UMNO Shah Alam Liat Bayar Cukai Pintu.

Assalamu'alaikum...

Semalam Menteri Besar Selangor Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim dedahkan - UMNO Shah Alam masih gagal membayar tunggakan cukai pintu sebanyak RM800,000.

Abdul Khalid berkata, kerajaan negeri tidak akan teragak-agak untuk menutup bangunan terbabit sekiranya UMNO masih gagal membayar cukai tertunggak itu.

Hari ni Datuk Bandar, Mazalan Md Noor cakap - MBSA menerima bayaran secara ansuran (setakat ni RM50,000 telah dibayar) daripada UMNO Shah Alam dan perbincangan lanjut akan diadakan bagi mencari jalan terbaik dalam menyelesaikan cukai pintu yang tertunggak itu.

"kita masih dalam proses perbincangan untuk mencapai kata sepakat bagi menyelesaikan perkara ini.MBSA akan mengambil langkah terbaik untuk berlaku adil terhadap semua pihak," katanya.
Ni aku pulak nak cakap dekat MB Khalid - sita je bangunan tu & tak payah nak teragak-agak dah.UMNO dah ada banyak pengalaman mengurus negeri bahkan negara ni pun dah berpuluh tahun ditadbir oleh UMNO, mustahil parti besar ni tak reti undang-undang padahal undang-undang yang ada kebanyakannya digubal oleh parti melayu bangsat ni.

Harap MB Khalid tak kan bertolak ansur dalam perkara ni.sepatutnya UMNO tau sendiri tanggungjawab dia membayar cukai pintu pada kerajaan negeri.sita je terus & tak payah ragu-ragu...

Ni aku nak tanya Datuk Bandar pulak - agak-agak la, kalau rakyat kebanyakan ni tak bayar cukai pintu yang bernilai bawah 4 angka atau 5 angka la kan...senang je datuk pi sita rumah rakyat kan datuk kan??? ada can ke rakyat biasa-biasa ni nak berunding berbincang macam mana nak selesaikan tunggakan tu??? tak de la rasanye kan...ye la...rakyat ni "rakyat"...UMNO ni "dewa" agaknya bagi setengah-setengah orang tu...

Ni la yang dinamakan "adil"...dengan rakyat...tak dak toleransi...dengan UMNO...kita bawak bincang...MBSA memang kepala jubor!!!

Uniknya Kelantan - Neraka Politik Bagi UMNO/BN

Kelantan bagi ramai warga Malaysia adalah satu curiosity. Keanehan yang membangkit rasa ingin tahu. Terlalu banyak teori telah diperkatakan dan label dilekatkan kepada Kelantan dan warga kelahirannya. Juga banyak ciri telah disohorkan.

Kecantikan perempuan Kelantan. (Lupakan Pasir Mas! Intailah di Jeli, atau daerah Paloh di Gua Musang dan saksikan sendiri keindahan ciptaan Tuhan). Pemikiran politik rakyat Kelantan. Sifat samseng orang Kelantan. Perangai kenegerian orang Kelantan. Pegangan ugama umat Kelantan. Keusahawanan orang Kelantan. Kemeriahan Hari Raya Haji (Korban) di Kelantan. Fikirkanlah satu ciri sosio-budaya Melayu, hatta ekonomi, dan Kelantan adalah piawainya.

Melihat Kelantan dari perspektif dunia, kacamata global, Kelantan adalah satu fenomena yang unggul, berada dalam kelas yang sama dengan tamaddun ajaib dunia – Mesir dengan Sungai Nil, dan German dengan Sungai Rhine.

Seperti dengan Sungai Nil dan Sungai Rhine, Sungai Kelantan adalah berlawanan dengan “hukum alam” tentang sungai. Sungai Kelantan, bermula dari selatan, mengalir ke muara di utara. Begitu juga Nil dan Rhine, sungai-sungai yang telah melahirkan tamaddun dunia yang mengkagumkan di Mesir dan Eropah.

Sungai-sungai utama dunia lazimnya mengalir dari utara ke selatan, yakni dari atas ke bawah. Atau dari timur ke barat; barat ke timur. Sungai Mekong (Vietnam), Irrawaddy (Myanmar), Ganges (India), Mississippi (Amerika Syarikat), Euphrates (Iraq) dan Chao Phraya (Thailand) semuanya mengalir dari atas ke bawah. Dari utara ke selatan.
Sungai Amazon (Amerika Selatan), Yangtze (China) dan Danube (Eropah) mengalir dari barat ke timur. Dari kanan ke kiri.

Hanya Kelantan, Nil dan Rhine mengalir dari bawah ke atas.

Sifat sungai yang “melawan” hukum alam itu sendiri sudah boleh membayangkan satu keunikan, satu kesendirian yang sukar ditandingi. Seperti dengan sungai yang membolehkan kehidupan manusia yang bergantung kepadanya, begitulah kehebatan manusia yang minum darinya.

Maka itu, apalah yang nak dihairankan jika Kelantan itu bagi UMNO adalah satu neraka politik.

Sex and politics in Malaysia

PENANG - Opposition icon Anwar Ibrahim upped the ante of his campaign to topple the United Malays Nasional Organization (UMNO)-led government through plans to run in a by-election expected to be held later this month and formally re-enter politics. But with new criminal sodomy charges hanging over his head, it is unclear that Anwar, previously jailed on similar charges, will remain a free man long enough to contest in person the bellwether poll.

Some 15,000 people on Sunday welcomed Anwar back to the Permatang Pauh constituency where his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail recently resigned her parliamentary seat to pave the way for his democratic comeback. The constituency lies on mainland Penang, which was one of five in the 13 state federations to fall into opposition hands during a watershed election in March, which saw the ruling coalition lose significant electoral ground.

By throwing down the electoral gauntlet, Anwar clearly hopes that his bid to re-enter parliament will act as a catalyst to encourage defections from the ruling coalition. He has recently claimed the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (People's Alliance) is still on track to secure the parliamentary numbers it needs to seize power by September 16, coinciding with Malaysia's national day.

The ruling Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition currently holds a 140-81 seat majority over the People's Alliance in parliament, with the remaining member being an independent. Wan Azizah is president of the People's Justice Party (PKR), the cornerstone of the Pakatan Rakyat, which also comprises the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Islamic Party (PAS), and is currently parliament's opposition leader, the first woman ever to hold that high post.

However, there are heavier sexual overtones in Malaysian politics. Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar revealed last week that police had completed their investigations into a complaint lodged by a former PKR aide, 23-year-old Mohamad Saiful Bukhari Azlan, that Anwar sodomized him.

The relevant papers are now with the attorney-general awaiting further action and many fear the opposition leader's arrest could be imminent. The aide had gone to see a general practitioner at a private hospital soon after that, but the doctor found that there was no trace of sodomy, according to a hospital medical report leaked on the Internet and posted on several blogs.

Hospital authorities later told the media that a "sodomy check-up has to be done by a specialist, not a medical officer". They said such an examination had to be done by a "gut specialist", which the hospital did not have. The aide subsequently claimed he underwent a second examination at a government-run hospital hours after the first check-up. The second alleged report has not been made public.

In any case, Malaysians are being thoroughly enlightened in the media and on the Internet about the intricacies of a sodomy detection medical examination. It is also proving to be the butt of many jokes, with not a few asking if there are any sodomy medical specialists in the country. More gravely, PKR aides fear that Anwar could be arrested before the by-election is held.

If the attorney-general decides to press charges, as many suspect, then Anwar may be arrested and brought to court to be charged, said human-rights lawyer Charles Hector in his blog. "Note that Anwar can also be informed that he should attend court to be charged - that is, without there being any necessity to arrest him with masked police personnel", as authorities have done in the past.

Either way, after he is charged, Anwar is expected to plead "not guilty" and file a bail application. "Even if Anwar is denied bail - and has to be in remand prison - he can still contest," wrote Hector . "Even if they use the Internal Security Act and detain him [without trial], he can still contest."

Statistical edge
Anwar has made clear, most recently to a huge crowd on Sunday night, his intention to contest the poll even if while in lock-up. He has already forewarned of "massive" vote-rigging by the government to keep him from winning the seat.

Yet he apparently has public opinion on his side. Only 11% of Malaysians believe the sodomy allegation against Anwar, with 55% saying they disbelieve the allegation, according to a recent opinion poll conducted by the Merdeka Center. In contrast, Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi's approval rating has plunged to 42%, his worst rating since taking power in 2003.

A majority of poll respondents - 59% - said that economic problems, including spiraling inflation, were the most pressing issue facing the country now. With those numbers in his favor and his back against the wall, Anwar is clearly going for broke, hoping to convince disillusioned ruling coalition parliamentarians that the time is right for them to defect.

Anwar, a former finance minister, had earlier gone up and down the west coast of the peninsula, hammering at the government's 41% petrol price hike on June 5, which he claimed was hurting the economy and causing unnecessary hardship among many Malaysians. Consumer spending has dampened and manufacturers are worried as they struggle to cope with higher input prices.

Anwar has said he would reduce the domestic petrol price to just slightly over the pre-June 5 level "the very next day" after the Pakatan Rakyat comes to power. For its part, Abdullah's government has just announced a new move to "streamline" domestic oil prices to reflect global prices every month, beginning on September 1.

Given the high stakes, the by-election in Permatang Pauh, which is just next door to Abdullah's constituent seat at Penang's Kepala Batas, will assume national importance. The DAP, which now rules Penang, has promised to campaign hard for Anwar while the entire weight of the ruling coalition's election campaign machinery, money and media resources is expected to be concentrated against his bid in the run-up to the by-election.

Political observers are already viewing the poll as a head-to-head battle between two potential prime ministers in waiting: deputy Premier Najib Razak, who is expected to lead UMNO's local campaign, and the man many already view as prime minister in waiting, Anwar. Abdullah and Najib recently agreed to a political succession plan, in which Najib is scheduled to take over power in 2010.

Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah, won the seat handily at the March polls, winning 30,338 votes and outpacing her UMNO opponent by 13,388. In view of that result, a senior UMNO politician has already called for a party boycott of the by-election, claiming the poll so soon after general elections was irresponsible and a waste of public funds.

For their part, PKR strategists hope that Anwar will reach a 20,000-vote majority and that a stronger democratic mandate will convince ruling coalition parliamentarians to jump ship to the opposition. Given that most Malaysians believe the new sodomy charges against Anwar are trumped up, and in an opposition heartland, the ruling coalition faces an uphill battle. Analysts say it would be content to reduce PKR's winning majority and try to spin that as evidence that the tide is turning against Anwar and the PKR.

Attention will also be focused on the opposition PAS party's role in the campaign, particularly in light of the Islamic party's recent flirtation with UMNO in "Muslim unity" talks. A recent report in Harakah Daily, the PAS news website, indicated that the party's growing discontent with the opposition coalition stems from the power-sharing arrangements in the richest and most industrialized state of Selangor, which is now led by the PKR.

The report also expressed concern over what it viewed as unreasonable demands from non-Muslims for renovations and expansions of their places of worship in areas where they were only a small proportion of the population. PAS' talks with UMNO have gone down poorly among many DAP and PKR supporters, and PAS leaders have since pivoted, vowing not to leave the opposition alliance and to go all-out in campaigning for Anwar.

Depending on what sort of deal UMNO may be offering PAS, that may or may not happen. With all eyes now on the Permatang Pauh campaign, signs of defections from UMNO to the opposition, and the sodomy allegations against Anwar, Malaysia's political future depends on who will and who may have already jumped into bed with whom.

-Asia Times Online

Sayfool calon UMNO Permatang Pauh

Memandangkan pengorbanan yang amat besar Sayfool, maka eloklah UMNO pilih Sayfool sebagai calun UMNO di Permatang Pauh. Walaupun tulisan ini agak nakal sedikit. Namun atas asas moral seperti kata Ezam, maka tidak ada lagi calun lain UMNO yang sesuai, selain Sayfool.

Sayfool mempunyai banyak kelebihan berbanding semua ahli UMNO yang ada. Lihat blog Sayfool yang dibina dari dalam ‘tempat perlindungan polis’. Temanya hebat iaitu Demi Allah, Agama, Bangsa dan Negara.

Atas sifat keadilan yang hendak ditegakkan itu dan maklumat ‘rahsia’ yang banyak diperoleh waktu menjadi tukang kopi DSAI, maka maklumat terbaru berkenaan boleh dijadikan oleh Sayfool untuk menang di Permatang Pauh.

Selain dari maklumat, Sayfool melebihi orang lain kerana membiarkan lubang punggungnya menjadi bahan bacaan penyampai berita, menjadi baham tulisan media utama negara. Cuma pihak istana saja diam pasal lubang taik Sayfool tu. Tidak mungkin ada orang UMNO lain seberani Sayfool membiarkan lubang taiknya dibualkan oleh seluruh manusia yang hidup di dunia ini. Mungkin orang mati Mokhtar Abdullah, Dr.Rostina, dan Khalid Jefri pun sedang berbual-bual pasal lubang dubur Sayfool itu.

Gandingan mat tempur Ezam dengan Sayfool bolehlah dikira sudah cukup untuk memenangkan UMNO di Permatang Pauh. Ezam dan Sayfool amat penting dalam kestabilan politik UMNO mutakhir ini.

Kenyataan Annuar Musa ( yang datang shopping di Chesire Oaks Designer Outlets di Chester UK pada musim sejuk tahun 2006/2007 itu kononnya UMNO perlu boikot pilihanraya Permatang Pauh adalah salah. Apabila dikata sebagai pembaziran lagi tidak tepat. Kerana sebelum ini mana ada pemimpin UMNO mengaku pernah membazir wang Negara dalam semua tindak tanduknya.

Peluang yang ada di Permatang Pauh terbuka luas seluas lubang najis Sayfool yang dikorek oleh doktor di PUSRAWI untuk Sayfool menerangkan betapa tindakannya tidak ada lain selain dari Demi Allah, Agama, Bangsa dan Negara.

Kehebatan yang ada pada Sayfool yang pendek akal dalam mengaji di Uniten sehingga ditendang itu juga tidak terbandingkan, dalam kes lubang taiknya itu dia berjaya membawa semua orang menjadi cerdik dan menjadi bodoh belaka.

Lihat Pengurus Besar hospital PUSRAWI yang bergelar doktor itu pun terkial-kial berputar putar berbelit belit mengeluarkan kenyataan akhbar mengenai laporan lubang najis Sayfool yang dibocorkan keluar dari peti besi PUSRAWI.

Disamping itu lihat Dr.Novandri Hassan Basri (pemimpin UMNO pulau pinang yang didokong oleh tauke-tauke nasi kandar – Melayu ke depa tu?) pun terheret menjadi bijak lebih bijak dari doktor yang bertugas memeriksa dubur Sayfool itu, sedangkan doktor itu lebih lama bertugas serta lebih berumur dari Dr Novandri sendiri.

Sayfool mempunyai kelebihan berbanding Dr.Novandri kerana Sayfool rakyat Malaysia asal sedangkan Dr. Novandri cuma anak seorang tutor dari indon yang bertugas/pernah bertugas di USM satu masa dulu. Lihatlah orang seperti Dr.Novandri dan tauke-tauke nasi kandar sajalah yang sangat sayangkan UMNO kerana mereka asalnya adalah papa kedana di tanah air datuk nenek mereka sendiri. Mereka ini tidak pernah ada rasa ‘melayu’ Malaysia yang kebanyakkannya hidup di kampung-kampung di seluruh Malaysia yang jauh lebih selesa berbanding mereka ini di Negara asal masing-masing.

Yang lebih penting untuk diingati dan dikenang Sayfool ini adalah pencipta sejarah Negara yang berkonsepkan Malaysia Boleh yang didokong UMNO melalui Institut Pemikiran Mahathir dan Nordin Kardi birotatanegara. Sayfool seorang pencipta sejarah Negara Malaysia kerana kes lubang duburnya itulah menyebabkan Perdana Menteri PakLah melarang Peguam Negara(Gani Patail – nama tak jauh dari Tamby (Rahim Tamby Chik – Pegerusi GABEM yang mendapat projek memajukan Kampung Baru) ) dan Ketua Polis Negara (Musa Hassan) dari menjalankan tugas dan tanggungjawab masing-masing.

Adakah orang lain selain dari Sayfool yang berjaya membikinkan keadaan ini? Cuba cerita?. Tidak ada. Inilah contoh manusia (Sayfool umurnya 23 tahun) yang dihasilkan dari pemerintahan UMNO Mahathir selama 22 tahun itu.

Bahkan Angkasawan Negara yang mencipta sejarah Negara serta baru mendapat pingat dari istana itu pun tidak sehebat Sayfool itu, kalau ada pun dia senyap begitu saja. Kalau Angkasawan Negara berjaya menyebabkan JJ gagal menjadi menteri kabinet PakLah dan menyebabkan pemecatan Prof Dr Mazlan dalam projek angkasawan itu, pergaduhan hampir berlaku antara Kazastan dengan Russia adalah semata-amat akibat kedangkalan menteri menteri sains ketika itu (JJ), tetapi Sayfool pula hebat kerana kes lubang duburnya itu sudah melibatkan satu Negara kecoh. Ini sudah dikira bersejarah!.

Oleh yang demikian, UMNO mempunyai Sayfool untuk menjadi calun di Permatang Pauh. UMNO juga mempunyai pendekar tulin, Ezam boleh membantu Sayfool di situ. Biarkan mereka berdua saja ke Permatang Pauh dalam pilihanraya berkenaan. Pembesar-pembesar UMNO dan media tidak perlu ke sana dan mereka pula tidak perlu membuat laporan mengenai pilihanraya Permatang Pauh itu nanti kerana di khuatiri akan berlaku pembaziran wang rakyat dan Negara kerana pemimpin UMNO nampaknya mulai kenal apa itu pembaziran.

muramatsu
United Kingdom.

Jangan Takut..! Kalau runtuh, kome yang kene...bukan aku..!

KUALA LUMPUR, 4 Ogos (Bernama) -- Pengguna jalan raya tidak perlu bimbang menggunakan jejambat Jalan Lingkaran Tengah 2 (MRR2) kerana strukturnya masih utuh, kata Timbalan Ketua Pengarah Kerja Raya I Datuk Ir Mohamad Husin.

"JKR ingin mengesahkan struktur jejambat MRR2 itu selamat digunakan," katanya dalam satu kenyataan.

"Tiada keretakan baru dilaporkan atau keretakan lama yang timbul semula seperti yang dilaporkan sebelum ini," katanya.

"Kontraktor akan memulakan kerja awal untuk memperbaiki retakan lekang di tiang sambut 28 di MRR2 esok," sambung Mohamad Husin.

Katanya, keputusan itu dicapai pada mesyuarat bersama pakar-pakar Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR), wakil juru perunding dan kontraktor yang diadakan di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata JKR juga telah menubuhkan satu pasukan petugas khas untuk menjalankan siasatan serta menyelia kerja pembaikan oleh kontraktor.

Ir Mohamad berkata seperti yang ditegaskan Menteri Kerja Raya Datuk Ir Mohamad Zin Mohd semalam supaya soal keselamatan tidak boleh dikompromi, tindakan menutup lorong terkiri di kedua-dua belah arah akan diteruskan bagi membolehkan siasatan ke atas kesemua tiang sambut dan kerja pembaikan dilaksanakan.

Semalam, jejambat MRR2 yang menghubungkan Kepong dan Selayang ke ibu kota terpaksa ditutup buat kali ketiga selepas tiangnya dikesan mengalami kerekahan.

Ir Mohamad juga meminta para pengguna jalanraya agar mematuhi panduan papan tanda yang telah diletakkan di tempat terbabit.

Why is this hot seat such a hot choice?

WHY Permatang Pauh?

Why not Lembah Pantai? Or Bandar Tun Razak? Or Gombak?

These are parliamentary seats whose MPs had mentioned vacating their post to make way for Mr Anwar Ibrahim.

And the opposition leader himself had announced earlier this week that he would contest the Kulim by-election in Kedah.

So why the change?

Especially since picking such a safe choice would seem to display the opposition's lack of confidence?

But at the heart of it, Mr Anwar's decision to contest in the Permatang Pauh by-election was deliberate, believes Malaysian political analyst James Wong.

He told The New Paper that by taking over a seat from his own wife, Mr Anwar might be trying to prevent the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), from politicising the move.

'If Mr Anwar had taken any other opposition seat, the BN would say he is not giving his own party members face. He is just walking in and taking what they have already fought to win in the last elections,' he said.

'But if it's Dr Wan Azizah giving up her seat... that, people can accept. It's a wife, a family member, offering up her own seat to her husband.'

Besides, Dr Wan Azizah has always made it clear that she was an accidental politician who was forced to step up to Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)'s top job after her husband's 1998 downfall.

But if the plan is to keep it within the family, why not aim for daughter Nurul Izzah's Lembah Pantai seat?

When the 27-year-old budding politician decided to contest in this year's elections, word within the party was that she would eventually vacate her seat to pave the way for her father's return to politics.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's head of political science, Dr Ahmad Nidzammuddin, feels that Mr Anwar did not want to jeopardise his daughter's political career.

'She beat an Umno veteran (Wanita Umno deputy chief Shahrizat Jalil) for her seat. She has demonstrated that she can perform and has potential to be a politician on her own,' he explained.

PROBLEMS

But even though winning the by-election will end up being a sure thing for Mr Anwar, picking Permatang Pauh has its problems as well.

Dr Ahmad believes that BN might view Mr Anwar's choice as a sign of 'desperation'.

'They will say he's going back there because, of course, he'll win it.'

Already, Umno leaders have scoffed at the move.

Some have said Mr Anwar is trying to distract voters from the sodomy allegations against him.

Tourism minister Azalina Othman told New Straits Times: 'They (Mr Anwar and wife) are treating Permatang Pauh as a family playground where they can simply pass the baton as and how they like.'

After all, Permatang Pauh is Mr Anwar's comfort zone - a seat that he held onto for almost four terms before his 1998 jail sentence.

His wife swept into power in 1999 and managed to keep a firm grip on it, even during the 'blue wave' of the 2004 elections when BN won more than 90 per cent of the parliamentary seats.

Mr Wong said: 'Permatang Pauh is Anwar's home ground. No matter what, there will always be a core of people who will support the hometown boy.'

Added Dr Ahmad: 'Barring any technical controversies, he will definitely win, with an even bigger margin than his wife's.'

But Mr Anwar has downplayed Permatang Pauh's significance.

He told the Malaysian media on Friday: 'Actually (Selangor chief minister) Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim had offered Bandar Tun Razak, so did Azmin Ali with his Gombak seat.

'They are all safe seats, including the one in Kulim.'

Mr Wong has another theory why Mr Anwar has decided to return to his Penang roots - the timing now is just right.

He said: 'In 1998, the opposition was dominated by fiery characters like Lim Kit Siang, Hadi Awang and Anwar himself. What was needed was someone to integrate the different parties together.

'Wan Azizah filling the seat was suitable because that role suited her gentle personality.

'Now the winds of change are different. The opposition supporters are feeling the pinch of the fuel hikes and inflation. They are a lot angrier.

'Permatang Pauh voters need someone with a more aggressive stance, someone who is vocal and fiery, and Anwar fits the bill now.'

-TMB

Racial politics remains top issue

AUG 4 — Amid the usually staid setting of a studio at Radio Television Malaysia, the country's state-owned organisation considered by critics for many years to be propaganda machinery for the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, a lively discussion on politics took place live and uncensored yesterday evening.

On a news crawler at the bottom of the screen over RTM2, live and unedited text messages in English and Chinese were displayed.

In English, one viewer had written: "BN is a racist group. BN uses racism to cover corruption."

Most of the other messages also contained similar sentiments against the ruling coalition, and was telling about Chinese sentiment five months after the March general election.

A significant number of messages called for political parties to embrace multiracialism and discard the race-based system of the BN.

Based on the text messages alone, it could be surmised that animosity towards the BN, especially Umno, remains at an all-time high.

On screen, where another unprecedented situation was taking place in the form of four Chinese leaders from four different parties across the political divide being seated together in the same forum on television, the invited guests did not disagree with the views being articulated by viewers as they spoke.

"If Umno does not change, the Chinese and Indians will not vote for BN. The MCA, MIC and Gerakan will have to close shop," Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, the former MCA vice-president said.

"The MCA must tell Umno to take a more multiracial approach."

Chua was among the four guests on the special live RTM2 show discussing the consequences of the proposed Umno-Pas talks.

The discussion centred on how the talks and the concept of Malay unity would affect non-Malays and the concept of multiracialism in the country.

The other guests were the DAP's Teng Chang Kim, Gerakan's Chang Ko Youn and PKR's Low Chee Chong.

Chang pointed out that it was dangerous for any party which used race or religion to garner support. He said if race and religion were used together, it would be "scary."

"We must all consider ourselves first as Malaysians, and govern on the basis of upholding democracy and justice."

Since suffering heavy losses in the elections, both the MCA and Gerakan have been under pressure from party grassroots to articulate more forcefully Chinese sentiment.

Chua, who was forced out of office because of a sex scandal just before the elections, has been leading the push for a more forceful MCA.

"The MCA is still a Chinese party but it should become issues-based, and have a multiracial outlook. These issues include corruption, abuse of power, and Hindraf. They are all our issues.

"But we have to remain careful now though because the Malays feel threatened," he said.

He also pointed out that after more than 50 years in existence it was difficult to bring reforms to a party like Umno.

The DAP's Teng said that it would be difficult for Malaysia to bring a quick end to race-based politics.

"We are only now growing up as a country. I would say we are at a stage where we are no longer children but still not quite an adult yet," he said.

Ultimately, viewers appeared to agree with him, despite the overwhelming support for more multiracialism in the political system.

The result of a poll conducted while the show was on was that 85 per cent of the respondents said Malaysia would never rid itself of racial politics.

-TMI

Daulat Tuanku! Daulat Tuanku! Daulat Tuanku!

The People’s Parliament

Your petition to His Majesty the Yang DiPertuan Agong to register our concerns on the judicial appointments and to appeal for His Majesty’s intervention has been launched.

In October, 2007 5,036 anak-anak Bangsa Malaysia petitioned His Majesty, appealing that Fairuz’s term as Chief Justice not be extended, as was then sought by the Prime Minister. My sources tell me that His Majesty did take note of the concerns voiced by those 5,036 individuals.

That petition was launched before the BERSIH and HINDRAF rally took place; before Makkal Sakhti took hold of the imagination of the rakyat.

Given the heightened spirit of “people power” amongst the rakyat, it would be good if this petition could garner a significant increase in the number in support compared to the previous.

According to news reports, the position of Chief Justice falls vacant on 18th October, 2008.

I would like to get the petition to His Majesty by the 15th of September.

That gives us over a month to get a decent number of signatures.

As was done with the earlier petition, what you will see here is not the final document which will be forwarded to His Majesty, in that the requisite court language has not as yet been weaved into the document. That will be done later, without any change to the substance of the petition.

Also, those signing the petition will also have to avail their identity card numbers. Please note that pseudonyms and names without ic numbers will be deleted.

People, this petition is yours. Its success or otherwise, is in your hands.

You can access the petition HERE.

-Malaysia Today

UMNO & Rasuah Berpisah Tiada...

PUTRAJAYA: Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) hari ini mengesahkan ada menerima beberapa laporan berhubung kes rasuah dalam pemilihan cawangan dan bahagian Umno.

Ketua Pengarah BPR Datuk Seri Ahmad Said Hamdan berkata BPR sedang melakukan siasatan terhadap laporan itu.

"Kita ada terima laporan ...tapi tak banyaklah, sejumlah kecil saja. Kita sedang mengambil tindakan sewajarnya," katanya kepada pemberita selepas majlis perhimpunan bulanan Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) di sini hari ini.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai penahanan calon Ketua Umno Bahagian Seremban Mohd Nor Awang oleh BPR kerana disyaki memberi sogokan wang kepada seorang anggota Umno untuk mengundinya pada mesyuarat cawangan.

Ahmad Said menjelaskan definisi rasuah tidak berdasarkan kepada jumlahnya, asalkan ia dapat mempengaruhi keputusan pemilihan.

Beliau juga berkata setiap aduan kepada BPR perlu disertakan dengan bukti dan fakta.

"Berikan kepada kami fakta yang benar dan kami akan ambil tindakan," katanya.
Ahmad Said berkata BPR mendapat kerjasama yang baik daripada orang ramai dalam usaha membanteras rasuah.

"Anda dapat lihat sekarang ini kita menerima maklumat yang betul dan bernas daripada orang ramai dan ini menunjukkan satu perubahan baru...kita harap sokongan ini berterusan untuk sama-sama menentukan kesejahteraan rakyat Malaysia," katanya.

-mSTAR Online

'Senang perebah' Ezam di Ptg Pauh

kemaskini 4:48pm Mohamad Ezam Mohd Noor "lebih senang diperebah" jika terpilih sebagai calon BN menentang bekas ketuanya Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dalam pilihanraya kecil Permatang Pauh, kata pengarah pilihanraya negeri PKR Mustaffa Kamal Yusuf.

"Ezam tidak akan banyak membantu (Umno). Kalau beliau bertanding, saya rasa besar peluang kita. Lagi senang perebah (jatuhkan).

"Kita pasang saja rakaman (ucapan) beliau dulu-dulu," katanya kepada Malaysiakini hari ini.

Menurut Mustaffa, pengundi kawasan parlimen itu "cukup kenal" dengan bekas setiausaha politik Anwar itu.

Mohamad Ezam menyatakan kesediaannya mencabar Anwar, jika diberikan peluang oleh BN, dalam pilihanraya yang disifatkan sebagai "pertandingan moral" demi "menegakkan kebenaran."

Dihubungi hari ini bagi mengulas dakwaan Mustaffa, bekas ketua Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) berkata:

"Mereka (PKR) boleh buat apa juga dakwaan. Hakikatnya, dalam tempoh Anwar dipenjara, sayalah yang mengepalai gerakan mobilisasi rakyat melalui AMK dan lain-lain."

Beliau, yang sedang berada di Indonesia, dalam jawapan melalui khidmat pesanan ringkas (SMS) berkata, dalam pilihanraya kecil yang akan datang, beliau "akan pastikan Anwar mendapat tentangan paling sengit dalam sejarah politiknya."

Sementara itu, Mohamad Ezam enggan mengulas dakwaan ahli Majlis Pimpinan Tertinggi PKR, Badrul Hisham Shaharin bahawa beliau pernah bertemu Mohd Saiful Bukari Azlan pada 27 Jun lalu, sehari sebelum bekas pembantu Anwar melaporkan kepada polis mendakwa diliwat bekas majikannya itu.

Badrul Hisham jua mendakwa Mohamad Ezam telah mendapat maklumat bahawa terdapatnya "konspirasi kedua" terhadap penasihat PKR itu empat bulan lalu.

"Saya diberitahu oleh dua orang yang hadir di mesyuarat tersebut bahawa Ezam menyatakan akan berlaku terhadap Anwar tuduhan yang sama tetapi watak yang berbeza," katanya, lapor edisi terbaru Suara Keadilan.

Mohamad Ezam enggan memberikan komen selagi tuduhan itu tidak datang daripada Anwar sendiri, katanya melalui SMS.

Diminta mengulas kemungkinan wujudnya pengundi hantu, Mustaffa berkata, jawatankuasa pilihanraya PKR sedang mengemaskini maklumat sistemnya SISMEP 12 untuk mengesan perkara itu.

Dalam pilihanraya umum 8 Mac lalu, sistem itu banyak membantu, katanya.

PKR negeri juga sedang membangunkan laman web www.permatangpauh.com untuk memberikan maklumat terkini dan aktiviti parti untuk menghadapi pilihanraya kecil itu, kata Mustaffa.

Laman itu akan dilancarkan selepas penamaan calon, tambahnya.

-malaysiakini

1 Lawan 1 atau 5 penjuru?

Assalamu'alaikum...

Pilihanraya Kecil Permatang Pauh P44 bakal berlangsung bila-bila masa je dari sekarang.aku ingat aku nak naik ke PP jugakla nanti...ada member ajak...lagipun aku rasa tak rugi kalau aku pi sana..."be a part of history!"pergh...

Ha...smalam sembang ngan member sambil minum-minum teh ( mahal betul teh skang...rm1.20 segelas ) sembang pasal apa?...pasal apa lagi...Permatang Pauh la...dengar cerita kali ni dah tak de dah 1 lawan 1...depa dok habaq kat aku kali ni mungkin akan jadik sejarah di Malaysia sebab akan jadi medan tempur 5 penjuru -

Pakatan Rakyat ( penyandang ) lawan BN ( Barang Naik ) lawan parti bebas ( AKIM - Angkatan Keadilan Islam Malaysia) lawan parti bebas ( x dak nama lagi ) lawan parti bebas kaum India ( pun x dak nama lagi ) lawan parti bebas kaum Cina ( pun x dak nama lagi )...

Boleh agak kan??? satu lagi strategi haprak UMNO ( UMNO je aku panggey haprak sebab ada banyak komponen dah tak sebulu ngan UMNO ) untuk pecahkan undi pada Pakatan Rakyat...nak suruh orang undi BN alamatnya...mampuih...jadi...reka la banyak-banyak parti bebas, sponsor masuk tanding pilihanraya kecik ( depa banyak duit...x pe la...duit mak pak depa ka??? ) dengan harapan undi majoriti yang akan berpihak pada Pakatan Rakyat akan berkurangan & itu akan dijadikan isu bahawa populariti Anwar sudah merudum ditempat sendiri...
Betul punya akal pendek...

Ni aku panggey strategi bangsat sebab ikut info yang aku dapat dengan mereka-reka 1 parti yang perjuangkan Islam, 1 parti melayu, 1 parti kaum india & 1 parti kaum cina puaka-puaka UMNO nanti akan memainkan isu kononnya Pakatan Rakyat dibawah naungan Anwar sebagai ejen pemecah belah sehingga timbulnya berbagai parti perkauman & agama dalam politik Malaysia ( padahal UMNO yang reka semua parti ni ).

Ye la kan...nak menang memang tipis sangat harapan...nak bagi Pakatan Rakyat menang percuma...maruah pulak tergadai sebab orang akan panggey BACUL sebab tak berani nak lawan...aih...ada maruah lagi ke depa ni???...kalau aruah tu aku tau memang dah dekat sangat dah dengan UMNO nih...

Bagi aku la kan...UMNO ni patutnya jantan la sikit...tak payah pakai strategi bodoh tu...lawan macam anak jantan...1 lawan 1...berani ke???confirm la tak berani...kalau berani pun sebab back up blakang ramai ( puaka-puaka kaki pungkoq ).

Nak harap kederat sendiri...biaq pi la dulu...stakat nak raba anak orang tu memang depa brani la...nak lawan jantan 1 sama 1 mintak mahap...keris tu simpan je la buat pelimau kot-kot buleh menang pakai limau...sape tau kan???

Tapi buat masa ni yang aku nampak, memang terang-terang puaka-puaka UMNO memang cukup gelabah...hari tu ada la jugak harapan masa depa minang PAS...tup tup...PAS tolak pinangan...meghaban sakan la balik ni...

Aku syorkan daripada puaka-puaka UMNO ni dok reka-reka parti-parti gampang untuk tanding kat sana...baik hangpa pi cari Pak Nawi nu ha...mintak Pak Nawi tolong tengok-tengok startegi paling baguih...nak carik Pak Nawi???hangpa pi jumpa MSK dulu...

Dah...aku nak tidoq...mimpi la hangpa puaka-puaka UMNO...( kalau boleh tido la... )

Panas! Skandal Seks Menteri Homoseksual

"Percaturan politik di Malaysia nampaknya sedang menuju ke satu trend yang amat kotor. Selepas seorang menteri MCA kecundang akibat penyebaran satu dvd seks membabitkan dirinya, kini satu lagi dvd seks yang membabitkan seorang lagi menteri dikatakan akan disebarkan di Kepala Batas.

Sumber-sumber memberitahu blog ini, dvd itu dikatakan memaparkan “adegan seks amalan kaum Nabi Lut” yang dilakukan oleh seorang menteri. Ikut terminologi moden, menteri itu dikatakan berasmaradana secara gay.

Menteri itu daripada komponen BN. Tetapi bukannya daripada MCA. Menurut tulisan blogger Datuk Kamal Amir yang disiarkan dalam Malaysia Today, dvd itu dipercayai “melibatkan pemimpin tertinggi negara dalam percaturan moral sewaktu kunjungannya ke Singapura.”

Sumber-sumber juga memberitahu blog ini bahawa amalan gay menteri berkenaan sebenarnya sudah diketahui oleh pucuk kepimpinan negara. Tetapi, ianya terus dirahsiakan daripada pengetahuan rakyat jelata.

Oleh itu, soalnya di sini ialah, kalau amalan songsang menteri berkenaan dirahsiakan selama ini, mengapakah kini terdapat usaha untuk mendedahkannya? Siapakah pihak ini? Dan, apakah motif politik di sebaliknya?

Sumber-sumber yang sama juga mempercayai pihak yang terlibat mendedahkan skandal seks para menteri kebelakangan ini adalah dari satu kumpulan tertentu yang dikatakan mempunyai nafsu politik yang amat rakus.

Sumber-sumber itu juga berkata, pihaknya menerima info bahawa dua lagi dvd seks mengenai “dua lagi orang besar” mungkin disebarkan oleh pihak berkenaan di sebuah negeri di pantai timur semenanjung.

Jadi, adakah usaha di atas sesuatu yang terancang dan dilakukan oleh pihak yang mungkin rapat dengan pucuk kepimpinan negara?

Dari : Malaysiakini

PM: Rakyat marah MRR2 retak lagi
Keretakan terbaru di Lebuh Raya Lingkaran Tengah 2 (MRR2) menyebabkan rakyat marah akibat pembaikian dulu tidak dijalankan dengan sempurna, kata perdana menteri.

"Dulu ketika rosak, kita telah mengeluarkan belanja RM70 juta dan ini adalah satu perbelanjaan yang besar. Dan sekarang ini retak lagi, mengikut apa yang dimaklumkan oleh pengguna jalan raya.

"Inilah cerita-cerita yang membuatkan rakyat tidak senang hati, bahkan marah.

"Sebenarnya masalah ini boleh dielakkan jika sekiranya pihak yang bertanggungjawab berhati-hati dalam memastikan apa yang telah dibaiki itu sudah teguh dan tidak akan berlaku lagi sebarang keretakan atau kerosakan dalam masa yang singkat," kata Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada perhimpunan bulanan Jabatan Perdana Menteri (JPM) hari ini.

Menurut laporan Bernama lagi, jika semuanya dibuat dengan baik, sudah tentu rakyat tidak akan berasa marah dan laluan tersebut boleh digunakan dengan selamat dan tidak menakutkan.

"Menakutkan jika berlaku runtuhan atau kemalangan lagi, jadi, sudah tentulah ini tidak baik," beliau dipetik sebagai berkata ketika mengulas mengenai MRR2 yang dibina dengan kos RM238 juta dan telah dibaikpulih menggunakan belanja tambahan RM70 juta mengalami keretakan sekali lagi.

Semalam, lebuhraya jejambat itu yang menghubungkan antara Kepong dan Selayang ke Kuala Lumpur sepanjang 1.7 kilometer serta jalan di bawahnya ditutup kepada semua lalulintas berikutan keretakan baru itu.

Arahan dikeluarkan oleh Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) dan Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) selepas beberapa pemandu melaporkan mereka ternampak batu-batu jatuh dari salah satu rasuk jejambat itu dekat stesen Komuter Kepong.

Pada bulan Ogos 2004, laluan berkenaan ditutup buat pertama kali berikutan masalah keretakan rasuk tiangnya.

Pada Februari 2006, ia sekali lagi ditutup akibat masalah yang sama yang memerlukan struktur itu dibaik pulih dengan kos RM70 juta.

Anwar bertanding biar dari lokap
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim bertegas akan meneruskan pertandingan pada pilihanraya kecil parlimen Permatang Pauh walaupun beliau berada ditangkap polis.

Beliau berkata, dalam apa keadaan sekalipun hasratnya untuk bertanding itu tidak pernah luntur bagi mencapai matlamat Pakatan Rakyat menawan Putrajaya, lapor Bernama.

"Saya tidak tahu sama ada saya akan dibenarkan berkempen atau tidak selepas ini.

"Sama ada saya masuk lokap atau tidak, saya tetap akan bertanding di Permatang Pauh," katanya pada ceramah perdana PKR di Tapak Ekspo Seberang Jaya malam tadi.

Tambahnya, bagi mencapai matlamat menyelamatkan ekonomi negara, Pakatan Rakyat perlu cepat bertindak memandangkan keadaan semakin buruk.

Sebab itu beliau memilih untuk bertanding di Permatang Pauh kerana beberapa kerusi Parlimen lain seperti Kulim-Bandar Baharu masih dalam proses menunggu keputusan mahkamah, tambahnya.

Anwar berkata, tidak timbul soal isterinya Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail mengkhianati pengundi di kerusi parlimen itu dengan meletakkan jawatannya kerana sejak awal lagi beliau telah menjelaskan akan memberi laluan kepada suaminya sejurus sahaja beliau layak bertanding.

Selain Anwar dan Dr Wan Azizah, beberapa pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat, antaranya naib presiden PAS Datuk Husam Musa dan setiausaha agung DAP Lim Guan Eng turut berucap pada majlis itu.

Menurut agensi berita itu lagi, majlis ceramah itu pembuka tirai kempen PKR menjelang pilihanraya kecil parlimen Permatang Pauh.

Rabu ini, Suruhanjaya Pilihan raya (SPR) akan menetapkan tempoh berkempen dan mengundi bagi kawasan itu.

DAP: Tsunami kecil di Permatang Pauh
DAP akan memastikan kemenangan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim di Permatang Pauh boleh mencipta satu "tsunami politik yang kecil", kata tokoh utamanya Lim Kit Siang.

"Pertaruhan dalam pilihanraya kecil itu bukan mengenai nasib seseorang (pemimpin) dan kerusi parlimen tetapi masa depan rakyat dan negara Malaysia," katanya.

Isunya, tambah ahli parlimen Ipoh Timur, bukan mengenai sama ada pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat dan penasihat PKR itu boleh menang tetapi sama ada beliau boleh mencipta kemenangan lebih besar daripada majoriti 13,388 yang diperolehi oleh presiden parti itu Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"Jika Anwar boleh menang dalam pilihanraya kecil ini dengan majoriti lebih besar daripada yang Dr Wan Azizah dapat lima bulan lepas, ... ia akan membawa kesan membentuk perkembangan lanskap politik," katanya.

Clutching at straws: the signs of a dying man

Today, the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL are going to be subjected to immense pressure. They are going to be pressured into amending their reports to implicate Anwar in the allegation that he sodomised Saiful on 26 June 2008, the day after he met Rodwan in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

Kim Quek’s 3 July 2007 article called ‘Some seriously troubling questions in Malaysia’ says it all (read the article here ). Though the article is slightly over a year old, it is worthwhile re-reading it, not only to refresh our minds as to what happened in the early stages of the Altantuya murder trial, but also as a reminder as to what the Malaysian judicial system is like and what to expect when they invariably and eventually charge Anwar Ibrahim for sodomy, plus whatever else they are going to charge him with.

This is an excerpt of Kim Quek’s 3 July 2007 piece:

That this murder case has been subjected to serious political manipulation has been obvious from the very start when the police commenced their highly questionable investigation, right through to the present trial when the conduct of lawyers for both sides appear increasingly dubious. Instead of the prosecutor seeking the truth and the defence lawyer fighting for the accused, both seem preoccupied with an overriding mission – to prevent the whole truth from emerging. Their combined efforts to cover up the issue of the immigration record and the identity of Najib Razak in the picture are just two examples of such conduct.

The highly irregular nature of this case was also marked by frequent and mysterious changes of legal personnel, resulting in a complete changeover of the defence team, the prosecutors and the judge even before the hearings began. These weird phenomena were crowned by the shock appearance of a new team of prosecutors who were appointed only hours before the hearing was supposed to begin, thus necessitating an impromptu two-week postponement of the trial. None of these changes of legal personnel has been properly explained, except for the resignation of Abdul Razak’s first lawyer, Zulkifli Noordin. Zulikifli quit, he said, because of "serious interference by third parties".

Okay, that was last year. Let us see what happened ten years ago in 1998 when Anwar was first made to endure the agony of a sodomy trial. There are strong reasons to believe that what happened ten years ago will soon be repeated. The system has not changed. The players remain the same. Expect, therefore, the same strategy to apply. And I will bet my last Ringgit on the possibility that I will be 100% right. Anyone want to make some money by covering my bet? Or are you of the opinion that I will be right and that you will just be wasting your money by taking me on?

On the evening of 20 September 1998, Anwar was detained under the draconian Internal Security Act, a law that provides for detention without trial for an indefinite period of time. On 29 September 1998, Anwar was slapped with nine charges in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court. Another charge, the tenth, was preferred against Anwar in the Petaling Jaya Sessions Court. After the charges were read out to Anwar, he pleaded not guilty and claimed trial to all ten charges. It was at the Sessions Court that Anwar revealed to the world at large his black eye and the shocking news that he was beaten while under police custody. It later turned out, after deliberations by a Royal Commission of Inquiry, that his assailant was none other than the Inspector-General of Police himself.

The Public Prosecutor subsequently transferred Anwar’s case to the Kuala Lumpur High Court. When the trial kicked off on 2 November 1998 before High Court judge Augustine Paul, the Public Prosecutor decided to try Anwar on four charges first. Eventually, the balance six charges were dropped -- for obvious reasons; in that they had no case against Anwar and to continue with the charges would just make the government look more stupid than it already was.

Just for the record, Anwar’s case is labelled PUBLIC PROSECUTOR v DATO SERI ANWAR BIN IBRAHIM (Criminal Trial Nos. 45-48-98 & 45-47-98).

Then came the biggest bombshell in the trial -- the amendment of the four charges on 12 January 1999. The words ‘to deny sexual misconduct and sodomy committed by you for the purpose of protecting yourself from criminal action or proceedings’ were deleted from the charges. The effect to this was that the prosecution DID NOT have to prove that Anwar had committed the alleged sexual offences. They only needed to prove that allegations were made against him. That’s right. They no longer had to prove that Anwar, in fact, did commit sodomy. They only had to prove that an allegation had been made; that was all.

As this amendment came at the closing stages of the prosecution’s case, the defence profusely objected to it. It was clear that the amendments were meant to help strengthen the prosecution’s case because, thus far, they appeared to be losing their case against Anwar. Leading defence counsel Raja Aziz Addruse argued that the amendment was unjust and prejudicial, as it was done at such a late stage when Anwar’s name had already been tarnished. Furthermore, Raja Aziz Addruse argued, since the prosecution had been adducing evidence to show that Anwar had committed the alleged sexual misconduct and sodomy, the amendment was clearly prejudicial to Anwar.

Raja Aziz reiterated: "Throughout the life of the mattress in this court, it has been suggested this was the scene of sexual misconduct. It was brought to court even before PW12 (chemist Lim Kong Boon) gave his report. Now that the findings of the chemist had been challenged severely, and if I may submit, very effectively, the prosecution now says that what they intend to prove in the amended charges concerns only the allegations. Anwar’s name and that of Shamsidar Taharin were smeared throughout the trial and the prosecution now tells us that sodomy and sexual misconduct allegations are not a major part of the charges."

On 14 January 1999, Justice Augustine Paul created another perplexing precedent. He ordered that all evidence that had been adduced to prove or rebut the allegations of sexual misconduct and sodomy against Anwar be expunged. He further ordered the parties to focus on ‘corrupt practices’. Again, Raja Aziz objected and urged the court to express regret over the prosecution’s conduct in adducing prejudicial evidence "now expunged, which led to injustice". Raja Aziz added, "If an injustice has been done, it is the court’s duty to see that remedial measures are taken."

At the end of the prosecution’s case, the judge ruled that there was a case for the defence to answer. The trial proceeded to stage two, where defence witnesses would be called to give evidence.

Anwar, the first defence witness, spoke of the use of ‘the instruments of government’ to frame him. He accused the police and the Attorney-General’s office of being involved in the fabrication of evidence against him. He also spoke of the role of Ummi Hafilda Ali and Azizan Abu Bakar and how they were used by the ‘conspirators’ to make damaging allegations against him and how they were forced to give evidence in court against him.

The ‘star witness’ for the prosecution, Azizan, had earlier testified that Anwar had obtained from him a written admission to deny sexual misconduct and sodomy. The judge accepted this ‘evidence’. The judge totally ignored the fact that, while under cross-examination by Anwar’s counsel, Christopher Fernando, Azizan had admitted under oath THREE TIMES that he was never sodomised by Anwar. The judge, in fact, had earlier lost his temper and declared that Azizan was such an “unreliable witness who says one thing today and another thing tomorrow”.

Nevertheless, in his written judgement, the judge changed his mind and said that even though Azizan had been inconsistent and kept changing his testimony, this does not mean he is lying. The judge then went on to say that he finds Azizan’s testimony “as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar”.

Yes, that was what happened in 1998-1999. The most crucial element in obtaining a conviction against Anwar was the mattress and the testimony of the chemist, Lim Kong Boon. When it appeared like the mattress and the chemist’s testimony would not hold up in court, the judge ordered that the mattress be rejected as evidence and the chemist’s testimony be expunged from the court records.

All of a sudden this ‘evidence’ no longer existed. So they now only had Azizan’s testimony to work with.

Then, Azizan changed his testimony and declared under oath, THREE TIMES, that Anwar never sodomised him. The judge became angry and scolded Azizan. He even declared that Azizan was an unreliable witness who keeps changing his testimony. Then the judge ruled that just because Azizan keeps changing his testimony, this does not mean he is lying. The judge further ruled that Azizan’s inconsistent and ever-changing testimony ‘is as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar’.

A couple of days ago, the police wrapped up their investigation on the latest sodomy allegation against Anwar and handed their findings to the Solicitor-General. The Solicitor-General was shocked when he read the file. They have absolutely no case against Anwar. Furthermore, the fact that the accuser, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Bin Azlan, met Senior Assistant Commissioner (SAC) II Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel in Kuala Lumpur one day before the alleged sodomy took place makes this highly suspicious indeed. And, on top of that, Anwar has an alibi for 26 June 2008; the day the alleged sodomy took place.

The police now need a ‘scientific approach’ to nail Anwar. In 1998, the evidence (mattress and chemist’s testimony) was thrown out of court and they had to rely entirely on the testimony of the prosecution’s ‘star witness’ -- in spite of him testifying THREE TIMES that Anwar never sodomised him. This time around, mere testimony is not enough. They need to ‘scientifically prove’ that Anwar sodomised Saiful.

But they face a major problem here. In 1998, the problem was the mattress and chemist Lim Kong Boon’s testimony, which eventually had to be both thrown out of court. This time around, in 2008, it is Saiful’s underwear. They are going to ‘prove’ that they found Anwar’s semen stains on Saiful’s underwear. But the problem is, Saiful’s girlfriend went and washed the underwear so how can they possibly find any semen stains on a freshly washed pair of underwear?

To convince the court (the judge who will most likely be an Umno Terengganu man) that they did find Anwar’s semen stains on this already washed underwear, they would need to not only plant fresh ‘semen stains’ but they also need the Chemistry Department to say that they did examine the underwear and they did find Anwar’s semen stains on it. And they also need the doctors at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) to say that they did do a second medical examination on Saiful (which they did not) and that they did find evidence that Anwar had sodomised him.

Anwar was supposed to have been arrested and charged for sodomy later today. But they can’t do it today after all. They might need to do that later this week. Today, they are going to work on the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL to get them to agree to change their reports. Based on the existing evidence they can’t even charge Anwar, let alone obtain a conviction. Only if the chemists and doctors change their reports would it be possible to charge Anwar.

Okay, they might be able to charge Anwar if the chemists and doctors agree to change their reports. But would this be sufficient to obtain a conviction? That does not matter at this stage. They can always get the judge to do an Augustine Paul-like stunt like what happened in 1998. The important thing is to first charge Anwar and then deny him bail so that he can be locked up for five to six years while the trial proceeds. That would dent his effort to win the Permatang Pauh by-election, which will certainly be held over the next 60 days or so. And it will also neutralise Anwar’s efforts to form the new federal government some time next month when not less than 30 Barisan Nasional Members of Parliament cross over.

Today, the chemists at the Chemistry Department and the doctors at the HKL are going to be subjected to immense pressure. They are going to be pressured into amending their reports to implicate Anwar in the allegation that he sodomised Saiful on 26 June 2008, the day after he met Rodwan in room 619 of the Concorde Hotel. Thus far, the chemists and doctors have held firm and have refused to fabricate any evidence. They stand by their report that there is not only no evidence that Anwar has sodomised Saiful but there is also no evidence that Saiful has ever been sodomised.

Will the chemists and doctors continue to hold firm or will they succumb to the pressure and change their reports? We will of course know the answer to that later today. In the meantime, let us hope that these chemists and doctors say: enough is enough, no more fabrication of evidence! We know they are under immense pressure and it is not easy to defy the whims of those who walk in the corridors of power. But if they unite and stand together, the might of those who walk in the corridors of power can be challenged. They can hurt one man if all the others relent. But if all stand together, shoulder-to-shoulder, to defy kemunkaran, there is very little the government can do and their so-called case against Anwar will be ripped to shreds.

To those brave souls in the Chemistry Department and the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, Malaysia Today salutes you. Come join the ranks of Malaysians who rejected all forms of kemunkaran on 8 March 2008. Stand united. Stand to be counted. Come stand with us as we move forward in an attempt to bring Malaysia, screaming and kicking, into the next era of equality, freedom and justice for all Malaysians regardless of gender, race, creed and religion.

May God give you the strength to do the right thing!

Some seriously troubling questions in Malaysia

On Day 10 of the trial, Altantuya's cousin Burmaa Oyunchimeg testified that after Altantuya returned from France, she went to Hong Kong to meet Burmaa, and showed her a photograph of Altantuya and her lover, Abdul Razak Baginda, who is accused of conspiring in her murder, and "a government official" taking a meal together.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Kim Quek, Asia Sentinel (3 July 2007)

An unbelievable spectacle took place in the bizarre murder trial of Mongolian beauty Altantuya Shaaribuu on June 29. Karpal Singh, the lawyer for the victim’s family, attempted to ask a question about a “government official" allegedly seen in a photograph with the victim. At that point, both the prosecutor and the defense lawyer sprang to their feet in unison to block the question.

This resulted in a shouting match, with Singh on one side, the victim’s cousin on the stand, and the combined forces of the prosecution and defense blocking the line of questioning.

Earlier, a similar division of forces occurred when a Mongolian witness – a girlfriend of the victim told the court that immigration entry computer records of the deceased and her two Mongolian companions, including the witness, had been mysteriously erased. When Singh asked the court to take proper note of this highly irregular event, both the prosecution and defense objected to the evidence as irrelevant, and insisted that it be expunged.

Now, isn't that a strange phenomenon? A prosecutor is supposed to seek justice for the deceased victim's family against the murderers, so how come the prosecutor is now ganging up with defense lawyers to oppose the victim's family lawyer? Is this a case of prosecutor vs. defense or a case of prosecutor plus defense vs. victim's family? Obviously, the prosecution and defense seem to have plenty of common interests. What are those common interests?

The answer may lie in the identity of that "government official" that allegedly appeared in the photograph with Altantuya that both prosecution and defense tried so hard not to allow into court.

The picture

On Day 10 of the trial, Altantuya's cousin Burmaa Oyunchimeg testified that after Altantuya returned from France, she went to Hong Kong to meet Burmaa, and showed her a photograph of Altantuya and her lover, Abdul Razak Baginda, who is accused of conspiring in her murder, and "a government official" taking a meal together. Answering Singh later, after the shouting match in the court had subsided, she said this "government official" was Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.

She could distinctly remember the name, she said, because it bears a similarity to Altantuya’s acknowledged lover's name, and she even asked Altantuya whether they were brothers. Burmaa further added that the photo had also been shown to Altantuya's father.

Now, the revelation of Najib in the photo would not have caused such a sensation if not for the deputy prime minister's oft-repeated denial of any knowledge of Altantuya, including a public denial during a recent by-election, when even the name of Allah was invoked.

What does Najib have to say now that his denial is directly contradicted by the witness Burmaa? His press secretary Tengku Sarifuddin Tengku Ahmad issued a brief statement on June 30 saying that the deputy prime minister had declined to comment for two reasons. One, any comment might be sub judice, since the case is in court, and, two, Najib had already repeatedly denied an acquaintance with the girl in the past, "as such, the issue over the picture does not arise,” the spokesman said.

Sub judice? That’s ridiculous. How could a simple statement like "I have never had my photo taken with Altantuya" be sub judice? In fact, being the number-two leader in the government, Najib is absolutely duty-bound to say outright whether he was ever photographed with Altantuya, in view of the serious implications of Burmaa's allegation.

The issue over the picture does not arise? Equally ridiculous. In fact, the opposite is true. Precisely because of Najib's past denials, it is all the more imperative that Najib must stand up now to clarify.

Guilty conscience?

There is only one explanation for Najib's past denials and his present silence: A guilty conscience. If Najib's conduct with respect to the case had been above-board, there would be no reason for him to deny an acquaintance with his friend Abdul Razak’s friend Altantuya. Similarly, if the allegation of the picture is false, it is inconceivable and totally incomprehensible that Najib should have chosen not to refute Burmaa's allegation.

In fact, Najib seems so worried about the publicity of the picture that his secretary called editors in the local press and requested them not to blow up the issue. This resulted in the explosive story being absent from the local headlines the next day. (In one Chinese paper – Guang Ming – the Najib story hit the front page in the evening edition, but disappeared completely by the next morning). And of course, Anwar Ibrahim's criticism of the trial and his specific call on Najib to clarify the issue of the picture during a press conference was generally blacked out.

However, despite such new suppression, irreversible damage is done. There is little doubt that Najib is deeply troubled and his political position seriously weakened.

Manipulation

That this murder case has been subjected to serious political manipulation has been obvious from the very start, when the police commenced their highly questionable investigation, right through to the present trial when the conduct of lawyers for both sides appear increasingly dubious. Instead of the prosecutor seeking the truth and the defense lawyer fighting for the accused, both seem preoccupied with an overriding mission – to prevent the whole truth from emerging. Their combined efforts to cover up the issue of the immigration record and the identity of Najib Razak in the picture are just two examples of such conduct.

The highly irregular nature of this case was also marked by frequent and mysterious changes of legal personnel, resulting in a complete change-over of the defense team, the prosecutors and the judge even before the hearings began. These weird phenomena were crowned by the shock appearance of a new team of prosecutors who were appointed only hours before the hearing was supposed to begin, thus necessitating an impromptu postponement of the trial for two weeks. None of these changes of legal personnel has been properly explained, except for the resignation of Abdul Razak’s first lawyer; Zulkifli Noordin, quit, he said, because of "serious interference by third parties".

Under these circumstances, the public must brace itself for more aberrant scenarios from this court, while Najib and his supporters may have to keep their fingers crossed in the days ahead when many more witnesses have yet to walk through what must appear to Najib as a minefield.

On a more serious note, this unseemly trial does not exactly add credit to Malaysia’s system, whose already wretched image has just been further mauled by the shameful finale of another sham trial – that of Eric Chia of Perwaja Steel fame. After seven long years of investigations and three years of court hearings, that case was thrown out due to lack of prima facie evidence. With that, the long-drawn out Perwaja Steel saga ended without finding any culprit for the mountain of losses (more than RM 10 billion) suffered by taxpayers.

There has been a spate of criminal cases being dismissed of late due to inadequate investigations and poor prosecution, indicating that the downward slide of our criminal justice system, which began in the Mahathir era, has gotten worse under Abdullah Badawi's leadership. With the criminal justice system in a shambles, the rule of law is in jeopardy. And that is an important benchmark to judge the efficacy of Abdullah's administration vis-à-vis his reform agenda.

Kim Quek is a Malaysia-based commentator.

Umno lantik monyet lawan Anwar

Umno suka buat kerja – kerja monyet - yang terbaru ialah mereka bercadang nak melantik seekor monyet untuk menentang Anwar Ibrahim di Permatang Pauh , dimana mereka menganggap Anwar sebagai gagah perkasa seperti harimau!

Agak-agaknya siapakah monyet yang dimaksudkan oleh Ketua Bahagian Permatang Pauh, Datuk Abdul Jalil Abdul Majid itu?

Katanya, terserahlah kepada PM Abdullah Badawi untuk menentukan calon di situ.Maka terserahlah kepada Abdullah untuk memilih monyet mana yang paling layak.

Dengar khabarnya, mereka mahu monyet tempatan.Kalau Abdullah bersetuju , tentu dia akan melantik bapak monyet tempatan ; tidak lain ialah Datuk Abdul Jalil sendirilah!

-ALHUSSEYN

POLIS RAJA DI MALAYSIA

Oleh usamabenladen

Saban tahun kita akan menunaikan puasa serta berzakat untuk membersihkan diri dari harta yg haram serta membina keperibadi yg mulia… Namun demikian, kita seharusnya simpati dengan anggota polis yg mungkin terdiri dari adik-beradik, abang, saudara mara atau kawan yg sehingga hari ini masih berada dalam lembah yg hina...

Mungkin ramai yg akan mengatakan bahawa bukan semua anggota polis ini mengamalkan rasuah atau salah guna kuasa namun demikian kajian yg dibuat serta pandangan dari bekas Polis Inspektor General (PIG) Tun Ganif Omar bahawa 40 % pegawai polis di Bukit Aman sendiri adalah pengamal, penerima, pendorong atau mereka yg bersengkokol dengan rasuah serta salah guna kuasa… Sungguh kasihan kerana selama ini ramai ahli keluarga mereka akan hidup dengan rasuah ataupun terlibat dengan wang.

Namun demikian, ada ramai diantara anggota polis yg mengamalkan rasuah ini juga masih berhati-hati menggunakan wang tersebut, contohnya wang rasuah tidak dibelanjakan untuk makanan serta minuman tetapi perhiasan dan juga aksesori atau bayaran kereta.

Ada juga dikalangan anggota Polis yg meminta rasuah dari orang ramai kemudiannya diakadnya seolah-olah jual beli, ataupun diminta halal seolah-olah itu pemberian ikhlas dari pesalah atau sesuatu tugasan.

Ada juga anggota polis yg rasuahnya didapati secara bulanan secara pakej lantas dibahagikan bagi kes tempat atau bangunan perjudian dan kegiatan haram yg imbuhanya diambil secara tetap dan berkala.

Terdapat juga rasuah yg bersifat agak professional iaitu dengan bayaran bulanan ansuran kereta, bil telefon, elektrik ataupun ansuran perabut serta pelbagai bil.

Ada juga yg tidak mengamalkan meminta bayaran atau menerima wang namun dengan rela hatinya menggunakan kuasa bagi melepaskan kaum kerabat atau kawan dari segi saman, salah laku serta kadang-kadang memelihara informer untuk menangkap jerung yg lebih besar… Justeru , unsure rasuah dalam salah guna kuasa ini berkembang biak dalam pasukan polis dan mendominasi 50% lagi anggota polis yg rasuah..

Pendek kata untuk hanya 10 % Polis yg tidak rasuah dan menyalahgunakan kuasa itupun polis yg tidak berurusan dengan orang ramai dan jarang terlibat dalam operasi…

Pada tahun 60 an, 70 an dan 80 an kalau ada saudara kita menjadi polis maka kita akan melihat polis itu hanya akan menukarkan peluru pistolnya selepas tamat tempoh memandangkan jarang digunakan. Namun demikian, kini Polis kini terlibat dalam membiayai dan menguasai gangster demi untuk mendapatkan habuan. Justeru polis kini raja di Malaysia. Salah satu kemarahan orang India sehinggakan tertimbulnya HINDRAF yg digelarkan penghapusan etnik ialah kecendrungan kematian kaum India dalam dan semasa tahanan reman.

Polis memiliki kuasa yg amat tinggi dalam masyarakat sehinggakan terdapat kes pembunuhan serta jenayah yg melibatkan polis ini sering terlepas dan berlaku kesilapan. Bayangkan ada kes yg dadah yg bakal mengakibatkan kematian, bahan bukti boleh hilang dalam simpanan atau bertukar kepada daun kering. Terdapat mangsa tahanan reman serta mereka yg ditahan dilokap boleh dirogol ataupun mati ketika ditahan. Namun demikian, polis ini adalah alat kepada pihak pemerintah iaitu UMNO kerana polis takut dengan kuasa dan pangkat. Mereka boleh mengenakan seseorang ataupun menzalimi orang lain.

Apakah peranan Polis dibawah PIG yg baru ini iaitu, anak kepada Hassan Asharri yg memiliki kelebihan dalam mengajar mengaji muqaddam. Saudara kepada Fuad dan Jalaludin Hassan ini memiliki keistimewaan yg sangat hebat iaitu kepatuhannya kepada rejim UMNO. Ia mampu melaksanakan tugas tanpa berbelah bahagi dalam melaksanakan misi . Ini pernah diakuinya sendiri dalam kes DSAI pada tahun 1998.

Apakah misinya kepada Negara!!! Sehingga kehari ini beliau masih lagi terlibat dan bersekongkol dengan puak UMNO untuk mengejar laba dunia serta kuasa dan pangkat. Kita perlu doakan agar PIG ini kembali sedar akan amanah yg dipikul akan dihitung dihadapan Allah di akhirat kelak.

Pemuda Muar beramai-ramai masuk PKR malam ini!

Oleh anakraja

Seramai kira-kira 120 orang pemuda dari Muar, Johor akan menyerahkan borang keahlian Parti Keadilan Rakyat pada malam ini kepada En. Yatim PKR Bahagian Muar.

Kepada sesiapa lagi yang inginkan KEADILAN di tegakkan di Muar dan kawasan sewaktu dengannya bolehlah menghubungi 0136001777 sebelum pukul 8 malam ini untuk kita sama-sama menuntut perubahan dilakukan di peringkat tertinggi kepimpinan di Malaysia kita yang ter cinta ini. Jumlah besar ini sekaligus menampakkan ketidakyakinan golongan pemuda terhadap perjuangan UMNO itu sendiri. Kerajaan sepatutnya menyampaikan maklumat yang sebenar tentang pergolakan rakyat!
Hidup Reformasi!

Should BN yield by-election to Anwar?

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 — De facto opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will soon get his day at the polls.

On July 31 his wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Ismail vacated the parliamentary seat of Permatang Pauh in Penang, which she had won by over 13,000 votes, to afford him a parliamentary comeback bid.

Already, the coming by-election is being billed as the “mother of all by-elections”.

The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition has not named its candidate but has conceded that defeating the former deputy prime minister in his stronghold will be a very long shot. Permatang Pauh is the safest seat for the Penang-born Anwar who held it for more than a decade prior to the 1998 sodomy and corruption charges.

A survey by an opinion research firm has found that more than half of Malaysians are dissatisfied with governance by the BN at the national level.

Of the 1,030 people randomly polled by the Merdeka Centre in the first half of July, only 44 per cent said that they were very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the BN.

The dominant partner in the ruling coalition, Umno, was only popular with one in three. Only 36 per cent, gave them the thumbs up as a political party “which reflects the aspirations and needs of the people”.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's popularity has also dropped to a new low. More than half of the respondents said they are dissatisfied with his performance. Only 42 per cent are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the way he is leading the country.

The findings of the survey, which has a 3 per cent margin of error, are perhaps all the more significant, given the coming by-election.

More significantly, the survey also found that the public is doubtful about the sexual misconduct claims against Anwar, with only 11 per cent of Malays and Chinese, and 13 per cent of Indians, believing the current sodomy claims.

To recap, his former aide Saiful Bukhari Azlan had lodged a police report in June claiming Anwar had sodomised him. The police recently completed their investigations, and the decision to prosecute now lies with the Attorney-General's office.

Unless the police can come up with stronger evidence than they have to this point, expect Anwar to use his considerable oratorical skills during by-election campaigning to further ratchet up sympathy and reinforce his point that the allegations are a political conspiracy to keep him from getting into Parliament and effecting a crossover from disaffected BN lawmakers so that his coalition Pakatan Rakyat can take over at the federal level.

Even if the authorities decide to charge or arrest him in the run-up to the by-election, which must be held within the next 60 days, the BN is unlikely to come up smelling of roses.

The survey also found a troubling extent of mistrust and disenchantment against the core institutions in the country. Less than a third of respondents said that they were confident that the police, attorney-general or judiciary “would be fair and independent in their handling of the (Anwar) case”.

Since Anwar is a shoo-in candidate for the seat, some have suggested that the BN should save their resources and let him have the seat uncontested.

Although unorthodox, there is merit in the suggestion. The inevitable muckraking and character assassination at the stumps would only add to the political tedium already felt by the people.

The money, resources and energy would be far better spent accelerating reforms to the police, judiciary and anti-corruption agency, as Abdullah has promised to do before stepping down in mid 2010.

At the same time Abdullah must realise the economy demands greater attention. Because of the economic uncertainties and political distractions, it continues to drift downwards adding to the increasing gloom.

-TMI

In memory of Fadzil Noor

AUG 4 — The roaring Reformasi days a decade ago had many unsung heroes; one of them was the late Pas president Datuk Fadzil Noor.

On Sept 2, 1998, the nation was shocked and confused. Having just been through the 1990s with the memories of a menteri besar carrying a massive amount of cash into Australia while another allegedly had sex with a minor, it is not surprising that some held the view that of the many allegations against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, one or two must be true. Pas leaders were no exception.

(I suspect that only until the mattress was brought in and out of the court during the Anwar trial that all and sundry were convinced that it was a farce.)

Fadzil and Anwar had a long lasting friendship since their Malaysian Muslim Youth Movement (Abim) days in the 1970s to the extent that Anwar's eldest daughter Nurul Izzah was named by the Pas stalwart.

But such a relationship was not shared by others in Pas. They saw no need to come to Anwar's defence.

Undeniably, during Anwar's 16 years in the government, he was Pas's arch rival. Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad recruited Anwar in 1982 as his answer to Pas's Islamic agenda.

On the day Anwar was summarily sacked from all his positions in the government on the pretext of corruption, misuse of powers, sodomy and womanising; Fadzil made a bold move.

He visited Anwar at his official residence to offer moral support.

Fadzil did not inform his party comrades of the visit. He switched off his hand phone and no one could locate him on that fateful night.

Pas leaders only came to know about Fadzil's visit from the newspapers.

Days later, according to Subky Latif's memoir of Fadzil Noor, at the party central committee meeting, Fadzil was quizzed "as if facing a tribunal."

Fadzil took a great personal and political risk by aligning himself and Pas to Anwar. He went further, forming the Majlis Gerakan Keadilan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerak) — an umbrella body of political parties and NGOs and one of the two forerunners of the Barisan Alternatif along with Gagasan Demokrasi Rakyat — without the approval of the Pas central committee.

Both loose coalitions were formed on Sept 27, 1998, exactly a week after Anwar was arrested.

Essentially, Fadzil provided the Reformasi movement one of its most important organisational supports in the early days.

The impact of the Anwar crisis on Pas was indeed spectacular and beyond the comprehension of the party leaders at the onset.

Fadzil's daring political move paid off.

The party doubled its membership in a year. Between its birth in 1951 and the end of the 1980s, Pas had registered 300,000 members, reaching 400,000 in 1997 and about 450,000 prior to September 1998.

The party now claims a membership of one million. The party's organ Harakah increased its circulation from the pre-Reformasi peak of 72,000 copies during the Arau by-election in July 1998 to 380,000 copies in 1999, contributing a useful stream of income to the party coffers.

These changes eventually contributed to the party's extraordinary performance in the 1999 election. Pas won 27 parliamentary and 98 state seats then.

Fadzil may not be the most charismatic speaker in ceramahs. But he is better remembered as a master strategist, as well as a coalition builder who played a major role in the formation of the BA, which put the Islamic state agenda — anathema to non-Muslims and swing voters — on the backburner.

In the aftermath of the 1999 election euphoria for Pas, Fadzil cautioned the party that the results were not a positive support for what Pas stands for, but rather a negative vote for Umno.

Unfortunately, he died at the age of 65 in June 2002. Otherwise, Pas's stance on the second Anwar "trial" and the current Umno-Pas talks would probably be more straight forward and less confusing.

Liew Chin Tong is the DAP MP for Bukit Bendera.

-TMI

PAS 'Penang' boikot Permatang Pauh?

Sekali lagi kita terdengar mengenai polis atau SB membabitkan diri dalam persidangan cawangan UMNO. Saya harap ini tidak benar. Tetapi, jika ini benar, harap insafilah bahawa warga UMNO akar umbi adalah bersuara secara demokratik dan selaras dengan Perlembagaan UMNO.

Ruhanie Ahmad http://www.kuda-kepang.blogspot.com/

Berasaskan maklumat terbaru yang dikirimkan kepada blog ini malam ini, jumlah cawangan UMNO di seluruh negara yang berani meluluskan usul mendesak bahagian masing-masing supaya menyanggah kepimpinan Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - sama ada supaya proses peralihan kuasa dipercepatkan atau Abdullah tidak lagi dicalonkan semula sebagai Presiden UMNO Malaysia - kini meningkat kepada 88.

Hari ini juga Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO Cawangan Jalan Perdana, dalam Bahagian Puchong dan Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Cawangan Seksyen 12, dalam Bahagian Shah Alam, kedua-duanya di Selangor, telah meluluskan usul mendesak bahagian masing-masing membawa usul supaya proses peralihan kuasa daripada Abdullah kepada Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak dilakukan dengan seberapa segera.

Jika usul oleh kedua-dua pergerakan ini diambilkira, jumlah keseluruhan cawangan akar umbi yang menyanggah kepimpinan Abdullah adalah 90.

Menurut satu e-mail, UMNO Cawangan Jalan Khamis, dalam Bahagian Kapar, Selangor, yang bersidang pada malam 2 Ogos 2008, telah meluluskan usul mendesak bahagiannya mencalonkan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin ke jawatan Presiden UMNO.

Blogger Zeme yang sering mengirimkan info terkini mengenai persidangan cawangan di seluruh negara pula menyatakan bahawa limabelas cawangan UMNO dalam Bahagian Tumpat, Kelantan - satu daripadanya Cawangan Padang Pohon Tanjung - telah sebulat suara meluluskan usul mencadangkan kepada bahagiannya supaya Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah dicalonkan ke jawatan Presiden UMNO.

Tumpat

Zeme juga memberitahu blog ini bahawa UMNO Cawangan Jitra, Bahagian Kubang Pasu, Kedah, meluluskan satu usul yang menarik, iaitu meminta Bahagian Kubang Pasu mencalonkan Datuk Seri Utama Dr Rais Yatim sebagai Presiden UMNO dan Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin bertanding jawatan Timbalan Presiden UMNO.

Blogger Kedah Youngster pula melaporkan bahawa UMNO Cawangan Sri Pantai, Bahagian Kuala Kedah, Kedah, yang bersidang hari ini telah meluluskan usul dengan sebulat suara mendesak Abdullah meletakkan jawatan sebagai Presiden UMNO sebelum pemilihan parti Disember 2008 ini.

Pemuda UMNO Cawangan Jalan Perdana, bahagian Puchong, Selangor, dalam persidangannya pada 2 Ogos 2008, mengususlkan bahagian itu menggunakan Fasal 14.5.3 bagi mengemukakan usul ke peringkat Perhimpunan Agung UMNO 2008, meminta tempoh agar peralihan kuasa daripada Abdullah kepada Najib dilakukan mulai 1 Januari 2009.

Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Cawangan Seksyen 12, Shah Alam, dalam Bahagian Shah Alam pula membawa usul supaya UMNO Shah Alam mendesak proses peralihan kuasa daripada Abdullah kepada Najib disegerakan mulai Disember 2008. Pergerakan itu juga mengusulkan supaya UMNO Bahagian Shah Alam mencalonkan Najib sebagai Presiden UMNO dan Mahyuddin sebagai Timbalan Presiden UMNO.

Sementara itu, Persidangan UMNO Cawangan Telok Mengkuang, dalam Bahagian Kuala Langat, Selangor, telah membuat satu usul tergempar mendesak agar peralihan kuasa Abdullah epada Najib dipercepatkan kepada 1 Disember 2008.

Rasional

Saya telah membaca seluruh usul oleh Pemuda UMNO Jalan Perdana, Bahagian Puchong, dan Wanita UMNO Sekyen 12, Bahagian Alam. Kedua-dua usul mereka dihujah secara rasional dan intelektuil demi agama, bangsa dan tanahair.
Contohnya, antara rasional untuk menyokong usul Pemuda UMNO Jalan Perdana adalah seperti berikut:

Satu: pentadbiran negara kini telah dipengaruhi oleh mereka yang berkepentingan peribadi (sehingga) menyebabkan banyak keputusan yang dibuat gagal mengambilkira kepentingan umum serta ahli UMNO.

Dua: Kelemahan kepimpinan UMNO kini memberikan persepsi kepada ahli UMNO bahawa negara ini seolah-olah dikuasai oleh negara asing, seperti Singapura serta kroninya, Israel.

Tiga: Kekalahan teruk UMNO dalam pilihan raya umum 2008 adalah disebabkan wujudnya kelemahan dalam pentadbiran yang diterajui oleh Abdullah.

Wanita UMNO Cawangan Seksyen 12, Shah Alam, pula merasional usul mereka seperti berikut:

Satu: PRU 12 adalah paparan jelas kehendak rakyat Malaysia yang mahukan perubahan dan tanda-tanda kebangkitan rakyat menolak kepimpinan Abdullah. Rakyat yang menyambut cabaran Abdullah telah membuktikan melalui peti undi, bahawa mereka mahukan perubahan dan usaha yang lebih komited untuk memperbaiki keadaan ekonomi dan sosial dalam negara.

Lemah

Dua: Pertama kali dalam sejarah Malaysia merdeka, UMNO dan kerajaan Barisan Nasional menjadi begitu lemah. Malangnya, sehingga kini tidak ada usaha-usaha yang menyerlah, menyeluruh dan benar-benar ikhlas untuk mengembalikan kekuatan dan kegemilangan UMNO dan BN.

Tiga: Abdullah sebagai Presiden UMNO dan Perdana Menteri Malaysia dilihat sebagai seorang yang lemah, tidak berkemampuan, mengamalkan kronisme dan nepotisme. Keadaan ini tidak boleh dibiarkan berterusan kerana ia akan menghakis kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kepimpinan Melayu secara umum dan menyebabkan huru-hara dalam negara. Untuk memastikan kesinambungan kepimpinan Melayu dan UMNO terus perkasa dan agar kestabilan berkekalan, kepimpinan perlu ditukar dan diperbaiki supaya orang Melayu kembali dihormati oleh semua peringkat kaum dalam negara dan seluruh dunia.

Empat: Kelemahan pentadbiran dan pucuk pimpinan negara telah menjejaskan nama baik Malaysia di mata dunia. Malaysia kini tidak lagi dianggap sebagai salah satu ‘Tiger Asia’ tetapi semakin berundur ke belakang menjadi negara dunia ketiga. Malaysia kini tunduk dengan kemahuan kuasa asing. Malaysia kini takut untuk bersuara kerana suara kita adalah ‘suara yang sumbang’ dan lemah. Abdullah telah diberi peluang selama 4 tahun untuk membuktikan kewibawaan beliau sebagai pemimpin dan mentadbir negara berdaulat ini. Malangnya beliau gagal dan akibatnya rakyat menjadi mangsa. Sekiranya 4 tahun masih gagal, bagaimana beliau boleh meyakinkan rakyat bahawa beliau mampu untuk melaksanakan tugas memperbaiki kepincangan negara untuk 2 tahun lagi?

Demikianlah suara Pemuda dan Wanita UMNO daripada Selangor. Bagaimanapun, anggota Wanita UMNO Cawangan Seksyen 12, Shah Alam, yang mengirimkan e-mail ke blog ini mengenai maklumat di atas mengeluh seperti berikut:

Polis

“Kami yang menolak Abdullah dan membawa usul Najib sebagai Presiden dan Muhyiddin sebagai Timbalan Presiden seolah-olah menjadi musuh dan pembangkang dalam UMNO. Kami diarah buat laporan oleh SB. Alangkah susahnya hidup di negara sendiri. Solah-olah kini Malaysia diperintah oleh diktator kuku besi!”

Saya telah meminta penjelasan mengenai penglibatan SB seperti di atas, dan inilah jawapannya:

“Saya tak pasti sama ada ini adalah lazim (bagi) setiap mesyuarat tahunan. Namun, selama 2 penggal saya di cawangan belum pernah kena buat laporan dan isi borang yang diberi oleh SB kepada saya selepas setiap mesyuarat agung. Semalam, selepas mesyuarat Wanita, saya diarah isi borang dan buat laporan termasuklah memasukkan usul yang dikemukakan. Ini atas arahan SB.”

Sekali lagi kita terdengar mengenai polis atau SB membabitkan diri dalam persidangan cawangan UMNO. Saya harap ini tidak benar. Tetapi, jika ini benar, harap insafilah bahawa warga UMNO akar umbi adalah bersuara secara demokratik dan selaras dengan Perlembagaan UMNO. Jika tindakan seperti ini pun mahu diganggu-gugat, terserahlah kepada warga UMNO untuk bertindak dengan sewajar-wajarnya demi kepentingan agama, bangsa dan tanahair.

Selamat berjuang dan salam takzim.

-Malaysia Today