Nizar-Zambry Trial. Did You Expect An Impartial Verdict From This Federal Court?

The long awaited judgement of the Federal Court on the rightful Mentri Besar of Perak — Umno’s Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir or PAS’s Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is in.

The five 'learned' judges, Court of Appeal President Tan Sri Alauddin Mohd Sheriff, Chief Judge of Malaya Tan Sri Arifin Zakaria, Justices Datuk Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin, Datuk Mohd Ghazali Mohd Yusoff, and Datuk Abdul Hamid Embong have given their unanimous verdict that the Court of Appeal was justified to reverse the High Court decision declaring Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin the rightful mentri besar of Perak.

But who dictated this 'verdict' which Arifin Zakaria read at the 'Palace of Justice'? Why is it that the same judges are being allotted all the important cases involving the Umno led government? Is the Chief Justice afraid that allowing a truly well read and impartial judge like Datuk Seri Gopal Sri Ram to be included in the panel of judges in this and other 'crucial' cases would skew well laid plans which have their inspiration elsewhere in Putrajaya? Is it for this same reason that the Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak, Tan Sri Richard Malanjum has been sidelined too by avoiding the constituting of a full bench?

How do these judges live with themselves after such a patently unfair decision? How do they face their colleagues, families and close friends? How does it feel to have cheated not only oneself but the citizens of this country by such egregious judicial behaviour which is unparalleled in the justice system of real democratic nations by making such duplicitous and fraudulent interpretations of our constitution?

The legal experts will no doubt, over the next few days dissect and tear apart the dubious premise of this 'unanimous' decision. Not one of the five judges had the guts to rule against the Umno nominee Zambry. But then again aren't these very judges Umno nominees themselves? Shame on these cowards inhabiting the Federal Court who seem to have placed their future well-being and the welfare of their families over that of the nation.

Zaid Ibrahim To Resign. Keeping An Open Mind On Leaving Umno And Joining PKR

HOUSE OF CARDS
De facto Law Minister Senator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim at a press conference this morning said that he has not made a decision to leave Umno and join PKR, adding that he will keep an open mind.

He had yesterday submitted his resignation letter to the Prime Minister. In his letter, Zaid enumerated his frustrations in achieving the reforms he had been tasked with doing; the straw that broke the his back was the arrest of three civilians under the Internal Security Act on Friday.

He was called to a meeting at Seri Perdana with Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi from 3pm to 5pm yesterday. At the meeting, the Prime Minister rejected his letter and told him to take two weeks’ leave instead.

No doubt this is just the beginning of a larger exodus to come. Umno's house of cards is ready to collapse and not many will mourn its demise.

Pak Lah Faces Calls To Quit After Anwar Victory

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi faced calls to quit from within his ruling party Wednesday after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim scored a landslide by-election victory.

Anwar won the vote to return to parliament despite an intense campaign mounted by the Barisan Nasional coalition, which he has promised to unseat within a month with the help of defecting lawmakers.

The failure to check Anwar has heaped more pressure on Abdullah, who has fought to hold on to his job since March general elections in which the opposition gained unprecedented ground.

Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, a senior member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which leads the ruling coalition, called for a new leadership "to unite our people... and forge a clear national direction."

"(Abdullah) does not have the minimal credibility needed to run the country day by day, let alone to take it in the new directions we need to go in a complex world," he said. "This dangerous situation cannot continue."

Razaleigh said the coalition's by-election campaign, which was criticised for its racial overtones and focus on sodomy allegations against Anwar, has "embarrassed and divided the nation with its ugliness. It is time to face the music: it is we who have been buried," he said.

Razaleigh plans to challenge Abdullah for the party leadership in December polls, but is likely to fail after the premier silenced calls for his immediate ouster by agreeing to hand over power to his deputy Najib Razak in 2010.

Abdullah's main critic, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, has also called for the resignation of his successor after relations between the two soured in 2006.

Mahathir's son Mukhriz, another senior UMNO figure who is vying for the top spot in the party's influential youth wing, also called for Abdullah's immediate resignation.

"I think Abdullah should strongly consider for all our sakes, to step down now," he told AFP.

"This is a second time that the Malaysian people have given a clear message, with the first at the general elections. It is a rejection of the present leader and he must leave now." (AFP)

***** Two questions which should be asked at this point in time are:

1) If Pak Lah quits will things genuinely improve or will we have to put up with more of the same race-baiting and corrupt governance as before? Chances are that without Pak Lah things may actually become worse especially for non-Malays.

2) Shouldn't Najib too be urged to resign after the election debacle since he was in charge of the 'ops' to ensure Anwar's defeat?

For the future wellbeing of our country, the only safe remedy is for BN to be ousted at the earliest, the nation be allowed to start anew with a clean slate and the quick implementation of safeguards to prevent the resurgence of Umno-style racism and divide-and-rule.

Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin To Get Show Cause Letter

From The Star Online

Kulim-Bandar Baharu MP Zulkifli Noordin will most likely be served a show cause letter by PKR after the Permatang Pauh by-election.

PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali said the party's top leaders are currently busy preparing for the by-election, which is on Aug 26.

He said although the leadership had informally discussed the matter, they were required by the party constitution to hold a formal meeting before issuing a show cause letter.

On action that may be taken on Zulkifli, Dr Syed Husin, who chairs the disciplinary committee, said they would investigate the matter and recommend action to be taken to the political bureau.

"The bureau will then decide on the next step, who will then refer it to an independent disciplinary board, and finally the Supreme Council will deliberate on it," he said.

Dr Syed Husin said the party had not managed to contact Zulkifli. "That is the problem now. How are we to serve a show cause letter if we cannot contact him?" he said.

Meanwhile, Fadhi Saari, an aide to Zulkifli, said he had also been unable to contact him. He said he had been inundated with calls from the media trying to locate Zulkifli.

***** One practical way of solving this problem (and indeed Zulkifli would be doing a big favour to everyone involved) is for the sanctimonious idiot to simply disappear for good. For example he could emigrate to more religiously favourable climes like in Saudi Arabia or Libya.

It's pretty certain that there'll be no open discussions on Islamic conversion in those Muslim-friendly countries. I'm sure jolly Zul will be extremely happy there and he could rear goats or b***** a camel for all we care.

Boycott Permatang Pauh By-Election, Says Annuar Musa. Now This Is A More Realistic Proposal

Kelantan Umno Liaison Committee chairman Tan Sri Annuar Musa Friday suggested that the Barisan Nasional (BN) boycott the by-election to be held in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency following the resignation of its Member of Parliament and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail Thursday.

He described the resignation of Dr Wan Azizah as a PKR political strategy to steer public focus away from the sodomy accusation against her husband and PKR advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking to reporters here, he said fielding a candidate would result in a waste of public funds and that it was unnecessary for the BN to go along with Anwar's political strategy. (Read the whole story HERE)

***** Now this is what I call a realistic guy. Unlike over-optimistic Muhyiddin who sees a 'golden chance' for Umno to wrest the seat, Annuar Musa obviously knows the score and instead of seeing his party do battle in the by-election and getting walloped to kingdom come, he realises the best way out of the impending battering is to loudly declare a boycott.

Sitting it out is better than a severe loss of face. But will the warmongers in Umno listen and heed his call?

Wan Azizah Resigns As Permatang Pauh MP To Pave Way For Anwar Ibrahim

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail has resigned as member of parliament for Permatang Pauh to make way for her husband Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election.

She handed her resignation letter to Parliament Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia today.

At a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, she said she would remain party president.

Anwar Ibrahim had in June announced that he had to put off a contest in an election – which would have given him a chance to enter Parliament – in order to deal with the sodomy accusation against him.

He was then expected to have announced that he was to contest in Bandar Tun Razak where the Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid was to step down to allow Anwar to contest. These plans were then shelved in order to clear his name.

Lately the Kulim-Bandar Baru parliamentary constituency became the centre of speculation. But according to Anwar, the election petition issue there might take too long to settle and thus this decision to contest at Permatang Pauh. Of course this sudden resignation by Wan Azizah must surely take everyone by surprise, especially those from Umno.

Party insiders have for some time publicly said that once his name was cleared and the truth was out on the sodomy issue, Anwar will contest a by-election and also that he is expected to win by a large margin due to the current antipathy and anger against the Barisan National.

No-Confidence Motion Against Pak Lah At 3PM Today

Opposition leader Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR- Permatang Pauh) is expected to file a no-confidence vote in Parliament against the Prime Minister under an emergency motion at 3pm today.

While there has been some speculation that a no-confidence vote was in the offing, this sudden announcement comes like a bolt from the blue.

What has prompted the decision to go for a vote at this point in time is unclear but suffice to say that PKR will not venture into such a risky move without considerable deliberation and some strong back-up. After the disappointing turnout at the recent rally to protest the fuel price hike, another poor performance by the opposition would not be of much help to its cause or credibility.

More on the above as events unfold.
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Update from The Star: Speaker to decide on no confidence motion on Monday

PKR Claims BN Brought 10 Sarawak MPs To Beijing To Prevent Crossover! Fact Or Fiction?

In the wake of the political drama in Sabah following Sabah Progressive Party's (SAPP) announcement that they will go ahead with the vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) has stepped up its sabre-rattling.

It has made a claim that 10 Sarawak Members of Parliament (MPs) were taken overseas in an effort to prevent them from leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) to join PKR.

PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali claimed that they had been taken to Beijing.

Not all the 10 would join PKR, he told reporters after officiating the PKR's Kaamatan celebration here Saturday.

PKR vice-president Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan when asked whether other Sabahan MPs are also considering to join them, said: "Yes, definitely, there are some from Sabah."

Syed Husin said so far SAPP had not made any application to join PKR but if the party did, it would be accepted.

In Miri, Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) deputy president Datuk Seri Abang Johari Tun Openg Saturday likened SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee to a political cowboy who smeared the image of other politicians in the country. (Bernama)

***** With so many claims and counter-claims from so many sources over so many issues, the mind reels at the info coming in every day. At times it becomes so difficult to distinguish the truth from the manufactured story. The above PKR claim is one such instance. Can someone please verify this?

FT Gerakan Chief Dr Tan Kee Kwong Must Leave Party, Says Najib

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said Thursday Federal Territory Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong cannot keep his position in the Barisan Nasional (BN) component party after joining the opposition government.

Morally, such a move was necessary, the Deputy Prime Minister told reporters after attending a closed-door meeting with the National Students Consultative Council at a hotel, near here.

The BN was concerned over the development where two Gerakan leaders had joined the opposition government and hoped that other Gerakan members would remain in the party and have faith in the future of BN, he said.

Dr Tan was reported to have been accepted by the Selangor government to head a task force to improve the administration and policies concerning the problems of land ownership.

Earlier, former Gerakan deputy secretary-general Datuk Lee Kah Choon had accepted the post of director of the Penang Development Corporation and InvestPenang from the Pakatan Rakyat government in Penang.

When asked to comment on the statement by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Zaid Ibrahim asking the Barisan Nasional to take action against its Members of Parliament Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir (Jerlun) and Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak) for their criticisms which humiliated the government or Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Najib said the matter would be looked into.

According to Zaid, the action by the two MPs questioning his appointment as a minister was construed as a humiliation to him, the government and Prime Minister.

Asked when he would meet former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Najib responded: "Anytime, anytime."

Najib had recently said that he would meet Dr Mahathir after the latter had declared that he was quitting Umno. (Bernama)

BN Parties Unhappy With Umno Should Pull Out, Says PKR Youth Leader

Barisan Nasional component parties unhappy with Umno should pull out of the coalition and join Pakatan Rakyat, a Perak Parti Keadilan (PKR) Youth leader said.

At a public forum here on Saturday night, Perak PKR Youth Information deputy chief Chang Lih Kang said there were Barisan parties that shared the same views as PR on issues like abolishing draconian laws, and the fair and equitable treatment of all races.

However Umno, as the dominant party in the coalition, did not endorse their views, he said. Chang, who is also Teja assemblyman, said it was high time they re-considered their political positioning.

By joining Pakatan Rakyat, they would not only have the opportunity to realise their policies, they could also end the era of racial politics in Malaysia, he said.

“There is nothing wrong in switching parties if the political party you are in is no longer moving in the direction you want,” he said.

Chang's proposal came in the midst of persistent talk that some Barisan MPs will cross over to Pakatan Rakyat.

He was speaking at the forum entitled The move towards a two-party system -- how are young politicians making changes? organised by the Youth wing of the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall held at Yuk Choy Old Boys Association Building here. (The Star)

***** Perak PKR Youth Information deputy chief Chang Lih Kang is on spot with his advice. Umno is a political dead-end and there is no way that they will change or accommodate the views of others even if the non-Malay parties wait for a hundred years.

If the component parties like the MCA, MIC, Gerakan and others truly care for the people as they claim, then there is only choice and that is to abandon Umno and all that the racist party stands for and join Pakatan Rakyat. That is the best contribution these politicians can make for the future good of the nation. But do they really have the interests of their constituents at heart or only care for themselves?
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Lim Guan Eng Confirms Umno Veteran Joining Penang State Government

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today confirmed that an Umno veteran leader had accepted the offer to serve in the state government.

He said the Umno veteran accepted the offer after he resigned from his post in Umno.

"We offered him to join the state government in the interest of the people.

"I will make an official announcement on this and will reveal the name of the Umno veteran at a suitable time," he told reporters after opening the Perai DAP service centre here.

Lim said the appointment letter had been forwarded to the Umno veteran who would join the state government soon, but he declined to disclose the post.

Asked whether there would a difference in the state administration after this, he said: "This is only the beginning.

"What's wrong with Umno working with the state governmeent when it is promoting CAT (competency, accountability and transparency)?"

Lim said the state government was sincere in making the offer to the Umno veteran and it should be seen in a wider context, not just politics. (Bernama)

***** I wonder what Umno's reaction would be? Any chance of hauling up the 'errant' veteran on some tiny clause in the Sedition Act? Or perhaps there will be protests organised by Umno accompanied with chants of "Melayu mudah lupa"!

Mahathir Tells BN Government To Take Anwar's Threat Seriously

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has asked the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal government to take the threat made by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim seriously in that Pakatan Rakyat will form the next federal government in the near future as it had convinced more than 30 BN Members of Parliament to cross over to the opposition front or Pakatan Rakyat.

BN has 140 MPs in the Dewan Rakyat and Pakatan Rakyat 82 out of a total of 222 MPs.

"Well, I think it is a possibility that you can't dismiss lightly. Now, these politicians are interested in how much they get, they are not interested really in serving the nation. "People who feel that they did not get what they wanted presently and they are offered positions, the urge to crossover especially when there is no inherent loyalty to the party.

"I feel very strong (about it), it can really happen. I first wanted to dismiss this possiblity but on studying the situation I feel that there is great danger. Of course, if this government loses power, it will not be in a position to dole out all kinds of goodies because at that time the clout is gone," he told reporters after delivering a keynote address on "National Sovereignty" at the 7th Perdana Discourse Series at the Perdana Leadership Foundation, here.

Asked if this was his greatest fear, he replied that if the cross over were to take place, then Malaysia would experience "a lot of conflicts".

"We see the response of the Malays, for example. They have come up with a list of demands for this and that in response to the demands made by the others. They think that the solution is to abandon this concept of democracy, that they should go back to the feudal style of government.

"There is already talk among them...I don't know how serious it is but the fact that it is being actually voiced (out) is very disturbing," Dr Mahathir said.

Asked if there was a possibility of anarchy in the country, he said: "Probably, but not great anarchy but certainly instability where the government of the day would not be active in attending to the progress of the country."

To another question on where the Opposition would obtain the 30 MPs, the former Prime Minister pointed towards Sabah and Sarawak. "If we take Umno, MCA and MIC, they have their roots here (in the peninsula) but not in Sabah and Sarawak. Although you have Umno in Sabah, it is transplanted from here to there. They are used to smaller parties. So can we be sure that they will remain strongly loyal to Umno? I don't think so," he added.

He said even in the peninsula, there could be MPs who could cross over since they knew that they could be in the new opposition-led government.

Dr Mahathir said this crossing over would not be a problem if BN had won by a two-thirds majority in Parliament as even if a BN MP were to cross over, he or she would not be able to gain much since the MP would still be with the Opposition. "But now if they crossed over, they could be joining another government, they will not lose, in fact they can make money," said the 83-year-old former leader.

He felt that Pakatan Rakyat was a force to be reckoned with not because it was strong or the people loved the Opposition but because of "the feeling of disappointment." (Bernama)

***** I don't know if a very large number of Malays actually want (to descend into and become entrapped in) a 'feudal system of government' as Dr M claims. Of course the Tun would love it, wouldn't he?

Pakatan Will Fail To Fulfil Promises, Says Najib. If There's No Umno-Style Race Discrimination, It's Good Enough

The electorate will soon see the gap between promises made during election campaigns and the likelihood them being fulfilled, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“During the elections, anybody can make all sorts of promises. When they mentioned reduction in assessment tax, some voters may have been taken in by it.

“When the time comes, they will face difficulty to fulfil their election promises,” he told reporters after the Defence Ministry’s workers day celebration yesterday.

He was asked to comment on the plan by the Pakatan Rakyat-led Selangor Government to give incentive to ratepayers because it was not ready to implement the proposed 20% reduction of assessment tax as promised during elections.

“This is what the electorate will need to determine because in future elections, there will be more promises.

“We must have the maturity and wisdom to decide for ourselves whether the promises are realistic or merely political promises,” he said.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin, who is an Umno supreme council member, said it was not easy to fulfil the promises, as there were many considerations to be taken into account.

Among the Pakatan promises, he added, was free education for all. “It might have been possible previously as there were only one or two public universities but now there are 20 public universities and 37 private universities.

“If we just do that and don’t use any money to develop the economy, what will the graduates do when they finish their education?” he asked.

This, he added, was the difference between a government that used populist policies and a government with experience.

“People must be wise and be able to differentiate between an empty promise and a responsible promise,” he said.

****** Najib surely knows that the public, at least a large segment of them, are not fools who can be taken for a ride by anyone. They know that at this point in time with a hostile federal government in place, the Pakatan Rakyat states are hampered in their capacity to rule effectively. Any blame for shortcomings therefore will fall on the lap of the Umno-led government and NOT on Pakatan Rakyat. The people do not expect miracles overnight even if Umno is terrified that Pakatan might get things done. The average man on the street understands and appreciates that under the current political circumstances, election promises will take time to materialise and are not in any inordinate hurry. After all Umno took fifty years, and at the end proved it can only divide the nation.

More importantly the people will be satisfied if Pakatan-ruled governments continue as they are doing now without overtly and covertly discriminating on the basis of race and religion. We've had enough of demagogues and racists to last for the next ten generations. No tears will be shed if Umno and their cronies slip into oblivion. In fact we'll all thank God the day that they do.

Malaysian Opposition Gears Up To Abolish Preventive Laws

Malaysia’s opposition alliance has said it would move a motion for the abolition of the Internal Security Act (ISA) under which many people have been detained. Opposition Leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail reiterated Wednesday what her husband and former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim had recently said: if brought to power, the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat would end the ISA and other preventive laws.

Wan Azizah joined various human rights groups that have urged the government to end the laws. The government has, however, said the laws were required to maintain public order and cites such laws in operation in several countries like the US and Britain.

Gerakan Mansuhkan ISA (GMI) and the Human Rights Committee (HRC) of the Bar Council issued a joint memorandum to urge all MPs to lobby for the abolishment of the act, The Star newspaper said.

Together with them were the family members of ISA detainees who also appeared at a press conference Wednesday. But the newspaper did not name the family members.

Five leaders of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) that organised a protest rally attended by over 10,000 Tamils last November are among the ISA detainees.

The government has justified their detention on the ground that the five - M. Manoharan, 46, P. Uthayakumar, 46, V. Ganabatirau, 34, R. Kengadharan, 40, and K. Vasantha Kumar, 34 - were trying to destabilise the ethnic balance in society and had suspected terror links.

The government said it has detained more of the Islamist militants under the ISA.

In the memorandum, the groups called for immediate and unconditional release of all ISA detainees and prosecute them in a public and fair trial.

Human rights activist Amer Hamzah Arshad said it was internationally recognised that the detention of people without trial was in violation of the rule of law, human rights and the principles of democratic government.

“While the government is obliged to ensure peace and security of the country, it is not permitted to do so at the expense of basic principles of human rights and natural justice,” he said.

Arshad said the memorandum also called for immediate closure of all detention camps where detainees were held without trial. (IANS)

***** It looks like the only way the ISA can be abolished is if we 'abolish' the BN. Only time will tell.

Seven Questions: Anwar Ibrahim

Bill Clinton once styled himself the “comeback kid,” but he has nothing on Malaysia’s Anwar Ibrahim. Two weeks ago, the former deputy prime minister turned political prisoner was officially cleared to reenter politics, and many think he could become his country’s next prime minister. He spoke to Foreign Policy about his return to power and how former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad thought he could break him

Foreign Policy: When will you seek political office?

Anwar Ibrahim: I can now. The issue is when do I want to do it. [The opposition alliance] has five state governments with one federal territory, six regions that are the key regions. We have to make sure that they are managed well and transparently. There are a lot of things that need to be done because we are not just improving the performance of the previous government. I want to ensure that the coalition will stick together, and there is the responsibility of taking over the government. That is more pressing than my personally running for a seat in the Parliament, because that would deflect attention. But I am not discounting [my running for office]. We are still looking at it and it can even be soon.

FP: What explains your coalition’s strong performance in the last election?

AI: It is a strength of a more multiracial, interreligious formula. We are forged together on the basis of our belief in democratic reforms. After all, this is not something alien. This is what was promised to us when we achieved independence in 1957. Coupled with this multiracial, interreligious agenda, we talk about a new Malaysian economic agenda. We have lost competitiveness. There is no independent judiciary. People tend to ignore the fact that a true democratic administration would give people more confidence.

The elections here were never free and fair. We don’t have free media. I don’t have 10 minutes of airtime on local television. Even the electoral process was clearly fraudulent. But with all that, we still made an extremely impressive showing. They term it now a political tsunami.

FP: So what is the most difficult part of leading an opposition party like this?

AI: You have to spend a lot of time engaging them. Getting them to agree is not just a matter of political expediency. It is a matter of creating a specific policy and reform agenda while protecting the interests of these party elements. The engagement is a series of conversations. It is tiring.

FP: Do you have concern about people defecting? How are you going to hold them together?

AI: For now we are very firm and committed to the program. In fact, it is the ruling party that is now worried about people defecting.

We have the numbers. We have 30 [members of the ruling party who say they will defect]. The question then is, why don’t we move now? We are not moving now for a number of reasons. Number one, Parliament has not yet convened. Secondly, we want the majority to be comfortable. Number three, those that have committed must be tested that they are committed to the reform agenda. Otherwise the coalition can be volatile.

FP: Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister of Malaysia for 22 years before he retired in 2003. What do you think his legacy will be?

AI: I think [he will be remembered] as a young nationalist who came into the picture to try to make a stand in terms of change and becoming more independent, but grew to be too overconfident, too assertive, and turned into almost a megalomaniac. The country was his. This is often a problem with many of the leaders of emerging countries. You have the sense even now that he believes he cannot leave because of what [he thinks] will be destroyed. What is being destroyed? The media and the judiciary was destroyed under him.

FP: You got into trouble in the late 1990s once you began to criticize Mahathir, your former political mentor. Did you underestimate him as a political opponent?
AI: No, I didn’t. But at that time I had strong views. He resented the idea of my rapport and contact with the West, particularly the United States. And I said, I know I am not on the CIA payroll. I have strong views on Iraq. I have very independent views. What is the harm of my treating America as a friend? He expects everyone else to be so anti-American to the point of being irrational.

FP: Do you think that Mahathir inadvertently made you a tougher opponent?

AI: Mahathir probably underestimated me. He always believed that people crack under torture or detention. He used to tell me in those days, when we were on friendlier terms, that what he dreaded most was to be detained without knowing when he would be released. So that is what he did to me. He underestimated me. He thought that I would break.

Anwar Ibrahim is former deputy prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia. He was sentenced to six years in prison on corruption charges in 1999, sentenced to another nine years for sodomy in 2000, and released in 2004. He now leads the country’s alliance of opposition parties. (Foreign Policy.com)

Election Of Perak State Assembly Speaker, Slap In The Face For Umno's Race Politics

First read this report from the NST.

It was a historic moment at the Perak assembly yesterday when an Indian state assemblyman was elected as the speaker for the first time, while a woman was chosen as deputy speaker.

DAP assemblyman for Tronoh V. Sivakumar, 37, was elected as the 12th speaker, while Hee Yit Foong, the DAP assemblywoman for Jelapang and a polio victim, was picked for the deputy speaker's post at the first sitting of the assembly.

The Pakatan Rakyat grouping of DAP, PKR and Pas won 31 seats against Barisan Nasional's 28 in the March 8 general election.

BN nominated former speaker Datuk Seri Junus Wahid to retain the position and nominated Chenderiang state assemblyman Mah Hang Soon for the deputy speaker's post.

Even before voting could take place, there were plenty of fireworks from both sides.

When Slim assemblyman Datuk Mohd Khusairi Abdul Talib proposed Junus's name, senior executive council member and Sitiawan assemblyman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham objected as the candidate was not even present in the assembly.

"The proposed candidate must be physically present," he said.

To this, Pengkalan Hulu assemblyman Datuk Seri Mohd Tajol Rosli Ghazali stood up and said: "If his presence is needed urgently, he can be called as Junus is just around the corner. Notice should have been given for him to be present."

After assembly secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri announced that he had contacted Junus, Pantai Remis assemblyman Nga Kor Ming retorted saying the former should not have done so.

A few minutes later, a calm Junus walked into the assembly and witnessed the voting.

Although the standing orders stated the ballot papers would be marked and signed while the assembly secretary or his agent should collect the papers from the desk of the wakil rakyat, BN assemblymen had other plans in mind and asked for a secret ballot.

Pasir Pinji DAP assemblyman Thomas Su Keong Siong said the standing orders did not say anything about a secret ballot.

Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin defused the situation by saying the government agreed to a secret vote.

All assemblymen walked to the two booths to sign and mark their ballot papers before putting them in boxes.

When the results were announced, Sivakumar received 31 votes against his opponent's 28, while Hee received 30 votes against the 28 obtained by her opponent.

***** Consider this part of the above report - 'Although the standing orders stated the ballot papers would be marked and signed while the assembly secretary or his agent should collect the papers from the desk of the wakil rakyat, BN assemblymen had other plans in mind and asked for a secret ballot.'

What do you think was the logic behind the BN (read Umno) demand for a secret ballot? With the typical befuddled race-based thinking, mentality and strategy that the umnoputeras are perennially stuck with, they had hoped, nay indeed convinced that if a secret ballot was held, the Malays in the Pakatan Rakyat would vote for Umno's Malay candidate instead of Pakatan's non-Malay choice.

The Perak Menteri Besar agreed to their demand and what happened? Not even one state assemblyman from Pakatan voted for the Umno calon. Not surprising really. Umno had all along put up this act and facade that they were the sole 'champions' of Malay rights and duped the nation for decades. Now the people have seen through their duplicitous game and won't fall for their bangsa, agama dan negara 'struggle' anymore. Honest and dedicated men and women have taken over the helm of several states and the nation will heave a big sigh of relief when they gain control of the federal government as well. Then we can all look back at the time when we lived through the nightmare of Umno's despicable reign of corruption and apartheid.

Even at this crucial juncture when their racist philosophy and even their own party is in tatters they still have not been able to rid themselves off the ethnic equation in everything they do. And they never will.
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"We Are Taking Rumours Of Defecting BN MPs Seriously," Says Najib

Contrary to what the new info idiot Ahmad Shabery Cheek said, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today confirmed that the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government is taking seriously the "threat" that there would be a crossover of 30 or more BN Members of Parliament (MP) to the opposition to enable Pakatan Rakyat to form the government, reports Bernama.

"There are reports (of the crossover) but we cannot just dismiss the reports. Of course, there is an element of political gamesmanship, nonetheless, we cannot take things for granted," he told a press conference at his office.

He said this when asked on a statement by former deputy prime minister and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Anwar Ibrahim that the opposition had 30 or more MPs who were willing to leave the BN for Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition pact made up of PAS, DAP and PKR.

Following the just concluded general election, the opposition has 82 seats in Parliament while BN has 140 seats. If 30 or more BN MPs were to cross over to the opposition, the country would witness the BN losing the federal government for the first time since the independence 50 years ago.

Asked if BN would take measures to ensure all BN MPs remained with the ruling coliation, Najib said:"We will do something but I won't tell you exactly what we will do, but we will do something."

"We hear rumours (off the crossover) but no one has come and said we are saying goodbye to BN," said the Deputy Prime Minister.

"We have to deal with urgency. We have to take everything seriously, we cannot dismiss it as pure fabrication but as I said there is a strong element of political gamesmanship as well," he said.

***** Let the racist greed merchants sweat it out.

BN Mulls Cooperation With Pakatan Rakyat

Malaysia's ruling coalition may open "a new era'' of cooperation with the opposition in administrative matters, the prime minister said Tuesday, signaling a policy shift after recent elections nearly leveled the balance of power.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's National Front coalition has long shunned any cooperation with its rivals, but it has been forced to consider how to deal with a three-party opposition alliance that won control of five states in March general elections.

Abdullah indicated he was surprised that the opposition handed a key administrative post last week to a well-known National Front member.

"It's just not been the practice,'' Abdullah told reporters. "Normally we keep to what we want to do, and the opposition parties also keep to what they want to do.''

National Front officials have debated whether Lee Kah Choon of the coalition's Gerakan party should be kicked out after he accepted an offer last week to head two opposition-run development and investment organizations in the industrial hub of Penang state.

Abdullah said he was not in favor of punishing Lee, stressing that "if there is no clash in policies, then perhaps it opens the way to cooperate.''

"We can always create a new era, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a matter for the parties to decide whether they want it or not,'' Abdullah said.

Lee resigned as Gerakan's deputy secretary general last month after the party lost control of Penang for the first time in nearly 30 years. He remains an ordinary member, though there has been speculation that he might cross over to the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Opposition leader Lim Guan Eng, the new chief minister of Penang, has said Lee's appointment is part of the opposition's plan to "chart a new course, a new political paradigm'' that emphasizes fairness to all sides.

The National Front held on to power in last month's elections, but lost its traditional two-thirds majority in Parliament and conceded five of Malaysia's 13 states to the opposition.

Abdullah has been trying to keep the coalition's 14 parties united amid widespread rumors that dozens of government lawmakers plan to defect to the opposition. He is also fending off demands by some coalition members for his resignation.

***** The new cooperation policy is a welcome one and the nation will benefit from the resultant goodwill. Although BN must have been taken aback by the novel offer, the PM has shown remarkable good sense and pragmatism in not condemning the appointment, questioning the opposition's motives or calling for disciplinary action against Mr Lee. Keep it up Pak Lah.

Another flip flop?: Kah Choon Cannot Go Against BN Spirit, Says Abdullah

Malaysia's Anwar Says He Has Numbers To Topple Government

Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said Monday he has the support of enough defectors from the ruling coalition to seize power, although he will not act until he has a bigger majority.

"Yes, we have enough MPs to topple the government," he told reporters after a rally to celebrate the end of his ban from politics, which was broken up by police.

"We are saying here for the first time that we are ready (to rule the country)," he said. "But we will only enter when the majority is comfortable. When we take over we want to initiate the move. Do we want to be a government with a two- or five-seat majority?"

The Pakatan Rakyat opposition alliance claimed more than a third of parliamentary seats and five states from the Barisan Nasional coalition in stunning March general elections.

Anwar has said that government lawmakers from Sabah and Sarawak states on Borneo island have approached him about switching sides, but so far none have declared their intentions publicly.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is floundering amid mounting calls to resign and take responsibility for the election results, which were the worst in the coalition's half-century history.

"The situation in Malaysia is uncertain at the moment, people don't know when the prime minister is going and who will succeed him, so we will respond to this," Anwar said.

He said that rather than seizing government, the opposition's priorities are to consolidate its gains and work with Sabah and Sarawak lawmakers "who agree with our new Malaysian agenda. The priority now is to administer the Pakatan Rakyat states as incorruptible and financially transparent, fulfill our promises to the people and give meaning and essence to participatory democracy."

Earlier, his speech to some 10,000 supporters was halted by police who shut down the rally celebrating the end of his political ban, a decade after he was sacked as deputy premier and hit with sex and corruption allegations.

"The police chief has asked us to stop so we are stopping, but remain peaceful because soon we will be running this country," Anwar told the crowd.

Witnesses said there were some scuffles between police and supporters as the crowd dispersed.

Political gatherings are strictly controlled in Malaysia, and police had threatened to break up the event, held at a private club in central Kuala Lumpur, because they said it was illegal.

About 300 officers including riot police, backed up with water cannon trucks, formed a heavy security presence, but the event went ahead on schedule and Anwar spoke for an hour before the authorities intervened.

Once seen as the heir apparent to long-time leader Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar spent six years in jail before storming back to prominence in the March elections.

The sex conviction against him was later dropped but the corruption count prevented him from standing for public office until Tuesday.

Anwar had been expected to re-enter parliament quickly through a by-election in one of the seats held by his Keadilan party, and to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah in a symbolic no-confidence vote soon after.

But in light of the stunning and unexpected gains, he has said he is in no hurry to act and will instead focus on building up the opposition.

***** What a dramatic reversal of fortune in just under a decade! The bad old days of Dr Mahathir's reign may be over but the Pakatan Rakyat must always be wary and if possible ensure that the Tun's dictatorship never returns, even by proxy, after Pak Lah's exit from Umno politics.

Related report: Anwar Asks PM To Conduct Open Investigation On Dr M

Malaysia Opposition Chief Anwar Ibrahim Rallies to Seek Top Post

When he emerged from prison four years ago, the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim was a weakened and gaunt figure, all but written off by the Malaysian political elite.

But on Monday, Mr. Anwar, resurgent and confident after leading opposition parties to their strongest gains in a half century, will celebrate his political rehabilitation in front of a crowd expected to be in the thousands at a soccer stadium here.

During his nearly four decades in politics, Mr. Anwar, 60, has gone from being a radical Islamic student leader to deputy prime minister and then, after a highly political trial and a prison term, Malaysia’s dissident in chief. A ban on holding political office, imposed by the judge who in 1999 sentenced him to six years in prison for abuse of power, will expire Monday, allowing Mr. Anwar to pursue the job he has coveted for at least a decade: prime minister. “There’s no rush,” Mr. Anwar said in a recent interview in his office in a two-story suburban house outside Kuala Lumpur. “I don’t need to be prime minister tomorrow.”

Yet he and his allies have not dawdled since capturing five of the most populous and wealthy of Malaysia’s 13 states in the March 8 elections. The governing coalition won an uncomfortably slim 51 percent of the vote, and Mr. Anwar said he was wooing possible defectors. He needs only 30 members of Parliament to cross over to bring down the federal government. He also recently forged a pact among the three main opposition groups, called the People’s Alliance, to govern the states they control jointly.

The opposition’s gains have thrown the United Malays National Organization, which has governed Malaysia since its independence from Britain in 1957, into disarray.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, fighting for his political life, said Friday, “I will not remain for very long.” Governing party delegates from Penang, his home state, which the opposition captured in March, have called for him to step down. So have other influential party figures, including Mahathir Mohamad, the former prime minister who dismissed Mr. Anwar from the government in 1998 after a power struggle.

Mr. Abdullah is being challenged within the party by Razaleigh Hamzah, a prince from Kelantan, a northern state, and a former finance minister.

Mr. Razaleigh and Mr. Anwar offer starkly different visions for Malaysia. For the first time in decades, voters in multiethnic Malaysia are faced with a fundamental ideological choice of whether to continue with an authoritarian system largely segregated by race that has dominated politics here for decades, or to experiment with a more liberal democracy that treats ethnicity as secondary.

Mr. Razaleigh, 71, has couched his bid in the traditional language of Malay nationalism, appealing to the largest of the country’s three main ethnic groups. “We successfully vanquished the scheming colonizer and continued our struggle to claim independence armed only with a devoted spirit towards our race, religion, culture and homeland,” he said in his recent speech announcing his challenge to Mr. Abdullah.

Mr. Anwar, by contrast, promises profound changes to the country’s authoritarian laws and political system of ethnic segregation, in which each main ethnic group — Malay, Chinese and Indian — has traditionally had its own political party. His multiethnic partners have vowed to abolish a system that gives ethnic Malays discounts on houses, scholarships and a quota of 30 percent of shares in companies listed on the stock market.

Since his release from prison, Mr. Anwar has rarely missed an opportunity to call for “accountability and good governance” in Malaysia, where dissidents are regularly jailed without trial, students are barred from politics and government contracts are given to friends and allies of those in power.

He says his goal now is to put his words into action. The People’s Alliance has declared that government contracts in the states it controls are subject to open bidding. Government officers in Selangor, the wealthy state next to Kuala Lumpur, have been ordered to declare their assets.

In Perak, a large multiracial state in the north, the government is giving permanent land titles to the ethnic Chinese minority who previously received only fixed-term leases. In Penang, the People’s Alliance government is setting up interfaith councils to review disputed decisions and policies that hurt certain groups.

The People’s Alliance is breaking religious and ethnic taboos, redefining the relationship among Muslims, who form a majority of Malaysia’s 26 million people, and Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs and other groups. Mr. Anwar says he and his allies are trying to prove that they can reach decisions on the country’s thorniest issues.

Although Mr. Anwar is a Malay Muslim and his coalition includes a conservative Islamic party, one of the first major initiatives of the People’s Alliance was the approval of a giant, modern pig farm outside Kuala Lumpur to serve Chinese and other non-Muslim residents. Muslims consider pigs unclean, and the governing coalition has attacked the decision. “We will defend that,” Mr. Anwar said of the farm. “Even relatively contentious issues of the Muslims we are able to deal with.”

The corruption and sodomy charges brought against Mr. Anwar are considered by many here to have been trumped up. The sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004. And he has cultivated many friendships among world leaders. Still, he needs to win over detractors from all three major ethnic groups who say that his transformation from Islamic radical to champion of ethnic minorities smacks of expediency.

Ibrahim Suffian, director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency here, said Malaysians had refrained from voting for the opposition in the past because of a fear of the unknown. But he said he detected less fear in this election and almost no regret by voters afterward.

Mr. Anwar is ready to capitalize on the sentiment. He must be a member of Parliament to become prime minister, so he has not ruled out having a political ally resign from Parliament, then running in the ally’s place. If his People’s Alliance woos enough defectors to capture a majority in Parliament, he said, his wife, Azizah Ismail, who is a member of Parliament, could temporarily become prime minister.

“Malaysia after 50 years of independence must have a mature political system,” he said. (New York Times)

***** In essence we have two choices - racial discrimination, political corruption and cronyism in the name of bangsa, agama dan negara on one side or a more tolerant, people-friendly, honest and transparent government on the other. Not a difficult choice I presume, if you're not an umnoputera.
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