MIC leader applauds 'colour-blind' DAP, PAS

The move by several opposition parties to field multiracial candidates in the next general election received support from an unlikely source – a MIC leader.

Commenting on the DAP, MIC publicity and communication chief S Vell Paari said the opposition party appointed a Malay and Indian as deputy chief ministers despite being accused of being a Chinese chauvinist outfit.

“Look at their success in Sarawak. It’s their multiracial approach that helped them in the state election,” he told FMT.

Vell Paari was commenting on MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek’s statement that Malaysians should stop identifying themselves to the racial group they belong to and accept the multi-racial reality of the country.

The MIC leader also said that it was not fair to criticise DAP for wanting to field more Malay candidates in the next general election.

On May 22, Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that DAP planned to field more Malay candidates, especially in Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Perak.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also defence minister, said this was to accommodate DAP’s move to install their own party member as the mentri besar of those states.

Following this, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called upon the Malays to be wary of DAP’s plan, claiming that it was a ploy to shore up Malay support.

‘The youth are different’

However, Vell Paari said this was not the first time DAP would be fielding Malay candidates.

“Besides, is it a crime for DAP to field more Malay candidates? Despite being labelled as a chauvinist party, a lot of Malays are warming up to DAP and its ideology. So where does the problem lie?” he asked.

The MIC leader also commended PAS for opening its doors to more non-Muslims by setting up a non-Muslim wing.

“Even the so-called extremist party has embraced its non-Muslims brothers knowing multi-racialim is the way forward in Malaysia,” he said.

Vell Paari, who is also MIC central working committee member, reminded politicians that voters now, especially the younger generation, were living in a globalised world and do not view things along racial lines.

“When I was 17 or 18, I was catching fish in the drain and racing bicycles. Youths of the same age now talk about national issues with friends from all over the globe via Facebook and Twitter,” he said.

He added that politicians could no longer fish for votes, especially among youths, by merely giving them goodies during polls.

“Youngsters now are intellectual. You must approach them with wisdom, not hate policies,” he said.

[Source: FMT]

Bersih 2.0 rally points announced

Bersih 2.0 has identified three rally points for their protest march on July 9 to call for electoral reforms.

Participants have been asked to gather at Sogo shopping complex, the PAS headquarters and the Kampung Baru mosque at 2pm.

Previously, Bersih 2.0 had said it was rallying the public to march with the movement's leaders to hand over a petition to the King at Istana Negara.

The petition will carry seven demands:

• Automatic voter registration at the age of 21

• Reforms to the postal voting system for out-of-town voters

• Use of indelible ink to avoid repeat voting

• Access to mainstream media for opposition parties

• Minimum campaign period of 21 days

• Independence of enforcement bodies on election offences

• Stamping out electoral graft

Bersih, the predecessor to the current movement, had organised a mass rally for similar demands in November 2011, but none has been met thus far.

The movement's leader, Ambiga Sreenevasan, said the protest was a “last resort” after attempts at engaging the relevant authorities have failed.

Ambiga said that Bersih 2.0 is also inviting all political parties, NGOs and the public to join the rally to voice their demand for free and fair elections.

[Source: Mkini]

How inhuman can our PDRM be to treat another human being like animal!

A recent vice raid in Penang sparked another bout of controversy over police conduct as civil society groups decry the way 30 foreign women were chained up and marked with pens after they were detained for alleged prostitution. In the raid conducted at a high-class nightclub at a shopping mall in Pulau Tikus last night, eight local men and 30 foreign women - 29 Chinese and one from Vietnam - were arrested by a team of 19 police officers from Bukit Aman. According to the Chinese language media, the raid was carried out after the officers spent a week going undercover at the club, which is believed to be well-known among locals. Chinese newspapers however splashed photos of the detained women, showing them chained up in a group and with various markings on their bodies, including an X mark on the forehead of one of those detained.

This whole inhumane affair reminds me of the Nazis, during the second world war, who had numbers tattooed on the skin of the Jews to remind them [the Jews] of who they were and how much hatred the Nazis have for them.

AND UMNO IS STILL WONDERING WHY THE RAKYAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO VOTE FOR THEM COME GE13

Why Najib must call for GE13 before end of July

There is a Chinese saying that if someone wishes you this: 'may you live in interesting times', it is more of a curse than a blessing.

Well, Malaysians are living in interesting times indeed. For those who are closely monitoring the political events, it has been non-stop action, drama, thrills and spills since March 2008.

Three years down the line, the speed of action has shown no signs of slowing down.

Instead, the drama promises to get more intense. Pundits say Prime Minister Najib Razak is certainly going to call for snap polls between the 3rd week of June and before the end of July!

There are several reasons for their view. But the main reason is that the noose is tightening around the BN's neck and Najib himself needs to consolidate his power within UMNO.

Noose tightens

Malaysia Chronicle checked with several Pakatan leaders and these are the top reasons they gave for early snap polls.

Problem No. 1 - The French Connection! Before Najib gets "french-fried" for the submarines deal made during his tenure as Defence minister, he must quickly call for the 13th General Election before the open court hearings begin in France.

Problem No. 2 - Besides the French, he has also got to deal with the Sodomy II trial where Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's lawyers have listed him and his wife Rosmah Mansor as key witnesses.

Problem No. 3 - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. While they smile and appear chummy to each other in public, the undercurrents between their camps is growing stronger by the day. Even now, few UMNO members believe Muhyiddin won't challenge Najib for the presidency..

Problem No. 4. - Unexplained deaths of Teoh Beng Hock and Ahmad Sarbaini, both at MACC premises. These two deaths are surely a blemish on his record and the last thing he needs during his tenure as a Premier who allegedly places great emphasis on KPI (Key Performance Index).

Problem No. 5 - Sex video is getting messy and has failed to achieve its purpose, which was to topple his nemesis, Anwar.

Problem No. 6 - Economy - rising prices, subsidy cuts, inflation - is getting out of hand and Najib has no answer.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown

Although the 58-year old Najib may not be losing any sleep over these problems, heavy indeed is the head that wears the crown.

Also, the UMNO warlords in his own camp are circling round him like vultures as they jostle for pole positions before the general election. Couple that with young Turks like Mukhriz Mahathir and Khairy Jamaluddin and their respective dad and dad-in-law all nipping at his heels, Najib is starting to fray at the seams and visibly so.

If he can somehow by hook or by crook get PAS to join BN, that will surely be his saving grace - a triumph for which he will be hailed as a Hero. Such a coup will take him out of the reach of sinister warlords like Mahathir Mohamad or even Abdullah Badawi.

The only strategic thing to do now would be to call for snap polls before the situation deteriorates and he knows it. If he delays any longer, the submarine deal is going to sink him!

Time is of the essence. He has to go for a quick kill even if not cleanly executed, political watchers opined.

Sneaky de-registration of PKR

Najib has also shown a sneaky side to his character.

He has been cunning enough to keep PKR and Anwar busy with court cases. Besides dealing with Anwar's Sodomy II Trial, PKR is also facing the threat of de-registration by the Registrar of Societies. June 8 is now the crucial date for the courts to hear PKR's attempt to strike out ROS show-cause letter.

If they fail, then June 9 may be the last date PKR stays in existence as that is the deadline given by the ROS.

Meanwhile, Najib is expected to launch a pre-emptive strike - he will strike at his enemies first before he is struck.

Where the French are concerned, he can do nothing. Thus, he will strike at the enemy which is perceived to be the weakest and that is the entire Pakatan Rakyat coalition. He hopes to keep Pakatan leaders busy with legal action and has ordered the mainstream media to continue attacking Pakatan even with 'false news'.

But there is also another thing which the PM may not have reckoned with.

Pakatan leaders are prepared for him.

GE coming very soon

Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysia Chronicle that PKR and Pakatan are closely watching and anticipating his moves. They have planned their next course of action, she said. However, she declined to reveal what these are.

What is for sure is that Pakatan will not give him an easy time and will fight him tooth and nail till the end.

An exciting June month is certainly in store. Unpleasant and even tragic at times, there is nonetheless never a dull moment in the Malaysian political scene. Yes, we are living in interesting times indeed!

[Source: MC]

Is BN looking for a death wish?

This is a posting from one Douglas Tan:

It's a serious question. Although I fully agree that the nation in order to progress has to be weaned off subsidies, whacking the general public which is dealing with inflation and increases left-right and centre with an electricity tariff increase is just cruel, and with a coming election, downright stupid.

Energy Minister Peter Chin came out to say that the government has no power to force IPPs to reveal their contracts. Don't make me and the public laugh.

Are we talking about the same government? The government that can arrest and lock up opposition politicians at will, one which the Prime Minister is vicariously in control of our natural gas and oil reserves?

One which billions can be disseminated to cronies and their associates?

One which controls the media to a 'T' to ensure that they don't publish anything negative about the BN government, but openly endorses racism, and division?

The same government which advocates People First, Performance Now? If it is indeed the same government, then I must be completely blind.

As for the general public, what is the financial impact of all of these issues?

Let's view our cost increases in a list as highlighted by Charles Santiago:

1. 7.12% increase in electricity tariff.
2. 8.3% increase for manufacturers who will pass it on to the consumer.
3. Food prices in Malaysia have increased at a 200% rate against world food prices.
4. Between September 2010 and April 2011, vegetables have increased between 40 to 60% in price.
5. The price of onions has gone up by 400%.
6. Sugar is up by 10.2%.
7. A household with an income of RM1,500 would find that their costs have gone up by 40% just from their grocery bill.

On the flip side, the average salary in this country has risen by 2.6% over the past 10 years from 2000 to 2010, or a paltry 0.26% a year! This is almost akin to a Japanese savings account, where you get out less than you put in.

Yes, by all means reduce subsidies, but you need to ensure that we can be a competitive economy in order to do so!

What is the point of trying to sugarcoat everything when this is a classic case of mismanagement of the highest order.

To use a business analogy, it is like saying, the directors screw up but the workers have to pay for it and get penalised consistently.

On top of this, the workers are also the shareholders, and at the AGM, the workers are compelled to re-elect them to the board of directors because of all the past successes of our company. Doesn't make much sense.

Of course, just before the AGM, the directors pay out a token bonus, buy them lunch and say that the future would be better under them. Come on people, we weren't born yesterday.

At this point in time, BN has just given PR a lot more ammunition come the next general election.

They hope the electorate has a short memory, but PR shall just come back and recap everything they have screwed up on.

If BN wants to silence PR, it's a tall order to lock up all the politicians during the election under the Internal Security Act.

Obviously, questioning the government's policies and decisions are a threat to national security.

If we are to operate as a true democracy, it is the right and duty of the people and the opposition to remind the government as to what their responsibility is.

Does BN want to lose the next election? I doubt so. However, it's a massive uphill climb for this government.

Can they make Chin a scapegoat and sideline the Sarawak United Peoples' Party?

Perhaps, considering the SUPP were caught out at the latest elections. The opposition has a really easy job. There is no need to dig up dirt when they so willingly present it to you on a silver platter.

AND UMNO IS STILL WONDERING WHY THE RAKYAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO VOTE FOR THEM COME GE13!

A student asked, "Mum, Dad, what's my future?"

A 21-year-old University student asking some hard questions of her parents. If you agree with her points, help by signing into their network at www.Malaysians4Change.com

And UMNO is still wondering why the rakyat have decided not to vote for them come GE13.

It just does not make sense, unless .....

Australia is 58 times bigger than Peninsular Malaysia. With a population of 21million and a government that answers to the people, Australia dare not take a bet that a Rare Earth Plant is worth its risk and investment. If Australia which is nearly 60 times bigger than Malaysia reject the setting up of a Rare Earth Plant, why would Malaysia 60 times smaller thinks it’s all right to go ahead?

The USA has closed most of its mines, and so has China. In Mongolia, vast tracts of lands thousands of square kilometres are rendered hazardous, with toxic runoffs destroying everything in their path, with high radioactivity, tainting precious water supplies and this chain reaction will continue for thousands of years.

And all this is just from one small factory which has also been closed down. It is surrounded by partly frozen red-colored 'tailing lakes' up to a square mile in size and the land is scarred with toxic runoffs from the refining process and pock-marked with craters and trenches. Larger Rare-Earth refineries sit around the banks of the world’s largest tailing lake, Baogang - seven square miles of evil-smelling toxic waste that shows the shocking extent of this industry's impact.

It is a scene that Chinese officials do not want the world to see. Several villages close to the lake have already been relocated because of pollution and security guards hired by the mining company.

And to think that Malaysia is building the world’s largest Rare Earth Plant is truly madness of the highest order.

Even massive Australia balks

Australia with its massive land size, could site it many thousands of miles in the centre of Australia, far away from populated areas and still be shielded should an accident happens but it will not even dream of building one in the country itself. But Peninsular Malaysia would be dead meat if the inevitable happens. And to think that it could never happen is fool hardy. The Chernoybl meltdown was not supposed to happen and neither was the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in Japan.

In the event of an accident the fallout could reach within an area of 80km radius, wiping out Kuantan, Pekan, Kemaman and most of the areas around Pahang and Terengganu. Long term the two states will be rendered useless and unliveable. It simply is illogical to site a Rare Earth Refinery so near to a large population and in such a small country.

Should there be an accident, the Peninsular will never be able to recover, and may even be sued by Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore And now that Australia with such a huge storage capacity would not allow the waste tailings to be reimported, shows Australia’s determination to wash its hands off the matter.

With Australia’s announcement that they will not accept our waste, what are we going to do? Hide it in Taman Negara, on Gunung Tahan, or drop in the sea? Or try to sell it to another unsuspecting third world country? All the profits we make will not be enough to pay for the disposal of the highly toxic waste.

Malaysia in its stride to become a global economic powerhouse, should seriously weigh the pros and cons of the project. And anyhow we put it, the cons do outweigh the pros. It would be downright silly to even think that we can outwit nature.

Childish reaction

The Pahang MB’s threat to pull the plug on Gebeng with the loss of 20 thousand jobs, should the Rare Earth Plant be called off, is really a childish reaction and a very weak attempt to resolve the problem. And to allow 20,000 people to lose their jobs just because the people rejected this insane project, when the Rare Earth Plant should not be there in the first place, is unbelievable.

It is also preposterous that Officials from the EIA saw if fit to announce that a comprehensive EIA study was unnecessary, EIA was set up for the sole purpose of protecting the environment of the nation, and it is downright insulting of EIA to ignore the people and to side the Federal Government.

If the BN government does not take steps to settle this issue immediately, it will only cause the people to lose faith in the government. Already the Bukit Merah incident is a black mark, and our government should take steps that such an incident should never be allowed to happen again.

How can our government be fooled by this Orang Putih Foreigners who continues to insult our intelligence? When will we ever learn not to play with fire? In our relentless pursuit for the extra dollar, we continue to mess around with nature without thinking of its disastrous consequences.

Rare Earth belongs in the ground and It should never be dug up and refined in the first place. Just like nuclear fusion, it will cause a chain reaction that may one day cause the end of the world. Chernobyl and the Fukushima Reactor in Japan is a testament to that.

180 countries in the world cannot be wrong to reject such a dangerous project. There is simply no mitigation possible should an accident happen. Gebeng is also situated very near to the South China Sea and a Giant Tsunami generated from a simple earthquake cannot be discounted from its list of failsafe emergency procedures.

One day we may be the laughing stock of the world by our decision to lose a country for the sake of a Rare Earth project. The risk is just too high. And it is simply not an option.

Like I have said before, if the government is unable to ensure proper maintenance of hospitals, stadiums and even the Parliament house, what makes them think they will be in control over such rare earth refineries with their mediocratic brains?

And UMNO is still wondering why the rakyat have decided not to vote for them come GE13!

When a wife and a mistress meet .....

Okay, you married men. This is what happened when you decide to keep a SYT (sweet young thing) as your mistress.

Insiders said the motorists involved were the wife and a mistress of a man living in Suqian, Jiangsu province.

The incident happened in March when the wife - surnamed Zhang who is in her 40s - bumped into her husband's mistress - surnamed Chen, who is in her 20s - on the road.

From the clip, it is clearly seen that a blue car and a silver car meet head-on in the middle of a road.

None of the drivers were willing to give way.

Witnesses said the wife then alighted and walked over to Chen and tried to talk to her.

The wife kept scolding the younger woman and that she had destroyed her family but the latter just ignored her and turned up the volume of her radio, they said.

As Zhang headed back to her car, Chen, who was in the blue car, drove her vehicle into Zhang's twice.

She got out and tried to talk to her again but the mistress slammed into the car again, resulting in the wife falling onto the road.

When the wife stood up, the mistress drove straight towards her. However, Zhang moved to avoid the collision.

Then, the two cars disappeared from the CCTV view.

It is learnt that Chen was later arrested for intentional causing injuries to Zhang.

I just simply admire them for their faith, these pro-Lynas fellas

The situation at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kuantan threatened to turn ugly yesterday when there was a face-off between pro-Lynas (presumably UMNO members) and anti-Lynas groups. Even the Indera Mahkota MCA Youth Chief, David Choi, was not spared. Being supportive of the anti-Lynas group, he was kicked by some of the pro-Lynas supporters. When Fuziah Salleh, the MP for Kuantan, arrived to meet the International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] panel at the hotel, the pro-Lynas tried to stop her from entering the building and even demanded that her supporters remove their anti-Lynas t-shirts. As usual, it is always politics above all else, even to the extent of compromising the rakyat's safety.

Looking at those fellas in the pix above, if they have so much faith in UMNO for allowing such an project to take place in their own backyard, perhaps they should buy properties in Gebeng, and stay there.

AND UMNO IS STILL WONDERING WHY THE RAKYAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO VOTE FOR THEM COME GE13!

The noose begins to tighten. Next stage, the full trial

AND UMNO IS STILL WONDERING WHY THE RAKYAT HAVE DECIDED NOT TO VOTE FOR THEM COME GE13!

Power prices to be hiked

The Najib administration will raise electricity rates by an average of 7.12 per cent beginning June 1 as part of its subsidy reduction exercise.

Power prices would rise by as much as 2.3 sen per kilowatt hour.

Domestic users who use less than 300kW unit per month will not be subjected to this new electricity pricing scheme, which is multi-tiered according to usage.

Officials said that this means that 44.4 million or 75 percent out of a total 5.94 million households would be unaffected by the new tariff.

For those using 301kW to 1000kW units, the tariff has been raised from 0.1 to 10 percent, or RM0.07 to RM30.30.

The waiving of electricity bill for those who record less than RM20 usage monthly would cease on December 2011.

Natural gas prices would also rise by RM3.00 per mmBtu every six months until it reached market levels by 2016, when its price would be fully floated.

The price charged by state oil company Petronas for power generation would rise to RM13.70 per mmBtu from RM10.70, officials said.

From a youth who attended the last week's youth gathering organised by Najib

"I was one of the youth attending the gathering.I was invited to participate in sporting events. But it turned out to a political gathering. I was surprised to hear PM spoke like this. It is as if Malaysia is being threatened by external forces. PM thinks that youth is a bunch of fool. Why people said YES. It is not from the heart it is just the crowd response, just that nothing sincere about it."

[Anak Muda Malaysia]

BOY, WERE THEY CONNED!!!

Who was the third man that accompanied Abdul Razak Baginda and Altantuya Shariibuu?

There was a third person accompanying political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda and murdered Mongolian interpreter Altantuya Shariibuu on their travels in connection with the purchase of three French submarines by the Malaysian government.

Human rights NGO Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel told Malaysiakinitoday that the identity of the third person involved in the travels is being verified by French investigators.

Although 'a name' had come up during the probe, she said, it was too early to reveal the identity of the individual.

"Our lawyers have informed us that a third person's name came up during the investigations... the probe is going on, but it is still too early to determine who the person is," Gabriel (right) said.

It had been earlier been revealed that a company named Gifen, established in Malta by Jean-Marie Boivin, had intervened in negotiations for the purchase of the submarines to facilitate monetary transfers to finance Abdul Razak and Altantuya's travels.

The negotiations involved the sale of an Agosta and two Scorpene submarines to the Malaysian government under a RM4.3 billion (1 billion euro) contract inked in 2002 between Malaysia and DCNS, formerly known as DCN, a shipyard builder allied with Spanish warship builder Thalès.

It is uncertain whether this 'mysterious' personality could be the missing link in the murder of Altantuya, which has dogged Prime Minister Najib Razak since 2006. Gabriel declined to discuss this matter further.

Blown up with C4 explosives

In 2006, Altantuya, a translator and intermediary for the French submarines deal who was believed to be romantically linked with Razak, a close friend and adviser to Najib, was killed with C4 explosives at a jungle clearing in Shah Alam, Selangor.

Najib was then deputy prime minister and defence minister, while the two special task force officers convicted of murdering Altantuya were Najib's bodyguards.

Gabriel had revealed last month that there was not just one commission paid out but two others as well: a RM129 million (30 million euro) payment by DCNS to the commercial networks of Thalès as "commercial fees linked to the negotiations and the enactment of the contract" and another payment of RM10.8 million (2.5 million euro).

She said the second commission had reportedly been paid by Thalès to an intermediary, still unidentified, in order to convince the Malaysian government that it was necessary to have some more works initiated.

Although Suaram was yet to find out who this 'unidentified' intermediary was, Gabriel said Gifen had reportedly intervened in the negotiations to facilitate monetary transfers to finance the travels of Razak and Altantuya (right, pictured with her son).

Gabriel also said today that Suaram was planning massive fund-raising dinners in Penang and in Kuala Lumpur to support its legal fund.

The events would be held in July and the dates are yet to be confirmed.

She said the dinners would also serve as a platform for Suaram to reveal and explain the findings behind the December suit it filed in a Paris court against against French submarine maker DCNS for "active and passive corruption, trading of favours and abuse of corporate assets".

"The French lawyers who took up the case in Paris will be here to explain in detail and update the public on the findings and information we have got so far," she said.

"We would like members of the public to be aware of what is happening in the case, and that we must continue discussions and question the authorities on suspected corruption surrounding the matter," she added.

Initially, it was suspected that a bribe of RM492 million (114 million euro) had been paid by Amaris, a subsidiary of DCNS and Thalès, to "unidentified Malaysian officials" through a company called Perimekar.

The majority shareholder of Perimekar, officially created to "coordinate" the sale of submarines, is alleged to be Razak's wife.

The agreement to purchase two Scorpene submarines worth billions of dollars was signed when Najib became defence minister in 2002.

[Source: Mkini]

The Third Man Theme

How thick skinned can GAPs be?