Saturday, June 20, 2009

Unity government - PAS the ultimate loser

The best for democracy would be for Malaysia to have a strong two-party system. The people should applaud what seems to be the leaning now in the country. No one coalition should be allowed to monopolise power for too long. Let the choice of who governs the country be decided by the people.

Thus, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat should be allowed to flourish as the national political plinths
for the people. Both coalitions have their manifestos to win support from the electorate. The best coalition wins and it’s the people who will make this decision. Upon being elected, let them plan what to do for the people. If they cannot perform up to the people’s expectation, the people then have the right to vote them out. In politics, the people’s court will pass the ultimate judgment.Thus, the issue of a unity government between PAS and Umno is quite an impulsive reaction from some political quarters. In a democracy, a unity government dilutes the check-and-balance processes important in the governance of a state. It defeats the purpose of having an effective government or opposition. A check-and-balance is a fundamental pillar of democracy and for this to take place, there must be a conscientious government and equally a responsible opposition in the political system of a country. The recent furore on the unity government supposedly mooted by some quarters in PAS is worth contemplating. Apparently, the current sentiment on the ground is that the people want a strong Pakatn coalition to replace BN as the government of the country. The people, irrespective of race or religion, did not mind voting for opposition candidates in the last general election and in the few by-elections held after that. The sentiment has become crystal clear that the people, somehow or rather, are not happy with the BN government for reasons best known to the BN leaders themselves. PAS, however, should be aware that a substantial number of non-supporters of the party voted for their candidates in the past elections. This does not mean that PAS can flex its muscles and say with arrogance to the people that ‘the electorate has now accepted PAS’. Many who voted for PAS candidates just because they did not want BN, at least for now. This trend may change if the political and economical situations favours BN. Thus, for PAS to talk about a unity government at this time will only invite the wrath of those who voted for their candidates. And for this hasty stand by only one or two of its leaders, PAS will have to pay heavily in future elections. The people may abandon PAS out of revulsion. Alas, it is the lack of wisdom on the part of these PAS leaders that could bring about to the party’s rejection by the electorate. As pointed out by PAS’ spiritual leader, ‘...it is not Pas that wants a unity government but a few leaders within PAS who are harping on this matter’. This means a lot to the people who had so much hope for the party to bring about a wind of change in the country together with PKR and DAP. When a few leaders decide to go for the unity government thinking that they will be ‘given some posts in the cabinet or government of the day’, they are actually not bringing with them the majority of PAS supporters. This move could be prejudged as ‘politics for self-interests’. This will without doubt dent the image of these leaders, but not of PAS supporters in general. Many PAS supporters would stay loyal to the party and many others would find an alternative and most likely they will choose PKR as their new platform to pursue their political cause. With the charismatic Zaid Ibrahim, the one-time Umno minister joining PKR, it will bring more clout to the party and he would undeniably bring in more supporters into PKR. Kelantan and Kedah are in the stable hands of PAS with the strong support from PKR and DAP; Selangor is helmed by an able chief minister, Khalid Ibrahim, with corporate experience. He is unwaveringly supported by PAS and DAP and despite the odds against him running the richest state in the country, he has waded through the many obstacles with ingenuity. It’s quite amazing to see how Pakatan has worked inclusively with PAS, PKR and DAP. It’s unity through diversity but the cause they are together fighting for is justice for all Malaysians. This is where they meet politically despite having some differences in ideologies.Political tremors could now be felt in some other states - Terengganu, Negeri Sembilan, Melaka, Pahang and Johor. Come the next general election - and if the present sentiment prevails with the economy not being favourable to BN - Pakatan will be able to win big and eventually form the next federal government. PAS leaders should not waste this opportunity if their political agenda is to serve the people and not for their own self-interests. Even if a few leaders in PAS decide to go ahead with the idea of forming a unity government with Umno, it will not dent the people’s support for Pakatan. It would be wiser, as many critics say, for a few of these leaders to join Umno instead, and see what BN could offer them in return or how popular they could become with their new-found platform. These people, according to critics, will only bring further disaster to BN if they are accepted into their fold. BN should be wise enough not to entertain them.The spiritual leader of PAS, being a judicious politician, is adamant that there should not be a unity government. He knows the ultimate consequence that Pas will be doomed if they go for it and this will be the end of PAS as a formidable political entity. Pas will be neutralised then and it may even been wiped out from the political landscape of the country. Even only with PKR and DAP, Pakatan Rakyat will march to victory in the next general election. The loser will of course be PAS and not Umno, BN, PKR or DAP. To PAS leaders, the advice is - you need a lot of wisdom to survive in politics.

[Source: Dr Mana]

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Let's give our support to the Pa'Cik and Ma'Cik instead

These are the names of Companies which are allowed to be owned by UMNO putras. Non-malays are prohibited to own or operate these companies. Therefore all Malaysians should consider boycotting these companies immediately especially the crucial ones in yellow.

Hospital Pusrawi SMC Sdn Bhd - Pusat Rawatan Islam
Baguz Foods Sdn Bhd - Baguz Bytes & Baguz
Langkawii Crystal Sdn Bhd - Langkawii Crystal
Amanah Hibah Sdn Bhd - Amanah Hibah
Smart Wash Sdn. Bhd. - Smart Wash

The Pier Restaurants Sdn Bhd - The Pier
Brilliant Visionspec Corp. Sdn. Bhd. - Brilliant
Lazat Products (M) Sdn Bhd - Belissinie
Altimutiara Sdn Bhd - Pembekal Buku & Alatulis Rhythm
Nineteen O One Sdn. Bhd - 1901
AA Autocare Sdn Bhd - Whizlube
Rangkaian Hotel Seri Malaysia Sdn. Bhd - Hotel Seri Malaysia
Habib Jewels Franchise Sdn. Bhd - Habib Jewels
Deli G Sdn. Bhd - Deli G
Mydin Mohamed & Sons Sdn Bhd - Mydin

Pasaraya Pendang Sdn Bhd - Pasaraya Pendang
Farmasi Dewma (M) Sdn Bhd - Farmasi Dewma

Lascito Coffee Company (M) Sdn Bhd - Lascito Coffee
Peredar Francais Sdn Bhd - Kedai Jimat/Jimat Shoppe
Edaran Otomobil Nasional Berhad - Pusat Jualan & Pusat Servis EON
Pro Hearing Audiolab Systems Sdn Bhd - Audiolab
Elegant Legacy (M) Sdn Bhd - Little Egypt
MARI Boutique Sdn Bhd - MARI Boutique

Moccis Trading Sdn Bhd - Moccis Trading
Nuhs Ark Sdn Bhd - Nuhs Ark Islamic Montessori School
Selecta Autocare Sdn Bhd - Automedic

Ayamas Food Corporation Berhad - Ayamas Roasters
Cosmopoint Sdn. Bhd. – Cosmopoint
Malaysian Satay Kajang Sdn. Bhd. - Sate King
Chelos Sdn. Bhd - Chelos

Noor Arfa Batek Sdn. Bhd - Noor Arfa Batik
Kayla Group Sdn Bhd - Kayla
Siar Niaga Sdn Bhd - Warung Telekom
Face Saver Sdn Bhd - Sri Al - Ainani
Saba Islamic Media Sdn Bhd - Saba Islamic Media
Nuri Education CentreSdn Bhd - Nuri
KF Big 1 Motor Sdn - KF Big 1
Roti Segar Sdn Bhd - Rosegar
Coco Blue (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd - Kak Nong Restoran
Masmirah Utama Sdn Bhd - De Tyre
Fasta Pasta Restaurants Sdn Bhd - Fasta Pasta
Sinar-G Educational Resources Sdn Bhd - Sinar-G
Synergy Farm (M) Sdn Bhd - Synergy Farm & Tropicoast
Reggio Sunbeam Management Sdn Bhd - Sunbeam
Syazanaz Multicoporation (M) Sdn Bhd -Syzanaz Palace
Metro Driving Academy Sdn Bhd - Metro Driving Academy
MIB Trading Sdn Bhd - OTAI
Permodalan Kelantan Berhad - Ar-Rahn
Advanced Language Management Sdn Bhd - The Living Classroom
Sierra Circle Sdn Bhd - Laksa Shack

KJSB Industrial Corporation (M) Sdn Bhd - Mama Kitchen
Rakyat Management Services Sdn Bhd - Ar-Rahnu
SAL Group Of Colleges Sdn Bhd - SAL Group Of Colleges
Syed Bistro Sdn Bhd - Syed Bistro
Dynamic Pharmashoppe & Healthcare Sdn Bhd - All Care
Menara Optometry Centre Sdn Bhd - Menara Optometry
Acacia Management Services Sdn Bhd - Snappers
Kurier Nasional Sdn Bhd - Fastway Couriers
Educational Trend Sdn Bhd - Edutrend Learning Centre
Transpersonal Resources (M) Sdn Bhd - New Horizon Computer Learning Centres

A&W (M) Sdn Bhd - A&W
T.A.S Leisure Sdn. Bhd - American Chili's Grill & Bar
PharmaCARE Medicine Shoppe Sdn Bhd - PharmaCARE Medicine Shoppe
HC Duraclean Sdn Bhd - HC Duraclean
PDN Early Learning (M) Sdn Bhd - Cambridge Child Development Centre
I.T. Kids (M) Sdn Bhd - I.T Kids

Armis Fastfood Sdn Bhd - Subway
Cosmo Restaurants Sdn Bhd - Burger King
Perangsang Hotel & Properties Sdn Bhd - Quality Hotel City Centre

Zasyah Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd - Budget Rent A Car
Dewina Host Sdn Bhd - Burger King
Pizza Hut Restaurants Sdn Bhd - Pizza Hut
Aqalivista Consulting Services Sdn Bhd - Team Maddison

Francorp Malaysia Sdn Bhd - Francorp
Enerbio Corporation Sdn Bhd - Subway
Debessa Biotechnology Sdn Bhd- Contours Express
Mrs Shorai Sdn Bhd - Contours Express

Well done UMNO putras, you have created a competitive business environment in Malaysia.

[Source: MI]

Geronimo's Take : I suggest that we fully support our Mak Ciks and Pak Ciks who are working hard irking a living for their families. The warong warong, the gerai gerai and the penjaja-penjaja would be a good place to start. I found something strange on the list. A Malay Muslim owning a bistro? Syed's Bistro. Anyone familiar with this place?

Monday, June 15, 2009

Monday Humour

There is a slightly off colour joke about the Proton car that may interest the readers. When Dr Mahathir went about the Proton project (circa 1983), he appointed his first deputy, Tan Sri Musa Hitam - who was against Dr Mahathir's heavy industrialisation policies and who would later resign as Deputy Prime Minister partly because of these differences - to sit on the Committee overseeing the Proton project. One day the Committee had to choose the colours for the car. Musa Hitam chose a colour which he called "Nipple Pink" When asked why such a name, his reply was "This car is going to be bought up by suckers!"

["To digress a little" by Syed Akbar Ali, page 67)

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Ong Tee Keat, what the heck are you doing in France when you should be at home answering the PKFZ fiasco?

Parliament will be sitting on Monday, June 15, and Uncle Lim has these questions for Ong Tee Keat who quietly left town on an overseas trip:

My three questions (No.46 to No. 48 on the 16th day in the current series) to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal today are:

No. 1. – I commend Ong for the prompt answer to my third question yesterday, viz: “As Parliament is periodically asked to approve allocations for the multi-billion ringgit bailout of PKFZ, is Ong ensuring that every MP gets a copy of the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) audit report of PKFZ, together with the appendices, to ensure that there could be an informed debate and discussion of the issue in Parliament?”

The government portal on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal,www.pkfznews.com.my, announced today that “All MPs to have a copy of the PwC report, including the appendices”.

I am glad that Ong had changed his mind. At the two-day Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 10/11), Ong had refused to revoke his directive to the Port Klang Authority (PKA) Chairman Datuk Lee Hwa Beng restricting the access of PAC members to the four-inch high appendices only during the PAC meeting.

This is a most ridiculous and unacceptable directive totally contrary to all concept of accountability and transparency as well as the important principle of responsibility to Parliament.

I had proposed to ask all MPs on Monday to support a joint motion to censure Ong for contempt of Parliament in refusing to give unrestricted access of the appendices of the PcW Report on PKFZ to the PAC members.

I am confident that this will get the support not only of the 83 Pakatan Rakyat MPs but also Barisan Nasional MPs who cherish and understand the principle of Ministerial responsibility and accountability to Parliament, as the PwC Report and its appendices should not only be made available to PAC members but to all MPs as well!

Ong’s last-minute change of mind has saved the MCA President from the ignominy of a parliamentary censure motion which is not only supported by 83 PR MPs but also by conscientious BN MPs as well, who could differentiate and understand the importance of the distinction between party and parliamentary roles.

The last-minute intervention by Ong is proof that Ong is micro-managing every decision affecting the Port Klang Authority and the PKFZ issue and he should drop all pretences claiming otherwise to indulge in the hypocrisy of claiming credit where he could and disclaiming responsibility when faced with embarrassing questions.

My first question to Ong today is whether he would issue immediate directive for the three-and-a-half-inch high appendices to be put up online, giving easy access to every Malaysian interested about the “mother of all scandals” to scrutinise and give their input on the documentation involved.

Question No. 2 – The PwC audit report on the PKFZ, which was put online by PKA for two weeks from May 28 to June 10, was taken off the PKA website on Wednesday evening (June 10).

The very next day, Thursday June 11, as a national service, I had restored online the PwC report on the PKFZ scandal which is available on a site available on my blog entry “The PwC report on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal which PKA has taken off the Internet”.

This greatly embarrassed Ong and the PKA and the PwC report was surreptitiously put back online on a new PKA website on Friday.

However, the PwC report on the PKFZ available from my blog is more user-friendly and in accordance with the principles of accountability and transparency than from the official PKA website, because the official website does not allow the PwC report to be downloaded, printed or copy-and-paste, which can be done from the PwC report available from my blog.

My second question to Ong today is: will he instruct the PKA to remove all the user-unfriendly features of the PwC report on PKFZ on the official website so that interested members of the public can download, print or copy-and-paste. Furthermore, whether he will instruct the PKA to do the same when the PwC Report Appendices are placed online to ensure that they are equally user-friendly.

My third question to Ong is why he had slipped overseas in so stealthy and secretive a manner as if he has a lot of things to hide, when any overseas trip by a Minister should be a very public and transparent affair.

In view of advent of the era of information and communications technology, where information travels at the speed of light in an 24/7 age, these three questions can reach Ong wherever he has travelled to on this planet.

Is he now aware that his paramount duty as Transport Minister is to give satisfactory accounting to Parliament when it meets on issues of national interest, and as the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal is now one such issue, whether he will drop everything in France and take the first flight back to discharge his paramount duty as Minister – to fully account to Parliament on the RM12.5 billion PKFZ scandal?

A tribute to the mothers

Although Mother's Day may be over and to round it up before Father's Day on June 21, here is a tribute to all the mothers out there. Hope you like this video clip. A mother's work is never finished.