Thursday, September 6, 2012

Malaysia Merdaka Slogan


Malaysia Merdaka Slogan

 
Dean Johns
10:58AM Aug 1, 2012

It looks as though Umno/BN have outsmarted themselves yet again with their latest attempt to take the rakyat for a ride. Doubly outsmarted themselves in fact, and thus doubly insulted Malaysians, by not only attempting to monopolise Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day with a partisan political slogan, but a slogan so patently false that only a fool would take it seriously.Promises fulfilled?? Promises foolfilled, foolfoiled or fullfailed, more like it. Because as far as I or anyone else can see, Umno/BN, especially under the premiership of Najib Abdul Razak, is good for nothing but lies, false promises and fraudulent reforms. False promises like his vow to leave “no stone unturned” in getting to the truth of the circumstances surrounding the death of Teoh Beng Hock in MACC custody, for example. So that now, after years of cosmetic official deliberations, the young man’s death is still deemed “neither homicide nor suicide” and no MACC culprits have been brought to justice. False promises like those Najib made to the audience at the MPI Press Awards shortly after he was gifted the prime ministership, of his intent to “encourage respectable and fair dialogue on the country’s future involving the whole nation that takes place with a vibrant, free and informed media.”“The country needs a (sic) media - both old and new,” he boldly declared, “that was empowered to responsibly report what they saw, without fear of consequences, and to hold government and public officials accountable for the results they produced.” Yet more than three years later, Malaysia’s Umno/BN-owned or dominated mainstream media remain as inept, impotent, incompetent and impossibly regime-biased as ever. And thus as false as his promise at the same 2009 media awards of “a new national discourse” on the principles of transparency and accountability; service to all, not just a few; respect and fairness in public dialogue; and the necessity for institutions, parties and public servants to “work for the public interest, not narrow opportunism of political interests.”And not, presumably, for such narrow opportunism as promoting a lying slogan like “promises fulfilled” for non-partisan national events like Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day.

Najib’s special forte
 But such unfulfilled promises are Najib’s special and indeed as far as I can see only forte, as in the sweeping undertaking he gave the 2009 Umno general assembly that “Umno must not be seen as representing certain people, the party must be seen as an inclusive party which puts the people’s interests at the forefront, and not oneself,” but instead must “move away from the negative culture of money politics so we could become a clean and respected party.” Then there were more false promises along similar lines to the Malaysia Business Summit in 2010 to “reduce wastage and avoid cost overrun by better controlling expenditure, establish (an) open, efficient and transparent government procurement process, adopt international best practices on fiscal transparency” and “zero tolerance of corruption”. This last is the most spectacular unfulfilled promise of all, given that the RM12 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) debacle is still unresolved, the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) fiasco is still fresh in popular memory, and other mega rip-offs like the Klang Valley MRT are still unfolding. Then there have been Najib’s false promises to not just reform, but transform the nation by repealing unjust and unpopular laws like the Internal Security Act (ISA), Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), and their replacement with slight cosmetic variations or even worse statutes than the originals. And all of the aforementioned promises, foolfilled, foolfoiled, fullfailed or simply broken, have been made, according to Najib, for the express purpose of making Malaysia “the world’s best democracy” under the 1Mendacious auspices of Najib’s overarching big-lie of 1Malaysia.
azlanAnd the designers of the now-withdrawn dog’s breakfast of a logo designed to support the “promises fulfilled” line even had the effrontery to besmirch the memory of the nation’s independence by referring to it as “1Merdeka”.Meanwhile, the architect of this farrago of falsehood, Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim, has had the gall to declare that “there is nothing wrong” with using the Umno/BN election slogan for Merdeka Day and Malaysia Day celebrations, and to falsely claim that this was a “democratic system” adopted by many other countries.

‘A good universal value’
 Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan rallied to Rais’s support with the rather confusing claim that “fulfilling a promise is a universal good value and when we say promises are fulfilled it motivates the people to fulfil their promises in everyday life, except when the meaning is narrowed-down to a political point of view.” And, predictably enough, Umno/BN’s racial-supremacist pressure group Perkasa has also pushed the party line, with its supreme council member Zulkifli Nordin stating that “if the government says ‘we will honour our promises’, we don’t see anything wrong with that. People who are opposed to the slogan are people who cannot fulfil promises.” NONEBut most public comment I’ve seen on Umno/BN’s politicisation of Merdeka and Malaysia Days with its false election slogan and ridiculous song with lying lyrics personally penned by Rais Yatim himself, has been in agreement with Lim Kit Siang’s take on the topic.Claiming that the theme will make Malaysia a“laughing stock”among its people and around the world, Lim lamented that “it is sad and shocking that this year’s National Day is no longer conceived as a national celebration as it has been hijacked by Umno and BN.”“They are blatantly using their own slogan, which will divide rather than unite Malaysians, and yet nobody in the government sees that this is wrong and anti-national,” adding that this is a living example of ‘Janji Diketepikan' (promises sidelined), instead of ‘Janji Ditepati".
 
To which all I can add is the comment that, considering every promise Umno/BN makes is inevitably followed by delivery of the same old crimes, corruptions and repressions for which it’s been infamous for most of the past 55 years, it seems foolish in the extreme to raise the spectre of promises at all.
 
DEAN JOHNS, after many years in Asia, currently lives with his Malaysian-born wife and daughter in Sydney, where he coaches and mentors writers and authors and practises as a writing therapist. Published books of his columns for Malaysiakiniinclude ‘Mad about Malaysia', ‘Even Madder about Malaysia', ‘Missing Malaysia' and ‘1Malaysia.con'.

BN eyes polls in November, after Budget debate

BN eyes polls in November, after Budget debate By Jahabar Sadiq EditorSeptember 07, 2012

 KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 7 ― Barisan Nasional (BN) is likely to call the general election at the end of November, a week after the last of the 28,000 Muslim pilgrims return from the Haj and the Budget 2013 is passed by the Dewan Rakyat, sources say. The Malaysian Insider understands that Education Ministry top officials have been asked this past week to check the availability of schools, mainly secondary schools, during that period when the Form Five and Six public examinations are usually held. File photo of voters lining up to cast their ballots in the Sarawak state elections last year.

The speculation now is that the general election will be called at the end of November.“The government is looking at the end of November, just after the last flight bringing back the Haj pilgrims on November 19,” a BN strategist told The Malaysian Insider.

 The next Parliament session starts September 24 and is scheduled to end on November 27, with the highlight being Budget 2013 to be tabled by Prime Minister and Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak on September 28. BN’s mandate expires next April 28, five years after Election 2008 where the ruling coalition under Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered historic losses of its two-thirds parliamentary majority and four more states. Abdullah stepped down in favour of Najib in April 2009. This is Najib’s first shot at getting his own mandate.

 The Malaysian Insider had earlier reported that plans to dissolve Parliament last month have been shelved after two Sabah lawmakers quit the coalition and expressed support for arch-rivals Pakatan Rakyat (PR). There have also been reports of elections to be called earlier and the middle of the year but none have panned out. Najib hinted last week that a general election is near while former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has openly said November would be a good month for elections. Both are also bullish about BN’s prospects in the coming polls.

 “The Budget debate normally takes about four weeks to be passed by the Dewan Rakyat before it goes to the Dewan Negara. So Najib can call snap polls after that,” another source said, confirming that November has been cited as the most probable date for a general election.

 “The government is also thinking of calling elections on a weekday but that depends on the Election Commission (EC),” the source added. He added a BN official has already put a 60-day timeline for the next elections after Budget Day although others are in favour of finishing the current mandate before calling polls. “Not many are in favour of November but influential people like Dr Mahathir have a bigger say,” the source said. Widespread allegations of tampered electoral rolls have forced the EC to defend itself and order a review of the rolls.

The EC is also looking into implementing a 10-day campaign period following proposed reforms by a Cabinet committee after widespread protests calling for free and fair elections. Nearly 13 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots if a general election is called, involving all 222 federal seats and 505 seats in 12 states. However, the four PR-ruled states have yet to say if they will hold elections the same day as the general election as their mandates only expire next April. Sarawak has already had its state election last year.


http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bn-eyes-polls-in-november-after-budget-debate

Najib’s election dilemma — Bridget Welsh

Najib’s election dilemma — Bridget Welsh September 04, 2012

SEPT 4 — When will Malaysia’s 13th general election (GE) be held? Pundits continue to speculate on the election timing, with views ranging from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak making a surprise announcement to speculation that he will go the full term. One thing is certain: the polls have to be held before the end of June next year.

The person who appears most reluctant to hold the polls is Najib himself. He is now Malaysia’s longest serving prime minister without his own electoral mandate — either from his own party, Umno, that has not held elections since 2008 — or from Malaysians. The pressure to call the polls and deliver a comfortable majority remains intense. Najib’s predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, was forced to resign when he failed to win two-thirds of the parliamentary seats in the 2008 GE. Based on fieldwork and polling, of the 222 seats up for grabs, 84 per cent of them are “competitive” — and with the Barisan Nasional (BN) and the opposition having about the same number of “safe seats”. It is thus not surprising that Najib has repeatedly delayed facing the electorate. Multiple windows for the GE have been by-passed. Instead, Najib has worked diligently to earn popular support with the aim of tying his personal popularity to a victory for his ruling coalition.

DIMINISHING RETURNS His clock is ticking, as there is less than a year left before the GE will have to be called. The longer Najib waits, the more uncertainty he faces, with the real prospect of diminishing electoral returns. Part of this is a product of the hype surrounding the earlier windows to hold the election. By failing to call the polls on repeated occasions after the election machinery was ramped up and candidate lists forwarded, Najib fuels a possible perception of weakness, as the delays are read as a lack of confidence on his part. Najib also opens himself up to further uncertainties.

Each time the election has been put off, it has either been in the wake of a scandal revelation — such as the National Feedlot Corporation — or after a mass rally such as those involving the electoral reform movement Bersih. A pattern has set in — where weaknesses in Najib’s political reform efforts have been showcased, only to lead to further efforts to reconsolidate support. The question Malaysians are asking is what will come next. Most are saturated with stories of scandal and intrigue, but ultimately the longer the delay, the greater the possibility of further revelations and civil society mobilisation. This was the pattern in 2007-2008 and it is already repeating itself, as illustrated by the recent protest against the controversial amendments to section 114A of the Evidence Act 1950.

 The changes presume that a person is guilty for anything written on their websites and social media mediums. STATE OF THE ECONOMY The most serious unknowns Najib faces with his delaying tactics involve the economy. Malaysia has performed well in terms of growth under his watch — an average of 5.8 per cent growth in the three years. Yet the economy is closely tied to global trends. Slowing growth in China, recession threats in Europe and a lacklustre economic recovery in the United States, cast real shadows on Najib’s political fortunes. A slowdown is already evident, with third-quarter growth figures dropping to 5.4 per cent. Najib’s government has also been unable to stave off the impact of global inflation. In the first six months of this year, stealthily but steadily prices for fuel have risen, with a 10-sen rise in the month before Hari Raya Puasa alone.

 The attention to the economy calls into question Najib’s main strategy of using financial handouts to win support. Billions of ringgit have been doled out to constituents in a variety of forms, from vouchers to disadvantaged families to salary bonuses. More are expected in the upcoming Budget this month, the second year in a row the Budget will have been used as an apparent election primer. While the influx of public sector cash in the economy has boosted consumption, little attention has centred on the long-term implications of short-term allocations and deficit spending.

Malaysia’s fiscal deficit has grown exponentially under Najib’s tenure from -5.6 per cent of gross domestic product in 2008 to -10.2 per cent last year. CLOCK TICKING AWAY In the midst of the myopic election focus, Najib’s efforts have stirred infighting within his own party, Umno. Candidate hopefuls have been jockeying intensely, and this has intensified after the lists were forwarded this year. Positioning for candidacy has dominated attention, reinforcing the pressures on Najib to call the polls according to when different actors believe is “best”. The longer the infighting goes on, the greater the political bruising will be within Umno. Personally, economically and politically, Najib is caught in a political quagmire. When he goes to the polls, he will face a fierce contest.

 And he will face real challenges to his position within Umno. If he delays, conditions will reinforce a process of diminishing returns. The choice to delay has only served to heighten the pressure to perform. As the countdown to the GE continues, Najib’s clock is ticking louder than ever. The next window ahead is early November and time will tell whether he will use this window to face the electorate

.— Today

 * Bridget Welsh is associate professor of political science at Singapore Management University. She spoke on the Malaysian general election on August 14 as part of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) Seminar Series.

 * This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider. 

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/najibs-election-dilemma-bridget-welsh/

Sunday, September 2, 2012

‘China’s RFID requirement nothing to worry about’


‘China’s RFID requirement nothing to worry about’

Posted on September 3, 2012, Monday


KUCHING: Birdhouse owners in Sarawak are advised not to be worried about China’s Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) requirement for the export of bird’s nests.
Malacca Bird’s Nest Merchant s Association president John Chen said the RFID requirement was only for the processing of the nests and not the birdhouse.

He added that RFID was only needed if the bird’s nests were for export to China.

“ I hope that Sarawak birdhouse owners are not worried about the requirement and to support the Federation of Malaysia Bird’s Nest Merchants Association president Datuk Tok Teng Sai in helping those in the industry.”
He said Tok would join Malaysian Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Noh Omar to Naning, China, for the signing of the protocol for entry of cleaned bird’s nests into China.

Chen said that firstly the protocol was for the acceptance of five per cent clean product export and the second was for the 95 per cent raw material export.
At the moment, the deal with China is for the clean product export with 30 ppm nitrate levels.
The RFID tag allows a product to be easily tracked from the source to the consumer.
The tag contains a microchip embedded with details about the harvest.
The federation has 27 registered bird’s nest association members, of which four are from Sarawak

Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/09/03/chinas-rfid-requirement-nothing-to-worry-about/#ixzz25N5XRx5w

Illegal sugar seized in W. Kalimantan


Illegal sugar seized in W. Kalimantan

Posted on August 13, 2012,


PONTIANAK: Detectives from the West Kalimantan Police confiscated 650 sacks of illegal sugar from India, Malaysia and Thailand. Most of the sacks’ labels have been replaced with local labels, Jakarta Post reported.



West Kalimantan Police spokesman Adj. Comr Mukson Munandar said on Sunday that the sugar was seized at a warehouse on Jl. Parit Mayor in Sungai Raya, Kubu Raya regency on Saturday noon.



“It started with the catch of a truck transporting illegal sugar. It later turned out that the sugar came from a warehouse accommodating 650 sacks of illegal sugar,” said Mukson as quoted by kompas.com.



The goods, Mukson said, are belong to a man allegedly named Ibnu, who has been involved in distributing illegal sugar. The perpetrator, he added, has allegedly falsified brands and has violated the 1999 law on consumer protection.







Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/08/13/illegal-sugar-seized-in-w-kalimantan/#ixzz25N3b8mad