Koh Tsu Koon, did you really mean it?

One of the politicians I admired was Koh Tsu Koon. When he finally dawned upon him that he had lost Penang to the DAP, he graciously called up Lim Guan Eng to contratulate him. On the day when LGE took the oath of office as the Chief Minister, he and his wife were also in attendance to witness the ceremony. What a gentleman!

As the months went by, the typical BN virus have got back into him, and one of those things, taking pot-shots at LGE and his team. He even back-track on promises made by him.

This is what fellow blogger, Lulu, has to say:

"When the announcement came that Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon [KTK for short cos this is way too panjang for me to type every time], the former Chief Minister of Penang who kalah-ed teruk to a first time candidate in the 2008 elections, would be made a minister via the senator-ship role, Lulu and many others were taken by surprise. Hadn't this KTK honourably proclaimed during the run-up to the GE that if he loses, he would not take up a Senator post to make it into cabinet?

KTK cleared the air yesterday.
According the Malaysiakini,

He also dismissed talks, mostly emanating from Penang, that he had said before the last general election that he would not join the cabinet through an appointment as a senator if he was defeated.

"I did not say I will not do that. I only said that I would prefer to be elected rather than appointed," he clarified today.
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/102127

Lulu looked up where the misunderstanding came from,
and Lulu was shocked to find out that it was from the Star! the Star which is MCA's mouthpiece. The MCA which thinks that it should be an MCA man as Chief Minister in Penang since they had more assemblyman. The MCA which does not exactly love Gerakan, especially in Penang.

Was the Star being mischevious in putting up this piece of news on election day last year?



http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/3/8/nation/20580568&sec=nation

Did the Star on Mar 7th know that KTK was going to lose, and published this piece so that he cannot return even as a Senator?
or
did the Star think that they were helping KTK by impressing upon the voters that if the Batu Kawan voters didnt vote for KTK, it would be the end of the road for him, hopefully convincing them to vote for him. [never mind that the voters went to the ballot box knowing that and still did not vote KTK, causing him to KTK still kalah teruk by a margin of 9,485 votes]

if it is the former, or even the latter, Lulu thinks KTK should sue the Star. Currently, lots of people, especially the Penangites, remember what KTK has vowed. And everyone is laughing at him, thinking that he is not just a loser, but an untrustworty loser.
He should sue them or at least serve them legal papers demanding a retraction
so that he can get his maruah back.

Poor misunderstood KTK."

Anyway, he is now a Minister via his appointment as a senator. Like Uncle Lim would describe him as a "back-door minister".

Bukit Aman's Malaysia Control Centre (MCC)

Just received this from a close friend and thought you might like to take note of the contact in case you run into any problems with the bad elements in our society.

Have verified the telephone nos. Confirmed it is MCC.
Very efficient. Answered after one ring.

I used these MCC several times in the past and I find them very useful during emergencies. Police cars just came in from different directions within minutes ! Key in these hotline numbers 03-22627555/03-22626555) into your mobile phone.

They may save your life. (Think of Mat Rempit)

Those are the numbers for Bukit Aman's Malaysia Control Centre (MCC), the call centre for all police emergencies. The police are urging Malaysians to have these numbers in their mobile phone.

Bukit Aman Public Relations Superintendent, Mohamad Daud said motorists may help prevent cases like the recent murder of assistant computer engineer Mohamad Nazri Ismail.

He added that even after the crime has occurred, the police could go to the crime scene in the shortest possible time and it may result in the capture of those responsible.

An MCC spokesman said the public from any parts of Malaysia can call the centre to report an emergency anytime. "We will direct the call to the nearest police station for the officers there to handle
the matter," said the spokesman.

Worst of financial crisis is over?

Former U.S. presidential economic adviser: worst of financial crisis is over
Special Report: Boao Forum For Asia 2009
www.xinhuanet.com

BOAO, Hainan, April 19 (Xinhua) — The worst of the financial crisis is finished, and the world is entering the time when things will get gradually better, John Rutledge, a former U.S. presidential economic advisor, said here Sunday.

He made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) in China’s southern province of Hainan.

The recession in China has already “passed the bottom”, while the recession in the United States is “at the bottom”, he said while describing the current global economic condition.

“The capital markets around the world are recovering very nicely,” he said, adding that the real economy and paycheck have not yet hit the bottom, but “very near bottom”, and will most certainly be improve by the end of the year.

He is more optimistic about the prospect of China’s economy, as he is likely to raise the forecast of China’s economic growth rate in 2009 between 6 percent and 8 percent.

“I think the recent signs suggest the number is too low,” he said, referring to his previous forecast between 5 percent and 6 percent.

In terms of growth, Rutledge thinks China will come back fast, while the United States will revive more slowly.

Rutledge also praised China’s massive stimulus package.

“China has almost entirely aimed at construction and infrastructure. As Wen said, infrastructure will make more productivity later for the economic growth,” he said.

Rutledge pointed out that China’s stimulus package is of great social value, as it is aimed directly at construction in an effort to raise the income of migrant workers.

“They (migrant workers) transfer money they make from rich cities to families in small villages. It’s very important to keep the flow of money to help the less fortunate villages to grow,” he said.

China does not need another stimulus package, as the current one is well-designed, fast, large, and it is aimed at people who “need help most”, he said.

“We can declare victory, I would say,” said Rutledge, noting that the crisis would make integration between Asian countries closer and boost cooperation between governments.

“This is where the stability of the Asian growth machine will be determined,” he said.

Najib : To contest or not to contest, that is the question.

Question: When did a group of politicians and lawmakers who have
presided over billions of ringgit in wastage and leakages and who usurped
power in Perak develop a conscience about prudent spending and democratic
practices?

Answer: When they realised the futility of contesting a by-election in Anwar
Ibrahim territory and the danger of allowing the political temperature in
the country to keep on throbbing.

The latest news out of the Barisan Nasional camp is that they may not
contest the Penanti seat in Penang, left vacant by the resignation of
Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin, the incumbent who has been damaged by a
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission probe and countless complaints of
incompetence and truancy.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today that if there was a
consensus among BN parties, the ruling coalition may not field a candidate
in the by-election. This is not the first time that the BN has contemplated
giving a free victory to the opposition.

After Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail made way for her husband in
Permatang Pauh last year, similar noises were made by BN politicians,
arguing that they did not want to become pawns in a political game.

Fearful of coming across as cowards, BN fielded Datuk Ariff Shah and he was
trounced by Datuk Seri Anwar. It is almost certain that any candidate BN
puts up in Penanti will be beaten soundly. This state seat is part of the
Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency.

Voters here have been bribed, cajoled and threatened since 1998 but have
stayed loyal to Anwar and his family.

In addition, the Umno machinery in this constituency is a mess. There are
about three or four warlords here and all of them have been working
furiously to undermine each other.

Under such conditions and given that this is Anwar territory, it would have
been a steep climb for Umno/BN to field a candidate and expect to stop the
Pakatan Rakyat juggernaut from notching its fifth consecutive by-election
victory in Peninsular Malaysia, following Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu,
Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.

Let's face it, the last thing the new Najib administration needs is another
defeat and another reminder that a significant number of Malaysians support
Pakatan Rakyat. The new leadership wants a change in the news cycle, a drop
in the political temperature and a rolling boulder to stop the opposition
momentum.

It yearns for a return to the mundane and ordinary. That is why government
lawyers have been pushing the courts to resolve the Perak crisis ASAP.

Perhaps that may explain why the Federal Court moved with unusual haste to
hear two cases related to the power grab.

The BN has attempted to occupy the high ground on the Fairus resignation and
the need for a by-election, arguing that it was a waste of taxpayers' money
and counter to the principles of parliamentary democracy.

Let's examine some of their reasons for challenging the need for a
by-election:

? The mainstream media went to town detailing the cost of holding
by-elections, saying that the five by-elections cost taxpayers RM33.4
million and making the case that the funds could be better utilised.

There are gaping holes in the argument. RM33.4 million is small change for a
government which is ticked off every year by the Auditor-General for wasting
hundreds of millions on suspect projects. RM33.4 million is small change for
ruling coalition politicians who regularly pad government contracts.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the RM33.4 million was incurred by the police.
In many of the by-elections, the police contingent outnumbered party workers
on both sides of the political divide.

It is hard to fathom why 6,000 police personnel were stationed in Kuala
Terengganu and Bukit Gantang. The opposition is convinced that the show of
force was meant to intimidate their party workers and dissuade the
electorate from attending political rallies.

Clearly, the number of police personnel could have been reduced to 1,000
personnel in both constituencies and the cost would have been slashed
considerably from the final bill of RM11.5 million in Kuala Terengganu and
RM7 million Bukit Gantang.

? BN politicians also lashed out at PKR for forcing Fairus to resign as
state assemblyman, arguing that it was against the principles of
parliamentary democracy.

A few of them noted that Fairus had betrayed the voters by resigning,
pointing out that once you offer yourself as a candidate, you should be
committed to working for the whole duration to serve the people.

This would have been an acceptable argument had it escaped the lips of
Barack Obama, Tun Dr Ismail or someone with moral standing.

But standing on a pedestal and preaching about high principles is not an
option available to guys who encouraged the defection of three Pakatan
Rakyat lawmakers and then took over power unconstitutionally in Perak.

If principles of parliamentary democracy mattered, then BN leaders should
have given Messrs Hee, Jamaluddin and Osman a tutorial on a simple concept
called loyalty to constituents.

The tutorial would have gone something like this: if you offer yourself as a
candidate on one ticket, you should serve on that ticket for the whole term.

Anwar is pushing for a by-election because once again he has been found
wanting in his choice of candidate.

Like Jamaluddin and Osman, Fairus liked the position but not the concept of
work. Like the two former PKR men, he too is likely to be charged in court
soon with corruption. It would have been untenable for Fairus to remain a
lawmaker with a corruption charge over his head.

The by-election strategy is Anwar's preferred method of replacing the
controversial with the credible.

[Source: The Malaysian Insider]

Another high noon in Perak on May 7 2009?

NOW that a sitting of the Perak legislative assembly sitting has been called
for 7 May, another showdown is expected because it is being convened without
speaker V Sivakumar's consent.

In such a case, constitutional law expert Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi
believes Perak's constitutional crisis is far from over despite how recent
court decisions have appeared to favour Barisan Nasional (BN).

The court has ruled that the three independents from Behrang, Changkat
Jering and Jelapang remain as assemblypersons, while the BN's Menteri Besar
Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and six executive councillors had their
suspensions from the assembly lifted.

"There is still a deadlock because the speaker would not want this sitting
to be held," Shad Saleem tells The Nut Graph.

Notices to Perak assemblypersons that the legislative assembly would convene
on 7 May were issued on 17 April by the state secretary's office.

The sitting has to be held before 13 May, the end of the six-month deadline
since the last assembly was convened in November 2008. Failure to do so
would mean automatic dissolution of the assembly and fresh elections, which
the BN has been trying to avoid since their takeover of the state on 5 Feb.

The likely agenda in the 7 May sitting, since it is being convened by the BN
side, is to pass a motion of confidence on Zambry as menteri besar and to
elect a new speaker to replace Sivakumar.

Shad Saleem says there was once a case in India where a state assembly was
adjourned sine die (indefinitely) as soon as the house sat because the
speaker did not want the sitting held.

"If Sivakumar does the same, then the constitutional crisis continues," Shad
Saleem explains.

The law professor at Universiti Teknologi Mara also adds that "it was an
open question" on whether the assembly secretary could issue the notice
convening the assembly on the orders of Zambry. "Usually, the assembly
secretary acts on the instructions of the speaker."

Shad Saleem says the only solutions apparent to him was to either declare
emergency rule in Perak, or the sultan on the advice of the menteri besar
could prorogue the assembly and then use his royal prerogative to call a new
session.
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prorogue

Deciding course of action

Both the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and the BN are mum at the moment on what each
will do when the assembly convenes.

Perak Gerakan chief Datuk Chang Ko Youn, who is also a special adviser
appointed to assist Zambry in Chinese Community Affairs, says they are being
advised by the BN's lawyers on the matter.

Meanwhile, Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham states PR assemblypersons will
"only act on the instruction of the speaker", but declines to outline the
exact course of action.

Meanwhile, Ngeh, a lawyer, also tells The Nut Graph that the Federal Court's
decision to lift the suspension of Zambry and six excos had no effect as "it
was only an opinion expressed by the court."

"There was no order to quash the speaker's order [to suspend the seven], so
the order is still there. The court's declaration was also wrongly aimed at
the speaker, when the decision on the suspensions was made by the Rights and
Privileges Committee," says Ngeh.
http://www.thenutgraph.com/perak-speaker-suspends-mb-and-entire-exco

However, Sivakumar chairs the committee.

Reacting to Ngeh's statement, Chang, also a lawyer, says any declaration by
the court is enforceable. "If it is just an expression of opinion, then it's
a bloody waste of time. This is Pakatan - when the judgment is not in their
favour, they say that justice is not being served."

Shad Saleem also supports Chang's position, saying that in any country where
there is rule of law, a court declaration carries weight.

"While it may be technically true that it is a declaration, to say that it
is merely that and therefore non-binding, I think that is a desperate
argument," the law professor says.

On the argument that the court decision breaks the doctrine of separation of
powers between the legislative, executive and judiciary, Chang explains the
more correct term is "checks and balances" instead of "independence" of the
legislative assembly from court action.

"There is no absolute independence, the idea of checks and balances is that
whichever estate exceeds its power can be subject to court action. In this
case, the speaker acted as judge, jury and executioner," Chang said.

The Federal Court ruling against the suspensions on 16 April is a landmark
decision as there are constitutional provisions preventing decisions by the
speaker of a state legislative assembly or parliament from being challenged
in court.

Article 72, Clause (1) of the Federal Constitution clearly states that "the
validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall
not be questioned in any court."

But with the ruling, the court has set a precedent as now the speaker's
decisions and actions can be subject to judicial review.

[Source: Nut Graph]

The times they are a-changin'

A few years ago, it would not have dawned upon Malaysians that the opposition could upstage the BN in the GE or for that matter, by-elections. At the recent concluded by-elections, the Pakatan Rakyat pulled off a hat-trick of four wins in row and some seats with bigger majority, the message is now absolutely clear to the BN, especially UMNO, to change, for the good of all Malaysians.

However, it is so typical of UMNO that whenever they lose in any local or national elections, the non-Malays, especially the Chinese, would be made scapegoats. But they have not taken into account the support given by the Chinese for the last 52 years. In fact, it has come to a point that due to their success, some of the leaders of UMNO have become arrogant, like waving the keris, calling the non-malays "pendatang" and told one mosquito party in the BN that if they don't like it, they can leave the group. When Najib came up with the 1Malaysian concept, did he get the support of Hishamuddin, Ismail of Penang and the chief minister of Malacca. The changes in PR tactics have come but too late for UMNO. They should have done "the walking the streets" in non-Malay areas when they were strong, not when they are weak. This does not augur well on Najib's intentions. It lacks sincerity.

The only way to save UMNO is rid itself of the NEP so as allow the Malays to compete on even keel with the non-Malays. Using the non-Malays as pace-makers, it will help to create the competitive spirit in the Malays. Meritocracy must be the call of the day. If this is not practised in its true sense, then the Malays are going to be left far behind while others will be ahead of them. Civil service should have the best calibred staff of all races to serve the public. If UMNO do not make the necessary changes now, come 2013, they may be sent into oblivion.

However, I hope this popular Bob Dylan song, "The times they are a-changin'" will help to reinforce my message today.

Hail, the Risen Christ

To all my Christian friends, here's wishing each and everyone of you a Holy Easter and may you find peace in the risen Christ.