Apr 14, 08 5:32pm
Embattled Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today vowed that he would be defending his Umno president post in December and that the succession plan can wait after the crucial party polls.
He also stressed that he would hand over power to his deputy, Najib Abdul Razak only when the time is right.
According to Abdullah, he still has unfinished business to do before he steps down to allow Najib to take over the helm.
However, he did not give a time-frame as to when this would take place apart from saying that it would be after the Umno polls in December.
Abdullah was speaking to reporters after a closed-door meeting with about 500 BN elected representatives - both those in state assemblies and Parliament - at the Putra World Trade Centre this afternoon.
The prime minister argued that he has to put the party in order before handing the rein over to his deputy.
"Of course, I want the transfer of power to be smooth so that the party will be in good hands and there will be no chaos," said Abdullah.
"I can't just hand a messy party over to Najib and say 'here you go, good luck… that's your problem'. That's not the proper way."
Why shouldn't I contest?
Abdullah also dismissed rumours that a time-frame had been set for his retirement at a meeting with Umno leaders in Johor last Friday.
"They (Umno leaders) said that they would leave it to me and that they will support me and my deputy in the party polls in December.
"After that, Pak Lah and Najib will decide (on) the transfer of power," Abdullah said, referring to himself by his nickname. "Why should I not contest the party polls?"
The premier was also confident that all BN members of parliament were loyal to him and would not initiate a vote of no confidence against him when Parliament convenes at the end of this month.
On when the transfer of power would take place, Abdullah said: "I cannot reveal that to you."
He added that those calling for his resignation does not represent the grassroots.
Abdullah has come under severe pressure from within his own party to step down and let Najib to take over. His detractors are blaming him for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition’s unprecedented setback in the March 8 general election.
Former Umno vice-president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has indicated that he would contest for the Umno top post to "heal the party".
Today, Foreign Minister Rais Yatim joined the chorus of senior Umno officials calling for Abdullah to step down after International Trade and Industry Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said over the weekend an immediate change of leadership was necessary to ensure the party's survival.
Former Selangor Menter Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo also called for a succession plan that will see Najib taking over without delay.
It would be a coup: Shahrir
Meanwhile, Domestic Trade and Consumer Affair Minister Shahrir Abdul Samad said he failed to understand why Muhyiddin and Rais was forcing the prime minister's hand.
"First of all, I don't see why there is a crisis in Umno when only a small number of Malays have abandoned the party,” he said after Abdullah’s meeting with BN elected representatives.
According to independent statistics, there was a five percent swing against the government among Malay voters in last month’s general elections.
"If at all there was any erosion of votes for BN, it came from the component parties (MCA, MIC and Gerakan). The candidates from Umno did very well as the Malay support was quite high," said Shahrir, who is Johor Bahru MP and Abdullah's close ally.
"The problem was with the non-Malay parties, yet somehow Umno leaders successfully created a leadership crisis when there is no correlation with the results," he added.
On certain quarters trying to force Abdullah to quit, Shahrir revealed that the premier had already said he was going and that he had given a date to (Umno vice-president) Muhyiddin at the Johor meeting last Friday.
"Abdullah has set a date. But obviously it’s going to happen after December. Unfortunately, there seems to be people who want it to be faster. I don't understand why, unless they have vested interest," said the outspoken politician.
However, Shahrir was vague on the actual date of transition. He said it could be either 2009 or 2010.
"To be fair, he has already said he's going, so what's the rush?" lamented Shahrir. "Instead of allowing him to run the government, he is being distracted with talks of transition."
"This would not be a transition but a 'Get out!'. It will be a coup d’etat."
Beware of what you say
At the meeting with BN elected representatives, Abdullah reminded them of their duties to their constituencies, especially those from the five states governed by Pakatan Rakyat, namely Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor and Kelantan.
Among the issues he touched on were the representatives' role in understanding the Standing Orders so that they can debate constructively, the importance of servicing their electorate regardless of party or race and the need to monitor government-initiated projects.
He also reminded parliamentarians that the august house was not a place for them to make seditious statements and that they can still be charged under the Sedition Act if they make racial or religious statement detrimental to the nation.
Monday, April 14, 2008
20,000 defy police to celebrate Anwar's ban expiry
Apr 14, 08 12:48pm
About 20,000 people attended a rally in central Kuala Lumpur tonight to mark the expiry of Anwar Ibrahim ban from public office, a decade after he was sacked as deputy prime minister.
The crowd defied a ban on the event which was held in Kampung Baru despite scores of riot police were deployed in the futile attempt to stop the illegal gathering.
"We have not issued any permits for the gathering. I advise all the supporters not to attend it. The gathering is banned," city police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman told AFP earlier today.
At about 9.30pm, Anwar took the stage to tell his supporters to wait two weeks on whether he would be running for parliamentary seat and return to active politics.
PKR bagged 31 seats in last month's general elections and Anwar had said that one of the parliamentarians would resign so that the party de facto leader could contest in a subsequent by-election.
In his speech, Anwar also attacked his nemesis, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and accused him of abuse of power.
"He has made the judiciary worse. He is worried that I'll be the next PM," he said.
Anwar also lambasted Najib Abdul Razak, saying that the prime minister-in-waiting was "not fit" to assume the post.
Once seen as the heir apparent to long-time leader Mahathir, Anwar was subsequently convicted on sex and corruption charges and spent six years in jail, before storming back to prominence in March elections.
With Anwar at the helm, a reinvigorated opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century.
Now the 60-year-old maverick is once again being touted as a future prime minister, but this time for his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance which he has described as a "government-in-waiting".
The sodomy charges were later dropped but the corruption count prevented him from standing for public office until tomorrow.
Surprise in store
Anwar had been expected to re-enter Parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his party, and to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a symbolic no-confidence vote soon after.
But in light of the stunning and unexpected gains, he has said he is in no hurry to act and will instead focus on building up the opposition.
Meanwhile, party's deputy president Syed Husin Ali had earlier rejected the police objections to the rally, but said PKR had made confidential alternative arrangements for the celebration.
"We will go ahead with it for the simple reason that that area is a private area, it is not a public area," he said of the proposed venue.
"We can't understand why there is this sudden change of mind on the part of police... in fact, they were originally involved in discussions to control traffic and ensure security."
Pressuring the police
Syed Husin said he suspected the government, which has been badly rattled by the unprecedented election setback, may be putting pressure on police.
"They might fear that there might be some strong political influence that this gathering might have on the public," he said.
Abdullah has refused to stand down despite the electoral debacle, insisting he has a mandate to rule and promising to introduce long-heralded reforms that voters punished him for never delivering.
But the opposition and many political commentators believe the coalition will continue to flounder and that Anwar could seize power within a few years, or perhaps even a few months.
"I think they are very likely to form the next government and it's a matter of timing, of when this will take place, whether it's at the next elections or before then," said Tricia Yeoh of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
About 20,000 people attended a rally in central Kuala Lumpur tonight to mark the expiry of Anwar Ibrahim ban from public office, a decade after he was sacked as deputy prime minister.
The crowd defied a ban on the event which was held in Kampung Baru despite scores of riot police were deployed in the futile attempt to stop the illegal gathering.
"We have not issued any permits for the gathering. I advise all the supporters not to attend it. The gathering is banned," city police chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman told AFP earlier today.
At about 9.30pm, Anwar took the stage to tell his supporters to wait two weeks on whether he would be running for parliamentary seat and return to active politics.
PKR bagged 31 seats in last month's general elections and Anwar had said that one of the parliamentarians would resign so that the party de facto leader could contest in a subsequent by-election.
In his speech, Anwar also attacked his nemesis, former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and accused him of abuse of power.
"He has made the judiciary worse. He is worried that I'll be the next PM," he said.
Anwar also lambasted Najib Abdul Razak, saying that the prime minister-in-waiting was "not fit" to assume the post.
Once seen as the heir apparent to long-time leader Mahathir, Anwar was subsequently convicted on sex and corruption charges and spent six years in jail, before storming back to prominence in March elections.
With Anwar at the helm, a reinvigorated opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century.
Now the 60-year-old maverick is once again being touted as a future prime minister, but this time for his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance which he has described as a "government-in-waiting".
The sodomy charges were later dropped but the corruption count prevented him from standing for public office until tomorrow.
Surprise in store
Anwar had been expected to re-enter Parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his party, and to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a symbolic no-confidence vote soon after.
But in light of the stunning and unexpected gains, he has said he is in no hurry to act and will instead focus on building up the opposition.
Meanwhile, party's deputy president Syed Husin Ali had earlier rejected the police objections to the rally, but said PKR had made confidential alternative arrangements for the celebration.
"We will go ahead with it for the simple reason that that area is a private area, it is not a public area," he said of the proposed venue.
"We can't understand why there is this sudden change of mind on the part of police... in fact, they were originally involved in discussions to control traffic and ensure security."
Pressuring the police
Syed Husin said he suspected the government, which has been badly rattled by the unprecedented election setback, may be putting pressure on police.
"They might fear that there might be some strong political influence that this gathering might have on the public," he said.
Abdullah has refused to stand down despite the electoral debacle, insisting he has a mandate to rule and promising to introduce long-heralded reforms that voters punished him for never delivering.
But the opposition and many political commentators believe the coalition will continue to flounder and that Anwar could seize power within a few years, or perhaps even a few months.
"I think they are very likely to form the next government and it's a matter of timing, of when this will take place, whether it's at the next elections or before then," said Tricia Yeoh of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
Ka Ting: I didn't plot Chua's downfall
Apr 14, 08 5:03pm
MCA president Ong Ka Ting has broken his silence to vehemently deny that he had orchestrated the dramatic political downfall of ally-turned-foe Dr Chua Soi Lek, through the sex-tape scandal in January.
In an interview last Friday, four months after the controversy erupted, he responded to allegations in a whisper campaign that he was behind the scandal to kill Chua’s political career.
The party president “strongly and categorically” denied the allegation.
“There is no reason at all for me to do anything to harm him. The stronger he is, the better for me because Johor will be in very good hands. All the time, I like him as an efficient leader - that is from the bottom of my heart,” a slightly emotional Ong said during the 90-minute interview.
Known for his soft-spoken manner, Ong also denied he had ever pressured Chua - a potential challenger for the presidency - to quit all government and party posts when the scandal broke.
Ong, 51, pointed out that he had refrained from responding to the accusation earlier because he was focused on more serious matters.
“But if this keeps going on, I have to clear things up and put a stop to it,” he stressed, saying that he has had enough of the “character assassination and unfair accusations”.
Although Ong was not directly named, Chua’s supporters had claimed that the ‘top leadership’ was involved. Chua himself is convinced that ‘political enemies’ were behind the distribution of the video tape.
Prior to the scandal, Chua, 61, was No 3 in the MCA leadership and was seen as a future party head. He wielded significant influence among members in several states, especially in Johor which has the highest number of delegates with voting rights at the party elections.
Political conspiracy theories later surfaced, attributing circulation of the sex tape to an attempt to kill the meteoric rise of Chua, who had hinted that he was going to contest for the top post in the party elections, now scheduled for October.
The fallout between the duo has been closely watched by members, more so because the two were blue-eyed boys of former president Dr Ling Liong Sik. They belonged to the faction dubbed ‘Team A’, which Ling led during an internal crisis in 2001.
Ong, a Perak-born former teacher, took over the MCA in May 2003 under a ‘peace plan’ inked by his mentor Ling and then deputy president Lim Ah Lek, who had led the rival ‘Team B’. It ended a protracted crisis that had seen leaders engaging in an open war of words.
Ling and Lim stepped down together, paving the way for Ong and Lim’s protege Chan Kong Choy to take over as the top two.
‘Members want me to stay’
Wearing a light pink shirt and dark jacket, he was relaxed and accommodating during the interview - his first with an online media - as he fielded questions, answering in Mandarin and English.
He responded to allegations that he has misused his power to place his elder brother Ka Chuan in power (creating the ‘Ong dynasty’); that he fielded ‘favourable’ candidates in the general election at the expense of incumbents; and that he is a ‘weak’ leader who is subservient to Umno.
His side of the story on these claims will be published in the second and third part of the interview tomorrow and Wednesday.
Prior to the interview, he had chaired a four-hour presidential council meeting at the party headquarters. Among other matters, the meeting had touched on allegation that he is backing a clandestine group of ‘spies’.
Ong appeared unfazed by the ongoing ‘Save MCA campaign’. This is led by a loose group of disgruntled leaders who are demanding his resignation following the party’s poor performance in the March 8 general election.
Like other Barisan Nasional component parties, the MCA was hit badly by the political tsunami, seeing its representation fall from 31 to 15 in Parliament and from 76 to 31 at state-level.
“It’s for the MCA to go on, I don’t think we really need to do anything to save MCA - the phrase is not relevant. What we need to do is how to rebuild, re-motivate, re-strategise, reinvent and re-engineer the party,” he said.
He insisted that there was no basis for him to quit as he still commands the support of the majority of grassroots members.
“(They) are sending me messages like ‘President, you have to be strong, you have to lead us through this very difficult period, you have to really get the whole team in place’. A lot of these words are coming back (to me),” he pointed out.
Ong also denied Chua’s claim that he wants to be an “unchallengeable president”, based on his recent decision to take over the Johor MCA state chief’s post.
“If I want to be the unchallengeable president, I should have stuck firm with my ministerial portfolio. Why should I let that go?” he countered, explaining that his move was part of the effort to rebuild MCA.
The former housing and local government minister decided not to re-nominate himself for a cabinet post, after holding himself responsible for the dismal election results. By convention, BN component heads hold ministerial positions, but the MCA spot has gone to Ka Chuan.
Ong was tightlipped about whether he would defend the final term of his presidency in October.
He said the timing is not right and that he does not want to shift the focus from rebuilding the party to bickering over posts. He also declined to comment on possible multi-cornered fights for the No 1 post.
MCA president Ong Ka Ting has broken his silence to vehemently deny that he had orchestrated the dramatic political downfall of ally-turned-foe Dr Chua Soi Lek, through the sex-tape scandal in January.
In an interview last Friday, four months after the controversy erupted, he responded to allegations in a whisper campaign that he was behind the scandal to kill Chua’s political career.
The party president “strongly and categorically” denied the allegation.
“There is no reason at all for me to do anything to harm him. The stronger he is, the better for me because Johor will be in very good hands. All the time, I like him as an efficient leader - that is from the bottom of my heart,” a slightly emotional Ong said during the 90-minute interview.
Known for his soft-spoken manner, Ong also denied he had ever pressured Chua - a potential challenger for the presidency - to quit all government and party posts when the scandal broke.
Ong, 51, pointed out that he had refrained from responding to the accusation earlier because he was focused on more serious matters.
“But if this keeps going on, I have to clear things up and put a stop to it,” he stressed, saying that he has had enough of the “character assassination and unfair accusations”.
Although Ong was not directly named, Chua’s supporters had claimed that the ‘top leadership’ was involved. Chua himself is convinced that ‘political enemies’ were behind the distribution of the video tape.
Prior to the scandal, Chua, 61, was No 3 in the MCA leadership and was seen as a future party head. He wielded significant influence among members in several states, especially in Johor which has the highest number of delegates with voting rights at the party elections.
Political conspiracy theories later surfaced, attributing circulation of the sex tape to an attempt to kill the meteoric rise of Chua, who had hinted that he was going to contest for the top post in the party elections, now scheduled for October.
The fallout between the duo has been closely watched by members, more so because the two were blue-eyed boys of former president Dr Ling Liong Sik. They belonged to the faction dubbed ‘Team A’, which Ling led during an internal crisis in 2001.
Ong, a Perak-born former teacher, took over the MCA in May 2003 under a ‘peace plan’ inked by his mentor Ling and then deputy president Lim Ah Lek, who had led the rival ‘Team B’. It ended a protracted crisis that had seen leaders engaging in an open war of words.
Ling and Lim stepped down together, paving the way for Ong and Lim’s protege Chan Kong Choy to take over as the top two.
‘Members want me to stay’
Wearing a light pink shirt and dark jacket, he was relaxed and accommodating during the interview - his first with an online media - as he fielded questions, answering in Mandarin and English.
He responded to allegations that he has misused his power to place his elder brother Ka Chuan in power (creating the ‘Ong dynasty’); that he fielded ‘favourable’ candidates in the general election at the expense of incumbents; and that he is a ‘weak’ leader who is subservient to Umno.
His side of the story on these claims will be published in the second and third part of the interview tomorrow and Wednesday.
Prior to the interview, he had chaired a four-hour presidential council meeting at the party headquarters. Among other matters, the meeting had touched on allegation that he is backing a clandestine group of ‘spies’.
Ong appeared unfazed by the ongoing ‘Save MCA campaign’. This is led by a loose group of disgruntled leaders who are demanding his resignation following the party’s poor performance in the March 8 general election.
Like other Barisan Nasional component parties, the MCA was hit badly by the political tsunami, seeing its representation fall from 31 to 15 in Parliament and from 76 to 31 at state-level.
“It’s for the MCA to go on, I don’t think we really need to do anything to save MCA - the phrase is not relevant. What we need to do is how to rebuild, re-motivate, re-strategise, reinvent and re-engineer the party,” he said.
He insisted that there was no basis for him to quit as he still commands the support of the majority of grassroots members.
“(They) are sending me messages like ‘President, you have to be strong, you have to lead us through this very difficult period, you have to really get the whole team in place’. A lot of these words are coming back (to me),” he pointed out.
Ong also denied Chua’s claim that he wants to be an “unchallengeable president”, based on his recent decision to take over the Johor MCA state chief’s post.
“If I want to be the unchallengeable president, I should have stuck firm with my ministerial portfolio. Why should I let that go?” he countered, explaining that his move was part of the effort to rebuild MCA.
The former housing and local government minister decided not to re-nominate himself for a cabinet post, after holding himself responsible for the dismal election results. By convention, BN component heads hold ministerial positions, but the MCA spot has gone to Ka Chuan.
Ong was tightlipped about whether he would defend the final term of his presidency in October.
He said the timing is not right and that he does not want to shift the focus from rebuilding the party to bickering over posts. He also declined to comment on possible multi-cornered fights for the No 1 post.
I'm ready to face royal commission: Dr M
Apr 14, 08 5:53pm
In the latest tit-for-tat feud between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and top lawyer Param Cumaraswamy, the former premier said he was ready to face a royal commission over allegations of abuse of power.
According to Mahathir, while he was “happy to face a royal commission of inquiry”, Param would reject such a body for lacking integrity.
“Only if he himself makes up a one-man commission would the result be acceptable to him. That is the kind of judicial approach he apparently believes in,” he said in his letter.
Mahathir was responding to a letter written by Param, the former United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, which was published in Malaysiakini last Friday.
Param’s letter was in turn a response to Mahathir’s April 7 letter, which appeared in The Sun.
In his latest salvo, Mahathir also explained why he did not sue Shafee Yahaya, the former Anti-Corruption Agency chief, who had claimed the former PM had instructed to him to drop investigations involving the director-general of the Economic Planning Unit 10 years ago.
In his letter, Mahathir again defended himself over the VK Lingam tape scandal, where a well-connected lawyer was filmed for allegedly brokering the appointment of top judges.
“I had already explained to the (royal) commission that there is nothing in the law to bar me from listening to anybody's view of a candidate for the bench. But who I recommend is my own decision. Lingam may have influenced judges etc, but that did not mean I made a decision based on Lingam's views. The real truth is that I had never been lobbied by Lingam.”
In the grainy 14-minute footage, Lingam was seen talking about approaching Mahathir through two intermediaries, a minister and a business tycoon - both of whom are said close to the then prime minister - in getting the “right” judges promoted.
Mahathir’s letter in full
The following is Mahathir’s full statement sent to Malaysiakini:
Param Cumaraswamy works on the basis of suspicions and his own perception of everything and everyone. Tangible evidence is not necessary.
As I said Shafee (Yahaya)'s statement was merely his version of what was said at a meeting between him and me. He may swear but that still does not prove he was telling the whole truth.
I could have sued him for libel but I too can only submit my sworn version of the verbal exchange between him and me. The judges would have to determine who was telling a lie and this the judges could not do with any certainty.
Consequently, I did not think it was worthwhile fo me to sue or even to defend myself. If I had done anything wrong then the government agencies would have to investigate and decide. Their decision was that I had done nothing wrong. I had every right to call up an officer against whom allegations had been made by another officer.
I suppose Param as a lawyer knows that a person is not guilty until proven otherwise.
The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) head had not been proven guilty. So why cannot he be appointed governor of the Central Bank?
Today there are lots of cases of suspicions of corruption and abuses of power in the government. But Param has not made any critical comment, much less take up the cases or even write and make known his suspicions and demand for a commission of inquiry.
As to the video-taping of (well-connected senior lawyer) VK Lingam, one should ask why this is done. Isn't it because of the intention to blackmail? Incidentally he is my lawyer in a case where Anwar Ibrahim (the same person who provided the videos) had sued me for RM100 million because I said he had indulged in sodomy. It should be pointed out that in releasing the video in two parts, Anwar was tempering with evidence.
And he claims he has more video clips to release. The video clips are obviously being withheld and their value as evidence is questionable.
I had already explained to the commission that there is nothing in the law to bar me from listening to anybody's view of a candidate for the bench. But who I recommend is my own decision. Lingam may have influenced judges etc, but that did not mean I made a decision based on Lingam's views. The real truth is that I had never been lobbied by Lingam.
Param seems ever ready to denigrate anyone who did not do what he expects them to do. Thus because the late attorney-general Mohtar Abdullah cleared then chief justice Eusoff Chin of any wrongdoing therefore Mohtar's decision that there was no case against me must also be in the same category.
In fact, he condemns Mohtar's decision during my era, implying that I had been responsible for all of Mohtar's decisions. What is his proof that all of Mohtar's decision were influenced by me? Again his apparent reason is because of his suspicion and his contempt for anyone who did not decide the way he expects.
I just wonder how he was appointed by the UN to be the rapporteur on the commission looking into the independence of the judiciary and lawyers. He already had a biased opinion of them as evidenced by his statement in his letter about "Malaysia's internationally discredited judiciary and legal system". His report on them cannot be regarded as impartial.
As far as his immunity to Malaysian laws is concerned, the ratification by Malaysia of the Convention on Privileges cannot possibly cover personal attacks against private individuals. Otherwise people on the UN commissions can do anything they like including as I mentioned, murder. When immunity is granted, it is expected that the person concerned would behave with propriety and would not abuse it. The report should be submitted to the UN authorities.
It must not be made use of by the author to score (points) against helpless individuals. That would be abusing the immunity conferred. It is contemptible. In any case, the UN only imposes its rule on weak countries that cannot do anything to defend themselves.
Powerful countries can totally disregard the UN, hence Guantanamo Bay.
No Malaysian court, according to Param found his statements libelous. But then all these courts according to Param are internationally discredited. Their not finding Param's statements libelous should be rejected especially by Param, because it would be made by discredited courts. Why is Param citing these courts' decision to back his claim?
Had I volunteered to appear in court to clear my reputation, I would be at the mercy of these internationally discredited courts also. If they did not find me guilty, then Param would say the court is a discredited court.
This of course would be considered by him as irrefutable evidence that my sworn testimony was wrong. You are damned if you do and you are damned if you don't.
In any case, he insists that the statements of these three high officials of our enforcement agencies (the AG, the head of the ACA and the police) are very unsettling. This is a nice way of saying he believes they are lying. These officials are not saying this in my era or Eusoff Chin's era. How does he conclude they are lying? Would he appear in court to say these officials are lying in the era of Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi)?
Param has gone through great lengths to assert that I had abused and consolidated power when I was prime minister. He has not shown a shred of admissible evidence to show that I had done this. Only surmises and personal opinion. Do you convict people based on these?
Still I would be happy to face a royal commission of inquiry. The only problem is that Param has already concluded that they would not possess integrity. Only if he himself makes up a one-man commission would the result be acceptable to him. That is the kind of judicial approach he apparently believes in.
I hate to think that the world might take this bitter man and his personal hatred as typical of Malaysians. We have better people who are representative of the Malaysian character.
In the latest tit-for-tat feud between Dr Mahathir Mohamad and top lawyer Param Cumaraswamy, the former premier said he was ready to face a royal commission over allegations of abuse of power.
According to Mahathir, while he was “happy to face a royal commission of inquiry”, Param would reject such a body for lacking integrity.
“Only if he himself makes up a one-man commission would the result be acceptable to him. That is the kind of judicial approach he apparently believes in,” he said in his letter.
Mahathir was responding to a letter written by Param, the former United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, which was published in Malaysiakini last Friday.
Param’s letter was in turn a response to Mahathir’s April 7 letter, which appeared in The Sun.
In his latest salvo, Mahathir also explained why he did not sue Shafee Yahaya, the former Anti-Corruption Agency chief, who had claimed the former PM had instructed to him to drop investigations involving the director-general of the Economic Planning Unit 10 years ago.
In his letter, Mahathir again defended himself over the VK Lingam tape scandal, where a well-connected lawyer was filmed for allegedly brokering the appointment of top judges.
“I had already explained to the (royal) commission that there is nothing in the law to bar me from listening to anybody's view of a candidate for the bench. But who I recommend is my own decision. Lingam may have influenced judges etc, but that did not mean I made a decision based on Lingam's views. The real truth is that I had never been lobbied by Lingam.”
In the grainy 14-minute footage, Lingam was seen talking about approaching Mahathir through two intermediaries, a minister and a business tycoon - both of whom are said close to the then prime minister - in getting the “right” judges promoted.
Mahathir’s letter in full
The following is Mahathir’s full statement sent to Malaysiakini:
Param Cumaraswamy works on the basis of suspicions and his own perception of everything and everyone. Tangible evidence is not necessary.
As I said Shafee (Yahaya)'s statement was merely his version of what was said at a meeting between him and me. He may swear but that still does not prove he was telling the whole truth.
I could have sued him for libel but I too can only submit my sworn version of the verbal exchange between him and me. The judges would have to determine who was telling a lie and this the judges could not do with any certainty.
Consequently, I did not think it was worthwhile fo me to sue or even to defend myself. If I had done anything wrong then the government agencies would have to investigate and decide. Their decision was that I had done nothing wrong. I had every right to call up an officer against whom allegations had been made by another officer.
I suppose Param as a lawyer knows that a person is not guilty until proven otherwise.
The Economic Planning Unit (EPU) head had not been proven guilty. So why cannot he be appointed governor of the Central Bank?
Today there are lots of cases of suspicions of corruption and abuses of power in the government. But Param has not made any critical comment, much less take up the cases or even write and make known his suspicions and demand for a commission of inquiry.
As to the video-taping of (well-connected senior lawyer) VK Lingam, one should ask why this is done. Isn't it because of the intention to blackmail? Incidentally he is my lawyer in a case where Anwar Ibrahim (the same person who provided the videos) had sued me for RM100 million because I said he had indulged in sodomy. It should be pointed out that in releasing the video in two parts, Anwar was tempering with evidence.
And he claims he has more video clips to release. The video clips are obviously being withheld and their value as evidence is questionable.
I had already explained to the commission that there is nothing in the law to bar me from listening to anybody's view of a candidate for the bench. But who I recommend is my own decision. Lingam may have influenced judges etc, but that did not mean I made a decision based on Lingam's views. The real truth is that I had never been lobbied by Lingam.
Param seems ever ready to denigrate anyone who did not do what he expects them to do. Thus because the late attorney-general Mohtar Abdullah cleared then chief justice Eusoff Chin of any wrongdoing therefore Mohtar's decision that there was no case against me must also be in the same category.
In fact, he condemns Mohtar's decision during my era, implying that I had been responsible for all of Mohtar's decisions. What is his proof that all of Mohtar's decision were influenced by me? Again his apparent reason is because of his suspicion and his contempt for anyone who did not decide the way he expects.
I just wonder how he was appointed by the UN to be the rapporteur on the commission looking into the independence of the judiciary and lawyers. He already had a biased opinion of them as evidenced by his statement in his letter about "Malaysia's internationally discredited judiciary and legal system". His report on them cannot be regarded as impartial.
As far as his immunity to Malaysian laws is concerned, the ratification by Malaysia of the Convention on Privileges cannot possibly cover personal attacks against private individuals. Otherwise people on the UN commissions can do anything they like including as I mentioned, murder. When immunity is granted, it is expected that the person concerned would behave with propriety and would not abuse it. The report should be submitted to the UN authorities.
It must not be made use of by the author to score (points) against helpless individuals. That would be abusing the immunity conferred. It is contemptible. In any case, the UN only imposes its rule on weak countries that cannot do anything to defend themselves.
Powerful countries can totally disregard the UN, hence Guantanamo Bay.
No Malaysian court, according to Param found his statements libelous. But then all these courts according to Param are internationally discredited. Their not finding Param's statements libelous should be rejected especially by Param, because it would be made by discredited courts. Why is Param citing these courts' decision to back his claim?
Had I volunteered to appear in court to clear my reputation, I would be at the mercy of these internationally discredited courts also. If they did not find me guilty, then Param would say the court is a discredited court.
This of course would be considered by him as irrefutable evidence that my sworn testimony was wrong. You are damned if you do and you are damned if you don't.
In any case, he insists that the statements of these three high officials of our enforcement agencies (the AG, the head of the ACA and the police) are very unsettling. This is a nice way of saying he believes they are lying. These officials are not saying this in my era or Eusoff Chin's era. How does he conclude they are lying? Would he appear in court to say these officials are lying in the era of Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi)?
Param has gone through great lengths to assert that I had abused and consolidated power when I was prime minister. He has not shown a shred of admissible evidence to show that I had done this. Only surmises and personal opinion. Do you convict people based on these?
Still I would be happy to face a royal commission of inquiry. The only problem is that Param has already concluded that they would not possess integrity. Only if he himself makes up a one-man commission would the result be acceptable to him. That is the kind of judicial approach he apparently believes in.
I hate to think that the world might take this bitter man and his personal hatred as typical of Malaysians. We have better people who are representative of the Malaysian character.
MCA disappointed with crown prince's remarks
Apr 14, 08 4:23pm
MCA today expressed its disappointment with a remark made by the Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra that non-Malays should not seek equality or special treatment.
MCA president Ong Ka Ting said that statements of such a nature would destroy the unity and harmony between the various races in the country. He added that it will also not benefit the multi-racial society.
"For the past 50 years, the various races have worked hard together to attain the goals of nation building, for which they have also contributed vastly to the country's development.
“As such, they too have equal rights as enshrined in constitution," said the leader of the second biggest partner in the ruling BN coalition.
He said that while the federal constitution afforded special status for the Malays, the same document also disallowed the deprivation of rights and privileges of the others.
"The statement by Tengku Faris is inconsistent with the BN's stand on racial unity which stands for fair and equal partnership," added Ong in a statement.
On Saturday, Tengku Faris while delivering a keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity”, said that as the Malays had agreed in granting non-Malays citizenship, the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.
Say no to PAS
On another matter, Ong also rejected Islamic party PAS’ aims of setting up an Islamic state.
He said that MCA will not accept an Islamic state as it is contrary to the federal constitution.
"All levels of leaders from PAS including, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Kelantan deputy menteri besar Ahmad Yaakup, Kelantan PAS Youth Mohd Zaki Ibrahim and PAS deputy spiritual leader Dr Haron Din have made assertions that they want to create an Islamic state.
“This indicates that PAS' ambitious goals have been revealed. There is no doubt that they intend to establish an Islamic state for Malaysia," added Ong.
The former housing and local government minister said that all political parties should stand together to stop PAS from establishing an Islamic state.
“Any organisation or party that co-operates with PAS will only help PAS to work towards its agenda of forming an Islamic state," he said.
"These parties should re-evaluate their relationship with PAS as it is already creating a lot of uneasiness among the people."
MCA fared badly in the March 8 general election, being rejected by the Chinese voters over its failure to stand up for matters affecting the community.
In the aftermath of the humiliating defeat, Ong rejected a cabinet position to concentrate on regaining the trust of the community.
His strong statements against Tengku Faris as well as the Islamic state agenda are seen as part of his strategy to win over the Chinese community.
MCA today expressed its disappointment with a remark made by the Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra that non-Malays should not seek equality or special treatment.
MCA president Ong Ka Ting said that statements of such a nature would destroy the unity and harmony between the various races in the country. He added that it will also not benefit the multi-racial society.
"For the past 50 years, the various races have worked hard together to attain the goals of nation building, for which they have also contributed vastly to the country's development.
“As such, they too have equal rights as enshrined in constitution," said the leader of the second biggest partner in the ruling BN coalition.
He said that while the federal constitution afforded special status for the Malays, the same document also disallowed the deprivation of rights and privileges of the others.
"The statement by Tengku Faris is inconsistent with the BN's stand on racial unity which stands for fair and equal partnership," added Ong in a statement.
On Saturday, Tengku Faris while delivering a keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity”, said that as the Malays had agreed in granting non-Malays citizenship, the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.
Say no to PAS
On another matter, Ong also rejected Islamic party PAS’ aims of setting up an Islamic state.
He said that MCA will not accept an Islamic state as it is contrary to the federal constitution.
"All levels of leaders from PAS including, PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, Kelantan deputy menteri besar Ahmad Yaakup, Kelantan PAS Youth Mohd Zaki Ibrahim and PAS deputy spiritual leader Dr Haron Din have made assertions that they want to create an Islamic state.
“This indicates that PAS' ambitious goals have been revealed. There is no doubt that they intend to establish an Islamic state for Malaysia," added Ong.
The former housing and local government minister said that all political parties should stand together to stop PAS from establishing an Islamic state.
“Any organisation or party that co-operates with PAS will only help PAS to work towards its agenda of forming an Islamic state," he said.
"These parties should re-evaluate their relationship with PAS as it is already creating a lot of uneasiness among the people."
MCA fared badly in the March 8 general election, being rejected by the Chinese voters over its failure to stand up for matters affecting the community.
In the aftermath of the humiliating defeat, Ong rejected a cabinet position to concentrate on regaining the trust of the community.
His strong statements against Tengku Faris as well as the Islamic state agenda are seen as part of his strategy to win over the Chinese community.
Khir tells PM to spell out exit plan
Apr 14, 08 1:22pm
Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to put in place a succession plan that will see Najib Abdul Razak taking over without any delay.
“Abdullah must face the facts and make an exit or retirement plan that allows the taking over of the party and government leadership by his deputy Najib,” said Khir in his blog.
Former Umno Selangor chief Khir, who is presently in Mekah to perform a minor haj, however was quick to add that this was his personal view.
He added although the party members still respected Abdullah, they nevertheless have their own views, which were reflected in the recent general election and in meetings involving grassroots party members.
“Thus the best way forward is for Abdullah and Najib to formulate a smooth and cordial succession plan.
“The succession period could be done in the short term or in the long term. However it must not be too long as to affect the smooth running of the government and party,” he added.
He added that if the succession was done in a proper manner, the people would start to respect Abdullah again as a responsible leader.
Khir also said that he gathered in a recent meeting with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the latter will continue criticising Abdullah over the premier’s weak leadership.
He said that Mahathir felt that he had the responsibility to redeem the pride of Umno by openly and vocally seeking the removal of his hand-picked successor.
“However for Umno leaders like myself, we usually will just give a hint and make indirect suggestions in making our calls for the leader to step down. Making a public call for him to step down would be the very last act,” he said.
He added that Umno leaders fully understood the mood of the people, especially based on the clear signs delivered at the general election.
“Many Umno leaders have started to publicly call for Abdullah to step down. Some are also openly appearing in the public with Mahathir.”
Remove the quota system
Khir also said that within the party, the concentration of power with the president should be removed. He also urged for the quota system used for party polls be removed.
“Party members must have the freedom in electing party leaders without the bar imposed by the quota system,” he said.
Under the present system, a challenger for the top party posts are required to accumulate a required numbers of nominations before they can stand in the contest. For example a challenger needs 58 nominations before he could contest for the president’s post.
Many party leaders are now calling for the old system of just needing two nominations to be brought back to ensure a democratic election process in the party.
Khir said that Umno leaders should be brave in facing challenges in the party polls if they want to be respected by the people.
He also said that the change in leadership should also come with some changes in the government polices and programmes, especially the need to introduce some reforms in the administration structure in order to do away with bureaucracy.
He also urged for a re-look at the National Economy Policy as its present form was being rejected by some sections of the Malays for whom the policy was originally implemented.
Khir also proposed that the relationship between the Muslims and the non-Muslims too be seen objectively, especially on matters relating to freedom to profess any religion so to protect the Muslims.
In recent weeks, Umno divisional leaders from Kedah, Penang and Johor have asked Abdullah to lay down his succession plan to allow Najib to take over.
Many have blamed Abdullah for the massive lost the party and BN suffered in the recent March 8 general election when BN failed to keep its two-thirds majority in the Parliament and lost control of four states - Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor.
The party will be holding its annual general meeting in December where former party vice president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has offered to challenge Abdullah for the top post.
Observers are saying that Abdullah might hand over his power to Najib in time for the December AGM.
Former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo has called on Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to put in place a succession plan that will see Najib Abdul Razak taking over without any delay.
“Abdullah must face the facts and make an exit or retirement plan that allows the taking over of the party and government leadership by his deputy Najib,” said Khir in his blog.
Former Umno Selangor chief Khir, who is presently in Mekah to perform a minor haj, however was quick to add that this was his personal view.
He added although the party members still respected Abdullah, they nevertheless have their own views, which were reflected in the recent general election and in meetings involving grassroots party members.
“Thus the best way forward is for Abdullah and Najib to formulate a smooth and cordial succession plan.
“The succession period could be done in the short term or in the long term. However it must not be too long as to affect the smooth running of the government and party,” he added.
He added that if the succession was done in a proper manner, the people would start to respect Abdullah again as a responsible leader.
Khir also said that he gathered in a recent meeting with former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad that the latter will continue criticising Abdullah over the premier’s weak leadership.
He said that Mahathir felt that he had the responsibility to redeem the pride of Umno by openly and vocally seeking the removal of his hand-picked successor.
“However for Umno leaders like myself, we usually will just give a hint and make indirect suggestions in making our calls for the leader to step down. Making a public call for him to step down would be the very last act,” he said.
He added that Umno leaders fully understood the mood of the people, especially based on the clear signs delivered at the general election.
“Many Umno leaders have started to publicly call for Abdullah to step down. Some are also openly appearing in the public with Mahathir.”
Remove the quota system
Khir also said that within the party, the concentration of power with the president should be removed. He also urged for the quota system used for party polls be removed.
“Party members must have the freedom in electing party leaders without the bar imposed by the quota system,” he said.
Under the present system, a challenger for the top party posts are required to accumulate a required numbers of nominations before they can stand in the contest. For example a challenger needs 58 nominations before he could contest for the president’s post.
Many party leaders are now calling for the old system of just needing two nominations to be brought back to ensure a democratic election process in the party.
Khir said that Umno leaders should be brave in facing challenges in the party polls if they want to be respected by the people.
He also said that the change in leadership should also come with some changes in the government polices and programmes, especially the need to introduce some reforms in the administration structure in order to do away with bureaucracy.
He also urged for a re-look at the National Economy Policy as its present form was being rejected by some sections of the Malays for whom the policy was originally implemented.
Khir also proposed that the relationship between the Muslims and the non-Muslims too be seen objectively, especially on matters relating to freedom to profess any religion so to protect the Muslims.
In recent weeks, Umno divisional leaders from Kedah, Penang and Johor have asked Abdullah to lay down his succession plan to allow Najib to take over.
Many have blamed Abdullah for the massive lost the party and BN suffered in the recent March 8 general election when BN failed to keep its two-thirds majority in the Parliament and lost control of four states - Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor.
The party will be holding its annual general meeting in December where former party vice president Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has offered to challenge Abdullah for the top post.
Observers are saying that Abdullah might hand over his power to Najib in time for the December AGM.
Kok: Utusan turned pig issue ugly
Apr 14, 08 12:39pm
Selangor state executive councillor Teresa Kok is not pleased with Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for making her an 'easy target' over the modern pig farm project fiasco.
She criticised the paper for taking her blog comments out of context and making the modern pig farm issue in Selangor "ugly and distasteful to the Malay community."
"I am now reluctant to take interviews from Utusan. On one hand we wish we could reach out to the Malay readers but on the other, our comments are being twisted and turned by them. I think whatever I say now will be used against me," she said.
The proposed RM100 million hi-tech pig farm in Selangor at Ladang Tumbuk in the Kuala Langat district received massive coverage in the local Malay newspapers.
It carried statements from various NGOs and local residents who were against the project citing environmental, transparency and religious concerns.
Expressing her reluctance to comment further on the pig farm project on the outset when met, Kok appeared both upset and amused at times.
She explained that the entire controversy began when she blogged about being given five roast pigs from supporters in Salak South on March 19 to celebrate her elections victory.
She received 50 comments with almost half of them criticising her for being insensitive to the Muslim community. Resulting from this, one of her assistants cropped the picture and changed the title of the post.
'Whack the bloggers'
On April 3, she rebutted those criticisms surrounding the roast pigs, saying she "did not understand why some people were sensitive about pigs and pork" as the animal was a creation of God too.
According to her, those few lines were meant to "whack the bloggers" that commented on her insensitivity for publishing pictures of the roast pigs.
"I'm my heart at that time, I was thinking why are people so sensitive about the roast pigs? This is the Chinese culture of celebration, from the goodwill of my supporters.
"This blog is something like my diary. I'm just displaying on my blog what has happened and it was not meant to offend the Muslims at all," she asserted while pointing at her website on her laptop.
However, in the same blog post, she casually mentioned that the Selangor state exco meeting had approved a RM100 million modern pig farm in Kuala Langat.
"I felt so proud to see this decision being approved by our state excos. The exco who (is) in charge of (the) agriculture portfolio is Yaakob (Sapari) from PKR.
"He is an expert in the field of modern agriculture. I told the excos in the meeting (to) let the Selangor modern pig farm be an example to all other state governments," she wrote.
'Ugly and distasteful'
Two days later, Utusan reported that the state approved this modern pig farm, quoting Kok from her blog questioning why people are sensitive about pigs.
"They took my statements out of context and made it so ugly and distasteful especially for the Malay community," she said.
Kok stressed that her statement regarding people's sensitivity to pigs was in reference to the picture of the roast pigs in her blog, and not the pig farm project.
She explained that she did not mean to make the announcement on Yaakob's behalf and hinted he will be making an announcement concerning a road show soon.
"I think he is going to say something about it but I feel reluctant to speak to Malaysiakini about the details because then I would be stepping into his portfolio.
"I didn't mean to make an announcement on his behalf. I think it is better to let the Selangor menteri besar (Khalid Ibrahim) and Yaakob to comment further because they know best.
"This is a case of having a few lines in my blog being blown out of proportion and distorted by Utusan Malaysia. I feel as though I'm innocently being dragged into this whole fiasco," she said.
The DAP publicity secretary also claimed that the recent protests against the pig farm project were initiated by Umno.
She also responded to former state menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo's denial that the previous state government had approved the project by showing declassified exco meeting minutes.
It showed that the exco-Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) paper tabled on Jan 30, the former state government at that time had approved the acquisition of 136.41 hectres in Mukim Batu for the facility.
Selangor state executive councillor Teresa Kok is not pleased with Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for making her an 'easy target' over the modern pig farm project fiasco.
She criticised the paper for taking her blog comments out of context and making the modern pig farm issue in Selangor "ugly and distasteful to the Malay community."
"I am now reluctant to take interviews from Utusan. On one hand we wish we could reach out to the Malay readers but on the other, our comments are being twisted and turned by them. I think whatever I say now will be used against me," she said.
The proposed RM100 million hi-tech pig farm in Selangor at Ladang Tumbuk in the Kuala Langat district received massive coverage in the local Malay newspapers.
It carried statements from various NGOs and local residents who were against the project citing environmental, transparency and religious concerns.
Expressing her reluctance to comment further on the pig farm project on the outset when met, Kok appeared both upset and amused at times.
She explained that the entire controversy began when she blogged about being given five roast pigs from supporters in Salak South on March 19 to celebrate her elections victory.
She received 50 comments with almost half of them criticising her for being insensitive to the Muslim community. Resulting from this, one of her assistants cropped the picture and changed the title of the post.
'Whack the bloggers'
On April 3, she rebutted those criticisms surrounding the roast pigs, saying she "did not understand why some people were sensitive about pigs and pork" as the animal was a creation of God too.
According to her, those few lines were meant to "whack the bloggers" that commented on her insensitivity for publishing pictures of the roast pigs.
"I'm my heart at that time, I was thinking why are people so sensitive about the roast pigs? This is the Chinese culture of celebration, from the goodwill of my supporters.
"This blog is something like my diary. I'm just displaying on my blog what has happened and it was not meant to offend the Muslims at all," she asserted while pointing at her website on her laptop.
However, in the same blog post, she casually mentioned that the Selangor state exco meeting had approved a RM100 million modern pig farm in Kuala Langat.
"I felt so proud to see this decision being approved by our state excos. The exco who (is) in charge of (the) agriculture portfolio is Yaakob (Sapari) from PKR.
"He is an expert in the field of modern agriculture. I told the excos in the meeting (to) let the Selangor modern pig farm be an example to all other state governments," she wrote.
'Ugly and distasteful'
Two days later, Utusan reported that the state approved this modern pig farm, quoting Kok from her blog questioning why people are sensitive about pigs.
"They took my statements out of context and made it so ugly and distasteful especially for the Malay community," she said.
Kok stressed that her statement regarding people's sensitivity to pigs was in reference to the picture of the roast pigs in her blog, and not the pig farm project.
She explained that she did not mean to make the announcement on Yaakob's behalf and hinted he will be making an announcement concerning a road show soon.
"I think he is going to say something about it but I feel reluctant to speak to Malaysiakini about the details because then I would be stepping into his portfolio.
"I didn't mean to make an announcement on his behalf. I think it is better to let the Selangor menteri besar (Khalid Ibrahim) and Yaakob to comment further because they know best.
"This is a case of having a few lines in my blog being blown out of proportion and distorted by Utusan Malaysia. I feel as though I'm innocently being dragged into this whole fiasco," she said.
The DAP publicity secretary also claimed that the recent protests against the pig farm project were initiated by Umno.
She also responded to former state menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo's denial that the previous state government had approved the project by showing declassified exco meeting minutes.
It showed that the exco-Selangor Economic Action Council (MTES) paper tabled on Jan 30, the former state government at that time had approved the acquisition of 136.41 hectres in Mukim Batu for the facility.
Can Khairy reinvent himself?
Ong Kian Ming and Oon Yeoh | Apr 14, 08 10:36am
analysis There has been much speculation on the political future of Khairy Jamaludin in the aftermath of the 2008 General Elections.
It can be said that Khairy's first reinvention was to recast himself as a Malay ultra. He clearly felt that because of his Oxford education and Westernised upbringing he was not Malay enough for Umno Youth. So, he decided to build up his street credentials, so to speak.
tun razak seminar 150607 khairyTo do this, he took a page straight out of the Dr Mahathir Mohamad playbook, which is to take on the role of a Malay ultra. This is familiar ground, trodden by Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Razak in their rise as Umno Youth leaders.
This might seem like the right strategy given the culture of Umno Youth. In fact, nothing less would have been expected of him by his peers. But Khairy could have been bolder and adopted a Blue Ocean strategy to become the first liberal and progressive leader to emerge from Umno Youth. What a breath of fresh air that would have been.
His decision to take the path of least resistance probably had a self-fulfilling impact on Khairy's political outlook. In playing the role of the ultra, he surrounded himself with those of the same ilk within Umno Youth. He probably ended up actually buying into the whole ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ concept although it was at odds with his liberal upbringing.
Is it too late for Khairy to reinvent himself and break away from the ultra image he worked so hard to acquire? Dr M – the original ultra – managed to do so. So did Anwar and Najib.
Strategies for Khairy
We looked at four possible reinvention strategies and examined each option in turn.
parliament briefing 030408 tian chua khairy jamaluddinHis first option is to give up his political ambitions temporarily and to work behind the scenes to help Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi implement the reforms he promised in 2004 but never delivered. This, however, may not even be an option as Abdullah’s days as the PM seem to be numbered.
Khairy's second option is to give up his political ambitions to focus on helping various social organisations. He would remain as an MP but he would recast himself, through his non-political activities, as someone who works for the benefit of all Malaysians. Such an initiative would have to be sustained for many years in order to be credible.
His third option would be to reinvent himself as a reformist within Umno and to boldly contest for Umno Youth chief as a reformist candidate. Such a U-turn would be far too drastic and too sudden. It would ring hollow not only amongst Umno Youth members but also members of the public.
His fourth option would be to recast himself as a reformist not within Umno, but as a member of the opposition PKR. The rationale for doing so is that Pakatan Rakyat could very well form the next government. However, it's hard to imagine this happening given the nasty remarks he has made about Anwar as well as the intense dislike of him among DAP and PAS leadership.
ijok by election nomination supporters fight 200407 khairyOut the four options, we feel the second one seems like the best bet for Khairy. This option gives him the most time to change his image. He could channel his business and networking skills towards organising and implementing programmes which are seen to benefit all Malaysians regardless of race. He would then be able to show, through his good works, that he is capable of being a leader who represents the interests of all ethnic groups.
Reinvention is never an easy thing for anyone to do but Khairy has one big problem which will hinder his progress: himself. Unlike Anwar, who was unceremoniously stripped of his position as deputy prime minister and finance minister and subsequently spent six years in jail, Khairy is still financially wealthy and is in no danger of going to prison, at least not yet.
Of course, one can have a change of heart without needing to go to prison. The realisation that one has done something wrong can arise from many sources – friends, family, religion – and people can and do change for the better. Can Khairy?
Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader?
This is where we disagree. Oon is of the opinion that Khairy has got no where to go as far as reinvention is concerned. If he remains an ultra, he will continue to be despised, but if changes his stripes, no one will believe him. Unless, of course, he's willing to transform himself over the course of 20 to 25 years, like Dr M before him did.
Kian Ming is more hopeful as Khairy is only in his early 30s and has his whole life ahead to reinvent himself, ideally in a way that is driven more by personal convictions than political expediency.
So, will Khairy turn back to being Anakin Skywalker or will he remain as Darth Vader? The jury is still out on this one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ONG KIAN MING is a PhD candidate in political science at Duke University and OON YEOH is a writer and new media analyst. You can listen to both of them discuss this topic in their Realpolitik podcast (www.webmobtv.com)
analysis There has been much speculation on the political future of Khairy Jamaludin in the aftermath of the 2008 General Elections.
It can be said that Khairy's first reinvention was to recast himself as a Malay ultra. He clearly felt that because of his Oxford education and Westernised upbringing he was not Malay enough for Umno Youth. So, he decided to build up his street credentials, so to speak.
tun razak seminar 150607 khairyTo do this, he took a page straight out of the Dr Mahathir Mohamad playbook, which is to take on the role of a Malay ultra. This is familiar ground, trodden by Anwar Ibrahim and Najib Razak in their rise as Umno Youth leaders.
This might seem like the right strategy given the culture of Umno Youth. In fact, nothing less would have been expected of him by his peers. But Khairy could have been bolder and adopted a Blue Ocean strategy to become the first liberal and progressive leader to emerge from Umno Youth. What a breath of fresh air that would have been.
His decision to take the path of least resistance probably had a self-fulfilling impact on Khairy's political outlook. In playing the role of the ultra, he surrounded himself with those of the same ilk within Umno Youth. He probably ended up actually buying into the whole ‘Ketuanan Melayu’ concept although it was at odds with his liberal upbringing.
Is it too late for Khairy to reinvent himself and break away from the ultra image he worked so hard to acquire? Dr M – the original ultra – managed to do so. So did Anwar and Najib.
Strategies for Khairy
We looked at four possible reinvention strategies and examined each option in turn.
parliament briefing 030408 tian chua khairy jamaluddinHis first option is to give up his political ambitions temporarily and to work behind the scenes to help Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi implement the reforms he promised in 2004 but never delivered. This, however, may not even be an option as Abdullah’s days as the PM seem to be numbered.
Khairy's second option is to give up his political ambitions to focus on helping various social organisations. He would remain as an MP but he would recast himself, through his non-political activities, as someone who works for the benefit of all Malaysians. Such an initiative would have to be sustained for many years in order to be credible.
His third option would be to reinvent himself as a reformist within Umno and to boldly contest for Umno Youth chief as a reformist candidate. Such a U-turn would be far too drastic and too sudden. It would ring hollow not only amongst Umno Youth members but also members of the public.
His fourth option would be to recast himself as a reformist not within Umno, but as a member of the opposition PKR. The rationale for doing so is that Pakatan Rakyat could very well form the next government. However, it's hard to imagine this happening given the nasty remarks he has made about Anwar as well as the intense dislike of him among DAP and PAS leadership.
ijok by election nomination supporters fight 200407 khairyOut the four options, we feel the second one seems like the best bet for Khairy. This option gives him the most time to change his image. He could channel his business and networking skills towards organising and implementing programmes which are seen to benefit all Malaysians regardless of race. He would then be able to show, through his good works, that he is capable of being a leader who represents the interests of all ethnic groups.
Reinvention is never an easy thing for anyone to do but Khairy has one big problem which will hinder his progress: himself. Unlike Anwar, who was unceremoniously stripped of his position as deputy prime minister and finance minister and subsequently spent six years in jail, Khairy is still financially wealthy and is in no danger of going to prison, at least not yet.
Of course, one can have a change of heart without needing to go to prison. The realisation that one has done something wrong can arise from many sources – friends, family, religion – and people can and do change for the better. Can Khairy?
Anakin Skywalker or Darth Vader?
This is where we disagree. Oon is of the opinion that Khairy has got no where to go as far as reinvention is concerned. If he remains an ultra, he will continue to be despised, but if changes his stripes, no one will believe him. Unless, of course, he's willing to transform himself over the course of 20 to 25 years, like Dr M before him did.
Kian Ming is more hopeful as Khairy is only in his early 30s and has his whole life ahead to reinvent himself, ideally in a way that is driven more by personal convictions than political expediency.
So, will Khairy turn back to being Anakin Skywalker or will he remain as Darth Vader? The jury is still out on this one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ONG KIAN MING is a PhD candidate in political science at Duke University and OON YEOH is a writer and new media analyst. You can listen to both of them discuss this topic in their Realpolitik podcast (www.webmobtv.com)
Stay out of political issues, civil servants told
Apr 14, 08 10:41am
Civil servants were today reminded by the prime minister to concentrate of their job and leave political issues to politicians.
abdullah ahmad badawi 2008 cabinet line up 180308 08"Let politicians handle political issues. The role of the civil servants is to implement directives from time to time," he said a the Finance Ministry's monthly gathering in Putrajaya this morning.
He added that civil servants should discharge their duties as public officials by implementing government directives from time to time.
He also specifically told the finance ministry to facilitate the smooth implementation of government projects or policies.
Abdullah, also the finance minister, said he did not want to see the ministry to be the cause of delays in the implementation of projects or policies.
Civil servants were today reminded by the prime minister to concentrate of their job and leave political issues to politicians.
abdullah ahmad badawi 2008 cabinet line up 180308 08"Let politicians handle political issues. The role of the civil servants is to implement directives from time to time," he said a the Finance Ministry's monthly gathering in Putrajaya this morning.
He added that civil servants should discharge their duties as public officials by implementing government directives from time to time.
He also specifically told the finance ministry to facilitate the smooth implementation of government projects or policies.
Abdullah, also the finance minister, said he did not want to see the ministry to be the cause of delays in the implementation of projects or policies.
'Umno, not Malays, under threat'
Chan Kok Leong | Apr 13, 08 5:11pm
Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said the ‘Ketuanan Melayu' card increasing played up by Umno is to divert attention from the party's internal problems following its unprecedented setback in last month's general election.
The former Umno deputy president said this today at a hotel in Shah Alam when he was asked to comment on Utusan Malaysia's ‘Ketuanan Melayu tercabar' front-page headlines in the Umno-owned newspaper.
anwar ibrahim vk lingam hearing pc 290108 talkingAt a gathering organised by newly formed Barisan B Tengku Faris Petra told the crowd that it was not appropriate for other ethnic groups to seek equality and privileges accorded to Malays.
"We didn't hear much about this (Malay rights) issue last month or before the elections. I believe their intentions are to divert the attention of everyone," said Anwar.
He said that instead of the ‘Ketuanan Melayu' concept, the more important cause is ‘Ketuanan Rakyat'.
"And when we say 'rakyat', it includes the Malays...especially the downtrodden ones and not the rich ones," said Anwar, who is former finance minister.
"Our approach should be to help the people who are sidelined, denied their rights and opportunities. As such, it should include Malays, Chinese, Indians and other Malaysians," he said.
Anwar added that he was confident that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition will prove to be more effective in helping the people than Umno or the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition had been.
Mahathir and Jewish conspiracies
Commenting on previous prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's criticism of him and linking him with Jewish lobbies, the ex-deputy premier dismissed the suggestion as "ludicrous".
"He's (Mahathir) getting a bit too tired and confused. I've not been to any of the Jewish lobbies, (but) he has. I've not met any Israeli leader, but he has met... quietly, when he was prime minister."
mahathir and bush and jack abramoffAnwar added that his former boss was the one who had dealings with the Jews, pointing out the US$1.2 million alleged to have been paid to disgraced American lobbyist Abramoff to arrange a meeting between Mahathir and US President George W Bush in 2002.
"He (Mahathir) should concentrate on his health and apologise to the people for his many atrocities. He also has to explain on how he destroy the judiciary, how he controlled the media, how he put hundreds of people under ISA (Internal Security Act) including Operation Lallang.
"He should also explain his involvement in various corrupt practices, serious mismanagement, stealing government funds through the destruction of many government-controlled companies like Perwaja (Steel). I think it is better for him to deal with these issues," said Anwar.
"I've refrained for years from responding to him... But apparently he's very scared about this new phenomenon of people speaking up and wanting to see change.
Anwar also said that the former premier wants to ensure that his nominees take over to protect his and his family's interest.
Mahathir was reported earlier to have said, "He (Anwar) is the only prime minister that the Israelis would vote for" on Saturday.
He said that in response to a question on whether Anwar had any credibility to become prime minister.
Najib must be blamed too
On Mahathir's call for Abdullah to quit, Anwar said, "I've never taken Dr Mahathir's views very seriously for a long time.
"Of course, the prime minister cannot absolve himself from BN's setback but he led the election campaign together with Najib (Abdul Razak)," said Anwar.
umno 2007 agm wanita pemuda 061107 najib"Najib was spearheading the campaign and Abdullah is the prime minister, so both of them have to be accountable for their disastrous defeat."
On his plans to run for a parliamentary seat, Anwar reiterated that it was not important now as he wants to concentrate on strengthening the Pakatan coalition.
He said that for the time being he wants to help Pakatan to focus on good governance and improve the working relationship between the various parties within the opposition alliance.
"My personal career is not a priority at the moment as I've still got time," he added.
On prime minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's succession plan, Anwar was non-committal.
"Umno and the other main component parties are in turmoil now. Their best option now is to join Pakatan Rakyat," said Anwar.
Anwar is due to attend a rally in Sultan Sulaiman Club at Kampung Baru tomorrow to mark his return from political exile. His five-year ban from active politics ends on April 15.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said the ‘Ketuanan Melayu' card increasing played up by Umno is to divert attention from the party's internal problems following its unprecedented setback in last month's general election.
The former Umno deputy president said this today at a hotel in Shah Alam when he was asked to comment on Utusan Malaysia's ‘Ketuanan Melayu tercabar' front-page headlines in the Umno-owned newspaper.
anwar ibrahim vk lingam hearing pc 290108 talkingAt a gathering organised by newly formed Barisan B Tengku Faris Petra told the crowd that it was not appropriate for other ethnic groups to seek equality and privileges accorded to Malays.
"We didn't hear much about this (Malay rights) issue last month or before the elections. I believe their intentions are to divert the attention of everyone," said Anwar.
He said that instead of the ‘Ketuanan Melayu' concept, the more important cause is ‘Ketuanan Rakyat'.
"And when we say 'rakyat', it includes the Malays...especially the downtrodden ones and not the rich ones," said Anwar, who is former finance minister.
"Our approach should be to help the people who are sidelined, denied their rights and opportunities. As such, it should include Malays, Chinese, Indians and other Malaysians," he said.
Anwar added that he was confident that the opposition Pakatan Rakyat coalition will prove to be more effective in helping the people than Umno or the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition had been.
Mahathir and Jewish conspiracies
Commenting on previous prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's criticism of him and linking him with Jewish lobbies, the ex-deputy premier dismissed the suggestion as "ludicrous".
"He's (Mahathir) getting a bit too tired and confused. I've not been to any of the Jewish lobbies, (but) he has. I've not met any Israeli leader, but he has met... quietly, when he was prime minister."
mahathir and bush and jack abramoffAnwar added that his former boss was the one who had dealings with the Jews, pointing out the US$1.2 million alleged to have been paid to disgraced American lobbyist Abramoff to arrange a meeting between Mahathir and US President George W Bush in 2002.
"He (Mahathir) should concentrate on his health and apologise to the people for his many atrocities. He also has to explain on how he destroy the judiciary, how he controlled the media, how he put hundreds of people under ISA (Internal Security Act) including Operation Lallang.
"He should also explain his involvement in various corrupt practices, serious mismanagement, stealing government funds through the destruction of many government-controlled companies like Perwaja (Steel). I think it is better for him to deal with these issues," said Anwar.
"I've refrained for years from responding to him... But apparently he's very scared about this new phenomenon of people speaking up and wanting to see change.
Anwar also said that the former premier wants to ensure that his nominees take over to protect his and his family's interest.
Mahathir was reported earlier to have said, "He (Anwar) is the only prime minister that the Israelis would vote for" on Saturday.
He said that in response to a question on whether Anwar had any credibility to become prime minister.
Najib must be blamed too
On Mahathir's call for Abdullah to quit, Anwar said, "I've never taken Dr Mahathir's views very seriously for a long time.
"Of course, the prime minister cannot absolve himself from BN's setback but he led the election campaign together with Najib (Abdul Razak)," said Anwar.
umno 2007 agm wanita pemuda 061107 najib"Najib was spearheading the campaign and Abdullah is the prime minister, so both of them have to be accountable for their disastrous defeat."
On his plans to run for a parliamentary seat, Anwar reiterated that it was not important now as he wants to concentrate on strengthening the Pakatan coalition.
He said that for the time being he wants to help Pakatan to focus on good governance and improve the working relationship between the various parties within the opposition alliance.
"My personal career is not a priority at the moment as I've still got time," he added.
On prime minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's succession plan, Anwar was non-committal.
"Umno and the other main component parties are in turmoil now. Their best option now is to join Pakatan Rakyat," said Anwar.
Anwar is due to attend a rally in Sultan Sulaiman Club at Kampung Baru tomorrow to mark his return from political exile. His five-year ban from active politics ends on April 15.
Anwar marks end of political ban
Apr 13, 08 11:02am
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will tomorrow celebrate his official return to the political stage, as a ban from public office expires a decade after he was sacked as deputy prime minister.
The lifting of the ban marks the end of an extraordinary saga that saw Anwar convicted on sex and corruption charges and spend six years in jail, before storming back to prominence in historic March elections.
anwar pc in hong kong 130208With Anwar at the helm, a reinvigorated opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century.
Now the 60-year-old maverick is once again being touted as a future prime minister, but this time for his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance which he has described as a 'government-in-waiting'.
Anwar had been expected to re-enter parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his Keadilan party, and to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a symbolic no-confidence vote soon after.
He's in no hurry to be MP
But in light of the stunning and unexpected gains, although he is eligible to run for office from Tuesday, he has said he is in no hurry to act.
"Certainly not in the next few months," he said in a weekend interview with The Star daily. "Building up an effective, creditable Pakatan Rakyat is to my mind far more important for now."
"My number-one priority is to ensure accountability and good governance in maintaining the five states."
Anwar said the expiry of the political ban "has no significance in my mind" because he does not recognise the decision of the court which convicted him of corruption.
But PKR is nevertheless holding a major rally on Monday evening, with thousands of supporters of Anwar's campaign for 'Reformasi' (Reform) expected to attend to hear him speak.
"It will be a huge gathering of all our supporters, of what we call the Reformasi crowd, people who have been struggling for the past 10 years," Keadilan's information chief Tian Chua told AFP.
"Of course we feel that our struggle has been redeemed and recognised, and we are optimistic that our agenda for reform can be implemented," said Tian Chua, who is also a newly minted parliamentarian in the March 8 polls.
Abdullah has refused to stand down despite the electoral debacle, insisting he has a mandate to rule and promising to introduce the reforms which he promised years ago but was punished for never delivering.
Umno to continue to flounder
But the opposition and many political commentators believe the coalition led by Abdullah's Umno will continue to flounder and that Anwar could seize power within a few years, or perhaps even a few months.
"I think they are very likely to form the next government and it's a matter of timing, of when this will take place, whether it's at the next elections or before then," said Tricia Yeoh of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
Anwar has said that coalition lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island are interested in switching sides, a prospect that could quickly unseat the government, but Yeoh said he will let the dust settle first.
"There are too many seismic shifts taking place in too short a period and they do want to have a stable handover. If it were to take place, they would want the economy and tourism to be stable," she said.
The prospect of Anwar seizing the top job is an astonishing twist in a story that saw him hauled to court, dealt a black eye in a beating by the police chief, and the subject of lurid testimony over sex charges that were later dropped.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former premier who ruled Malaysia with an iron fist for two decades, can barely contain his irritation over the change in fortunes of his one-time protege who he sacked after months of discord over economic policy.
"He shouldn't kid himself into thinking he is very popular. He is not popular," he told reporters yesterday.
Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will tomorrow celebrate his official return to the political stage, as a ban from public office expires a decade after he was sacked as deputy prime minister.
The lifting of the ban marks the end of an extraordinary saga that saw Anwar convicted on sex and corruption charges and spend six years in jail, before storming back to prominence in historic March elections.
anwar pc in hong kong 130208With Anwar at the helm, a reinvigorated opposition seized a third of parliamentary seats and five states in the worst ever showing for the Barisan Nasional coalition that has ruled for half a century.
Now the 60-year-old maverick is once again being touted as a future prime minister, but this time for his Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance which he has described as a 'government-in-waiting'.
Anwar had been expected to re-enter parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his Keadilan party, and to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a symbolic no-confidence vote soon after.
He's in no hurry to be MP
But in light of the stunning and unexpected gains, although he is eligible to run for office from Tuesday, he has said he is in no hurry to act.
"Certainly not in the next few months," he said in a weekend interview with The Star daily. "Building up an effective, creditable Pakatan Rakyat is to my mind far more important for now."
"My number-one priority is to ensure accountability and good governance in maintaining the five states."
Anwar said the expiry of the political ban "has no significance in my mind" because he does not recognise the decision of the court which convicted him of corruption.
But PKR is nevertheless holding a major rally on Monday evening, with thousands of supporters of Anwar's campaign for 'Reformasi' (Reform) expected to attend to hear him speak.
"It will be a huge gathering of all our supporters, of what we call the Reformasi crowd, people who have been struggling for the past 10 years," Keadilan's information chief Tian Chua told AFP.
"Of course we feel that our struggle has been redeemed and recognised, and we are optimistic that our agenda for reform can be implemented," said Tian Chua, who is also a newly minted parliamentarian in the March 8 polls.
Abdullah has refused to stand down despite the electoral debacle, insisting he has a mandate to rule and promising to introduce the reforms which he promised years ago but was punished for never delivering.
Umno to continue to flounder
But the opposition and many political commentators believe the coalition led by Abdullah's Umno will continue to flounder and that Anwar could seize power within a few years, or perhaps even a few months.
"I think they are very likely to form the next government and it's a matter of timing, of when this will take place, whether it's at the next elections or before then," said Tricia Yeoh of the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
Anwar has said that coalition lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island are interested in switching sides, a prospect that could quickly unseat the government, but Yeoh said he will let the dust settle first.
"There are too many seismic shifts taking place in too short a period and they do want to have a stable handover. If it were to take place, they would want the economy and tourism to be stable," she said.
The prospect of Anwar seizing the top job is an astonishing twist in a story that saw him hauled to court, dealt a black eye in a beating by the police chief, and the subject of lurid testimony over sex charges that were later dropped.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former premier who ruled Malaysia with an iron fist for two decades, can barely contain his irritation over the change in fortunes of his one-time protege who he sacked after months of discord over economic policy.
"He shouldn't kid himself into thinking he is very popular. He is not popular," he told reporters yesterday.
Police to recruit retired soldiers
Apr 13, 08 12:53pm
The police plan to recruit retired army personnel to help boost the force by 60,000 men over the next five years amid high levels of crime across the country.
Crime rates have increased with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promising to tackle the problem, one of the issues responsible for the ruling coalition government's worst ever results in March 8 polls.
"(The ex-servicemen) are suitable as some of them left the army at an early age and I think we can recruit them into the police force to enhance our manpower," police chief Musa Hassan was quoted as saying in the Star daily.
"They will do patrolling or administrative duties, or become drivers or instructors," he told the paper.
Musa said about 6,000 ex-servicemen had applied and were being interviewed, the Star reported.
The police plan to recruit retired army personnel to help boost the force by 60,000 men over the next five years amid high levels of crime across the country.
Crime rates have increased with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi promising to tackle the problem, one of the issues responsible for the ruling coalition government's worst ever results in March 8 polls.
"(The ex-servicemen) are suitable as some of them left the army at an early age and I think we can recruit them into the police force to enhance our manpower," police chief Musa Hassan was quoted as saying in the Star daily.
"They will do patrolling or administrative duties, or become drivers or instructors," he told the paper.
Musa said about 6,000 ex-servicemen had applied and were being interviewed, the Star reported.
Quit now or face dire consequences
Apr 12, 08 10:42pm
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has advised his hand picked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down now before Umno loses support further or worse - face a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
While stressing that he was not suggesting Barisan Nasional MPs to go for a vote of no-confidence against Abdullah, Mahathir said that such a prospect is possible.
mahathir hulu langat 120408 speech“If he doesn’t want to step down as he was asked to, then maybe there would be a vote of non-confidence. If this happens, it will be very bad for him as he is rejected by his party.
“But it can be done although I don’t think Barisan MPs would do it. If the opposition does it, they have 82. If they can get 35 or 36 more from Barisan, Pak Lah has to vacate his post,” said Mahathir.
He was speaking to reporters after his keynote speech at a general election ‘post-mortem’ organised by Umno Hulu Langat division in Kajang today which was attended by some 600 people.
Mahathir said Abdullah cannot wait until the Umno elections in December to step down as the rebuilding of the party and plans to recapture five Pakatan Rakyat-held states need to start immediately.
“If there is no succession now, we might not have enough time to draw voters back to our fold, especially if the (Pakatan Rakyat) governments perform well, it would be very difficult,” he said.
umno 2007 asembly pak lah with raised hand 071107“Should Abdullah step down, there is a better possibility of Umno healing itself,” he added.
‘For his own good’
To a question, Mahathir said that should Abdullah step down, the party would have to follow tradition and allow the deputy to take over.
“If that doesn’t happen, the constitution has to be changed or there has to be a re-election. This depends on the party members,” he said.
The former premier also said that stepping down now would be for Abdullah’s “own good” as it would avoid him being attacked during the Umno general assembly which would also coincide with party polls.
On Abdullah’s admission that he was “partly responsible” for Barisan’s diastrous outing in the polls, Mahathir stressed that his predecessor should not blame others.
“He admitted that he is partly responsible. But he blamed me, Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) and internal sabotage as well. The question is why there was sabotage.
“The last four prime ministers were never sabotaged by Umno, nor MCA, MIC or Gerakan. Why did they sabotage? Because they disagreed with (Abdullah’s) leadership. This he has to accept,” he pointed out. anwar lingam tape pc 081107 extrovert
To a question, Mahathir said the general election results do not reflect PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s popularity. On the contrary, he said Anwar was not at all popular.
“He didn’t get this huge majority that you mentioned. People didn’t like him. It's because people were unhappy with Barisan and Umno. (The polls) were not a test of the opposition. It's not because (Anwar) is popular.
“In 1999, (even) with the black eye and all, he only won five seats. He had to suffer a black eye for five seats. In 2004, he had only one. He is not popular,” he insisted.
Anwar Ibrahim’s political ban expires on April 15. There has been strong rumours that he would make a bid for Parliament soon and encourage defections from Barisan MPs to form the next federal government.
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad has advised his hand picked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down now before Umno loses support further or worse - face a no-confidence vote in Parliament.
While stressing that he was not suggesting Barisan Nasional MPs to go for a vote of no-confidence against Abdullah, Mahathir said that such a prospect is possible.
mahathir hulu langat 120408 speech“If he doesn’t want to step down as he was asked to, then maybe there would be a vote of non-confidence. If this happens, it will be very bad for him as he is rejected by his party.
“But it can be done although I don’t think Barisan MPs would do it. If the opposition does it, they have 82. If they can get 35 or 36 more from Barisan, Pak Lah has to vacate his post,” said Mahathir.
He was speaking to reporters after his keynote speech at a general election ‘post-mortem’ organised by Umno Hulu Langat division in Kajang today which was attended by some 600 people.
Mahathir said Abdullah cannot wait until the Umno elections in December to step down as the rebuilding of the party and plans to recapture five Pakatan Rakyat-held states need to start immediately.
“If there is no succession now, we might not have enough time to draw voters back to our fold, especially if the (Pakatan Rakyat) governments perform well, it would be very difficult,” he said.
umno 2007 asembly pak lah with raised hand 071107“Should Abdullah step down, there is a better possibility of Umno healing itself,” he added.
‘For his own good’
To a question, Mahathir said that should Abdullah step down, the party would have to follow tradition and allow the deputy to take over.
“If that doesn’t happen, the constitution has to be changed or there has to be a re-election. This depends on the party members,” he said.
The former premier also said that stepping down now would be for Abdullah’s “own good” as it would avoid him being attacked during the Umno general assembly which would also coincide with party polls.
On Abdullah’s admission that he was “partly responsible” for Barisan’s diastrous outing in the polls, Mahathir stressed that his predecessor should not blame others.
“He admitted that he is partly responsible. But he blamed me, Tengku Razaleigh (Hamzah) and internal sabotage as well. The question is why there was sabotage.
“The last four prime ministers were never sabotaged by Umno, nor MCA, MIC or Gerakan. Why did they sabotage? Because they disagreed with (Abdullah’s) leadership. This he has to accept,” he pointed out. anwar lingam tape pc 081107 extrovert
To a question, Mahathir said the general election results do not reflect PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim’s popularity. On the contrary, he said Anwar was not at all popular.
“He didn’t get this huge majority that you mentioned. People didn’t like him. It's because people were unhappy with Barisan and Umno. (The polls) were not a test of the opposition. It's not because (Anwar) is popular.
“In 1999, (even) with the black eye and all, he only won five seats. He had to suffer a black eye for five seats. In 2004, he had only one. He is not popular,” he insisted.
Anwar Ibrahim’s political ban expires on April 15. There has been strong rumours that he would make a bid for Parliament soon and encourage defections from Barisan MPs to form the next federal government.
Karpal, Anwar 'big fans' of Pak Lah
Apr 12, 08 11:36pm
Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused opposition leaders Karpal Singh and Anwar Ibrahim of being “supporters” of current Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership.
The former prime minister said both Karpal and Anwar were taking advantage of the situation to preserve Abdullah’s ‘weak’ administration to benefit the opposition in the long term.
mahathir hulu langat 120408 speech“They both know that the longer the prime minister stays on, more Umno members would vote the opposition,” Mahathir told his audience at the Hulu Langat Umno general election ‘post-mortem’ discussions.
“I didn’t know Karpal was a big support of Abdullah... now he doesn’t want me to speak up on Abdullah’s flaws,” he said in reference to his ongoing spat with the DAP chairperson.
On Anwar, Mahathir said he had cemented his ‘support’ for Abdullah by declaring that the opposition would not push for a motion of no-confidence against the premier.
“Why doesn’t he want to see Abdullah fall? This is because he knows that it’s the prime minister’s administration that cause the people to vote for the opposition,” he said.
Mahathir said that traditional Barisan Nasional voters had voted for the opposition not out of support, but as a means to send a message to Barisan’s top leaders.
“They don’t love the opposition. In fact, they love Umno and Barisan. With the current Umno leadership, the party would crumble. They are trying to wake the leaders up, but to no avail,” he added.
During his 50-minute speech, Mahathir also pointed out that Abdullah is the first serving prime minister who comes from a state that is controlled by the opposition - Penang.
Below are excerpts from his speech and the Q&A session that followed:
On how Abdullah should listen to the grassroots
He should go down to the ground and ask our supporters: “What is wrong with me? I’m trying to improve. If you don’t like my son-in-law, then I’ll find a new one”.
On university students being barred from politics
mahathir hulu langat 120408 crowdWe are always finding excuses. We always blame others. On the other hand we must understand that students can take action. Look at the number of students who campaigned for the opposition. [...]
I don’t think the law is that strict and that it would restrict our efforts to ensure our welfare [...] If we love our bangsa, we must take risks. Don’t always look for excuses. However, I am of the opinion that the time has come to review this law (University and University Colleges Act).
On Abdullah cracking down on Umno members who ‘sabotaged’ the party
If he wants to take action, take lah. Let's see how many people would be left in the party.
On the possibility of Barisan Nasional MPs motioning for a no-confidence vote against Abdullah
I don’t think they are brave enough to push for a no-confidence vote.
On the possibility of opposition parties motioning for a no-confidence vote against Abdullah
mahathir hulu langat 120408 press conference: Anwar said he won’t do it because he is afraid. He knows Abdullah is useful for the opposition. If Abdullah is no longer around, there would be no more protest votes and he (Anwar) would lose (in the upcoming elections).
On whether he regrets appointing Abdullah as his successor
At this point of time, I regret. When I appointed him. He was ‘Mr Clean’. He bathes 15 times a day. At the time I didn’t know that he would do all these things [...] I didn’t know that when I ‘hand over’, it became his. Umno now belongs to him and his family.
He didn’t tell me that he would have a ‘second cabinet’ which comprises of Khairy Jamaluddin, Reezal Merican, Kamal Abdullah... he didn’t tell me. I could have made them ministers. He did this only after he took over. By then, it's hard for me to cancel the appointment.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad has accused opposition leaders Karpal Singh and Anwar Ibrahim of being “supporters” of current Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership.
The former prime minister said both Karpal and Anwar were taking advantage of the situation to preserve Abdullah’s ‘weak’ administration to benefit the opposition in the long term.
mahathir hulu langat 120408 speech“They both know that the longer the prime minister stays on, more Umno members would vote the opposition,” Mahathir told his audience at the Hulu Langat Umno general election ‘post-mortem’ discussions.
“I didn’t know Karpal was a big support of Abdullah... now he doesn’t want me to speak up on Abdullah’s flaws,” he said in reference to his ongoing spat with the DAP chairperson.
On Anwar, Mahathir said he had cemented his ‘support’ for Abdullah by declaring that the opposition would not push for a motion of no-confidence against the premier.
“Why doesn’t he want to see Abdullah fall? This is because he knows that it’s the prime minister’s administration that cause the people to vote for the opposition,” he said.
Mahathir said that traditional Barisan Nasional voters had voted for the opposition not out of support, but as a means to send a message to Barisan’s top leaders.
“They don’t love the opposition. In fact, they love Umno and Barisan. With the current Umno leadership, the party would crumble. They are trying to wake the leaders up, but to no avail,” he added.
During his 50-minute speech, Mahathir also pointed out that Abdullah is the first serving prime minister who comes from a state that is controlled by the opposition - Penang.
Below are excerpts from his speech and the Q&A session that followed:
On how Abdullah should listen to the grassroots
He should go down to the ground and ask our supporters: “What is wrong with me? I’m trying to improve. If you don’t like my son-in-law, then I’ll find a new one”.
On university students being barred from politics
mahathir hulu langat 120408 crowdWe are always finding excuses. We always blame others. On the other hand we must understand that students can take action. Look at the number of students who campaigned for the opposition. [...]
I don’t think the law is that strict and that it would restrict our efforts to ensure our welfare [...] If we love our bangsa, we must take risks. Don’t always look for excuses. However, I am of the opinion that the time has come to review this law (University and University Colleges Act).
On Abdullah cracking down on Umno members who ‘sabotaged’ the party
If he wants to take action, take lah. Let's see how many people would be left in the party.
On the possibility of Barisan Nasional MPs motioning for a no-confidence vote against Abdullah
I don’t think they are brave enough to push for a no-confidence vote.
On the possibility of opposition parties motioning for a no-confidence vote against Abdullah
mahathir hulu langat 120408 press conference: Anwar said he won’t do it because he is afraid. He knows Abdullah is useful for the opposition. If Abdullah is no longer around, there would be no more protest votes and he (Anwar) would lose (in the upcoming elections).
On whether he regrets appointing Abdullah as his successor
At this point of time, I regret. When I appointed him. He was ‘Mr Clean’. He bathes 15 times a day. At the time I didn’t know that he would do all these things [...] I didn’t know that when I ‘hand over’, it became his. Umno now belongs to him and his family.
He didn’t tell me that he would have a ‘second cabinet’ which comprises of Khairy Jamaluddin, Reezal Merican, Kamal Abdullah... he didn’t tell me. I could have made them ministers. He did this only after he took over. By then, it's hard for me to cancel the appointment.
BN will topple, Pakatan told to get ready
Apr 12, 08 7:17pm
Gear up and change your mind-set from that of opposition leaders to that of government, because the possibility of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) taking over at the federal level is becoming very real, PAS Youth told PR parliamentarians and state representatives today.
Its chief Salahuddin Ayub said BN component parties are currently torn apart by internal problems and are too distracted to focus on the business of governing.
pas chinese liaison rep 280607 salahuddin ayubAnd given the expected crossing-over of at least ten BN MPs to PR “in the next few weeks” and the “domino effect” this will have on other BN parliamentarians, this has given rise to the situation where PR leaders have to fill the void left by a distracted BN, said Salahuddin.
“We are not dreaming, it (forming the federal government) is a possibility that can come true at any time,” he told a press conference at PAS headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
PKR, PAS and DAP’s unprecedented victories at the March 8 general election saw them retaining Kelantan, taking over Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor, and cutting BN’s two-thirds majority hold in Parliament.
Paradigm change
The ensuing leadership crises that have beset three of BN’s largest component parties - Umno, MCA and MIC - have also been accompanied by efforts spearheaded by PKR to woo MPs from the ruling coalition.azmin ali 01
PKR vice-president Mohd Azmin Ali has claimed more than 30 BN MPs are already in the PR bag, enough for it to form the government.
Before PR parties can expect to take over the federal government, however, its elected representatives must be undergo a ‘paradigm’ change, said Salahuddin.
This involves going from being able only to identify and criticise the shortcomings of the BN-led administration to one where they can formulate and implement constructive alternative policies, he stressed.
Towards this end, “experts” will be called in and asked to advise PR parties on how to fill the void left by a distracted BN, he added.
PAS MPs and state assemblypersons will be meeting at a “special seminar” in Ipoh within the next few weeks on the role they can play during this crucial period and in the future.
This will culminate in the convention for all Pakatan MPs and state assemblypersons to be held on April 27 where the elected representatives will discuss, among other things, their changing relationship with government bodies and agencies, said Salahuddin.
All these efforts will also go towards presenting a PR front that can convince the public it is a credible “government-in-waiting”, said Salahuddin.
“We welcome all discussions in the interests of the people and the country. We are looking forward to establish and strengthen our relationships with all government bodies and ministries,” he added.
On another matter, Salahuddin lauded the announcement by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi that he would raise with the cabinet the proposed abolition of the Sabah Federal Development Department (FDD).
Salahuddin also called for the same thing to be considered for the FDD in Kelantan.
Among the criticisms that have been expressed of the FDD system is the incidence of overlapping that have occurred with state development policies.
Salahuddin also said the government should ensure that FDDs are not set up in the other four states ruled by PR, and asked that it respect the “spirit of federalism” that governs the administrative system of the country.
Pig-breeding options
On the controversy over the proposed centralisation of pig-breeding farms in Sepang, Salahuddin called for a public awareness campaign to inform people of the relevant issues connected to it as well as the options available to them.
moden pig farming 080408
The present Selangor government may either ignore the problems related to illegal pig farms as the previous BN-state government did, or ban them altogether as the Singapore government has done, said Salahuddin.
The third option, which the state government has proposed and is aimed at centralising such farms using the latest technologies and management methods as found in German and New Zealand, may well be the best one available, said Salahuddin.
However, all such options and the relevant issues must be presented to the public and their feedback has to be obtained before any decision is made, he said further.
“I’m sure that in the event of a referendum and discussions with the rakyat... the third option will get the agreement of the rakyat,” said Salahuddin.
Tengku Faris: Non-Malays should not seek equality
Andrew Ong | Apr 12, 08 2:10pm
Kelantan Crown Prince Tengku Faris Petra said today that Malays had given into granting non-Malays citizenship and the latter should therefore not seek equality or special treatment.
He said this during his keynote speech at a forum titled “Malay unity is the core of national unity” organised by the newly formed Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur today.
Speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 people, Tengku Faris said the Malay rulers would be an umbrella to foster unity among all Malaysians, based on the Federal Constitution and the Rukun Negara.
bbpm tengku faris 120408 tengku faris“Therefore, the rakyat must unite and never raise issues regarding Malay rights and special privileges because it is a quid pro quo in gratitude for the giving in of citizenship (beri-paksa kerakyatan) to 2.7 million non-Malays into the Tanah Melayu federation.
“Thus, it is not appropriate for these other ethnic groups to have citizenship, only (later) to seek equality and privileges,” said Tengku Faris, who read from a 11-page prepared text.
However, the crown prince stressed that in an effort to unite the Malays, non-Malays also have rights that must be protected, such as in areas of religion.
As an example, Tengku Faris said non-Malays are allowed to practice their respective religions in peace. They must however do so in accordance with the law and “not be provocative towards Islam”.
“The Malay rulers are the head of the Islamic religion and Malaysia is a Islamic country (negara Islam), not secular. We have our own formula (as a country) which is different from others,” he added, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.
‘Dominance’
He added that the effort to instil Malay unity and defend Malay special rights does not mean that other races would be ignored.
“In fact, if Malay rights and special privileges are taken care of and is not disturbed, it would ensure national harmony. It does not just benefit the Malays but all ethnic groups,” he said.
bbpm tengku faris 120408 crowdIn his speech, Tengku Faris said the 12th General Election results have shown that the Malays are being “challenged” and thus Malays unity is of the outmost priority.
“The election results have shown that the Malays are disunited and facing other ethnic groups who are more dominant politically and economically,” he said.
As the constitution provides that the Malays are the natives (penduduk asal) of Malaysia, Tengku Faris said every Malay must defend the constitution and Islam and this can only be achieved through Malay unity.
“We have to make an effort to unite. Don’t spilt up. Avoid polemics that can distance us. Ideology (and) having different interpretations does not contribute to Malay unity.
“Discussing about polemics such as Islamic state, secular state, welfare state... confuses the people... Resulting from this confusion, Malays are becoming more disillusioned,” he added.
Who's worse: Dr M or Pak Lah?
Ong Kian Ming and Oon Yeoh | Apr 12, 08 11:09am
Currently there is much heated debate over whether Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is more to blame for the various woes that afflict the country.
Our perspective is that Dr M's misdeeds were sins of "commission" while Pak Lah's were that of "omission". The former caused much institutional damage but the latter failed to fix the mess he inherited although he was given a huge mandate to do so.
abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah bashfulMany people recall, perhaps with some fondness, the rapid economic development that occurred during Dr M's time as PM, especially in the early- to mid-1990s. However, the institutional damage which can be traced directly to Dr M far outweighs his many economic
accomplishments.
The systematic dismantling of a once fiercely-independent judiciary; the convenient acceptance of rampant corruption within Barisan Nasional in general and Umno in particular; the muzzling of mainstream newspapers, reducing them to little more than unofficial mouthpieces for the government; and the centralization of power in the PM's office. These are but a few examples of what Dr M was directly responsible for, the effects of which are still strongly felt today.
So, while it must be acknowledged that Dr M did some good things, there was simply too much bad thrown in with the good.
Dr M's attacks ring hollow
Granted, Pak Lah had neither had the time and opportunity to inflict further damage on national institutions. Perhaps given time, he could have one day matched Dr M's ability to bend every major institution to his will. To Pak Lah's credit, he didn't try to do so in his first term – it could be argued he didn't do much of anything in his first term – certainly, not in the same manner as Dr M.
But Pak Lah came into office with a message of reform. He was the alternate "Reformasi" candidate who promised to eradicate corruption, to reform the civil service including making the police force more efficient and transparent, and to be an inclusive PM for all Malaysians. He achieved none of that and instead squandered the historic mandate given to him in the 2004 general election.
He allowed ethnic extremism to rear its ugly head within his own party, Umno. He tried to table a watered-down police oversight bill to Parliament. He launched his own version of mega-projects in the form of regional corridors. And, it was business as usual in Umno –
meaning patronage and money politics were the order of the day.
mahathir khir toyo kmu forum 010408 05But as weak and ineffective as Pak Lah has been during these past four years – and still so, in many ways – the recent attacks by Dr M ring hollow once they are taken apart and examined.
While Dr M's stinging barbs are great fodder for bloggers and political pundits, they are examples of hypocrisy at its most audacious. Dr M conveniently forgets that it was he who instituted the quota system for Umno's internal elections and that no one was able to challenge him after Tengku Razaleigh's failed bid in 1988.
Dr M also forgets that the Cabinet was as pliant under his premiership as it is now and that he too was surrounded by yes-men who didn't dare contradict him. That is, after all, the culture of Umno – which he cultivated over two decades as its leader.
No credible suggestions
Even now as he calls for Pak Lah to resign, Dr M does not offer any credible suggestions on how to reform Umno or the BN in the face of the unprecedented losses suffered in the recent polls.
All he has to offer is unreserved, uninhibited, unconstructive criticism – good for media sound bites but useless when it comes to helping the party get out of the morass it's in.
Pak Lah might not last long enough to even make it to the Umno polls in December but he can at the very least be credited for gracefully accepting the will of the voters and not resorting to dirty tactics to "alter" the 2008 election results.
There was no trouble in the streets as many people had feared would emerge if BN were to ever lose its psychologically-critical two-thirds majority in Parliament. Can anyone seriously say with full conviction that this would have been the case if Dr M were the PM?
Those who are cheering on Dr M's assault on Pak Lah – and this includes a couple of the most well-known bloggers in this country – would do well to remember that the good ol' days of Dr M were actually not all that good.
It's not difficult to see where we stand on this debate. As disappointing as Pak Lah has been, Dr M is by far the worse of the two PMs.
ONG KIAN MING is a PhD candidate in political science at Duke University and OON YEOH is a writer and new media analyst. You can listen to both of them discuss this topic in their Realpolitik podcast (www.webmobtv.com)
Currently there is much heated debate over whether Dr Mahathir Mohamad or Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is more to blame for the various woes that afflict the country.
Our perspective is that Dr M's misdeeds were sins of "commission" while Pak Lah's were that of "omission". The former caused much institutional damage but the latter failed to fix the mess he inherited although he was given a huge mandate to do so.
abdullah ahmad badawi pak lah bashfulMany people recall, perhaps with some fondness, the rapid economic development that occurred during Dr M's time as PM, especially in the early- to mid-1990s. However, the institutional damage which can be traced directly to Dr M far outweighs his many economic
accomplishments.
The systematic dismantling of a once fiercely-independent judiciary; the convenient acceptance of rampant corruption within Barisan Nasional in general and Umno in particular; the muzzling of mainstream newspapers, reducing them to little more than unofficial mouthpieces for the government; and the centralization of power in the PM's office. These are but a few examples of what Dr M was directly responsible for, the effects of which are still strongly felt today.
So, while it must be acknowledged that Dr M did some good things, there was simply too much bad thrown in with the good.
Dr M's attacks ring hollow
Granted, Pak Lah had neither had the time and opportunity to inflict further damage on national institutions. Perhaps given time, he could have one day matched Dr M's ability to bend every major institution to his will. To Pak Lah's credit, he didn't try to do so in his first term – it could be argued he didn't do much of anything in his first term – certainly, not in the same manner as Dr M.
But Pak Lah came into office with a message of reform. He was the alternate "Reformasi" candidate who promised to eradicate corruption, to reform the civil service including making the police force more efficient and transparent, and to be an inclusive PM for all Malaysians. He achieved none of that and instead squandered the historic mandate given to him in the 2004 general election.
He allowed ethnic extremism to rear its ugly head within his own party, Umno. He tried to table a watered-down police oversight bill to Parliament. He launched his own version of mega-projects in the form of regional corridors. And, it was business as usual in Umno –
meaning patronage and money politics were the order of the day.
mahathir khir toyo kmu forum 010408 05But as weak and ineffective as Pak Lah has been during these past four years – and still so, in many ways – the recent attacks by Dr M ring hollow once they are taken apart and examined.
While Dr M's stinging barbs are great fodder for bloggers and political pundits, they are examples of hypocrisy at its most audacious. Dr M conveniently forgets that it was he who instituted the quota system for Umno's internal elections and that no one was able to challenge him after Tengku Razaleigh's failed bid in 1988.
Dr M also forgets that the Cabinet was as pliant under his premiership as it is now and that he too was surrounded by yes-men who didn't dare contradict him. That is, after all, the culture of Umno – which he cultivated over two decades as its leader.
No credible suggestions
Even now as he calls for Pak Lah to resign, Dr M does not offer any credible suggestions on how to reform Umno or the BN in the face of the unprecedented losses suffered in the recent polls.
All he has to offer is unreserved, uninhibited, unconstructive criticism – good for media sound bites but useless when it comes to helping the party get out of the morass it's in.
Pak Lah might not last long enough to even make it to the Umno polls in December but he can at the very least be credited for gracefully accepting the will of the voters and not resorting to dirty tactics to "alter" the 2008 election results.
There was no trouble in the streets as many people had feared would emerge if BN were to ever lose its psychologically-critical two-thirds majority in Parliament. Can anyone seriously say with full conviction that this would have been the case if Dr M were the PM?
Those who are cheering on Dr M's assault on Pak Lah – and this includes a couple of the most well-known bloggers in this country – would do well to remember that the good ol' days of Dr M were actually not all that good.
It's not difficult to see where we stand on this debate. As disappointing as Pak Lah has been, Dr M is by far the worse of the two PMs.
ONG KIAN MING is a PhD candidate in political science at Duke University and OON YEOH is a writer and new media analyst. You can listen to both of them discuss this topic in their Realpolitik podcast (www.webmobtv.com)
Samy: We will demand our rights
Apr 12, 08 5:21pm
Samy Vellu assured the Indian community today that the MIC will continue to demand from the government what is due to them.
He said the MIC would not give up on its struggle for the Indian community despite facing some setbacks in the last general election.
samy vellu pc 120308 explain"We are even more determined than ever to ensure that Indians achieve greater success and be on par with the other races. The MIC will continue to demand from the government what is rightfully ours," Samy declared in a Bernama report.
Extending greetings to Tamils on the occasion of their new year tomorrow, the MIC president also urged the Indian community to remain united and seize the many opportunities provided by the government.
He said that only through hard work and determination could they achieve success in whatever they ventured into.
"We need to be resilient and independent in order to fully tap the resources that have been made available," he said in his New Year message.
Fight for more places
Citing an example, Samy said the government had provided ample opportunities for Indian youths to improve their skills through the government-run industrial training institutes.
Samy said the government had opened up various avenues, such as in the civil service, education and entrepreneurship.
"The MIC will continue to fight for more places and opportunities for the Indians in all fields through our representatives in the government.
"We have achieved a certain degree of success but more needs to be done to ensure equal opportunities for Malaysian Indians in all fields," he added.
Samy Vellu assured the Indian community today that the MIC will continue to demand from the government what is due to them.
He said the MIC would not give up on its struggle for the Indian community despite facing some setbacks in the last general election.
samy vellu pc 120308 explain"We are even more determined than ever to ensure that Indians achieve greater success and be on par with the other races. The MIC will continue to demand from the government what is rightfully ours," Samy declared in a Bernama report.
Extending greetings to Tamils on the occasion of their new year tomorrow, the MIC president also urged the Indian community to remain united and seize the many opportunities provided by the government.
He said that only through hard work and determination could they achieve success in whatever they ventured into.
"We need to be resilient and independent in order to fully tap the resources that have been made available," he said in his New Year message.
Fight for more places
Citing an example, Samy said the government had provided ample opportunities for Indian youths to improve their skills through the government-run industrial training institutes.
Samy said the government had opened up various avenues, such as in the civil service, education and entrepreneurship.
"The MIC will continue to fight for more places and opportunities for the Indians in all fields through our representatives in the government.
"We have achieved a certain degree of success but more needs to be done to ensure equal opportunities for Malaysian Indians in all fields," he added.
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