Malaysia's Elections 2008 (Before, During & After)

[Adrian Wong]

Our confused and sleepy Prime Minister has just changed the NAME of the Iskandar Development Region yet again. Man, is that ALL he can do????

This is really stupid. How will changing the name affect anything?

If names matter so much, why not call it "The Ever Prosperous & Stupendously Rich Region Where We Can Make Billions Together!". That's definitely more descriptive than the new name - Iskandar Malaysia.

If you ask me, the new name Iskandar Malaysia is a bad choice. It's non-descriptive and it sounds bland. It even sounds like Nasi Kandar Malaysia. Maybe that's the only business that will do well in this "economic corridor".

The Prime Minister who is also holding the portfolio of Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had on 11th March announced the change of name of the "Iskandar Development Region (IDR)" to "Iskandar Malaysia".

It is worth noting that this is the 2nd time the name of the project has been changed since it was launched in early 2007, which was initially named "Southern Johor Development Corridor". The frequency at which the name of the project has been changed reflects badly on our government and administrators for it serves to embed confusion amongst investors. In addition, it also reflects a leadership which is unable to make up its mind and stick with a decision, at least for a meaningful period, once it has been made. This reflection certainly does not bode well in breeding investor confidence for our projects.

At the same time, the Finance Minister has declared that Iskandar Malaysia is on target to reach its investment target of RM47 billion within the next 2 years as the project has already "secured" 70% of its investment target, or almost RM33 billion. If the figure announced reflects reality, then certainly, it is an impressive feat achieved by the Government.

Hence it is of utmost importance for the Finance Minister to announce the details of investments which have been committed to date for Iskandar Malaysia to establish the credibility of the Government. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi must declare:

(1) Of the [RM14 billion] of investments "secured", what is the breakdown between contractually-bound investment agreements, e.g., those with penalty clauses for termination; and those which are based on "memorandums of understanding (MOUs)" not bound by contract?

(2) Of the "secured" investments, what is the breakdown between the Government of Malaysia, local Malaysian private investors and foreign direct investors?

(3) Of the "secured" investments, how much of the committed funds have been invested, in Iskandar Malaysia?

The people of Malaysia wishes Iskandar Malaysia to be an unqualified success, particularly in attracting renewed value-added foreign direct investment to the country. However, to do so, the Finance Minister must provide the necessary information for us to evaluate the status of the project and to come up with the necessary plans to ensure its success.

It is hoped that in the light of the results of the 12th General Elections, the Government will adopt a new culture of transparency to allow for greater contribution by parliamentarians and Malaysians in general.

Tony Pua

[Adrian Wong]

I think the writing is on the wall. Abdullah Badawi is on the way out. He can either leave on his own accord or he will be dragged out of office, not by the Opposition... Oh no, it will be by his own party.

The Star has been trying to spin it the best they can for him by saying that UMNO Johor is standing by him. But the next day, UMNO Johor "clarified" that their support was contigent to his agreement for a speedy leadership transition. In other words, you better leave ASAP!

Unfortunately, this may not be the best thing for the country. Their choice of replacement, Najib, could be worse than Abdullah Badawi. Najib is notorious for being a fencesitter who has absolutely NO conviction and NO cojones of his own. In short = Najib is a really expensive puppet. I shudder to think of a puppet like him running the country.

Here's M. Bakri Musa's take on the issue :

Johore UMNO leaders had apparently told Prime Minister Abdullah that he must have a succession plan that is “structured, smooth and speedy.” This three “S” strategy missed targeting the biggest ass of all, Abdullah himself. The initiative had more to do with saving Abdullah’s “face” than with solving the grave problems confronting the party.

If UMNO members and leaders were serious, they would focus on getting this harsh and unadulterated message straight to Abdullah: He is unfit to lead the party and country. He has clearly demonstrated this through his deeds (or lack of them) and words. The man is a habitual liar; he cannot separate fact from fiction and distinguish reality from fantasy.

Abdullah’s idea of taking responsibility for his party’s electoral debacle is merely to utter that statement. He has no inkling of what it means to accept responsibility.

Abdullah’s pleading that he is needed to “revive” the party is laughable and self-serving. If he could not pilot his ship of state competently when it was calm, there is no hope that he would be any more capable when it is now stormy, and threatening to get even more so every day. Abdullah is the problem, and a very huge one at that. Consequently his moving out would be a big part of the solution. It would not solve everything of course, but it would remove a major impediment.

His “leadership” has been nothing more than endless sloganeering (Work with me, not for me!”), like the leader caricatured in Shahnon Ahmad’s short story, “Ungkapan” (Sloganeering).

Having grown accustomed to the perks and trappings of his office, Abdullah will not leave voluntarily, much less gracefully. He has to be literally dragged out. Subtleties and hints will not work on this man. He is too dumb to read the signals. He is also insulated, surrounded by courtiers ever willing to spin bad news.

Only Three Exit Strategies

There are only three ways to get rid of Abdullah. One is for him to be successfully challenged as party leader in the upcoming UMNO General Assembly in December. Two, would be for a sufficient number of the ruling coalition members to vote with the opposition in a “no confidence” motion in Parliament. And three of course, would be through divine intervention, not inappropriate for a man who is never shy in parading his piety and religiosity.

Knowing the onerous obstacles placed in UMNO towards challengers, the first option is unlikely. Granted, Tengku Razaleigh – the only one to have come out publicly to challenge Abdullah – is a formidable challenger. More daunting however, is the cultural inertia of Malays, especially those in UMNO. They have yet to learn the essential lesson that challenges and competitions are healthy, not acts of treason or betrayal.

The second path is more realistic. The political resurgence of Anwar is real. Far from being the “Anwar who?” of a few years ago, he is now increasingly viewed not only as the de facto leader of the opposition (even though he is not yet in Parliament) but rightly as Prime Minister-in-waiting.

Anwar will be able to contest a parliamentary seat once his statutory prohibition ends on April 14, 2008. A vacant seat will surely come up soon as Malaysia has a good track record of MPs dying in office or getting caught in some scandalous acts and thus having to resign. More likely though would be for one of the current PKR MPs to resign, not to pave the way for Anwar (though that would be the convenient and acceptable excuse) but because the job is not as glamorous or challenging as it is made out to be. Many PKR MPs are successful, young and honest professionals; their “elevation” to the “Yang Berhormat” (Your Honorable) status cuts deeply into their income and career prospects.

As for divine intervention, that is beyond my purview. However many a leader had used “medical” reasons as a convenient face-saving cover for resigning. Abdullah could always blame his hemorrhoids or narcolepsy (a pathologic tendency to doze off).

Abdullah Is The Problem

When Abdullah assumed office nearly five years ago, I was one of the few who were not enthused about his leadership potential. My conclusion was based on reviewing his performance as a minister. I predicted then that by the time Abdullah leaves office, Malaysians would be counting their blessings if he had not screwed up the country too much, and that the best we could hope for was for him to maintain the status quo.

Alas, I was wrong. I had not counted on the maturity and resilience of Malaysians in overcoming Abdullah’s gross incompetence. Malaysians are also incredibly generous as demonstrated by their giving him a rousing endorsement in the 2004 election in the hope that it would give him the necessary boost and confidence to lead. Unfortunately that too could not override his basic ineptness.

In their collective wisdom, in this recent election Malaysians decided that it was not necessary to deal a crippling blow, only enough punch that would leave Abdullah and UMNO reeling, and in the process trigger an implosion in an already corrupt and dysfunctional organization.

Equally remarkable, Malaysians also demonstrated that they are capable of executing peaceful political change. There was not even a hint of civil disorder following Barisan’s loss of five states. Compare that to 1969 and the horror that followed when the ruling coalition lost only one state.

To be sure, had the election been conducted free and fair, with no stuffed postal ballots and with the use of indelible ink to prevent fraudulent voting, the ultimate message would have been delivered, and Abdullah and his ilk would have been kicked out.

Perhaps it was better this way. For had the Barisan Nasional been voted out, there would have been a dangerous political vacuum as none of the opposition parties could form a government. Their loose coalition, the Pakatan Rakyat (Citizens’ Alliance) had yet to be ratified. Now having sensed that power is within their grasp, the opposition parties are ready and willing to sink their differences for a common cause.

Meanwhile UMNO and its coalition partners are galloping fast towards their collective demise. Their course is irreversible.

Thankfully my earlier dire prediction on Abdullah was misplaced. Abdullah has not destroyed Malaysia, only UMNO and Barisan Nasional. Malaysians can all count their blessings for his legacy not being any worse.

[Adrian Wong]

Here's something funny!

[belikethat]

with najib around.. there will be more submarines, lousy helicopters, 2nd hand jet, jeep or watever for the military to play with , ..maybe a 2nd lawatan sambil berlajar to the space?.. heck maybe a nuclear bomb? lol

[Adrian Wong]

Originally Posted by belikethat

with najib around.. there will be more submarines, lousy helicopters, 2nd hand jet, jeep or watever for the military to play with , ..maybe a 2nd lawatan sambil berlajar to the space?.. heck maybe a nuclear bomb? lol

Actually, Najib is just out for the money. Since he's the Defence Minister, it's only natural he looks for opportunities in defence-related purchases.

[Adrian Wong]

Is Anwar going to be Prime Minister? Is he READY???

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)

[Adrian Wong]

Hmm... This very disturbing. The newspapers gave a lot of coverage to the rather racist.. and definitely controversial remarks by the Kelantan Crown Prince. Even Petra hinted that he is probably one of the bad apples in a barrel of 10 thousand.

Then now we have this report by Haris Ibrahim which makes you go ... Huh???

What you read ain’t always what’s said!

You know the Malaysiakini report by Andrew Ong that has it that Tengku Faris had made some rather un-Bangsa Malaysia statements last week?

Well, Lil’ Hummingbird tells me that she heard from the horse’s mouth that the Crown Prince never made those statements.

Apparently, it was written in HRH’s scripted speech by some official, but he re-worked it the night before he was to deliver the keynote address.

I’m also told that whilst he delivered his re-worked speech, the media reps in attendance were given the original text.

So it would seem that the reporters merely extracted from the distributed original text and did not report on what was actually said.

I’ve suggested to Lil’ Hummingbird that she flutter away and hum in the royal ear that royal steps be taken to clear this most unfortunate confusion.

If that's true... then the Crown Prince really needs to step up and give the press an earful.

[Adrian Wong]

This is the sad, sad state of journalism in our country. Shame! Shame! Shame!

UTUSAN APOLOGISES TO LAWYER ROSLI DAHLAN

In October 2007, while the Muslim community were preparing to celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri, we had published a news article about the arrest and prosecution of lawyer Rosli Dahlan with the title "Police Lawyer failed to declare asset charged in court today”.

In that article we made several allegations which were untrue against Lawyer Rosli Dahlan as follows:

1. That he is a Singapore citizen who carries out legal practice in Malaysia, whereas he is truly and indeed a Malaysian citizen;

2. That he has breached the laws of the country by refusing to make an asset declaration, whereas he had indeed made the said declaration;

3. That he had hidden the asset of a senior police officer who was under investigation by the ACA, whereas he never did that;

4. That he is of malevolent character and had acted deceptively in his dealings to frustrate the ACA investigations, whereas he had always fully co-operated with the ACA and his actions were always within the requirements of the law.

Our said article has given a totally wrong depiction of lawyer Rosli Dahlan as a foreign lawyer who had acted in a manner contrary to the proper behavior and ethics of an advocate and solicitor.

We hereby unconditionally apologise to lawyer Rosli Dahlan for our said untruthful article. We regret our conduct and realise the damage that we have done to him.

We acknowledge that the said article was written and published in a sensational manner to generate publicity which exceeded the parameters of ethical journalism surrounding the investigation of YDH Dato' Pahlawan Haji Ramli Haji Yusuff who at that time held the post of Director of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department of Police DiRaja Malaysia.

Utusan Malaysia now understands that lawyer Rosli Dahlan has commenced action against the Government of Malaysia, the Attorney General and the ACA specifically to set aside the notice against the said lawyer that has been issued in contravention of the provisions of the law. Lawyer Rosli Dahlan is also seeking damages for the loss and injury suffered by him.

[Adrian Wong]

LOL!!! I really love Little Bird's comments on Abdullah Badawi, whom he calls affectionately Idiot.

Idiot may not get 30% nominations

Kawan-kawan, here is an interesting thought. When you have outlived your welcome, the best thing to do is to make your excuses and go quietly. In this regard Koh Tsu Koon was the gentleman.

Immediately after the election results, he announced his resignation from all Gerakan party posts. He just quit and left. Then he walked Lim Guan Eng through the Chief Minister's office.

But Ong Ka Ting, Semi Value and Idiot are refusing to acknowledge the applause waiting for them near the exit. Then you may have to die by a thousand cuts. One blogger here says that Chua Jui Meng will become the next MCA party president. Oh well. I don't really care too much for the MCA.

Over in UMNO land, the rules require that even for the incumbent president to contest the presidency he will also need a minimum 30% of Bahagian to nominate him. That mean 58 Bahagian. Only with this 58 Bahagian nominating him can the Idiot fill up the forms to become a candidate for party president. Being incumbent does not mean that he just walks through the elections without the need for the 30% quota of nominations.

So there is a real possibility that, for the first time in the party's history, the incumbent president MAY NOT get the requisite 30% nominations to even qualify to put his name on the list of candidates vying for president.

It is known that Tengku Razaleigh will also be contesting for party president. Going by the sentiment at the grassroots now, Ku Li may not get the requisite 30% nominations to go for president. Let's explore this possibility. Let's say come nomination day, Ku Li gets only around 40 Bahagian to nominate him. Let's say Idiot gets 15 or 20. Assuming there are no nominations for Najib, then this may lead to a standoff. The party will be in a situation of no candidate qualifying to run for president. In such a situation, it will be best for UMNO to just deregister and let all its members balik kampong and tanam ubi kayu. Jadi Melayu tak guna.

If Idiot leaves now, it looks like Najib will ascend the throne. Maybe he can send his wife Rosmah off as our next angkasawan into space. There are assets and then there are liabilities.

[Adrian Wong]

Black 14 is over!

Yesterday 'Black 14', today 'White 15'?

(The Malaysian Insider) - In the past, supporters of Parti Keadilan Rakyat and its founder, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, would greet the date of his incarceration for corruption and ban from politics with fresh tears and a whole new load of fears. Not this year.

This year marked the end of his ban from active politics. And they greeted it with elation, jubilation and not a little impatience.

From the onset, the celebratory mood was apparent. Jalan Dewan Sultan Sulaiman in Kampung Baru was lined with a parade of hawker stalls offering steamed corn, steamed nuts and party gear – one enteprising fellow had set up stall right outside the gates of the Sultan Sulaiman Club selling LED devil horns that lit up – which the hungry horde gobbled while waiting for their leader to arrive.

In the club compound, the organisers had set up a giant projection screen atop the clubhouse showing video clips of the early, heady days of the Reformasi

movement. It certainly helped move time forward for the antsy crowd.

At 9pm, upon the arrival of Anwar at that historic bastion of freedom fighters, the 10,000 strong crowd burst into thunderous applause and cheers of “Reformasi!”

While mindful of the presence of the police, backed up by an army of Federal Reserve Unit and Light Strike Force personnel, they were not shy of showing their exuberant support for the former deposed Umno No 2, the man they have all but crowned head of government.

They followed through with a particularly spirited rendition of the national anthem. The crowd comprised an astonishingly mixed following that cut across all sections of society: young, old, male, female, pregnant, not, Malay, Chinese, Indian, Bidayuh, Iban, Kadazan, Mat Salleh, Eurasian.

They didn't mind that they had to park their butts on the damp, grassy – and at times, muddy – open air field. But they minded when the police sought to interrupt Anwar's speech just as he was about to wrap it up.

That Anwar could contain their wrath with just a few words testified to the strength of support accorded to PKR in these new and somewhat uncertain times. That Anwar could avoid a potential volatile situation between his loyalists and the police from blowing up signifies a refreshing mindset.

Black 14 ended earlier than expecte