Dr M presses Najib over 'crooked bridge'

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad is now pressuring Premier Najib Abdul Razak's administration to revive the controversial crooked bridge project, to replace the ageing Johor Causeway. In a posting on his blog today, Mahathir (right) suggested that Najib may have made a "deal" with his predecessor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, not to revive the project. "The question which many have posed to me - and I'm confident the majority of the public is asking - is why Najib, as the all-powerful prime minister, is unwilling to continue with the project? "Is he bound by a deal with the fifth prime minister? What is the status of this deal?" asked Mahathir. He said that these questions had resulted in much speculation which could "sting" the premier's ears. The crooked bridge was Mahathir's brainchild, designed to carry vehicles some 25m above the Tebrau Straits - allowing ships to pass beneath - before curving and descending to link up the existing causeway at the sea border between Malaysia and Singapore.

Traffic woes

Additionally, the project was meant to resolve traffic woes because the 80-year-old causeway was unable to cope with the current level of traffic. At the time, the project - once re-branded as the "scenic bridge" - reportedly cost RM620 million and could be completed within 36 months. In 2006, after pledging to build the bridge despite opposition from Singapore, the project was scrapped by Abdullah (left), who claimed that the project was opposed by the public and there were legal implications involved. Recently, the Johor Sultan and government have reinvigorated talk of reviving the project, claiming that this was what the previous rulers and locals wanted. In his blog post, Mahathir cited these calls to press his case. "I've never heard of anyone from Johor, except one person, agree with maintaining the causeway and the traffic jams in Johor Bahru because of it.

"Similarly, I've never heard of protests from Malaysians towards the project to replace the causeway," he said. Mahathir also cited the booklet Water Talks - If only it could, published by the Singaporean government in 2003, which appended a letter by former Singaporean premier Goh Chok Tong stating that Singapore had no objection towards the crooked bridge.

CROOKED MAN WITH HIS CROOKED BRIDGE

There was a crooked man and he had a crooked smile
Had a crooked ringgit and he walked a crooked mile
Had a crooked ego and he longed for a crooked bridge .
Had a crooked friend in the name of crooked I bra
They all lived together in a crooked little house ..

Chorus ;

Uh-huh, oh no, don't let the rain come down
Uh-huh, oh no, don't let the rain come down
My hearts got a hole in it and I might drown

I won't call it quits, says Ong

The word 'retire' doesn't figure in former MCA president Ong Tee Keat's extensive vocabulary that stretches to fluency in Mandarin, English and Bahasa Malaysia.

“(Retiring has) never crossed my mind... Removal (from public office) is not synonymous with retiring,” he said in a recent interview.

Ong, 54, who was unceremoniously defeated as MCA president in March and then replaced as transport minister, said there are many platforms via which he can still serve, with or without posts.

As the MP for Pandan in Kuala Lumpur, he does not intend to confine his role in Parliament to one of lengthy debate .

“As many would know, sometimes it can get sickening in Parliament. At times I call it a sheer waste of public funds,” he said.

“My focus remains on my commitment to human capital development, as well as social development. Under these two broad headings, there are many more sub-headings.”

Ong's biggest wish

Ong listed his Hope programme - which gives a second chance to those who do not qualify for admission into public universities - as among his many projects.

He is also working closely with NGOs to push for youth empowerment, and has plans to expand the operations of his mobile clinic beyond the borders of his constituency.

But Ong's biggest wish is to get back to his first passion - creative writing - as he recalled his first article written in Mandarin when he was a 16-year-old in 1972.

He wrote quite a bit, producing television and radio drama scripts to essays, political commentaries, and even translating his own work to English or Bahasa Malaysia.

“It is all a matter of time management, but if I could, I'd like to get back to writing. It's really one of my passions,” he said.

Kami tak kow tow, kau tau?

Kami tak kow tow, kau tau?

Art Harun

To all Singapore Malays, I am writing this to tell you how lucky we all are in Malaysia. You think you all are so great, you sure have not seen how greater we, Malaysian Malays, are.

What you think? You think Johor Bharu is a place full of thieves, kidnappers and gangsters don’t you? Well, I wouldn’t blame you. Because that is what your ex-Prime Minister cum your Senior Minister cum your Minister Mental said. He did not like Malaysia because he was jealous of our success, peace and tranquility. And so he said that in an affidavit in a court proceeding. As Singapore Malays, you of course have to kow tow to your Supreme Leader and so you agreed with him, in’it? In’it?

I am sure you don’t really agree with him but you cannot say so, in’it? Because you can’t really say anything in Singapore, especially when what you wanted to say would go against what your Supremely Total leader said, in’it? Can you?

Well you know something? We Malaysian Malays can say anything we like. Of course we cannot insult Islam lah…kalau insult Islam we kena lah. But a bit only lah, not like you all in Singapore. We would only be detained without trial under the Internal Security Act. Then most probably we would have to leave Malaysia and live elsewhere. But you see, we don’t have to kow tow like you all. That’s the point, get it?

Hmm…do you know that Kia has launched a new car? Yes. It’s called Kia Soo. LOL!!!

Allow me now to continue to write in proper Queen’s English. Because my Singlish attempt in the foregoing paragraphs is really pathetic, as you could see. That is because we Malaysian Malays are taught Maths and Science in proper English. Because of that, we Malaysian Malays are so proficient in English although we are not as good as you are in Maths and Science.

The purpose of my writing this letter to you is to tell you that we, the Malaysian Malays, do not have to kow tow to anybody. We are the best Malays in the whole world. The luckiest Malays in the whole world. And the most successful Malays in the whole wide world, including the cyber world. Any other Malays, from any other country, or part of the world (including the cyber world), are just not as good or successful as us, the Malaysian Malays. They are simply at the tenth place out of ten. We, the Malaysian Malays, for your information, occupy the first nine places. That is how good we are.

I tell you what. We have a Malay astronaut. Here he is known as AngkasaOne. We even have a reserve astronaut. He is also Malay. He is known as AngkasaTwo. Don’t ask me why we mix a Malay word for “space” with an English word for the first two numbers to call them two astronauts. Perhaps that is because we want to impress that we are taught Maths in English. Yes, that must be it. Now, you all in Singapore do not have any AngkasaOne do you? See? We are better than you. And we do not have to kow tow to anybody.

We also swam across the English Channel, fully protected from jelly fish in a cage. And we have a Datukship for that. You all Singapore Malays got like that one ah? Mana ada? Of course later they was a Chinese boy who swam without the protective cage and even much faster than us the Malaysian Malays, but he did not get Datukship, you see. So we are better. And we did that without having to kow tow to anybody. You all. You kow tow also cannot do like that one, for sure (my Singlish is getting better, eh?)

Than we also have many big Malay businessmen in Malaysia. Our national carrier, MAS (not Malay Airline System, it’s Malaysia Airline System, mind you), was owned by a Malay. He made MAS the best. And one of the biggest. So much so that when he left, MAS was in such a solvent state that it could spend RM1.55 million to buy some paints in various colours splashed over some white canvas and put them in the Chairman office. And we did it without having to kow tow to anybody, kau tau?

We also have Malay businessmen who built highways from the north way up to the South. Now, had your government agreed, we would have extended that highway to your small ciku state via a second causeway. But true to your kiasu attitude, being jealous of our success and achievements (especially because we have several excellent national cars and the fact that we now have not one, but two, submarines – which mind you, can now dive in tropical waters – and also the fact that we run the “hottest race on Earth” – which is to be renamed “the monsoon-est race on Earth” – once a year), your government don’t agree to that proposal. But we always have a way. We will build a crooked and very scenic bridge on OUR side. Padan muka you all! We cannot build a straight bridge, we would build a crooked one.

More on the hottest race on Earth. We know you all are envious of our F1 Circuit, which is the best in the world (in 1999 that is). You all are so envious with this circuit. That we know. You all don’t have enough land and therefore you can’t build one. You also cannot have a F1 circuit race unless you want the F1 race to be held underwater.

So you have a street F1 race. Street race! Hah! In Malaysia, we Malaysian Malays do that every night. We call ourselves Rempits. Congratulations! You have turned the F1 drivers into Rempits! And to be different, and to kow tow to Europeans fans, you have to hold the race at night. In Malaysia, we do not kow tow, okay. Unlike you. Racing at night and on the street. Cheh!

Back to the highways. Yes. That was done by us, the Malaysian Malays. Look at how successful the highways, as a business, are. I know. In other countries, like yours, highways are built for logistical purposes but here, let me remind you, highways are primarily for business and investment purposes. As you can see, we, the Malaysian Malays are inventors of new businesses. And to top it all, even when the highways are raking it in, in terms of toll collections, our government would compensate the highway company in the hundreds of millions. And we do that, my little Singapore friends, without kow tow-ing to anybody. Nope. No kow tow, kau tau?

We, the Malaysian Malays are the masters. We excel in every fields of business. In constructions industry, we obtained contracts recently for the construction of the new palace. Not only that, we even managed to negotiate with the government, whose allocation was initially RM400 million, to increase the cost to about RM800 million. Now tell me. Can you, Singaporean Malays, do that? No way towkey.

And at international level, we managed to be an agent who put up the deal to for the Malaysian government to buy submarines. And we earned, I am told, about RM500 million for that. You think it is easy to buy submarines? No it is not I am telling you. There must be an agent to put up the deal. The government cannot just take up the phone and tell the submarine manufacturer that it wanted 2 or 3 submarines. Or ask 4 or 5 manufacturers to come for presentations and choose one of them to supply the darn submarines. No. The government needed us, the Malaysian Malays to be the agent. And of course, we do that without kow-tow. We do not have to kow tow, get it?

You all Singapore Malays, you can do like that ah? Sure kenot. You all are losers. I am sure you all supported England the other night, didn’t you? 4-1. Bumbling kow-tow-ing idiots! Golden generation konon. If that was golden, than I wonder how brass looks like!

You all have Perkasa or Gertak or not? Ha…got or not? You see, we Malaysian Malays are so lucky. We have Perkasa and Gertak to look after our rights and entitlements. That is why we do not have to kow tow to anybody like you all. We know our rights man. Our Constutilation. Yes. Our rights and entitlements are all mentioned in the Federal Constitulations. Our supremely brave and intellectually inclined leaders or Perkasa and Gertak have read them. And we believe what they say too. That is why, we do not have to kow tow to anybody. Kau tau?

So please. Don’t you make noise here and there about us Malaysian Malays. I know and the whole world know that despite you saying Johor Bharu is so full of thieves and whatever (by the way, haven’t you all heard, crime rate has gone down by 20% since KPIs were imposed, please update yourself before talking nonsense), you all just love to come to JB to buy your household items, eat in our restaurants and drive so fast on our highways (because you all do not have enough length on your roads to speed up to 130kph in your pathetic Kia Soo whatever).

So, beat it, okay. Frankly, I am in love with Singapore as much as I am in love with frozen butter during my free hotel breakfast.

We, Malaysian Malays, do not kow tow. Kau tau?

- http://art-harun.blogspot.com

PKFZ: 'Gov't will pay the RM700mil to bondholders'

Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri has given an assurance that the government will pay what is due to the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) bondholders.

“We have a commitment to the bondholders, therefore we have to fulfill it," he told the House today, when winding up matters relating to the ministry in the 10th Malaysia Plan.

He was replying Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timor) who had asked whether Port Klang Authority (PKA) would make any payments to PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), given the legal dispute between them.

PKA is due to pay RM723 million to the bondholders tomorrow, akthough it has taken KDSB to court for alleged overcharging.

The Internal Revenue Board (IRB), Lim noted further, has also asked PKA to pay RM328 million owed by KDSB in alleged backdated taxes.

Given such a scenario, Lim suggested that the government should consider setting up a third-party account until the dispute is resolved.

Should PKA decide to pay both parties, they would have to cough up over RM1 billion.

On the same matter, Tony Pua (DAP-Petaling Jaya Utara, centre) said PKA should not make any payments to the bondholders since it was KDSB that had raised the money to finance the PKFZ project through the issuance of bonds worth RM4.6 billion.

“PKA's obligation is not towards KDSB's bondholders,” Pua argued.

Bondholders can either individuals or companies who have invested and bought the PKFZ bond from the market.

At a press conference earlier, Pua had said that the government should hold back payments to KDSB until the court case is finalised.

"PKA can withhold payment to KDSB bondholders on the basis that KDSB had failed to complete its work. PKA could also refuse to pay IRB on the same (grounds). So if PKA says 'I do not owe money to KDSB', it is not compelled to pay the taxes owing to IRB," he explained.

'Perfect scam of the century'

If the government pays both the bondholders and the IRB, said Pua, "this would be the perfect scam of the century".

PKA will have to pay a total of RM1.05 billion to both IRB and the bondholders.

"The result will then be ... the IRB gets to collect its taxes, the bondholders get to recover their investment with interest, while KDSB escapes its obligations without having to fork out a single sen of its tax (owed to IRB)," he claimed.

He added that this will also save KDSB owner Tiong King Sing (left), who is Bintulu MP, from being sued by the IRB and bondholders.

However, the burden would then be transferred to the rakyat.

"The complete burden amounting to billions of ringgit is shifted to the hapless and helpless rakyat who will be forced to pay for the follies of the BN government," he added.

"(This would) enrich KDSB and its shareholders while those possibly guilty of criminal breach of trust such as former transport minister Chan Kong Choy (will) get away scot-free."

MCA must make a stand on PKFZ: Ong

EXCLUSIVE The MCA has everything to lose if it chooses to ignore the RM12 billion PKFZ controversy, said former president Ong Tee Keat.

Ong, whose crusade for the truth in the high-profile case cost him his positions as party president and transport minister, said this very issue was a strong contributor to MCA's whitewash by the opposition in the 12th general election two years ago.

“MCA as a party, more so as a partner in the ruling (BN) coalition, was greatly disadvantaged in the past GE such as in Selangor and the Federal Territory... we all know PKFZ is one of the root causes,” he told Malaysiakini.

“It is only appropriate for MCA to make a stand on the subject, if we really uphold the principles of integrity and transparency.”

MCA, the second-largest BN component party, has long had a close association with the Port Klang Authority - which owns PKFZ - by virtue of the party's monopoly of the transport ministership.

MCA's links to the PKA go as far back as 1989, with at least five successive party leaders sitting as chairperson of the government agency such as Michael Chen, Ting Chew Peh, Yap Pian Hon, Chor Chee Heung and current chair Lee Hwa Beng.

The Transport Ministry likewise has been under the party's stewardship, with the president traditionally taking the post including Dr Ling Liong Sik and Ong Tee Keat, though it has also been held by former deputy president Chan Kong Choy and currently by secretary-general Kong Cho Ha.

In an earlier interview, Ong had said he was playing on dangerous ground when he launched the probe into the PKFZ scandal, ultimately costing him his presidency and ministership.

New president backtracking

Moving forward, Ong pointed out that while he was president, MCA's presidential council had endorsed the view that the scandal is a party concern - insinuating that his rival and recently-elected president Dr Chua Soi Lek is taking a few steps back on the issue.

“The current president (Chua) held a different view. He once argued (when I was president) that the issue if investigated, would further jeopardise the party and the BN.

“He said PKFZ should not be a party matter, it is strictly under the Ministry of Finance (MoF). Likewise for sports betting, if the same argument were to hold water, people could argue it is a MoF matter and not a party concern.

“The fact is it (sports betting) was discussed at the presidential council and they made a stand to support it... whether it is a case of double standards or otherwise, let the fact speak for itself,” he said, referring to MCA's open support for issuance of the sports betting licence.

'Blame PKA board'

Ong however did not want the blame to be put on the shoulders of his predecessors in the Transport Ministry, especially Chan who has been a marked man since the issue went public.

He instead said the burden of responsibility should fall on the PKA's board of directors at the crucial time the PKFZ deal was inked.

“The board itself should be held responsible, irrespective of party affiliation... we should view the issue comprehensively; who has done what and the lines of responsibility,” he said.

Ong also declined to comment on Kong's recent statement that there is no need to re-visit the PKFZ issue, saying he does not know if it was his view as transport minister or MCA vice-president.

On his grand plan to reform the 61-year-old MCA, Ong was at a loss to pinpoint what exactly he did or did not do that led to his fall from the presidency.

“I think the results spoke loudly, on whether or not I made it. During the party election on March 28, I was defeated.

“I'm not sure if the delegates made their choice based on issues or principles of the three candidates, because I didn't do a survey.”

Chua performing well?

Ong however took a dig at Chua, brushing aside talk that his successor is doing a good job at patching the cracks that have fractured the party over the past year's protracted leadership crisis.

He said it is not enough to just run an extensive public relations exercise, as a situation could be more - or less - than what it seems.

“Maybe it would be useful for a more in-depth survey (into Chua's performance), rather than taking the word of a few individuals.

“Sometimes what we observe may not represent the real picture... let the facts speak for themselves."

Online syndicates and local groups receiving up to RM8bil bets from Malaysians

Reports by STEVEN CHIEW, STEVEN DANIEL, M. KUMAR and RASHITHA ABDUL HAMID

PETALING JAYA: Illegal bookies are making a killing, raking in huge sums of money each day now that the World Cup has reached the heart-stopping knockout stage.

It is estimated that Malaysians spent up to RM8bil on sports betting every year, either via online syndicates or local bookies.

The Starprobe team has found out that this year’s World Cup is said to be even more lucrative than the last – this time around, apart from taking bets on the usual scores, bookies are even targeting other aspects of a match – the number of offsides, yellow or red cards and corner kicks among others.

Although online betting is illegal, many in the country are placing bets via the Internet in companies located overseas.

It is understood that although Malaysian credit cards are not allowed to be used in bets through these websites, a punter can register for a Western Union account.

There are also locally-run betting websites, declared illegal by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) but the people can still access these sites via illegal bookies.

And while Malaysians are known to be sports lovers and even placed bets in last month’s Thomas Cup and Uber Cup, football remains the sport which attracts the most ardent punters.

A check with the MCA Public Services and Complaints Depart­ment head Datuk Michael Chong says it all.

In 2008 alone, his office handled 636 cases involving betting debts totalling RM39mil just after the European Championships.

“I expect the figure to go up during the World Cup,” Chong said.

Now that bookies have gone hi-tech and accept bets online, it has made it easier for punters to place bets.

This also makes it more difficult for the police to trace them.

Federal CID director Comm Datuk Seri Bakri Zinin said police believed that more than seven VIPs were running illegal football betting rings and had fled to neighbouring countries following a nationwide police crackdown since the start of the World Cup.

Police also said there were at least 10 major syndicates cashing in on the World Cup by using these illegal websites, using sports wear brands and numbers as the names of their websites.

The Starprobe team found that there were more than 500 sports betting websites, operating mostly from the United States and Briatin, which are easily accessible to Malaysians. This is excluding the 700 casino and 500 poker websites.

Most Chinese have gambled or betted in one way or another . In fact they bet on anything , from election results to which candidate will win , to almost anything .

Which is better ? having a legalised betting outlet to place your bets or resorting to betting with illegal bookies ? who doubled up as Alongs ?

Like it or not with or without legal betting outlets , Malaysians will continue to spend vast sums of money on gambling . Its in their genes .

Mahathir Letter To Israeli PM Begging For Fund To Support UMNO

Can this be true ?? Your guess is as good as mine.
Knowing politicians anything is possible.

PKFZ case far from over: Ong

EXCLUSIVE Ong Tee Keat, the man who exposed the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, believes the case is far from over.

Despite the arrest and impending trial of former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager OC Phang and three others in relation to the scandal, the former transport minister remains convinced there is more left to be uncovered.

Ong (right), who was dropped from Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's cabinet in a recent reshuffle, stressed that he has first hand information on those implicated in the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report on the scandal, but declined to go into detail.

"Given the benefit of my position as a minister, certainly I know several more names mentioned in the report," he said in a Malaysiakini exclusive interview.

"It is not appropriate for me to announce these names because investigations may still be ongoing. I cannot be sure whether or not those implicated (in the report) are being investigated or not."

Ong, who was also ousted as MCA president at the party's March polls, said the investigating authorities are taking too long to update on their progress, and the public is getting tired of waiting.

Speaking in riddles

Predictably, the enigmatic speaker in his usual fashion stayed on the safe route, without committing himself to either side of the PKFZ debacle which is estimated ton have cost RM12 billion in public funds.

Ong did question whether or not the government-appointed 11-member special task force to investigate the scandal, has come up with a report.

"I'm not sure if there is such a report by now... it has now gone way beyond six months (since investigations started). But it is at their discretion (to release the report).

"What the people want to see is what's next. Other than to see justice, they also want to know what happens to the public funds, what action would be taken if there actually are fraudulent claims... these are all frequently asked questions," he said.

Fighting cynicism and intimidation

Ong said his decision to expose the PKFZ scandal was riddled with "insurmountable stumbling blocks", having to have to wade through a quagmire of bureaucracy and dead ends.

And eventually mountains of documents that he had to go through before he could make sense of it all.

Throughout his active pursuit of the truth, he said he faced endless opposition and cynicism from everyone around him. The opposition called his actions a charade, while he also jeopardised his MCA presidency.

"I know I was risking my party position.

"I don't deny (in my exposure of the scandal) I could have hurt the feelings and interests of certain individuals within the party, but I had to make a hard decision... true enough I have been ousted from the presidency."

Ong admitted he faced intimidation while digging up information on the scandal, but declined to elaborate.

"It is not my practice to cry foul openly... since my younger days, I have never been a crybaby," he said.

Ong also said he knew that "certain quarters" celebrated each time he hit a brick wall in his pursuit on PKFZ. The first was when MCA's Oct 10, 2009 extraordinary general meeting passed a motion of no confidence on him, followed by his loss of party presidency and his removal as transport minister.

"When I was defeated, I was told there were celebrations by certain quarters. I could understand the three episodes gave them reason to celebrate, but I view it with a smile. To me, whether or not they celebrate, that is their choice," he said.

Family matters

For Ong, the biggest loss was that of quality time with friends and family.

"I really had to forgo many things, including my family time. It (the scandal) impacted on my public appearances. I had to cut down my socialising with friends without telling them the real reasons that I could not join them.

"I spent a good six months, right up to after Chinese New Year (in 2009) doing this every day (sifting through the PKFZ documents), rain or shine, from 11pm to 3am," he said.

When asked if it was all worth the effort, considering the lack of progress in the protracted issue, the usually stoic Ong was clearly pained.

"I can't say I have lost confidence in the system, because I soldiered on irrespective of whether or not I would lose everything.

"But I am deeply saddened, not by my personal loss especially on the RM10 million allegations, but by the current state of affairs, because I really have high hopes on politics of integrity and transparency in our system.

"Even if we have yet to achieve that, there must be a serious commitment to it," he said.

Tomorrow: MCA must make a clear stand

Most Dangerous Man in Malaysia

Racist Mahathir to the fore again

May 11, 2010

On 24th May, 2008, Malaysiakini reported that, speaking in Tokyo, Mahathir had warned of possible unrest in Malaysia.
He is reported to have said that “extremists” among different communities had begun to voice their opposition and make unfair demands on the government, trying to “divide rather than unite.”
“Now we are seeing the different races making demands on the government, which they perceive as a weak government”, Mahathir is reported to have said.
Back then, as we all well knew, Mahathir was well into overdrive in his efforts to dethrone Pak Lah.
That finally came to pass early last year.
Last Friday, Mahathir posted the following in his blog :
“Playing race politics in Malaysia is dangerous. This country may find itself being governed by a weak Government. There will be more politicking and more racial conflicts. There will be instability and chaos. Then everyone, whatever race he may be will suffer.
The choice is ours”.
This latest post by Mahathir, read fully and closely, reveals how devious and dangerous this man is.
He shows himself prepared to lie and distort the truth to achieve his own ends.
This post serves as a grim reminder of how this man ruled over us for 22 years : distorted the truth, pitted the majority ethnic Malay community against the Chinese business community, created the spectre of a state of chaos and tension, and incarcerated those who dared to stand up to him.
He speaks, in this post, of “demands by Chinese extremists questioning the provision of Malay special rights in the constitution, demanding an end to the NEP, reduction of quotas for Malay students”.
What Malay special rights in the constitution?
There are none!
No one has demanded for an end to the NEP, but for an end to its abuse, and an insistence that its spirit and intent be given effect to.
No one demands that the aid to Malay students end or be reduced, but that such aid be extended to all Malaysians in need of such aid.
Demands by Chinese extremists?
What Chinese extremists?
Mahathir should name them and shame them if they are not mere figments of his own evil imagination.
Mahathir says the choice is ours.
He has made his.
This Thursday, 13th May, the 41st anniversary of the bloody race riots of 1969, Mahathir will join Gerakan Kebangkitan Rakyat (Gertak) at a ‘Bangkit Melayu’ rally in Terengganu.
They are hoping to draw a crowd of 10,000.
Banners publicising this rally are touting Mahathir as the main draw.
And Mahathir can be expected to spew his racist, hate-inspiring, divide-and-rule lies again.
PAS, too, has made its choice and, thankfully, a sane one.
As has Zaid.
Malaysiakini reports today that PAS leaders have condemned the planned rally as being “dangerous”, “insensitive” and “bordering on extremism” and have called for its cancellation.
“We are taking serious steps on this so that the public is aware and told that the organizing group are dangerous, and that the people should stay away from them”, PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub is reported to have said.
Salahuddin entertained no doubts whatsoever that UMNO is behind the rally.
“It is about time that Malaysians see the dirty work of Umno,” he is reported to have said.
Free Malaysia Today reports that Zaid Ibrahim has called upon Najib “to stop this irresponsible and dangerous action. Nothing useful will come out of such provocation other than spewing hate and threatening peace and stability”.
The voices of reason from amongst the Malay leaders in Pakatan Rakyat have spoken.
It remains to be seen if Najib is still running the country or whether, like Pak Lah, the warlords in UMNO, with Mahathir as head honcho, are calling the shots now.
Mahathir is right about one thing, though.
The choice is ours.
Whether we will allow ourselves to be be bullied into silence and submission again by a lying, thieving ex-premier and his team of gangsters?
Whether we will allow this evil design to instil fear and hate in our midst to succeed?
Or whether we will find our collective strength to rid this nation of this ugly scourge once and for all?
The choice is ours.

DAP tells PKR to ‘get your act together’

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 26, 2010

The people of Selangor are behind Khalid, says Santiago. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — The DAP today issued a reminder to PKR to fix whatever internal problems it may have at this weekend’s PKR retreat amid a row over the position of the Selangor mentri besar.

DAP leaders say rumours of a plan to oust Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim as mentri besar have begun to affect the other component parties in the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state government.

The DAP also gave its backing to Khalid to remain as MB, stating that policies which have been passed under his administration have been “fair and just” for everyone.

They slammed Selangor opposition leader Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo’s claims that Khalid will still remain in power as MB despite a possible coup because he was subservient to the DAP, and that the DAP actually governed the state.

“This is a warning to PKR. This cannot go on any longer. PKR should settle and resolve whatever internal bickering they may have during this weekend’s party retreat,” said Klang MP Charles Santiago.

The DAP man told The Malaysian Insider that the rumours of 15 PKR MPs planning to pressure Khalid to step down as MB have affected other PR component parties in the state.

“This issue is affecting everyone. Just last night I was at a function, and people were asking me these questions (about PKR), and I could not answer them.

“They have to get their act together,” said Santiago.

Santiago claimed that Khir’s remarks were “mischievous, slanderous and misleading” as it was a ploy to drive a wedge between PR component parties in the state.

“The people of Selangor are behind him (Khalid) because of his fair policies and because he is a clean man,” said Santiago.

He said PAS and the DAP will also meet up with Khalid soon to discuss the latest matters pertaining to the state.

Pua says Selangor DAP supports Khalid because he is not corrupt. — File pic

DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua vehemently denied that the DAP was instrumental in Khalid maintaining his position as MB.

“We would like that (laughs), if only we had everything our way. The fact is although we have 13 state assemblymen each for PKR and DAP, PKR has five excos while the DAP has three.

“There are a lot of examples which show that DAP does not control the state. If you look at GLCs (government-linked companies), only Teresa Kok is appointed to PKNS (Selangor State Development Corporation),” said Pua.

In a phone interview with The Malaysian Insider, Pua reaffirmed the DAP’s stand in supporting Khalid.

“I think DAP Selangor supports Khalid because he is genuinely concerned with improving the welfare of the people in Selangor. And he is not corrupt,” said Pua.

Khir claimed yesterday that PKR lawmakers had been dissatisfied with Khalid’s running of the state for some time, but said the rebellion would not amount to anything as the mentri besar had the support of ally DAP.

“It will be quite impossible to remove Khalid as mentri besar. First of all, Khalid’s support in Selangor is strong, very solid.

“Khalid is there because of DAP, not because of PKR. There is full support from Khalid to remain as MB. Several DAP leaders have confirmed that with me,” Khir told The Malaysian Insider yesterday in an interview.

The former Selangor BN mentri besar had said that PKR did not call the shots in the state’s administration, and claimed that the position of MB was subject to the approval of the DAP.

PKR has been thrown into disarray since two of the party’s lawmakers recently confirmed that a “coup” to remove Khalid from office was being led by Teluk Kemang MP Datuk Kamarul Bahrain Abbas, who has denied the accusation.

The alleged revolt is believed to have started from Azmin Ali’s resignation from PKNS three days ago.

Khalid has dismissed the revolt as mere speculation.

Please pack up and go, PKR — Martin Jalleh

June 26, 2010

JUNE 26 — Once again we hear of trouble, turbulence and turmoil in a political party that talks every other day about taking over the government in the next general elections. We will tolerate their nonsense no more. Yes, even if it means throwing out the baby with the bath water!

Please, please PKR stop pushing your fanciful dreams about occupying Putrajaya when you are in such a pathetic and pitiful state with your prima donna politicians parading their shameless petty and puerile politics in public.

As a party you have become laughable, and as RPK predicts you could be facing your last days! Your political representatives are resting on their laurels and the increasing number of loudmouths and loose cannons are just longing to blast the party into oblivion!

Your endless intra-party squabbles, spats and skirmishes and splintered groups sicken those of us who once supported, voted and stood steadfastly by you. The strong and solid support many of us showed you have now turned into scorn.

We are fed up of your internal feuding and festering that has resulted in a fragile and faltering coalition and a farcical government-in-waiting! Your foolhardy ways will only be a fast-forward to your self-destruction. All Umno needs to do is gleefully watch you finish off each other!

We are tired of your MPs and Assemblymen’s threats to resign, their taunts to one another to quit and their theatrics and tantrums to be turncoats. Truly, we have never seen such a dysfunctional horde of politicians! We will not take any of you seriously nor treat the party with respect anymore!

We have had enough of your high-browed haughty leaders who hurl accusations and insults and humiliate one another and members of the coalition. Enough of your hypocrisy! You cannot get your own house in order and yet have high hopes about controlling Parliament House! Take a hike, PKR!

Your disunity is disgusting. Your politicians delight in washing dirty linen and in denigrating each other in public. They are an absolute disgrace. Please have some dignity and decency, and dismiss yourselves. You do not deserve our confidence.

Your politicians are made up mainly of clowns who crap, crow, clamour for and cry aloud about change but cling on to their political charades, chicanery, claptrap and conspiracies, instead of collaborating at all costs in your professed commitment to bring about concrete change.

We are not interested in the reasons and root causes of your grievances against each other. Two years and more after the last General Elections and you are still unable to get your act together. Yet you make grand claims of being ready to govern this nation. Get real, PKR!

At times you look like a bunch of incompetent idiots, no different from the several insolent imposters who chose to insult our intelligence by leaving the party to be independent of party discipline and the wishes of the people in the last General Elections, out of purely selfish interests and greed.

Please spare us your excuses. The manipulative mainstream media and the maneuvering of key institutions of democracy by a desperate malevolent Umno are to be expected. But at the end of the day your erratic, eccentric and egoistic representatives are to be blamed. Enough is enough!

Instead of translating into reality the promise of a “revolution in the (country’s) political culture” you “reward” the rakyat with your never-ending rumblings, rancor, political roguery and now a “rebellion” in Selangor by your MPs. Is this what “reformasi” amounts to? Sheer “rubbish”!

Yes, go for your weekend retreat PKR leaders. I hope you will prove me and many others wrong but my guess is that you will still be a party weak, wavering, wobbling, wandering and wanting to do each other in...as you chart your way into political wilderness!

The road to Putrajaya requires stomach, stamina, synergy, solidarity and the sacrifice of personal agendas for the larger national agenda. Sadly, this journey has been stymied by your somnolent, selfish, self-centered and supercilious political representatives, whom Bolehland can do well without.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or the newspaper. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

Show your faces, exco dares 'plotting' MPs

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:03

By Teoh El Sen

PETALING JAYA: The PKR MPs involved in an alleged plot to topple Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim should reveal their identities, said state exco Elizabeth Wong.

Daring them to “show their faces”, the Bukit Lanjan state assemblywoman said they should not be making press statements requesting anonymity.

The PKR leader also said there is nothing wrong with harbouring grouses towards Khalid.

“That's fair enough since nobody is perfect. They should speak up and not hide. No one can steer away from criticism and whatever needs to be corrected should be corrected. That is a more productive way of doing things," she told FMT.

The exco was reponding to reports that a group of 15 MPs aligned to PKR vice-president Azmin Ali have hatched a campaign to oust Khalid, whom they feel is not a team player and under-performing.

Azmin, who is said to be eyeing the menteri besar post, has denied masterminding the conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Wong said she does not believe that there is a campaign to push for the menteri besar to resign.

Furthermore, she added, the problems concerning Selangor is not one of the main agendas for this weekend's party retreat, where a major reshuffle is expected.

"I think both the party president (Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) and de facto leader Anwar (Ibrahim) have made it clear that there will be no change (in the state's top echelon),” she said.

'Uncalled for' criticism

Wong said it will be interesting to see how these alleged conspirators respond to questions from members during the retreat.

"I can predict that we are just going to look at each other and no one will dare come out to say what has come out in the press,” she added.

Wong also labelled the criticism over Khalid's move to appoint Faekah Husin as his new political secretary without consulting party leaders as “uncalled for”.

"A political secretary is like a private secretary, it is a personal decision. It has to be someone the MB can work with and trust to make decisions,” she said.

Khalid's former secretary Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is tipped to be appointed as PKR's new communications director.

DAP exco: MB is liked by all

Meanwhile, Selangor exco Ronnie Liu also rejected the conspiracy theory.

"Perhaps there are one or two (MPs) who are not happy with Khalid, that's all. Khalid is performing and doing very well. So there is no basis to topple him," said the DAP leader.

According to Liu, Khalid is well liked by the people and his exco members have a good working relationship with him.

"He is also a workaholic and practises a very transparent and accountable style of management,” he said, adding that Azmin also has close working ties with the MB.

Exco Yaakob Sapari, on the other hand, said Khalid should be allowed to complete his term

“Let him finish his term and then go back to elections and let the people decide. Let us do our job until our term finishes,” he added.

State excos Ean Yong Hian Wah and Dr Xavier Jayakumar refused to comment on the matter.

Ean, who is also Selangor DAP chief, termed it as PKR's internal issue. “They should resolve it within the party. At the exco level, we work as a team."

KJ calls Ibrahim Ali a jaguh kampung

Jaguh kampong ? Pordah shit shit shit , jaguh pocket sendiri

By G. Manimaran

June 25, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Khairy Jamaluddin said today that Datuk Ibrahim Ali did not have the right to ask him to resign after he defended MCA Youth Chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong.

“This is because Khairy as the Umno Youth Chief is one of the first Member of Parliament to object to the proposal to downsize the number of JPA scholarships for Malaysian students who want to pursue their studies overseas.

“Downsizing of scholarships for overseas studies would have a big impact on the opportunities for Malay and Bumiputera students to continue their studies, especially those who are truly excellent,” he said.

Yesterday Khairy had slammed Ibrahim for calling Wee “biadap” and for accusing the deputy education minister of questioning the social contract.

Khairy added that he had listened to the recording of Wee’s statement and found that the latter had not questioned the social contract.

Instead Khairy called the Perkasa president a “jaguh kampung,” or small-timer.

“He (Ibrahim) is a jaguh kampung in a world of globalisation. Which era is he in? He has become a hindrance to the concept of 1 Malaysia,” the Umno Youth Chief said in a posting on Twitter today.

According to Khairy, the message was part of an explaination that he provided when asked by reporters in Kuala Kedah.

The Barisan Nasional Youth Chief added that Ibrahim did not have the right to ask him to resign because he was not a “voter from Rembau and was not even an Umno party member.”

Yesterday Ibrahim asked Khairy to resign as Rembau MP for compromising Malay interests in defending the MCA Youth chief.

The independent Pasir Mas MP claimed that the Umno Youth chief had failed to understand Wee’s remarks on Mara scholarships.

“That is why Perkasa is upset. How can Mara be equated with JPA. Mara is only for Malays. JPA is for all. If both are the same what would happen to Malay special rights,” said Ibrahim.

“If Khairy could not understand Ka Siong’s hint he should quit,” said Ibrahim.

Last week, Wee reportedly asked if the Mara scholarship programme for Bumiputera students would be scrapped together with the Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships.

“If the government is only doing away with the PSD scholarships but retain the Mara scholarships, this will not be in line with the 1 Malaysia concept that the government is promoting,” he was quoted as saying.

Wee made the statement in response to the government’s decision to scrap the 1,500 PSD scholarships.

The deputy education minister had yesterday dismissed accusations that he was questioning the special position of the Malays and managed to get Khairy to defend him.

Ibrahim said this was the first time an Umno Youth chief had set aside the interests of the Malays.

Yesterday, Umno Youth Information Chief Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican described Ibrahim’s demand as unreasonable and said that the question of compromising Malay interests did not arise.

Raja Petra Kamarudin - Bodoh sombong !!

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s father is one example of an English language teacher from India who came to Malaya and eventually married a Malay woman, resulting in the birth of Dr Mahathir.

Many Indian and Chinese immigrants married in Malaya , sometimes to fellow Indians and Chinese and sometimes to local Malays (that is why many Malays look more Indian and Chinese compared to their Indonesian cousins). And understandably they sired children born in Malaya . And these local born sons and daughters of the immigrants are those Malaysian Indians and Chinese of today, many who have never stepped foot in India or China since the day they were born.

Their parents and grandparents (some are third or fourth generation Malaysians while some, like the Melaka Chinese, have been ‘locals’ since 500 years ago) came to Malaya to serve the country and died in this country. And some of these ‘immigrants’ have been in the country longer than even Malays who are only second or third generation Malaysians.

The question of who came first is an arguable issue. There are Indians and Chinese who have been in Malaysia for hundreds of years and there are Malays who have been in the country less than 100 years. Nevertheless, this article is not to argue about who is more Bumiputera — the Malays, Indians or Chinese.

Everyone — Malays, Indians and Chinese alike — are sons and daughters of immigrants. It would be very difficult to dissect the three different races based on generalising. You would have to look at it on a case-to-case basis. My family came to Malaya in the mid-1700s. Tian Chua’s family came to Malaya much earlier than that. Dr Mahathir and Khir Toyo are merely second generation Malaysians although one became the Prime Minister and the other the Chief Minister of a State.

Okay, the purpose of this article is not to argue who is more Bumiputera as we can argue till the cows come home and will never reach a consensus. What I want to talk about is who has served this country and, therefore, can be considered a true patriot.

The railway, roads, bridges and buildings, right up to maybe the 1980s or so (that means for more than 100 years), were built by the Indians and Chinese (not the Malays). I still remember even as recent as the 1970s when Indians would work in the hot sun building the roads and laying the railway lines. They also worked in the estates and plantations. And the same goes for the tin mines and the construction industry, which were mainly a Chinese affair. And many died. There were numerous cases where entire Chinese communities were wiped out by disease and war and they had to bring in fresh loads of Chinese workers from China to replace those who had died. And the living conditions of these workers were pathetic. Trust me when I say detention under the Internal Security Act in Kamunting is luxurious compared to what these Indians and Chinese had to endure.

The Malayan civil service, legal system, education system, and whatnot, depended on the English educated Indians brought in from India . It was not until the 1920s or so, when the immigration policy was tightened, that the Malays were educated enough to start filling the ranks of the civil service. Even by the time of Merdeka the country still depended on the immigrants because there were not enough educated Malays to serve the country.

And almost all these people died in this country (only some went home to die) and their Malaysian-born children, grandchildren and great grandchildren are those Indians and Chinese you see in the country today.

To sum up: this country was built by the non-Malays. What we see today is the result of the contribution by the non-Malays. Initially, Malaya ’s economy depended on rubber and tin, long before we had factories and heavy industries. And it was because we had immigrant Indians and Chinese is why we saw a thriving rubber and tin industry. If not because of rubber and tin, Malaysia would be amongst the poorest countries in this world.

Then we had three wars - the Second World War, the Malayan Emergency, and the Konfrantasi with Indonesia . And not just Malayans, but many foreign ‘Mat Salleh’ (white skins), as well as Africans, Fijians, Gurkhas, Indians, Punjabis, Bengalis, and many more, died in these wars. Of course, Malays died as well. But Malays were not the only ones who died in these three wars.

But is the contribution of these patriots ever remembered? The Malays scream, rant and rave that this is a Malay country. They declare that this is Tanah Melayu (Malay land). But we might not even have a country, at least not in the form that we see it now, if not for the fact that many not of Malay origin laid down their lives for this country. If the non-Malays, including the ‘Mat Salleh’, had not died for this country, Malaysia would no longer be an independent nation but just a small province of Indonesia .

When Malays talk about dying for your country, they just look at the three wars. But the death toll for these wars does not even come close to the death toll of those who died serving this country in other ways. Some died defending the country in wars. But many more died in the effort to build this country to what it is today. And many also died of mere old age after serving this country their entire life and then retired here as citizens.

But how do we repay these patriots or children and grandchildren of patriots not of Malay origin? We insult them. We threaten them. We discriminate against them. We oppress them. We persecute them. We treat them as second-class citizens. We refuse to recognise the patriotic contribution of their parents, grandparents or great grandparents in defending this country and in building this country to what it is today.

So these people feel hurt. So they feel that the sacrifices and contribution of their forefathers are not remembered and appreciated. So they decide to leave the country and go to another country that can better-appreciate their talents and skills instead of threatening and subjecting them to screams of “go back to your own country”.

Who are the traitors here? Are the traitors those who hijrah in search of a better life like what the Prophet Muhammad did? Or are the traitors those who ignore the patriotic contribution of Malayans from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s?

The Umno Ministers should be made to pass a history test before they can be appointed as Ministers. And they should also be made to pass a lie detector test every time they make a statement. As the Malays would say: bodoh (stupid) is bad enough. Bodoh sombong (arrogantly stupid) is unforgivable. And Umno Ministers are just that — bodoh sombong.

Dr Mahathir: The Pontius Pilate of Malaysia?

Dr Mahathir: The Pontius Pilate of Malaysia?

Ney , the Mamakutty of Malaysia

J. D. Lovrenciear

LETTER Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad easily qualifies for the cloak of Pontius Pilot. And that is no compliment by any means.

There was a time when Malaysians stood by you as you promised a developed world for all of us. We went along with you backing your battering ram against the world.

Your war cry to ‘Buy British Last’ made us believe that we can be counted in the world. Likewise you hammered the Australians and we demanded their subservience.

You tried to pull the carpet under the feet of Singaporeans and we developed despite for them. You thundered your views on world economic and political matters and we believed you even to the extent of rubbishing off George Soros.

Some leaders of neighboring counties even hailed you as their mentor and brother – never mind the fact that one of them is a fugitive today and the other is being critically appraised for having allegiance to military rule.

You bulldozed through mega projects and we despised those who had second thoughts about your plans for all Malaysians. And so with the rakyat backing you all the way we saw the birth of Proton; the rise of Petronas Twin Towers; the hatching of Formula One motor sports; the hacking out for the Bakun Dam – just to name a few.

Most of us senior citizens even remember how we were made to rubbish off Bapa Malaysia and hail you as the Bapa Moden Malaysia. And we all followed you all the way.

Even on that seemingly fateful day you shed tears at the UMNO rostrum announcing your resignation as the PM of Malaysia, your fellow ministers sprung to your side – right and left, pleading that you retract.

But today, in your vintage years, we are witnessing your diabolic intentions with crystal clarity a you unashamedly continue to divide we Malaysians along race barriers. Your Malay Dilemma is making a full circle indeed.

Your mega structures and projects have only made this nation more vulnerable to changing economic uncertainties. The Proton is today on the verge of collapse without a saviour investor take-over. Imagine where we would be today if only you did not ‘cheat’ on the Asian Car venture then to get your “Mahathir’s Malaysian car” going.

The Bakun Dam has punched a hole so deep into the gorges of our economic resistance that we may never recover – not to mention the damage to the livelihood of indigenous people or the marvels of mother-nature.

The Twin Towers had to be near-salvaged by a telco tycoon and still struggles to draw one hundred percent occupancy.

What about the BMF scandal? The tin ore scam? And many more sins against the rakyat that freely circulates on the World Wide Web.

But what is most hurting is the fact that having been at the helm of this nation for so long, you not only killed all succession plans for the nation leaving us with two PMs who are unable to lead a nation into the twenty first century. Even you have not lent your support but continue to batter at their kinks making them flip and flop.

Worse, during your tenure as a leader, you made us all believe that opposition parties like PAS were nothing but a band of Arab-like camel-riding sword-wielding ultra conservatives. Today we know that the leader of PAS is respected by all races and creeds. He is to many a fine example of a living saint. Ask any Kelantanese Malay, Chinese or India and they will tell that to your face without hesitation

You sacked people who are still fighting relentlessly to prove your misdeeds. In wanting to divide and rule you sowed the seeds of deceit, hatred, mistrust and above all suspicion amongst Malaysians.

And now in your sunset years you are not adding any value to the struggle of a single nation. You are still pitting man against man along race-based divisions.

Why? Why Mr Mahathir Mohammad?

Why are you not playing the role of a seasoned and wise politician, leading not just Malaysians but even our neighbors with words of wisdom, inspiration and integrity? What is terribly wrong with you?

Are you not aware that you may be remembered upon your tombstone as the Pontius Pilate of Malaysia – the leader who betrayed his own people.

Respect non-Muslim rights: Nazri
By Hemananthani Sivanandam

KUALA LUMPUR (June 20, 2010): The government has to take into consideration the rights of other citizens in the country and not just Muslims, when formulating laws.

"You must remember that the country does not belong to the Muslims. There are things that sometimes non-Muslims do, for example, gambling. It is their culture, their way of life and we have to respect their rights," said Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz (pix.

"Jangan semua undang-undang berdasarkan keperluan orang Islam sahaja," said the outspoken minister who pooh-poohed the general misconception that legitimising sports betting would earn the wrath of Malay-Muslim voters who would then vote against Barisan Nasional (BN) in the next general election.

"Go and ask the non-Muslims whether it will affect their votes, not just the Muslims. Our tendency is to always think from the Muslim point of view, as if non-Muslims are not an important part of the country. We cannot be like that, we have to consider their rights," said Nazri, who was quoted by The Malaysian Insider online portal last Saturday as saying that the opposition to licensed sports betting by Pakatan Rakyat was "politically motivated and not because of Islam".

The de-facto law minister slammed Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers for using the sports betting issue as a means to gain political points among Malay voters, who have traditionally been backing Umno and BN for decades.

"Syariah (law) states that Muslims should not gamble. I agree, (there are) no two ways about that," said Nazri who disclosed that the government will execute a system which will prevent Muslims from betting.

"We can have a system that will prevent Muslims from betting, so we will install it. If you want to bet, you must give your IC, full name. If you are Muslim, then naturally you can’t place a bet."

"We can enforce it using whatever we have. But (of course) there is no 100% guarantee that we can stop it (Muslims from betting)," said the Padang Rengas MP.

Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussein had on May 6 said the government was considering legalising sports betting to curb illegal gambling.

Echoing Nazri's view today was Umno Cheras chairman Datuk Wira Syed Ali Alhabshee who called on opposition parties to stop politicising the matter and "confusing the rakyat."

"This (gaming) is the culture of non-Muslims, so why try to politicise this issue? We have Genting (casino) and 4D (lottery) outlets even in their states. They (opposition run states) are also collecting the taxes for their own use," he said after the opening of the Umno Cheras annual assembly today.

"There is also licence for liquor in Kelantan. The Muslims don’t drink but non-Muslims do so you cannot stop (them). I don’t see any reason why they want to politicise this thing," said Syed Ali.

"Here the federal government is trying to legalise it for non-Muslims… we are talking about 1Malaysia so you cannot stop other people from gaming," he said, stressing that the division was not encouraging sports betting

"We’re not supporting. As a Muslim it’s haram (illegal) to gamble. There is no compromise on that but we cannot stop other races (from gaming). It is their culture," said Syed Ali, adding that what is important is for the government to have strict regulations to curb sports betting among the Muslims. -- theSun

Perkasa, Gertak will ‘die out’ without Dr M, says Nazri

By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal

June 18, 2010

Dr Mahathir was the foundation on which the Malay rights groups are built, says Nazri. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — If it were not for Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, right-wing groups like Perkasa and Gertak would cease to exist, says Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

The minister in the prime minister’s department said the reason for the rise of these Malay rights groups was because the former prime minister had been endorsing their agenda by “speaking out” against the Najib administration.

The low turnout at the Gertak rally, said Nazri, showed Dr Mahathir did not have the support of the Malay majority. — file pic

“He is an icon. Groups like Perkasa, Gertak will die out without Dr Mahathir’s presence,” Nazri told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview this week.

The blunt politician pointed out that the small number of followers within these groups indicated that Dr Mahathir had the backing of only a minority of Malays.

“There are many Malays who believe in what Datuk Seri Najib Razak is doing. (Right-wing) groups like these are just fringe elements,” said Nazri when asked to comment on the low turnout at Gertak’s “Melayu Bangkit” rally in Kuala Terengganu four days ago.

Among the leaders who had attended the rally, which attracted just some 1,000 people, was Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said.

Nazri defended Ahmad’s presence at the rally, saying the mentri besar’s attendance was “out of respect” towards the former PM who ruled the country for 22 years.

“Malays are generally respectful of their elders... the only one who did not go (to the rally) was me,” said Nazri in jest.

Perkasa has been vocal in opposing several of Najib’s reform plans, specifically proposals in the New Economic Model (NEM) which touch on opening up the economy and doing away with affirmative action quotas.

Dr Mahathir, who has also been critical of the NEM, has been seen at many Perkasa functions as well as the Gertak rally on Monday, which was originally scheduled for May 13 — a sensitive issue due to race riots on that date in 1969.

At the rally, he praised the government for rectifying what he called mistakes in the New Economic Model through the recently tabled 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP).

Nazri said Dr Mahathir’s actions were only helping the opposition. — file pic

Dr Mahathir said the 10MP had identified problems which were overlooked by the NEM.

“(I think) he is the best prime minister the country has had. My issue with him is that after he stopped becoming prime minister he ‘menyusahkan kita’ (troubles us). Dr Mahathir must remember that the prime minister right now is Najib. He should help us. By doing what he’s doing its only helping the opposition,” said Nazri.

The law minister gave an example from the 1990s when Dr Mahathir was Umno president. He had advised Nazri, who was then Umno Youth deputy chief to not make his objections towards the appointment of Tan Sri Rahim Tambi Chik as Umno Youth chief public.

“Back then Dr Mahathir came up to me, and said that if I had any issues I should settle it within these four walls... he said I could approach him about it (the objections). Well, now he (Dr Mahathir) should heed his own advice,” said the outspoken Umno leader.

The Padang Rengas MP said Dr Mahathir was only “destroying his own legacy” by attacking the current Barisan Nasional government.

“By attacking the government, he is destroying his own legacy. He created all of us... I’m his creation, Najib is his creation. Don’t kill your own creations,” said Nazri.

Black Label Hadyai via a Malaysian

Now you know WHY Langkawi liquors are VERY CHEAP,...... yes, cheap!

Stop drinking all these popular brands.

Hello MCA Kedah Alor Star MP , former deputy finance minister , now minister , what say you ????

Har