Is Malaysia cracking up on its seams?

The 12th General elections have come, turned in a tsunami like effect and left us some thirty days since. But the dust is yet to settle. In fact the many mini storms appear to be in the making. And do we blame the man in the street for this or the ugly politicians?

On the ground the rakyat are increasingly getting perplexed and anxious over the daily build-up of tantrums, accusations, demands and all kinds of shocking statements by those in power.

To add to the confusion, it is also evident that the former prime minister Tun Dr. Mahathir is not done with his final piece either.

In fact, the many episodes unfolded on a daily, rationed basis by the media is seriously affecting the man in the street. Businesses are slowing down. Collections are stagnating. Prices of goods are creeping up in un-announced quick successions.

But the wages are frozen. Jobs are hard to clinch. Do we not realize that the struggling wage earner and simple businessman is suffocating under this belting of too little cash chasing after having to meet far too many financial commitments and basic goods to stay alive?

Yet none of our politicians are concerned. Only the increasing licensed loan sharks seem to be taking advantage with their huge signboads and advertorials screaming "we want to help you".

Meanwhile, it is also very obvious that the Barisan National party wigs are not prepared to step forward and extend professional collaboration with the 'opposition' parties that have now appeared on the forefront of government - voted in by the rakyat.

And in the midst of such ugly unwillingness to cooperate in the best interest of nationhood, we see more battle cries for resignations and of saving the rakyat along racial demarcations.

Have our leaders lost their rudders?

Meanwhile however other countries are pooling their strengths to battle an uncertain financial and economic future that is lapping up on the global shores.

We are already witnessing rise in grain prices. The back gold is expected for another massive surge in price. Some nations are seriously into or even considering rationing of basic staple food items.

Against this bleak future ahead, we in Malaysia are fighting tooth and nail to score points; pulling the rugs under each other; still unable to respect, honour and uphold the outcome of the rakyat's decision at the 12th general election.

In place there is so much of shrouded mysteries and perceived corruption coupled with heavy and ugly politicking.

Can one then be blamed for suspecting that Malaysia may after all be tearing at its seams?

Malaysia’s Besieged PM May Concede Power

It looks increasingly like Adbdullah Badawi will call it quits later this year or early next

Jed Yoong, ASIA SENTINEL

Reports that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has promised shell shocked stalwarts in the United Malays National Organisation that he will step down in 2009 leave the party open for a free-for-all that appears likely to be won by his nemesis – former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who has done his best to drive Badawi from power.

UMNO lieutenants have been baying for Badawi’s head ever since the unprecedented gains by opposition parties in the March 9 election broke the ruling Barisan Nasional’s 50-year chokehold on power. The 82-year-old Mahathir, who has been hammering away at Badawi virtually since the latter succeeded him in 2002, had been largely regarded as irrelevant as late as last year, when Badawi’s forces engineered a putsch that kept him from even being seated at the UMNO national convention.

Mahathir gained, however, by conspicuously not campaigning for UMNO in the most recent election, particularly after Badawi replaced a lot of Mahathir’s allies in an effort to bring in some fresh blood. According to one political figure, “His [Mahathir’s] phone hasn’t stopped ringing since the election.” Despite Badawi’s efforts, the former PM is still a force.

Although most observers outside the party believe the poll debacle happened because Badawi didn’t go far enough in attempting to reform the political process, top UMNO figures want to return it to its previous strong-arm state – a recipe for disaster to the public, perhaps, but one that would keep them at the trough. Although new names are starting to rise to prominence in the wake of the election , they appear to be figures determined to perpetuate the policies that got UMNO into trouble in the first place – especially the ethnic nationalism for Malays over the minority Chinese and Indian populations, which has resulted in cronyism, political favoritism and corruption in parceling out government contracts to a rent-seeking class that critics have dubbed “umnoputras,” a play on the word bumiputra, or “son of the soil” in Malay.

Certainly, UMNO's gentle hints asking Badawi to resign have become impatient nudges. His own state constituency in Penang asked him to step down after the Barisan lost the state to the opposition Democratic Action Party.

"If changes are not made immediately, UMNO will also lose power and never make a comeback....I worry if there are no changes made, as demanded not only by UMNO members but also by people from outside the party, the people will reject Barisan Nasional and UMNO. I think sentiments are boiling at the grassroots. Therefore, if change does not happen in UMNO, many adverse things will surface," Muhyiddin Yassin, who is one of four party vice-presidents and Minister of International Trade and Industry, told reporters.

Bernama, the national news agency, reported Sunday that Badawi said that Najib Tun Razak, the UMNO deputy president and deputy prime minister “would be his successor and he would hand over the post when it is time.” However, Najib is lumbered with a variety of procurement scandals from his continuing tenure as defense minister as well as the fact that his best friend and his two personal bodyguards are involved in a marathon trial for the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu in 2006.

Abdullah – Right Man, Right Time

Indeed, Abdullah seems to believe that the state of malaise may also to some extent, be at the root of the problem of corruption especially among low income groups, who because of the lack of marketable skills, often see no way to improve themselves and therefore will be more vulnerable to accepting bribes.

Dr Collin Abraham

Any analysis of the unprecedented and unexpected landslide election victory of the Barisan Nasional (BN), even at this early stage, must surely recognize that its leader Abdullah Ahmad Badawi appears to have 'got it right'.

In other words, the 'thinking' behind the political strategy of 'going to the rakyat' for an early fresh mandate was correctly understood and accordingly decisively implemented. As such, there was no room for political compromise.

Abdullah’s message during the election campaign called for support from all Malaysians. It was a straightforward message of hope for the future. He promised a new social order based on the fundamental premise that since the nation belongs to all its citizens, it is up to Malaysians to commit themselves to further consolidate what has been achieved and to forge ahead. The role of government was merely to set the stage for this to happen.

The electorate, particularly first time and younger voters, reached out and grabbed this offer for a brave new world because they saw no other way to improve the quality of their lives. They also recognized that this may be the last time they had the option of voting to make it happen. To them it was an opportunity that implicitly offered promise, not unlike the bringing down of the Berlin Wall.

The wall of Islamic fundamentalism and dogma was made out to be something that was out of touch with the social reality of the need to move on in a modern, progressive, and dynamic knowledge-based global society. This theme was particularly portrayed on national and international TV screens. Indeed, this was not the time to stand behind this ‘wall’ of fundamentalism and dogma and wail, but rather to bring down the wall itself.

The singular defining dimension of the BN campaign therefore was brilliantly encapsulated within the greater election debate on the place and role of political Islam in the context of development. Put simply, referring to the PAS claim that only those subscribing to Islamic fundamentalism would go to heaven, Abdullah, an Islamic scholar himself, responded that he wanted Muslims both to enjoy life on earth as well as prepare for the afterlife.

Moderate Islam

Essentially Abdullah’s message was clear. He espoused a moderate brand of Islam in backing a reform agenda for the benefit of all Malaysians irrespective of religious identity. Indeed, he had always argued that moderate Islam was compatible with development and predicted that another US$7 billion would flow into local equity markets if he scored a big victory.

At the international level, fund managers had further endorsed similar sentiments. Accordingly, it was reported by a capital fund analyst that: "This victory of moderate and progressive Islam is also positive for regional stability with the improvement in relations between Singapore and Malaysia expected to continue".

As the newly-elected prime minister therefore, Abdullah will now have the unique opportunity to prove to the international community that Malaysia can accommodate radical and rapid social changes to sustain the political and social climate for good governance, political stability, economic prosperity, and above all religious harmony in a multiracial and multi-religious country by projecting the modern, progressive and compassionate face of Islam.

But to achieve this objective, he will first have to identify and dismantle many constitutional provisions and structural constraints that have become entrenched in the political system since political independence

Government policies

While it can be anticipated that there may not be much in the way of basic changes in government policies in the short term, Abdullah will want to fine-tune many existing policies within the framework of ensuring their more effective implementation. In the formulation and implementation of new policies, he will have to take into account the demands of a more educated and better informed populace, and his government will therefore need to ensure that these policies are relevant to adequately meet the rising expectations and aspirations of this new generation as well.

In this connection, one of the first steps would be to seriously consider the appointment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry for a complete review of the seriously declining quality of public university education in the country over the past few decades. Indeed, in realistic terms, such a review may also have to extend to the primary and secondary education systems.

This move is absolutely essential if the government’s determined effort to stimulate and to develop a knowledge-based society through unfettered access to information is to open and expand minds to embrace new ideas, philosophies and ideologies. Abdullah has to recognise that while the government must guard and insulate society from modes of thinking that might undermine nation-building efforts, at the same time it must be receptive to constitutional and institutional social reforms to enable the generation of new ideas to strengthen the institutions of governance and sustain political stability.

This is particularly important because Abdullah believes that the country should be internally strong in the first place, to successfully withstand the wrath of the leading developed countries when their ideology of ‘free men and free markets’ as the ultimate goal of human development is challenged by developing countries.

Abdullah is on record as rejecting this ideology in its absolute sense because Malaysia cannot conform to such a liberal dogma that is tantamount to chaining the government and the people to “one path of development, one model of democracy and one form of culture. Malaysia will not even be allowed to question its (the model's) applicability to our situation”. Therefore Abdullah will ensure that Malaysia must first unshackle itself from dogma particularly because we are a multiracial and multicultural society and need to forge ahead on our own steam.

However, he has already made it clear that the driving force behind his new policies would be within the framework of Vision 2020. This is because its nine strategic challenges clearly stipulate the goals of a holistic, progressive and modern society, rooted in all that is uniquely and eminently Malaysian.

Abdullah will want to formulate and implement the Vision as one that, while pushing the country towards development and prosperity, at the same time sees this advancement being harmonised and tempered within the Islamic principles of social justice and human values of compassion in all government policies across the board.

Abdullah has pointed out that he will persistently work towards making Malaysia a fully developed country by 2020. But he says that not all the pre-conditions for this to happen are in place yet. For instance, the county is greatly dependent on the global economy and therefore exposed to the extreme volatility and unpredictability of international market forces.

Bangsa Malaysia

At the national level and more significantly, directly within Vision 2020 itself, the aim to create a Bangsa Malaysia has to face the reality that the children of different races are growing up apart from each other, within a society that is increasingly becoming racially and more recently, religiously, polarized.

Abdullah wants to create a robust and mature liberal democracy but there are increasing signs of political inclusion and exclusion between and among groups and indeed intolerance in the manifestation of religious extremism.

Also the high incidence of social ills particularly among the Malay community in both urban and rural communities demands very serious and early attention. It would be impossible to generate, let alone sustain continuing national economic growth, in a situation where Malays are severely socially disadvantaged and unable to compete on a level playing field especially under the pressure of political and economic globalization.

Therefore as prime minister, Abdullah will certainly want to give priority to consolidating the role of the government in engaging and involving the people, particularly the working classes, more directly in proactive deliberations as stakeholders in policy formulation and more importantly, implementation. This strategy will be different from the existing practice of entrenched exclusive institutional political elitist domination in the decision-making process.

In particular, Abdullah has indicated that he will give priority to the 'grievances that are be-devilling the people'. He has given the assurance that the ‘voices of discontent, whenever they are raised will be heard’. Accordingly, it would seem that he would direct the government machinery towards problem-solving and where appropriate, spearhead reforms. But equally, and perhaps more importantly, he would also make it a point to explain and share with the people the problems that the government itself faces in trying to implement programmes. In this way he would hope to get the support of the people in building a relationship of trust and in developing a more meaningful social contract particularly through grassroots institutions.

Abdullah is also on record as intending to deal with the overall negative social climate of an inertia that is seriously jeopardising the implementation and its success of both the public and private sector programmes, which has manifested itself in a state of malaise. To overcome this problem, he will want to see a change of mindset whereby employers, employees and workers, are seen as equal stakeholders. This will ensure a new regimen of thinking among these groups that in turn, will reduce the power distance between senior management, middle management and shop floor levels and more importantly, work towards the creation of a level playing field.

Abdullah has also expressed confidence that such a structural role change would generate a new kind of motivation for individuals to want to gain access to the knowledge base and to acquire ICT skills, because this in itself will provide the pathway towards rewards based on excellence and merit.

Indeed, Abdullah seems to believe that the state of malaise may also to some extent, be at the root of the problem of corruption especially among low income groups, who because of the lack of marketable skills, often see no way to improve themselves and therefore will be more vulnerable to accepting bribes. Therefore he believes that at least one way to overcome the problem of malaise and corruption is for the government itself to realistically provide facilities for individuals and groups to empower themselves with knowledge, skills, and the self-confidence with the objective of being in a better position to take control of their destinies and improve their lot in life. In this connection, he believes that an appropriate motto would be the proclamation of Vision 2020 as a response to providing for “diverse voices, new skills, new opportunities, and challenging futures”.

Paradigm shift

More importantly, as prime minister, Abdullah can be expected to orchestrate an overall paradigm shift across the board from 'top-bottom' to 'bottom-top' strategies. In particular, he has stressed the need to revitalise the agricultural sector which will encompass not only the rural sector per se, but also the corporate sector and the smaller-scale business sectors in both rural and urban areas as well. For this, one absolutely critical pre-requisite must be a comprehensive nationwide land reform programme.

Indeed this is all the more important and necessary because this has never been done before, at least not along the lines being suggested.

Abdullah will want to implement this 'bottom-top' paradigm shift because a comprehensive change in generating new thinking in mindsets at the local level based on 'hands-on experience' is an essential pre-requisite to meeting the challenges of political, economic and social globalisation. This can best be achieved through greater public participation, involvement and sharing in the decision-making and implementation process across the board.

Therefore Abdullah can be expected to emphasize that what the country is up against in the context of globalization, is essentially global capitalism, and its attendant aggressive competitiveness, and the most effective way to combat this force is to subject the globalization process itself to greater national social control. Indeed, the more recent literature on this question calls for developing countries to meet the globalization challenge through what has been termed ‘localization' in the first place.

At the same time, Abdullah has indicated the need to review measures to reduce the high dependency of the economy on international market forces by a paradigm shift to give priority in the development of the domestic economic fundamentals. There is far too much reliance on the production requirements for the high tech export-oriented industries, precipitating the need to introduce structural and fiscal policies to re-direct foreign direct investments to the domestic economy. This is absolutely crucial because countries like China and India are already absorbing an alarmingly high proportion of foreign direct investments, literally at the expense of other countries in the region, and if the current investment trends are not reversed it is only a matter of time before the economies of smaller countries, including Malaysia, become unsustainable.

Abdullah has made reference to the vast natural resources of Malaysia and has called specifically for heavy investments in the development of new industries such as biotechnology and other agro-based industries. Also previously as foreign minister, he had repeatedly called on ASEAN counties to invest within the region on a ‘win-win’ basis. But here again, there has been the tendency to limit investments to the high tech industries for short-term high profits, without investing in longer-term more sustainable indigenous industries. For instance, Singapore as Malaysia's largest investor has not been encouraged to invest in industries where there is great potential such as in biotechnology.

Abdullah has also directed the re-structuring of the economy to attract foreign investments in both downstream and upstream activities in the rubber and oil palm industries. This hardly needs emphasis considering that both historically, and in contemporary terms, these industries have remained as 'stunted' industries at home while in the industrialised countries that import these raw materials to manufacture the finished products, these industries became growth industries and the said countries made phenomenal profits in the process.

Finally, it would be a fitting conclusion to recognise that one of the major reasons for Malaysia's success as a nation since independence is that it has been blessed with the right leader at the right time. From what has been said, Abdullah as the fifth Prime Minister is not only the right man at the right time, but also the leader to take Malaysia to even greater heights.

Pantun UMNO No Teloq

By Little Bird

No teloq means 'no balls'. Here goes:

Hujan Renyai Renyai
Kedah ada teloq
Takut punya pasai
Pak Lah terus tidoq

Hujan Renyai Renyai
Penang sudah gempaq
Negeri sendiri punya pasai
Pak Lah tak mahu jumpa

Hujan Renyai Renyai
PM takut pi Ipoh
Perak punya pasai
Julai habis tempoh

Hujan Renyai Renyai
Johor takda teloq
Bodoh punya pasai
Setuju 2010

Hujan Renyai Renyai
UMNO Johor keliru
Lembut punya pasai
Pak Lah mahu tunggu

Hujan Renyai Renyai
Melayu Johor lembik
Takda teloq punya pasai
Lagi mahu bodek

Hujan Renyai Renyai
UMNO sekarang hanyut
Takda teloq punya pasai
Bukan PM saja badut

Hujan Renyai Renyai
UMNO kena buli
Takda teloq punya pasai
Siapa pun tak peduli

Hujan Renyai Renyai
UMNO tunggu apa lagi
Kalau jantan sudah misai
Terajang dia pi!

Najib pembawa zaman gelap

Najib Razak ialah ibu kepada semua rasuah. Najib Razak ialah ibu kepada semua masalah. Najib Razak terlibat dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya.

DARI JELEBU

Mahathir Mohamad telah memerangkap Tengku Razaleigh untuk membuka tirai – dengan mesyuarat agung tergempar - untuk mengetepikan Abdullah Badawi. Untuk entah ke berapa kali Razaleigh Hamzah telah dijadikan batu loncatan oleh Mahathir Mohamad. Razaleigh adalah perwakilan politik lama – politik era Tungku – politik ‘ the British clubby gentelman’ – di mana setiap kata adalah untuk di kota.

Era dan zaman itu telah lama selesai. Kita sekarang dalam era peralihan dari zaman gelap ke zaman cerah. Bahayanya, Mahathir Mohamad inginkan kita rakyat Malaysia kembali ke zaman gelap, ke zaman ketakutan adan ke zaman autokratik. Justeru, Mahathir Mohamad sedang merancang untuk menobatkan Najib Razak.

Seyogia perlu kita sama berwaspada dan mengetahui kenapa/mengapa Mahathir Mohamad memilih Najib Razak? Kita wajib memahami sebab musababnya agar kita semua akan bersedia menghadapi zaman gelap yang akan dibawa oleh Najib Razak.

Kenapa Mahathir kini bermati-matian, dengan licik lagi penuh tipu muslihat sedang merancang untuk menaikkan Najib. Malah minggu lalu media arus perdana juga ‘terjerat’ dengan tipu helah Mahathir apabila melaporkan Najib Razak bukan lagi satu pilihan. Kenyataan Mahathir ini bertujuan untuk menaikkan syahwat Razaleigh Hamzah dan Muhyiddin Yassin agar mereka terus berkomplot menentang Abdullah Badawi. Sebenarnya ini ialah tipu helah jenis Kitul.

(Siapa Kitul? Sila rujuk Sejarah Melayu kitab naratif kesejarahan oral orang-orang Melayu Melaka. Kita merujuk Sejarah Melayu untuk melihat yang lampau, memahami yang kini dan pedoman ke hadapan.)

Untuk memahami siapa Najib Razak, kita melihat dan memahami kembali bagaimana Mahathir Mohamad memilih menteri-menteri kabinet dan para rottweiler yang mengelilinginya. Mahathir dengan selesa akan memilih orang-orang yang dikelilingi masalah besar. Lebih besar masalah itu lebih baik untuk Mahathir. Contohnya Rahim Thamby Chik dengan kes pecah pendaraan cinta berahi anak gadis di bawah umur adalah orang kepercayaan Mahathir. Arwah Megat Juned seorang kaki judi yang terlibat dalam kematian wanita pemilik kedai video adalah menteri setia Mahathir Muhamad. Shahidan Kassim terlibat dengan kemasukan beras secara gelap di Perlis adalah menteri besar Mahathir Mohamad yang setia.

Rais Yatim sekor bangkai bernyawa telah diberi nafas oleh Mahathir hinggakan sanggup meminum air basuh kaki Mamak yang pada satu ketika dahulu dikutuknya. Rafidah Aziz rottweiler betina terlibat dalam agihan AP, manakala rottweiler jantannya ialah Nazri Aziz. yang terlibat dengan 600 permit teksi. Mereka adalah menteri setia dalam kabinet Mahathir. Para rottweiler–rottweiler ini akan terus menderam dan menyalak jika ada sesiapa yang cuba menghampiri Mahathir Mohamad.

Lihat pula badan kehakiman dan badan kepolisian yang dirasuk rasuah dari hujung rambut hingga ke hujung kaki. Aktiviti rasuah ini dibiarkan oleh Mahathir kerana si perasuah ini akan terus bersetia kepada Mahathir.

Apa sangkut paut semua ini dengan Najib Razak?

Najib Razak ialah ibu kepada semua rasuah. Najib Razak ialah ibu kepada semua masalah. Najib Razak terlibat dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya. Ini bukan tohmahan. Dalam mahkamah seorang saksi dari Mongolia telah menerangkan bahawa Najib pernah berjumpa dengan Altantuya.

Najib Razak lebih bangkai bernyawa dari Rais Yatim. Najib Razak lebih banyak menyondol dari Rahim Thamby Chik. Najib Razak berjuta-juta kali menerima rasuah dari Rafidah Aziz dan Nazri Aziz. Manusia seperti Najib Razak ini adalah model (bukan model Mongolia) yang terbaik dalam bacaan politik Mahathir Mohamad. Manusia Najib ini akan menjadi sekor rottweiler yang paling setia kepada Mahathir Mohamad.

Dalam congak politik Mahathir, Najib Razak akan meneruskan dinastinya. Sesudah Najib akan dimasukkan Hishammuddin Hussein, rottweiler katek si pembawa keris yang lidahnya belum sanggup menjelir panjang. Akhirnya, Mukhriz Mahathir akan muncul. Pada ketika ini si Mukhriz sedang belajar untuk menjadi rottweiler dengan salakan-salakan kecil menyerang Abdullah Badawi. Mukhriz inilah klon asli yang di cita-citakan oleh Mahathir Muhamad.

Jadi siapa sebenarnya Najib Razak?

Najib Razak ialah pembawa zaman gelap ke dalam budaya politik Malaysia. Najib Razak akan memadamkan semua lampu-lampu pencerahan yang baru ingin menyala di Malaysia. Dari segi pembudayaan Najib pasti akan lebih Islam dari Pas. Lebih lebai dari Lebai Kulup. Dengan latar belakang keilmuan yang cetek, Najib untuk membuktikan keislamannya akan melakukan apa sahaja yang ‘dianggapnya’ Islam. Najib Razak yang tidak memahami inti dan falsafah Islam akan hanya berjaya melihat pinggiran dan kulitan Islam.

Ini bermakna Islam garapan Najib akan lebih kolot dan lebih menyusahkan hidup kita semua. Kulitan Islam a la Najib ini bukan lagi jantan di barisan lain dan betina di barisan lain, ia akan lebih dari itu. Keislaman Najib ini bukan hanya membuang patung-patung penyu seperti di Terengganu tetapi akan lebih dari itu.

Buktinya: Tiga tahun dahulu ketika Hari Raya dan Deepavali berjalan serentak, seorang insan yang mengakui dirinya sebagai ‘ ilmuwan Islam’ telah mengeluarkan ‘fatwa bahawa orang Melayu/Islam TIDAK boleh berkongsi Deepavali degan penganut agama Hindu. Kenyataan yang kononnya fatwa ini telah di sambut dan di sokong oleh Najib Razak. Hanya tiga hari kemudian fatwa karut ini telah di sangkal oleh Abdullah Badawi. Ini contoh Islam kapal selam.

Seorang insan yang terlibat dalam kes satu pembunuhan akan melakukan apa sahaja untuk membuktikan bahawa dirinya lebih suci dari Kaabah dan lebih putih dari sabun Breeze. Sila ingatkan kembali kenyataan-kenyataan Najib beberapa bulan dahulu. Hujan tidak guruh pun tidak tiba-tiba Najib menjadi Lebai Najib telah mula mengeluarkan ayat-ayat Furqan untuk membuktikan dirinya lebih Islam dari kapal selam.

Rasuah? Rasuah itu adalah nama timang-timangan dan nama manja Najib Razak.

Kalau polis menahan kita dan meminta baksheesh sepuluh dua puluh ringgit maka ini dianggap rasuah. Tetapi jika Najib membeli senjata, membeli kapal selam dan membeli jet pejuang ini bukan rasuah, mengikut kitab Najib. Duit berjuta-juta ini bukan duit rasuah tetapi mengikut fatwa Najib Razak ini wang komisen. Inilah dia susuk yang sedang di rancang dan sedang uli oleh Mahathir Muhamad untuk dijadikan perdana menteri.

Kenapa Mahathir Mohamad mahukan Najib Razak?

Mahathir Mohamad adalah kepala perompak yang mewakili Daim Zainuddin, Vincent Tan, Eric Chia, Ting Pek King, Ananda Krishan dan Lim Kok Wing antara nama-nama lanun besar . Ada ramai lagi lanun dan penjarah yang berpayung di bawah Mahathir. Mereka dengan bantuan kuasa Mahathir Muhamad telah merompak dan menjarah harta negara selama 22 tahun.

Seperti filem seram Rosemary's Baby semua orang yang diharap-harapkan memberi bantuan rupa-rupanya adalah sebahagian dari jaringan lanun. Polis, kehakiman, media, badan pencegah rasuah, imam-imam – semuanya bersekongkol.

Perompak dan lanun-lanun ini tahu jika era pencerahan yang di bawa oleh Abdullah Badawi ini dapat diteruskan mereka semua akan di dakwa di mahkamah. Polis dan para hakim, politikus rasuah, dan sesiapa yang menyalah gunakan kuasa akan juga di hadapan ke mahkamah.

Adalah salah anggap jika kita percaya Mahathir mahukan Abdullah undur kerana legacy sedang di lupuskan. Menaikkan Najib tidak sangkut paut dengan legacy. Adalah salah bacaan politik jika menganggap bahawa Mahathir lebih sayangkan United Malay National Organisation. Mahathir mengharamkan United Malay National Organisation yang asal. Sejuta kali silap jika menganggap bahawa Mahathir membuat semua ini untuk orang Melayu.

Mahathir Mohamad mahukan Najib Razak kerana Najib Razak akan menjadi bangkai bernyawa dan TIDAK akan membuat apa dakwa dakwi terhadap Mahathir Muhamad dan para lanun-lanun yang lain. Dua puluh dua tahun zaman ganas dan zaman gelap Mahathir akan di teruskan oleh Najib Razak.

Kepada sesiapa yang memiliki ilusi tentang Najib Razak sebagai pilihan tepat Mahathir Muhamad, sila tanya diri sendiri. Sudah sampaikah masanya Malaysia menerima perdana menteri baru yang terlibat dalam kes pembunuhan? Apakah pembunuh boleh menjadi Perdana Menteri Malaysia.

Anwar Says Defections Will Help To Defeat Ruling Coalition

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim believes he could topple Malaysia's ruling coalition immediately if he wanted to because enough government lawmakers have agreed to defect to his side.

Anwar made the claim Monday (14 Apr) after police halted his speech at a rally to celebrate his formal return to politics. Organizers estimated 40,000 people gathered to hear Anwar's first public speech in Malaysia since last month's general elections.

"Now I can say for the first time that we are ready to govern the country," Anwar told reporters. "We have the numbers ... Some (government lawmakers) have had discussions with us, but we are not in a hurry."

Anwar stressed the opposition's main aim was to carry out reforms, ranging from cleaning up the judiciary to ending corruption and ensuring racial harmony.

He said the opposition needed "a comfortable majority" to carry out the reforms. He gave no indication of how long that might take, but said he was willing to wait.

The former deputy prime minister spearheaded a three-party opposition alliance to spectacular gains in March 8 elections, winning an unprecedented 82 of Parliament's 222 seats. It also won control of legislatures in five of Malaysia's 13 states.

Opposition supporters rallied at a sports field in Kuala Lumpur on Monday for a countdown until midnight, when a legal ban that prevented Anwar from holding political office expired.

The celebration came to an abrupt halt when scores of policemen interrupted Anwar as he addressed the rally because he had not sought a police permit. Supporters carrying banners that read, "Anwar for prime minister," jeered the police.

Political pundits have said Anwar's ambition is to become prime minister, a post that once seemed within his reach when he was deputy to former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in the 1990s.

However, Mahathir sacked him in 1998 in a power struggle. Anwar was expelled from the ruling party, and convicted of sodomy and corruption _ charges he said were politically motivated.

Anwar was released from prison in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned, but the corruption conviction barred him from holding political office until 15 Apr 2008.

Anwar could not contest the general elections because of the ban, but he was expected to contest a by-election to gain entry to Parliament and allow him to challenge Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is under pressure from factions within his own party to quit.

Abdullah has said he will eventually hand over power to his deputy Najib Razak, but not immediately. (By VIJAY JOSHI/ AP)

We can form government: Anwar Ibrahim

(The Nation) - Former Malaysia's deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim marked his return to active politics on Monday night by claiming that the Pakatan Rakyat could easily form the next government.

However, he said the tripartite coalition of opposition parties would only do so provided it had a healthy majority, instead of a majority of only "two or five seats," according to the New Straits Times online.

Speaking after attending a rally at the Sultan Sulaiman Club by Parti Keadilan Rakyat to welcome him back, he said: "We are saying here for the first time that we are ready (to rule the country). But we will only enter when the majority is comfortable."

The de-facto leader of PKR said, however, that Pakatan Rakyat would not pay Barisan Nasional MPs to cross over in order to achieve its aims of forming the federal government.

"We are not in a hurry," he said, adding that any Pakatan Rakyat's decision would be reached in a democratic manner.

On his immediate plans, now that the ban on his holding public office was over, Anwar said he was in no hurry and would focus on strengthening Pakatan Rakyat, according to the online.

"The priority now is to administer Pakatan Rakyat states as incorruptible and financially transparent, fulfil our promises to the people and give meaning and essence to participatory democracy."

Anwar had been banned from electoral politics for five years after his release from jail after being convicted of corruption and abuse of power.

Asked about comments about him by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Anwar said he had for a long time refrained from replying against the personal attacks.

"He is obsolete, despite having gone through numerous medical treatments. He is getting crazier."

Anwar also blamed Dr Mahathir for the current state of the judiciary as well as the Internal Security Act.

Present were PKR president Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is Anwar's wife, his daughter and Lembah Pantai MP, Nurul Izzah, Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali and vice-president Azmin Ali.

Several DAP and Pas leaders were also among the 10,000 who turned up yesterday.

Anwar arrived at 8.50pm to shouts of "reformasi" and later spoke for about an hour before he was stopped by Dang Wangi police chief Assistant Commissioner Mohd Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman, who explained that since there was no permit for the gathering, it would have to be stopped.

Make better films, not bombs!

We need to create the new Muslim cinema – to promote better understanding and peace between the entire Muslim world, the West, and the rest of the world

By Mansor bin Puteh

Muslims only know how to react. We are reactionaries and reactionaries are normally those who have idle minds. They only know how to follow blindly without thinking.

We don't lead and we do not have the real leadership system in the Muslim World.

It looks like we only live to support the development of the West. We support their F1; we copy their beauty contests, their entertainment reality shows and we feel guilty if we do not behave like them.

We only know how to get angry with them unnecessarily without the awareness as to why we are angry. It is unfortunate that we channel our energy wrongly. Consequently, we lack the spirit of enterprise, discovery, adventure etc. and we stick to ourselves and are not brave to face the world. Yes, we are angry over petty issues and things. We do so because we are weak, and it is not because they are strong, but more so because we are weaker.

1429 years of Muslimhood has not taught us much, for we read the Koran wrongly and interpret the Prophet's Sunnahs to suit our fancies without understanding its essence and its intent. We have actually betrayed our religion and what it stands for. We have allowed the others to trample on us and belittle us on almost all fronts. But how could the 1.6 billion Muslims, worldwide in 57 countries and all the others can be said to be weak and almost irrelevant to the development of the modern world?

We chose to be weak. We chose not to have or develop our own film, artistic, intellectual, academic, science and technology and media centers as well as the other centers.

The Muslim World therefore, does not exist. It only exists in our mind; it is just a figment of our imagination when all else are difficult to contemplate, and it is only when the OIC leaders meet once every two years, to come up with and pass some useless resolutions.

The Muslim World is no doubt a parasite of the West, which had benefited from us for too long, especially from our natural resources, our expertise and our tardiness. How long must we allow ourselves be in such a despicable situation? Is it very difficult to break the vicious circle of despair and destitute?

No, it is not. There is a way. The way is cheap, dirt cheap, in fact. It is to introduce the Muslim Cinema and develop the Melaka Film City. This is a gist of the paper I presented in the First International Muslim Filmmakers' Conference held in Tehran, Iran, in February 1994.

If the Muslim leaders want to do something useful for once, this is what it is. No point in promoting the F-1 races, inviting Celine Dion to cheer us, for it is a temporary diversion. During the races and the concerts, how many other Muslims will die of starvation throughout the world. Do they care? Let's have an open forum to discuss this issue.

* * * * * * *
Perhaps the creation of a New Muslim Cinema is what we need. It can finally be able to check the problems of the world, especially between the Muslim World and the West, and promote a more equitable and peaceful world. It may be the only means that we have at our disposal that had never been utilized fully.

A shocker for a start? Not really.

Just consider this: Diplomacy has its limits. The politicians have proven that. political wrangling is an effort in futility and it often muddles the problems when they get worse. When the Islamic world keeps on wrangling over issues that were previously unattached, we find that we have added more complications to the problems.

Hundreds of millions of innocent people, across the world suffer quietly. We don’t even know where and who they are. Even those who had suffered more than half a century ago, are still suffering. They pass this legacy of suffering to their off-springs like it had become part of their DNA strain.

Meanwhile political leaders change and new ones appear, often with a lot of fanfare, like they had just descended from the mountains in triumph. The old ones move on to do other things before they kick the bucket, while their successors repeat their errors and make statements that hardly benefits anybody.

We have seen enough of political ‘shadow play’ or wayang kulit performances in the United Nations. We have now become familiar to the antics of these International Bodies. They are not special anymore. They are just a change of cast with the same dialogue and gestures with venom.

Meanwhile, we suffer – I mean the whole world suffers. Sadly many in America also suffer. Although they may not be physically affected by what the others suffer, but they suffer quietly and psychologically.

So, it’s time we did something unusual and unorthodox and even if it may be too far-fetched to comprehend. The cinema may be our ultimate salvation for a world that had been so badly fractured, abused and sadly neglected too. And there is light – even a single one that flickers at twenty-four frames per second!

It may be a simplistic and a seemingly far-fetched idea, but it is definitely one that deserves to be tried, because all other attempts had failed miserably. What else can we count on now? Since we never had any better solutions in the past, creating a film industry to put forth Islam in a better perspective perhaps would give us a hope to hold on to.

We certainly do not need to have more forums, seminars and conferences and all sorts of peace initiatives. These are all efforts that have been tried many times in the past. In fact, the problems of the Muslims and consequently the world, have now become worst and this has affected their relationship with the rest of the world, particularly the West.

Nonetheless, all the problems faced by the Muslims and the others are simplistic, if one cares to look at the whole equation in the widest possible perspective and from all angles, instead of just listening to self made theories from officials on both sides.

Some say it’s all about O-I-L. Others say its hegemony. However, isn’t this huge world wise enough that they have to entertain such lofty and useless ambitions? Otherwise, the outer space is there for them to partake whatever they want for their continued sustenance!

If you do not have oil to cook food, you normally get it at the supermarket. Or you can smile and put out your hand and get your neighbour to offer some oil to you. However, you will not just break into your neighbour’s house and grab his stock of oil, leaving him empty handed. Incidentally too you find that he is not unfriendly with you and you take advantage of his goodness and attempt to impose your ideas on him. You begin by forcing him to rearrange his furniture telling him his ways are wrong and yours are right and you want to help him improve his lot and that of his family. He was however doing well before you wanted his oil. He may not have as much wealth as you have, but he was managing sufficiently well and it was enough for him to get by contently in life.

May be the filmmakers and the cinemas can finally neutralise everything and reverse it. Or, at least try to halt the further escalation of the problems before it continues to spread to more countries and areas in the world and turning it to pieces, and make the political leaders realise their folly.

We have also seen how the same international political leaders from both sides of the divide have squabbled and often returned to their respective countries not being able to do anything.

Meanwhile, those who suffer are the ordinary folks who are mostly Muslims. They might not even know if a war had caused them to suffer – or if it was really the end of the world? The two seem to be alike to many of them especially for those who live in remote areas and who do not have proper communication and do not watch television and who listen only to the opinion of their tribal leaders, sages and warlords.

The Muslim World which is defined as all the 57 countries which are members of the Organisation of Islamic Organisation (OIC) is vast. Unfortunately it is devoid of life and the so-called Muslim World does not even exist as an entity.

Nothing interesting is happening in it. Muslims who are living in it find it a drab. We do not have many things including a cinema industry that we can call our own. We also do not have much of a media organisation to serve our special needs, without having to depend on those that had been in existence all this while. Muslims generally lead a parasitic existence.

There is also a problem of image faced by Muslims and Islam in general. The many kinds of news we ‘make’ as reported by ‘them’ seem to be the kinds that made us look rather helpless and the Muslims constantly look lost in front of their guns and tanks.

Stories of the death of scores of Muslims do not make Muslims in other parts of our world feel agitated anymore. They are just daily news. Even the television stations and newspapers in most Muslim countries now prefer to give more space and coverage to films and modern Western culture than the deaths of Muslims. The Islamic world have accepted this drawback as a norm.

I for one who am trained in the film industry, believe by creating a New Muslim Cinema Industry will finally have a miraculous effect on the Entire Islamic World and also the West, who will then get to know us even better. It is not going to be just a film industry which caters to the puerile tastes of the viewers, but one that has a mission. It comes with a more profound purpose – to stabilize our senses to make them more attractive to the idea of promoting peace than to be agitated by the intense desire to be engaged in a war.

It will also be an industry that will be able to create, artistic, intellectual and creative leaders amongst the Muslims and the non-Muslims, especially among those who are involved in its development and expansion – so they can become better recognised and influential for their intellect, creativity and ingenuity, in the country and in the entire Muslim World.

If this does not happen, the chances are that some will find it expedient to turn the knowledge that they had acquired while studying at prestigious universities in America and the West for other nefarious and counter productive purposes.

The center for the New Muslim Cinema can be in Malaysia – a non-Arab, Asian Muslim country which can help to shift all the paradigms and stand in between the Middle East and the West. There are many other better reasons that can support such an establishment.

We can have this multi-billion-dollar film industry that can become the core industry in the entire Muslim World, around which the other industries, such as banking, airline, automobile, travel, education and publication, and so on, can further develop.

Those who are the major players in these secondary industries have been drawing too much attention for themselves for too long without serving the more profound cause of promoting greater understanding amongst Muslims and between Muslims, other than to fulfill their greed to make more money and expand their company. So it’s time they are shown where their places are in the real context of the development of the entire Muslim World.

It can further enhance Islam and Muslims in the West so they are able to relate with us better - since we now do exist.

Hong Kong with a population of a mere six million, produces 120 feature films each year for the World’s Chinese market. So surely, we as a world of 1.5 billion people can come up with hundreds and possibly a thousand interesting feature films to share amongst ourselves and with the others.

It’s too bad that the Islamic Development Bank – IDB 1440 H Mission that was recently launched with a lot of fanfare in Kuala Lumpur is both weak and badly flawed. It has failed to include the need to create the New Muslim Cinema Industry – a term I am introducing – as one of its main goals to achieve. No filmmaker had been consulted and asked to offer suggestions to be included in it. They always think that only politicians, industrialists and economists can come up with all the brilliant ideas that serve the needs of the Muslim World.

In the past they have tried it out with only these politicians, economists and industrialists being consulted to enhance the Islamic development programmes and have failed? Why have they not studied carefully all those 170 resolutions that were passed in all the sixteen OIC Conferences over the last few decades that didn’t mean anything to the Muslim World and Muslims? Neither did it take into consideration about the millions of Muslims in the non-Muslim countries. China has several millions of Muslims. It is also regrettable that India with its 2nd or 3rd largest Muslim population in the world is not accepted as a member of the OIC. India I was told made its application during the late Mrs. Indra Gandhi’s Premiership. Therefore, with India being left outside of the OIC, this Islamic Organisation is not well represented.

I hope the fifty-seven leaders of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) won’t feel inferior when they read that none of the 170 resolutions, the OIC had since adopted have or have almost failed to benefit the Islamic world. The reason that these resolutions cannot be implemented is because they are not practical and are heavily influenced by the West. The OIC is aware of this. As such many feel the OIC resolutions are better than, if they are written on used toilet paper!

Perhaps all of the OIC leaders should know that the entire Muslim World is an incomplete entity because we do not have a cinema to call our own. We not only do not have film and television centers, but also do not have a media, banking and other important centers that when connected will ultimately create a semblance of our own world.

And because of this there is no focus and the social, cultural, artistic and economic development of the entire Muslim World cannot be gauged and for the West to relate to. We only have some activities in many fields. And they are at different levels of development, neglected or in disrepair.

For as long as we do not have these centers at different parts of the Muslim World, there is no chance for the entire Muslim World to be developed and its people to be recognised and accepted as part of the world. We will be fractured by our differences because the we have not taken full advantage of our resources, the Muslim people and their capabilities. In fact, we have not even attempted to take advantage of our commonalities!

It is even worse, for we find the militants hiding in some of these fissures, are having a full day creating havoc all over the world. The number of these so-called Muslim militants will increase in number if the fissures become larger until they are able to create cracks that will drive the World Muslim Ummah against each other, if there is no attempt to close these fissures. I’m afraid, that this is what is happening at an accelerated phase.

* * * * * * *

I am afraid too that many Harvard-trained economists that we have in our midst too, have failed to realise that we can create a new and exciting film industry that acts and further enhance the nation’s economic, social, cultural and political development while helping to bridge the wide social, cultural, political and religious divide that exists in the country as well as between the entire Muslim World and the West.

And it can also be a major contributing factor to the growth of the economy of the Muslim World and beyond. It can be a major source for employment that can absorb many of the unemployed graduates that we have today. Since we have an important film industry we need highly qualified people and not those who are not trained or who are school dropouts.

Our historians too have failed to highlight this matter. Don’t they know that the film industry has been in existence for more than 112 years, yet they do not know how civilizations and cultures, especially Western culture was developed and expanded – by the existence of their cinema? What is America without Hollywood? America will be much like Lesotho if otherwise.

It’s too bad that even our philosophers, thinkers and our political leaders, have failed to highlight these facts. We need to have a vibrant cinema that produces hundreds of meaningful feature films on the beauty of our religion, countries and peoples, and thousands of films of many types, including documentaries, etc, so that we can share them amongst ourselves in the entire Muslim World. In the end we can become self-sufficient and be able to promote greater goodwill and understanding amongst ourselves and with the rest of the world.

Once we have a vibrant and productive film industry that serves the need of the entire Muslim World, we can also recapture our television from having been taken away by the outsiders who provide us with cheap programs. These programs are brought in proudly by our stations because we cannot produce sufficiently educative and meaningful shows, films and programmes and often airing alien values that many of our young and the adults as well are accepting without questioning.

And the press in all our Muslim countries, too, have failed to highlight this fact.

The cinema may be our only salvation to create the bridge that lasts between the Muslim World and the West for long-term benefits for all. Even if the light that it creates is one that flickers at twenty-four frames per second it is far better than being without any.

Permuafakatan Melayu penting, perpaduan kaum tetap agenda utama

(Harakah) - PAS pada dasarnya bersetuju dengan perjuangan untuk memelihara kepentingan Melayu, tetapi ianya tidak boleh dijadikan satu sentimen perkauman semata-mata, kata Ketua Dewan Pemuda PAS, Salahuddin Ayub.

Katanya, apa yang penting bagi PAS, ialah perpaduan antara kaum dilihat dari dimensi yang lebih luas agar semua kepentingan kaum dan agama tetap menjadi agenda utama untuk dipelihara.

Menurut beliau, PAS sememangnya bersetuju dengan cadangan Anggota Majlis Tertinggi Umno, Dato' Norza Zakaria tentang perlunya permuafakatan diadakan antara PAS, Umno dan KeADILan yang boleh membawa kebaikan untuk orang Melayu dan Islam di negara ini.

"Kita bersetuju dengan permuafakatan, malah PAS sedia berbincang secara terbuka dengan Umno tentang apa jua persoalan yang berkait dengan kepentingan negara, kebajikan rakyat, termasuk soal kepentingan Melayu dan Islam, ini memang kita bersedia.

"Cadangan PAS ini telah kita kemukakan banyak kali, termasuk penghantaran surat rasmi PAS kepada Umno untuk membincangkan pelbagai isu berbangkit," kata Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian itu.

Menurut Salahuddin, sikap ini menunjukkan bahawa PAS sepanjang masa sentiasa bersifat terbuka dan sedia berbincang pada bila-bila masa.

Tetapi malangnya kata beliau, sewaktu Umno berada di kemuncak kuasa, terutamanya selepas Pilihan Raya Umum ke 2004, Umno langsung tidak mahu melayan pelawaan PAS.

"Persoalannya pada saya, isu Melayu dan Islam mungkin tidak akan dapat diselesaikan secara bijak apabila Umno masih berada dalam keadaan tidak stabil dan terdesak seperti hari ini," tegas beliau.

Katanya, sekiranya Umno lebih terbuka sejak awal lagi (sebelum PRU), untuk mengadakan perbincangan dengan semua pihak termasuk parti politik dan Badan Bukan Kerajaan (NGO) Melayu, keadaan seperti sekarang tidak akan berlaku.

"Contohnya, banyak pandangan yang dikemukakan oleh Kongres Kepentingan Bangsa dipandang sepi oleh Umno waktu itu.

"Malah media arus perdana, khususnya akhbar berbahasa Melayu, tidak memberikan ruang yang sewajarnya untuk kongres mengemukakan pandangan mereka," ujarnya kesal.

Makhal Sakhti: 14 April 2008 at Brickfields

'Black 14' and Makhal Sakhti at Brickfields on 14 April 2008

History, The Malay Polity and Integration - Prof. Chandra Muzaffar replies

A reply to Richard Durall's article posted 29 th March 2008

It is obvious that Richard Dorall has misunderstood my reference to the Malay polity in my article of 28 March 2008. I had not suggested that the Malay polity is the beginning of Malaysian history. That would be an absurd proposition.

My primary purpose in that article was to show that one cannot understand the present without acknowledging the profound impact of the Malay polity or state of the past. It was not an attempt to negate pre-Malay history. To drive home this point let me provide two examples. For more than 700 years, from 715 to 1492, large parts of present-day Spain were under Muslim rule. Islam was a major civilizational force just as Arabic was widely spoken. Today, the influence of Islamic civilization can still be seen in specific areas of Spanish life such as its architecture, its music, its language and its cuisine. But it is not Islam that has the greatest impact upon contemporary Spain. The European renaissance, the European Enlightenment and the post-Westphalia State have played a much bigger role in shaping the nation. Likewise, a significant portion of what is today Afghanistan was under Buddhism at one time. However for the last 1000 years or so, Islam has been the dominant factor. It is Islamic law that is enshrined in the Constitution of post-Taliban Afghanistan. The underlying cultural values of the Afghan people are derived to a large extent from Islamic civilization.

Applied to the Malaysian context, what it means is that while Hindu and Buddhist influences from the pre-Melaka period have undoubtedly left their mark upon Malaysian society, it is Islam, the Malay language and the Malay Sultanates which have played a much, much bigger role in determining the contours of present-day Malaysia. Neither British rule nor other Western colonial powers succeeded in destroying these three pillars of the Malay polity. Indeed, the British recognized them as ‘Malay states’ in their treaties with the Sultans. The term ‘Tanah Melayu’, historically speaking, reflected this reality.

The small Chinese and Indian communities that had settled down in the Melaka Sultanate had no problem accepting and empathizing with this reality. It was through their interaction with the Malays that the Baba and Chitty sub-cultures evolved. However, the mass migration of Chinese and Indians under the aegis of colonialism created a dual economy and a divided society that inhibited any meaningful interaction between the Malays on the one hand and the non-Malays on the other.

Societies that have become multi-ethnic through the pulls and pressures of colonialism are not easy to integrate. In certain respects, Malaysia has scored some successes. In other respects, there have also been colossal failures.

Prof. Chandra Muzaffar,

Kuala Lumpur.

10 April 2008.

PSPKTK Beri Notis 48 Jam Kepada Penceroboh

Oleh 'Deep Throat' Sabah

Persatuan Skim Pekebun Kecil Tingkayu Kunak (PSPKTK) dalam mesyuaratnya pada 13 April 2008 telah sebulat suara memberi ultimatum notis 48 jam kepada Syarikat Kerjasama Perkembangan Tanah Tingkayu Kunak (SKPTTB) untuk meninggalkan kebun mereka yang diceroboh atau menghadapi tindakan kekerasan.

Pengerusi PSPKTK, Yadum Atihal menggesa SKPTTB menghormati injunksi mahkamah dan tidak membiarkan para pekerjanya yang diketuai oleh Alimudin Mohd Ajay melakukan tindakan di luar batas undang-undang seperti jenayah mengugut dengan senjata api, mencuri buah kelapa sawit milik pekebun kecil dan memusnahkan harta benda.

"Kami telah sebulat suara sepakat memberi notis 48 jam daripada tarikh notis berkenaan disampaikan kepada SKPTTB dan Konsol Indonesia," ujar Yadum selepas menyampaikan notis bantahan kepada wakil Konsol Indonesia di Tawau berhubung pencerobohan lebih 100 pendatang asing tanpa izin pada jam 11.30 pagi kelmarin.

Notis berkenaan disampaikan Setiausaha PSPKTK, Richard Mekules kepada wakil Konsol Indonesia, Zulkarnain di perkarangan Wisma Indonesia, Tawau dengan disaksikan wakil media dan pekebun kecil.

"Selepas tempoh tersebut, kami tidak akan teragak-agak mengambil tindakan mengusir mereka keluar daripada tanah berkenaan, termasuk menggunakan kekerasan," ujar Yadum yang kesal dengan pihak penguatkuasa undang-undang seolah-olah lumpuh kerana gagal membendung kegiatan jenayah yang berleluasa di Kunak, terutama dengan kehadiran ramai pendatang tanpa izin.

Menurut Yadum, pihaknya telah terlalu lama bersabar dengan karenah SKPTTB yang menggunakan samseng dan pendatang asing untuk menceroboh tanah milik peserta PSPKTK dan merampas hasil pertanian.

Memandangkan kes berkenaan masih dalam pertikaian mahkamah, Yadum menggesa agar SKPTTB tidak melakukan sesuatu tindakan di luar batas kemanusiaan dengan mencabul hak asasi manusia.

"Mahkamah memutuskan kami yang berhak ke atas hasil pertanian kami dan SKPTTB tidak boleh mendakwa tanah tersebut milik mereka sehingga kes ini diputuskan dalam perbicaraan kelak," ujar Yadum yang kesal dengan sikap Polis Diraja Malaysia yang seolah-olah menutup mata di atas kezaliman yang dilakukan SKPTTB sekalipun ahlinya telah membuat lebih 40 laporan polis.

Tegas Yadum lagi, Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Tawau, Datuk Clement Skinner telah meluluskan injunksi kepada pekebun kecil untuk mencegah Defendan Pertama (Syarikat Kerjasama Perkembangan Tanah Tingkayu Berhad) sama ada bagi pihak mereka sendiri, kakitangan, pekerja atau agen atau sesiapa sahaja daripada menghalang Plaintif memasuki atau keluar daripada tanah tersebut dan menuai tanaman mereka di situ dan atau Defendan Pertama daripada meminta, mengambil atau menerima milikan kosong tanah tersebut yang kononnya diberi kepada Defendan Pertama di bawah geran CL 245361951 sehingga pembicaraan tindakan ini atau perintah lanjut oleh Mahkamah ini.

Dalam pada itu, selepas memfailkan notis bantahan rasmi di Konsol Indonesia Tawau, para pekebun kecil turut membuat laporan polis terhadap tindakan SKPTTB memasang papan tanda yang mendakwa tanah berkenaan milik mereka sekalipun bercanggah dengan arahan mahkamah.

"Kami membuka papan tanda yang dipasang di tanah yang menjadi pertikaian dan menghantarnya ke balai polis Tawau kerana tidak yakin dengan kredibiliti polis Kunak," ujar Yadum lagi.

Pandangan Yadum turut dikongsi bersama oleh lebih 40 pekebun kecil yang pernah membuat laporan polis apabila mereka secara sepontan mem "boo" Ketua Polis Daerah Kunak, Dingka Utoh apabila Ketua Balai Polis Tawau bertanya kenapa tidak membuat laporan di Balai Polis Kunak.

Sementara itu, siasatan Malaysia Today mendapati seorang penjenayah yang dikehendaki oleh Polis Indonesia dan Interpol, Udin Jambang telah diupah oleh Inspektor Tanah SKPTTB, Alimudin Mohd Ajay untuk menyediakan pakej kawalan keselamatan agar pihaknya boleh mencuri buah kelapa sawit milik pekebun kecil.

Bagaimanapun agak mengejutkan kerana Udin Jambang dan Alimuddin sering kelihatan bersama pegawai kanan polis Kunak termasuk Ketua Polis Daerah di tempat awam termasuk di Restoran Vui Kee sekalipun lebih 25 laporan dibuat terhadap Alimudin dan Udin Jambang.

Warkah Berdarah Buat Pak Lah!

Oleh 'Deep Throat Sabah'

Para Pekebun Kecil di Skim Pekebun Kecil Tingkayu Kunak telah sebulat suara untuk menghantar Warkah Berdarah Buat Pak Lah setelah bosan dengan karenah birokrasi Kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang gagal berfungsi untuk menjaga hak asasi mereka terhadap tanah yang mereka usahakan.

Walau berkajang surat dihantar, lebih 40 laporan polis dibuat dan beratus aduan rasmi difailkan, namun Kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang diterajui Perdana Menteri Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telah menafikan hak mereka sebagai warganegara.

Menurut Fasal 13 Perlembagaan Persekutuan, tidak ada pihak yang boleh merampas harta melainkan melalui undang-undang dan tidak ada undang-undang yang boleh merampas hak melainkan melalui pampasan.

Namun, Syarikat Kerjasama Perkembangan Tanah Tingkayu Berhad (SKPTTB) telah bertindak merampas tanah yang mereka usahakan di Skim Pekebun Kecil Tingkayu Kunak dengan bantuan Kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang telah meluluskan geran kepada

SKPTTB berdasarkan permohonan tanah yang telah dibatalkan Setiausaha Hasil Bumi.

Wakil Pekebun Kecil telah melafazkan Sumpah Di Bumi Sabah dengan melaungkan dengan penuh semangat sumpah keramat mereka yang berbunyi, "Kami bersumpah dengan darah, demi tanah, pantang menyerah."

"Kami terpaksa menghantar Warkah Berdarah Buat Pak Lah setelah semua cara menemui jalan buntu. Kami harap Pak Lah faham dan menyelesaikan masalah kami dengan apa juga cara," ujar Yabi Mositoh @ Alex yang sanggup mengorbankan darahnya untuk menulis warkah kepada Pak Lah.

Bagaimanapun warkah berkenaan tidak akan dikirimkan kepada Pak Lah sebaliknya diberikan hak penyiaran eksklusif kepada Malaysia Today dan akan dikirimkan kepada Youtube untuk tontonan manusia sejagat bahawa rakyat tempatan di Sabah ditindas kerana tanah mereka dirampas disebabkan rasuah telah menjadi raja yang memerintah.


A: DARAH….Alex mengorbankan darahnya untuk menulis warkah berkenaan dengan menorah dadanya dengan pisau cukur yang seolah-olah enggan menembusi dagingnya dan hanya sekadar melukakan kulit dadanya.

B: SUMPAH…. Wakil pekebun melafazkan sumpah berdarah bersama Alex sebelum menulis warkah buah Pak Lah dengan darah Alex.

Black 14 - Polis serah notis kepada Wan Azizah dan Khalid, Azmin dibawa ke balai

(Harakah) - Polis mula mengambil tindakan terhadap penganjur Perhimpunan Black 14 yang diadakan di Kelab Sultan Sulaiman, Kampung baru malam tadi.

Menurut Koordinator Media Parti KeADILan Rakyat, Ginie Lim, pihak polis menghantar notis kepada Presiden KeADILan, Datin Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Naib Presiden, Mohamed Azmin Ali dan Pengerusi Perhubungan KeADILan Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

Menurutnya, Azmin Ali sudah dibawa polis untuk siasatan di Balai Polis Dang Wangi, manakala polis dilaporkan sedang menghantar notis yang sama kepada Wan Azizah dan Khalid pagi ini.

Mereka berdua dipercayai dikehendaki hadir atau akan dibawa ke balai yang sama untuk siasatan.

Di sebalik kawalan ketat polis, perhimpunan malam tadi berlangsung dengan aman tanpa sebarang kejadian yang tidak diingini.

Tindakan polis ini dibuat berikutan kejayaan besar KeADILan menghimpunkan lebih 20 ribu rakyat untuk meraikan tarikh pembebasan Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim yang berakhir semalam.

Dengan pembebasan ini bermakna Anwar yang juga pemimpin utama Pakatan Rakyat boleh bertanding dalam pilihan raya kecil pada bila-bila masa kekosongan berlaku.

Sementara itu berikutan notis polis kepada tiga pemimpin utamanya, KeADILan akan mengadakan sidang akhbar tergemparnya di pejabat Anwar di Seksyen 14 Petaling Jaya jam 11 pagi hari ini.

Sidang akhbar tersebut akan dikendalikan oleh Timbalan Presiden, Dr Syed Husin Ali.

Notis polis, Wan Azizah tidak dapat hadir ke balai polis petang ini

(Harakah) - Presiden Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KeADILan), Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail berkata, beliau tidak dapat hadir ke Balai Polsi Dang Wangi pada jam 3.00 petang ini berhubung satu notis yang diserah polis kepadanya pagi tadi.

Notis yang menyebut supaya beliau hadir sebagi saksi atas satu laporan polis (no report 13144/08) di bawah Seksyen 27/5 Akta Polis 1969.

Notis itu berhubung Seksyen 149 Kanun Kesiksaan dipercayai atas dakwaan prhimpunan yang menyalahi undang-undang, kata Dr Wan Azizah yang ditemui di rumahnya jam 10.15 pagi tadi.

Beliau memaklumkan bahawa pegawai polis yang menyerahkan notis itu hanya dikenali sebagi ASP Farid daripada Balai Polis Dang Wangi, kerana tertera di tanda nama anggota polis itu dibajunya.

Menurut notis tersebut, penerima perlu hadir ke Balai Polis Dang Wangi pada jam 3.00 petang ini.

Turut serta bersama Wan Azizah ialah Peguamnya, Latheefa Beevi Koya dan Amir Hamzah Arshad selain kaum keluarganya.Bagaimanapun Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim tidak kelihatan dan difahamkan baru sahaja terbang ke Abu Dhabi.

Polis datang ke rumahnya pada jam 6.30 pagi dan berjaya menyerahkan notis tersebut kira-kira jam 9.20 pagi, kata Wan Azizah.

"Saya tak lari ke mana-mana, say cakap kepad polis itu, tetapi saya tidak dapat hadir petang ini kerana jadual saya padat hari ini,

"Saya akan meminta peguam saya menulis surat kepad pihak polis, dan saya tak pasti lagi bila boleh ke balai polis," ujarnya.

Wan Azizah memberitahu bahawa selain beliau turut menerima notis tersebut, ialah Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Ahli Parlimen Gombak, Azmin Ali dan Yahya Saari.

Beliau melahirkan rasa kecewanya dengan pihak polis yang hanya sibuk dengan hal politik termasuk bersungguh-sungguh menyampaikan notis tersebut kepadnya.

Walhal isu jenayah lain sebenarnya perlu diberi perhatian yang lebih serius seperti kes kehilangan Adik Sharlinie Mohd Nashar dan kes rompakan di KLIA baru-baru ini yang menyaksikan sistem keselamatan KLIA rapuh dan lemah.

"Macam mana dengan kes Sharlinie, saya nak tanya polis itu tadi, tetapi tak berkesempatan, mereka datang hantar notis dan terus berlalu begitu sahaja," katanya.

Selain itu Wan Azizah turut memberitahu bahawa tiga lagi penerima notis tersebut menyatakan tidak dapat hadir ke Balai Polis Dang Wangi petang ini memandangkan ada urusan lain.

Sementara itu peguamnya, Amir Hamzah berkata, pihaknya akan menulis surat untuk mengetahui status notis tersebut kerana tidak mendapat maklumat lanjut mengenai laporan polis yang dibuat terhadap Wan Azizah.

Terima Kasih Karpal Singh...

Apakah antara iktibar dari peristiwa Adam dan Hawa dijerat oleh syaitan sehingga dihukum keluar dari syurga ke alam fana ini? Antara iktibar yang paling berkait dengan tindak-tanduk Karpal Singh baru-baru ini adalah... jangan diterima nasihat musuh, nescaya niatnya tidak ikhlas semata-mata untuk membawa padah.

Karpal Singh kelihatan begitu menyokong Pak Lah dengan membidas Tun Dr M baru-baru ini. Ini adalah perbuatan yang agak pelik. Bukan sahaja tindak-tanduknya tidak selari dengan nalurinya sebagai pembangkang yang seharusnya dengan agresif menyerang Pak Lah, kata-kata dan ungkapan sejarahnya pun berbelit-belit! Contohnya:

1. Dimintanya Dr M berhenti menyerang Pak Lah kerana beliau sudah bersara dan patut kekal dalam persaraan. Namun beliau memetik kata-kata arwah Tun Hussein yang membidas kepimpinan Tun Dr M dari persaraan.


2. Dimintanya Dr M menjauhkan diri dari kemelut dalaman parti UMNO, padahal Karpal bukan ahli UMNO, tidak layak pun untuk memohon keahlian UMNO, malah merupakan musuh ketat UMNO sepanjang riwayat politiknya!


3. Karpal menuding jari ke arah Tun Dr M kerana merestui Operasi Lalang, namun tidak mengakui tanggungjawab beliau mengapi-apikan suasana sehingga keharmonian antara kaum begitu terancam sekali pada masa itu.


4. Karpal menuduh Tun Dr M sebagai orang yang mengharamkan pendaftaran UMNO pada tahun 1988. Tetapi beliau sebagai seorang peguam mesti tahu yang para hakim pimpinan Tun Salleh Abas-lah yang mengharamkan UMNO atas dorongan Radzi Sheikh Ahmad. Tun Dr M menghidupkannya semula.


5. Beliau juga berbelit-belit mengatakan pihak pembangkang tidak memerlukan Tun Dr M untuk 'membantu' pemantauan tindak-tanduk Pak Lah. Alah, mengaku sahajalah Karpal, pembangkang mahu Pak Lah kekal sebagai PM!

Tetapi kenapakah pembangkang mahu Pak Lah kekal? Tak mungkin demi kesejahteraan negara dan rakyat. Jelas suasana negara semakin merudum dari pelbagai segi semenjak 8 Mac, baik dari segi ekonomi, keselamatan mahupun kestabilan politik.

Pembangkang mahu Pak Lah kekal sebagai PM kerana mereka percaya dengan itu, lebih cerah peluang mereka untuk merebut kuasa dari BN dan UMNO menjelang pilihanraya ke 13 kelak. Inilah iktibar di sebalik tindak-tanduk Karpal. Tak kiralah walaupun negara ini hancur sekalipun di bawah kepimpinan berterusan Pak Lah dan Khairy, yang penting, Pakatan Rakyat mahu merebut kuasa 4-5 tahun lagi.

Pakatan Rakyat konon. Akhirnya bukan bagi rakyat, tetapi semata-mata berpakat, berputar-belit kata dan sejarah untuk merebut kuasa. Dan untuk siapa kuasa itu? Anak-pinak juga dalam PKR dan DAP... kerana ini jugakah mungkin Karpal begitu sayangkan Pak Lah?

Analysis of the 2008 General Election of Malaysia

One important point to take into account in the results of this General Election is the involvement of the Prime Minister's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin in the political scene of Malaysia. Ever since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came into power, Khairy Jamaluddin played an influential role in politics and business.

Centre for Strategic Knowledge

The 2008 General Election saw the most crushing blow for the Barisan Nasional coalition since independence in 1957. The opposition managed to garner 82 seats in parliament and capture the states of Selangor, Penang, Perak, Kedah and retain the seat of Kelantan. The Barisan Nasional now has lost their two-thirds majority in Parliament and with that losing their power to amend the constitution.

Why did the Barisan Nasional suffer this unexpected 'loss'? Several factors can be attributed to this historic event.

The opposition managed to run an effective campaign during the campaigning period which did a more striking job in winning the hearts and minds of the people. The use of the internet, sms and projectors by the opposition in a more effective manner than the Barisan Nasional coalition played a crucial role in the outcome of the election. A lot of political commentators had made the point that the Barisan Nasional was running a cosmetic and pretentious campaign based on empty slogans and had failed to touch the nerve of the public. This has future implications for the electoral process in the country. Political parties have to be savvier in the use of mass communications media especially the 'new' media, namely the internet and mobile phone technology.

The economic factor played an important role in the results of the General Elections. First of all, it is important to note that the General Election of 2008 took place shortly after the worst world stock market crash since September 11. Since we are living in a globalise economy, Malaysia has been heavily affected by trends in international stock markets. Furthermore, since the banking industry in Malaysia is reliant on the international banking system, the economics of the country have been heavily tied to the problems of the Central Banks in the developed nations.

Another economic factor in this General Election result was the rising price of goods or more commonly known as inflation. It is worthy to note that the price of cooking oil went up a few weeks before the General Election. Consumers were given a limit on how much cooking oil they could buy even though Malaysia was the biggest exporter of palm oil. This has definitely angered a lot of voters. The rising price of goods is related to the rising price of petrol and gold as the cost of transportation of goods is increased. Since oil has reached 100US dollars per barrel, the Malaysian economy has seen a downward trend. Also poor economic policies like the consistent increase in the price of cigarettes in successive budgets have raised the displeasure among the population.

The decreasing value of the US dollar has played a significant role in the slowdown of the Malaysian economy as Malaysia continuously informally pegs its value against the US dollar, the value of the ringgit has decreased as the price of gold has increased. The decreasing value of the US dollar means less money for exporters as trading is done in US dollars.

Here it is interesting to note that a lot of political observers believe that the Mahathir Administration is more superior to the Badawi Administration in terms of economic policies. A lot of political commentators believe that the Mahathir Administration saved the country from economic bankruptcy during the Asian Financial Crisis of 1997 -1998 and thus, political and economic dependence on the IMF and the World Bank and hence the Western governments. As can be seen from recently concluded conference on Islamic finance, Mahathir's understanding of the Federal Reserve System, the international banking industry and the use of gold in financial systems is far more superior to his successor, Abdullah Badawi. It could be said that the country could have weathered the storm of the recent financial crisis in the banking industry and the stock markets under the leadership of Mahathir. Badawi's failure in his economic policies played a decisive role in influencing the voters in this General Election.

The release of Anwar Ibrahim had strengthened the political power of the opposition. Anwar Ibrahim, being a charismatic leader with good oratory skills had managed to attack the Badawi administration effectively and managed to arouse the crowd during the ceramahs in the campaign of the General Election. He also managed to reconcile the differences of PAS and DAP to form an effective coalition for the opposition during the General Election. Some political observers had made the point that Anwar Ibrahim had been campaigning since his release. A lot of scandals of the Badawi Administration, for example the Lingam tape issue were exposed by Anwar Ibrahim. He had also made a global impact through his interviews in BBC and Al Jazeera. This factor is one of the most important of the outcome of the General Election.

The Bersih rally, which occurred in the months before the General Election, had a massive impact on the result of the General Election. This rally for electoral reform was the first huge rally since the Reformasi movement and managed to show the strength on the opposition and influence the people about the weakness of the Badawi administration. The rally was very well attended with estimates ranging from 40,000 – 100,000 people. The heavy handed approach of police of using tear gas and chemically laced water cannons had aroused the people's anger. The incidents of the rally were covered by the three major international news networks, BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera. The rally had also raised the issue of electoral fraud which many suspect had occurred in previous General Elections. Many political observers have made the comment that fraudulent practices in the electoral process have been reduced because of this rally.

The strong showing for PAS has shown that Islamism (which is different from Islamisation) is on the rise. The ideology of PAS which is based on Islam compared to the ideology of UMNO which is based on Malay nationalism with the influence of Islam had made a stronger appeal particularly among the Malay voters who had voted for the opposition. Here, we can parallel the rise of Islamism in Malaysia with the rise of Islamism globally. Such factors like the victory of Hamas in the Palestinian Authority elections, the Prophet Muhammad cartoon issue, the issue of the Islamic veil, the so called “War on Terror”, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, the rise of Al Qaeda, the effective propaganda of the Islamist on the internet and other issues pertaining to Islam had managed to shift the Malay Muslim mind to a more Islamic stance which was taken up by PAS.

Also Mahathir's had organised several conferences which were very anti-Western in nature. These conferences were well attended by PAS supporters and had managed to galvanise support for PAS. Mahathir also made several political meetings with PAS leaders like Nik Aziz who had praised Mahathir for attacking the Zionist regime. This had influenced a lot of Malay voters who admired Mahathir to vote for PAS.

Another factor which contributed to the outcome of the General Election was the confrontation between Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. This confrontation began with the Singapore bridge issue when the Badawi Administration decided to scrap a mega project which was previously planned by the Mahathir Administration which involved building a bridge linking Malaysia and Singapore. Mahathir had criticised Badawi for his subservience to Singapore which he claimed had asked Badawi to scrap the project. The issue had erupted to a point that state television had to come up with an explanation giving the Badawi spin on the issue. Also Badawi's foreign policy stance had angered Mahathir for his lack of anti-western zeal. Badawi's approach to Islam was consistently attacked by Mahathir. Even opposition websites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today had highlighted and used Mahathir's remarks for the benefit of the opposition. The confrontation reached a critical point when Mahathir decided to run as a delegate to the General Assembly. Many claim that Badawi had used money politics to deny Mahathir the election as a delegate. Mahathir had claimed that Badawi had used the police to prevent the functions where Mahathir was supposed to speak to take place. All this factors had managed to influence public opinion that had a negative impact on Badawi. Also Badawi's outstanding success in the previous 2004 General Election was attributed by many political commentators to previous Mahathir's Administration policies. This factor and the UMNO delegate election fiasco influenced a lot of Malaysian minds to the ungratefulness of Badawi to Mahathir and had influenced them to vote for the opposition.

The Badawi administration approach to Islam which is the official religion of Malaysia as stated in the constitution of Malaysia and is the religion of the Malays contributed to the major setback of the Barisan Nasional coalition in the General Election. When Abdullah Badawi came into power, the Administration introduced the concept of Islam Hadhari or Civilisational Islam. Many opposition figures and even Tun Dr. Mahathir himself had said there was no need to add the word Hadhari as the word Islam was sufficient to express the religion. It even became a source of ridicule in the internet when there was harsh criticism of it in a blog which created a major uproar and became a police case. Also, to say there is a civilisational Islam implies that there is a barbaric side to Islam, noted one Islamic preacher. Many people were also dissatisfied with Islam being compartmentalised into ten points and it could be argued by them that Islam is a more comprehensive religion. Badawi's failure on many policies like anti-corruption, foreign policy, the economy, and other issues as one non-Muslim lawyer pointed out, there was a lack of implementation of the principles that were preached in Islam Hadhari. Also, as one blog had stated Islam Hadhari was introduced to appease the West and to counter the growing tide of Islamism globally that was affecting Islam in Malaysia. This had angered many Muslims who were dissatisfied with Western foreign policy. Because of this many voters resorted to vote for the opposition.

When the Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came into power, one of his major policies was to fight corruption. However as the years progressed there were many scandals which exposed rampant corruption among the Badawi administration. For instance, the Approved Permits scandal which involved Rafidah Aziz came into the spotlight of the mainstream media when the Internet exposed this scandal. This scandal involved the awarding of Approved Permits to import cars to a few elitist billionaires. Another major scandal involved the Terengganu state government and an individual named Patrick Lim who is close to the Prime Minister. This individual was said to be allowed to attend official State Exco meetings and held enormous influence over the Prime Minister. This practice of nepotism and corruption had showed a high level of hypocrisy among the public especially among the Chinese voters who were fed up with the corrupt practices of the Malay controlled public service and government. Besides this two scandals, Malaysiakini which is opposition oriented and Malaysia Today which is spearheaded by Raja Petra Kamaruddin brought into light many corruption scandals on a weekly basis that had informed the educated public and hence trickled down to the masses. All this scandals had tarnished Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's image as Mr. Clean as he was previously known. This had played a significant role in the election result.

One reason for the BN success in previous General Elections was the dynamic role of the Mahathir Administration in foreign policy issues. The attack on Western foreign policy and policies like the Look East policy gave the public in Malaysia direction in connection to global matters. This was lacking in the Badawi Administration which some observers said was very stale in terms of foreign policy at a time of rising globalisation of issues. Abdullah Ahmad Badawi also had made good relations with leaders such as George W. Bush and John Howard which is perceived as being too anti-Islamic among the Muslim masses. Also, the Badawi Administration had criticised fundamentalism many times as opposed to Mahathir Mohamad which called himself fundamentalist. His lack of clarity on the Hamas election victory and his soft stance on the Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon had angered a lot of Muslim voters who had shifted their support to PAS.

One important point to take into account in the results of this General Election is the involvement of the Prime Minister's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin in the political scene of Malaysia. Ever since Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came into power, Khairy Jamaluddin played an influential role in politics and business. He had become UMNO deputy youth chief on grounds many say, was on the virtue of his father-in-law being the prime minister. He also got involved in many scandals namely the ECM Libra scandal which involved trading of shares in this investment bank which became very prosperous under the Badawi administration. He had also made racial remarks about the Chinese race which angered a lot of Chinese voters. A lot of media spotlight had been focussed on him and this had exposed the blatant nepotism as many political observers put it which shifted the voter's minds against Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. For example, there was a series of articles called the 'Khairy Chronicles” in Malaysia Today. Numerous books had been written by prominent political observers claiming the nepotism and corruption involving Khairy. In the just concluded General Election, Khairy ran for the Rembau parliamentary seat. All this factors had transformed a lot of voter's minds to the blatant hypocrisy of the Badawi administration to fight corruption and nepotism.

The issue of the marginalisation of the Indian community came into the forefront in this General Election. When Abdullah Ahmad Badawi formed a new government in 2004, he was asked by a BBC reporter about the state of the Indian community. His reaction was there was as though there was nothing wrong with the Indian community and he had said that the problems would be handled by the MIC, the Indian component party in the Barisan Nasional. The Indian community had been migrants to British colonial Malaya mainly as indentured labour. Ever since independence, the Indian community among the three major races in Malaysia had suffered the most politically, economically and socially. Poverty levels among the Indian community are very high. They have the highest suicide rate, highest crime rate, and highest alcoholism rate. The Indian race is mostly Hindu and they were also angered several temple demolitions. All this came to a peak in a rally organised weeks before the General Election by Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force). The rally was organised to submit a memorandum to the British High Commission. It was meant to be a peaceful demonstration. However, the police under executive orders tried to stop the roadblocks and detained Indians along the highways leading to Kuala Lumpur. Somehow, the rally took place in KLCC and the police used heavy handed tactics such as using tear gas and chemically laced water cannons to break up the rally. All this was perceived to be blatant racism by many in the Indian community. The rally also grabbed international headlines in the three international networks, namely CNN, BBC and Al Jazeera. Even the US and Indian governments made comments to the Malaysian Government. This brought into the limelight the plight of the Indians globally and had tarnished the image of the Badawi administration. It is estimated that 89- 90% of Indians voted for the opposition. This is may explain why the MIC faired poorly in this General Election. Even the MIC President, Samy Vellu had lost his parliamentary seat which had been a 'safe' seat in previous General Elections. One of the Hindraf 5 leaders detained under the Internal Security Act had won the seats he was contesting in.

The Ketuanan Melayu concept also had a big impact on the outcome of this General Election. This concept which expounded on the special privileges of the Malays as everlasting heirs to the land of Malaysia was heavily publicised during the Badawi Administration. The keris (traditional Malay dagger) wielding by Hishamuddin Tun Hussein the UMNO Youth Chief during UMNO General Assembly had touched on the sentiments of the public and made a lot of non-Malays feel very uneasy. This concept is heavily linked to the New Economic Policy. The New Economic Policy (NEP) had noble goals of eradicating poverty and abolishing the identification of race with occupation. However, the NEP as many political observers say has been used as a tool to enrich the Malay elite. These Malay elite which represent the status quo of UMNO used the Ketuanan Melayu concept to justify the false and hypocritical practices of their modified NEP. The DAP and the PKR which ran on a manifesto of replacing the NEP with a more equitable policy had managed to swing a lot of voters to the opposition, especially the non-Malay block.

Another factor that contributed to the 'victory' of the opposition particularly the DAP and PAS was a creation of a new dimension in Malaysian politics. During the Badawi Administration there were numerous cases of tension between the Malay Muslims and the non-Muslim non-Malays, namely the Moorthy case and the Revathy case. This tension had led to the polarisation of non-Malay voters to the DAP stance of a secular state and the Malay voters to a more Islamic ideology of PAS. The PKR under Anwar Ibrahim was a bridge between these two parties. This coalition appealed to many as it was a coalition of understanding of ideologies rather than a coalition based on race relations of the Barisan Nasional.

The track record of the mainstream media during the Badawi Administration was as one of The Sun's (a local English daily) editor put it was a miserable failure. Many had reached this conclusion because of the pretentious reporting compared to the reporting of the new media. The NSTP editor was sacked under the Badawi administration over his comments of the Saudi Royal Family. As Tun Dr. Mahathir had pointed out Badawi had appointed Kalimullah as the editor of the NSTP and this individual according to Mahathir had been a spin doctor who had supported Badawi's cause. Mainstream media, both electronic and print had failed to give a clear picture on what was actually going on. This was evident in the Bersih and Hindraf rallies. Also, many headlines were brought into the mainstream media after it was highlighted in the new media. The mainstream media also failed to do a good job during the campaigning period offering cosmetic propaganda and not addressing the real issues which concerned the voters. Many voters were also fed up with this constant barrage of propaganda and decided to vote for the opposition.

The new media particularly the internet played an important role in the outcome of the General Election. Two websites namely Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today disseminated more information so that voters could make a more informed judgement in the polls. Also publicity was given to the websites when police action was taken against these two websites. Besides these two websites, there are numerous other blogs, websites and interactive services in the internet that managed to shift the hearts and minds of many Malaysians to the opposition. The Barisan Nasional coalition underestimated the power of the internet and failed miserably in using it as a tool to reach out to the public. Even though internet penetration is low in Malaysia, the outcome of this General Election showed that information managed to pass through internet users to non-internet users effectively. As the saying goes “Gossip spreads like wildfire.”

In a recent speech months before the General Election, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had explained that the police wielded enormous power and influence within the Barisan Nasional status quo. The Badawi Administration had even used the slogan of a safer Malaysia under the police. The rampant corruption of the police force and its misguided policies such as the handling of the Bersih and Hindraf rallies played a crucial role in the support for the opposition. Besides this a bill for an independent commission overseeing the practices of the police was blocked in Parliament.

Implications for the future

The first major implication is the high possibility of the resignation of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi before the next General Election is held. This is because the Barisan Nasional had suffered its worst lost in its history and the Prime Minister had even lost his own state increasing the pressure on him to resign. Mukhriz Mahathir, the son of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad had written a letter calling for the resignation of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi just two weeks shortly after the General Election. Badawi's resignation would mean pro-Mahathir forces would have a stronger influence on UMNO and hence the Barisan Nasional as Mahathir's attacks before the General Election played a crucial role in poor showing of the Barisan Nasional under the Badawi Administration. One important point is that if pro-Mahathir forces take over, it would mean a stronger and more firm stance on foreign policy issues. Also, the resignation of Badawi would mean the weakening or some would even say the destruction of political power of the Prime Minister's allies particularly Khairy Jamaluddin.

Secondly, it appears that Malaysia is heading to a two-party system with the Barisan Nasional on one hand and the Barisan Rakyat (DAP, PKR and PAS) on the other. Before this General Election, the Barisan Nasional had an overwhelming majority in Parliament and had only lost at the most two states. This meant that the opposition had little voice in publicising their views and also highlighting their political aims. Now since the Barisan Rakyat has won 82 parliamentary seats and is in power in 5 states, the ability to push their political agendas such as the abolition of the ISA and the reforming of the NEP is stronger. The situation now reflects two major political blocks and mirrors a two party system. Furthermore, previously because of the overwhelming majority of the Barisan Nasional, attendance levels at Parliament and State level legislatures were low and debate in Parliament was treated insignificantly. This situation has changed dramatically. As one lawyer put it, if this goes on now the Barisan Rakyat will have the opportunity to enact legislation in Parliament. Also, since the Barisan Rakyat has access to more resources, it will be able to strengthen its political base.

One characteristic of the DAP, PKR and even PAS is that they are multi-racial parties as opposed to the race based politics of the Barisan Nasional. This has brought a new dimension to Malaysian politics. Voters are not voting by racial lines anymore, instead they are voting on the strength of political ideologies. The weakening of race based politics means that the Barisan Nasional has to take a more universal approach in its decision making instead of relying on consensus among its race-based parties.

Another implication of this General Election is the significant weakening of component political parties in the Barisan Nasional coalition. Many political commentators have even reached the conclusion that the MIC and Gerakan are politically 'dead'. Some have said that Gerakan has lost Penang forever. It is interesting to note that Barisan Nasional component parties that did very badly in this General Election were non-Malay parties. Therefore you could safely say that the non-Malay mind has shifted to the political ideology of the opposition.

Since the result of this General Election has shocked many it has gained a lot of attention and publicity among the public. This has raised the political awareness of the public in Malaysia. More people will register to vote and become more active in politics. Also, the political ideas of the Barisan Nasional and the Barisan Rakyat will come under closer scrutiny by the public. More people will be interested in the issues being debated both in the mainstream media and the 'new' media.

A further implication of the result of this General Election is that the mainstream media will be forced to become less cosmetic and more balanced in terms of its reporting of the issues that concern the voters. This is because people read between the lines of the pretentious reporting and portrayal of the image of the Barisan Nasional coalition. The Barisan Nasional coalition will have to realise it is in its own interest to make the mainstream media more balanced as this would give voters the impression that issues are being debated.

The 'new' media particularly the internet played a massive role in the outcome of this General Election. This has definitely been the conclusion of many political commentators who have said that internet usage will be on the rise because people have realised that it has appeared to be a more credible and more concrete source of information. Websites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today will become more mainstream and hence information in this websites will be disseminated more widely. More people will use the power of the internet through blogs and websites to express their political views and hence a more open debate about political issues will take place.

As economic factors played an influential role in the General Election result, new approaches to economic policies will have to be formulated by both the Barisan Nasional and the Barisan Rakyat. This is because the poor handling of the economy will have negative consequences for the public particularly the business community. The global economic banking crisis will have a major impact on the Malaysian economy and hence politicians will have to formulate wise economic strategies to counter this problem. The stock market will also have to be stable as a crash in the stock market will give an opportunity to the opposition and anti-Badawi forces within the Barisan Nasional an opportunity to undermine the government. Many economists have said that changes of the capitalistic model of Malaysia will have to be made. Drastic measures like a minimum wage and reforms in social welfare will be more heavily demanded if the economy slows down. Another economic policy, the scrapping of the fuel subsidy will not be implemented as this would anger the public further and shift their minds to the opposition.

Since the corruption factor played a major role in the outcome of the General Election, the phenomenon of corruption and nepotism will decrease. This is because politicians on both sides of the political spectrum have realised that corruption and nepotism has angered the public to such an extent that there was a political 'tsunami' in this General Election. Scandals exposed by the 'new' media and also the control of five states by the opposition would mean a further weakening of the Barisan Nasional coalitions practice of fraudulent activities such as corruption and nepotism.

Another implication of this General Election result is more attention will be paid to the needs of minorities particularly the Indian community. The Barisan Nasional will now have to reformulate its policies concerning minorities as many parties such as the MIC and the PPP have been severely weakened. The Barisan Nasional will also have to find more credible leaders among the minorities to portray a serious determination to overcome the problems of minorities. As the minority vote played a significant role in the results of the General Election, more publicity and attention will be given to the issues concerning their plight.

The shock election result and the strong showing by the Barisan Rakyat have shown that Anwar Ibrahim has played a significant role in the outcome of the General Elections. This has meant the revival and the increase of status of Anwar Ibrahim as a political leader. Many political observers believe that once Anwar Ibrahim is legally able to stand for a Parliamentary seat and if he wins, he will become the Parliamentary Opposition Leader. This means that political debate in Parliament will be taken more seriously by the Barisan Nasional coalition as Anwar Ibrahim oratory skills can make a significant impact on the debate in the Parliament.

With the strong showing of PAS in this General Election, a further implication of this is of the rise of Islamism in Malaysia particularly among the Malay Muslims community. This trend is parallel to global trends of the rise of Islamism especially since the post-September 11 period. Furthermore international issues that concern the Islamic community especially the occupation of Palestine, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and Islamaphobia will be more heavily espoused by certain quarters of the political spectrum.

The 'victory' of DAP and PKR which ran on a platform of reviewing and reforming the NEP will bring this issue to the forefront of Malaysian politics. Already, one of the first moves of the DAP-led Penang state government was to make a public statement of the abolishment of the NEP. There was also a special programme on the Al Jazeera network regarding this issue. The debate on the NEP would mark a significant change in the dimension of Malaysian politics as it was previously regarded as a taboo subject and tantamount to sacredness by certain Malay quarters. Many say the NEP has deviated from its original aims of eradicating poverty by benefiting a Malay elite and ignoring the needs of the poor regardless of race.

Conclusion

The results of the 2008 General Election has created a new dimension in Malaysian politics. New issues and ideologies have come into play into the dynamics of the political system. For the first time in Malaysian political history, there is a strong and viable opposition to the once powerful Barisan Nasional coalition. The public because of the information revolution have made a significant shift in their mindset. Multiracial politics has become an important force as opposed to the race-based politics which was practised by the Barisan Nasional coalition. The outcome of the General Election will also mean that there can be more open debate on race, religion and policies like the NEP. Globalisation has also played a crucial role as Malaysians are exposed to political systems and ideologies elsewhere around the world. The globalisation factor has also meant that world economies are interconnected and hence can influence the dynamics of the political system in Malaysia. The future of Malaysian politics will be shaped by political forces that understand the roots and causes of the outcome of this General Election. This will allow them to tackle issues that will arise from the implications of the General Election result.