MAJLIS BERBUKA PUASA BERSAMA PENDUDUK JURU





JURU- Satu majlis berbuka puasa telah diadakan oleh penduduk kampung Juru Sekolah dibawah Parlimen Batu Kawan.Majlis yang dihadiri oleh Dato Zaharin sebagai Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Negeri PKR itu diadakan di markas PKR cawangan.Penduduk kampung berbangga dengan kehadiran pemimpin negeri.

TEKA-TEKI ANWAR MENJELANG 16 SEPTEMBER

Teka-teki Anwar menjelang 16 September13-09-2008 12:22:05 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: Selama beberapa bulan, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, kelihatan dengan penuh yakin, menyatakan bahawa gabungan tiga parti dalam Pakatan Rakyat pimpinannya, akan menggulingkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) pada 16 Sept melalui tindakan melompat parti.
Bagaimanapun, sejak kembali ke Parlimen setelah memenangi pilihan raya kecil Permatang Pauh pada 26 Ogos, penasihat Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu mengubah rentaknya, terutama apabila tarikh 16 Sept semakin hampir.
Selepas majlis berbuka puasa Selasa lepas, Anwar dilaporkan memberitahu penyokongnya bahawa peralihan kuasa itu akan berlaku pada 17 Sept pula, sebelum membuat satu lagi kenyataan kepada pemberita pada hari berikutnya bahawa rancangan besarnya itu akan berjalan mengikut jadual.
Pada pertemuan dengan pengikutnya pada lewat hari yang sama, beliau sekali lagi mengubah cakapnya dengan berkata, tarikh pengambilalihan kuasa itu mungkin diubah kepada 20 Sept, sekiranya Pakatan Rakyat menghadapi masalah yang menghalang mereka daripada menggulingkan kerajaan BN.
Semalam pula, pakatan pembangkang itu sekali lagi menangguhkan rancangan mereka dengan alasan ia tidak dapat dilaksanakan seperti yang dijadualkan kerana 49 Anggota Parlimen BN melakukan lawatan ke Taiwan.
Kenyataan Anwar yang sering berubah-ubah itu menampakkan seolah-olah beliau sedang mencari alasan yang boleh diterima umum, sekiranya rancangan yang sering beliau jaja selama ini, tidak menjadi kenyataan.
Beberapa penganalisis politik menjangka itulah apa yang akan dilakukan oleh Anwar.
"Saya tak terperanjat jika beliau berbuat begitu. Itulah apa yang akan dilakukan oleh kebanyakan orang politik apabila mereka gagal menunaikan sesuatu janji, sambil memberi pelbagai alasan kenapa ini dan itu tidak berlaku," kata Prof Dr Mohammad Agus Yusoff dari Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).
Pensyarah Fakulti Sains Sosial dan Kemanusiaan itu berkata Anwar mengharapkan rakyat faham bahawa menubuhkan kerajaan bukan urusan mudah, walaupun tarikhnya telah ditetapkan.
"Ini kali pertama (untuk mengubah kerajaan melalui perbuatan berpaling tadah) dan rakyat diharapkan faham bahawa ia tidak semudah seperti yang beliau ucapkan," kata Mohammad Agus.
Beliau juga berpendapat bahawa kewibawaan bukanlah suatu ciri yang diberi keutamaan oleh Anwar.
"Ini satu perang saraf dan dalam permainan minda seperti ini, kewibawaan tidak lagi menjadi keutamaan. Tidak menjadi hal jika apa yang dijanjikan itu tidak menjadi kenyataan. Apa yang penting ialah beliau mampu menimbulkan kebimbangan dalam BN.
"Beliau berjaya membuat pemimpin BN tidak senang duduk dan menyedari perubahan yang amat perlu dilakukan di negara ini," kata Mohammad Agus.
Ahli akademik itu berkata walaupun secara bawah sedar, orang tahu bahawa apa yang dikatakan oleh Anwar itu tidak akan menjadi kenyataan, namun mereka masih mahu mempercayainya.
"Bagi saya, apa yang perlu kita lakukan ialah menyiasat kenapa orang tetap menerima harapan palsu yang disogokkan kepada mereka itu. Mereka mahukan perubahan," katanya sambil menambah bahawa perubahan yang mereka harapkan itu sedang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan, walaupun kadar pelaksanaannya adalah perlahan.
Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling pula berkata Anwar memang bijak berpidato, tetapi apa yang beliau perkatakan adalah kosong belaka.
"Mereka yang pernah bekerja dengannya (semasa Anwar dalam kerajaan) akan tahu siapa sebenarnya Anwar ini. Beliau memang pemidato yang hebat, tapi sekadar cakap kosong sajalah.
"Anda tunggu dan lihat sajalah, tiada apa yang akan berlaku pada hari berkenaan," kata bekas dekan Fakulti Sastera dan Sains Sosial Universiti Malaya ini sambil menambah bahawa Anwar akan memberi pelbagai alasan apabila rancangan besarnya itu tidak menjadi kenyataan.
Kata-kata Zainal ini mungkin ada kebenarannya apabila Anwar sudah mula mendakwa bahawa lawatan 49 Anggota Parlimen BN ke Taiwan bagi meninjau kemajuan bdalam idang pertanian di negara itu bertujuan menggagalkan rancangannya.
Pemerhati politik Prof Dr Nik Anwar Nik Mahmud dari UKM juga berpendapat apa yang dilakukan oleh pemimpin PKR itu selama ini hanya merupakan suatu perang saraf.
"Anwar mengharapkan sekurang-kurangnya 30 Anggota Parlimen BN akan menyertai beliau. Tapi, ia tidak semudah itu kerana kini, BN masih berada dalam keadaan baik. Ini hanyalah tempoh peralihan, yang akan menstabilkan semula politik kita kemudian nanti," katanya.
Pada mesyuarat Dewan Tertinggi BN Selasa lepas, Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi sekali lagi menegaskan bahawa BN tidak akan runtuh dan kenyataan beliau ini disokong oleh pemimpin parti komponen BN yang menghadiri mesyuarat berkenaan dengan berkata "tidak", dengan sekuat hati.
Ini bukan kali pertama para pemimpin BN berkumpul bagi menyuarakan kesetiaan mereka terhadap parti gabungan itu sejak Anwar mendakwa bahawa beberapa Anggota Parlimen BN akan melompat parti bagi menyertainya.
Jika benarlah ini hanya merupakan perang saraf yang dilancarkan oleh Anwar dalam memburu impiannya untuk menjadi perdana menteri Malaysia keenam seperti yang disimpulkan oleh banyak pemerhati politik, maka tindakan pemimpin PKR itu bolehlah dianggap sebagai suatu perbuatan tidak bertangungjawab, kalau pun bukan suatu tindakan yang bersifat hanya mementingkan diri sendiri.
Perang saraf yang dilancarkannya itu telah menimbulkan keadaan tidak stabil, bukan saja terhadap suasana politik yang boleh mengundang pelbagai natijah negatif, tetapi juga boleh memberi kesan buruk terhadap ekonomi negara.
Menurut laporan, pada awal bulan ini, Credit Suisse, sebuah firma penasihat kewangan, telah menasihati pelabur supaya mengelak daripada membeli saham di negara ini berikutan kedudukan politiknya yang tidak menentu. Katanya perebutan kuasa antara kerajaan dan pembangkang meningkatkan risiko buruk yang akan dihadapi oleh ekonomi Malaysia.
Memandangkan kebanyakan rakyat Malaysia terpaksa memikul bebanan berat berikutan kenaikan harga bahan bakar baru-baru ini, maka mereka sudah tentu tidak memerlukan seseorang yang menyimpan cita-cita politik terlalu tinggi, membawa ancaman terhadap keselamatan mereka.
Walaupun, Anwar, antara lain, berjanji akan menurunkan harga bahan bakar sebaik saja beliau menerajui kerajaan, lima hari berikut ini merupakan tempoh yang amat kritikal bagi rakyat Malaysia kerana ia akan menentukan sama ada janji yang beliau taburkan itu boleh dipercayai atau tidak.
Apalah sangat yang ada pada janji! Seperti yang banyak berlaku sebelum ini, janji hanya ditabur untuk dimungkiri kemudiannya. BERNAMA

ZAID UGUT LETAK JAWATAN JIKA ISA DI TERUSKAN



Kuala Lumpur-Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Dato Zaid Ibrahim mengugut untuk meletak jawatan sekiranya undang-undang ISA diteruskan ke atas YB Teressa Kok dan juga RPK.Menurut Dato Zaid undang-undang yang sudah ketinggalan zaman ini seharusnya di hapuskan.Menurut beliau lagi, undang-undang tersebut hanya boleh digunakan keatas mencegah kegiatan terroris.

PROGRAM JEJAK FAKIR DILANCARKAN DI DUN N12



YB FAIRUS SEDANG MENERANGKAN KEPADA AMK PERMATANG PAUH TENTANG PROGRAM.



Permatang Pauh -Program jejak fakir dilancarkan di DUN Penanti N12 sebagai satu program untuk membantu gologan miskin dan akan dijalankan pada malam ini di seluruh DUN Penanti oleh AMK Permatang Pauh.Program yang sedang berjalan pada hari ini dan dijangka berakhir pada pukul 720 malam dan berbuka d masjid jamek Kubang Semang.banyuan yang diberikan ialah beras,gula tepung dan juga kurma.

RPK-BUDAK NAKAL


PHOTO:S'LOONE



RPK-BUDAK NAKAL YANG KINI DI TAHAN ISA.NILAI BELIAU DIANGGARKAN RM300 JUTA

Opposition-led rule in Malaysia looking likely


Opposition-led rule in Malaysia looking likely


The Associated Press


Published: September 14, 20008


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Less than a year ago, Malaysians would have sniggered at any suggestion that former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, crushed by a sodomy charge in 1998, could make a political comeback.


Today, nobody laughs when Anwar claims he will become prime minister. He appears to be firmly on track to attract enough defectors from the ruling coalition ranks to secure a parliamentary majority and form Malaysia's first opposition-led government since independence in 1957.


Most analysts believe Anwar can pull it off, if not by his self-imposed deadline of Tuesday, then sometime next month.


It would mark another remarkable turnaround for a man once considered a star of Asian politics, only to be toppled 10 years ago and imprisoned on a conviction of having sex with a man, a crime in Malaysia. The conviction was overturned in 2004 but he now faces another sodomy charge. Anwar has strongly denied both cases, claiming they were intended to kill his political rise.
The ruling coalition has been weakened by dissent against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, and Anwar is capitalizing on that disarray. Abdullah lost much of his clout after presiding over the government's worst ever election results in March, plunging one of Southeast Asia's most stable countries into political turmoil.

Abdullah faced renewed public anger on Friday after his government arrested an opposition lawmaker, a journalist and an anti-government blogger under a law that allows indefinite detention without trial. Tan Hoon Cheng, a reporter for the Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew, was released Saturday after being questioned by police.


Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar said the arrests were necessary to prevent racial conflict, but Anwar said they were meant to "engineer an atmosphere of fear and instability."
Anwar needs 30 defections for his People's Alliance to form the next government.
"His chances have increased by 100 percent," said James Chin, a political science professor at the Monash University in Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur. "Getting 30 to me is not a problem. I don't doubt they will jump if the conditions and benefits are the right amount."
Still, there are serious doubts as to whether Anwar can hold together his three-party coalition of leftists, Islamists and liberal freethinkers, or fulfill his sweeping promises including dismantling a controversial affirmative action program that favors the ethnic Malay majority in jobs, education, housing, business and a host of other areas.
Many Malays see the program as their birthright. Most ethnic Chinese and Indians see it as state-engineered discrimination.


The Malay-dominated National Front has ruled Malaysia — often hailed as a moderate Islamic nation — continuously for more than 50 years. The coalition has maintained its legitimacy by claiming it alone can share out the nation's resources in a way that satisfies all ethnic groups.
That myth was shattered in the March 8 general election when Anwar stitched together his unlikely coalition on a platform of equality for all races. Together they won 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament, up from 19, as well as control of five of Malaysia's 13 states.
If 61-year-old Anwar forms the next government, it would amount to a political earthquake.
He says he will restructure the affirmative action program to focus on the needy, regardless of race; free the judiciary and the media from government interference; and guarantee religious freedom and civil liberties.


"It is not very difficult to be a better government, to control corruption, to be more just. That is quite easy. The more challenging task is to change the course of the economy," he said in a recent interview.


A major shift promised by Anwar would be a change in the way the government awards public contracts. At present the contracts can only go to Malay-owned companies, but even there the decisions are made arbitrarily.
This has been an obstacle to a free trade agreement with the U.S., which wants the contract process to be transparent and open to foreigners.
But Anwar has set his sights very high, and some foresee not reform but instability. The political outlook has rattled investor confidence, weakening Malaysia's currency and stock markets.
Still, his promises strike a chord not just with Chinese and Indians but with Malays who feel the benefits of affirmative action have gone only to a well-connected elite.
The system was devised soon after Malaysia suffered spasms of racial violence in 1969 and was intended to keep the peace by making all ethnic groups dependent on government patronage.
But analyst Chin said Anwar would temper any resentment among his fellow Malays by giving them dominance in government.
"There may be isolated protests but it won't turn into a full-scale uprising by Malays," he said. "Anwar knows the game well."

Perhimpunan Perdana Sambutan Hari Malaysia (15.9.08)

Pakatan Rakyat bersama dengan Kerajaan Negeri Selangor akan menganjurkan Perhimpunan Perdana Sambutan Hari Malaysia pada 15 September (Isnin) di Stadium MBPJ Kelana Jaya, Selangor, bermula dari jam 7 malam. Program bermula dengan Majlis Buka Puasa, Solat Maghrib, Isya, Tarawikh dan diikuti dengan ucapan pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat. YB Lim Kit Siang dan YB Tuan Guru Dato' Seri Hadi Awang akan menyusul selepas Solat Tarawikh di lapangan stadium. Program kemuncak adalah perutusan YB Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sempena Hari Malaysia 16 September.

KERAJAAN TARIK BALIK

Kerajaan tarik balik sekatan ke atas blog
11/09/2008 4:11pm
PUTRAJAYA 11 Sept. - Kerajaan tidak lagi mengenakan sekatan terhadap mana-mana laman web atau blog di negara ini.
Menteri Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor berkata, keputusan itu dicapai pada mesyuarat kabinet semalam.
“Arahan sekatan yang dikenakan terhadap mana-mana laman web atau blog sebelum ini, termasuk portal berita 'Malaysia Today' ditarik balik berkuat kuasa serta-merta,” katanya pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini. - Utusan

TIMBALAN KETUA MENTERI PULAU PINANG LAKUKAN LAWATAN MENGEJUT




Penyokong tegar UMNO ini turut di beri bantuan



Melihat kawasan yang perlu diperbesarkan


PERMATANG PAUH 11 SEPT-Lawatan mengejut Timbalan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang merangkap ADUN N12 Penanti dengan buah tangan sempenan Ramadhan mengejutkan banyak pihak....Beliau yang memberi sedikit bantuan turut membawa pihak yang bertanggungjawab iaitu jabatan kebajikan Masyarakat Dan Unit Pembanggunan Ekonomi Bumiputra Pulau Pinang.

Anwar says Malaysia government to fall by Tuesday



The Associated Press


Published: September 10, 2008


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Wednesday he will topple Malaysia's government by early next week despite a trip abroad by ruling coalition lawmakers that he claims is aimed at thwarting his plans.
The three-party opposition alliance can seize power if at least 30 members of Parliament defect from the National Front coalition, and Anwar said he would fly overseas if necessary to meet with lawmakers he hopes to lure to his side.
He has vowed for several months to take power by Sept. 16.
About 50 National Front lawmakers left for a farming study tour in Taiwan earlier this week amid opposition accusations that coalition leaders had sent them there to keep them away from Anwar and to dissuade some of them from defecting.
Anwar claims to have made tacit pacts with dozens of lawmakers in recent months, and insisted that he was still "very much" on track for his target date of next Tuesday.


"We're working on it," Anwar told reporters. "There are technical problems because (the lawmakers) have been shipped away. ... God-willing, it will (still) happen. If need be, I will fly to Taipei."
The government has denied the tour is politically motivated.
Anwar, who is battling a charge that he sodomized his 23-year-old former male aide, made the comments after a Sessions Court delayed a preliminary hearing for his sodomy trial.
Government prosecutors said Wednesday they wanted to transfer the case to a higher court because it had attracted widespread interest, including from international observers.
Anwar's lawyers objected, saying the current judge was sufficiently qualified. The court will hear formal arguments from both sides Sept. 24 before making a decision.
Anwar is charged with allegedly sodomizing Saiful Bukhari Azlan — the second such accusation in a decade for the former deputy premier, who was ousted in 1998 amid charges that he sodomized his family driver. A court overturned that sodomy conviction in 2004.
Anwar reiterated Wednesday the latest charge was "treacherous and malicious," and accused the prosecution of having "no intention to proceed except with the instructions from their political masters." The government has denied any conspiracy against Anwar.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged to foil Anwar's attempt to unseat the National Front, which has governed Malaysia for 51 years but suffered its worst electoral result ever in March national polls.
The National Front won 140 seats in the 222-member Parliament, losing its two-thirds majority for the first time since 1969.
Anwar won a by-election last month that enabled him to re-enter Parliament and to become prime minister if his alliance takes power.

-->

MUHYIDDIN SAID IN SINGAPORE


Malaysia PM should step down earlier - minister
Wed Sep 10, 2008 12:58pm IST

Malaysia PM should step down earlier - minister
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should consider passing the baton to his deputy before 2010 to give the ruling coalition time to prepare for the next elections, a member of his Cabinet said on Wednesday. ...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should consider passing the baton to his deputy before 2010 to give the ruling coalition time to prepare for the next elections, a member of his Cabinet said on Wednesday.
"I have said it myself that 2010 is too long," International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said in response to a question from a reporter on the sidelines of a Forbes conference in Singapore.
"PM may have to rethink whether the deadline is tenable."
Prime Minister Abdullah promised to hand power over to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2010 after Malaysia's opposition won an unprecedented 82 seats in the 222-member Parliament during general elections in March.
Muhyiddin is a vice president in the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in Malaysia's Barisan Nasional government, which has led the country since Independence in 1957. He said the current arrangement created uncertainty and may hinder the party's preparations for the next elections due by 2013.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim had said he is seeking to win over 30 defectors from the ruling coalition to form a new government by his self-imposed deadline of Sept 16, but has since said he is flexible about the date.
© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved

ANWAR SET TO TOPPLING MALAYSIA GOVERMENT



Anwar set on toppling Malaysia government(09-10 14:42)
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he will topple Malaysia's government by early next week despite a trip abroad by ruling coalition lawmakers that he claims is aimed at thwarting his plans.The three-party opposition alliance can seize power if at least 30 members of Parliament defect from the National Front coalition, and Anwar said he would fly overseas if necessary to meet with lawmakers he hopes to lure to his side.He has vowed for several months to take power by September 16.About 50 National Front lawmakers left for a study tour in Taiwan earlier this week. ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANWAR ON TRACK TO WIN POWER





Anwar 'on track to win power'

Mr Anwar says he will oust the prime minister through MP "defections"
Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has said his plans to topple the National Front ruling coalition by next week remain 'on track'.


He made the comments emerged from a court room where government prosecutors argued his trial on sodomy charges should be moved to the High Court.
Mr Anwar's lawyers described such a move as an unnecessary delaying tactic.
The court said it would hear formal arguments for and against the move on 24 September.
Mr Anwar had promised he had enough support to depose the government by 16 September, despite the charges against him.
In the meantime, however, about 50 members of the government have been sent on a farming study tour to Taiwan - a move derided by Mr Anwar's supporters as a tactic intended to thwart his plans.


On Track


But Mr Anwar remained defiant, saying he would fly to Taiwan if necessary, to garner legislators' support.
He leads a three-party opposition alliance, which made huge gains at the ballot box in March. The National Front won just 140 seats in the 222-member parliament, losing its two-thirds majority for the first time.
Mr Anwar has said he needs to persuade 30 government lawmakers to his side to bring down the government and that he had tacit agreements from enough members of parliament to do so.
"We're working on it," Anwar told reporters. "There are technical problems because (the lawmakers) have been shipped away. ... God-willing, it will (still) happen. If need be, I will fly to Taipei."


Court moves


The court hearing on Wednesday appeared to help his plans, reporters said, by leaving Mr Anwar on bail for at least another two weeks.
Government prosecutors argued that the case alleging sodomy by Mr Anwar should be moved to the High Court because it had attracted such a high degree of public interest.
The application to move the case was led by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, who Mr Anwar is already suing with regard to his earlier - and overturned - conviction for sodomy.
Mr Anwar's supporters expressed fears that moving the case to the High Court could make the case more vulnerable to manipulation by the government.
The Sessions Court decided to delay a decision, until 24 September, allowing both sides to prepare formal arguments by then.


Security was tight outside the courtroom on Wednesday, with riot police prepared for large protests if Mr Anwar had been imprisoned.

Malaysia to punish official for race remarks



JUTAWAN INI PERNAH BERADA DI PENTAS ANWAR DI WAKTU DSAI DIPECAT.TAPI DUIT PUNYA PUNCA LARI SEMULA KEPADA UMNO....MEMANG PERJUANGAN DUIT...


Malaysia to punish official for race remarks


posted 7:28 am Tue September 09, 2008 - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia
Malaysia's prime minister says the ruling party will punish a senior official who made racially tinged remarks against the minority Chinese and Indians. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad says in comment to reporters Tuesday that Ahmad Ismail's comments have "stirred anger and restlessness among the people",

He says the coalition's leaders "want swift and firm action to be taken" against Ahmad.The minorities were stunned by Ahmad Ismail's recent remarks. The comments increased racial friction in this multiethnic country and deepened divisions in the embattled National Front ruling coalition. The prime minister says the punishment will be decided Wednesday.


THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) - Malaysia's governing coalition sought to defuse a political crisis Tuesday after a Malay official made a stunning outburst by warning the ethnic Chinese minority not to become greedy for political and economic power.Ahmad Ismail, a district chief in the United Malays National Organization ruling party, claimed that the Malay majority was losing patience with minorities, particularly ethnic Chinese politicians."I urge the Chinese not to become like the Jewish in America, where it is not enough that they control the economy, but they also want to dominate politics," Ahmad told a news conference late Monday in northern Penang state."Consider this a warning from the Malays," Ahmad said. "The patience of the Malays has a limit. Do not push us against the wall, for we will be forced to turn back and push the Chinese for our own survival."Gerakan, an ethnic Chinese-based party in the National Front coalition government, later announced it was severing ties with Ahmad and Malay officials in Penang who publicly backed him. Gerakan leaders have recently warned they may consider quitting the government, largely due to dissatisfaction over racial issues.The National Front comprises 14 groups spearheaded by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's Malay party, which shares power with parties that have traditionally represented ethnic Chinese, Indians and other minorities.The dispute is a fresh headache for Abdullah, who is struggling to hold the coalition together amid a threat by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to seize power by luring government lawmakers to his side by next week.Growing dissatisfaction about racial policies prompted many Chinese and Indians to vote against the government in March general elections. Many Malays also backed the opposition, causing the National Front to retain power with only a simple parliamentary majority.Abdullah said he was "utterly unhappy" with Ahmad's comments and promised to "take stern action over the matter."Chinese officials are likely to pressure Abdullah at a National Front meeting Tuesday to penalize Ahmad, who rankled ethnic Chinese last month when he described them as "squatters" and "immigrants."


Police said last week they were investigating Ahmad for possible sedition, which is punishable by three years in prison.Most Chinese and Indian Malaysians are descendants of 19th and early 20th century immigrants who came as traders, laborers and miners during British colonial rule.Ethnic Chinese now comprise a quarter of Malaysia's 27 million people, while Indians form less than 10 percent. They have grown increasingly vocal about alleged government discrimination in economic, social and religious policies.Malays, who constitute about 60 percent of the population, enjoy a host of privileges in jobs, education and business as part of an affirmative action program launched in 1970 following racial riots fueled by Malay frustration over the Chinese community's wealth.

PUSAT KHIDMAT PKR DUN PENANTI DIRASMIKAN



YB FAIRUS MENYAMPAIKAN BANTUAN KEPADA GOLONGAN KURANG BERNASIB BAIK




USTAZ MUTHOLIB TURUT SERTA




YB FAIRUZ SEDANG BERUCAP

PERMATANG PAUH 9 SEPT-Pusat khidmat DUN N12 Penanti yang diwakili YB Mohd Fairus Khairuddin selamat dirasmikan petang tadi dalam satu majlis menyampaikan bantuan kepada fakir miskin,anak-anak yatim,dan juga ibu tunggal.Pusat khidmat yang terletak di Jalan Tanah Liat ini bertujuan memudahkan YB Fairuz Khairuddin mendapatkan maklumat dari pihak masyarakat di DUN berkenaan.Selain sibuk sebagai TKM1 Pulau Pinang,beliau juga merupakan ADUN Penanti.Turut hadir Ustaz Mutholib yang merupakan guru agama di pusat pengajian An Nahdoh Kubang Semang.




SAH 32 KATA DSAI


Sasaran 16 Sept.: Anwar Sahkan 32 Setuju Sertai Pakatan Rakyat
08-09-2008 02:40:14 PM

(Dikemas kini) PETALING JAYA: Tiga puluh dua Ahli Parlimen Barisan Nasional (BN) sudah bersetuju menyertai Pakatan Rakyat?
“Ya.” Ini jawapan daripada Ketua Umum Pakatan Rakyat Datuk Seri Anwar sebentar tadi selepas selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat bersama pemimpin kanan Pakatan Rakyat di Kuala Lumpur.
Mesyuarat itu berlangsung hampir tiga jam. Dan, ini kali pertama angka tepat jumlah anggota Barisan Nasional (BN) yang didakwa akan menyertai Pakatan Rakyat disahkan oleh beliau, khususnya selepas dipilih sebagai Ketua Pembangkang di Parlimen 28 Ogos lalu.
Pertemuan itu diadakan selepas bertemu selama hampir tiga jam di ibu negara malam tadi.
Pertemuan hari ini bermula sebentar tadi juga dilihat memfokus soal pembentukan kerajaan persekutuan.
Ketika hanya tinggal seminggu sahaja untuk membuktikan sama ada sasaran 16 September akan menjadi kenyataan ataupun sebaliknya, Pakatan Rakyat telah mengadakan pertemuan informal malam tadi bagi membincangkan kemajuan siri perundingan yang telah diadakan setakat ini.
http://www.mstar.com.my

KAUM ASLI DAH PILIH PERJUANGAN PKR

Jam 3.30 petang, 8hb September 2008, saya akan berada di perkamponganOrang Asli, Kg Pian, Kuala Krau.


Hari ini adalah meeting dengan ahli-ahli PKR Kg Pian untuk sayamenyampaikan maklumat parti kepada mereka dan untuk merekamenyampaikan maklumat kemasyarakatan kepada saya.Kg Pian adalah salah sebuah kampong yang penting bagi penduduk OrangAsli kaum Jahud kerana disana terdapat penduduk yang ramai dandikalangan anak-anak muda kampong itu telah memilih PKR sebagai wadahperjuangan.Cawangan PKR disitu dipimpin oleh Mohd Nazmi b Abd Majid selaku KetuaCawangan, Wan Kisam Daud sebagai Timbalan Ketua dan bekas SetiausahaUMNO Cawangan Sdr Bahari Ngin sebagai Setiausaha.Cawangan ini adalah sebuah cawangan yang aktif dan lengkap, iamempunyai Jawatankuasa Cawangan, Jawatankuasa Wanita dan JawatankuasaAngkatan Muda.Berbeza dari bulan-bulan lain, di Bulan Ramadhan ini meeting itu tidakadalah makan minum diantara mereka dengan Jawatankuasa Bahagian,tetapi mereka akan makan minum sesama mereka. Sebahagian kecil darimereka beragama Kristian dan majoritinya tidak beragama, cuma agamanenek moyang sahajalah.Orang Asli disini tetap mengharapkan agar tanah dimana mereka tinggaldan dimana mereka bercucuk tanam diberikan geran tanah. Mereka sudahlihat tanah-tanah mereka diceroboh dan mereka saksikan bahawapengangguran dikalangan anak-anak muda mereka amat tinggi, danpendapatan bulanan mereka amatlah rendah.50 tahun Merdeka tidak merubah nasib mereka. Mereka adalah Orang Asaldi Negara ini tetapi tidak ada pembelaan konkrit terhadap mereka.Mereka sentiasa diberikan "gula-gula" agar pemikiran mereka terusdijajah oleh UMNO khususnya sewaktu berhadapan dengan Pilihanraya. Dansetelah pilihanraya berlalu, mereka berbalik kepada keadaan yang asal.Jumlah penduduk dikawasan mereka semakin bertambah, tetapi sumberpendapatan di kampong mereka tetap tidak berubah. Tanah tapak rumahmereka menjadi kecil kerana banyak rumah terpaksa didirikan diatastanah yang berkongsi diantara ahli-ahli keluarga dan tempat bercucuktanam menjadi semakin kecil.Sukar untuk disenaraikan tuntutan-tuntutan mereka kerana mereka kinitidak punyai apa-apa, dan perjuangan untuk mereka adalah begitumencabar. Hanya sebuah pemerintahan yang benar-benar perihatin diataspenderitaan mereka sahaja yang boleh merubahkan keadaan hidup mereka.Dan pemerintahan UMNO/BN telah gagal segagal-gagalnya!UMNO hanya hadir ke kampong mereka semasa pilihanraya, dan selepas ituUMNO tidak memperdulikan nasib mereka.Insya Allah, PKR akan terus memperjuangkan hak mereka dansekurang-kurangnya 2 kali sebulan PKR Kuala Krau akan hadirbersama-sama mereka.Di meeting kali ini, saya ada membawa kain baju, kasut dan sebagainya;ada yang baru dan ada yang lama, untuk diagih-agihkan kepada mereka.Dan kalau ada sesiapa yang ingin menderma kain-baju, kasut dansebagainya, silalah hubungi saya untuk disampaikan kepada rakan-rakankita Orang Asli di Kawasan Kuala Krau melalui talian 019-9321260 (HjSuhaimi Said).--Posted By Suhaimi Said to The Spirit of Lubok Kawah/Semangat LubokKawah at 9/07/2008 09:39:00 PM

DEKLARASI PR TERHADAP AMANAH YANG BAKAL DIBERIKAN





Pakatan Rakyat junjung prinsip Perlembagaan Persekutuan

Majlis Pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat yang bersidang pada hari ini 8 September 2008 dengan ini menegaskan penolakan kami terhadap usaha-usaha menyemarakkan politik perkauman yang sedang dilakukan oleh UMNO akhir-akhir ini.


Kami amat bimbang isu ini sekarang digunakan untuk mengelabui pandangan rakyat yang sebenarnya merupakan usaha terdesak untuk menyelamatkan kepentingan segelintir golongan elit politik dan kroni mereka.
Kami sekali lagi mengulangi pendirian menjunjung prinsip-prinsip dasar yang termaktub di bawah Perlembagaan Persekutuan.
Ini termasuk soal-soal dasar seperti kedudukan Islam sebagai Agama Persekutuan dan menjamin kebebasan mengamalkan agama-agama lain, kedaulatan Bahasa Melayu sebagai Bahasa Kebangsaan dan mempertahankan hak bahasa ibunda, kedudukan dan kedaulatan Institusi Raja-Raja Melayu serta kedudukan hak-hak istimewa orang Melayu dan Bumiputera serta hak-hak semua kaum yang telah dijamin oleh Perlembagaan.
Berdasarkan prinsip-prinsip Perlembagaan ini kami menolak sekeras-kerasnya pendekatan politik perkauman sempit yang menjadi dasar Umno-BN. Pendekatan inilah yang sengaja digunakan untuk memecahbelahkan perpaduan dan keharmonian masyarakat majmuk negara ini.
Sehubungan ini kami membantah ucapan yang dibuat oleh Dato' Ahmad Ismail yang disokong oleh semua pemimpin Umno Pulau Pinang.
Isi ucapan itu mencerminkan dasar perkauman Umno yang sebenarnya bertujuan hanya untuk mempertahankan kepentingan segelintir golongan orang kaya Melayu serta suku sakat mereka yang menggunakan kuasa politik untuk mengambil kesempatan mengaut kekayaan negara dengan berselindung di sebalik membela kepentingan Bumiputera dan orang Melayu.
Sekian, terima kasih.

YB Dato' Seri Anwar IbrahimKetua Umum KeADILan.

YB Dato' Husam MusaNaib Presiden PAS.

YB Lim Kit SiangKetua Ahli Parlimen DAP._

A Pakistan News





Malaysia’s Anwar Faces Sternest Test As ‘Power’ Deadline Looms


LUMPUR:Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim faces one of the sternest tests of his tumultuous political career in coming days, as the deadline he has set to seize power approaches.
The former deputy premier will also be summoned to court on Wednesday for a hearing that could launch a new trial on sodomy accusations — the same charge that saw him sacked and jailed a decade ago.
Anwar has pulled off a string of spectacular successes in recent months, including snatching a third of parliamentary seats in March general elections, and recapturing the seat he lost after his fall from grace in 1998.
But despite disarray in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, there are doubts that the 61-year-old maverick can achieve his new goal of toppling the government by September 16 with the help of defecting lawmakers.
“The hope is there, but I don’t think it will happen on September 16,” said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a leading political analyst from the National University of Malaysia.
“But it will happen eventually, if the present scenario continues and the Barisan Nasional government doesn’t reform.”
Anwar is riding a wave of deep public discontent with the Barisan Nasional, a coalition of race-based parties which has ruled since independence from Britain, and which has been flummoxed by the resurgent opposition.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, a grandfatherly figure seen as weak and ineffective by critics including elements within his ruling party, has fended off calls to quit over his failure to check Anwar.
The spiralling cost of food and fuel, a slowing economy and fears of rising “Islamisation” by his party which represents majority Muslim Malays, has alienated voters, particularly from the ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities.
Anwar meanwhile has transformed his Keadilan party — which helms a three-member opposition alliance — into Malaysia’s first pan-racial party with support from all three major ethnic groups.
His unerring political footwork makes pundits wary of completely writing off his chances of persuading 30 coalition lawmakers he needs to switch sides within the next few days.
But Keadilan vice-president Sivarasa Rasiah said the government was going all-out to prevent a mass defection, and that the September 16 deadline might not be achievable.
“It’s very difficult to be specific about it because the situation is quite fluid… so we’re not fixated on September 16 as a date, but we’re committed to getting the numbers to join us,” he said.
“What we’re trying to achieve is certainly doable but we also recognise that Barisan is also putting obstacles in the way.”
Abdullah last week vowed to crush any attempts to topple his rule, and in what is being seen as a precautionary measure, coalition lawmakers are being sent on an impromptu “overseas study trip” from September 7 to 19.
Both Anwar and Abdullah have journeyed to Sabah and Sarawak states on Malaysia’s half of Borneo island, seen as the source of likely defectors. Both sides have accused the other of buying the support of parliamentarians.
Amid the high-stakes negotiations, Anwar and his lawyers are also dealing with the threat of new sodomy allegations levelled by a 23-year-old former aide, which could send him to jail for 20 years.
After being formally charged last month, he must appear at the Sessions Court on Wednesday for a hearing that could set the date for his trial, pass the case to another court, or even withdraw his bail and send him to prison.
“We’re not sure, anything can happen. It could be transferred to the High Court, and there may be an attempt to revoke his bail. It’s going to be quite political,” said Keadilan’s information chief Tian Chua.
Another sexual misconduct conviction would effectively end Anwar’s political career, but Sivarasa dismissed the saga as a “sideshow” and was also upbeat about his prospects even if the September 16 deadline is missed.
“One wouldn’t be able to avoid a sense of disappointment, but what we’re going to say is that taking power is inevitable, it’s going to happen,” he said.
“Anwar’s had a lot of difficult times in the past… but in terms of his political rehabilitation, he is the proverbial comeback kid.”

DATO SERI WAN AZIZAH MENYAMPAIKAN BANTUAN KEPADA MANGSA BANJIR



PERMATANG PAUH 7 SEPT-Dato Seri Wan Azizah yang juga Presiden PKR kembali ke Permatang Pauh dan menyampaikan bantuan kepada mangsa-mangsa banjir dan juga orang kampung di perkampungan Jalan Baru dan juga Perkampungan Permatang Rawa petang tadi.Turut bersama anakanda beliau.Nurul Hana.Bantuan berupa beras dan juga bubur lambuk sebagai tanda ingatan wakil rakyat Permatang Pauh DSAI yang berada di luar negara.Beliau juga menyampaikan salam kepada orang kampung.




DSWA yang pulang setelah mengetahui berita berlakunya banjir di kampug-kampung berkenaan menyampaikan bantuan dan bertanya khabar penduduk kampung. Kedua-dua kawasan tersebut sering kali mengalami masalah banjir kilat akibat pembinaan dan pengurusan tebatan banjir dan juga masalah tanah yang rendah.






ATASI KELEMAHAN BUKAN HANYA DENGAN MENGKRITIK

Ramai guru Sains, Matematik lemah bahasa Inggeris

''Ramai guru Sains dan Matematik dikesan menggunakan wang itu untuk tujuan lain menyebabkan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris di kalangan mereka masih di takuk lama,'' katanya ketika ditemui selepas mengadakan perjumpaan dengan pengetua dan guru besar serta guru penolong kanan sekolah daerah Besut di sini hari ini.



Kenyataan diatas adalah satu kenyataan yang benar-benar berlaku dikalangan sikap guru-guru kita kerana duit insentif yang diterima bukan sahaja sepatutnya meningkatkan penguasaan bahasa Inggeris tetapi pencapaiannya anak-anak didik kaum guru seharusnya juga ditingkatkan.Tetapi malangnya duit yang diterima itu dianggap sebagai satu elauns gaji buta yang diterima.Bukan semua yang tak pandai dan mahu berusaha meningkatkan penguasaan Bahasa Inggeris namun pengunaan duit itu dianggap "haram" jika pengajaran itu dijalankan dalam bahasa Malaysia.ianya dibayar dalam bahasa Inggeris maka penyalahgunaan peluang ini tidak seharusnya berlaku.


Lagi satu ialah jika tidak mencapai sasaran, maka eloklah sekiranya di hapuskan sahaja program tersebut dan kembali seperti biasa.

CINTAILAH BAHASA KEBANGSAAN-adakah ianya hak-hak keistimewaan Melayu juga?????

Malaysia's Anwar says on track to unseat government



JAKARTA - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Saturday he is on track to meet a mid-September deadline to recruit enough members of parliament to topple the government.
The opposition is confident it will secure the defection of at least 30 members from the ruling Barisan Nasional government -- the number needed to unseat the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Anwar said.
Anwar, speaking to reporters in the Indonesian capital after meeting with a think tank, said he was "quite positive from the initial response from the members of parliament."
"We have seen some very positive signs, but we have also seen the desperate acts by the government, threats and using institutions to discourage them," he said.
Government attempts to compel members of parliament to travel overseas until after his pledged September 16 deadline to take power would not work, Anwar said.
"The only issue now is that they are going to compel members of parliament to (travel to) China or overseas until after the 16th of September, so we'll have to deal with that. Probably we'll meet on the 17th because they'll come back on the 17th," he said.
The 61-year-old leader of the three-party Pakatan Rakyat coalition declined to name or give the number of lawmakers who have pledged to defect.
Asked if he had used his two-day trip to Jakarta to meet with potential government defectors, Anwar said: "I won't comment on that, but I will say it's a good visit."
Abdullah, who is facing calls from his party to quit amid plummeting popularity, has said Anwar's push to take power will fail.
The parties of Pakatan Rakyat gained unprecedented ground against the Barisan Nasional coalition in the March general election, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states.

ADAKAH KERAJAAN TAKUT PADA 16 SEPT?ANWAR MASIH TEGUH DENGAN TARIKH 16

Anwar Ibrahim masih lagi teguh dengan kenyataan beliau bahawa tarikh 16 sept adalah tarikh yang bakal menjatuhkan kerajaan Barisan Nasional.Beliau yang menyatakan bahawa pada masa tersebut beliau sudah boleh mengumpul lebih 30 Ahli Parlimen bagi menjatuhkan kerajaan walaupun pihak Kerajaan pimpinan Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengumpulkan lebih 40 Ahli Parlimen untuk melakukan lawatan ke Australia atau Taiwan atas alasan melakukan lawatan sambil belajar terutamanya dalam bidang pertanian.

Datuk Seri Najib semalam telah meluluskan perjalanan tersebut bermula 7 hingga 17 september ini dan menurut Anwar dalam sidang akhbarnya di Jakarta hari ini bahawa beliau akan tetap mengumumkan nama-nama ahli Parlimen yang terbabit apabila tiba masanya nanti.

Sementara itu beliau juga menyatakan bahawa jika bukan 16 september mungkin 17 september setelah mereka kembali ke tanah air semula.

Beliau menyatakan juga bahawa Kerajaan Barisan Nasional takut kepada bayang-bayang sendiri dan ini menjadikan mereka makin bercelaru.

"Saya akan tetap menyatakan bahawa makin ramai yang akan berhijrah kepada Pakatan Rakyat dan pagi ini saya menerima satu panggilan telefon dari seorang MP menyatakan bahawa jangan lupa masukkan nama beliau ke dalam senarai untuk melakukan perubahan dalam pemerintahan nanti"Beliau menyatakan demikian di satu sidang akhbar di Kota Jakarta hari ini.

INTERNASIONAL HERAILD TRIBUNE-


Doctor: Anwar accuser showed no evidence of rape
The Associated Press
Published: September 4, 2008
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: A doctor who examined the man who accused Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of sodomy stood by his claim Thursday that he found no evidence of the alleged rape.
Mohamed Osman Abdul Hamid spoke in public for the first time since Internet news portals leaked a medical report in which he wrote that he discovered no signs that Anwar's 23-year-old former aide had been sodomized.
"Please be assured that I had merely done my job as a doctor," Mohamed Osman told a news conference. "I am not involved in politics. I will always tell the truth."
Anwar, who has pledged to seize power from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration by mid-September, was charged in court last month with allegedly sodomizing Saiful Bukhari Azlan.
Anwar has said Mohamed Osman's findings proved the accusation was false, though hospital authorities have claimed that the doctor was not qualified to make any conclusions on sodomy.


Mohamed Osman examined Saiful at a private hospital June 28, two days after Saiful claimed the incident occurred. Independent news Web sites later published his medical report, followed by a sworn statement by the doctor affirming the contents of the report.
Mohamed Osman reiterated Thursday that his statement was "correct." He said he had gone on leave away from Malaysia following the release of the medical report because "there was a lot of pressure" on him.
Mohamed Osman said he did not know how the medical report leaked, stressing that he respected his patients' confidentiality and had "never at any time breached my professional ethics."
Mohamed Osman's lawyers said he could not elaborate on details of the case because Anwar's trial had not begun.
Mohamed Osman said in a previous statement that he had advised Saiful to go to a government hospital for a second examination. It is not clear what transpired there, but Saiful went to a police station and filed a complaint against Anwar the same day.
It was the second sodomy accusation in a decade for Anwar, a former deputy prime minister who was ousted in 1998 amid charges that he sodomized his family driver and abused his power to cover up his actions. He denied those charges but was imprisoned until Malaysia's highest court overturned the sodomy conviction in 2004.
Despite battling the latest charge, Anwar re-entered Parliament last month through a landslide victory in a by-election. He has vowed to topple the ruling coalition by Sept. 16 by luring government lawmakers to defect to his three-party opposition alliance.
Anwar faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of sodomy, a crime in this Muslim-majority nation. He claims the charge is part of a conspiracy against him after the opposition prevented the government from retaining its two-thirds parliamentary majority in March general elections.

TIADA LOMPAT HARI INI-

KONONNYA


Satu sidang akhbar akan di adakan pada pukul 3 petang:

Gerakan,PPP,SAPP,SPDP,UPKO,LDP dan PBS akan mengumumkan mereka keluar dari Barisan Nasional.Ini adalah merupakan langkah awal dan pertama yang akan keluar dari Barisan Nasional.

Maka kerana itu sehingga jam 3 petang penerima sms ternanti-nanti kalau-kalau terjadi sungguh. Namun belum ada lagi.Nampaknya khabar-khabar angin terus menghantui orang ramai dan kerajaan Barisan nasonal juga.

kacau-kacau......

Anwar should not even if he could---by P. Gunasegaram

EXTRA! :: Comment & Analysis

EVEN if Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim can live up to his boast that he will topple the government on Sept 16 – we seriously doubt that because if he had the numbers, he would have already – he really, really should not.
He must accept the people’s verdict. If he wants to gain power, he must do it the straight and correct way, keeping alive both the spirit and the letter of the Constitution – at the polls. Anything else is underhand and shows he has not changed enough.
If he goes ahead, it will be morally repugnant, and will lead to an endless cycle of defections and re-defections which will further destabilise the already volatile political scenario. An excessive predilection with politics will come at the expense of other things that government must do and will cost the country dearly.
The figures show that it is not impossible for Anwar to do the unthinkable. There are 25 parliamentary seats in Sabah and 31 in Sarawak and only one from each state is in opposition hands. Anwar has said that if he comes to power, he will give these states an oil royalty of 20% against 5% currently. There are other dissatisfied MPs in the peninsula who would cross over for the right price, even if it is not money.
If 13 MPs from Sabah, 10 from Sarawak and seven from the peninsula crossed over, Anwar would have his 30. But at what price? Are these MPs crossing because they honestly believe in Pakatan Rakyat and its concepts? Money is not the only corrupting influence, power is too. And with power you can make money.
What assurance is there that if they cross to Pakatan, they won’t go back to Barisan Nasional for the right incentives? Is it not more than likely that the Perak state government, where Pakatan has a slender two-seat majority, won’t collapse when a government with a majority of 58 seats, just eight short of two thirds, can?
If Peninsular Malaysians have utter disdain for their politicians, multiply that by 10 for Sabahans and Sabah politicians. Such is the situation in Sabah that nobody but nobody believes that any politician there acts in the interest of the public. The name of the game is self-interest. Ditto for Sarawak.
Are these the kind of people that Anwar wants to populate the ranks of the Pakatan leadership after the change?
Are these the kind of leaders who would lead the charge against corruption, patronage and nepotism?
What kind of a message would he be sending?
It would be the same old game all over again – the rape and pillage of Sabah and Sarawak. Unbelievably, Sabah is the poorest state in Malaysia (one in five Sabahans is poor), Sarawak not much better. How could that be with so much land, resources and so few (relatively) people? The answer: corruption.
Anwar, will you be helping the people if you put 20% of the oil revenue of these states into the hands of these politicians as you have said you will if you came into power with their help?
You, Anwar, have to become part of the change that you so much want to bring. You can’t be espousing high moral standards and then go out and do something dirty and devious to unseat the government. Your Pakatan now controls five states – show us what you can do with the mandate the people have given you.
With a machinery much smaller than Barisan’s, Pakatan gained major footholds throughout the peninsula. Anwar’s Keadilan itself came back from the brink of extinction with just one seat to become the largest single opposition party with 31 seats. Many political novices were elected just because they were on an opposition ticket.
That happened only because the public clamoured for a major change.
If Pakatan wants to spread its influence to Sabah and Sarawak, let it plant the seeds there now and bring the desired change at the polls.
And if Pakatan gets down to work, really honest work – weeding out corruption, bringing in efficiency, having open tenders etc – Barisan will have to follow or be demolished utterly at the next polls.
But if Anwar topples the government or even continues to threaten to do so, he will be short-circuiting the process and preventing all the changes that the public want.
History will judge him harshly if he does.
Yes, it’s tough for Anwar when there is so much resistance to his political return and there are battles to fight on several fronts. But arguably, the legal system will give him a much better chance now. Not to fight according to his stated principles is to give up the fight itself – he will become the enemy he so abhors.
There is a way out if all political parties come to their senses if only for a while: support a simple piece of legislation – any elected representative automatically vacates his seat if he leaves the party on whose platform he was elected. Then, the will of the people will be maintained and if someone wants to change that he will need to seek a fresh mandate from those he represents.
And finally, everyone can go to work running their state governments and the federal government properly.
If they don’t, they will risk losing their mandates in the next polls because for the first time in Malaysia, there is an alternative.
Question Time, a weekly column, seeks to highlight issues of public importance, stimulate discussion and suggest solutions.
P. Gunasegaram can be reached at t.p.guna@gmail.com. Letters can be sent to letters@thesundaily.com.

AVOID THAILAND AND MALAYSIA STOCKS ON POLITIC-CREDIT SUISSE

Avoid Thailand, Malaysia Stocks on Politics, Credit Suisse Says
By Chen Shiyin and Chan Tien Hin

Sept. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Investors should avoid stocks in Thailand and Malaysia as political turmoil in the two Southeast Asian nations intensifies, Credit Suisse Group said.
Thailand, which entered a state of emergency yesterday, isn't a buying opportunity yet because violence there will continue and the nation will become ``ungovernable,'' the brokerage said in a report today. Credit Suisse analysts also kept their ``underweight'' rating on Malaysian stocks, saying a power struggle between the government and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is heightening risks to the economy.
``These kinds of events will be a long-term negative,'' said Scott Lim, who helps manage $431 million as chief investment officer at CMS Dresdner Asset Management Sdn. in Kuala Lumpur. ``For long-term investors, who are a lot more risk averse, they don't see it as an opportunity. They want to stay out of the market.''
Thailand's SET Index has dropped 24 percent in 2008, and fell yesterday to the lowest since February 2007 after Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej issued the emergency decree. Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur Composite Index has retreated 25 percent after the ruling coalition had its worst electoral performance in five decades in March. They're the worst performers among Southeast Asian stock markets this year, after Vietnam.
The political upheavals come as economic expansion in the two countries slows. Growth in Thailand may ease to 5.5 percent in the second half because of a decline in exports, Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said last week. A state agency said on Aug. 25 the economy expanded 5.7 percent in the first half.
Economic Growth
Malaysia's economy grew 6.3 percent in the three months ended June, down from 7.1 percent in the first quarter, the central bank said on Aug. 29. Gross domestic product may expand 5.7 percent this year, the slowest pace in three years, the Ministry of Finance estimated.
Thailand's SET Index dropped 2.3 percent yesterday, the most since July 16, after clashes between pro- and anti-government factions in Bangkok left one person dead and 43 injured.
The gauge fell as much as 0.8 percent today. Protestors are vowing to continue the standoff, with unions threatening a major strike today.
``Political upheaval provides a buying opportunity only if a resolution is within sight,'' Credit Suisse analysts Dan Fineman and Cem Karacadag said in a report today. ``The current situation remains far from reaching anything resembling equilibrium.''
They advised investors to avoid building-material companies and buy shares of telecommunications, consumer and media companies. The analysts didn't name any stocks.
Siam Cement Pcl, Thailand's biggest maker of the construction material, has dropped 32 percent in 2008. Advanced Info Service Pcl, the country's largest mobile-phone carrier, has dropped 8.8 percent this year.
`None The Wiser'
In Malaysia, Anwar is seeking to oust the ruling coalition on Sept. 16 by convincing ruling lawmakers to defect to the opposition. The opposition leader, who last week was sworn in as a lawmaker after winning a by-election, was charged last month with engaging in homosexual relations. He pleaded not guilty.
The charge heightens the political tension that has weighed on the country's stock market since the March election, which weakened Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership.
``While we are a step closer to political conclusion, we really are none the wiser as to what that outcome will be,'' Stephen Hagger, a Kuala Lumpur-based analyst at Credit Suisse, wrote in a report today. ``Malaysia offers some value versus the region, but it is not really cheap enough to justify the risk.''
Other brokerages are also forecasting tougher times for the two markets. Southeast Asian markets have ``not yet approached levels where visible risks have been fully discounted,'' Goldman Sachs Group Inc. said in a Sept. 1 report, citing concerns over the political outlook in Malaysia and Thailand.
``We've been underweight in Thailand for the better part of the last two years because of a continuation of the negative domestic political sentiment,'' said Beat Lenherr, who oversees more than $20 billion of assets as Singapore-based chief global strategist at LGT Capital Management. ``Malaysia faces similar problems and we're heavily underweight there as well.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Chen Shiyin in Singapore at schen37@bloomberg.net; Chan Tien Hin in Kuala Lumpur thchan@bloomberg.net.

TEKA TEKI DAN SMS MAKIN HEBAT-NAMUN PIHAK PARTI TIDAK MENGETAHUINYA

KUALA LUMPUR- Berita dan maklumat melalui sms kononnya DSAI akan segera membentuk kerajaan bertiup kencang.Namun pihak PKR tidak mengesahkannya dan menganggap bahawa ianya adalah khabar-khabar angin semata-mata.

Antara khabar-khabar angin nya ialah bahawa sesetengah ahli komponen BN dari Sabah dan Sarawak akan mengeluarkan kenyataan keluar dari BN menjelang Jumaat 5 Sept ini.

Manakala menjelang Sabtu pula kononnya beberapa MP dari MCA dan MIC akan keluar dari Barisan Nasional.Pihak PKR khabarnya tidak mahu mengesahkan semua sms ini konon nya dari pihak pejabat Parti.

Malah R Sivarasa menjelaskan bahawa sesiapa pun berhak untuk membuat andaian kerana demam 916 makin kuat bertiup.

Hanya yang tahu mengetahuinya....mungkin....mungkin tidak.....

ANWAR'S BID FOR FEDERAL POWER:WHISHFUL THINKING?


Anwar's Bid for Federal Power: Wishful Thinking?
Tag it:Jed Yoong



Now for the hard part: Having won his by-election, Malaysia’s opposition leader seeks the big prize




After winning his by-election Tuesday with a decisive 66 percent of the 46,811 votes to return to parliament as opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim now starts the endgame that he hopes will make him Malaysia’s prime minister. It probably won’t be as easy as he is trying to make it look.

Anwar and his party faithful paint the win in the Malay-majority constituency in a rural part of Penang state as an endorsement of him as potential premier, making his Pakatan Rakyat the dominant coalition in parliament. As Malays make up about 60 percent of the national population, support from this ethnic group is crucial for legitimacy to lead the nation and for Pakatan to form a stable federal government, which Anwar promises to create by luring 40-odd Barisan Nasional lawmakers over to his coalition. Currently, Pakatan has 81 federal lawmakers, the Barisan has 140 and one is independent.

But some analysts say that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's weak leadership is in part to blame and the by-election result as much a rejection of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the largest ethnic party in the Barisan Nasional, as it was approval of Anwar. Agitation for Badawi’s scalp among the UMNO faithful, which has been considerable since the disastrous March 8 election that lost the ruling coalition its two-thirds majority parliamentary grip, is growing and intraparty factionalism is rife. Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who personally led the losing UMNO campaign against Anwar, is also facing increasing unrest over his leadership.

Besides putting Anwar in a parliamentary seat as opposition leader across the aisle from Abdullah Badawi, however, the by-election doesn’t change the big picture immediately. The number of national coalition and opposition lawmakers in parliament remains the same, one longtime Malaysian analyst pointed out. Anwar took the seat vacated by his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, shortly after he was accused by a onetime aide in his office of sodomy. Asked about the implications of the by-election, the analyst brushed off Anwar's comeback as a "non-event", adding, "The only difference is that Anwar will become opposition leader instead of Wan Azizah."

It is hardly a non-event. But there is the question of keeping the fractious opposition coalition together. The fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia, or PAS, in particular already feels it has been given a raw deal in states won by the opposition, according to the analyst, with PAS leaders asking why their role in state governments has been minimized. PAS feels it is the strongest party in terms of numbers, and that it provided the electoral foot soldiers, branch networks and logistical support that enabled the opposition to do well in the March election. That sits uneasily with the largely Chinese Democratic Action Party, the third leg in the opposition coalition.

At the PAS annual general assembly, some PAS speakers also pointed out that PAS worked together with Anwar in 1981 in Abim, a Muslim-based NGO that made Anwar’s name nationally, and that Anwar abandoned to join UMNO, from which he was ultimately ejected by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

It is a “tricky dilemma for Anwar,” said the analyst. “If he fails to reassure his Malay/Muslim supporters that they still enjoy dominance, he will be in big trouble. But if he tries to burnish his Malay/Muslim credentials, he risks alienating his non-Malay supporters and he risks being perceived as an UMNO clone. Anwar was part of UMNO for 16 years; he thrived in UMNO's money politics culture and he was successful in UMNO because of his image as a strong Malay and Muslim leader.”

It is also questionable, despite his claim of having already done it, how many defecting federal lawmakers Anwar can lure from Sabah and Sarawak in East Malaysia, which between them have 54 parliamentary seats. But animosity between Anwar and Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, who heads Sarawak's biggest party and has 14 federal lawmakers, suggests that few of the defections will come from Taib’s party, Persaka Bumiputera Bersatu. Taib is allegedly ticked off by disparaging remarks that Anwar made in the Sarawak state election in 2006.

Although Taib has reportedly said that he will support whoever takes over the federal government, loyalties in East Malaysian politics are even more fluid than in Peninsular Malaysia.

As the Barisan has 30 of 31 federal lawmakers in Sarawak, that leaves only another 16 lawmakers from smaller parties for Anwar to try to poach. Unless the lawmakers join one of the parties in Pakatan, Anwar may face the possibility of further fragmenting his precarious coalition if more parties leap onboard.

Sabah may offer the best hope, with Jeffrey Kitingan driving the charge in the state. After all, Kitigan, the analyst says, has plenty of experience in party-hopping, having crossed over from the opposition to the Barisan in 2000. It was also reported that Anwar was the mastermind behind defections which crumbled the government of Jeffrey's brother, Joseph Pairin Kitingan after Pairin's party, Parti Bersatu Sabah won state elections in 1994.

Aware of these threats, Abdullah Badawi distributed governmental largesse to both Sabah and Sarawak shortly after the March 8 elections that proved to be a disaster for the national coalition. East Malaysian politics traditionally have been driven by timber and money. Loyalty, especially to peninsular parties like UMNO, is more malleable.

While Anwar may have find it harder to put together his winning coalition than analysts think, UMNO and the rest of the national coalition are perhaps in even worse shape.

"What's clear is that the people rejected the prime minister, and this is also a big blow to Najib," a lawyer closely connected to the Mahathir wing of UMNO told Asia Sentinel in an email interview.

"UMNO could well be dead after this,” he said. “I think the PM made the mistake of dismissing Anwar's threat (of taking over the federal government). It may not happen all at once in September but he's edging there and given time who knows, with discontent so high."

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, the 71-year-old politician prince and longstanding contestant for the country's top job, is leading the charge in UMNO against Abdullah.

"Our leadership is rejected by the rakyat (people) and, moreover, is rejected by our own members," the onetime finance minister said in a statement released Tuesday. "The Barisan Nasional’s vote count was less than the number of UMNO members in the constituency. Within and among our component parties we ran a poorly coordinated and listless campaign against a motivated opposition. What scraps of credibility the Prime Minister and his deputy had left after March 8 are gone."

Mahathir, the former and longest serving premier who anointed Abdullah Badawi as his successor in 2003, has turned into the besieged premier's most vitriolic critic. After a Royal Commission suggested the Attorney-General investigate Mahathir for judicial corruption, which includes judge-fixing at the highest level, he loudly quit UMNO and is now an avid blogger at chedet.com.

"Listen to, look at what is demonstrated by voters in Permatang Pauh,” Mahathir wrote. “They did not vote for Dato Seri Anwar and PKR. They voted for that Barisan Nasional and UMNO to lose. The increased majority for Dato Seri Anwar compared to March 8 is definitely because in a period of only five months, support for BN and UMNO has further deteriorated. When do you want to wait till, UMNO members, before you realise Dato Seri Abdullah's leadership needs to be ended?"

Yesterday, he offered to rejoin UMNO to save it.

Victorious Anwar on path to power-ASIA TIMES



Southeast Asia



By Anil Netto


PENANG - Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim's victory in a crucial by-election in the Permatang Pauh constituency in Penang on Tuesday has thrown wide open the political possibilities in the coming months. Standing under the banner of his People's Justice Party (PKR), he cruised to a 15,671-vote majority on the back of an over 80% turnout among 58,000 voters on the electoral rolls. His majority surpassed the 13,388-vote majority of his wife and PKR president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in the March 8 general election. His showing was always going to be the benchmark as to whether Anwar could command enough public support for his bid to move "from Permatang Pauh to Putrajaya", the administrative capital of the country. His attempt to use Permatang Pauh as a launch pad for hiscoalition to eventually wrest power from the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition was one of the themes of the by-election that captured the imagination of many Malaysians hoping for democratic and economic reforms.


The by-election itself was dogged by the BN's exploitation of the sodomy charges against Anwar, which in the end did not make much headway among the voters of Permatang Pauh as Anwar captured two-thirds of the votes cast. He may also have succeeded in winning about 60-65% of votes from ethnic Malays in a constituency where the group makes up close to 70% of voters. Chinese and Indian Malaysian voters in the constituency are also likely to have voted in droves for the PKR. Anwar has successfully forged a coalition among disparate opposition parties comprising his PKR, the multi-ethnic but Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic party PAS. The coalition - known as the People's Alliance (PR) - won 81 seats in the March 8 general election while the BN secured 140, thus depriving the ruling coalition of its coveted two-thirds parliamentary majority.


The by-election was seen as a barometer as to whether support for the PR had risen since the general election. It was also a gauge of public support for the BN after a sharp petrol price hike of 41% in June, though the price was reduced by 6% last week. For some time now, support for the ruling coalition has been eroding due to its slow pace of curbing corruption, its divisive race-based policies and its failure to introduce key reforms to institutions of democratic governance. Such failures have resulted in the BN's declining moral legitimacy in recent years. The setback to the BN on March 8, when it secured just over half the popular vote, suggests that the erosion of its political legitimacy finally caught up with the decline in its moral legitimacy. Taken together, the BN has been on the defensive since then, unable to stem the erosion to its credibility, as reflected in the result of the by-election. The highly anticipated by-election win thus gives added momentum to Anwar's bid to wrest power by Sept 16, as he has claimed he will do though parliamentary defections. The PR already controls five of 13 states in the federation. Still, it won't be easy to dislodge the ruling coalition, which has governed for close to 51 consecutive years. Public relations strategists probably chose September 16, Malaysia Day, for symbolic reasons. That was the date in 1963 when the federation was formed with the merger of the Malaya peninsula, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. (Singapore left the federation in 1965.) Anwar is hoping to lure parliamentarians from Sabah and from the United Malays National Organization in particular to defect from the BN.


He will now be sworn in as member of parliament on Thursday and the PR parliamentarians will select him as Parliamentary Opposition Leader. In his campaign speeches, he had said he wants to look Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi in the eye when the premier presents his budget address in parliament at the end of the month. The by-election campaign was in effect a de facto battle between Anwar, the man many believe to be prime minister-in-waiting, and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak, who under a transition plan is scheduled to succeed Abdullah in 2010. That remains to be seen as Najib's star may have faded somewhat after spearheading the BN's lackluster campaign for its candidate Arif Shah Omar Shah. Anwar's campaign itself captured the imagination of many Malaysians with his twin promises to improve national unity and revive the listless economy.


For the non-Malays, his call for a "Malaysian Economic Agenda" that would make the country more competitive globally carries with it the hope of a greater emphasis on meritocracy after years of race-based affirmative action policies favoring the Malays and other indigenous groups. At the same time, he has been able to allay the fears of ethnic Malays that they would lose out if the economic playing field is leveled with minority Chinese and Indians. "I will defend the rights of the Malays, let there be no doubt about that, but we will also help the poor of all races if their need help whether they are Chinese, Indians or others," was his constant refrain throughout the campaign. This approach has enabled Anwar to balance competing aspirations and concerns and build on his political campaign for Putrajaya. But he will first have to navigate past a mention in the courts on the sodomy charge on September 10 along with a new Anti-Corruption Agency investigation into an allegation brought up during the campaign by a former friend-turned-political foe. Anil Netto is a Penang-based writer.


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