Mar 19, 2008
Preventing a financial crash
By Thomas I Palley
With the collapse of Bear Stearns, financial markets are moving closer to a crash that risks grave harm to the economy and the lives of working people. The Federal Reserve's recently created Term Auction Facility (TAF) and Term Securities Lending Facility (TSLF) move policy in the right direction. However, more needs to be done if a crash is to be prevented.
One way of thinking about Fed policy is in terms of the institutions the Fed deals with, the assets the Fed deals in, and the collateral the Fed accepts. The TAF and TSLF both expand the Fed's transactions menu, but the Fed has resisted expanding the set of institutions it deals with. Thus, initially only depository institutions were given access to the TAF, and only primary
government securities dealers have access to the TSLF.
That is not adequate. Had Bear Stearns had access to the TAF its collapse might have been avoided. Now, the Fed has decided to give liquidity access to securities dealers like Bear Stearns, which is welcome but still belated.
The Fed's failure to expand the set of institutions it deals with reflects failure to adapt to the new world of financial intermediation. Previously, lending was dominated by banks, which meant the Fed could address liquidity shortages threatening the supply of credit by providing liquidity directly to banks. Today, lending is increasingly separated from banks. First, banks sell many of the loans they originate so that the ultimate lender is not a bank. Second, many originating lenders are non-bank firms. That means the credit supply is vulnerable to disruptions among these other lenders.
The current problem is that asset prices are falling owing to lack of confidence, triggering margin calls on these non-bank lenders. That has compelled them to sell assets, further driving down prices and triggering further calls. Some lenders have been unable to meet these calls, threatening bankruptcy even though their underlying loans are still performing. That threatens a cascade of asset price collapse.
The Fed's new facilities are a good move that broadens capacity to protect against liquidity disruptions. However, the Fed should further widen the set of institutions it deals with. Limiting dealings to depository institutions and primary government securities dealers protects banks and Wall Street's major brokerage houses, but leaves too much of the system unprotected and creates inefficiencies.
Firms outside the Fed's ring of protection must set up complex transactions with firms inside the ring to access emergency liquidity. That is good for insiders' fee income, but it raises the cost of distributing liquidity and creates unnecessary transactions that can be disrupted. Meanwhile, restricting access to the Fed's liquidity auction facility fails to discover the true price of liquidity that would be paid if all had auction access, which is tantamount to not getting liquidity to those who need it most. That is inefficient, and it also provides a subsidy to institutions inside the ring of protection.
In addition to expanding the institutions the Fed deals with, the Fed should consider further judicious expansion of the categories of securities it accepts as collateral under its auction (TAF) and securities lending (TSLF) facilities. Any additional collateral categories should be assessed at deeply discounted values as they will be more risky. That will protect taxpayers from bearing losses if the collateral under-performs.
Even equities could potentially be accepted, but this would involve crossing a bright line as they are a different form of legal obligation. By accepting equity collateral, the Fed could acquire an ownership stake in firms, which would move it beyond its current role of setting interest rates and providing liquidity to the financial system.
Among economic commentators there has been much misleading chatter about limits imposed by the size of the Fed's balance sheet. The reality is the Fed has no practical limit to its balance sheet as it can always directly purchase financial assets. There is no need for that now, but in the meantime the Fed might further increase the size of its auction facility and should definitely widen the set of auction participants.
Critics will inevitably claim such changes are inflationary. That has been the history of every innovation in central banking. However, the reality is innovations are only inflationary if used in an inflationary way. With regard to the current crisis, that means the Fed will have to withdraw liquidity convincingly once the crisis has abated.
Finally, stopping a financial crash does not get the US economy out of the woods. There remains the underlying residential mortgage debt crisis, and many risky mortgages will go bad as will the mortgage backed securities in which they are embedded. There is also the problem of recession, which calls for reviving aggregate demand and getting the economy growing again. Both the mortgage debt crisis and the recession need their own tailored policy responses. However, if the Fed fails to prevent a crash, the mortgage crisis will be deeper and a recession far more severe.
Thomas I Palley is the founder of the Economics for Democratic and Open Societies Project.
(Copyright Thomas I Palley 2008.)
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Demos will reflect badly on Umno, says Husam
Demos will reflect badly on Umno, says Husam
Posted by kasee
Wednesday, 19 March 2008, MT
PENANG (March 18, 2008): Organising street protests will only reflect negatively on Penang Umno members, PAS vice president Datuk Husam Musa said today.
"Their street demonstration is just a wasted effort as it will only lead towards a negative view of them and not the state government," he told reporters after paying a courtesy call on Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
He also urged the federal government to take a healthy approach in reforming the government for the better, such as a better management of anti-corruption and a relook at the judiciary system.
"If they concentrate on sabotaging the five states under Opposition rule, it will not benefit them at all," he said.
Husam said the five states of Kelantan, Selangor, Perak, Penang and Kedah should now look towards cooperating and working together towards econo,ic development.
"It will be our joint-commitment to bring about positive changes for the people of Malaysia," he said.
He also voiced his strong backing to the DAP-PKR Penang state government with Lim at the helm, emphasising his confidence in the state government to pay attention to all Penangites, including the Malays.
On the furore over the open tender policy here, Husam said the quota system is not and have not always been an issue.
"What is an issue is the condition of the Malay villages and the opportunities available to them," he said.
He said Umno has been ruling Malaysia for 50 years but the Malays are still being left out ,so it showed they are the ones who had failed to fight for the rights of the Malays.
"Umno is now getting desperate as they are using the media to create anxiety and dissatisfaction amongst the Malays against DAP through Utusan Malaysia while The Star and New Straits Times are being used to create the similar negative feelings amongst the non-Malays against PAS and PKR," he said.
"The efforts were merely to divert the attention of the people so that they (Umno) could shirk their responsibilities to the people," he added. - THE SUN
Set as f
Kedah MB: Ban on vices only with Chinese community's agreement
Kedah MB: Ban on vices only with Chinese community's agreement
Soon Li Tsin | Mar 18, 08 5:53pm, Malaysiakini
Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak has not ruled out a ban on the sale of hard liquor and gambling in the state but this would only happen if the Chinese community agreed to it.
No drastic changes
Pork issue arises
Soon Li Tsin | Mar 18, 08 5:53pm, Malaysiakini
Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak has not ruled out a ban on the sale of hard liquor and gambling in the state but this would only happen if the Chinese community agreed to it.
No drastic changes
Pork issue arises
NEP: PKR Youth backs Guan Eng
NEP: PKR Youth backs Guan Eng
Mar 18, 08 5:36pm, Malaysiakini.
PKR Youth today defended the new Penang coalition government's decision to steer away from the New Economic Policy (NEP) and slammed Umno Penang for exploiting the issue for political mileage.
MEA the answer
Malays still protected
Mar 18, 08 5:36pm, Malaysiakini.
PKR Youth today defended the new Penang coalition government's decision to steer away from the New Economic Policy (NEP) and slammed Umno Penang for exploiting the issue for political mileage.
MEA the answer
Malays still protected
Anwar says BN using race card to instil fear
http://www.straitstimes.com/Free/Story/STIStory_217818.html
Anwar says BN using race card to instil fear
Plan to reform NEP will help all races; Malays will not be left behind
By Reme Ahmad March 18, 2008, YAHOO
_________________________________________
FIRM ON HELPING MALAYS
'We are committed to help the Malays, there is no question about it. You
cannot question the credentials of (Selangor Menteri Besar) Tan Sri Khalid
as a Malay and a bumiputera manager and entrepreneur.
But instilling this climate of fear and insecurity is only a ploy to cater
for
the interest of the few Umno leaders.' - DATUK SERI ANWAR
_________________________________________
KUALA LUMPUR - OPPOSITION leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday assured Malays that
their rights will not be marginalised under a proposal to reform the
affirmative-action New Economic Policy (NEP).
But he also promised that under the Malaysian Economic Agenda being
formulated by the three-party opposition coalition, the Chinese, Indians and
other minorities would not be left behind.
Datuk Seri Anwar instead accused Umno and Umno-owned newspaper Utusan
Malaysia of trying to create a 'climate of fear' by telling the Malays that
they would be marginalised in the five states won by the three-party
alliance.
The mass-selling Utusan newspaper has been running stories and letters from
readers raising concerns that with the Umno-led coalition Barisan Nasional
(BN) weakened, Malay rights would be abandoned.
'Utusan, owned by Umno, is continuing to use the race card,' Datuk Seri
Anwar told a news conference yesterday.
The paper, he added, also ignored a charge by the opposition that the NEP
was being abused to enrich the leadership of Umno, and not the members of
Umno.
The alliance of opposition parties Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic
Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) has been on the
defensive over the NEP ever since Penang's new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng
and Selangor's new Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the NEP in its
current form would be abandoned.
This had raised fears among Malays - who make up two-thirds of the country's
population - over the future of 'ketuanan Melayu' (Malay supremacy).
Last Friday, about 1,000 Umno-led Malays demonstrated in Penang, as did
several dozen others in Selangor, to voice their concerns.
How the opposition handles the NEP issue is crucial to its standing, as it
might alienate Malay voters if they felt that their rights would be eroded
in the states controlled by the opposition alliance.
At the same time, the alliance also has to take in the concerns of Chinese,
Indian and other minority races who had voted for it. The opposition could
risk these voters feeling betrayed if they felt the much-abused NEP was
going to be left alone.
The opposition appears to be trying to tread the middle ground, with Datuk
Seri Anwar accusing Umno and the Utusan newspaper of playing up Malays'
fears.
He said: 'We are committed to help the Malays, there is no question about
it. You cannot question the credentials of Tan Sri Khalid as a Malay and a
bumiputera manager and entrepreneur.
'But instilling this climate of fear and insecurity is only a ploy to cater
for the interest of the few Umno leaders.'
Umno information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib had on Sunday described Tan
Sri Abdul Khalid as an ungrateful person for saying that the NEP benefited
only a few.
He said the Selangor Menteri Besar seemed to have forgotten that the policy
helped many Malays, including Tan Sri Abdul Khalid himself, to become
successful.
The Menteri Besar had replied: 'I support the concept of affirmative action,
but affirmative action today is not based on race, but on needs.
'It means that the Malays will be helped, the Chinese will be helped and the
Indians will be helped.'
Datuk Seri Anwar also took another shot at the ruling coalition yesterday,
claiming he had been approached by BN leaders about the possibility of them
defecting to the opposition alliance.
He dismissed, however, talk that he had been trying to 'buy' BN politicians
into joining the opposition coalition.
'People have come and approached me - Umno leaders, Sarawak and Sabah and
other component parties. But not one dared to raise the issue of price with
me.'
Asked if he would accept them, he replied: 'Yes, if they accept our agenda.
I have discussed with quite a number (of them).'
____
http://themalaysianinsider.com/mni/8-pm-news-flash-anwar-offers-rival-plan-to-ne\
p.html
Anwar's double whammy: New plan to replace bumiputra policy, Opposition
moves to formal alliance, signals 2-party system has arrived
. New plan called, Malaysian Economic Agenda, will replace NEP,
keep Malay agenda, draw up new agenda for Chinese, Indians
. Opposition leaders continue to throw govt off-balance with bold
moves - Selangor chief minister visits site of demolished Hindu temple
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 - Anwar Ibrahim and the Opposition continued to throw
the government off-balance with bold pronouncements yesterday.
The de-facto Opposition leader told Singapore's only Malay-language
newspaper, Berita Harian, that the PKR-DAP-PAS will formalise their alliance
in a few days and will then replace the New Economic Policy with a landmark
Malaysian Economic Agenda (MEA), a colour-blind initiative aimed at lifting
the fortunes of all Malaysians.
The move to formalise the alliance will be cheered by Malaysians who
believed that the gains made by the Opposition on March 8 would lead to a
two-party system here. It will also shred like wet tissue the argument by
the Barisan Nasional that the Opposition alliance is akin to a sham
marriage.
Even more important, the MEA will pose a major challenge to Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's reform credentials. By proposing to do
away with affirmative action for one race, Anwar is setting the bar very
high for a coalition which has been allergic to any talk of dismantling the
NEP.
In the interview with Singapore BH, Anwar said the Opposition alliance had
been working on the MEA for the past one year.
"I would like to assure the Malays that the Malay agenda will remain but we
also have to sketch a new agenda for Chinese and Indians," he said. On his
website, Anwar said the MEA can be implemented at state level to reduce
race-based affirmative action policies and replace it will a more
competitive, merit-based system.
"This will immediately increase foreign investment, improve the state's tax
revenue and begin to promote equity and income parity," he argued.
Political analysts say that the Chinese and Indian voters deserted BN in
droves because they felt that the ruling coalition had turned a deaf ear to
their grievances over the NEP. BN's ability to respond to an imaginative
idea like the MEA will be watched closely by the communities.
It is unclear how Malays will react to the removal of NEP from the Malaysian
vocabulary.
But Anwar believes that even the Malays will accept that there has been a
distortion in implementing the NEP.
Another PKR leader who captured the imagination yesterday was Selangor
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
He visited Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam - the site of Sri Maha Mariamman
Temple which was demolished in November last year. This act of pulling down
the temple a few days before Deepavali ignited anger among Indians across
the country.
Mayor Mazalan Md Noor said the temple would be rebuilt soon on 10,000sq feet
of land.
"The developer has been directed by the state government to provide the land
and RM40,000, the cost of the building construction. It is up to the temple
committee and the developer to decide when to start the temple
construction," he said.
Earlier in the day, Khalid announced that he would propose that every
household in the state gets 20 cubic metres of water supply free monthly. It
is expected to be implemented starting next month. Based on the estimated
one million domestic users in Selangor, an exemption of water rates for
usage of up to 20 cubic metres translates to a monthly value of RM11.4
million.
At a time when those in the lower-income bracket are groaning under
inflation, the savings of RM11 per month per household will be welcomed.
Anwar says BN using race card to instil fear
Plan to reform NEP will help all races; Malays will not be left behind
By Reme Ahmad March 18, 2008, YAHOO
_________________________________________
FIRM ON HELPING MALAYS
'We are committed to help the Malays, there is no question about it. You
cannot question the credentials of (Selangor Menteri Besar) Tan Sri Khalid
as a Malay and a bumiputera manager and entrepreneur.
But instilling this climate of fear and insecurity is only a ploy to cater
for
the interest of the few Umno leaders.' - DATUK SERI ANWAR
_________________________________________
KUALA LUMPUR - OPPOSITION leader Anwar Ibrahim yesterday assured Malays that
their rights will not be marginalised under a proposal to reform the
affirmative-action New Economic Policy (NEP).
But he also promised that under the Malaysian Economic Agenda being
formulated by the three-party opposition coalition, the Chinese, Indians and
other minorities would not be left behind.
Datuk Seri Anwar instead accused Umno and Umno-owned newspaper Utusan
Malaysia of trying to create a 'climate of fear' by telling the Malays that
they would be marginalised in the five states won by the three-party
alliance.
The mass-selling Utusan newspaper has been running stories and letters from
readers raising concerns that with the Umno-led coalition Barisan Nasional
(BN) weakened, Malay rights would be abandoned.
'Utusan, owned by Umno, is continuing to use the race card,' Datuk Seri
Anwar told a news conference yesterday.
The paper, he added, also ignored a charge by the opposition that the NEP
was being abused to enrich the leadership of Umno, and not the members of
Umno.
The alliance of opposition parties Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), Democratic
Action Party (DAP) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) has been on the
defensive over the NEP ever since Penang's new Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng
and Selangor's new Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the NEP in its
current form would be abandoned.
This had raised fears among Malays - who make up two-thirds of the country's
population - over the future of 'ketuanan Melayu' (Malay supremacy).
Last Friday, about 1,000 Umno-led Malays demonstrated in Penang, as did
several dozen others in Selangor, to voice their concerns.
How the opposition handles the NEP issue is crucial to its standing, as it
might alienate Malay voters if they felt that their rights would be eroded
in the states controlled by the opposition alliance.
At the same time, the alliance also has to take in the concerns of Chinese,
Indian and other minority races who had voted for it. The opposition could
risk these voters feeling betrayed if they felt the much-abused NEP was
going to be left alone.
The opposition appears to be trying to tread the middle ground, with Datuk
Seri Anwar accusing Umno and the Utusan newspaper of playing up Malays'
fears.
He said: 'We are committed to help the Malays, there is no question about
it. You cannot question the credentials of Tan Sri Khalid as a Malay and a
bumiputera manager and entrepreneur.
'But instilling this climate of fear and insecurity is only a ploy to cater
for the interest of the few Umno leaders.'
Umno information chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib had on Sunday described Tan
Sri Abdul Khalid as an ungrateful person for saying that the NEP benefited
only a few.
He said the Selangor Menteri Besar seemed to have forgotten that the policy
helped many Malays, including Tan Sri Abdul Khalid himself, to become
successful.
The Menteri Besar had replied: 'I support the concept of affirmative action,
but affirmative action today is not based on race, but on needs.
'It means that the Malays will be helped, the Chinese will be helped and the
Indians will be helped.'
Datuk Seri Anwar also took another shot at the ruling coalition yesterday,
claiming he had been approached by BN leaders about the possibility of them
defecting to the opposition alliance.
He dismissed, however, talk that he had been trying to 'buy' BN politicians
into joining the opposition coalition.
'People have come and approached me - Umno leaders, Sarawak and Sabah and
other component parties. But not one dared to raise the issue of price with
me.'
Asked if he would accept them, he replied: 'Yes, if they accept our agenda.
I have discussed with quite a number (of them).'
____
http://themalaysianinsider.com/mni/8-pm-news-flash-anwar-offers-rival-plan-to-ne\
p.html
Anwar's double whammy: New plan to replace bumiputra policy, Opposition
moves to formal alliance, signals 2-party system has arrived
. New plan called, Malaysian Economic Agenda, will replace NEP,
keep Malay agenda, draw up new agenda for Chinese, Indians
. Opposition leaders continue to throw govt off-balance with bold
moves - Selangor chief minister visits site of demolished Hindu temple
KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 - Anwar Ibrahim and the Opposition continued to throw
the government off-balance with bold pronouncements yesterday.
The de-facto Opposition leader told Singapore's only Malay-language
newspaper, Berita Harian, that the PKR-DAP-PAS will formalise their alliance
in a few days and will then replace the New Economic Policy with a landmark
Malaysian Economic Agenda (MEA), a colour-blind initiative aimed at lifting
the fortunes of all Malaysians.
The move to formalise the alliance will be cheered by Malaysians who
believed that the gains made by the Opposition on March 8 would lead to a
two-party system here. It will also shred like wet tissue the argument by
the Barisan Nasional that the Opposition alliance is akin to a sham
marriage.
Even more important, the MEA will pose a major challenge to Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's reform credentials. By proposing to do
away with affirmative action for one race, Anwar is setting the bar very
high for a coalition which has been allergic to any talk of dismantling the
NEP.
In the interview with Singapore BH, Anwar said the Opposition alliance had
been working on the MEA for the past one year.
"I would like to assure the Malays that the Malay agenda will remain but we
also have to sketch a new agenda for Chinese and Indians," he said. On his
website, Anwar said the MEA can be implemented at state level to reduce
race-based affirmative action policies and replace it will a more
competitive, merit-based system.
"This will immediately increase foreign investment, improve the state's tax
revenue and begin to promote equity and income parity," he argued.
Political analysts say that the Chinese and Indian voters deserted BN in
droves because they felt that the ruling coalition had turned a deaf ear to
their grievances over the NEP. BN's ability to respond to an imaginative
idea like the MEA will be watched closely by the communities.
It is unclear how Malays will react to the removal of NEP from the Malaysian
vocabulary.
But Anwar believes that even the Malays will accept that there has been a
distortion in implementing the NEP.
Another PKR leader who captured the imagination yesterday was Selangor
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.
He visited Kampung Rimba Jaya in Shah Alam - the site of Sri Maha Mariamman
Temple which was demolished in November last year. This act of pulling down
the temple a few days before Deepavali ignited anger among Indians across
the country.
Mayor Mazalan Md Noor said the temple would be rebuilt soon on 10,000sq feet
of land.
"The developer has been directed by the state government to provide the land
and RM40,000, the cost of the building construction. It is up to the temple
committee and the developer to decide when to start the temple
construction," he said.
Earlier in the day, Khalid announced that he would propose that every
household in the state gets 20 cubic metres of water supply free monthly. It
is expected to be implemented starting next month. Based on the estimated
one million domestic users in Selangor, an exemption of water rates for
usage of up to 20 cubic metres translates to a monthly value of RM11.4
million.
At a time when those in the lower-income bracket are groaning under
inflation, the savings of RM11 per month per household will be welcomed.
http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2008/03/khalid-ibrahim-to-give-way-to-anwar-in.html
A meeting place to exchange views, no matter how different or diverse these may be. Keeping these civil and courteous would be appreciated
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Khalid Ibrahim to give way to Anwar in Bandar Tun Razak?
From Malaysiakini:
Anwar Ibrahim revealed that Khalid Ibrahim, the new Selangor MB, has requested a lightening of party load to focus on his State duties.
He told Malaysiakini that Khalid also indicated that he may give up his secretary-general’s post in PKR.
Anwar said: “Khalid (right) has requested to be allowed to focus on Selangor. I have discussed this with party president (Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) and (deputy) Dr Syed Husin Ali and we have to consider his choice, so we will come to a decision very soon.”
This is clear indication that Khalid Ibrahim is about to vacate his parliamentary seat of Bandar Tun Razak for Anwar Ibrahim to contest. Expect this at end of April 2008 when Anwar will by then have completed his period of legal embargo on participating in elections!
The by-election should be a sight to witness. Don't expect UMNO to sit quietly while Anwar attempts to waltz into parliament.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Khalid Ibrahim to give way to Anwar in Bandar Tun Razak?
From Malaysiakini:
Anwar Ibrahim revealed that Khalid Ibrahim, the new Selangor MB, has requested a lightening of party load to focus on his State duties.
He told Malaysiakini that Khalid also indicated that he may give up his secretary-general’s post in PKR.
Anwar said: “Khalid (right) has requested to be allowed to focus on Selangor. I have discussed this with party president (Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) and (deputy) Dr Syed Husin Ali and we have to consider his choice, so we will come to a decision very soon.”
This is clear indication that Khalid Ibrahim is about to vacate his parliamentary seat of Bandar Tun Razak for Anwar Ibrahim to contest. Expect this at end of April 2008 when Anwar will by then have completed his period of legal embargo on participating in elections!
The by-election should be a sight to witness. Don't expect UMNO to sit quietly while Anwar attempts to waltz into parliament.
Hedging against a bigger tsunami
Hedging against a bigger tsunami
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
Wong Chin Huat, THE SUN
Merely 56,822 votes - that's how close Barisan Nasional (BN) came to losing its federal power in the wake of March 8's electoral tsunami. BN led DAP with 51 votes in Sarikei (Sarawak), its weakest link. In its 30th weakest seat, Stampin (also Sarawak), BN’s winning margin was only 3,070 votes.
In between them were nine seats from Perak, three each from Pahang and Sabah, two each from Selangor, Kedah and Terengganu, one each from Johor, Malacca, Perlis and Putrajaya, as well as two more from Sarawak (see table 1).
The average margin for all these 30 seats was only 1,893 votes. It, therefore, takes only 1,894 votes in average to upset BN.
With the exception of Putrajaya and Hulu Rajang, the margin constitutes less than 15% of total valid votes.
This means it takes only one extra vote for every seven votes cast in the constituencies to return 28 other opposition parliamentarians and leave BN with two-seat advantage in the Parliament.
Measured in proportion of valid votes, the thinness of BN’s margin was equally shocking. It was lower than 20% in 57 seats, and less than 10% in 25 of them.
In other words, if 5% of the voters across all constituencies changed their minds from voting BN, the coalition will be left with a wafer-thin majority of 115 against the Oppposition’s 107.
However, had 10% of the voters done so, the government would be stronger with only nine seats short of a two-thirds majority. It would, however, be 139 seats for the new government of PKR, DAP, PAS and others against BN’s 83 seats, almost the exact opposite of what we have now.
How would you characterise the political change then? A mega tsunami? A comet or asteroid’s strike that may send some species into extinction?
Tsunami may be a good metaphor to visualise the scale and unexpectedness of the electoral shock. It, however, may mislead us to think that such volatility is externally-determined.
Far from that, while architecture may have little impact to arrest or moderate the impact of nature’s tidal waves, the electoral tsunami is to a large extent a product of the electoral system.
Take the Penang state legislative elections as an example. Most were shocked that BN not only lost the state government, but also the non-Malay parties were wiped out. Even the outgoing chief minister and all three of his possible successors met their Waterloo.
The electoral volatility was certainly remarkable that BN’s vote share fell by 22% from 63% to 41% while DAP’s fortune rose by 21% to 35%.
But, would you be so shocked if Umno retained seven seats, Gerakan five, MCA four and MIC two, giving BN a total of 17 seats instead of the actual 11?
That would be the outcome if the election was conducted under party-list electoral system employing the most proportionate features (see Table 2). In such system, the portion of seats held by a party is roughly equivalent to its popular vote share.
In fact, if such system was used in 2004, the shock would be further smaller: BN seats would drop only by nine from 26 to 17 with Umno losing two seats, Gerakan four, MCA three while MIC keeping its sole seat.
The example of Penang illustrates how electoral volatility of 22.2% was amplified into a political earthquake of 67.5% as BN’s seats plunged from 38 seats (95%) to 11 seats (27.5%) under our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system.
Penang in 2008 was not the first political tsunami facilitated by the electoral system. Similar swings in Kelantan in 1990 and in Terengganu in 1999 saw the literal or virtual extermination of BN in these two states.
Penang in 2008 will not be the last one. The next national elections may see greater volatility which will be further amplified by the FPTP system. The triumphant opposition today may fall lower than they did in 2004.
Equally possible is that the nationally, BN will suffer the fate of its Penang branch in 2008. The slim majority in this election shows that if the luck is not with BN, we may see a new coalition government with some 70% to 80% of parliamentary seats.
If today we lament the arrogance and unaccountability bred by BN’s parliamentary two-thirds before 2008, we must be equally worried for the similar scenario with any new government.
First-past-the-post systems are like gambles. When you win, you win big. That’s why it is favoured by the winners or winner-wannabes. But of course, when you lose, you lose big too.
Proportional electoral system – and other features of a fairer political system – is therefore valuable for multi-ethnic societies for one simple reason. Like an insurance policy, it keeps people from desperation.
While it removes undeserved windfalls – like the insurance premium – for potential winners, it also hedges against disastrous tsunamis for potential losers.
For no one will be excluded unexpectedly and unacceptably, no one needs to resort to extreme measures. Any major policy change will need extensive consultation to obtain cross-party support.
Is that not the real political stability all Malaysians and foreign investors need?
Electoral reform is often dismissed as the cause of the idealist and the naïve. Make no mistake. It is now the cause of real pragmatists.
There is one lesson everyone – especially those in power – must learn from this tsunami. Buy your insurance before the next tsunami strikes.
Wong Chin Huat is a journalism lecturer in the Arts Discipline of the School of Arts and Sciences, Monash University, Sunway campus (Malaysia). He is completing his PhD in University of Essex on electoral system and party politics in West Malaysia, 1982-2004. He is currently co-editing a book on Malaysia’s 2004 elections.
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
Wong Chin Huat, THE SUN
Merely 56,822 votes - that's how close Barisan Nasional (BN) came to losing its federal power in the wake of March 8's electoral tsunami. BN led DAP with 51 votes in Sarikei (Sarawak), its weakest link. In its 30th weakest seat, Stampin (also Sarawak), BN’s winning margin was only 3,070 votes.
In between them were nine seats from Perak, three each from Pahang and Sabah, two each from Selangor, Kedah and Terengganu, one each from Johor, Malacca, Perlis and Putrajaya, as well as two more from Sarawak (see table 1).
The average margin for all these 30 seats was only 1,893 votes. It, therefore, takes only 1,894 votes in average to upset BN.
With the exception of Putrajaya and Hulu Rajang, the margin constitutes less than 15% of total valid votes.
This means it takes only one extra vote for every seven votes cast in the constituencies to return 28 other opposition parliamentarians and leave BN with two-seat advantage in the Parliament.
Measured in proportion of valid votes, the thinness of BN’s margin was equally shocking. It was lower than 20% in 57 seats, and less than 10% in 25 of them.
In other words, if 5% of the voters across all constituencies changed their minds from voting BN, the coalition will be left with a wafer-thin majority of 115 against the Oppposition’s 107.
However, had 10% of the voters done so, the government would be stronger with only nine seats short of a two-thirds majority. It would, however, be 139 seats for the new government of PKR, DAP, PAS and others against BN’s 83 seats, almost the exact opposite of what we have now.
How would you characterise the political change then? A mega tsunami? A comet or asteroid’s strike that may send some species into extinction?
Tsunami may be a good metaphor to visualise the scale and unexpectedness of the electoral shock. It, however, may mislead us to think that such volatility is externally-determined.
Far from that, while architecture may have little impact to arrest or moderate the impact of nature’s tidal waves, the electoral tsunami is to a large extent a product of the electoral system.
Take the Penang state legislative elections as an example. Most were shocked that BN not only lost the state government, but also the non-Malay parties were wiped out. Even the outgoing chief minister and all three of his possible successors met their Waterloo.
The electoral volatility was certainly remarkable that BN’s vote share fell by 22% from 63% to 41% while DAP’s fortune rose by 21% to 35%.
But, would you be so shocked if Umno retained seven seats, Gerakan five, MCA four and MIC two, giving BN a total of 17 seats instead of the actual 11?
That would be the outcome if the election was conducted under party-list electoral system employing the most proportionate features (see Table 2). In such system, the portion of seats held by a party is roughly equivalent to its popular vote share.
In fact, if such system was used in 2004, the shock would be further smaller: BN seats would drop only by nine from 26 to 17 with Umno losing two seats, Gerakan four, MCA three while MIC keeping its sole seat.
The example of Penang illustrates how electoral volatility of 22.2% was amplified into a political earthquake of 67.5% as BN’s seats plunged from 38 seats (95%) to 11 seats (27.5%) under our first-past-the-post (FPTP) electoral system.
Penang in 2008 was not the first political tsunami facilitated by the electoral system. Similar swings in Kelantan in 1990 and in Terengganu in 1999 saw the literal or virtual extermination of BN in these two states.
Penang in 2008 will not be the last one. The next national elections may see greater volatility which will be further amplified by the FPTP system. The triumphant opposition today may fall lower than they did in 2004.
Equally possible is that the nationally, BN will suffer the fate of its Penang branch in 2008. The slim majority in this election shows that if the luck is not with BN, we may see a new coalition government with some 70% to 80% of parliamentary seats.
If today we lament the arrogance and unaccountability bred by BN’s parliamentary two-thirds before 2008, we must be equally worried for the similar scenario with any new government.
First-past-the-post systems are like gambles. When you win, you win big. That’s why it is favoured by the winners or winner-wannabes. But of course, when you lose, you lose big too.
Proportional electoral system – and other features of a fairer political system – is therefore valuable for multi-ethnic societies for one simple reason. Like an insurance policy, it keeps people from desperation.
While it removes undeserved windfalls – like the insurance premium – for potential winners, it also hedges against disastrous tsunamis for potential losers.
For no one will be excluded unexpectedly and unacceptably, no one needs to resort to extreme measures. Any major policy change will need extensive consultation to obtain cross-party support.
Is that not the real political stability all Malaysians and foreign investors need?
Electoral reform is often dismissed as the cause of the idealist and the naïve. Make no mistake. It is now the cause of real pragmatists.
There is one lesson everyone – especially those in power – must learn from this tsunami. Buy your insurance before the next tsunami strikes.
Wong Chin Huat is a journalism lecturer in the Arts Discipline of the School of Arts and Sciences, Monash University, Sunway campus (Malaysia). He is completing his PhD in University of Essex on electoral system and party politics in West Malaysia, 1982-2004. He is currently co-editing a book on Malaysia’s 2004 elections.
Thank You, Bloggers and Civil Society Leaders
Thank You, Bloggers and Civil Society Leaders
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
Thanks, Pet (www.malaysia-today. net), James Wong, Haris Ibrahim, Atan of Rockybru, and Steven Gan (www. malaysiakini.com) and other bloggers for helping to turn the winds of change into a political tsunami, which our country and certainly the UMNO-BN regime have not seen in 50 years. Civil society group leaders too played their part.
At today’s (March 18, 2008) Press Conference in Petaling Jaya, Anwar Ibrahim informed the press that bloggers and civil society organisations had a big hand in the success of Barisan Rakyat (PKR, PAS and DAP).The bloggers in particular did a yeoman’s job of spreading the message of change and good governance to the people, and they effectively blunted the mainstream media’s pro-UMNO/BN propaganda.—Din Merican
READ MORE HERE
........................................................
Anwar Ibrahim: Harapan Baru Untuk Malaysia
* Din Merican’s Welcome
« Revolution of the mind
Anwar Ibrahim’s Appeal to The Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia: Genuine Cooperation and Collaboration »
Thank You, Bloggers and Civil Society Leaders
* March 18, 2008 – 8:18 am
* Posted in 2008 Elections
Thanks, Pet (www.malaysia-today. net), James Wong, Haris Ibrahim, Atan of Rockybru, and Steven Gan (www. malaysiakini.com) and other bloggers for helping to turn the winds of change into a political tsunami, which our country and certainly the UMNO-BN regime have not seen in 50 years. Civil society group leaders too played their part.
At today’s (March 18, 2008) Press Conference in Petaling Jaya, Anwar Ibrahim informed the press that bloggers and civil society organisations had a big hand in the success of Barisan Rakyat (PKR, PAS and DAP).The bloggers in particular did a yeoman’s job of spreading the message of change and good governance to the people, and they effectively blunted the mainstream media’s pro-UMNO/BN propaganda.—Din Merican
« Revolution of the mind
Anwar Ibrahim’s Appeal to The Federation of Chinese Associations of Malaysia: Genuine Cooperation and Collaboration »
7 Comments
Mainstream media trying to stir discord among opposition parties
http://anilnetto.com/2008/03/17/media-trying-to-split-opposition-coalition-govts/
They are at it again, playing the same old game. This time they are trying to fracture the opposition parties’ unity of purpose and the stability of the new state governments they control.
The NST, for instance, carried this report on the frontpage of its website:
Pas’ proposal for Islamic govt irks DAP veteran
17 March, 2008
GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has expressed shock and anger over Pas’ proposal to form an Islamic federal government. DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin said the party would not agree or co-operate with Pas should they insist on forming an Islamic government at the federal level.
“This is not part of our understanding. It will be no-go for the DAP if they do that. We will surely not accept it.
“Their proposal has left a big question mark over our future co-operation,” a visibly upset Dr Chen said while angrily pushing aside a newspaper article on the Pas proposal.
Dr Chen, who was at the day-long DAP national leadership convention, said the party decided to co-operate with Pas because of its intention to convert Malaysia into a welfare state.
“But look at what they are saying now,” he said when asked to comment on Pas vice-president Datuk Husam Musa’s statement that Pas was confident it could soon set up an Islamic form of government at the federal level.
Husam had said there was growing support among the Chinese and Indians for the party’s political struggle.
But The Star Online carried the following report, presumably as correction of an earlier report on Sunday, which began by saying that “PAS is now confident that it can soon set up an Islamic form of government at the federal level, which it claims is gaining more acceptance, especially with non-Muslims, following the good showing of the Opposition coalition in last weekend’s elections.” But then it had to backtrack:
Sunday March 16, 2008
MYT 8:50:23 PM
Husam clarifies ‘take-over’ statement
By IAN McINTYRE
KOTA BARU: PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa has clarified that his statement on the party taking over the Government at the federal level was taken out of context.
“I mentioned that we are hopeful of taking 30 more parliamentary seats to win power and not about forming an Islamic Government,” he said.
Husam urged the mass media to be careful in its reporting to avoid antagonising anyone unnecessarily.
We have already seen how Bernama had to apologise to Guan Eng for distorting his remarks on the NEP. Expect more mischief from the mainstream media in coming weeks.
......
Opposition politicians should therefore be wary of media attempts to create suspicion and disunity.
They are at it again, playing the same old game. This time they are trying to fracture the opposition parties’ unity of purpose and the stability of the new state governments they control.
The NST, for instance, carried this report on the frontpage of its website:
Pas’ proposal for Islamic govt irks DAP veteran
17 March, 2008
GEORGE TOWN: The DAP has expressed shock and anger over Pas’ proposal to form an Islamic federal government. DAP life adviser Dr Chen Man Hin said the party would not agree or co-operate with Pas should they insist on forming an Islamic government at the federal level.
“This is not part of our understanding. It will be no-go for the DAP if they do that. We will surely not accept it.
“Their proposal has left a big question mark over our future co-operation,” a visibly upset Dr Chen said while angrily pushing aside a newspaper article on the Pas proposal.
Dr Chen, who was at the day-long DAP national leadership convention, said the party decided to co-operate with Pas because of its intention to convert Malaysia into a welfare state.
“But look at what they are saying now,” he said when asked to comment on Pas vice-president Datuk Husam Musa’s statement that Pas was confident it could soon set up an Islamic form of government at the federal level.
Husam had said there was growing support among the Chinese and Indians for the party’s political struggle.
But The Star Online carried the following report, presumably as correction of an earlier report on Sunday, which began by saying that “PAS is now confident that it can soon set up an Islamic form of government at the federal level, which it claims is gaining more acceptance, especially with non-Muslims, following the good showing of the Opposition coalition in last weekend’s elections.” But then it had to backtrack:
Sunday March 16, 2008
MYT 8:50:23 PM
Husam clarifies ‘take-over’ statement
By IAN McINTYRE
KOTA BARU: PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa has clarified that his statement on the party taking over the Government at the federal level was taken out of context.
“I mentioned that we are hopeful of taking 30 more parliamentary seats to win power and not about forming an Islamic Government,” he said.
Husam urged the mass media to be careful in its reporting to avoid antagonising anyone unnecessarily.
We have already seen how Bernama had to apologise to Guan Eng for distorting his remarks on the NEP. Expect more mischief from the mainstream media in coming weeks.
......
Opposition politicians should therefore be wary of media attempts to create suspicion and disunity.
Zul Rafique and Azim Zabidi, PLEASE go to hell!
Zul Rafique and Azim Zabidi, PLEASE go to hell!
Posted by Raja Petra
Saturday, 23 February 2008, MT
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
PM announces new Cabinet line-up (full list)
PM announces new Cabinet line-up (full list)
Posted by
Erin
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
(The Star) PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday a 27-seat Cabinet line-up. More than half of the ministers are new faces.
The full list:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz
Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
Datuk K. Devamany
Datuk Hassan Malik
Finance
Minister - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Second Finance Minister - Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies - Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha
Defense
Minister - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy - Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop
Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister - Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies - Datuk Chor Chee Heong, Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh
Housing and Local Government
Minister -Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies - Datuk Robert Lau , Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin
Works Minister
Minister - Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy- Datuk Yong Khoon Seng
Energy, Water and Communications
Minister - Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy- Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Minister - Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy - Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim
International Trade and Industry
Minister -Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies- Loh Wei Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan
Foreign Affairs
Minister -Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy- Tunku Azlan Abu Bakar
Education
Minister -Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies -Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail
Higher Education
Minister - Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies - Khoo Kok Choong, Datuk Idris Harun
Transport
Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy - Anifah Aman
Human Resources
Datuk S. Subramaniam
Deputy- Datuk Noraini Ahmad
Women, Family and Community Development
Minister-Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy- Noriah Kasnon
National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister- Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy-Datuk Teng Boon Soon
Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister- Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy- Fadilah Yusof
Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister - Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy- Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah
Natural Resources and Environment
Minister - Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy - Datuk Abu Ghapur Salleh
Rural and Regional Development
Minister - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy- Tan Sri Joseph Kurup
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister - Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy - Jelaing Mersat
Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister - Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy- Senator A. Kohilan
Youth and Sports
Minister - Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy - Wee Jack Seng
Health
Minister - Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy- Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad
Information
Minister - Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy- Datuk Tan Lian Hoe
Tourism
Minister - Datuk Azalina Othman
Deputy - Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib
FT
Minister - Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy- M. Saravanan
................................................
M'sian PM announces new streamlined Cabinet
Posted by kasee
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has unveiled a new Cabinet, reducing its strength from 90 previously to 68.
Mr Abdullah announced on Tuesday that half of the Cabinet members will be new. He said he streamlined the Cabinet by doing away with the posts of parliamentary secretaries, who are No. 3 in a ministry behind the minister and deputy minister.
The premier, who will keep the finance ministry portfolio to himself, retained Najib Razak as deputy premier and Defence Minister, and kept Nor Mohamed Yakcop as Second Finance Minister.
He moved Foreign Minister Syed Hamid to the Home Ministry, and dropped Rafidah Aziz from the trade ministry, replacing her with Muhyiddin Yassin as the country's new trade minister.
The new Cabinet was formed after the March 8 general elections in which Mr Abdullah's ruling National Front coalition suffered a massive erosion of its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Mr Abdullah has defied calls to quit and is promising 'new faces' in his inner circle.
The previous cabinet had a whopping 32 ministers, 39 deputy ministers and 20 parliamentary secretaries, with jobs handed out to many of the 14 race-based parties that make up the coalition.
The large cabinet had been criticised as unwieldy and wasteful, and there is speculation that some ministries could be merged now that there will be just 140 Barisan Nasional lawmakers, compared with 198 in the outgoing administration. - AP, AFP.
Posted by
Erin
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
(The Star) PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Tuesday a 27-seat Cabinet line-up. More than half of the ministers are new faces.
The full list:
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Tan Sri Bernard Dompok
Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz
Datuk Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham Abdul Aziz
Deputy Ministers in the Prime Minister's Department
Datuk Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim
Datuk K. Devamany
Datuk Hassan Malik
Finance
Minister - Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Second Finance Minister - Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Deputies - Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, Datuk Kong Cho Ha
Defense
Minister - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak
Deputy - Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop
Internal Security and Home Affairs
Minister - Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar
Deputies - Datuk Chor Chee Heong, Senator Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh
Housing and Local Government
Minister -Datuk Ong Ka Chuan
Deputies - Datuk Robert Lau , Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin
Works Minister
Minister - Datuk Mohd Zin Mohamad
Deputy- Datuk Yong Khoon Seng
Energy, Water and Communications
Minister - Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor
Deputy- Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum
Agriculture and Agro-based Industry
Minister - Datuk Mustapa Mohamed
Deputy - Datin Paduka Rohani Abdul Karim
International Trade and Industry
Minister -Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Deputies- Loh Wei Keong, Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan
Foreign Affairs
Minister -Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim
Deputy- Tunku Azlan Abu Bakar
Education
Minister -Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
Deputies -Datuk Wee Ka Siong, Datuk Razali Ismail
Higher Education
Minister - Datuk Khaled Nordin
Deputies - Khoo Kok Choong, Datuk Idris Harun
Transport
Datuk Ong Tee Keat
Deputy - Anifah Aman
Human Resources
Datuk S. Subramaniam
Deputy- Datuk Noraini Ahmad
Women, Family and Community Development
Minister-Datuk Dr Ng Yen Yen
Deputy- Noriah Kasnon
National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage
Minister- Datuk Shafie Apdal
Deputy-Datuk Teng Boon Soon
Science, Technology and Innovation
Minister- Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili
Deputy- Fadilah Yusof
Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development
Minister - Datuk Noh Omar
Deputy- Datuk Saiffuddin Abdullah
Natural Resources and Environment
Minister - Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas
Deputy - Datuk Abu Ghapur Salleh
Rural and Regional Development
Minister - Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib
Deputy- Tan Sri Joseph Kurup
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs
Minister - Datuk Shahrir Samad
Deputy - Jelaing Mersat
Plantation Industries and Commodities
Minister - Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui
Deputy- Senator A. Kohilan
Youth and Sports
Minister - Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaacob
Deputy - Wee Jack Seng
Health
Minister - Datuk Liow Tiong Lai
Deputy- Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad
Information
Minister - Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek
Deputy- Datuk Tan Lian Hoe
Tourism
Minister - Datuk Azalina Othman
Deputy - Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abu Taib
FT
Minister - Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique
Deputy- M. Saravanan
................................................
M'sian PM announces new streamlined Cabinet
Posted by kasee
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
KUALA LUMPUR - MALAYSIA'S Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has unveiled a new Cabinet, reducing its strength from 90 previously to 68.
Mr Abdullah announced on Tuesday that half of the Cabinet members will be new. He said he streamlined the Cabinet by doing away with the posts of parliamentary secretaries, who are No. 3 in a ministry behind the minister and deputy minister.
The premier, who will keep the finance ministry portfolio to himself, retained Najib Razak as deputy premier and Defence Minister, and kept Nor Mohamed Yakcop as Second Finance Minister.
He moved Foreign Minister Syed Hamid to the Home Ministry, and dropped Rafidah Aziz from the trade ministry, replacing her with Muhyiddin Yassin as the country's new trade minister.
The new Cabinet was formed after the March 8 general elections in which Mr Abdullah's ruling National Front coalition suffered a massive erosion of its two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Mr Abdullah has defied calls to quit and is promising 'new faces' in his inner circle.
The previous cabinet had a whopping 32 ministers, 39 deputy ministers and 20 parliamentary secretaries, with jobs handed out to many of the 14 race-based parties that make up the coalition.
The large cabinet had been criticised as unwieldy and wasteful, and there is speculation that some ministries could be merged now that there will be just 140 Barisan Nasional lawmakers, compared with 198 in the outgoing administration. - AP, AFP.
The new Member of Parliament for Putrajaya, Azim Zabidi
The new Member of Parliament for Putrajaya, Azim Zabidi
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 19 February 2008, MT
Active Image
The evidence is clear. Azim Zabidi works for a Chinaman. Azim Zabidi is just an Ali Baba front. And Azim Zabidi is going to be the next Member of Parliament for Putrajaya while the god-fearing, squeaky-clean opposition candidate is not only going to lose, but will probably lose his deposit as well.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
It seems Tengku Adnan Bin Tengku Mansor is out. The new Member of Parliament for Putrajaya may instead be Azim Zabidi. It is pertinent, therefore, that we get to know our incoming Member of Parliament.
Putrajaya is the Administrative Capital of Malaysia. It really does not need a 'powerful' wakil rakyat to help build bridges, roads, mosques, schools, etc. In fact, Putrajaya may already be 'overbuilt' as it is. Furthermore, with only 5,500 or so voters who are 98% Malays and 97% civil servants, what is there that the wakil rakyat needs to 'fight' for?
What is more important is whether the new wakil rakyat is a slime-ball and scumbag. Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the Anti-Corruption Agency, Special Branch, Bankruptcy Office, etc., will vet all proposed candidates to ensure that none of them are carrying any baggage.
Well, in the event the powers-that-be and those who walk in the corridors of power may have overlooked some of the baggage Azim Zabidi may be carrying, allow Malaysia Today, as part of our community service, to assist in providing the necessary evidence to answer the question whether Azim Zabidi is or is not a suitable candidate.
On 9 February 2008, Malaysia Today published in this column an article called A scam, by any other name, smells just as foul. This was what we said then:
On 20 October 2003, Azim was appointed a Director of Transquay Ventures Sdn Bhd. The purpose of appointing him a Director of that company is so that he can help the company with its listing exercise on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange.
However, the company would have to be a Bumiputera company to qualify, said Azim, so half the shares had to be transferred into his name and the balance into the name of another Malay. With the shareholding reflecting 100% Bumiputera equity it would now qualify.
Azim 'paid' Lu Leong Seng for the shares on 5 April 2004 through three RHB Bank cheques. The sale was not a genuine sale of course but just a 'paper' transaction to show that Azim really owned the shares and had paid for them. Lu was supposed to refund the money, but not to Azim, as he did not want the money trail to lead to his door. Instead, Lu was asked to pay the money to Tan Boon Keong, the infamous BK Tan. This was done through four cheques issued through Public Bank Berhad on 8 April 2004.
The listing never happened so Lu called off the deal and asked for the return of his shares. But Azim refused to return the shares or refund the RM1,318,000 that was paid to his nominee, BK Tan. On 31 November 2007, Lu made a police report at the Kajang Police Station. To date, of course, and as expected, no action has been taken by the police.
The perplexing thing about this whole arrangement is that a Chinese by the name of BK Tan is prominent in this whole thing. Who is BK Tan to Azim Zabidi? BK Tan is Azim Zabidi's 'boss'. In other words, the RM1,318,000 that Azim Zabidi paid the vendor of the shares came from BK Tan. What did Azim Zabidi have to do for BK Tan to earn this money? Azim Zabidi, unknown to the vendor of the shares, is just the Ali Baba front. And that is why after Azim Zabidi paid RM1,318,000 for the shares he asked that the money be handed back (serah balek) to BK Tan.
Yes, Azim Zabidi is working for a Chinaman. He is an Ali Baba front, just a rent-seeker and commission agent like most Malays in this country. But this is an important rent-seeker. This rent-seeker is going to be the new Member of Parliament for Malaysia's Administrative Capital, Putrajaya.
Azim Zabidi, in fact, not only asked that the RM1,318,000 be 'returned' to BK Tan. He also instructed that all matters relating to his business affairs be handled by his 'representative', BK Tan. On 20 March 2007, Azim Zabidi's lawyer, Rahman Hashim & Partners, sent the vendor a letter saying that 'all proposals and/or negotiations should be conducted directly with our client's representative, BK Tan'.
On 21 March 2007, the vendor replied through their lawyer, Sng & Co., that they would need this in writing.
That same day, Azim Zabidi issued a letter authorising his representative BK Tan to handle all proposals and/or negotiations on his behalf.
The exchanges of letters between the two legal firms and Azim Zabidi can be viewed below.
The evidence is clear. Azim Zabidi works for a Chinaman. Azim Zabidi is just an Ali Baba front. And Azim Zabidi is going to be the next Member of Parliament for Putrajaya while the god-fearing, squeaky-clean opposition candidate is not only going to lose, but will probably lose his deposit as well. But Azim Zabidi is not going to be the real Wakil Rakyat for Putrajaya. Azim Zabidi is 'owned' by a Chinaman so that is who is going to be the real Wakil Rakyat for Putrajaya. And Azim Zabidi is considered relatively 'clean' compared to the other Barisan Nasional or Umno candidates. Imagine what those 'not so clean' have been up to.
Selamat mengundi 8 Mac 2008.
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
The Azim Zabidi-BK Tan link established
The Azim Zabidi-BK Tan link established
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
Active Image
On 22 August 2006, the vendor sent Azim an e-mail offering to pay him an additional RM500,000 plus pay him RM15,000 a month for three years on top of the RM1.3 million already paid to him. The company would then continue to seek listing and, if successful, Azim would be paid a further RM3.5 million.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Azim Zabidi's lawyers want me to remove the article called The new Member of Parliament for Putrajaya, Azim Zabidi in The Corridors of Power. They sent me a letter demanding that I remove the article plus I am supposed to publish a public apology. Going by the telephone conversation I had with the lawyer who called me, it appears they resent the allegation that Azim is linked to BK Tan because it gives an impression that this Bank Simpanan Nasional Chairman is not honest. I take it they know that BK Tan is a shady character and this is why they do not want Azim's name linked to him.
I responded to this demand in my article called Zul Rafique and Azim Zabidi, PLEASE go to hell! in No Holds Barred. Because of my defiance, they are pursuing with legal action against me, which I knew they would. Anyway, since the case will take some time to go to court, I thought I would give you an early preview so that you don't have to wait too long to find out what's the next story.
Clause 4.1.1 of the Sales and Purchase Agreement that Azim signed with the vendor of the shares clearly stipulates that in the event the company cannot get a listing on the Mesdaq Market then within seven days he shall get a refund on the purchase price of the shares after which he would have to transfer the shares back to the vendor.
Well, the listing was not approved and the money was refunded but Azim refuses to return the shares to the vendor. So he now has both the money and the shares free-of-charge.
On 22 August 2006, the vendor sent Azim an e-mail offering to pay him an additional RM500,000 plus pay him RM15,000 a month for three years on top of the RM1.3 million already paid to him. The company would then continue to seek listing and, if successful, Azim would be paid a further RM3.5 million. This would make it a total of RM5.9 million that Azim will receive, but only if he refunded the shares.
The next day, Azmim responded to the e-mail and in his SMS from 019-3333450 to the vendor at 019-3335335, he said that although the offer was ' very interesting', the vendor was to talk to BK Tan. Azim then forwarded the e-mail to BK Tan. This clearly gives the impression that BK Tan calls the shots and that Azim is just the Ali Baba front.
BK Tan then phoned the vendor and said that he would not return the shares for anything less than RM10 million. At such an exorbitant amount the vendor had no choice but to lodge a police report and subsequently proceeded with legal action to seek the return of his shares.
The documents below are self-explanatory and which exposes Azim and BK Tan for what they are, a bunch of blackmailers who are holding the vendor to ransom. Going by the exchanges of e-mails and SMSes, all pretences of innocence are immediately demolished. They know that the vendor is 'locked' and the only way to unlock himself would be to part with RM10 million.
Not bad for a Chairman of a government-owned bank.
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
Active Image
May 13 ? What May 13 ?
May 13? What May 13?
Posted by Raja Petra
Tuesday, 18 March 2008, MT
Another issue that is utmost sensitive to Malaysians, in particular to the non-Malays, is talk of May 13. Rest assured this will be one subject that will also be exploited to the hilt. As it is, the Umno-owned newspapers are already classifying the results of the March 2008 general election as a repeat of the May 1969 general election.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Keng Yaik criticises DAP's stand
Gerakan adviser Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik said he could not understand why DAP supports a menteri besar from Pas for Perak when Pas' objectives for a theocratic Islamic state remains unchanged.
His comments came as the new Perak menteri besar, Pasir Panjang state assemblyman and Perak Pas liaison secretary Muhammad Nizar Jamaluddin was sworn in before the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar yesterday.
He blamed the younger party leaders in DAP for going against the principles set by older party stalwarts.
"Karpal has said 'over my dead body' before when Pas propagated its Islamic state policy.
"Immediately after the naming of a Pas menteri besar for Perak, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang called for the boycott of the swearing-in ceremony by its party members.
"Why are they now supporting a Pas menteri besar?"
He added that it did not matter if it was the Perak royalty's choice, since the consensus was in the hands of the state assembly members.
"They could have pulled their weight and opposed it even though the palace picked Muhammad Nizar. Instead, they went ahead and supported it."
On another note, Dr Lim said he was surprised to hear comments by Pas vice-president Datuk Husam Musa that the opposition party was confident it could soon set up an Islamic federal government and that there was growing support among the Chinese and Indians for the party's political struggle.
"I find it hard to believe that the Chinese and Indians in Perak want this.
"I will fight against this policy till the very last, in keeping with our objective as a party which cuts across all racial lines." - NST
********************
NST Editorial: Accepting the people's verdict
IN conferring on the rulers the right to appoint as menteri besar a member of the state legislative assembly who is likely to command the confidence of the majority of that body, the state constitutions seem to make it quite clear that the rulers have to accept whichever single party, or coalition of parties, that commands a majority in the state legislature.
In normal circumstances, the sultan has no choice but to appoint the person who is in the best position to receive the support of the majority in the state assembly. However, circumstances have been far from normal this past week.
In the case of Perak, it stems from the inconclusive outcome of the March 8 polls, in which no single party emerged with an outright majority. In the case of a "hung assembly" like the one in Perak, there was an element of choice because it was not clear who could command a majority and there appeared to have been three people who could claim to do so. In the event, the Regent of Perak performed his constitutional duty as a disinterested arbiter with dignity and distinction.
While the developments in Perak have been an electoral and constitutional rarity, the situation in Terengganu and Perlis should have been clear-cut cases where there should not have been any doubts about what needs to be done.
As it happened, it was the challenge to the custom that the national party leader has the final word on the appointment of the menteri besar, not a defiance of the constitution, that appears to have created all that uncertainty in Perlis. It is fundamentally a problem for the party. In any case, this is a matter of convention, rather than law, which does not have to be accepted without question.
The same cannot be said of the formal constitutional rules that define the ceremonial and official duties of the rulers. The written constitutions set out the limits to the discretionary power of the rulers in appointing a menteri besar.
Whatever their personal preferences and assessments, and whether or not they regard that person as the best man for the office, they are bound by the constitution to choose the individual most likely to command the support of the state assembly. As constitutional monarchs, they should not be dragged into political disputes.
Certainly, they have every right to be consulted on the appointments. But the rulers cannot arbitrarily make and unmake governments. This right properly belongs to the rakyat.
********************
Pas should give up its avowed aim to turn the country into an Islamic state if it came to power, DAP national chairman Karpal Singh said yesterday.
Karpal said Pas should be realistic. "The Federal Constitution, clearly reflects that Malaysia is a secular state, not an Islamic state."
Karpal, who welcomed the clarification by Pas vice-president Husam Musa that his party would not be setting up an Islamic government at the federal level, added: "I call upon Pas to publicly state that Malaysia is a secular state."
********************
A couple of days after the initial shock of Barisan Nasional's 'defeat' in the 8 March 2008 general election had worn off, Umno held a post-mortem at its headquarters. The meeting was chaired by Umno's Secretary-General and the purpose of the solemn gathering was to find out what went wrong.
In a pre-election meeting in Sabah a few weeks earlier, Prime Minister and Umno President Abdullah Ahmad Badawi told the gathering of Umno chiefs that 'this election is going to be the first election in 50 years since Merdeka that the voters will vote based on candidates'. The voters will decide who to vote for based on the background of the candidates and not based on which party the candidates represent, argued Abdullah, so the candidates Barisan Nasional fields is going to be a very important element.
That has now been proven terribly wrong. If you consider some of the candidates that the opposition fielded, you can't help but wonder, out of 26 million Malaysians, or at least 15 million Malaysians of voting age, aren't there any other suitable candidates they could find? To be fair though, overall, many of the opposition candidates are more capable and more qualified that the Barisan Naisonal candidates. But there are a handful who leave much to be desired. Surprisingly, however, these 'lesser' candidates managed to beat the higher-profile Barisan Nasional candidates.
This election was not about the candidates at all. It was not even about the strength of the opposition parties. It was about 'anyone but Barisan Nasional', as Hishamuddin Rais put it. But who was the one who gave Abdullah this misinformation? Was this a deliberate attempt to mislead Abdullah? It appears like there are certain elements within Umno, or probably within the intelligence agencies, who wanted to lead Abdullah up the garden path. Abdullah's reading of the voters was totally off. Barisan Nasional made a tactical blunder and this blunder was because of the misinformation that was presented to it.
PAS, however, appears to be more savvy and in touch with the ground. It knew that Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor would fall and it transferred many of its key players to these four states. It also knew that Terenggnu was an uphill battle so PAS advised its candidates to forget about Terengganu and instead focus on Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor where they would be assured of winning. PAS also knew that it would gain more ground in Kelantan and that Kedah would be added to the states under PAS control. That was why it was ready to form the government even before Malaysians took to the polls, and which is why there was little delay in forming the new governments in these states. If anyone was caught off-guard it was DAP and PKR, and of course Barisan Nasional.
DAP's Lim Guan Eng did not have such optimism and he almost did not contest in Penang. He was very undecided and only after persistent coaxing from his many supporters in Penang did he eventually take the plunge -- but even then not really knowing whether he was committing political hara kiri by contesting in a state they were not sure whether they would be massacred or emerge the victor. His wishy-washy decision to contest in Penang paid off though and now he is the Chief Minister of that state. The same went for Karpal's Singh's son, Gobind Singh Deo, who almost contested in Johore -- whereby if he had he would not, today, be the Member of Parliament for Puchong, Selangor (or a Member of Parliament at all for that matter). Comparing PAS to DAP, PAS knew exactly which seats in which states to contest whereas DAP was wishy-washy and kept changing its mind many times, not really sure which was the best decision to take.
This is probably because of the different aspirations of PAS and DAP. PAS contests the elections with intent to form the government whereas DAP just wants to deny Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority so that Malaysians can enjoy the benefit of a strong opposition. Yes, PAS wants to be the government whereas DAP just wants to be a strong opposition, but still an opposition nevertheless. This is the difference in 'culture' between PAS and DAP. And PKR, of course, just wants to ensure that Anwar Ibrahim becomes the next Prime Minister of Malaysia by any and all means possible.
It is very difficult to reconcile the three different 'cultures' of PAS, DAP and PKR. But, today, their paths have inevitably crossed and, whether they like it or not, their fortunes are intertwined and just as inseparable as Siamese triplets. They need one another to be able to have a big enough majority to form the government in most of the five states the opposition now controls so they need to continue being Siamese triplets or die.
But the problem is, PAS, DAP and PKR do not share the same brain. Because of this, each thinks differently. What a dilemma they face when their hearts beat as one while their heads tell them opposite things.
And this is what the government-controlled mainstream media is going to exploit to the hilt. Since PAS, DAP and PKR share the same heart but think differently, can they drive a wedge into the three and cause their hearts to separate as well? If this can be done, then the opposition coalition will collapse because once their hearts move away from one another the coalition will certainly die an untimely death. Reading the above news reports from the mainstream media tells the whole story. Keng Yaik is raising the spectre of Islam and is attempting to put DAP on the defensive. NST's editorial slams the Rulers in a hope that the hate campaign will escalate. In short, Islam is bad, the Chinese have sold out, the Malays are losing out to the Chinese, and the Rulers need to be put in their place.
It started with The Star reporting Husam Musa as having declared that Malaysia will be turned into an Islamic State once PAS gains control of the federal government. That is at least what the heading in the news report said although if you read on you will not find any mention of it in the news item. What The Star hoped would happen is that Malaysians would read the heading without actually reading the news report and based on this heading alone the non-Muslims will rise up in anger.
The government knows that some DAP leaders always react to mainstream newspaper reports in spite of most Malaysians no longer believing what the government-controlled media says. And, true to form, Karpal Singh did react and demanded that PAS make a public declaration that Malaysia is a Secular State and will remain so.
Instead of demanding that PAS make this public declaration, it would make more sense if Karpal takes a deep breath, count to ten, and then come out with his rebuttal of the news report by the MCA-owned newspaper. Being a prominent lawyer and long-time politician who never asks nor gives his adversaries any quarters, Karpal could have easily torn The Star to pieces.
I have personally seen Karpal in action in both the courts and Parliament and he could have easily ripped The Star into a million pieces even while sitting in his wheelchair. But he did not do that. Instead, he aimed his sights on PAS whereas he could have aimed it at The Star and this is exactly what the government spin machinery anticipated he would do and he did as anticipated.
Karpal could have brilliantly argued, as he always brilliantly argues in court and Parliament, that PAS contested merely 65 Parliament seats and won less that half the seats it contested. It would need at least 150 seats in Parliament to amend the Federal Constitution of Malaysia to allow it to transform Malaysia into an Islamic State. Alas, Karpal did not do this and instead demanded that PAS declare they harboured no ambitions of transforming Malaysia into an Islamic State.
If Karpal had 'defended' PAS by rebutting The Star report and by declaring the news report as a pack of lies, the perception created would be that DAP and PAS are of one heart though they may think differently. Now, the opposite perception has been created and Barisan Nasional knows that if it mentions 'PAS' and 'Islamic State' in the same breath that would get the DAP leaders hot around the collar.
The opposition, in particular DAP, has to know how to separate fact from spin and not react too fast to any mainstream media spin. Even before the five opposition-led state governments could take their oath of office, a plan was hatched to sabotage the state governments and drive a wedge into the fragile opposition alliance. All Barisan Nasional needs is for just one of the three opposition coalition members to break away and the state government of Perak and Selangor would fall. And this will ensure that the disgust of the voters will achieve the rest come next election when the other states would be given back to Barisan Nasional as well, save maybe for Kelantan.
Another issue that is utmost sensitive to Malaysians, in particular to the non-Malays, is talk of May 13. Rest assured this will be one subject that will also be exploited to the hilt. As it is, the Umno-owned newspapers are already classifying the results of the March 2008 general election as a repeat of the May 1969 general election. Though the newspapers did not quite say so, a 'whispering' and SMS campaign has been launched to give an impression that a similar 'post-1969' remedy to the ruling party 'defeat' is in the cards.
The police have responded by warning the public that any 'rumour-mongering' of race riots a la May 13 will be severely dealt with. Actually, not many Malaysians have heard this rumour. However, since the police 'warning', many who were not aware of this rumour have now been made aware of it. And Malaysians are such. Rumours are believed because most rumours in Malaysia have in the end proven to be fact. When Abdullah denied the rumour that Parliament would be dissolved and the following day he did just that, that proved rumours are not rumours but fact. When Abdullah denied he was getting married and soon after that Malaysia was entertained to the thrills of a 'first family' wedding, that too proved rumours are not rumours but fact. So, all you need to do is to deny the rumour of an impending race riot and most Malaysians would rush out to buy extra stocks of rice and sardines.
It is easy to fool Malaysians into believing rumours. Just spread the rumour far and wide and get someone in authority to deny it. Thereon the rumour becomes the gospel.
The opposition is no help either. All this talk of 'no to an Islamic State' and 'no more NEP' are stuff discontentment is made of. After all, it is not the government that is saying all this but the opposition itself. Therefore, all they need to do is raise issues like Muslims are restless and Malays are unhappy and this is all it takes to start the rush to stock up with rice and sardines.
But 1969 was different. In 1969, opposition meant Chinese and Indians and ruling party meant Malays. So, if you separate Malaysia into opposition and ruling party, then the country gets separated into non-Malays and Malays as well. Therefore, when the ruling party loses and the opposition wins this also means that the Malays lose and the non-Malays win. This is a perfect formula for racial conflict.
Today, ruling party and opposition can no longer be separated by race. It was the non-Malays who suffered most in the recent general election when the ruling party got trounced in many states. And the opposition that trounced it is a mix of Malays, Chinese and Indians. The ruling party loss was not a Malay loss and the opposition win was not a non-Malay win. In fact, four of the five opposition-led states have Malay Menteris Besar. How can you say that the Chinese won these states? Furthermore, in states like Selangor and Perak, Chinese votes alone could not have delivered the states to the opposition. The Malays and Indians helped as well. It was either a partnership of all races or nothing at all.
The Malays realise that with the fall of the five states they have lost nothing. The Chinese and Indians also realise that the Malays are very important to the cause and that a unity of all races is crucial to an opposition win. Furthermore, Malays, Chinese and Indians all realise that state governments can only be formed and kept in place if PAS, DAP and PKR stay united and don't break up. It is not to the interest of the Malays, Chinese and Indians to start anything. Anyway, there is no reason to start anything because no one has lost out in the new formula.
And this is where the Mamaks come in. Mamaks are Indian Muslims. Some years back, the Indian Muslims and Indian Hindus in Penang clashed over the proximity of a temple and a mosque which both sides alleged was 'disturbing' them. Resulting from this misunderstanding, some bloody clashes erupted which threatened to turn into a blood bath such as what we have frequently-enough witnessed in India. Anwar Ibrahim was forced to personally go down to the ground to prevent what was about to turn into another 'May 13'.
Last Friday, 1,000 or so Mamaks organised a demonstration in front of the Penang State Government headquarters. They were upset that a 'Chinese' Chief Minister had announced the end of the New Economic Policy in Penang. The Malays were not upset. The Malays did not come out to protest. In fact, PAS even endorsed the announcement and said that it agreed with the proposal. But the Mamaks were upset and they demonstrated their displeasure last Friday.
The Mamaks want the government to pass a law that makes calling them 'Mamak' illegal. They want laws passed so that those who continue calling them Mamaks can be sent to jail. And they want a new law passed to declare all Mamaks as Malays and to call them Malays and not Mamaks from thereon.
The Mamaks, therefore, have to demonstrate that they are more Malay than the Malays and more Muslim that the Arabs. And to prove this they came out to demonstrate against Lim Guan Eng's announcement that the NEP in Penang would end even if the Malays themselves could not be bothered and even if PAS supports Guan Eng's announcement. In a nutshell, the Mamaks are ashamed that they were born as Indians and insist they be classified as Malays.
But the Malays will not respond to the Mamaks' call to take to the streets, in particular the PAS and PKR Malays. In fact, the only reason the PAS and PKR Malays come out is to ensure that the Mamaks do not run riot and start spilling Chinese blood. Yes, May 13 can never happen again in spite of the rise of the Mamaks. The Malays will ensure that no wannabe Malay Mamaks will upset the peace, stability and tranquillity that exists between the Malays, Chinese and Indian Hindus. As for the Indian Muslims.....well, they need to earn their Malayness so allow them this little sideshow to enable them to go to the government and say, “Are we Malay enough for you now?”
S
Why do these guys persist in engaging the MSM? Whatever they say will get twisted.
...Why do these guys persist in engaging the MSM? Whatever they say will get twisted.
You are 100% correct . Nearly all BR YBs have fallen prey to MSM spin.
Only a handful uses blogs.
I appealed & repeat below again for reference only.
To, all BR YB,
Dear YB Menteri Besar ,Kedah ,Perak, Selangor.
Dear YB Chief Minister,Penang.
Have you appointed your IT official press secretaries yet ?
I believed all Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan rakyat- rakyat want to communicate with all your BR State governments.
What are your listed IT Links for the followings :-
1) Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan Government Websites to receive feedbacks , queries & complaints ?
2) CM ,CM1, CM2 & MB , Deputy MB1, Deputy MB2 Blogs ?
3) all your personal Blogs ?
4) all excos Blogs for all 5 BR States ?
5) all state Assemblypersons & MPs Blogs?
5) all 5 BR States DAP,PKR,PAS Blogs ?
6) so far working & updated websites are :
suarakeadilan
dapmalaysia
englishsection of PAS
Cannot trust Bernama, Star, Utusan ,TST, TVs , as all their news
are ' bluffology' ?
Once we are able to verify all the news & commentaries online from PKR,DAP,PAS ,
no more confusion, OK.
Syabas. Barisan Rakyat.
xxxxxxxx
.........................................................
Dear YB Menteri Besar ,Kedah ,Perak, Selangor.
Dear YB Chief Minister,Penang.
Have you appointed your IT official press secretaries yet ?
I believed all Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan rakyat- rakyat want to communicate with all your BR State governments.
What are your listed IT Links for the followings :-
1) Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan Government Websites to receive feedbacks , queries & complaints ?
2) CM ,CM1, CM2 & MB , Deputy MB1, Deputy MB2 Blogs ?
3) all your personal Blogs ?
4) all excos Blogs for all 5 BR States ?
5) all state Assemblypersons & MPs Blogs?
5) all 5 BR States DAP,PKR,PAS Blogs ?
6) so far working & updated websites are :
http://www.suarakeadilan.com
http://dapmalaysia.org
http://www.englishsection.com/
Cannot trust Bernama, Star, Utusan ,TST, TVs , as all their news are ' bluffology' ?
Once we are able to verify all the news & commentaries online from PKR,DAP,PAS ,no more confusion, OK.
Syabas. Barisan Rakyat.
You are 100% correct . Nearly all BR YBs have fallen prey to MSM spin.
Only a handful uses blogs.
I appealed & repeat below again for reference only.
To, all BR YB,
Dear YB Menteri Besar ,Kedah ,Perak, Selangor.
Dear YB Chief Minister,Penang.
Have you appointed your IT official press secretaries yet ?
I believed all Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan rakyat- rakyat want to communicate with all your BR State governments.
What are your listed IT Links for the followings :-
1) Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan Government Websites to receive feedbacks , queries & complaints ?
2) CM ,CM1, CM2 & MB , Deputy MB1, Deputy MB2 Blogs ?
3) all your personal Blogs ?
4) all excos Blogs for all 5 BR States ?
5) all state Assemblypersons & MPs Blogs?
5) all 5 BR States DAP,PKR,PAS Blogs ?
6) so far working & updated websites are :
suarakeadilan
dapmalaysia
englishsection of PAS
Cannot trust Bernama, Star, Utusan ,TST, TVs , as all their news
are ' bluffology' ?
Once we are able to verify all the news & commentaries online from PKR,DAP,PAS ,
no more confusion, OK.
Syabas. Barisan Rakyat.
xxxxxxxx
.........................................................
Dear YB Menteri Besar ,Kedah ,Perak, Selangor.
Dear YB Chief Minister,Penang.
Have you appointed your IT official press secretaries yet ?
I believed all Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan rakyat- rakyat want to communicate with all your BR State governments.
What are your listed IT Links for the followings :-
1) Penang, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan Government Websites to receive feedbacks , queries & complaints ?
2) CM ,CM1, CM2 & MB , Deputy MB1, Deputy MB2 Blogs ?
3) all your personal Blogs ?
4) all excos Blogs for all 5 BR States ?
5) all state Assemblypersons & MPs Blogs?
5) all 5 BR States DAP,PKR,PAS Blogs ?
6) so far working & updated websites are :
http://www.suarakeadilan.com
http://dapmalaysia.org
http://www.englishsection.com/
Cannot trust Bernama, Star, Utusan ,TST, TVs , as all their news are ' bluffology' ?
Once we are able to verify all the news & commentaries online from PKR,DAP,PAS ,no more confusion, OK.
Syabas. Barisan Rakyat.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
