court had conferred on an application that the Attorney-General's certificate was not valid, which is beyond her (Komathy's) jurisdiction.
In his rebuttal, Anwar's lead counsel Sulaiman Abdullah said the Attorney-General held office at the pleasure of the Agong, which meant that he was subordinate to the executive.



"The Prime Minister was under urge to take executive action against the Attorney-General by promising that he would not be involved.



"This is not a normal case. The validity of the certificate is questioned not because of lack of power but because the person who signed it has been disqualified," he argued.
Earlier, Sulaiman withdrew the application to disqualify Mohd Yusof Zainal from the case, after the latter filed an affidavit stating that he had never seen Anwar's investigation papers on the "black-eye" incident 11 years ago.



On Feb 5, Anwar applied to the High Court to disqualify Mohd Yusof, claiming he was involved in the "black-eye" case as he was a representative for the Attorney-General Chambers then.
Sulaiman said that based on the affidavit, the defence no longer had grounds to disqualify the Solicitor-General.

Teachers going mad teaching ects in English, claims rep

updates.11.15

TAIPING: Some Malay teachers in Bagan Serai are “going mad” as they cannot handle teaching Mathematics and Science subjects in English, claimed a state assemblyman .
Dr Khalil Idham Lim Abdullah (Titi Serong) said the teachers themselves had to take English classes to improve their command of English.


While they are still grappling with the language, they are required to teach their students as well, said Khalil, who was chairman of the Perak Backbenchers Club in the former Pakatan Rakyat-led state government.


“The teachers themselves have a poor command of English. How do we expect them to teach their students?” he asked in his speech after a briefing on the subject at the state PAS headquarters in Jalan Air Kuning on Tuesday.


Some teachers, he said, “have simply gone crazy” because of this, likening the matter to the blind leading the blind. He claimed the minimum passing mark for both subjects were lowered to ensure that only a rosy picture was painted of the move.


Earlier, the gathering was told by Malaysian Translators Association president Associate Prof Abdullah Hassan that a big gathering is scheduled to be held in front of Istana Negara at 2pm on March 7 to protest against the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English.


Prof Abdullah said the argument that the usage of English would provide better job opportunities could only hold water if there were plenty of job openings.

SPRM MATI DI HARI ‘RASMI’ KELAHIRANYA

.Rabu, 25 Februari 2009 • Kategori: Nasional, Rencana






Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia secara rasminya telah di rasmikan ‘kelahiranya’ oleh YAB Perdana Menteri Malaysia pada 24 Febuari 2009, di PWTC, Kuala Lumpur.
Namun meneliti beberapa perkembangan serius mutaakhir ini maka dengan ini bagi kami Anak Muda Malaysia mengistiharkan bahawa SPRM sudah mati rohnya di hari ‘rasmi’ kelahiranya.
Gendang perang rasuah yang dipalu kerajaan ’sejak berundurnya Dr. Mahathir’ amat menarik dan ramai mula bernafas lega. Namun sejak gendang itu dipalu seolah tiada tindakan konkrit sehinggalah Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) ditukar kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) diwujudkan.



Walaupun SPRM gagal menjawab dua persoalan penting yang menjadi punca utama kelemahan BPR iaitu

masih tidak bebas semua lantikan dan kenaikan pangkat masih dibawah ketiak Perdana Menteri seharusnya diletakkan terus di bawah Parlimen Malaysia untuk menjamin kebebasan.
masih terikat iaitu tidak punya kuasa pendakwaan. Maknanya kejadian siasatan keatas menteri boleh disiapkan namun tidak boleh didakwa kerana Peguam Negara mendapat arahan dari atas boleh berulang.


Namun ramai yang masih cuba melihat positif. Saya sendiri telah menjadi individu pertama menghantar laporan beserta bukti rasuah kepada SPRM pada hari pertama kewujudanya. Sememangnya laporan ini bertujuan menguji sejauh mana efisyensi SPRM yang menggunakan buget wang rakyat yang jauh lebih banyak dari BPR.


Namun setelah namun setelah hampir masuk bulan ketiga langsung tiada khabar dari laporan yang mengandungi bukti dan kes rasuah yang amat mudah diselesaikan itu. Ada maklumat dalaman yang diperolehi ada antara kes yang dihantar tersebut ditutup begitu sahaja. Malah jauh dari itu SPRM kelihatan lebih berminat bertindak berdasarkan kepentingan politik pihak tertentu.


Kes 110 orang pegawai SPRM telah menahan ahli Puteri Umno di bahagian Jempol, lalu sesi soal siasat dijalankan di sebuah hotel murah di Bahau. Ahli Puteri ini yang dikerutung oleh 10 lelaki pegawai SPRM tanpa ditemani sesiapa ketakutan dan dipaksa menandatangani surat akuan palsu bahawa dia menerima rasuah. Selepas perkara ini terdedah Setiausaha KEADILAN Rembau telah membuat laporan polis sebaliknya SPRM telah membuat laporan balas dan mengugut untuk saman. Kes ini disenyapkan begitu sahaja.


Kes 2Seorang AJK Umno Bahagian Temerloh telah diseksa ‘ala siksaan Abu Gharib’ untuk mendapatkan tandatanganya dalam satu akuan ‘palsu’ yang mengakui dia menerima wang dari seorang pemimpin Umno
Setelah diselidiki dua kes ini bukan kes terpencil. Banyak kes hampir berlaku lagi namun ahli Umno yang ‘terkena’ takut untuk tampil ke depan. Perkembangan ini membuktikan SPRM kelihatan seronok diperkudakan oleh kumpulan politik tertentu untuk mencapai kehendak politik mereka.



Dalam perkembangan antara parti pula SPRM jelas menjalankan kerja politik bagi pihak Bn.Kes aSeorang ahli KEADILAN bahagian Kuala Pilah pilah telah ditangkap ekoran laporan Ahli Parlimen Kuala Pilah. Kononya dia yang bekerja sebagai budak pejabat di sebuah institusi kewangan menawarkan jumlah wang mencecah jutaan ringgit untuk memujuk ahli parlimen Kuala Pilah untuk keluar Bn. Ahli KEADILAN yang ditahan ketika bekerja di pejabatnya ini dibawa ke Pejabat SPRM Seremban untuk sesi soal siasat. Namun amat menyedihkan sesi soal siasat ini bertukar menjadi sesi brain wash atau turn over dimana Pegawai Penyiasat menyerang peribadi Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.


Kes bDalam isu hangat bertukar parti akhir - akhir ini, Ketua Pengarah SPRM secara tiba - tiba mengeluarkan kenyataan berminat untuk menyiasat ADUN Bota apabila beliau mengistiharkan masuk KEADILAN (walaupun tanpa ada laporan). Namun apabila 4 ADUN Pakatan Rakyat masuk Bn, SPRM seolah seronok dengan perkembangan tersebut dan tidak pun keluar kenyataan minat untuk siasat.


Kes c dan seterusnya berkaitan dengan ratusan malah mungkin mencecah ribuan laporan yang dibuat beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini kepada BPR dan kini di bawa kehadapan atas nama SPRM mengenai salahguna kuasa pemimpin politik Bn mahupun pegawai tinggi kerajaan. Namun seolah tiada tindakan diambil. Saya pernah menghantar semula kertas siasatan dimana BPR pernah menyelesaikan kertas siasatan dengan mendapati 2 menteri bersalah kerana rasuah namun BPR sendiri dalam kertas siasatan yang sama menyarankan agar pendakwaan tidak dilakukan jika menteri tersebut meletakkan jawatan dalam kerajaan dan parti politik. Nampaknya SPRM juga gagal berbuat apa-apa ke atas kertas siasatan tersebut.


Laporan kes penglibatan Peguam Negara dan Ketua Polis negara mereka bukti (palsu) dalam kes Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim juga gagal disiasat. Kes Pita Linggam SPRM diamkan. Malah dalam kes melibatkan Ketua Hakim Negara, Tun Zaki, SPRM langsung tidak menunjukkan minat walaupun YB Karpal Sigh telah mendedahkan bukti rakaman suara Tun Zaki mengaku menerima rasuah.



Pendedahan terbaru Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di parlimen juga memeranjatkan dimana beliau punya bukti bahawa SPRM punya bukti dan tangkapan ketika urusan rasuah dijalankan oleh Bn Kedah ketika sedang dalam operasi membeli ADUN (KEADILAN) Kulim.


Di Selangor tentu ramai yang mempertikaikan kerajaan PAKATAN kerana sebelum PRU 12, terlalu banyak tuduhan rasuah ke atas Khir Toyo tetapi selepas Khir Toyo tumbang sebagai MB kenapa tiada pendakwaan? Untuk pengetahuan semua Khir masih selamat kerana dilindungi aparat kerajaan seperti SPRM. Selepas kalah polis mengepung bangunan yang menempatkan SUK dan Pejabat MB Selangor untuk operasi musnahkan dokumen. Laporan rasuah telah dibuat bukan dalam satu isu tetapi berpuluh isu ke atas Khir Toyo namun SPRM kelihatan mandul.
Jika BPR kelihatan sebagai kuda tunggangan Bn tapi kini SPRM ini kelihatan bukan setakat jadi kuda tetapi kelihatan seronok dan bersungguh untuk jadi kuda terbaik kumpulan politik tertentu dalam Bn.


Sehubungan dengan itu, atas nama Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia, sebuah badan gabungan ‘tanpa ikatan’ yang menggabungkan anak muda Malaysia yang mempunyai cita - cita perubahan (tanpa kira latar politik, kaum dsb) hadir di depan Ibupejabat SPRM Putrajaya ini bagi tujuan memprotes dan memberi amaran kepada SPRM. Di istiharkan juga hari ini kewujudan SPRM hanya membazirkan wang rakyat, memalukan negara dan lebih baik di tutup sahaja jika dua tuntutan rakyat tidak dilaksanakan.


Letakkan SPRM terus dibawah Parlimen dan semua lantikan dibuat dibawah cadangan Parlimen kepada DYMM Yang Di Pertuan Agong.

Setelah SPRM bebas berikan kuasa penyiasatan, tangkapan, penguatkuasaan dan pendakwaan penuh dibawah SPRM

Kemuncak himpunan ini akan dibakar ’salinan’ laporan dan bukti - bukti rasuah yang pernah dihantar kepada Polis, SPRM / BPR. Ini sebagai menifestasi rakyat Malaysia hilang harapan terhadap SPRM. SPRM lebih baik tidak wujud kerana kewujudanya selain membazirkan ratus juta wang negara, ia juga akan menjadikan Malaysia sebagai bahan tawa dunia. Biar dunia mentertawakan SPRM tetapi bangga melihat kebangkitan anak muda Malaysia.


Ini bukan kegiatan ganas tetapi amaran keras dari anak muda Malaysia.



Badrul Hisham Shaharin

Civil society joint statement: 25st February2009

Civil society joint statement: 25st February 2009
A
Malaysian Position on Democratic Government and Constitutional Monarchy




We, the undersigned Malaysian civil society organizations and individual citizens express here our gravest concern on the Constitutional crisis in Perak – and potentially elsewhere – where parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy are threatened by defections of elected representatives and attempt to illegally sack the democratically-elected government. We hold the following principles and practices as self-evidently essential to the healthy functioning of parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy.


Voters are the only legitimate force to decide the parties represented in the Parliament or a State Legislative Assembly. If an elected representative resigns from the party s/he represented in election, voters must be given a chance to re-express their mandate. This can be done through the provisions for "recall elections" as in Canada where election can be held for a constituency if 40% of the registered voters in the last election sign petition to recall the representative for whatever reasons. Two ballots will be cast in such elections. If more than 50% of voters vote "yes" in the first ballot to recall the representative, then the top amongst candidates on the second ballot will be elected as the replacement.


Meanwhile, the current prohibition of resigned incumbents from re-running elections for the next five years, in Article 48(6) of the Federal Constitution and state constitutions, should also be repealed. To oust a government, a vote of no-confidence must be carried out on the floor of Parliament or State Legislative Assembly where debates and deliberation may take place. Whether or not permissible by the letter of law, audience with the Ruler or statutory declarations cannot be the substitute of a formal no-confidence vote. If an important government bill is defeated, which has the similar effect of a no-confidence vote, the speaker must allow the executive to table a motion of confidence to ascertain the intention of the Parliament/State Legislative Assembly, if it so wishes.



When a government seeks to dissolve the Parliament or State Legislative Assembly after suffering a vote of no-confidence or losing a vote of confidence, the Ruler or Governor should not withhold his consent unless in very justifiable exceptions. In the logic of parliamentary democracies, the legislative uses no-confidence vote to check the executive which may then counter-check the legislative by seeking a new mandate at the polls. Arbitrary withholding of the royal/gubernatorial consent therefore damages the balance in the system's separation of power. As Sultan Azlan Shah rightly argued, "under normal circumstances, it is taken for granted that the Yang diPertuan Agong would not withhold his consent to a request for the dissolution of Parliament.


His role is purely formal." Based on these principles, we hold that in Perak

1. As no vote of no-confidence has been passed by the Perak State Legislative Assembly, YAB Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar and his Executive Council are the only legitimate government of the State of Perak.


2. The appointment of the second state government is ultra-vires and the use of police and other state apparatus to protect this illegitimate state government hurt both parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy in Perak.


3. The dissolution of the Perak State Legislative Assembly and the conduct of a fresh election are the only constitutional, democratic and politically sensible way for Perak to come out of the deepening crisis.



We call upon all Malaysians to express support to the above position to affirm parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. We must work together so that good sense may prevail in the palace, amongst the political elites and the general public. Returning to democratic and constitutional principles is the only way out to ensure political stability and political will to stay focused and deal with the imminent economic recession.

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公民社会团体联合文告: 25st February 2009


马来西亚人民对于议会民主和君主立宪的立场 我们,签署这文告的大马的公民社会团体,欲借此声明表达我们对霹雳州宪政危机最深切的关注。那些跳巢的民选议员和使用非法途径解散民主选出的政府的举动,已经严重侵蚀我国的议会民主和君主立宪制度。 我们认为唯有坚持以下的原则和实践,才是良好的议会民主和君主立宪制度。 选民是唯一能够决定,在州议会或国会中代表他们的政党。如果一个民选的议员要从他或她的政党中辞职,选民应该有机会重新表达他们的委托。这可以透过要求选举的规定,例如在加拿大,只要有40%的上届合法选民联名签署提出要求,就可以重新选举。选民在该选举中可以投两张票。如果第一张票,有超过50%的选民认为"可以撤换"该议员;那在第二张选票中得票最高的候选人,就会被宣布成为当选的议员。另一方面,目前在《联邦宪法》中,禁止辞职的议员在五年内不得重新参选的条文,也应该被废除。 要撤换民选政府的唯一途径,就是在国会或州议会中进行不信任动议的辩论和投票。无论是统治者会面的结果或者任何宣誓书,是不能取代正式的不信任动议投票。如果执政政府的一项重要议案在议会中被否决了,它也具有如投不信任票类似的效果,议长应该允许内阁(行政权)进行信任动议的辩论和投票。 当执政政府被投不信任动议获得通过后,或信任动议不被通过后,要解散国会或州议会时,统治者在一般的情况先是不会不御准,除非是有强而有理的理由。在议会民主的逻辑下,立法权用不信任动议来检验行政权,而行政则会通过重新选举寻求委托,制衡立法权的决定。皇室或统治者任意的不御准解散州议会,将会破坏三权分立的制度。苏丹阿兹兰莎曾表示,"在正常的情况下,最高元首是不会拒绝御准解散国会的要求。他的角色是中立的。" 谨以上述的原则,我们认为在霹雳州:

1. 既然没有在霹雳州议会中,通过不信任动议;那么拿督斯里尼查和他的行政议员,依然是唯一的合法政府。

2. 越权委任的第二任州政府,和动用警察及其他州机构来保护这非法的州政府,是严重破坏了霹雳州的议会民主和君主立宪制度

3. 解散霹雳州州议会和进行选举,是唯一可以让霹雳州走出宪法危机、符合民主和通情达理的方法。 我们呼吁所有的马来西亚人支持以上的声明,以捍卫议会民主和君主立宪制。



无论在政治精英和普罗大众之间,我们必须同心合力维护这议会民主和君主立宪制的精神。还政于民和符合宪法原则,是唯一保障政治稳定的方法和要专注处理逼近的经济衰退的政治意愿。




Signed by:
Alaigal
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)
Citizen Think Tank
Civil Rights Committee of the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH - CRC)
Civil Society Initiative (CSI)
Coaliation Against Water Privatisation (CAWP)
Community Development Centre (CDC)
Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT)
LLG Cultural Development Centre
Malaysia Youth and Students Democratic Movement (DEMA)
Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN)
Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)
Persatuan Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS)
Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan (PERMAS)
Persatuan Sahabat Wanita, Selangor (PSWS)
Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM)
Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)
Tenaganita
Women's Aid Organisation (WAO)
Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)

JARINGAN RAKYAT TERTINDAS( JERIT)

Rabu 2/2/2009


Perbicaraan pelajar UUM Choo Kok Wei yang didakwa dibawah AUKU telah ditangguhkan oleh pihak universiti kepada satu tarikh yang belum diketahui. Ini adalah akibat tekanan yang tinggi yang diterima oleh pihak universiti dari semua pihak. Syabas kepada anda semua dan Choo Kok Wei yang berani memperjuangkan hak.

Terima kasih kepada sokongan solidariti dari semua.


Salam Perjuangan Sekretariat JERIT

Malaysia: Chinese party rattled again by sex tape



KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — A videotape showing a top ethnic Chinese politician engaging in illegal sex acts has resurfaced in Malaysia, causing a rift in his party that could rock the ruling coalition, already severely weakened by electoral losses.A split in the Malaysian Chinese Association party, the second biggest component of the ruling National Front coalition, bodes ill for the government whose popularity has plummeted in recent months. It retained power with an unconvincing victory in the March 2008 general elections.
The fighting is between MCA president Ong Tee Keat and his deputy and rival, Chua Soi Lek, who has acknowledged being the person in the videotape that first surfaced in 2007 showing him having sex with a woman other than his wife.At the time, it was generally acknowledged — and ignored — that Chua had engaged in oral sex, which is illegal in Malaysia. Chua resigned as health minister, and the controversy died.
Chua then staged a surprise comeback, being elected the party's deputy president in October.However, earlier this month, a man who claimed he had received fresh copies of the video filed a police complaint against Chua for having oral sex. Police were compelled to open an investigation.Ong, who is also transport minister, has refused to back Chua, his rival for authority in the party."You think we should support something that is against the law?" he said. "What is there to argue about and blame the whole world except yourself?"On Monday, police questioned Chua for allegedly committing an illegal sex act, or "carnal intercourse against the order of nature," which is punishable by up to 20 years jail in prison.Chua — without blaming Ong directly — has indicated he is a victim of a political conspiracy."I strongly feel that there is an attempt by some quarters to revise these DVD tapes to continue to discredit me, to threaten and cow me into silence," Chua wrote on his blog Tuesday.
He could be suspended from the party by its disciplinary board."It's the start of a very bad fight," Ooi Kee Beng, a political analyst at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, said Wednesday. He said some MCA members may even defect to the opposition, further reducing the narrow parliamentary majority of the coalition."One can imagine a scenario where the MCA would split. This would jeopardize the National Front," he told The Associated Press.
The National Front's main component, the United Malays National Organization party, has also been racked by a leadership struggle between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and dissidents. As a result, Abdullah will step down and hand over power to his deputy, likely on March 31.The MCA is the second biggest party after UMNO in the National Front. The coalition is made up of 13 parties that represent the various ethnic groups in the country's 27 million people — Malays who are 60 percent, Chinese who are 25 percent, Indians who are 7 percent and others. - Ap

NGO'S BAKAR REKOD SERAHAN LAPORAN RASUAH YANG DI KETEPIKAN



Para pejuang NGO's hari ini membakar kotak-kotak yang dikatakan salinan kepada beberapa puluh laporan yang di buat terhadap beberapa pimpinan kepada BPR dan kini Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah bagi di siasat,namun semuanya hanya kosong belaka.Tidak ada satu pun yang disiasat dan diambil tindakan.

Ianya di ketuai oleh Badrul Hisham atau Cikgu Bard bersama SAMM(Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia)yang membakar lebih dari 4 kotak yang berisi laporan rasuah sejak dari tahun 1990 lagi.

Ekoran tindakan pantas SPRM yang akan menyiasat kes Tan Sri Khalid berhubung dengan 43 ekor lembu dan kereta yang di gunakan, SPRM menunjukkan kesungguhan yang luar biasa untuk menyiasat.




Adakah tindakan ini dilihat oleh anak-anak muda bahawa aspirasi yang dicitakan dengan penubuhan SPRM ini adalah bertujuan menjadi alat kepada pemerintah????Jika aspirasi anak muda menilai maka yang disalahkan ialah pemerintah sendiri. Maka kerana itu Umno/Bn harus berani keluar dari tanggapan negatif ini atau mereka hanya bergantung kepada institusi ini untuk membiarkan generasi muda menilai mereka sebagai mengarut dan tidak akan berubah selamanya ...menjauhkan mereka dari parti tersebut.Inilah yang di bincangkan di dalam debat semalam antara Tan Sri Rahim Tambi Chik dan juga Dato Seri Syed Hamid Albar....Maka kerana itulah ianya harus berubah......ini saranan Dato Seri Syed Hamid.Umno harus berubah.....namun SPRM akan membuatkan anak-anak muda menyatakan pendirian mereka bahawa adalah tidak mungkin Umno berubah jika inilah tindakannnya.

Apa pandangan anak muda???

1.kes yang dilaporkan tidak diendahkan malah tidak disiasat.

2. Siasatan terpilih dan contoh terkini ialah kes Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim VS Khir Toyo

3.Menyalahkan Umno kerana dilihat menguasai institusi seperti SPRM walau pun ianya bukan perbuatan Umno...jika ini benar.

PAK SAMAD NAFI DI PENGARUHI-TAK KAN SATERAWAN TERSOHOR BOLEH DIPENGARUHI KAN????


PPSMI: Samad Said nafi diperalat pembangkang

25/02/2009 1:07pm

KOTA BAHARU 25 Feb. — Sasterawan Negara Datuk A. Samad Said menafikan dirinya telah diperalat pembangkang dalam usahanya memperjuang Bahasa Melayu dalam isu Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI) yang digunakan sekarang.

Beliau berkata kehadirannya dalam beberapa siri ceramah pembangkang itu tidak seharusnya disalah anggap oleh masyarakat kerana apa yang penting adalah memperjelas kepada umum dalam isu tersebut.

“Bagi saya adalah halal untuk saya bercakap mengenai Bahasa Melayu yang saya perjuangkan tidak kira di pentas politik mana sekali pun.

“Umur saya sudah 76 tahun dan sudah sampai masanya saya memperjuangkan bahasa ibunda saya sebelum hilangnya Bahasa Melayu di muka bumi,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas Majlis Sembang Pagi Bersama Sasterawan Negara di Institut Pendidikan Guru Malaysia Kampus Kota Baharu di sini, hari ini. - Bernama

GUAN ENG SAMAN UTUSAN-KHALID SAMAN KHIR TOYO



Guan Eng Ketua menteri Pulau Pinang nekad akan menyaman hero Umno Pulau Pinang iaitu Shahbudin Yahya yang masih memegang tampuk YDP Majlis Agama Islam Pulau Pinang walau pun Umno telah tewas di negeri tersebut.Kini beliau bakal di saman bersama akhbar Utusan Malaysia kerana memfitnah ketua menteri tersebut dengan alasan mendapat maklumat yang tidak sahih kononnya kerajaan negeri telah menubuhkan suruhanjaya antara agama.Saya akan tetap meyaman Utusan dan juga Shahbudin kerana mereka menuduh dengan cara keterlalauan dan tanpa bukti.

Manakala Khalid Ibrahim menteri besar selangor pula akan mendedahkan tentang akaun 17 juta yang dikatakan diterima Khir Toyo." Apa yang menghairankan, Resolusi Pengarah PNSB bertarikh 14 September 2007 hanya meluluskan pembelian lima unit kediaman berjumlah RM8,352,427.66 sedangkan rekod PNSB menunjukkan sejumlah RM25,603,545 telah dibayar ke akaun individu di Arab Saudi dari 17 September hingga 19 September 2007."


Menurut kenyataan yang dikeluarkan Sekretariat Akhbar Menteri Besar Selangor, 24 Februari lalu, kesemua transaksi dibuat atas nama Mohd Khir selaku Pengerusi PNSB atas alasan Arab Saudi hanya membenarkan hartanah di Makkah dibeli oleh individu muslim.

Malaysian government says no to Race Relations Act


Turkmenistan News.NetTuesday 24th February, 2009 (IANS)




The government of multi-ethnic Malaysia Tuesday rejected a proposal for a Race Relations Act, saying it preferred to review existing laws that 'are enough to keep the peace'.Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmed Badawi's government said there was no need for a Race Relations Act 'because current legislations are enough to tackle issues related to race relations and unity', NST Online reported.



Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Deputy Minister Teng Boon Soon said despite calls from various quarters to institute a Race Relations Act, the government felt that current laws are enough to ensure peace.Among the laws are the Sedition Act, Internal Security Act and the Printing and Printing Presses Act.The stringent laws, according to the opposition parties and human rights bodies, are used to suppress criticism and dissent, in action, speech and in print.'It is better for the government to study existing provisions and update them rather than coming up with a new act,' he said in parliament.




The minister said to overcome racial religious issues, 'unity values should be emphasised and this can be done via education'.Malaysia is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious society that has majority Muslim Malays, and an estimated 33 percent Chinese and eight percent Indians who follow different faiths.




Like a recent survey that blamed the political parties and politicians for racial and religious disputes, the minister said: 'One of the main problems on unity nowadays stem from politicians.'Everyone should be more sensitive and stop making fiery statements that could affect racial-religious sentiments,' the web site of New Straits Times quoted him as saying.





PERAK WOMEN FOR WOMEN (PWW) MENYOKONG ELIZEBETH


To our dearest sister and friend, Elizabeth Our reason for writing is for several reasons. First and foremost to say thank you. Thank you for being YOU. Thank you for having the courage to follow your purpose. Thank you for making us proud of our gifts of womanhood. We all know about the painful ordeal you are going through. We deeply feel the pain and agony you are feeling.



The fact that you’ve been through all that and have not let it get in your way is such an inspiration to all of us! Bravo to you ! We just want you to know that should the critiscm get thick again…(and we will be awfully surprised if it doesn’t…) that for every one of those people who are naysayer, there are many more that support you with love and respect.


Our voices may not always be heard over the blazing negativity of the controlled media..but when you go into your heart..in that moment of stillness you will hear the angels singing your praise and our thanks. You have given so much to so many over in your service as ADUN and as well as EXCO. Our way of giving back to you is to offer you our loving support and prayers. For you are our sister and we are all with you 100% .



We the women of Perak pledge our undying love and support to you!




With deepest and warmest LOVE.




NIZAR PINDAH ..........LAWAN TETAP LAWAN


"Hari ini, kalau kami nak gulingkan kerajaan baru pun sudah boleh...tetapi kita ini ikut undang-undang dan peraturan. Bukan macam mereka merampas dengan cara penuh jijik.

"Mereka lupa, kuasa besar dan tinggi yang BN pernah berikan kepada Speaker 50 tahun dahululah kita guna balik ikut peraturannya," kata Nizar dengan penuh semangat sambil menggesa para pengundi menolak Umno dan BN dalam pilihan raya yang akan datang.
"Saya masih menyimpan Watikah yang sah, yang tidak pernah pun dibatalkan oleh sesiapa. Watikah itu di atas lantikan Sultan dan disaksikan sendiri oleh Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi," katanya yang merupakan Adun Pasir Panjang.
"Umno penakut. Takut kalah macam di Permatang Pauh dan Kuala Terengganu sebab itu mereka rampas kuasa.

"Kami anak jantan, sangup berdepan dengan mereka dengan apa jua keadaan pun!"
Beliau menjelaskan jawatannya itu akan terbatal atau terlucut hanya melalui tiga cara iaitu, Perletakan jawatan secara sukarela, Pembubaran DUN dan Undi tidak percaya ke atas dirinya.

Artikel dalam blog MYKMU yang dituduh menghasut...

DAULAT TUANKU! DAULAT TUANKU! DAULAT TUANKU


Ampun Tuanku Beribu Ampun,Adalah menjadi harapan patik-patik sekalian rakyat jelata agar Tuanku Sultan Perak mengambil tindakan segera ke atas Speaker Dewan Undangan Negeri Perak dan mereka yang bersama beliau menggantung Menteri Besar Perak dan Barisan EXCOnya dari menghadiri sidang DUN Perak.


Tidak pernah ada dalam sejarah orang Melayu ada manusia bukan Melayu boleh membuat keputusan bawa barang sesiapa yang hadir Majlis Tuanku Raja Melayu sebagai satu tindakan menghina negeri jajahan takluk tuanku sendiri.Jika zaman dahulu orang seperti Sivakumar ini sudah lama dibunuh oleh Laksamana Melayu. Hari ini orang Melayu sudah menjadi bacul-sebaculnya. Tidak pernah dalam sejarah Melayu pembesar Melayu mengangkat sembah kepada bukan Melayu, hari ini sudah berlaku di DUN Perak dan Selangor.


Ampun Tuanku Beribu Ampun, Sembah Patik Harap DiampunSejak April 2008, cacing sudah menjolok mata. Apakah Tuanku ingin membiarkan cacing ini terus bermaharajalela tanpa batasan? Pada hemat patik pacal yang hina, sudah tiba masanya Tuanku menintahkan hukuman buang negeri ke atas sekumpulan bukan Melayu yang merasakan mereka sekarang raja di Perak.


Jangan terus berdiam diri, patik khuatir suatu hari nanti nasi sudah menjadi bubur, tragedi Kuala Sepetang berulang lagi. Nyahkan Sivakumar dan mereka yang terbabit membuat keputusan kononnya menghadiri majlis tuanku satu kesalahan keluar dari negari Perak Darul Ridzuan. Apakah guna seorang rakyat negeri tuanku jika majlis tuanku pun dianggap haram dan hina?

Cukuplah orang Melayu menjadi bacul jangan sampai penaung orang Melayu pun dilihat tiada bertaring.Ampun Tuanku, sembah patik harap diampun!Sembah dari Rakyat Marhaen

EDITOR MYKMU

Video contribution by John Motes, ICFJ-Malaysiakini citizen journalist trainee.

ALIRAN MEDIA WORKSHOP

ALIRAN is pleased to announce a one-day Media Awareness Workshop: Media, Democracy and Human Rights Sunway Hotel, George Town , Penang Saturday,7th March 2009 from 8.30am -5.30pm, sponsored by the Canadian High Commission.
The workshop is primarily for young people, from upper secondary schools and colleges and higher learning institutions, given that this is the generation that is most exposed to and influenced by the media in their daily lives.
The workshop aims to raise the level of awareness of participants in 3 areas
· the various aspects of the media industry in Malaysia ,
· the laws and other restrictions that affect the media industry and democracy,
· how to critically ‘read’ the media.

The workshop is structured in a manner which will allow for input from the speakers as well as active participation by the participants. There will be break-up sessions to encourage participants ‘read critically’ the content of the media. Comparisons will also be made between mainstream media and the Internet media It is hoped that such ‘media awareness’ or ‘media literacy’ would empower young people as active citizens of a democracy to demand real changes in the way the news is reported.
As places are limited, registration prior to the workshop is required. The registration fee for the workshop is RM10/- only. This can be given as cash or in a cheque made out to Aliran and sent to Aliran at 103 Medan Penaga, Jelutong 11600, Penang by the 28th of February, 2009. For further information please contact Evelyn at the Aliran office at 04-6585251.

The Labour Party of Malaya, 1952–1972


The Labour Party of Malaya, 1952–1972

, 21 February 2009 19:08


The rise and demise of the Labour Party of Malaya was an important experience of socialist politics in Malaysia. Mistakes were made and many leaders and members paid a heavy price for them. Even so, their courage, commitment and sacrifices before and after independence cannot be denied a proper historical appreciation, observes Tan Kim Hong in tracing a brief history of the party.


The Labour Party of Malaya (LPM) was a multi-ethnic socialist party of the 1950s and 1960s. Its political origins lay in the ‘New Trade Unionism’ of the Cold War period. Before Merdeka, the anti-communist International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), with the support of the colonial government, encouraged the formation of a non-militant trade union movement and moderate Labour Parties located in different regions of the country. Yet, the LPM grew into a mass radical political party whose rise and fall were crucially shaped by circumstances often beyond its control.Regional labour parties


The first regional Labour Parties shared some characteristics of organisation and ideology. Their leaders were English-educated leaders of the Malayan Trades Union Congress. Their members were largely Indian and Malay members of public service unions. The parties were modelled on the British Labour Party, having democratic socialism and multi-culturalism as guiding principles. However, they were different in policy formulation and execution. The Penang Labour Party spoke earnestly of moulding national consciousness and instituting administrative reforms to help the down-trodden. It paid some attention to the issue of self-government but steered away from the core question of ending colonial rule.



On the other hand, the Selangor Labour Party expressly aimed to achieve independence through constitutional means. Its other important objectives were economic egalitarianism, the socialization of the means of production, equitable income and wealth distribution, and political liberalization.The colonial government tacitly supported the involvement of such regional Labour Parties in elections but prohibited them from expanding beyond their geographical boundaries. Thus, the Labour Parties operated in restricted spaces. Their leaders could only conduct limited discourses with their small membership. Besides, it was difficult for them to transcend existing language barriers to disseminate ideas of social justice and political equality to the masses.On 26 June 1952, the Pan-Malaya Labour Party (PMLP) was formed from the amalgamated membership of the Penang, Selangor and Singapore Labour Parties. With Mohammad Sopiee as its National Chairman and Osman Siru as his deputy, the PMLP was more a liaison organization than a structured party.


The party did not admit individual members but accepted all democratic labour and socialist organizations as members. Its formation was expedient, to take advantage of early electoral politics; yet, it was a pioneering attempt to galvanize workers’ support in impending municipal elections. The PMLP’s constitution had two main objectives: to co-ordinate labour and socialist organizations to achieve national independence, social justice, and political, social and economic emancipation; and to cooperate with labour, socialist and other organizations in Malaya and elsewhere to promote a higher standard of social and economic life for workers.The PMLP’s first policy statement, Towards a New Malaya, passed in September 1952, laid out much of its programme which included democratic socialism, workers’ participation in industrial policy-making, land for the peasants, and provisions for social welfare, medical and health services, and social security and pension schemes for all.


In economic management, the PMLP wanted to check industrial and commercial monopolies, provide agricultural subsidies to farmers, enlarge the acreage of rubber small holdings, manage the rubber industry, reform the salary structure of workers, and revamp the taxation system.In 1953, sixteen intellectuals including D.S. Ramanathan, Tan Phock Kin, N. Patkunam, Lee Kok Liang, C.Y. Choy, Tan Chong Bee and V. Veerapan from the Fabian Society of Penang joined the PMLP. These professionals and teachers, all social democrats, moved to immerse themselves in politics, offering analyses, recommendations, and political participation vastly different from those of the moderate trade unionists favoured by colonial officials. By early 1954, the PMLP had come to resemble the British Labour Party, advocating gradual economic nationalization and a welfare state.Pan-Malaya Labour PartyOn 5 June 1954, the PMLP took the new name of the Labour Party of Malaya (LPM). With the election of Lee Moke Sang as its Chairman, the LPM proclaimed itself a political organization to unite the workers and peasants of Malaya and struggle for a united, independent and democratic nation.


The LPM’s manifesto for the 1955 Federal Election was inclined towards socialist reforms. (See box for details) On the eve of Merdeka, LPM gained from the Chinese school students’ movement and the national workers’ movement; the organizational collaboration between an emerging Socialist Youth League and the Pan-Malaya Union of General Workers; and cooperation with Partai Rakyat (founded in December 1955). These developments brought LPM victory in the George Town Municipal Council election of 1957. The party won five out of the nine contested seats, a result that strengthened the party’s multi-ethnic mass base in Penang, and gave a leading role to the Penang Division in the LPM’s national structure. The Socialist FrontMerdeka Day was a turning point in LPM’s history. With Parti Rakyat, the LPM formed a coalition, the Malayan People’s Socialist Front (SF), which was the second legal alliance to transcend communal differences.


The SF’s 1959 policy statement, also named as Towards a New Malaya, laid out its position on the national language, art and literature, education, the Orang Asli, Malay reservation land, plantations and mines, fisheries, labour and social welfare, and defence and foreign policy.In subsequent local government elections, the SF won control of the City Council of George Town, and the local councils in Jinjang, Serdang, Tanjung Sepat, Pengkalan Titi and elsewhere. In George Town, the SF fulfilled some of its campaign promises, for example, by implementing low-cost housing projects such as the People’s Court in Cintra Street and the Kampong Selut scheme in Jelutong.



In the 1959 General Election, the SF progressed in mixed constituencies in Selangor, Johore and Penang: it gained 34.6 per cent of the popular vote cast in the constituencies it contested. The SF was poised to be a non-communal socialist alternative in Malayan politics during the 1960s.The issue of ‘Malaysia’The SF confronted a huge political obstacle, however, in the ‘Grand Design’, previously conceived by Britain, and promulgated as ‘Greater Malaysia’ by Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman in May 1961. Following a Five-State Socialist Conference of the proposed Malaysian territories, held in Kuala Lumpur in January 1962, the LPM moved to accept Malaysia in principle at its 9th Annual Conference in August. The LPM’s new Secretary-General, Lim Kean Siew, maintaining that the merger of Singapore with Malaya was inevitable, nonetheless warned that ‘unless our thinking is radically changed and the inconsistencies of the Malaysian concept are removed, ultimate conflict and disintegration is inevitable.’However, the party rank and file became bitter over the ‘Malaysia issue’ after the detention under the Internal Security Act of Lim Chin Siong and the Barisan Sosialis and SATU leaders in Singapore under Operation Coldstore in February 1962.


The use of the ISA there, coupled with the arrest of Parti Rakyat Chairman, Ahmad Boestamam in Malaya, was seen as a move to repress the left in Malaya and Singapore. From then on, the SF’s relationship with the regime badly deteriorated.SF’s declineThe SF’s performance in the 1964 General Election was adversely affected by two major factors. First, allegations had been made from June 1963 of malpractices in the City Council of Georgetown and other SF-controlled local councils. Second, the Alliance, the People’s Action Party, and the United Democratic Party – respectively led by the Tunku, Lee Kuan Yew and Dr. Lim Chong Eu – vehemently attacked the SF as the ‘fifth column’ of Indonesia. Despite SF’s repeated acceptance of Malaysia and a 5-Point Plan to secure a truce between Britain and Malaysia, and Indonesia, the SF and LPM fell victim to the psychological manipulation of voter sentiments and suffered their worst defeats, even in their own electoral bastions. It is quite likely that some LPM cadres and functionaries were convinced then to adopt a ‘hard line’ vis-à-vis the regime.



Soon they found other reasons to be so. In the 1960s, the ISA was widely and indiscriminately used to detain hundreds of LPM and SF leaders and members in Taiping, Batu Gajah and Muar. Repeated repression of this sort undermined the LPM and SF’s organizational effectiveness. The detentions of Ishak bin Hj. Mohammad, Abdul Aziz bin Ishak and Datuk Kampo Radjo on untried charges of setting up a government-in-exile during Konfrontasi with Indonesia were attempts to repress the Malay Left.In 1965, key SF leaders, such as Chairman Hansul bin Abdul Hadi, Secretary-General Tajuddin Kahar and Assistant Secretary-General Tan Kai Hee were arrested to foil a demonstration called for 13 February, the SF’s Human Rights Day, to commemorate the second anniversary of Ahmad Boestamam’s internment. Radicalisation under repressionThe pace of radicalisation intensified. The SF’s Perak Division hailed the ‘February 13 Incident’ in Kuala Lumpur as an epochal event in the struggle against neo-colonialism, and an instructive lesson in class struggle.



The LPM division in Perak went on to develop a theory of shili douzheng (militant struggle). A different kind of problem developed after Singapore’s separation from Malaysia on 9 August. Within the SF, the LPM and Parti Rakyat diverged, principally over the issue of official language. In December, Parti Rakyat resolved to break away from the SF while Lim Kean Siew announced that the coalition would end on 16 January 1966. At this juncture, internal quarrels terminated the SF’s control of George Town City Council and LPM lost a most important political platform.Between July 1964 and June 1965, LPM Assistant Secretary-General Dr. M K Rajkumar had warned the party of the infiltration of agents provocateur who would create internal confusion and division. The Perak Division’s stance was part of a smear campaign against the ‘rightist’ LPM leaders, five of whom resigned in March 1966. An ad hoc Central Secretariat now led the party towards more strident radicalization in ideology and tactics with worsening repercussions. An Anti-US Imperialism Campaign resulted in the mass arrests of cadres, members and supporters.



The LPM Central Secretariat called an Extraordinary National Delegates Conference on 24–25 September 1966 that resolved to expedite ‘anti-imperialism, anti-colonialism, anti-feudalism and anti-Malaysia’ struggles.’ While combining ‘mass struggle’ with ‘constitutional struggle’, the Conference placed the former ahead of the latter as a strategy to wrest political power.The end of the LPMIn October 1967, the 13th National Delegates’ Conference in Penang passed ‘ultra leftist’ resolutions on such matters as US imperialism, Soviet revisionism, the Cultural Revolution in China, the Vietnam War, ISA, worker-peasant united front, mass organizations and revolutionary strategies.The LPM now initiated regular street demonstrations all over the country which culminated in the Penang hartal of 24 November 1967 in response to the unpopular devaluation of the Malaysian currency. The regime’s response was more repression with ISA and other measures.


The party was crippled when divisions in Penang, Johore and Malacca, and 36 branches in the country were proscribed. The Kedah Division’s call for a boycott of the 1969 General Election was endorsed on 29 September 1968 by an Enlarged Central Committee Meeting comprising three de jure members and several other divisional representatives. By the end of the year, in protest against another wave of arrests on 9 November, LPM councillors at all levels had resigned from their positions. And, after ‘May 13’, 17 other LPM branches were banned and over a hundred members were detained.


In September 1969, an accord of understanding was reached between LPM’s Lim Kean Siew and Dr. Rajakumar and Parti Rakyat’s Kassim Ahmad and Syed Husin Ali to hold to ‘scientific socialism’, ‘working class solidarity’ and ‘the unity of the people of all nationalities’ against ‘chauvinism and narrow nationalism’. No steps were taken to work towards such objectives. Three years later, in September 1972, the Registrar of Societies deregistered the LPM on account of its failure to submit annual reports for several years. The rise and demise of LPM is an important experience of socialist politics in Malaysia. Mistakes were made and many leaders and members paid a heavy price for them. Even so, their courage, commitment and sacrifices before and after independence cannot be denied a proper historical appreciation.


LPM Manifesto for 1955 Federal Elections


To implement planned economy to fulfill needs of the Malayan people. All exploitation of the workers should be stopped and all monopolies and inefficient industries should be nationalized;

To amend the Labour Law and the Trade Union Ordinance. All unions to enjoy the full rights of free assemblies and political participation;

To provide the poor with legal assistance;

To solve problems of unemployment, and to
enforce minimum wage and parity for women workers;

To resolve issues of land indebtedness and to assist peasants with land, agricultural cooperatives, agricultural banks and collective farms;

To promote local industries with tariff protection;

To establish a Central Bank to regulate circulation of money and

To implement compulsory free primary education, and to develop secondary schools and tertiary education.




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Yusmadi angotai Kumpulan Penasihat Rentas Parti




, 21 Februari 2009
KUALA LUMPUR, 20 FEBRUARI (SK) - Ketua Angkatan Muda Pulau Pinang, Yusmadi Yusoff dilantik untuk menganggotai Kumpulan Penasihat Rentas Parti (Cross Party Advisory Group, CPAG) yang dianggotai tokoh politik pelbagai parti,



Kumpulan yang ditubuhkan oleh sebuah badan pemikir profesional, Malaysia Think Tank (MTT) ini turut dianggotai oleh Setiausaha Agung Pas yang juga Ahli Parlimen Tumpat, Kamarudin Jaffar, Timbalan Pengerusi DAP Tunku Aziz Ibrahim, Ahli Parlimen Pulai dari Umno Nur Jazlan Mohamed dan Ahli Jawatankuasa Pusat MCA Wong Nai Chee.
Menurut Yusmadi yang juga Ahli Parlimen Balik Pulau, penubuhan kumpulan ini adalah satu tindakan berani yang diambil oleh Malaysia Think Tank beliau akan sedaya upaya untuk membantu kumpulan ini.



“Model rentas parti yang digunapakai oleh MTT merupakan satu model berani. Saya akan cuba membantu sebaik mungkin pertubuhan yang bercita-cita tinggi ini ke arah memperkukuh demokrasi di negara kita,” katanya yang dipetik dari laman Malaysia Think Tank.
Sementara itu, mengulas perlantikan berkenaan, Ketua Pengarah MTT, Wan Saiful Wan Jan berkata tokoh-tokoh ini walaupun berlainan pemikiran polikik, namun sebagai sebuah organisasi, MTT tidak bercakap mewakili mana-mana tokoh-tokoh ini.



“Memang terdapat perbezaan dan kami sedar bahawa mereka merupakan tokoh-tokoh yang disegani yang akan terus berkhidmat untuk parti masing-masing demi untuk negara. Kami akan meminta nasihat mereka untuk melahirkan idea-idea yang boleh membantu menjadikan Malaysia lebih maju dan harmoni,” katanya.