RIP: PG Lim

KUALA LUMPUR: TAN Sri Lim Phaik Gan, Malaysia's pioneer woman ambassador and one of the country's first woman lawyers, died yesterday  in Perth, Western Australia, at the age of 96.

Better known as "P.G. Lim", she was born in Britain in 1918 and was among the first Malaysian women to earn a Master's in Law from Cambridge University.

One of her best-known cases was the defence in 1948 of Lee Meng, a guerilla detained in Perak for alleged communist activities.

She also defended 11 youths sentenced to death for consorting with Indonesian infiltrators and for possessing arms during Confrontation in 1968.

Lim, who won the Merdeka Award in 2009, served as legal adviser to several unions who could not afford to hire lawyers, and often championed the underprivileged.

Former Court of Appeal judge Tan Sri V.C. George remembers that, as a pupil in chambers in 1956, "I followed her around the country, carrying her bags in court. I realised what a formidable advocate she was. She was a tough fighter, who didn't pull her punches. She was hot tempered and impatient, but worked very hard. From her, I learned to focus on the real issues and not on the fringe."

Retired lawyer Ernest Devadason also remembers his first job, working at the law firm which Lim set up: "The foundation she gave me as a young lawyer was the best I could have had and stood me in good stead."

The rest of the article

1Malaysia Foundation Trustee Lee Lam Thye has suggested that a national consultative council be set up to  address issues on national unity and racial integration.

Lee said the council should be made up of representatives of interested groups or individuals who could offer suggestions or ideas to help address the current development. 

"It is also to address key issues on how to bring the nation together after a strongly heated and bitterly-contested general election," he said in a statement (reported by Bernama).

Lee also called on all political leaders and all strata of society to immediately stop the drfit towards racial polarisation. 

"The time has come for us to identify more ethnic bridge builders and emphasize on their crucial role, at this juncture, to break down the serious racial divide in the larger interest of improving ethnic relations in our country. 

"Multiracial living and community are part of our history and heritage. They have become a key source of racial integration for years and have certainly played a part in making Malaysia a harmonious place to live, learn, work and play," he said. 

The Prime Minister had on Monday said the government would embark on national reconciliation efforts to unite the people who seemed divided in the 13th General Election. 

International Movement for a Just World (JUST) president Dr Chandra Muzaffar, who supported the formation of the council, said it was important not only for national unity, but more so for the restoration of racial relations.

"The council must represent all the political parties, individuals within or outside the political arena who can contribute ideas on solidarity and participate in sincere dialogues," he said. 

However, Chandra said the prime minister must give detailed explanation on the actual meaning of national reconciliation so that it would be truly understood by every strata of society.

Chairman of the Global Movement of Moderates Foundation Tan Sri Razali Ismail said all parties should support the idea thrown by the prime minister, as we could not allow the tension arising from the general election to worsen.

He stressed on the partiality of the government and its institutions, saying that the effort to reconcile the nation must be done with the acceptance of all races, and added that political parties should not take advantage from the effort. 

Another vital ingredient for national reconciliation, according to Razali was that the press must be free. 

"What is not right must be mentioned by the press. We cannot reconcile if the press is not free. The people must be made to have a say in the press. This is to regain the ability in making the people believe what has been distributed by the press," he said. 

He added that national reconciliation was also needed to build national consensus in addressing many internal or external issues. 

Meanwhile, the Director of the Technology Policy and International Studies Centre, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) International Campus, Profesor Dr Azmi Hassan said the quickest action that the government could do towards national reconciliation was through the formation of the cabinet.

"The make up of the cabinet members is most important to demonstrate that the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is transparent and sincere in forming a Malaysian society and championing the cause of all races in the country," said Azmi, who is also a Geostrategist Expert.

He said the cabinet that would be formed should still have a minister from the Chinese community although the MCA had stated its stand not to join the cabinet to honour the decision of the top party leadership earlier. 

Explaining further, Azmi said one of the measures that could be taken by Najib in efforts to regain the support of the Chinese voters was to make way for a representative from the Chinese non-governmental organisation (NGO) to join the cabinet.

"The situation cannot be aggravated, that's why we must invite a group that is trusted by the Chinese community such as the NGO in the fields of social, education and economy. That is the best way to reconcile the situation," he said.

For historian Prof Emeritus Tan Sri Dr Khoo Kay Kim, whatever measures that were being implemented by the government now and in the future towards national reconciliation, the most important question was the schooling system.

He said it was possible that now was the time for the national education system which emphasised on examination where the student must memorise to obtain high marks be replaced with a system that absorbed the spirit of patriotism among the students.

"We need to decide whether we want a national education system that would turn the young generation into citizens that give priority to the country or to become individuals who only think about self-interest," he said.

DAP national deputy chairman Dr Tan Seng Giaw said the move to promote the spirit of unity after the election process was timely, but any racial sentiment must be checked first of all.

"Solidarity must be based on policies and statements that were not inclined towards a particular race, religion or region alone," said Dr Tan, who is also the Kepong Member of Parliament. -- BERNAMA

R

The GE over.

We all know the results. BN won by a slim majority in parliament. It recaptured Kedah and Perak.

And the DAP won big, I must say. In some of the constituencies (mainly Chinese majority) they increased their majority.


What I remember most about  May 5 were the lies and unsubstantiated reports of black-outs, busloads of foreigners and illegal ballot boxes.

They remain unsubstantiated. So they are lies spread by irresponsible people. And then made out to be fact and used to condemn the elections as unfair. Electoral fraud?

Democracy is dead?  Oh come on.. Jangan lah berdrama. Bersandiwara. Berwayang..

Senang, senang nak burukkan Malaysia, ya?

So many are not happy with the outcome because the BN should have lost. Stolen elections?

Adoi.

Mr Karpal Singh is happy with the outcome. Lim Guan Eng has been sworn in as CM. Kelantan has a new MB.

Another black mark was the harassment and attacks on Malaysianswhom some thugs linked to the opposition suspected them to be foreigners and tried to prevent them from casting their votes.

 I call them samseng.


Yes,. samseng.

The GE is over. Time to move on and get on with our life.

But, looks like, for some people, it ain't over yet.

Waves Of Regret In Selangor

A report by Malaysian Digest


ON the night of March 8, 2008, after the results of the 12th general election were announced, a retiree in Ijok, Kuala Selangor was dumbfounded when he was told that the Ijok state seat had been won by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidate Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

The retiree was even more crushed upon learning that his beloved state of Selangor had been taken over by the Opposition.

A wave of regret took over. For as long as he had been exercising his voting right, he never once voted for any other party besides the scale-symbol Barisan Nasional (BN), until that year.

The man reasoned that he only voted for the Opposition this time because he wanted to send a message to the BN. He just didn't think it was possible for the BN to lose control of the state altogether.

The retiree is only one example of the thousands of Selangorians who, at the time, chose to not cast their vote or voted for the Opposition as a sign of protest towards the government.

Continue reading HERE

Pakatan Can Win...

Says Anwar.
Malaysian opposition leader opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim says he believes that his three-party alliance can win this weekend's poll.
Mr Anwar is part of a broad coalition which includes moderates, Islamists and Malaysians of Chinese descent.
Prime Minister Najib Razak's National Front coalition has been in power for over 50 years.
Jonathan Head spoke to him on the campaign trail.

Watch this.

Pas-DAP Theatre of The Absurd : Dr M

PAS is  insisting that it will implement its version of hudud when Pakatan rules Malaysia.   DAP, not only Karpal Singh, but now also Lim Kit Siang, is equally adamant that it will not allow Pas' hudud laws to be used in Malaysia.
Both are bluffing because both know that Pas' hudud will never be made a part of Malaysian laws.
This is because Pas is contesting in less than half of the parliamentary seats. To change the constitution in order to introduce hudud, Pas would require a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
Only if DAP and PKR vote in favour will the constitution be changed. But DAP and PKR will not give their votes for this constitutional amendment.
For Pas, appearing to stand up against DAP on this Islamic issue is good for convincing Malays that it is still fighting for its version of Islam.
That it cannot succeed without DAP support need not be mentioned. What is important is the appearance of being Islamic. The Muslim voters can be hoodwinked by that.
DAP, which also knows that Pas' hudud will never be implemented, the appearance of fighting against Pas' version of Islamic law will convince Chinese voters that it is fighting for their cause. For this stand the Chinese will support the DAP.
It is all a sandiwara or "play-acting" by both Pas and the DAP. Both believe they can hoodwink Malay and Chinese voters in this election.
Unfortunately, the average Malay and Chinese voter may fail to read between the lines. So, the issue will stay. It is good for Pas and good for the DAP.
Then there is the sandiwara of the party symbols of Pas and DAP.
DAP announced that it would use Pas' full moon symbol in the election because the Registrar of Societies might not allow it to use its rocket symbol. The idea is to intimidate RoS.
For DAP, this is a good strategy as the members of Pas will think that DAP is now close to Pas and Islam and will vote for the DAP candidates.
Unfortunately, DAP members did not think this was a good idea. Their leaders may want to be close to Pas for political reasons but the members reject Pas and its Islamic pretensions, totally.
The DAP leaders still thought it was a good ploy to hoodwink Malays.
Pas on the other hand saw in this DAP move to use its symbol as a good way to convince its members and supporters that DAP has now understood Islam, which they had been claiming is their reason for co-habiting with the anti-Islam DAP.
Pas leaders may even really believe that they are near to converting Karpal Singh and Kit Siang. Self-deception is characteristic of Pas. They have had difficulty explaining why they reject any reconciliation with Umno, a Malay Muslim party.
The willingness of DAP to use the full moon on a green background symbol of Pas is useful for convincing their members that the DAP has become more Islamic since it is willing to use Pas' symbol.
Both DAP and Pas know all this talk about using the Pas symbol is so much nonsense. It is not the intention of DAP to do so or Pas to permit it. But it is good for politics, for hoodwinking the Malays to support Pas' virtual love affair with DAP.
Unfortunately, again Pas members resent the idea of the kafir harbi DAP using their symbol.
It was a relief for all when RoS declared there was no ban on DAP using its rocket symbol in this election.
And so ends another sandiwara, another false stage show. Still it was good while it lasted. - The New Straits Times

"I am An Umno Member!" : Musa Hitam

Without a doubt, former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam got a lot of Barisn Nasional people wondering what was going on when he made  his "Negara tak akan bankrap jika Pakatan Rakyat memerintah" remarks at a forum on March 12.

"Is he Umno or what?" - some people must have uttered, openly or quietly.

You can't blame them when they read it -- screaming like that.

Was he endorsing Pakatan?is he supporting Pakatan?

Well, no, says the man, in response to all this.

"I am an Umno and Barisan member, and I certainly wish that they win in GE13,” he said.
"As an Umno and BN member, and by that very same token, I certainly wish for BN to win this election. Indeed, I am certain that BN will win this time."

In fact, he issued a statement on this because Pakatan Rakyat has used his remarks in their campaign -- on billboards.
He's asked them to cease and desist.

"Pakatan Rakyat  seems so desperate to promote themselves and woo the electorates' support that they had resorted to using me as their major weapon to hit back at Barisan Nasional."


Musa described Pakatan's move as an "abuse of democratic privilege".


Read the report  HERE and  HERE.

I wasn't at the forum. But I've read the news reports quoting him on this. But, I still can't say whether his remarks were taken out of context.

I don't know-lah, Musa. What did you expect your friends in the BN to think?

Then again, they should know better. Musa had always been one to speak his mind.

He said he would continue to express his personal views on any political matters as and when he felt the need to.

"This is the freedom that I have always enjoyed as a member of Umno, a party which has played a most significant role in the development of our beloved country.

And, well...can't blame Pakatan, either. Won't let a good opportunity pass -- to use his words against the BN.

Gila-Lah Si Haris

Haris Ibrahim's ABU people are ready to die, ke?

No way, says  uber blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin (RPK)

"Malaysians bunch of cowards. Nak comment kat internet pun tak berani reveal real name."

The Mole spoke to RPK on Haris Ibrahim's "ready to die" statement he made on video on behalf of ABU (Anything But Umno).

That was said in a message to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
 “To Najib, understand this. [...] We will go to all lengths and at all cost to ensure that on polling day the will of the people will be heard. We hear that you and your party intend to cause trouble before, during and after polling. We are ready for you. We, many of us, are ready to die. Are you ready to die?”

Here's RPK's interview:

The Mole: "Were you part of this movement (Anything But UMNO) which Isham (Hishamuddin Rais) started in 2008?"

Raja Petra: "We were part of the All-Blogs movement, if you can remember. And also Bersih 1.0 in 2007.

There were so many different groups. Even one group that worked with Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah), you included."

The Mole: "You and Haris were part of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM). Why and how did the fall-out happen?"

Raja Petra: "Because I attacked ABU and he got mad with me. I said it is not Umno that we should oppose but the Umno culture.

That got him angry. And I also attacked Anwar. That made him pissed. I also opposed Bersih 3.0 and said it is a lost cause. If we can't do it in Bersih 1.0 and 2.0 what makes you think Bersih 3.0 is going to achieve anything?"

The Mole: "How about what you think of Haris Ibrahim's 'ready to die' ABU squads?"

Raja Petra: "Gila (Crazy)".

The Mole: "Do you think Haris Ibrahim is serious about 'ready to die' and that there will actually be people like that in every polling centre/constituency?"

Raja Petra: "No way. Malaysians bunch of cowards. Nak comment kat internet pun tak berani reveal real name." (Even when they want to comment on the internet they're not brave enough to reveal their real names.)

*************

Haris quit as the President of the MCLM in January 2012 after a fall-out with Raja Petra following their meeting in Thailand in late 2011. It is believed that Haris wanted to make the MCLM a staging platform for funds to be channeled, in preparation for the ‘Malaysian Spring’. 
In a posting at his blog The People’s Parliament in August 2012, Haris  asked readers to contribute to his ABU efforts. He provided his CIMB account number for the contributions to be channeled.
The ABU Facebook page recorded 22,249 likes and 4,620 people talking about it. That is hardly a few oddballs, probably taken in by ABU’s hatred towards UMNO/BN and their ‘Politics of Hatred’ strategy.
Considering there are 222 Parliamentary and 505 State Assembly constituencies in this upcoming 13GE, it is hardly believable that as per Haris’s claim ABU squads will monitor each of the 8,139 polling stations and escort each ballot box to the 222 tally centres.
Raja Petra is probably right to refer to Haris' plans as ‘Gila’. After all, making threats like “Ready to die” is somewhat delusional bordering on madness.-The Mole

Aku Janji...

...kesejahteraan untuk rakyat.

Here's BN's Promise Of Hope - the coalition's manifesto for the 13th general election.

1. Easing the Cost of Living:

* Increasing BR1M up to RM1,200 for households and RM600 for singles while maintaining it on an annual basis
* Increasing 1Malaysia Book Vouchers to RM300 and Schooling Aid to RM150
* Revamping the National Automotive Policy to gradually reduce car prices by 20 to 30 per cent and increasing the competitiveness of the national cars (This one taken from OutSyed The Box).
* Increasing the number of Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia
* Introducing 1Malaysia products in petrol stations and hypermarkets
* Opening Klinik 1Malaysia in high-density housing communities
* Setting up more 1Malaysia Daycare Centres for working parents (Excellent idea)
* Lowering broadband fees by at least 20 per cent with guaranteed bandwidth
* Introducing 1Country 1Price policy for essential goods
* Introducing more 1Malaysia products driven by GLCs and the private sector

2. Uplifting Urban Well-being:
* Restructuring the government, including setting up a new ministry to reflect the pronounced urban shift in the country's demographic pattern and address urban economic and social challenges
* Increasing representation of members of the NGOs and civil society in local government (Another excellent idea).
* Rehabilitating low-cost houses and flats in the cities (Good. About time)
* Undertaking the maintenance of public housing infrastructure (Very good)
* Providing quality public housing catering specifically for the younger generation of job seekers
*Providing recreational areas and facilities to enhance the quality of life in urban centres
*Ensuring sufficient educational, training and health services and facilities
*Improving the transportation links between urban centres and their outlying areas
* Opening more Anjung Singgah shelters (temporary shelters for the homeless) in high demand areas

3. Access to Quality Health Services:
* Developing a national system that will provide every Malaysian with access to quality healthcare
* Establishing a Heart Centre and Cancer Centre in major hospitals in every zone - North, South, East & West Peninsula and Sabah and Sarawak
* Providing public facilities for dialysis treatment in every high-density area
* Introducing a card-carrying system for Malaysians with special needs to provide for discounted prices of specific medications
* Introducing a support system for palliative home care for the aged and terminally ill

4. Towards Greater Efficiency in Public Transportation:
* Expanding the Rapid Bus System to every state capital, complete with facilities for the aged and disabled
* The continued expansion of the MRT, LRT and Commuter rail systems
* Building integrated bus, rail and taxi terminals in all towns and cities
  - Re-routing bus routes to ensure more efficient and accessible services for the rakyat
* Increasing individual taxi permits
* Implementing the national high speed rail network and expanding the double tracking railway system

5. World Class Infrastructure Development and Rural Transformation:

* The rapid expansion of the North-South Expressway with more lanes and exit points
* Building a 2,300-km Pan Borneo Highway stretching from Semantan, Sarawak, to Serudung, Sabah
* Extending the East Coast Highway from Kuala Krai-Kota Baharu & Gambang-Segamat
* Constructing a new West Coast Highway from Banting to Taiping
* The gradual reduction of intra-city tolls
* Implementing the 21st Century Village concept to spur rural transformation and bring the rural community into the mainstream of development
* Building another 6,300km of paved roads in peninsular Malaysia, 2,500km in Sabah and 2,800km in Sarawak to benefit an estimated 3.3 million people
* Solving the treated water supply problem in Selangor, the Federal Territory and Kelantan
* Extending the supply of clean water to another 320,000 homes throughout the country
* Expanding electricity supply to another 6,000 homes in the peninsula, 60,000 in Sabah and 80,000 in Sarawak
* Compelling service providers to ensure quality mobile phone services and reliable wireless access coverage throughout the country

6. Strengthening Women's Participation:
* Increasing the number of women participating in national decision-making
* Promoting gender equality to maximise the potential of Malaysians in all fields, regardless of gender
* Providing more business and income-generating opportunities for women to provide them a greater sense of independence
* Creating more incentives for work-from-home initiatives, with greater emphasis on single mothers
* Opening 1Malaysia Daycare Centres in all GLCs and government offices and encouraging the private sector to do the same
* Tightening laws to prevent incidents of sexual abuse and harassment in homes and in the workplace

7. Building a Resilient, Dynamic and Innovative Economy:
* Attracting RM1.3 trillion worth of investments and creating 3.3 million new jobs, of which 2 million will be in high income sectors
* Building towards achieving per capita income of USD$15,000 (RM45,000) by 2020
* Providing special incentives for innovative and creative ventures to generate more wealth and jobs
* Implementing policies that are fair and equitable to all races in Malaysia including pro-growth policies, greater participation of the private sector & development of the capital market
* Enhancing the effectiveness of the bumiputera agenda, including bumiputeras in Sabah & Sarawak, by providing business opportunities, a stronger eco-system (e.g. training & credit facilities) and institutional support)
* Working with state governments to allocate more land & increase productivity of existing land to enhance food and livestock production
* Reforming the existing tax structure towards a more broad-based tax system and gradually reducing personal and corporate tax
* Continuing special cash payments and development & operational funding exceeding 20 per cent of oil and gas revenue to Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu, Kelantan & Pahang
* Implementing a plan for the transformation of SMEs and establishing a National Trading Company to source overseas markets for SMEs products
* Creating & promoting more global and regional champions
* Ensuring GLCs continue to develop entrepreneurs by divesting non-strategic GLCs and increasing outsourcing programmes for bumiputera companies
* Providing RM500 million in seed funding to increase the equity of the Indian Community to at least three per cent
* Setting up a Special Unit to ensure the successful implementation of policies for the upliftment of the Indian community
* Increasing access to micro credit for all Malaysians, including RM100 million for hawkers and petty traders

8. Building towards Educational Excellence:

* Bringing Malaysia into the "top third category" of the best education systems in the world by improving the quality of national schools
* Improving the command of Bahasa Malaysia and English among students from the pre-school level, and making English a compulsory SPM pass subject in all schools
* Improving access to quality education for the rural and minority communities, especially in Sabah and Sarawak
* Providing more merit-based scholarships, with special provisions for disadvantaged communities
* Continuing special allocations to all types of schools including SKs, SJKCs, SJKTs, Sekolah Agama Bantuan Kerajaan, MRSM, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh and Mission Schools
* Expanding Single Session Schooling
* Revamping Teacher Training Colleges and raising the qualification bar for trainee teachers
* Introducing a simplified teaching and learning system for BM in Chinese and Tamil schools
* Building more schools of all types in areas of high demand
* Enhancing performance in Mathematics and Science, and developing higher order thinking skills in students
* Providing financial incentives of RM100,000 per annum for schools with classes for Special Needs children
* Converting SJKTs that wish to change status, into fully aided schools
* Setting up ICT labs in all schools that require them
* Transforming vocational schools into colleges and increasing enrolment to 20 per cent of the student population
* Expanding pre-school education to cover all types of schools
* Providing new career pathways to allow performance-based fast tracking promotion of 420,000 teachers
* Providing free and guaranteed Broadband Wifi on all campuses of public institutions
* Introducing a laptop ownership scheme in all schools bundled with Internet access

9. Enhancing Security and Public Safety:

* Boosting PDRM omnipresence with additional 4,000 police personnel per year
* Lighting up streets, alleys and lanes to further reduce street crime
* Strengthening the PDRM Motorcycle Patrol Unit by 5,000 vehicles
* Upgrading the welfare, professionalism and capability of the police, armed forces and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency
* Enhancing the total capability of the armed forces to deal with any form of incursion and external threat
* Maintaining and strengthening the police commission
* Using the 6P system to curb the influx of illegal foreigners
* Creating the Safecam Programme to link up private and public CCTV systems
* The extensive expansion of CCTV monitoring for high traffic public areas such as car parks, recreational areas, night markets and schools
* Introducing security initiatives in public housing schemes
* Enrolling an additional 50,000 police volunteer reserves to assist PDRM in patrolling and keeping streets safe

10. Nurturing Youth:

* Providing funding, training and incentives for youth-centric commercial ventures.
* Providing commercial space within shopping complexes one day in every month for youths to exhibit and market their creative products and services
* Establishing incubators to nurture quality leadership and creativity
* Creating a more resilient youth through active volunteerism in 1M4U
* Providing more free WIFI hotspots, with particular emphasis on rural and semi-urban areas
* Producing more high performance athletes at regional and international levels and promoting a more healthy lifestyle
* Revisiting laws pertaining to entertainment for the promotion of performing arts and culture

11. Weaving a Network of Social Safety Nets:

* Streamlining and improving safety net assistance through a unified database system
* Providing financial assistance and educational opportunities for lower income earners irrespective of race
* Turning Brickfields into a blind-friendly zone to serve as a model for future zones throughout the country catering to other sections of the disabled
* Setting up special courts with the same status as High Courts under the present justice system, whereby judges will be assisted by assessors chosen from among community heads, to deal specifically with NCR issues
* Gazetting all native customary land in close consultation with state governments
* Providing more income-generating opportunities within indigenous communities and increasing the intake of

 12. Promoting Islam, Religious Freedom and Harmony:

* Upholding Islam as the religion of the Federation and promoting the Syiar and Syariat of Islam in accordance with the principles of Maqasid Syariah
* Ensuring that other religions can be practiced in peace and harmony
* Assigning jurisdiction over non-Muslim matters to a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department
* Promoting the principles of moderation (Wasatiyyah) in all undertakings
* Increasing initiatives in uniting the ummah
* Unlocking income from developing wakaf land in cooperation with State Religious Authorities
* Increasing tax exemption for contributions to the construction, expansion and upkeep of places of worship
* The continuance of allocating land for the building of places of worship
* Providing more financial assistance to registered religious institutions and places of worship
* Promoting the welfare of Imams, mosque officials and guru-guru Kafa by providing service-based salaries and increments
* Upgrading the quality of Sekolah Agama Rakyat and allowing their students access to quality education and government education infrastructure
* Providing financial assistance to Sekolah Agama Rakyat and Sekolah Pondok

13. Fighting the Scourge of Corruption:

* The public disclosure of contracts to enhance transparency in government procurement
* Empowering MACC through the establishment of a Service Commission whereby the power of recruitment and service matters will lie entirely with the commission
* Elevating the Head and Senior Officers of the MACC to a higher level
* Giving equal emphasis on investigations into, and action against, bribe givers and receivers
* Fast tracking access to the Auditor-General's Performance Audit Report for immediate action
* Establishing additional special corruption Sessions and High Courts
* Implementing integrity pacts for MPs and State Assemblymen

14. Revitalising the Public Service and Enhancing Good Governance:

* Introducing the Transformative Salary Scheme for civil servants, including reviewing allowances and providing a special salary movement of three per cent to those on maximum salary, in the event there is no salary review
* Improving the civil service scheme to include more opportunities for promotion and development of talent and ensuring the quality of their general well-being
* Extending Urban Transformation Centres to all major cities and towns
* 'Merakyatkan Perkhidmatan Awam' (Endear the Public Service to the People) to ensure excellent service delivery
* Mobilising and empowering the civil service, including Local Governments and District Offices, to fulfill the demands, interests and concerns of the rakyat
* Improving counter services through the appointment of multi-racial frontliners and expanding online services for payments and applications
* Introducing recruitment programmes to ensure a fair mix of all races in the Civil Service and GLCs at all levels
* Enhancing the potential, capacity and capability of all civil servants regardless of race and gender
* Giving special attention to OKU (the disabled) to harness their full potential and capacity

15. Promises for a Global Movement of Moderates:

* Fighting for the establishment of a Palestinian state
* Supporting the realisation of Asean as an economic community in 2015
* Vying for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council in order to play a prominent role in regional peace and international security through our policy of moderation
* Enhancing economics and bilateral interests with major trading partners and emerging economies
* Formulating Foreign Policy which supports our strategic political, economic and security interests
* Taking the lead in fighting trans-national crimes such as human and drug trafficking
* Spearheading humanitarian outreach programmes in conflict areas such as Gaza, the West Bank, southern Thailand, Mindanao and elsewhere

16. Providing Affordable and Secure Housing:

* Building 1,000,000 affordable homes - driven by public and private sectors- including 500,000 PR1MA houses
* Pricing PR1MA houses at least 20 per cent below market prices
* Introducing a lease and own scheme for government housing projects
* Reviving abandoned housing projects to safeguard homebuyers
* Taking over the maintenance and upkeep of all Public Housing Projects
* Assisting poor and lower income home owners to rehabilitate their houses
* Replacing squatter settlements with secure and permanent housing
* Improving housing in estate and providing houses for former estate workers through Government-Estate partnership
* Abolishing stamping fees for first home purchases priced below RM400,000

17. Preserving Nature's Resources:

* Giving financial incentives to commercial and private premises which invest in renewable green energy resources such as biomass and solar
* Allocating more space for green lungs within major cities
* Revitalising rivers and streams via increased allocations and enactment of stricter laws and by-laws, and via special UNDP and River of Life programmes
* Increasing educational programmes to inculcate appreciation of the environment
* Preserving our forest and undertaking re-forestation programmes
* Enacting stricter and updated laws to prevent illegal activities of deforestation of vital and strategic conservation areas
* Employing green and latest state-of-the-art technology in waste disposal and management.

ABU's Scare Tactic

I am wondering whether I'll be a target of this hate group - Anything But Umno (ABU).
 Lawyer Haris Ibrahim of ABU, just the other day issued a warning to foreigners who hold MyKads.

"To foreigners who have been given MyKads, please hear this. ABU has issued warnings to all of you to stay away from our polling stations on PRU13 day. Please take this warning seriously. On polling day, ABU squads will be patrolling all polling stations and they will deal with all foreigners who are intent on defying this warning. Please, I emphasize again, take this warning seriously.”

You know my IC has got a 71 which means that I am foreign-born. So, should I be worried?

Can Haris' ABU Tahan squads tell the difference - whether I had just got my IC or naturalised or whatever -  if they stop me to check my identity?

Ok..How does ABU plan to do all this?

They will be patrolling? What? like policemen? Rela? By whose authority? Their own?

ABU is a law unto themselves, is it?

Sure doesn't make it right -- at all!

So..When Is the General Election?

Now that parliament has been dissolved -- and I can hear the sighs of relief - everybody wants to know when the election is.

But be patient. We've waited this long for the announcement on the dissolution of Parlaiment, we can wait a little bit longer ...
Next Wednesday (April 10) the Election Commission will hold a special meeting to decide the nomination and polling dates for the general election.
Many reckon that the dates are the least predictable since the country's independence in 1957.

Yesterday, Datuk Seri Najib Razak chaired the Barisan Nasional supreme council meeting. Later, he told the Press a lot of things, but not the candidates list, like who's who on it. Except tosay that it will be a surprise.

"There will be an element of surprise", he said.

Najib has hinted about the kind of candidates he wants. the word is "winnable".

Well, everybody thinks they are "winnable". Former MIC chief Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu thinks he is winnable and had offered to return to Sungai Siput as candidate.

 "I am a winnable candidate, there's no doubt about it. I am willing to re-contest the Sungai Siput parliamentary seat. Internal sabotage led to my defeat there in 2008 (general election)," he told reporters at Bukit Aman police headquarters ion Wednesday after handing over RM100,000 to the families of policemen killed and injured in the Lahad Datu terrorist intrusion.


Samy Vellu is BN coordinator for Sungai Siput, is also Special Envoy to India and South Asia for Infrastructure.

Last year, he blamed his former boss, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his defeat in the 2008 general election to Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj of the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM).

Samy Vellu, former works minister, lost by a 1,821-vote majority in his stronghold.

Wow, some sabotage, Tun must have been doing.
Of course, last GE, many veterans and stalwarts such as he, lost in their own strong turf.

Anyway, it is official that he will not be contesting this GE.

As far back as last year, the PM was asked about election candidates.

But generally, when the PM talks about BN canidates for the GE, his recurring message is that they would be the best candidate for the BN - and it doesn't matter how old they are.

I'm not sure if he will "conform" to previous practices -- we had read all this before -- a mixed list - combination of old and new faces and so on.

So far, we know that Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat will not be contesting. Neither is former Wnaita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz.

Said a veteran about Najib's element of surprise : "Real surprises can bring problems..like in 2008."

Without a doubt, it is a test for Najib -- between trying to please some people but not everyone.

We are waiting for the surprise....let's hope it's not a shock.
 And yes, when polling will be.

Meanwhile, tomorrow, the BN unveils its manifesto.

Daim Zainuddin NST Interview - Part Two

Here's the second and final part of the NST interview with former Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin headlined "We Should Not Waste Time With Anwar, His Time Had Come and Gone".

Back then in the 80s, Daim and Anwar were the king's men, the Team A (versus Musa Hitam's Team B). Here's a quote by Daim in NST's Up Close and Personal segment :
 

"Really, we should not waste time with Anwar. He is past his use-by date. His time had come and gone.
I also think that you should not give so much news space to him. That's what he likes. He does not like to be ignored, so ignore him I say. He should be left to be the entertainer that he is, dancing and singing at ceramahs. As I said his time is gone, like a burung punggok merindukan bulan, (a dog barking at the caravans, and the caravans have moved on)."

The interview that was published today:


THIS is the final part of the interview with former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin, who helped the Malaysian economy survive the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

Without mincing words, Daim discussed with New Straits Times journalists A. JALIL HAMID, RASHID YUSOF and HARIZ MOHD and photographer ZAHARI ZAKARIA the key events during the "Mahathir Years", including the events which led to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's downfall.
 
Question: Media reports suggested at the time of your departure from the cabinet in 1991 that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad had three names in mind as the new finance minister -- Tan Sri Sanusi Junid, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Was this indeed the case?
Answer: Rafidah was then the minister for trade, having been appointed to the post after the Team A versus Team B split in 1987. Sanusi was minister for agriculture.
Dr Mahathir wasn't too sure about Anwar. He said, "I don't think Anwar can handle the ministry of finance" given his academic background. He was a graduate in Malay studies.
My counter argument went along this line -- "I think if you want him to be your successor you have to groom him.
"I can help him and guide him, give advice."
In the end, I managed to convince Dr Mahathir.
Anwar used to come to my house very often to seek my advice on matters related to the ministry of finance.
He would also bring me to to his house for lunch very often. His aunt cooked my favourite dishes.
 
Read the rest of the Q&A HERE.