I will slit my throat if I am beaten in Batang Ai
We campaign to lose
Who cares. Let PKR lose. So that HQ know the internal squabbling in Sarawak. Anwar is to be blamed
The supporters and fence sitters, we rather be PISS OFF THAN TO BE SHIT ON MY PKR.
Teoh’s family advises his former colleagues to resign
Still distraught over his sudden death, the family of Teoh Beng Hock has advised his colleagues to look for other jobs.
“They urged some of my assistants, Teoh’s former colleagues, to quit. The family said they were afraid that they might meet with the same fate,” Selangor DAP executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, who was Teoh’s boss, told reporters outside the court where the inquest into Teoh’s death is being held.
Teoh, a political aide to Ean, died mysteriously at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here. He was being questioned as a witness in the anti-graft body’s probe into the alleged misappropriation of state funds by Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers prior to his death.
The inquest kicked off its first day today with a total of 97 witnesses listed for questioning including Mohamad Anuar Ismail, the MACC officer who led the team that questioned Teoh.
The team of lawyers representing the government and led by criminal lawyer Tan Hock Chuan said it was trying to squeeze in 12 witnesses for questioning today.
We urge you to take heed of their advice.
Most expect the board to hand down at least a three-year suspension on Chua, thereby effectively ending his political career. According to party constitution (Art 123 & 123A), the board works under the instruction of the presidential council and all disciplinary complaints must be filtered by the council before submission to the board for investigation and further action.
No worries, you are most welcome in PKR
Teoh’s death at the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters on 16 July 2009, after being interrogated in investigations of PR assemblypersons, should be mourned. And critical questions must be asked of the MACC.
Indeed, there may even be truth that his death is the consequence of selective investigation and harassment of the PR through the use of Barisan Nasional (BN) state institutions. Be that as it may, however, the incident should not overshadow the tough questions PR must ask itself 16 months after its victory at the 2008 polls.
Viable, really?
Can the PR really be a viable coalition? What caused the near collapse of the Kedah PR after the DAP threatened a pull-out there? Why does Penang seem a perpetual hotbed of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) discontent against the DAP-led state government?
What about criminal allegations involving a PR Selangor executive councillor (exco), brought by a fellow PR elected representative? Why is PR washing its own dirty linen in public and giving ammunition to the BN? Don’t they realise that a disunited PR could make an undemocratic BN look good?
Prior to this, it seemed easier to say that if anything were to break up the PKR-PAS-DAP alliance, it would be their opposite ideologies of Islamic state and secularism. But after 16 months as the government in Kedah, Penang and Selangor, the indications are that ideology alone isn’t causing the cracks. Rather, the three parties are now grappling with the realities of human nature: rivalry, politicking, and personal gain.
Take the PAS-Umno unity talks proposal. What may have started off on an ideological platform — to advance Islam — can be arguably described as a quest for personal power, given the insistence of PAS’s top two leaders in pushing the idea despite protests from party members and coalition partners.
Aminah Abdullah In Penang, Penanti by-election independent candidate Aminah Abdullah gave an insight to the problems of inaction and abuse in her former party, PKR. As a pioneer, she had also lamented about PKR’s problems, which she claimed the leadership did little about. The events that led to the by-election are also informative of political tensions in the state between the DAP and PKR.
Walking the talk
DAP central executive committee member Liew Chin Tong observes that the PR as a whole is coming to terms with walking the talk on the new politics of equality. Having sold the idea to the public, the PR now has to translate it into its internal operations and relationships.
“Do we want to reaffirm our faith in new politics? Or embrace the old way of Umno politics of asking for rewards because we think it’s our due after contributing to the party?” the Bukit Bendera Member of Parliament tells The Nut Graph in an interview.
It would be disheartening for the public if the PR, tasting ruling power for the first time in some states, were to behave no differently than BN parties in jostling for position and perceived dues.
Indeed, it was only a matter of time before one party’s dominance within the PR-led states began to have an impact on other coalition partners. This was perhaps most noticeable in Kedah, where the PAS state government caused grief with its 50% housing quota for bumiputera. The sole DAP representative’s long-standing unhappiness culminated with the demolition of a pig abattoir, which led to the near-collapse of the state’s political alliance when he threatened to leave the PR.
Khoo Kay Peng “The PR’s focus for the general election was short-term — to beat the BN. But for the long term, they haven’t figured out how to govern. It seems as if it hasn’t sunk in that they are now a governing regime in some states, and should start acting like one,” independent political analyst Khoo Kay Peng tells The Nut Graph.
Mechanism for grouses
Few of PR’s problems are ideology-based, suggests Khoo. If different ideologies were really a barrier, the three parties would have never come together.
“The three leaders — (the DAP’s Lim) Kit Siang, (PAS’s Datuk Seri Abdul) Hadi (Awang), and (PKR’s Datuk Seri) Anwar (Ibrahim) — are all realists. At the national level, Pakatan is solid because they have a common enemy in the BN,” he says.
But such solidarity doesn’t seem to extend further down the ranks. What the PR needs, says Khoo, is a mechanism to resolve internal differences at all levels.
“The PR has the presidential council as a mechanism at the top level and its state meetings, but the effects don’t seem to be felt among exco members and in the state legislative assemblies of PR states. It’s not to say that problems should be swept under the carpet, but public spats must stop so that the PR can focus on governing,” adds Khoo.
In Selangor, which appears to be one PR state that is governing reasonably well, according to a recent Merdeka Center for Opinion Research poll, allegations of impropriety and criminal links have surfaced.
PKR’s Wangsa Maju Member of Parliament Wee Choo Keong recently triggered an outburst from DAP exco members Ronnie Liu and Teresa Kok with his revelation of a Selangor exco member with links to underworld figures. Wee has only revealed the identity of the exco concerned to the police, who are investigating his claims.
In an interview with The Nut Graph, Wee says he did raise the matter within the PR through casual conversation, and went public with it because he felt it had to be addressed urgently.
Wee Choo Keong “Are you saying that if I know of a problem, I should just hide it so that Pakatan looks good? Are we only going to address this problem just before the next general election? You think Barisan doesn’t know and is not going to bring up this problem in the elections? Wouldn’t it be better for us to solve it now?” Wee argues.
PKR’s Seri Setia assemblyperson Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad tells The Nut Graph that Wee’s expose was “a little inappropriate”, but agrees that there is need for a better internal mechanism to keep PR reps in check.
Buck up, clean up
There is a larger context, however, based on speculation about internal dissatisfaction and rivalry within Selangor PKR. Fingers were pointed at Azmin Ali, a PKR vice-president, after he suggested in the state assembly that the exco line-up be reshuffled. It is said that Azmin has ambitions to replace Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as menteri besar. Azmin, of course, denies any such ambitions.
However, Nik Nazmi, an aide to Khalid, defends Azmin’s call for an exco reshuffle. “As leader of the PR backbenchers, he’s entitled to say that. The dewan is the place to discuss state affairs and was the right place for him to say it. We don’t want a rubber stamp legislative assembly. And the MB has been open about the criticism.”
The problem for the PR is that all these issues, including the MACC’s investigation of Selangor PR assemblypersons, are happening at a time when Najib’s popularity is on the uptrend.
Having repeatedly said that open dissent is healthy and is what makes the PR different from the BN, is the PR now in a mess of its own doing by not strengthening its internal mechanisms? Has it failed to weed out the less-than-clean among them, and succumbed to the temptations that come with power? Or is the BN really engineering the whole thing through its use of the MACC?
Teoh’s death has now cast a sinister shadow over the whole situation. And it would be a pity if what it takes is a death to jolt both sides of the political divide: the PR, to stop deflecting and to buck up, and the BN, to reform and clean up.
Will he die be in vain?
Teng said that should the ‘killer’ of her son ever be found, a jail term will not suffice, reported Sin Chew Daily yesterday.
Though never saying it explicitly, the report said her tone of voice suggested that she demands no less than an eye for an eye.
With his burial, this in one incident that will likely be debated and talk about in the weeks and months to come.
Questions will be plenty and the actions of the Police and MACC will be scrutinsed?
Foremost in my mind is:
1. Is it worth it?
2. What is the Police and MACC’s agenda?
3. For Supporter’s, is it worth it?
4. Will you be the aggrieve party or are you willing to be one of the aggrieved party? (some of the answers can be found within this blog!)
5. Do you allow your love ones to go near Pakatan Rakyat?
Stay tuned for the answers!
He said it was the Opposition strategy to show as if there were at odds with each other so that the people did not question their action.
“After all the fuss, they will kiss and make up. They don’t have better things things to do other than blaming Barisan Nasional.”
Razali was referring to the PAS-DAP spat over the demolition of an illegal pig abattoir in Alor Setar where DAP threatened to withdraw from supporting the Kedah government.
The issue was only resolved after Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak held talks with DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang.
Be wary of their tricks
Another issue erupted when Bukit Antarabangsa State Assemblyman Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR) urged the Selangor government to reshuffle its Executive Council claiming several members had underperformed.
“We must be wary of their tricks. They are not doing anything for the people and are only using the people to serve their own interest.”
The Deputy Minister of Youth and Sport said Umno Youth was waiting for more details on the intellectual talks proposed by PAS Youth particularly the date, time and place. – Bernama
Pakatan Rakyat leaders should not be too eager to mock Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s recent announcements on his 100th day ‘goodies’ to the people.
The announcements made by the prime minister may appear insignificant and insufficient to address the core issues faced by the country. However, the incoherent and quarrelsome Pakatan coalition may actually make the prime minister sound good and efficient.
At best, Pakatan’s own performance in the last 15 months was mediocre. Apart from making some pledges to reform – such as the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act in Selangor, the intention to hold local elections and the declaration of assets by the state executive members – a number of Pakatan state governments’ initiatives were equally populist.
Initiatives such as giving free water to households and a token allowance to the elderly will not help to eradicate poverty permanently.
None of the state governments have indicated how they are going to run their respective government differently from the previous administration. Ask any of the people who live in any of the Pakatan-run state; none of them can clearly explain the mid-term and long-term vision and direction of their new state government.
There is an apparent lack of effort from some of the Pakatan state governments to reach out to the people. As a result, the Kedah state government had announced a revision of 30 percent bumiputera quota for all housing projects to 50 percent.
Instead of trying to help homeless Malay families to own a home, the state government’s insistence to implement the new quota would have been detrimental to the housing sector in the state.
The state government obviously did not consider improving the income of these families as an option to help them to be able to afford their own house.
Some of the Pakatan-controlled state governments must be careful with their own announcements. It would be a mistake to take it for granted that the voters will continue to support the lesser of two evils. Cynically, a number of people would seriously consider selling their soul to the devil if all possible options and hope have run out.
Until and unless these new state governments can spend more time to work out a new socio-economic agenda and not keep looking to (or blaming) the federal government for (or the lack of) solutions, the initial public sense of déjà vu may soon turn into scorn and disappointment.
Pakatan problems self-inflicted
Unfortunately, the hostile political environment has created a barrier for both coalitions to openly discuss the options for them to cooperate and co-exist. The need to cooperate is not an option but a political responsibility to the nation and a respect for the people’s mandate.
Moreover, the current central planning economic model adopted by the BN government is outdated and sloppy. This model has created uneven regional development and unequal and unjust distribution of wealth in the country.
The physical evidence is obvious that developments were concentrated around the federal capital and areas nearer to the power centre. Those living in the resource rich states such as Terengganu, Kelantan, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak have remained poor and neglected from mainstream development.
Instead of working collectively to push for more resources and autonomy from the federal government to plan, execute and manage their own economic agenda, the Pakatan-controlled states have evolved into a mirror image of the coalition – fractious, mutually exclusive and lacking a decision-making process and a dispute management system.
Most of the controversies and issues faced by the coalition were self-inflicted. Supporters of Pakatan may argue that the open arguments between its leaders prove that the coalition is democratic enough to accommodate a divergence of views and characters.
However, too many frictions may indicate that the coalition members lack self-discipline and mutual respect for one another. The recent conflicts in Kedah, Penang and Selangor exposed a lack of mutual understanding, a weak coalition partnership and a mutual distrust between the DAP, PKR and PAS.
The coalition has done poorly in measuring and managing the appropriateness, behaviour, efficiency and effectiveness of its own policy makers. When criticised, its leadership was quick to defend and protect some of their recalcitrant and non-performing leaders.
Pakatan had demanded their rival BN to take action against their leaders for making racist and socially inappropriate remarks but failed to act on its own kind. Hence, the likes of Kulim Bandar Baru parliamentarian Zulkifli Nordin will continue to make insensitive remarks.
The resignations of two top leaders in Penang and Kedah and the defections of two state executive council members and a deputy speaker in Perak to the BN should not be taken lightly. These are the symptoms of a more chronic disease morphing in the coalition if left untreated.
I was told that some leaders, after a short spell at the top, have become inaccessible and arrogant. The taste of power can turn a person into either a responsible leader or an egoistic elite. What Pakatan should not emulate is the BN’s ability to alienate the civil society and the middle ground.
Policy vs Personality
Pakatan’s stunning victories in the last general elections do not belong to them solely. The battle was not won on the collective strengths of PAS, PKR or DAP alone but also the collective resolve of the people to push for a real change.
Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah was right to point out that we should focus on policy and not personality. This is a valuable advice for the Pakatan coalition to take heed. It should prepare itself for an eventual leadership transition which will take place in the DAP, PKR and PAS in the next few years.
These parties will suffer a great setback if they were to continue to focus on personality politics. Iconic leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim, Tok Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat and stalwart Lim Kit Siang are not easily replaceable.
A complacent Pakatan may end up seeing Najib and his coalition enjoying the last laugh.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
by Raja Petra Kamarudin
The writing was already on the wall very much earlier. Alarm bells were wailing like banshees. But this was largely ignored. It was ignored because it was Malaysia Today that had triggered the alarm bells. Malaysia Today is not the most reliable source. It does not offer the best of information. What Malaysia Today dabbles in are rumours and innuendoes.
When the Anti-Corruption Agency, now called the MACC, kidnapped the family of a police inspector, Malaysia Today raised the alarm. They had kidnapped the wife and child of a police inspector who had investigated a Chinese underworld boss on the instructions of a higher-up with the rank of ASP.
The inspector was just doing what his boss had ordered him to do, and that was to open a file and launch an investigation into the activities of the Chinese prostitution, loan shark, drugs and gambling syndicate. And this resulted in the detention of three syndicate bosses.
What the MACC wanted the police inspector to do was quite simple. They wanted him to change his report so that the three underworld bosses can be freed from detention.
And he would have to do that if he wants to secure the release of his family.
The police inspector refused to do that. Instead, he made a police report. And so did his wife. But nothing was done about the matter. The MACC officers were not arrested and dragged to court on kidnapping charges.
The MACC then leaked information to the media that they are investigating a very senior police officer, the Director of the CCD, for the crime of not declaring RM27 million worth of assets. The fact that MACC investigations come under the Official Secrets Act was not a hindrance. After all, the OSA is only used against opposition supporters and not against those who serve those who walk in the corridors of power.
Nevertheless, the Director of the CCD was finally not charged for not declaring RM27 million in assets. He was charged for using police property for his personal reasons, something that all government officers, ministers and politicians do blatantly every day of the week. But his real crime is that he detained several Chinese underworld bosses who control the prostitution, loan shark, drugs and gambling business all over Malaysia.
Then they arrested the lawyer who acted for the CCD Director. The MACC officers came to his office on the eve of Hari Raya and handcuffed him after roughing him up like one would do to an armed bank robber. To ensure that the lawyer suffered the greatest embarrassment this Hollywood-style arrest was done in full view of the entire office.
Malaysia Today wrote about all this. Malaysia Today not only wrote about all this but Malaysia Today repeated the stories again and again to make sure no one would say they somehow missed the story. But still nothing was done. No one denied the story. More importantly, no one did anything about what Malaysia Today revealed.
The MACC has been a tool of those who walk in the corridors of power for a long, long time. Officially, Barisan Nasional has 14 component members with Umno as the lead partner. Unofficially, Barisan Nasional has seventeen component members. The Election Commission is the fifteenth component member of Barisan Nasional, the Malaysian police the sixteenth, and the MACC the seventeenth. They all serve the interests of Umno and the Prime Minister.
The writing was already on the wall very much earlier. Alarm bells were wailing like banshees. But this was largely ignored. It was ignored because it was Malaysia Today that had triggered the alarm bells. Malaysia Today is not the most reliable source. It does not offer the best of information. What Malaysia Today dabbles in are rumours and innuendoes.
“Where is the smoking gun?” they ask. “Show me the body!” they demand. No gun, no body, then no crime has been committed.
Well, today, there is a body. It is the body of a most unfortunate Chinese opposition member who was arrested and tortured by the MACC officers. Yes, he was tortured. And he was tortured because the MACC wanted him to talk.
But he could not talk. He could not talk because there was nothing to talk about. The MACC wanted him to finger his comrades in the opposition. They wanted him to implicate his friends in the opposition for various crimes that the MACC alleges had been committed by those in the opposition.
He tried to explain that he is not being stubborn. He tried to explain that no crime had been committed. He tried to explain that he could not possibly implicate his comrades in the opposition for various crimes if these crimes are merely a figment of the MACC’s imagination.
So they continued to torture him. And he could no longer stand the torture. After all, he is not the macho type of man. He is but a gentle man who only wanted to get married this weekend. That was all that he wanted.
They threatened to kill him if he refuses to talk. With tears running down his cheeks he begged for mercy and pleaded with them not to harm him. They threatened to throw him off the top floor if he refuses to talk. Sobbing like a baby he went down on his knees and begged for his life.
They dragged him across the room and opened the window. Then something went terribly wrong. It was supposed to be just a threat. They just wanted to put fear in him. They did not really want to throw him off the top floor. They just wanted him to see what the ground floor looks like from the top floor.
The unfortunate young man panicked. He went ballistic when he saw the distance he would have to travel before hitting the ground floor. He struggled. They could not hold onto him. Gravity took over and the life of this young man was prematurely snuffed out.
The MACC then announced that they had released him the night before. They failed to announce that they had not released him from custody but released him from this world. Then they suddenly found his body the day after. He jumped. He committed suicide. He took his own life. He was never tortured. He was not dragged to the window with the threat that they would teach him how to fly.
This has been going on for far too long. The MACC acts like God. They kidnap families and torture those they arrest. They threaten those they interrogate with death if they refuse to talk.
And now one young man has really died. But no one will be punished. No one will be punished because they will say the young man took his own life. Why he took his own life no one knows. He was never tortured. He was never threatened with death. He was not made to look how far down the ground floor is. He was not accidentally dropped when he panicked and struggled and they could not get a good grip on him.
That is what they will be telling you and me later today.
Graphics from Manek Urai have been lost when site was Hacked and files that point to scams within PKR was mysteriously removed!
linasoo
