瞄准半岛43个巫统议席，刘镇东形容为变天关键

刘镇东

发表于 2017年3月1日 中午11点45分     更新于 2017年3月1日 中午11点49分

来届大选跫音渐近，行动党政治教育主任刘镇东指出，共有43个巫统议席乃是兵家必争之地，而只要攻下30至40个巫统议席，就可能完成政党轮替。

刘镇东发文告说，这43个巫统议席都位于半岛。

“巫统的88席中，有14席在沙巴，1席在纳闽，其余的73席在半岛。半岛73席中，有30席可说是经过巫统‘特别设计’，在最坏的情况下也不会败阵的铁堡垒，剩下的43席是我们必须火力全开的战场。”

“希望联盟与土著团结党必须准备就绪，迎战巫统-伊党-国阵的布局。让巫统输剩30到40个国席，成为新的在野党，并不是不可能。”

巫统会否成为在野党？

刘镇东表示，砂拉越的朋友们经常问他，巫统会否东渡接管砂拉越州政府，并像1994年以后的沙巴那样统治砂州。

他说，这样的担忧并非凭空而来，尤其是现任砂州首长阿邦佐哈里与巫统的关系匪浅。

不过，他说，面对这种提问，他会反问大家两个问题，即巫统能否熬过来届大选，或巫统会否成为一个新的在野党？

“很多人普遍认为，巫统无可匹敌，永远不会被打倒。的确，要让一个掌权超过60年的执政党下台，我们需要一股相当强大的海啸。”

纳吉领导下巫统最脆弱

但他强调，这并不非不可能，而2008与2013年就已见证过政治海啸的发生。

“首先，自独立到2004年大选，巫统透过联盟／国阵执政，并得到可观的非巫裔选民支持。然而，巫统在2005年开始走向右倾，大打马来人至上的种族牌，导致半岛其他国阵成员党逐渐失去支持，马华公会、国大党及民政党在2008与2013年大选兵败如山倒。”

“第二，巫统在2013年后没办法扩张基本盘，因此拉拢伊斯兰党成为了一个很好的选择。巫统希望暗中与伊党串通，将社会撕裂成穆斯林与非穆斯林对立的局面，巫统与伊党的非正式结盟可以因此赢到足够的议席成立联合政府。然而， 巫统与伊斯兰党的合作衍生的问题，是半岛的非巫裔选民，还有沙巴与砂拉越的多数选民不能接受巫统。”

“第三，首相纳吉个人在2013年大选比巫统对马来人更有号召力，但一马公司丑闻爆发以来，加上糟透的经济政策如消费税、汽油上涨，还有削减医疗和教育等公共开支，纳吉得到的支持已不大如前，甚至沦为巫统的包袱。对纳吉感到不满的巫统领袖与党员，另外成立了土著团结党，让在野党如今可以接触很多之前走访无门的地区。”

“简单来说，纳吉领导下的巫统，是巫统最为脆弱的时候。”

吉打中间选民如造王者

根据刘镇东，国阵在2013年大选赢得的133席当中，有60席的得票率低于55％，是国阵的边际选区。

他续说，这60席当中，甚至当中有16席的得票率还低于50％。

“以柔佛为例，只要有6％的中间选民转向支持在野党，我们就可以拿下国阵至少11个国会议席，包括柔南的巴西古当（国阵得票49.6％）、蒲来（51％）、地不佬（51％）、丹绒比艾（55%）和新山（55.7％）；柔北的拉美士（49.5％）、昔加末（50.3％）、礼让（50.7％）、麻坡（51％）、士基央（53.2%）和巴莪。”

“在吉打，国阵的8个边际选区为日莱（50.2％）、居林-万拉巴鲁（51％）、本同（51.5％）、马莫（51.9％）、华玲（52.5％）、锡（52.6％）、尤仑（52.8％）及巴东得腊（54.6％）。根据地方民调，在野党（尤其是与土著团结党结盟后）甚至有机会拿下浮罗交怡与古邦巴素。吉打也是一个非常关键的战场，中间选民左右着10个国会议席的去向。”

Source: https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/374110#ixzz4a35bxV1j

We're non-partisan, says leader of Christian group

8:50AM Jun 2, 2015

By Koh Jun Lin

Despite concerns over the launch of a new Christian group tonight with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak as its guest of honour, the group's chairperson, Rev Wong Kim Kong, is giving his assurance that the group is strictly non-partisan.

Wong appealed to members of the public to remain calm and to give his group - Christians for Peace and Harmony in Malaysia (CPHM) - some time to prove that it is sincere and honest in its cause.

"Let us, over time, prove our sincerity and confirm whether we are politicall- motivated or not.

"Just give us time and allow us, through our future activities and our pursuits, to show whether we are politically-motivated or manipulated by other people," Wong told Malaysiakini when contacted yesterday.

He explained that it was CPHM that had invited Najib to the launch and “not any other way around”.

The group had extended the invitation the invitation sometime between February and March this year and did not hear from Najib's office until April 28.

Apart from Najib, Wong said CPHM had also invited all Christian cabinet ministers to attend the event, as well as the top two leaders of all political parties, including those from Pakatan Rakyat.

This would not be the first time he has invited a prime minister to an event either, Wong said.

Previously, he said, as part of his work when he led the National Evangelical Christian Fellowship (NECF), he had successfully invited then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to two separate international conferences.

"When we did it at that time, we also received a lot of criticism. At the end, they saw the results. I still have all the newspaper cuttings," he said.

'PM will lend credibility to event'

Wong explained that the CPHM had invited Najib to officiate the group's launch because it felt that it needed backing from someone of his stature.

"To reach out to other groups that are suspicious of Christians, or not friendly to us, we need someone of influence to give us the credibility to be able to talk to the other side.

"In the context of Malaysia, different people approach their issues at different levels and in different ways. We are not saying that our way is the best way… our approach is one of the alternatives.

"We are not the best. We are not the only way. We are just saying that every different individual can influence," he said.

As for the group's funding, Wong said every cent came from the Malaysian Christian community and none of it was from the government, including the cost of tonight’s launch banquet.

The banquet is to be held at the ballroom of the Majestic Hotel, a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur.

Wong said the group raised the necessary funds even before it decided to hold the banquet.

Its practice of raising funds exclusively from the local Christian community is similar to the practice of the other groups that he had been affiliated with, he said, namely the NECF and Malaysian Care.

Not out to compete

Asked to explain CPHM's role amid many other Christian groups already in existence, Wong said the other groups were more focused in fulfilling the spiritual needs of Christians.

In contrast, he said CPHM's target audience is the entire Malaysian population, as CPHM does not aim to fulfil their spiritual needs, but to foster an environment that is conducive for the peaceful co-existence of members of different faiths.

For example, he said, CPHM would not take up the Allah issue, which is centred on the demand championed by various other Christian groups to allow the use of the word "Allah" as the translation for the word "God" in the Malay language Bible.

This move is objected by most Muslim groups in Malaysia.

Instead, Wong said, CPHM would take up issues that disrupt interfaith harmony, such as the Taman Medan church protest in April, where Muslim residents demanded that a church there takes down its newly erected Cross.

"That (protest) disrupted the community. Those incidents create disorder within the community. Then we will voice our opinion," he said.

Ibrahim Ali invited as well

Wong also justified extending CPHM's invitation to the Malay right-wing group Perkasa, which is seen to be racist despite vehement denials from its president Ibrahim Ali (photo).

He said as a member of clergy, he believes in the teaching of the Bible to love all, including one’s enemies.

"I believe that it is my duty that, whatever attitude or behaviour a person has, it is still my responsibility to forgive and love," he said.

Wong said this applied even to Stephen Ng, against whom he held no grudge despite Ng’s lengthy article questioning CPHM's motivations that had been published in several news outlets, including Malaysiakini.

Overall, Wong said non-Christian groups make up about 30 percent of invited guests to the function tonight, including the G25, which is a group of Malay former senior civil servants promoting moderation.

As for Christian groups, Wong said the guests included Christians from all denominations, including smaller ones such as the Seventh Day Adventists, as well as most of the head of church denominations.

As to whether another Malay right-wing group Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (Isma) is attending, Wong said he was not sure.

"I don’t think we invited Isma. No prejudice (against them), sometimes we just overlook. I don't know how it was overlooked.

"I'm not sure whether my colleague did (invite them) or not, I can't remember," he said.

Won't defend himself

Previously, Ng's articles had raised questions on CPHM's funding and Najib's involvement, and he also asked whether the group is a ploy to help BN win votes.

Wong said Ng had "sneaked into" one of CPHM's meetings to question him, which he had already answered.

"But this guy, I don't know for what reason, but he twisted (my words) in every way. I have 20 pastors for you to interview to answer whether this guy is telling the truth or not," he chuckled.

Nevertheless, Wong said, he does not feel the need to defend himself because people who already know him were familiar with his community services.

"I just don’t want people to fall into that kind of unkind nature," he added.

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/300376

Christians are taught to respect authority, says new group on Najib

BY JENNIFER GOMEZ

Published: 2 June 2015 8:01 PM

Putrajaya's endorsement of new non-governmental organisation Christians for Peace and Harmony Malaysia (CPHM) is meant to help endear Muslims to the group and its efforts to restore trust between religions, its president Rev Wong Kim Kong said today.

Christian-Muslim relations in the past have had a history of distrust, Wong said, and that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and the government support CPHM would instil confidence among the other religions to dialogue with the group.

"To be able to engage Muslims in conversation, they must have some confidence ‎.

"So when Najib endorses it, it will give the Malays and Indians the confidence to dialogue and accept us.

"Tonight you will see the uniqueness of this group," Wong said in reference to the dinner, which was also attended by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala and former minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

On how Najib would lend credibility to CPHM given heavy criticism over his handling of debt ridden state fund 1MDB crisis, Wong said the Bible taught Christians to respect authority.

He said this to reporters after a two-hour seminar prior to CPHM's launch at a dinner in a Kuala Lumpur hotel.

Wong added that Christians were taught to submit to and obey the government and those God had put in authority.

"So don't look at the person, as long as he is in position, the Scripture teaches us to honour and respect authority.

"Just like how we reject homosexuality but we love homosexuals," Wong said ahead of the dinner with 1200 guests in attendance.

He also stressed that Putrajaya was not funding the NGO but that funds were coming from individuals and corporate bodies.

Wong, however, said it would not be wrong to accept funds from the government as it was taxpayers' money.

"Government money is not dirty money, it is taxpayers' money, one day if there is a need, we will still want to partner the government," he said.

When asked if the inception of CPHM would make the interfaith group Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) redundant, Wong denied this, saying that their objectives were different.

He explained that while the interfaith group was there to defend the religious rights of any particular religion, CPHM's aim was to promote peace and harmony, saying that this would be done through activities.

He added that they have already secured one such engagement in Segamat, where Christians and Muslims grassroots will sit down at a dinner together in August.

Wong then used the Taman Medan cross protest as an example saying that while groups like the Christian Federation of Malaysia (CFM) and the Council of Churches Malaysia (CCM) would go in to defend the pastor of the church which was forced to bring down the cross, CPHM's role would be to speak up and advice those who participated in the demonstration.

"When you deal with that kind of situation and try to talk to them, they will think you are fighting them

"We will go in as the mediator, so in that sense we will complement the other Christian groups," Wong said. – June 2, 2015.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/christians-are-taught-to-respect-authority-says-new-group-on-najib

Najib must not be silent on Zahid's letter to FBI

Friday, 16 January 2015, 6:34 am

Zahid must not take Malaysia as a nation of fools even if he can achieve a Cabinet of fools with Ministers obediently accepting his outrageous take about his infamous letter to the FBI

I do not believe that the Home Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi suffers from comprehension problems that he could not understand that his letter was not merely intended to clarify that Paul Phua, the alleged gambling kingpin standing trial for illegal gambling in Las Vegas, Nevada was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia”.

I do not believe that Zahid is so unsophisticated as to believe that when his infamous letter to the FBI referred to Phua as having helped the Malaysian government in “projects affecting our national security”, that “we continue to call upon him to assist us from time to time as such, we are eager for him to return to Malaysia” and that Phua’s release would impact on furthering “good international relations between our two countries, especially in the exchange of information”, these statements would be regarded by FBI as superfluous, empty and meaningless verbiage and not meant to influence FBI handling of Phua’s case.

Zahid is being very brazen and blatant in demanding that everybody act as gullible fools to accept his version that his infamous letter to the FBI was merely intended to clarify that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia” and nothing more.

Zahid claimed yesterday that the Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday was “satisfied with his explanation on the matter”.

I do not believe that our Cabinet Ministers suffer from comprehension problems either or they will not have risen to their present pinnacle of political power in government.

For reasons best known to themselves, they prefer to appear to be gullible fools but this is no compliment on their political purpose and integrity that they could be cowed into obediently accepting Zahid’s outrageous explanation of his infamous letter to the FBI, knowing in their heart of hearts that Zahid was not speaking the truth.

Are there Ministers who really believe that Zahid’s infamous letter to the FBI was nothing more than clarifying that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia” and are prepared to step forward and identity themselves one by one?

I doubt there will be a single Cabinet Minister who will be prepared to state openly and publicly that he or she truly believes that Zahid’s infamous letter was just to clarify that Phua was not a member of the 14K triad “in Malaysia”, although collectively they have been cowed into accepting Zahid’s claim or at least not to puncture the balloon in public that his explanation had been accepted by the Cabinet!

Zahid must not take Malaysia as a nation of fools even if he can achieve a Cabinet of fools with Ministers obediently accepting his outrageous take about his infamous letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) on behalf of Paul Phua.

Zahid made one startling revelation yesterday to justify his infamous letter to FBI, claiming that previous Home Ministers before him had also written such clarification letters.

Is this true, that previous Home Ministers had also unilaterally written to the FBI, without the knowledge of the police or the IGP at the time, contradicting police reports to the FBI, as well as without the knowledge or clearance from the Foreign Ministry?

If this was the case, then the Ministers of the past had been even more indisciplined, wild and arbitrary than the Malaysian public had ever dared to imagine.

Previous Home Ministers like Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar, Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad and Datuk Azmi Khalid must speak up to clear themselves and to put the record straight, and Malaysians expect no less from them.

From one Minister endorsing and vouching for the character of an alleged gambling kingpin standing trial for illegal gambling in Las Vegas, we have now the whole Malaysian Cabinet seeming to have endorsed Zahid to vouch for the character and integrity of the alleged gambling kingpin.

Is this the intention of the Malaysian Cabinet on Wednesday when, according to Zahid, it accepted Zahid’s explanation on his infamous letter to FBI?

Zahid said yesterday that the nature of the “national security projects” which Phua had helped the government cannot be revealed as they were classified under the Official Secrets Act 1972.

Has Zahid informed the Cabinet last Wednesday the nature of these “national security projects”?

If not, how could the Ministers “accept” Zahid’s explanation for his infamous letter to the FBI?

If yes, every Cabinet Minister is now not only collectively but personally responsible for Zahid’s infamous letter to the FBI.

This must also be the first time in the nation’s history where the Home Minister is using the Official Secrets Act to keep secret, not only from the public, but the police force and the Inspector-General of Police, the nature of the “national security projects” which Phua had been involved in!

What is most significant about Zahid’s press conference yesterday was that Zahid ended it abruptly before the media could ask any questions for clarification.

It is a powerful testimony that Zahid himself knew that he was defending the indefensible, and he did not want to expose himself to the multitude of questions of the waiting reporters.

Malaysia’s international reputation has been sullied enough by Zahid’s infamous letter to FBI and the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak must step in to clean up the mess or he would be no different from “Nero playing the fiddle while Rome burns”.

Source: http://blog.limkitsiang.com/2015/01/16/zahid-must-not-take-malaysia-as-a-nation-of-fools-even-if-he-can-achieve-a-cabinet-of-fools-with-ministers-obediently-accepting-his-outrageous-take-about-his-infamous-letter-to-the-fbi/

Najib making Umno less relevant, says columnist

28 November 2014

Umno is losing its appeal among more Malaysians, and its president Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been the cause of this with new approaches that pushed the party out of the political spotlight, effectively making it less relevant to the people, The Edge Review columnist, Bridget Welsh, wrote.

Among these were the “outsourcing” of Umno’s traditional role as defender of the Malays to right-wing groups like Perkasa, competing with PAS to be the defender of Islam, use of government resources and machinery to dispense patronage, and relegating the party to the sidelines in the making of government policy.
Writing in this week’s edition of the digital magazine, Welsh, a political analyst, said Najib had changed Umno’s role and in so doing, made the party “less politically relevant”.

She noted that Umno has long relied on the “racial insecurity” of Malays to maintain power but outsourcing its role as defender of the Malays to other groups had “marked the start of Umno’s slide to the sidelines”.
Although these groups received government funding and were closely linked to Umno, holding memberships in both, they had come to take over Umno’s position in spearheading calls to protect Malay interests.

The next approach, competing with PAS to “position Umno as the defender of Islam in Malaysia” effectively moved Umno further from its “moderate roots”, causing it to be perceived by the public as becoming more zealous and hardline.

Najib, as prime minister, allowed increased funding for Islamic institutions, Islamic-based groups, religious schools and the state’s religious apparatus, and while this impacted PAS negatively, it also strengthened the religious bureaucracy within the government service, making it even more powerful and autonomous, Welsh noted.

Equally damaging to Umno’s ability to win new support was Najib’s use of government handouts which “replaced the party as the vehicle for wooing voters”.

Of such initiatives, the 1Malaysia People’s Aid programme (BR1M) was the most visible and was used widely during elections.

This re-branding of the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional, during election campaigns, served to take the focus off Umno and its baggage, but the party no longer became the “face of political patronage”. While loyalty to Umno was still expected, it was “less direct”, Welsh said.

Welsh used these approaches to illustrate how Umno’s decline in the public eye had come from an unlikely cause – from “within the party leadership itself”.

“In fact, one of the distinguishing features of Najib Razak’s tenure has been the displacement of Umno as a truly dominant political actor,” she wrote.

The moves to outsource Umno’s role as defender of the Malays, to appear more Islamic and to hide behind the face of government as benefactor was the party’s way of dealing with the massive loss of support in the general election of 2008, she said.

Umno then was rejected for its racial politics and corruption, and went on to lose its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament.

Welsh said Umno was unable to transform itself in response to the public’s new political awareness, and opted instead for different tactics, which only worsened its political capital.

Other approaches detrimental to the party have been in the area of party and election financing, and government engagement, Welsh added.

She said Najib had to tap from “new vehicles for election funding, including the scandal-ridden 1Malaysia Development Berhad fund, which was a departure from the past whereby Umno itself had a sufficient war chest.

“Today, other investment arms and entities have changed Umno’s dominant position. It has opened up alternative sources of funding for party leaders, but at the same time reduced the party’s role in setting the direction of financing,” she wrote.

Yet another way Najib has diminished Umno’s role was in reducing the party’s engagement in policy-making, having brought in “hired consultants” to the government, Welsh said.

“The common feature of all of these changes has been to push Umno back from the political front line,” Welsh concluded, and while this had made it “more obsessed” with clinging to power, it was ironically contributing to its own decline. – November 28, 2014.

Source:  http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/najib-making-umno-less-relevant-to-malaysians-says-columnist

In campaign to defend democracy, U.S. should start with Malaysia

By Editorial Board October 31 at 7:20 PM

 

AT THE United Nations in September, President Obama, citing “relentless crackdowns” around the world against dissent and civil society, promised “an even stronger campaign to defend democracy.” Even when it was “uncomfortable” or “causes friction,” he pledged, his administration would step up to defend persecuted activists and “oppose efforts by foreign governments to restrict freedoms of peaceful assembly and association and expression.” So far we haven’t seen much follow-up on that promise, but the opportunities to do so are abundant.

One of the most urgent lies in Malaysia, a U.S. ally that has launched an extraordinary crackdown on opposition leaders, academics and journalists. In the past two months, the government of Prime Minister Najib Razak has charged nearly two dozen activists under a colonial-era sedition law, that mandates three years in prison for acts that “excite dissatisfaction” with the government. Mr. Najib promised as recently as 2012 to repeal the law; instead, the government is prosecuting critics merely for speaking out, publishing articles or uploading videos.

At the same time, the government has revived an odious criminal case against Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of the opposition and one of the Muslim world’s foremost liberal democrats. Mr. Anwar was charged in 2008 with homosexual sodomy, which Malaysia shamefully still treats as a crime. Though he denied the charge and was acquitted in a 2012 trial, an appeals court this year reversed the verdict and handed him a five-year prison sentence. This week his final appeal is being heard by Malaysia’s highest court. If he loses, the 67-year-old Mr. Anwar will be imprisoned and banned from politics. Even if he wins, he, too, faces prosecution under the sedition law.

It’s not hard to guess why Mr. Najib might have broken his pledge to repeal the statute and reversed what was previously a cautious march toward greater freedom in his majority Muslim country. Last year, his ruling party for the first time lost the popular vote in a general election, to a coalition led by Mr. Anwar.

Gerrymandering preserved the government’s parliamentary majority, but the ruling establishment Mr. Najib leads appears to have set out to crush the opposition before the next election, due in 2017. The campaign is particularly destructive because Malaysia, unlike many other majority Muslim countries, does not currently face an internal terrorist challenge, though some Malaysians are known to have traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State. By eliminating peaceful means of opposition, Mr. Najib risks making extremist options more attractive.

Mr. Obama has made a point of cultivating Mr. Najib and his government as part of his policy of “rebalancing” toward Asia, and so far the administration has had little to say about the political crackdown. In March, it cautiously expressed concern about Mr. Anwar’s prosecution. But as Mr. Anwar has argued his appeal this week there’s been no sign of the “stronger campaign” Mr. Obama promised. The verdict is expected next week; if Mr. Obama is genuinely willing to incur “friction” with allies in defense of human rights, now is the time to do it in Malaysia.

Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/in-campaign-to-defend-democracy-us-should-start-with-malaysia/2014/10/31/ff50e0ae-6048-11e4-9f3a-7e28799e0549_story.html

One step forward for Indonesia, one step back for Malaysia

October 21, 2014 - 12:15AM

Peter Hartcher

Sydney Morning Herald political and international editor

View more articles from Peter Hartcher

While Indonesia marked another democratic advance on Monday, democracy in neighbouring Malaysia goes backwards.

Indonesia inaugurates the man that most voters chose to be leader, while Malaysia concludes a sham trial to destroy the man that most voters chose to be leader.

Indonesia is conducting the first transfer of power from one directly elected president to another.

Illustration: John Shakespeare

And Malaysia? It remains under the control of the same party that has ruled continuously since independence in 1957.

"While Indonesia is making huge progress, we are rewinding and the democratic space is going back to the Mahathir era of the 1990s," says Malaysia's opposition treasury spokesman, Rafizi Ramli, during a visit to Australia on Monday. "We have not recovered from last year's election."

There is more than democracy at stake. A professor of political science at Monash University's Malaysian campus, James Chin, says: "In Malaysia, politics is being hijacked by political Islam. It really worries me. They are putting Malay supremacy together with Islamic supremacy."

The foundation stone of the perennially ruling party was always racial discrimination – special favour to native Malays over all other citizens, including the country's sizeable Chinese and Indian minorities.

But now it's pursuing policies of religious discrimination as well, says Mr Chin: "Previously, they tried to regulate the body and behaviour of Muslims; now, they are trying to regulate the body and behaviour of non-Muslims too."

He contrasts this with Indonesia, where a secular state does not impose Islamic standards on other faiths. It's one thing to fine Muslims for drinking alcohol, says Mr Chin, but now there are attempts to penalise non-Mulsims taking part in Oktoberfest in Malaysia.

The authoritarian nature of the Najib government will be on display to the world next week when it renews its courtroom persecution of the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar was the subject of one of the world's most ridiculous political persecutions, an effort by the then prime minister, Mahathir Mohammed, to ruin him by accusing him of sodomy. And now, a ruling on the sequel: Sodomy 2.

He was the deputy prime minister to Mahathir when they had a falling out in 1998. The foolish and farcical pursuit of Anwar failed to ruin him, but it did turn him into a formidable leader of the opposition.

Anwar spent six years in jail before a court overturned his conviction. He emerged to lead an energised campaign at the 2013 election. So the Malaysian people delivered their own verdict on Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat, or People's Pact party.  

The opposition under Anwar won 51 per cent of the vote at the 2013 election, but only 40 per cent of parliamentary seats.

It was a record result for an opposition and it shook the government. Even in a manipulated system, the ruling party, for the first time, had failed to win a majority of votes.

The result scared the government of Najib Razak into reviving its favoured tactic for repressing Anwar:  the charge of sodomy. Sodomy 2 had been running for a while, but after the High Court knocked out the latest sodomy charge against the married father of five, the government took its trumped-up case to Malaysia's Court of Appeal.

The Court of Appeal overturned the High Court. It gave Anwar a five-year jail sentence. He is free on bail pending appeal. On the weekend he flew home from London to Kuala Lumpur for final appeals. His supporters fear the outcome: "Quite a few of my friends have tried to persuade me to stay away," Anwar told British media just before boarding the plane home.

The prosecution is asking for an even longer jail term.

In an extraordinary illustration of the government's contortions in its manic determination to get Anwar, the prosecution will not be led by the a lawyer from the prosecution system but a private lawyer hired by the state. Experts say there is no precedent in Malaysian jurisprudence.

In fact, the prosecution is to be conducted by the personal lawyer for Mr Najib.

The political crackdown is much wider than Anwar. Human Rights Watch has detailed at least 14 cases this year where the government has brought spurious charges against political opponents and activists under the 1948 Sedition Act. One opposition politician faces the prospect of five years in jail for saying "damn UMNO". UMNO is Najib's political party.

The Najib government has two options, according to the opposition's Rafizi Ramli: "It can reform and allow more democratic space. Or they can go for the crackdown, and risk an even worse backlash from the public."

He has personal experience of the crackdown. Before entering politics he ran a corruption-busting NGO that exposed a Najib government minister misusing a $A90 million taxpayer loan. Instead of setting up a cattle farm, she was using the money to buy luxury apartments.

The expose forced the minister to resign. But now Mr Ramli is the one facing jail. He's facing the risk of three years in jail for breaching banking secrecy laws in disclosing the corruption. Mr Ramli, the man who busted the scam, is the only person charged over it.

Mr Ramli, also the secretary-general of the opposition party, is in Canberra on Tuesday, leading a delegation. He's hoping to convince Australian politicians to help coax Mr Najib  from authoritarianism to democratic openness.

Professor Chin says Mr Ramli has no hope of support from the Australian government: "The Abbott government loves Najib."

Australia favours the Najib government based on a long-standing view that Malaysia is a modern, Western, secular, like-minded power in a region fretting about a backward Indonesia, he says.

But Indonesia is modernising and it is Malaysia that is going backwards. "The romantic view of Malaysia," says Chin, "is based on a country that hasn't existed for the last ten years."'

Peter Hartcher is the international editor.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/comment/one-step-forward-for-indonesia-one-step-back-for-malaysia-20141020-118vq6.html

1Malaysia does not need tongkat ali or viagra

4:00PM Oct 18, 2014

By M Kulasegaran

At the 60th MCA annual general assembly held last December, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said MCA has the numbers and potential to champion the Chinese community, but lacks the spirit to succeed.

“We need political viagra. Our spirit on the ground is weak,” Najib told the assembly. His comments made MCA the butt of jokes, especially in the social media.

It is therefore most ironic that yesterday, Gerakan president Mah Siew Keong said the 1Malaysia campaign, which appears to have run out of steam since the last general election, needed a lift similar to the aphrodisiac root tongkat ali, so that the campaign could be "long lasting”.

MCA leaders were laughed at for not being brave enough to rebut the prime minister for his insulting analogy.
 
Will Najib tell Mah (left) off for making him the new butt of jokes?

Najib has talked much about the 1Malaysia concept but there is no doubt that it is merely a political slogan that rings hollow.

An example is the discrepancy in funds allocated to national and vernacular schools.

If the prime minister is committed to his 1Malaysia concept, which must mean fairness for all, he must be prepared to walk the talk and accord fair treatment to all schools.

If he is serious about his 1Malaysia concept, he will not allow racial slurs against the non-Malay communities by extremists to go unpunished.

Neither should he have remained silent till today, after Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin announced that he is Malay first and Malaysian second.

If Najib is committed to his 1Malaysia concept, he must be bold to implement colour-blind polices that will ensure an equal place for all Malaysians under the Malaysian sun.
   
However, after decades of BN rule, the government is still not able to do this. Despite having helmed the nation’s for the last six years, Najib has failed to be the prime minister for all Malaysians.

His slogan, “I am prime minister for all” is just as hollow as his “1Malaysia” slogan.

Let me tell Prime Minister Najib and his Minister Mah Siew Keong that what the 1Malaysia concept needs in order to last long is not tongkat ali or viagra, but sincere commitment from the entire cabinet.
    

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M KULASEGARAN is the MP for Ipoh Barat and DAP vice-chairperson.

Source: http://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/277981

Be the PM for all, not just Barisan supporters, Najib told

By ANISAH SHUKRY

Published: 12 October 2014

Najib has received flak for his comment in a speech at the MCA general assembly that the Chinese community can make demands only if they support Barisan Nasional. - The Malaysian Insider pic by Najjua Zulkefli, October 12, 2014.

Opposition politicians and academics alike have poured scorn on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for saying that the Chinese community cannot make demands from the government unless they supported Barisan Nasional (BN).

They said that as the prime minister of a country, Najib had to represent all Malaysians and listen to the demands of all, and not just those who voted in his party.

“Does Najib not realise that the main concept of democracy is to allow the people to choose during the general election? The right and freedom to choose a party and candidate is something that cannot be questioned in a democracy,” DAP organising secretary Anthony Loke said today.

“Thus, it is the responsibility of the party that forms the government after the election to administer the country and serve all the rakyat without any vengeance towards those who did not support them.”

The Seremban MP added that more than half of Malaysian voters (52%) had rejected BN in the general election, and those who supported Pakatan Rakyat cut across all races.

“If the people cannot make demands from the government, will these 52% be exempted from paying any taxes, including the goods and services tax?” he asked.

PKR vice-president Tian Chua described Najib’s speech today as a huge blunder and unbecoming of a prime minister.

“He forgot that he used to announce very proudly ‘I will be the prime minister for all’. Now he’s talking about being a partisan prime minister.

“It is very unbecoming of a prime minister. I hope he will retract his statement and carry out his responsibility as a prime minister for all people,” said the Batu MP.

Providing services without collecting taxes is charity. And collecting taxes without providing services is robbery. - Dr Wong Chin Huat

Earlier this morning, Najib said that the Chinese could not make demands on BN if they continued to support Pakatan Rakyat.

Speaking at the MCA’s 61st annual general assembly, Najib said BN would only be fair to the Chinese if they supported the ruling coalition instead of PR.

“I’d like to do more, maybe one day I can do more. But I also need the Chinese community to support BN. Come on. You have to do your part.

“You can’t demand and then support DAP. You can’t demand and then support PR. You demand, you support BN, we will be fair to the Chinese,” said Najib.

Dr Wong Chin Huat, a fellow at the Penang Institute, said that Najib’s statement revealed that he saw himself as a prime minister for only 47% Malaysians.

“If any community or individual has to forfeit their right to make legitimate demands from the government, then they should forfeit their duty of paying tax.

“After all, being government is about collecting taxes and providing services. Providing services without collecting taxes is charity. And collecting taxes without providing services is robbery,” said Wong.

Dr Lim Teck Ghee of the Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI) said that Najib had apparently not learned from his past mistakes in making such “crude” statements.

“He has continuously put out this line to the Chinese, and it’s never worked. He may actually be doing the MCA a disfavour by putting it so crudely that if you don’t vote for us, we aren’t going to take care of you.

“Threatening voters in the country like that smacks of political blackmail. Worse, he’s doing it in front of a national audience, not just in a ceramah. It’s likely to backfire.

“Najib must realise that he surely wants to be prime minister for all Malaysians, not just the ones who vote for BN and Umno. So this kind of message he came out with really goes against the fact that he is the prime minister of the country, of all Malaysians.”

In the general election last year, MCA suffered its worst defeat, winning only seven out of the 37 parliamentary seats and 11 of the 90 state seats it contested.

The May 5 poll results prompted Najib to describe it as a “Chinese tsunami” that night, and Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia ran the headline “Apa lagi Cina Mahu?” (What more do the Chinese want?) on its front page the following day. – October 12, 2014.

Source: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/be-the-pm-for-all-not-just-barisan-supporters-najib-told