MPs Jumping Ship? Good Riddance!

Zulkifli Noordin, MP for Bandar Baru Kulim came out all guns firing against his Pakatan Rakyat "partners" over issues relating to his hardline views of Malay dominance and religious dominance.

Zahrain Hashim, MP for Bayan Baru came out no holds barred calling Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng a "dictator, chauvinist and communist" because he was unable to secure contracts for his RM2.00 crony company for a project in Penang. (Or was it due to him failing his party's KPIs?)

Unsurprisingly, the rumour mill went wild with news of possible defections of 10 MPs led by Zahrain, which will give Barisan Nasional a 2/3 majority in Parliament. WIth the 2/3 majority, Barisan Nasional will have the ability to amend the constitution at its whims and fancies, including a likely re-delineation of parliamentary and state seats expected next year.

With such an achievement, it will ensure Zahrain a Ministership post in Najib's cabinet. It is of note that Zahrain has to date only politely dismissed inferences that he will join UMNO, but had not denied the likely possibility that he'll join the newly formed "Parti Cinta Malaysia" based in Penang.

Other MPs have denied outright speculations that they will join Barisan Nasional, including MP for Indera Mahkota (whom I have respect for), Azan Ismail and MP for Merbok Datuk Rashid Din.

The question then is who else will join the Zahrain and Zulkifli bandwagon (Z2)? There's a possible hint here when MP for Balik Pulau, Yusmadi Yusof gave a rather peculiar answer when asked if he was jumping ship by The Malaysian Insider:

Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusof said he has to study the media reports before giving a response, adding he was feeling unwell after returning from a conference in Manila.

Honestly, what is there to "study"?

There are also rumours that another anti-Lim Guan Eng cum anti-DAP Chinese MP will also make the jump.

Will they or will they not? Regardless, I'll bet my bottom dollar that Z2 does not have any where near the 10 MPs to cross over to Barisan Nasional. I do hope however, that Z2 and the less than handful of the other recalcitrant MPs will quickly jump ship so that we can rejoice at the good riddance of bad rubbish.

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High Speed Train to Kuantan?

Dodgy companies selling fancy rail projects to the Federal Government? Below is a letter from TRANSIT questioning this particular high-speed train project which will apparently cut short the travel between Kuantan to Kuala Lumpur to just a mere 45 minutes. It appears that this train project is even more ludicrous than the abandoned one proposed by YTL to connect Malaysia and Singapore earlier.

RE: Article - Traveling time 45 minutes - Site to be based in Pekan. KL - Kuantan High Speed Railroad to start in May

The members of the Association for the Improvement of Mass-Transit wish to express their concerns at the information in the article Traveling time 45 minutes - Site to be based in Pekan. KL - Kuantan High Speed Railroad to start in May. We are concerned with the information in the article, which suggests that construction for this project is set to begin in May 2010. If this were to happen it would be quite illegal.

The Railways Act 1991 makes it very clear that a Railways Scheme cannot start construction until a feasibility study has been completed and a copy of the Railway route has been sent to the Director General of the Department of Railways for conditional approval.

Once conditional approval has been granted by the Director General of the Department of Railways, then a 3 month public display period must take place. After the 3 months of public display, objections must be heard. If everything goes well, the Director General of the Department of Railways can recommend that the Minister of Transport approve the project.

So far there has been no conditional approval and no 3-month public display. So how can the project start construction in May 2010?

Another concern is the misleading claims about the feasibility of the project, the actual cost of the project, the time it will take to construct the line, and the length of time for the trip between KL and Kuantan.

The proposal is to link KL and Kuantan using High Speed Rail. However, the Titiwangsa range which is just north and east of KL would present a formidable barrier for the construction of this line. Anyone who has traveled along the KL-Karak highway knows that the Titiwangsa range is substantial. Building a highspeed rail line across the range would require very precise and detailed engineering, cost a lot of money and take a lot of time.

Yet Mr. Jayakumar of MRails International claims the project can be completed in 3-5 years.

Mr Jayakumar also claims that the project will cost RM1 billion. However in a later paragraph he says the 3 High Speed Railroad and Magnetic Levitation (Maglev) projects will cost RM1 billion together. To give you a comparison, the double-tracking & electriication of the existing conventional KTM railway between Rawang and Ipoh cost RM1.14 billon. The extension from Ipoh to Padang Besar is projected to cost at least RM12billion. The 17.7km extension of the Kelana Jaya LRT line (which uses a special Linear Induction Motor) will cost nearly RM4 billion.

Thus it does not seem possible that a high-speed rail link can be built across the Titiwangsa range, linking KL-Kuantan, for less than RM1billion within 5 years.

TRANSIT also questions the 'track record' of Mr. Jayakumar and his MRails International company. We note that Mr. Jayakumar has appeared out of nowhere in recent months and none of our contacts in the railway industry are familiar with him.

TRANSIT is deeply concerned that the public, the media and members of the civil service have been fooled by the actions of salesmen who have managed to convince state governments to take a look at their 'interesting' railway projects. These high speed rail proposals from MRails will join a long list of other unsuccessful railway proposals that have been 'sold' to state governments, such as the Aerorail in Melaka, the Aerobus in Penang, and the Johor Baru Maglev elevated monorail. A Malaysian company (Pembinaan Aktif Gemilang) is also involved in a very strange "Hydrogen High Speed Superhighway" that has been sold to the state government of Central Java.

People involved in these proposals usually focus on using high-pressure sales tactics to convince politicians to look at their proposals. They take money for the 'studies' , make attempts to get the attention of the media, and ultimately, waste people's time and make them look foolish. In Penang, the state government has already had to defend itself for granting the free use of state land to two companies for their 'test tracks' and approving a feasibility study for Aerobus. And we can only wonder how the Prime Minister of Malaysia and the Menteri Besar of Pahang will extract themselves from this High Speed Railroad and Magnetic Levitation railway project.

Anyone who visits Jakarta, Indonesia can see the pillars of the proposed monorail line which was never built. Malaysian cities are littered with enough abandoned housing and commercial projects. We do not need to add a few incomplete railway lines to the existing mess.

Sincerely

Moaz Yusuf Ahmad
on behalf of TRANSIT

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Disappointed Doctor

The following is a letter I've received from a Doctor who has just returned to our shores. Bureaucratic clumsiness?


I am a medical doctor who was educated overseas and worked in Australia for several years and recently decided to return to Malaysia to serve the country.

As a professional working overseas I heard about the 'Program bagi mengalakkan warganegara Malaysia yang berpakaran yang bekerja di luar negara pulang ke Malaysia' and therefore applied for it. I was very disappointed when they rejected my application on the grounds that it was sent after I returned to Malaysia. Apparently it was meant to be sent whilst I was still in Australia.

I find this a very poor excuse given the fact that Malaysia is trying to lure back its citizens to work for them. It discourages professionals such as me from having to bear the burden to return but not have any perks or encouraging incentives. Furthermore, my parents bore my exorbitant medical tuition fees and I did not receive any governmental loans whatsoever. The “least” is something anyone would expect.

Besides that, it took me a great deal of an effort to locate the abovementioned application form which was hidden in the catacombic archives of one of the governmental websites. Talk about purposeful inconvenience or perhaps voluntary neglect.

I can see why many of my colleagues are hesitant to return and serve the government given the unimpressive, unattractive attitude and to top it off the obvious suboptimal remuneration and working conditions. Now, thankfully I still have the option to return to Australia and am reconsidering my intentions to continue here thanks to the above. Job well done in luring professionals back.


Disappointed DR.

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Call For Emergency Parliamentary Session to Condemn Attacks

DAP condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent acts of defiling the places of Muslim worship

This morning, two mosques along Jalan Klang Lama were found desecrated with pig heads being found in their compounds.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms such despicable acts which are not only insensitive to our Muslim brothers, but is clearly an act to incite racial hatred and sentiments in our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

Ordinary Malaysians of all faiths and creed must not be entrapped by these acts which motives are clearly to enrage Malaysians into conducting similar tit-for-tat acts to create destroy the peace and tolerance in the country.

We will like to repeat our call upon the Government to convene an all-parties meeting, including all political parties, religious bodies and civil society organisations to unite as one to condemn such attempts to sabotage the future and unity of Malaysians.

We also call upon the Prime Minister to convene an emergency Parliamentary meeting for all Parliamentarians from across the divide to condemn without reservation the increasing incidence of arson, vandalism and desecration at all places of religious worship including mosques, suraus, churches and temples.

The Government must no longer dismiss these incidents as “minor aberrations” or “minor damage” for they have much broader implications to our nation-building. We must nip the increasing religious militancy in the country in the bud, before it escalates to a point of no return where properties are destroyed and lives are lost.

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"Toothy Grin" Interview A to Z

It's an edited 8 minutes (part 1) interview from a total of probably 45 minutes(?) with Klik4Malaysia, which covered issues A to Z. The MP with the toothy grin? ;-) Heh...

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Malaysia Pertengahan: Utusan Threatened?

Utusan Malaysia must be feeling the heat. The UMNO owned paper has been at the forefront of extremist views in Malaysia, to stir communal sentiments and create the atmosphere of tension and intolerance in the country. While other mainstream newspapers are forced to be put on a tight leash, Utusan gets complete freedom to defame, outrage and promote its views on racial supremacy.

But our shifting the debate to "Middle Malaysia" must have spooked Utusan, to the extent that it feels sufficiently threatened to actually dedicate a column by 'Awang Selamat' to DAP, entitled "Melayu sokong DAP?" In the years past, we wouldn't have expected Utusan to have paid that much attention to DAP, so I must say we must be doing something right. ;-)

... Ada yang menyatakan Middle Malaysia mempunyai agenda rasis. Menurut satu tulisan: “Sekiranya diterjemahkan Middle Malaysia ke dalam bahasa Mandarin, ia membawa maksud tersirat ‘Malaysia untuk kaum Cina’. Ini boleh ditafsirkan kaum Cina mahu menjadi ‘tauke Malaysia’ kerana Chung adalah sinonim dengan ‘Penguasa Cina’ di Malaysia.”

Awang tidak pasti sejauh mana kebenarannya. Namun tanpa hujah seperti itu pun, Awang memang tidak mempercayai DAP. Jika DAP benar-benar menjadi parti untuk semua kaum, Awang tidak akan mempersoalkannya tetapi itu semua hanya pembohongan dan tipu daya. Banyak tindak tanduk parti itu membahayakan asas kenegaraan kita, ia umpama musuh dalam selimut.

Tindak-tanduk DAP menyerang secara konsisten agensi awam di bawah kepimpinan Melayu seperti Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM), Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM), Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR), Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), institusi perundangan Islam dan banyak lagi, menyerlahkan lagi belang parti itu.

Sikap keterlaluan DAP memanipulasi isu yang membakar sentimen bukan Melayu juga tidak boleh diterima. Lihat sahaja isu kematian Teoh Beng Hock, penggunaan kalimah Allah oleh pihak gereja Katholik dan kejadian gereja dibakar, amat tidak bertanggungjawab.

Pada Awang, DAP adalah parti paling ekstrem, yang berselindung di sebalik nama demokratik tetapi agendanya ultra Cina. Selagi parti itu tidak komited untuk menjunjung dan mempertahankan Perlembagaan negara, selagi itu Awang tidak akan terpengaruh biarpun pemimpinnya memetik ayat al-Quran dan hadis. Biarlah Melayu yang tidak sedar diri dan yang punya agenda peribadi dipergunakan oleh DAP. Awang bukan jenis itu.

Below are excerpts from a commentary written by our MP for Rasah as well as our DAPSY chief, Sdr Anthony Loke on "what is 'Middle Malaysia'?", but in Bahasa Malaysia. Read both articles to see who's the extremist in this country, DAP or UMNO/Utusan Malaysia.

...Namun, konteks yang ingin dipertengahkan oleh DAP melalui “Malaysia Pertengahan” adalah lebih luas daripada pengertian ciri-ciri pentadbiran ekonomi semata-mata. Kata kunci dalam konteks “Malaysia Pertengahan” ialah kesederhanaan. Dalam menangani sebarang isu dan dasar yang memberi impak kepada masyarakat umum, prinsip kesederhanaan perlu dititikberatkan. Dalam kata-kata Guan Eng, “Malaysia Pertengahan” mengutamakan “kerjasama daripada konflik”, konsultasi daripada konfrontasi” dan sebuah masyarakat yang inklusif bukannya eksklusif. Ini merupakan prinsip-prinsip utama dan pendekatan utama yang perlu dibawa oleh DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat. Sekiranya pendekatan dan prinsip ini dapat diterjemahkan dalam erti kata yang sebenarnya, tidak mustahil majoriti rakyat Malaysia akan menyokong agenda perubahan yang ingin dibawa oleh Pakatan Rakyat.

DAP sering dilabelkan oleh UMNO sebagai sebuah parti cauvinis yang ekstrem, sebuah parti orang Cina yang ingin menguasai segala-galanya di bumi Malaysia dan parti yang agendanya anti-Melayu dan anti-Islam. Sememangnya label-label ini menyebabkan ramai pengundi di kalangan masyarakat Melayu yang berwaspada terhadap DAP dan ramai yang menjauhinya selama ini. Walaupun DAP tidak pernah berfikiran sedemikian, namun ketiadaan peluang untuk DAP melaksanakan dasarnya selama ini tidak memungkinkan parti tersebut dapat mengubah persepsi negatif masyarakat Melayu terhadapnya. Kemunculan kerajaan negeri di bawah Pakatan Rakyat khususnya di Pulau Pinang membuka satu lembaran baru buat DAP.

Satu contoh yang baik ialah pendekatan yang diambil dalam menangani isu agama. Umum diketahui bahawa pendirian DAP yang tidak bersetuju dengan penubuhan Negara Islam dalam konteks Malaysia. Ia juga merupakan senjata yang sering digunakan oleh BN untuk melaga-lagakan hubungan DAP dengan PAS selama ini. Namun, ia sama sekali tidak bermakna bahawa DAP menentang agama Islam. Malah DAP telah secara terbuka menyatakan komitmennya mendukung status Islam sebagai agama rasmi persekutuan seperti yang termaktub dalam Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Pendirian ini jelas dinyatakan dalam Dokumen Dasar Bersama Pakatan Rakyat yang dipersetujui bersama pada bulan Disember lepas. Komitmen ini bukan sahaja dinyatakan di atas kertas namun telah dimanifestasikan dalam pentadbiran kerajaan negeri yang dipimpin sendiri oleh Lim Guan Eng.

Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang telah menggandakan peruntukan tahunan untuk tujuan agama Islam sehingga RM24.3 juta untuk tahun 2010 berbanding RM12.5 juta pada tahun 2008 di bawah kerajaan terdahulu yang dipimpin BN. Bukankah ini bukti kukuh bahawa kedudukan agama Islam bukan sahaja tidak tergugat malah didukung dan diperkukuhkan oleh sebuah kerajaan yang diterajui oleh DAP? Bukan sahaja peruntukan ditambah, malah Guan Eng memberi sokongan padu untuk menubuhkan sebuah Majlis Syura yang mengumpulkan sekumpulan pakar agama Islam untuk menasihati Kerajaan Negeri Pulau Pinang dalam hal-ehwal agama Islam. Pada masa yang sama, perkembangan agama-agama lain tidak disekat dan dimudahcarakan seperti bantuan kewangan kepada tokong, kuil dan gereja. Permohonan tanah untuk pembinaan tempat beribadat pula diluluskan tanpa banyak karenah birokrasi. Ini tidak sama sekali mengugat kedudukan Islam sebagai agama rasmi di negara kita. Inilah pendekatan “Malaysia Pertengahan” untuk mewujudkan sebuah masyarakat pelbagai agama yang harmoni.

I suppose in the eyes of extremists, everyone else who believes in the Middle way are "extreme" in their views.

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Get Registered To Vote

4.4 million Malaysians who are above the age of 21 have not registered to vote. This forms 30% of eligible voters in Malaysia. Which means that if these, mostly young people get registered, the outcome to any election in our country could actually be very different.

Go register with your identification card at the nearest post office (it just takes 5 minutes). Or if you have queries, please email leongooikuan(at)gmail(dot)com at my office. We'll help you along the way.

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Abdullah Ahmad on "Middle Malaysia"

Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad wrote an insightful piece on "Middle Malaysia" in Sinar Harian. I will not be surprised if the article was first rejected by the other Malay press. Excerpts are quoted as follows, and the full article's available here.


Majoriti pasif dijangka penentu PRU-13
TAN SRI ABDULLAH AHMAD

[...]

DAP, komponen Pakatan Rakyat dan pemerintah di Pulau Pinang dalam konvensyennya hujung minggu lalu di Ipoh berpendapat sebaik jalan ke Putrajaya adalah melalui ‘jalan tengah’ atau middle way. Mengikut definisi DAP, ‘jalan tengah’ bermakna Pakatan Rakyat mesti bersikap ‘sederhana, wajar, konsisten dan relevan’ pada majoriti rakyat majmuk.

Pada fikiran Lim Guan Eng, Setiausaha Agung DAP yang juga Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang “ jangan kita salah langkah, dasar sederhana akan menunjukkan Pakatan mana yang menang pilihan raya umum akan datang.”

Barisan Nasional (sebelum ini Perikatan hingga 1974), adalah parti yang dilihat dan dipercayai ramai sebagai sebuah parti yang sederhana sebab itulah tiap pilihan raya sejak 1950-an lagi hingga sekarang ia menang. Negeri yang ada sistem dua parti adalah Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah, Pulau Pinang, Selangor dan Perak. Sebelum itu Sabah.

‘Dasar sederhana’ atau middle Malaysia ala Pakatan Rakyat – yang dianggotai DAP, dulu terkenal dan tersohor sebagai parti perkauman Cina, sebuah parti chauvinis dan Pas, dulu tersohor dan ditakuti bukan Islam kerana ketaksubannya mahu menegakkan sebuah negara Islam berpandukan al-Quran, hadis dan syariah dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat termuda antara tiga – pragmatik dan menarik kerana kalau DAP dan Pas ingin ke Putrajaya mereka terpaksa bersama Keadilan dan pendekatan yang diambil oleh DAP itu amat wajar. Pendekatan kesederhanaan sepatutnya mendapat perhatian pengundi yang muhasabah. Nampaknya pilihan pengundi nanti antara dua pakatan: Pakatan lama yang teruji dan pakatan baru yang belum terbukti.

Middle Malaysia pada anggapan saya, terdiri daripada rakyat semua kaum, semua lapisan, mereka yang tidak sempit pandangan, rakyat pertengahan, tidak muda dan tidak juga tua: bukan kaya keterlaluan dan bukan juga miskin. Mereka yang mobiliti sosialnya kian meningkat. Lazimnya, dalam politik, mereka konservatif dan digelar sebagai silent majority atau majoriti yang pasif (senyap). Golongan ini berpengaruh dalam bidang ekonomi, sosial dan pendidikan.

Keseluruhan golongan ini kuat berpegang kepada pemikiran tradisional yakin mereka bermoral, bersopan, beradab, tidak suka, bahkan benci, pada mereka yang suka dan asyik berdemonstrasi dan puak ekstremis semua bangsa. Mereka ini tidak senang hati dengan puak pelampau yang mudah menimbul ketidakstabilan, mereka yang sering membangkit isu-isu yang lapuk, sensitif dan berbentuk provokasi, batu api!

Mereka juga tidak ada ideologi, selalunya mereka fleksibel dan praktikal. Mereka begitu sayangi kestabilan apa pun harganya mereka sanggup membayarnya.

[...]

Masa depan kita – suka atau duka - ialah middle of the road politics yakni politik yang sedang dan pendamai. Yang bertolak ansur dari semua puak. “Politik tolak ansur keterlaluan Tunku Abdul Rahman mengecewakan orang Melayu: beri betis mahu paha amat bencana," tegas seorang pemimpin UMNO kepada saya. “Sikap sedemikian harus dibanteras jika kita ingin mengelakkan malapetaka,” tambahnya bersungguh-sungguh.

DAP bijak mengubahkan pendekatannya, Lim menegaskan, ini tidak bermakna perjuangan tulen DAP 'Malaysian Malaysia' sudah dilupai. Mereka hanya sesuaikan dasar dengan zaman dan semangat masa kini. Politik lama mereka seperti siasah lampau Pas tidak akan membawa mereka ke Putrajaya. DAP dan Pas terus menukar pendekatan mereka kerana mahu sokongan Middle Malaysia. Satu perkara yang bijak, UMNO, MCA dan parti komponen lain BN tidak banyak berubah .Benar mereka tukar pemimpin tetapi dasar mereka terus agak sama sahaja – ada sedikit perubahan pada UMNO jika dibandingkan pada zaman si Lembab dulu dan sekarang. Dalam MIC pula tiada pembaharuan.

[...]

Perdana Menteri Najib Tun Razak telah membawa beberapa pendekatan baru. Apa yang lesu dulu sudah diberi suntikan tenaga, yang buruk bertambah baik, ada pula busines as usual. Apa yang sudah dilakukan bagus tetapi jelas tidak mencukupi lagi.

Masih ramai rakyat yang ternanti-nanti dengan apa yang dijanjikan. Amat wajar projek-projek harus disegerakan pelaksanaan tanpa pula ‘cepat’ runtuh seperti yang berlaku di Terengganu. Kita mahu cepat tetapi kerja mestilah cermat dan baik.

Saya takut melihat kelakuan sesetengah pemimpin, sudah mula bercakap besar kerana ada kesulitan dan kemelut dalam PKR dan Pas. DAP agak tegap dan berdisiplin.

Percayalah mereka akan mengatasi kemelut itu. Apapun ingat: Pas, PKR dan DAP sepakat mahu menumbangkan BN. Mereka tidak mahu status quo berterusan. Kalau saya pemimpin, saya akan tumpukan masa untuk memperkemaskinikan organisasi parti, daftar pengundi baru dan perkukuhkan barisan sendiri dan memberi roh baru kepada ahli dan penyokong dengan idea baru yang boleh mendorong mereka bersemangat berkobar-kobar dan mempunyai minda yang cerah dan kukuh.

Tak payahlah suka nak jaga tepi kain musuh.Lebih baik tumpukan masa memujuk dan memikat hati orang muda yang yang minat Internet dan melayari alam siber - majoritinya kini menjauhi diri dan tidak nampak menyokong BN dan UMNO.

Pergolakan politik semasa baik di peringkat nasional, kemelut di Kelantan, Terengganu, Perak dan Selangor tiada kena-mengena dengan moral, prinsip dan idealisme. Semuanya adalah real politics, kenyataan siasah. Inilah hakikat politik kini, dulu dan akan datang.

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Ayah! Ayah!

I got this joke via an email which is making its rounds of the internet. While not entirely correct as an allegory, it's certainly instructive ;-)

A man came home from work and his children ran to him and called out ‘Ayah! Ayah!’.

His neighbor got very upset and said to him, “Can you please tell your children not to call you ‘Ayah’?”

The man asked, “Why?”

The neighbor retorted, “Because my children call me ’Ayah’ too. They might get confused and mistake you to be their father.”

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New Political Parties Act?

One of the Prime Minister's key National Key Result Area (NKRA) Labs is on Fighting Corruption. The were plenty of proposals within this NKRA made by the labs, and it's available for review here. However, it is curious that the chief of the lab choses to focus on one tiny aspect among the tonnes of proposals within, that is creating new laws to control political funding.

Is there an ulterior motive? You decide. Below is the write up on the press conference I gave a few days back on the issue by The Malaysian Insider.

A proposed law to regulate funding of political parties – ostensibly to curb corruption – has failed to impress the opposition, in particular the DAP.

The proposed Political Parties Act, seeks to “enforce existing political laws and conduct a study to revamp political funding.”

“This is under the corruption lab, which is one of the NKRA (National Key Result Areas). The government has put it up on their website, www.transformation.gov.my, although it has not been publicised in great detail,” said Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua today.

Pua said he was “curious” as to why only one aspect of the entire NKRA for corruption was paid due emphasis, and wanted to know the government’s rationale for doing so.

“I am worried that the reason for this Act is that they are looking to potentially control the support of funds. Listing down the names of donors of opposition parties presents a problem for a lot of donors,” said Pua.

“Without an even playing field, this creates a major problem for politics in Malaysia.”

The DAP man also questioned the government’s motives as the papers were presented as if these were policies which will be enacted by the government, not proposals.

He also took the opportunity to point out other policies, namely the government allocation to MPs, whereby “all MPs have a right to receive funds regardless of political affiliations.”

“There are other important policies other than the Political Parties Act. To combat corruption the government should disclose details of all government procurement contracts ... what about the details of Matrade? What about the IPP contracts? Why don’t you declassify them in the interest of achieving NKRAs?”

We'll be setting up a meeting with Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz to figure out exactly whether the proposals by NKRA has actually been adopted or approved by the cabinet. And if they are, why aren't we seeing their implementation such as equal allocations for all Members of Parliament, or public disclosure of information for all privatisation contracts.

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More 'Middle Malaysia'

'Middle Malaysia' isn't a new slogan. It's not a new cool term to replace "Malaysian Malaysia" or "Malaysian First". It's a political description of the centre-majority of the Malaysian public. It is a statement and approach that the DAP seeks to fulfil the wishes of "Middle Malaysia".

Sdr Lim Guan Eng has said that "Middle Malaysia prefers co-operation not conflict, consultation instead of confrontation and an inclusive, shared society rather than an exclusive, separate society... We want no part of the extremist fringes with pronouncements and positions that frighten off any decent Malaysian."

And Middle Malaysia comes in the context of the fierce 'Allah' debate, where the hardline conservative positions taken by UMNO leaders have dragged the country to nearly the brink with more than 10 religious institutions defiled. As UMNO and Barisan Nasional move to the fringe with extremist tendencies, DAP and our Pakatan Rakyat colleagues want to occupy the centre where most Malaysians are, and that's "Middle Malaysia".

There used to be a time when "Middle Malaysia" believed that a power-sharing agreement between the major races represented by 3 race-based parties was the perfect approach to multi-cultural Malaysia. And that was when BN occupied the political centre of the public perception spectrum.

But "Middle Malaysia" has shifted for the "power-sharing" pact between UMNO, MCA and MIC has been increasingly exposed as a failure for each party continues to pander to the parochial needs of each community defined by race, and often in direct conflict to create a fair and just society, and to foster national unity.

The inability of Barisan Nasional to stay in touch with "Middle Malaysia" is best epitomised by BN apologist, Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, who was sceptical on “Middle Malaysians” being the majority of voters in the country and harshly criticised DAP for misconceiving the definition of 'middle'.

"In Malaysia, there is no such thing as middle voters. They (DAP) have messed up their calculations. The idea of middle voters is in their imagination... if they do not conceptualise their ideas properly, it can backfire,” said Shamsul, director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies (Kita) in UKM.

The academic firmly believes that in the case of constituencies, voters are still split on an ethnic level, and not all voters necessarily reside in the area that they vote in. He claims that 30 per cent of voters in a constituency are urban folk who come from rural areas, hence they have different interests in mind and do not care about “local issues.”

“The situation is like this. You have three types of constituencies in Malaysia; the Chinese, Malay/Bumiputeras and the mixed group. These groups, which make up 70 per cent of voters, are generally politically-inclined towards a certain party, be it opposition or government.

Like BN, he is still trapped in the mindset where "constituencies" in Malaysia is still strictly defined by race and their attachment to "certain" political parties. It is to Pakatan Rakyat's advantage that they have failed to (or is unwilling to) perceive and adapt to the changing electorate who are more sensitive to policies and less to party.

If Professor Shamsul is correct, then the Chinese would never have voted in such large numbers in support of PAS in the last general elections, as well as the subsequent by-elections. Similarly, DAP would not have received such significant support from the Malays, who had in the past avoided the party at all cost.

While DAP members and leaders may be majority Chinese, we are not a "Chinese" party like the BN counterpart in MCA. Similarly, while PKR and PAS are overwhelmingly Malay, they are not a "Malay" party like how UMNO is defined. Our policies are not race-based, but one based on needs. DAP for example, has no problems with Malays benefiting because they are poor or disadvantaged. However, there is real injustice if the rich Malays receive aid while the poor Indians continue to be marginalised. Race in the above examples are purely incidental, and the determination of assistance should be based strictly on merit and needs.

That is our view is what 'Middle Malaysia' has come to believe, and they no longer see race-based parties, those with specific mission to promote a particular race-agenda as being viable or acceptable. Capturing the 'Middle Malaysia' will take us to Putrajaya in the next General Elections.

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"Middle Malaysia"

"Transformation Malaysia" was the theme of DAP 2010 Annual Convention held yesterday. But it was the approach of "Middle Malaysia" in the Secretary-General Sdr Lim Guan Eng's speech which caught the imagination of the press and commentators. "Middle Malaysia" is apt in times like this, as we swim in various parochial and fringe controversies like 'Allah' and 'Ketuanan Melayu', it is time to position DAP and our partners PAS and PKR as taking the middle ground where the overwhelming majority of Malaysians stand, while leaving our political enemies to take the extremist positions.

I won't write about it in detail here, but you can read the full text of Sdr Lim's speech here (warning: it's long), or an excellent succint report by Andrew Ong in Malaysiakini here. Excerpts from Andrew's article is below.

Amidst a gloomy backdrop of intensified religious and racial bickering, DAP has mapped out the path of 'Middle Malaysia' which the party hopes Pakatan Rakyat would ride on towards the ultimate destination - Putrajaya.

DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng told delegates at the party 15th national conference in Ipoh today that the nation was "at war with itself" and the way forward is by threading the middle path of inclusiveness, equal opportunities and ending discrimination.

"We must occupy the electoral centre that is diverse and united, moderate and sensible, consistent and relevant to ordinary Malaysians. We must become 'Middle Malaysia'," he thundered to some 1,200 delegates.

[...]

DAP can't do it alone

Currently, the party is half-way through its term as coalition governments in Penang and Selangor and the new slogan by Lim is viewed as DAP's new direction as it gears up for the polls.

[...]

"Remember that DAP will never win alone. We nearly won all the seats in Negeri Sembilan but still unable to govern. We need to win as a coalition, as a full partner in power together.

"It goes without saying that we would expect our coalition partners to understand our platforms and build and expand our common grounds," he said.

In his speech, Lim repeatedly stressed that Pakatan' focus should be to capture the 'Middle Malaysian' vote as it matters most to what he terms as a "second round of nation building".

"It is crucial to note that there is only one middle ground in Malaysian politics, and it is the middle ground that matters. Make no mistake that 'Middle Malaysia' will decide which coalition governs next.

"To embrace 'Middle Malaysia', Pakatan must be seen as moderate, inclusive and distance and differentiate ourselves from our exclusive, racist and extremist opponents," he said.

Yes, lets take Middle Malaysia to Putrajaya! ;-)

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Enlightened 'Allah' Debate

And it's coming from PAS. This time it's PAS National Unity Committee chairman and MP for Parit Buntar, Mujahid Yusof Rawa with his comments on his speech within the Hall of the Holy Spirit. You really cannot get more sincere than that for a leader of an Islamic party. Such a bridge across the divide must be applauded, and unfortunately, I don't think we'll see any UMNO leader willing to do the same, clearly showing the inability for them to come to terms with themselves and their faith.

To quote UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin himself, and I must say I couldn't agree more:

Umno no longer commands the middle ground and if it continues on this trajectory, the party’s fortunes can no longer be certain, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said.

Reflecting on the party’s role in the raging ‘Allah’ controversy, he said the party is on a road that is taking it away from being a party for all.

“Nobody wants to be a loser, but we’re definitely not straddling the middle ground any more. It might become what PAS used to be — a party that appeals to just a certain base. It’s scary,” he told The Straits Times in an interview.

Excerpts of Mujahid's column is quoted below, but you should certainly read the full text in The Malaysian Insider.

When I spoke on Jan 13 at the Catholic Church in Island Glades, Penang, I had no difficulty talking about the issue because my understanding of the teaching of Islam provided me with the eloquence and wisdom I needed.

I started off with the simple "Peace Be Upon my Brothers and Sisters of the Christian Faith". I did not feel there was anything wrong greeting them with peace since I came here for peace. I then started to praise the Almighty, Lord of The Universe (Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alamin) and told my Christian friends that the word “Allah” is made for us to recognise His Greatness and Superiority, not to hate one another for using it.

I also wanted the audience to understand that I did not come for purely political reasons although I represented an Islamic political party. I wanted them to know that there are greater reasons why I came that day. So I had to use the words of Allah to express myself.

I quoted the Chapter of Al Hujurat: “O mankind, we have created you from men and women, tribes and people of different kind so that you get acquainted with one another and the best among you in eyes of Allah is the most pious.” I explained that the verses taught me not to judge others but to rely on the judgment of Allah.
If we look at others through ethno- or faith-centric eyes, we are sure to be biased. This will create an artificial relationship and deep down the hatred will remain although it is concealed.

[...]

What this gathering is all about is our commonality, Christians or Muslims are all Allah’s creation. I also told them about the time the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) stood up in respect as a Jewish funeral passed by. His companions asked why one should respect a non-believer? The Prophet said clearly: “Is he not HUMAN?”

Kicking off the talk this way gave me the strength I needed to defuse the tension. I moved in into the issue and provided them first of all PAS’s stand on the ruling. I began to clarify that with a verse from the chapter of Zukhruf.

The very basis of this verse shows that the issue of using the word “Allah” has come up before, and the Quran has said clearly that if non-believers accept that it is Allah, not other deities, that created them, the Prophet shall not worry about why they are using the word Allah but should engage in peace and explain to them so ultimately it is hoped that they know who the real Allah is!

I cannot ban what has been permitted because I would be dishonest about the knowledge of God although the blanket approval does not mean one can use it for bad intentions or create confusion. I do not understand the fuss about non-Muslims using the word “Allah” as long as the condition is they do not use it with any bad intentions!

I had to conclude that this is simply not an issue, then why all the rage? I told them unfortunately it was the politicians who had highly politicised everything including the word Allah.

[...]

And that was when the rather sombre and serious atmosphere in the hall changed. There were smiling faces all over, this aura of hope gave both Muslims and Christians yet another new chapter in our society. A chapter called Dialogue in a Civilised Manner, a chapter called Humanity and a new dawn for Malaysia will surely come... that was the day when I spoke at the Hall of Holy Spirit.

Did I fathom the day I would say this? To be honest, no, not before March 2008 anyway. So here's 3 cheers to Mujahid, 3 cheers to PAS for changing the face of Malaysian politics, for championing reason and defeating over-zealous parochialism.

Hip hip hurray! Hip hip hurray! Hip hip hurray!!

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GST on TV9 "Hujah"

I was invited to the Malay-language 'Hujah' talk show on TV9 at the end of last year to discuss the issue of Goods and Services Tax. Together with me was the MP for Pulai, Datuk Nur Jazlan speaking on behalf of the government. It was a 30 minute programme, so it's split into 4 parts on YouTube below. Enjoy ;-)

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2009: The Year That Wasn't

I was asked to write by The Edge weekly for their 2009 year end bumper issue on the theme of "The Year That Wasn't". Originally, I had no clue what I was going to write, I mean, was there any positive expectations in the first place? But I soon found my inspiration as the deadline approached. The article was published and juxtaposed against a pretty good write up by Khairy Jamaluddin, who at least made the effort to be critical, unlike some of the others who wrote, who were more into flattering the current administration.

The Edge "titled" my piece "Good Start, Bad Finish", which I thought was a pretty appropriate title. ;-)

So here it is, reproduced for your reading pleasure ;-).

2009 is a year where expectations were high on the economic front in Malaysia despite the global economic crisis which brought global growth to a grinding halt. We had a new Prime Minister in Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak, and along with any new Prime Minister, hopes are high and promises are aplenty.

In fact, being a member of the opposition coalition, initially I was seriously worried that if the new Prime Minister is able to achieve his targets, there's little we can do to challenge Barisan Nasional except to grudging concede that he has done a good job. 2009 was hence the year where a revitalised UMNO and Barisan Nasional would prove that they would be able to manage the social and political economy than in the recent past.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched a series of 'liberalisation' measures which won praises in the financial circles. The 30% bumiputra equity requirement which was a cornerstone of the New Economic Policy (NEP) for companies seeking a Bursa Malaysia was waived to make Malaysia more attractive to foreign companies. This was soon followed by 2 quickfire listings by Chinese shoe companies on our stock exchange.

27 services sub-sectors were also “liberalised” where no racial equity conditions will be imposed. That was followed by further liberalisation of the Foreign Investment Committee (FIC) which prompted UBS and HwangDBS to make bullish calls on the Malaysian property sector in June.

The unbridled optimism continued with the Prime Minister's open declaration that direct negotiations as a method of awarding contracts should be replaced with open or restricted tenders. He said “opting for the tender system will curb corruption and bring back the people’s confidence in the Government.” This commitment solidified his position in November 2008 before he became the Prime Minister, where he said that “the Government planned to maximise income on all its existing assets, including on parcels of land that have not been developed, via open tender.”

I was honestly happy for the country, but worried for the opposition as Najib appears adamant to focus on the transformation of our economy, as the key strategy to lead Barisan Nasional out of the political doldrums.

However, as we approach the end of 2009, after a gruelling debate on Najib's inaugural 2010 Budget in parliament, the optimism has subsided.

The stock prices of Xingquan International Sports Holdings Limited and Muti Sports Holdings Limited have been thrashed in the markets by 43.3% and 42.3% respectively, despite a healthy 7.3% increase on the KLCI over the period since their listing in early August. A more recent listing in November, XiDeLang Holdings, another shoemaker, has already had its price underwater in December. Their performance effectively put paid to any ambitions left of Malaysia becoming an attractive regional financial centre any time in the near future.

The so-called liberalisation of the 27 services sub-sectors was soon forgotten for it was 27 out of hundreds of sub-sectors and the announcement was made meaningless as the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry revealed that the move was “synchronise what was already happening in the service industry” and that he will continue to defend the NEP. This means that there was never any meaningful participation by bumiputeras in these 27 services sub-sectors in the first place. Without further subsequent services sector liberalisations after Najib's April announcement, the euphoria soon became hype.

Furthermore, it doesn't help that these equity 'liberalisation' measures which wasn't accompanied by any 'liberalisation' of Government procurement system is effectively telling investors that we'll allow you to set up shop on our shores, but you won't be able to sell anything to us.

The worst hit had probably been the real property sector where anyone investing in our local properties on UBS and HwangDBS's bullish calls in June would have received a rude shock when the Government announced a 5% real property gains tax (RPGT) in the 2010 Budget after having only removed it in 2007 together with the introduction of a slew of liberalisation measures to attract international investor interest in our sluggish property markets. The Government's continued Jekyll and Hyde property market policies serves only to make Malaysia the destination to avoid for property investments.

And most disappointing to all, is the failure of the Prime Minister to keep his promises to ensure open tenders and auctions for the Government's privatisation projects and sale of assets. The proud announcement by the MITI on the award of the building of Malaysia's largest convention and exhibition centre to Naza TTDI worth RM628 million via direct negotiations in mid-November was probably the straw that broke the camel's back, that everything is status quo.

What stunned even a skeptic like me was the fact that the Government will be paying for the centre with a piece of prime land located in Sri Hartamas purported valued at RM197 million by the Government, but was apparently worth as much as RM1.5 billion according to property consultants.

2009 had promised that 'Najibnomics' will stir Malaysia from its uneasy slumber, it has proven to be “same old, same old”, the year that wasn't.

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