UMNO and Anwar

'Who will kick Umno out of Anwar?'

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:09

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Since his unceremonious expulsion from Umno more than a decade ago, Anwar Ibrahim has been on the warpath against his former party. Despite being shamed and jailed, the maverick politician defied the odds to rise to the pinacle of power on the opposite side of the fence, landing himself the coveted role of opposition leader.

However, a prominent blogger suggested that while Umno might have severed ties with its once heir apparent, the party, however, still flowed through his veins.

In response to 12 Sabah PKR leaders aligned to Jeffrey Kitinggan being hauled up by the party's disciplinary board, blogger Haris Ibrahim had penned a scathing article.

The lawyer by trade titled his piece, “Mahathir kicked Anwar out of Umno, yes, but who will now kick Umno out of Anwar?”

According to Haris, two Sarawak PKR leaders, whom he met last month, also expressed disdain and distrust towards the former deputy prime minister.

“PKR, under Anwar, is Umno by another name,” said one of them

“Ask Anwar if he will deny his plan to keep the Dayaks divided so that Muslims will continue to rule Sarawak. How different is PKR from Umno? If he denies this, come back to me and I will give you proof,” added the other.

Haris said the two leaders also described Anwar as being more dangerous than Perkasa's Ibrahim Ali.

The latter, they claimed, was openly racist, but the former continued to promote the Muslim agenda while hiding behind the veil of Ketuanan Rakyat.

'Anwar changes his tune'

As for Sabah PKR's 12, they were summoned by the disciplinary board to explain their action during the height of the state leadership crisis last year.

Sparks flew when Anwar rejected Jeffrey to lead although the latter commanded the confidence of the majority of Sabah PKR, and this led the 12 to file an application to register a new party, Parti Cinta Sabah.

Haris claimed that Anwar had reneged on the conditions of the truce.

“I was told that peace was finally brokered between PKR in KL and Sabah in that Jeffery’s faction would live with Anwar’s handpicked (Ahmad) Thamrin (Jaini) until the party elections.

“The application to register the new party is to be withdrawn and the PKR headquarters and Sabah PKR would put this episode behind them and focus on making ready for the next election,” he said.

Haris said he learnt that the opposition leader was now suggesting that at the time when peace was brokered, he and other party leaders were unaware that an application to register a new party was submitted, and were under the impression that such a move was merely being contemplated.

“This, however, would plainly be an untruth if, as I am told, the condition set by the party headquarters when the peace deal was brokered was that the application be withdrawn,” he added.
'Kill two birds with one stone'

Based on the information obtained from his source in Sabah, Haris said Anwar planned to kill two birds with one stone, Jeffrey and PKR supreme council member Zaid Ibrahim.

“Lynch the 12 at the disciplinary proceedings and Jeffery’s political jugular vein in the party might be severed, leaving the way open for Ansari (Abdullah), a known Anwar man, and his supporters,” he said.

As for Zaid, Haris said his sources told him that Anwar was not comfortable with the former law minister's meteoric rise in the party.

“Zaid has become popular with PKR grassroots in Sabah, many of whom are becoming increasingly disenchanted with Anwar’s Umno-like centralised control of party politics at the state level.

“And notwithstanding Zaid having said he’s not looking to contest for any party post, Anwar and Azmin (Ali) are not leaving it to chance.

“After all, did not Anwar say in 1993 that he will not challenge Ghafar Baba for the Umno deputy presidency, and then went on to finish off Ghafar?” he added.

Azmin, who was Anwar's former aide during his tenure as deputy premier, is currently a PKR vice-president and Gombak MP.

He is expected to vie for the number two post during the party polls in November since incumbent deputy president Syed Husin Ali announced that he would be stepping down.

Speculation had been rife that Zaid might also consider going for the post, although he recently denied such intention.

Meanwhile, Haris said “everyone in the know” in PKR expects Anwar to be found guilty and sent to jail at the end of his Sodomy II trial.

“Assuming (Dr) Wan Azizah (Wan Ismail) hangs on to the presidency and Syed Husin holds to his word, Anwar is looking to Azmin to seize the No 2 post and hold it to check Zaid’s ascension.

“Now I ask you, is not PKR beginning to more and more resemble Umno?” he asked.
FMT

Racist Rhetoric by Dr M

Everyone's a racist in Dr M's eyes

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:22

By FMT Staff

KUALA LUMPUR: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has condemned everyone as racist, and what is unravelling now, according to him, is not a campaign against racism.
“What we are seeing is a campaign by racists against racists. The meritocrats are as much racists as the Malay NGOs and Perkasa,” he said.

Penning his thoughts on the issue of meritocracy in his blog, the 84-year-old statesman turned the clock back to 1964 when Malaysia held its first election.

Tunku Abdul Rahman, he said, had struck a deal with the then chief minister of Singapore Lee Kwan Yew that the People's Action Party (PAP) would contest only in Singapore.

“It was really not a smart kind of agreement. It was not put on paper at all. Only an understanding between two leaders. It was not surprising that PAP decided to contest in the peninsular,” he added.

According to Mahathir, Lee believed that the Malaysian Chinese, who were represented by MCA, could be persuaded to back him.

If MCA was defeated, Tunku would have to replace MCA with PAP in the Alliance, the predecessor of Barisan Nasional.

“The PAP is a Chinese party largely. But had always projected itself as non-racial. To win in Malaysia Lee had to appeal to Chinese chauvinism. However, he could not do this openly.

“Being the astute politician that he is, Lee came up with a slogan which did not sound chauvinistic but which played up Chinese sentiments to the core. The slogan was 'Malaysian Malaysia',” he said.

“While appearing to be appealing for all Malaysians, the slogan clearly suggested that there was no equality between the Chinese and Malays. He and his party were made out to be fighting for equality, whereas MCA represented only the Chinese towkays,” he added.

The Malays, said Mahathir, were alarmed at the prospect of the Peninsular Chinese combining with Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak Chinese to outnumber them.

“Split as they were between PAS and Umno, their chances of continuing to dominate Malaysian politics was at risk,” he added.

DAP inherits the legacy

Strangely, Mahathir said, PAP failed to outshine MCA. But Tunku was shocked and decided that Singapore's inclusion in Malaysia posed a great danger. A year later, Singapore was expelled.

“But PAP's chauvinistic legacy was taken up by DAP. And the slogan 'Malaysian Malaysia' continued to figure in Malaysian politics, evolving into a new catchword, 'Meritocracy'. If 'Malaysian Malaysia' conjures equality between races, 'Meritocracy' implies something stronger.

“It implies dominance by the race with the greatest merit in every field, in education, in business and in all fields of human endeavour,” he added.

Mahathir said when the Malays, understanding the implications, protested against meritocracy, they were condemned as racists.

“Faced with being labelled as such, most Malays dared not support even the NEP. Some, perhaps due to mistaken pride begun to support meritocracy, undermining the Malay position further,” he added.

Presently, Mahathir said, many Malay NGOs were trying to defend the Malay position and were invariably labelled as racists.

The unfortunate truth, he added, was that those who labelled them were equally racists because of their advocacy of meritocracy.

A jab for PAS as well

Taking a swipe at PAS, Mahathir said the situation was same with political parties which used Islam as a basis for appeal.

“In Malaysia the Malays are all Muslims. There are quite a large number of Indian Muslims in Malaysia but they do not figure in the political party said to be Islamic.

“The party, by using Islam, knows full well they are appealing to Malays almost exclusively. But the intention is not to defend the Malays but merely to gain their support. One can say they are not Malay racists. Rather, they are Malay political opportunists,” he said.

“That is why they find no difficulty in switching tactics in order to win the support of the non-Malays. Where before they condemned Umno for working with non-Muslims, today their co-operation with non-Muslims knows no bounds,” he added.

Umno is openly partisan

As for Umno, which Mahathir led for more than two decades, he said compared with others, Umno was openly partisan, and did not hide its concern for the well-being of the Malays.

“Unfortunately because of mismanagement it has become weak. That is why today we have Perkasa and other Malay NGOs as openly concerned about the Malays as Umno once was.

“The condemnation by those said to be advocating meritocracy is because they see the racism of the meritocrats, just as the Malays of 1964 saw the racism of 'Malaysian Malaysia',” he added.

Realising that his latest posting was sure to draw flak, Mahathir said: “Incidentally by writing this I know the meritocrat racists will condemn me as racist. So be it.”

Read DAP leader Lim Kit Siang's reaction to Dr M's piece here:
Has Mahathir crossed the Rubicon to declare war on Najib, 1Malaysia and NEM?
FMT

PKFZ Trial Postponed

PKFZ trial postponed over new papers

UPDATED @ 10:31:23 AM 25-08-2010

By Boo Su-Lyn

August 25, 2010

Ng (left), Phang and her husband Datuk Lim Twee Yong (centre) leave the court after the trial was postponed. — Picture by Jack Ooi

SHAH ALAM, Aug 25 — The defence won a delay today in the trial of former Port Klang Authority (PKA) general manager Datin Paduka OC Phang for criminal breach of trust involving RM254.85 million in the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal as they have yet to go through new evidence submitted by the prosecution. Judge Asmadi Hussin postponed the trial to October 26 following the defence’s request for more time to study the 246 new documents submitted yesterday and also because their representation was still under consideration.
“We have not had time to examine them (the new documents),” Phang’s lawyer Ng Aik Guan told the Klang Sessions Court here today, adding that the defence  had only submitted their representation to the Attorney-General’s Chambers this morning.
Ng also said the defence had yet to receive a response to previous representations they had made to the AG.
“Most of those documents are technical,” said Ng, adding that the defence needed time to examine and refer them to experts.
Phang is charged with committing three counts of CBT involving RM98,700,000, RM21,600,000 and RM134,550,000 at the PKA, Jalan Pelabuhan Utara, Port Klang, between October 1, 2004, and May 9, 2006.
If convicted, she faces a maximum of 20 years’ jail and liability of a fine on each charge.
Phang was charged last December along with PKFZ turnkey contractor Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd’s (KDSB) chief operating officer Stephen Abok and architect Bernard Tan Seng Swee of BTA Architect, with CBT and cheating amounting to about RM380 million.
Also charged was former KDSB project director Law Jenn Dong, for allegedly making 24 fraudulent claims totalling RM116.85 million.

Dr Ling was charged with misleading the Cabinet over PKFZ land acquisition.

The PKFZ scandal also saw the high-profile prosecution of MCA ex-president Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik last month for allegedly deceiving the Cabinet about the land acquisition for the PKFZ project in Klang. Dr Ling’s charges concern land evaluations under the Penal Code with the principle charge under Section 418, with an alternative charge under Section 417.
The PKFZ scandal first surfaced in 2007 when it was reported that the development costs of the integrated cargo distribution hub and industrial park had more than doubled from RM2 billion to RM4.6 billion.
The total bill for the project is expected to swell to as much as RM12.5 billion due to interest costs from deferred payments, if the trans-shipment hub fails to perform.
The free trade zone was set up by PKA in 1999 in a joint venture with the Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone to attract foreign investment and promote the port.
The land had belonged to KDSB. PKA subsequently bought the PKFZ land from KDSB in 2002 on a commercial basis, for RM1 billion, or roughly RM25psf, ignoring advice from the government’s chief legal advisor to forcibly purchase the land under the Land Acquisition Act, which would have cast the value of the land at around RM10psf.
KDSB, whose shareholders include senior politicians from Umno, was then awarded the rights to develop the free trade zone without any competitive bidding, and had raised funds through bonds that received the backing of the Transport Ministry, then headed by Datuk Seri Chan Kong Choy.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report on the PKFZ debacle alleged serious conflict-of-interest breaches between officials of the port authority and executives of private companies with close ties to Barisan Nasional.
The report also showed that PKA did not carry out detailed studies before pushing ahead with the project or consult relevant government agencies before making major decisions.
Deputy public prosecutor Manoj Kurup appeared for the prosecution.
The trial has been fixed for between October 26 and 29.
MI

Dr M snubbed

Dr M rapped for abandoning Bangsa Malaysia

By Adib Zalkapli

August 25, 2010

Critics are asking if Dr Mahathir is preparing to openly confront Najib and his policies. — file pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 — Opposition leaders criticised Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today for his warning to the Malay community yesterday, and accused the former prime minister of abandoning his own vision of uniting the nation. Dr Mahathir’s remarks were also seen as an attack on Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia and the New Economic Model (NEM), both of which promote national unity and meritocracy.
“In one fell stroke yesterday, Mahathir had backtracked and repudiated Vision 2020 and Bangsa Malaysia, causing a whole generation of Malaysians nurtured on Vision 2020 and the concept of Bangsa Malaysia to feel cheated by a national leader who had been the country’s longest-serving prime minister,” said Lim Kit Siang in a statement today.
“In 1990, beginning his second decade as prime minister, Mahathir spelt out Vision 2020 to achieve in 30 years a fully developed Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia with a sense of common and shared destiny, distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other nations,” said the DAP leader citing the Vision 2020 objective which became the hallmark of Dr Mahathir’s administration.
Yesterday, Dr Mahathir mocked proponents of meritocracy in a blog posting, calling them racist and decried Malays who support meritocracy as having misplaced pride.
He also blasted advocates of meritocracy, calling them “meritocrats” pushing for dominance by one race in all aspects of the country.
Dr Mahathir added that the campaign for meritocracy was not a campaign against racism but a movement by racists against racists.
At a separate function last night, the former premier then warned Malays to be united or risk losing political power.
Today, Lim questioned if Dr Mahathir’s remarks signalled that the former prime minister was now ready to openly go against the Najib administration.
“Has Mahathir crossed the Rubicon to declare war on his second successor as prime minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak after successfully forcing out the his first successor Tun Abdullah (Ahmad Badawi)?” asked Lim.
“Mahathir had already publicly questioned Najib’s 1 Malaysia policy and his utterances yesterday marked a throw-back to the irresponsible and dangerous politics of race and religion,” he added.
Lim said by denouncing meritocracy, Dr Mahathir had declared his rejection to the NEM, which supports market-friendly affirmative action policy based on needs and merit.
DAP Youth chief Loke Siew Fook also expressed similar misgivings, adding that Dr Mahathir was detached from the reality in making what he called “racist remarks.”
“He introduced the concept of Bangsa Malaysia, has he forgotten his own vision?” said Loke.
“I think Dr Mahathir has turned into the biggest threat for Najib’s 1 Malaysia,” said the Rasah MP.
He added that DAP’s support for a meritocratic system was based on the reality of global competition.
“The competition is no longer between the Malays and the non-Malays — but Malaysians against the rest of the world,” said Loke.
PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub called Dr Mahathir’s remarks an indictment of the latter’s years in power as prime minister.
“I think he wants to remain in control of Malaysian politics, he would do and say anything to ensure that he remains relevant,” said Salahuddin.
“His statement is a reflection of the failure of his 22 years administration. It was during his administration that corruption and abuse of power reached its peak which led to problems inherited by his successors until today,” the Kubang Kerian MP added.
On Dr Mahathir’s allegation that PAS was being a political opportunist for not defending pro-Malay policies, Salahuddin said the PAS-led state governments have been protecting the interest of the community where possible.
“I think he was not being fair to PAS. We are not in control of the federal government. In Kedah and Kelantan where we are running the state government, do we see the Malays being marginalised?
“We have never questioned the special privileges, what we have been demanding is transparency and fairness in wealth distribution,” he added.
Meanwhile, Gerakan Youth deputy chief Oh Tong Keong has also joined in the criticism against Dr Mahathir.
“We respect Tun Dr Mahathir’s contributions to the nation, but we respectfully disagree with his contention to equate ‘meritocrats’ as racists,” said Oh in a statement.
“We believe meritocracy together with the need-based and market-friendly affirmation as envisaged in NEM are two pillars to achieve social justice, cohesiveness and inclusiveness under [the] 1 Malaysia concept,” he added.
UKM academic Professor Samsul Adabi Mamat, however, believed that Dr Mahathir had not contradicted himself when he criticised meritocracy.
“Bangsa Malaysia is about getting Malaysians of all races to be loyal to Malaysia. The Chinese in Malaysia, for example, must treat this place as their country as they are not like the Chinese in China,” Samsul told The Malaysian Insider.
He said that the idea of meritocracy as promoted by the opposition was only introduced as a reaction to government policies.
“Tun Dr Mahathir has always been very consistent, [while] political parties like DAP have never been clear about the meritocracy that they are fighting for,” said Samsul
“It is merely a criticism [of] government policy, a protest against [the] status quo,” he added.
He added that the DAP’s historical ties with Singapore’s ruling party, the PAP, also justified Dr Mahathir’s concerns over meritocracy leading to a marginalisation of the Malay community..
“Look at Singapore, the Malays are not protected. There is a widespread concern that that is where meritocracy is going to take us to,” said Samsul.
MI

Suit against UMNO thrown out

Apex court throws out RM218m suit against Umno

August 25, 2010

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 25 — A merchandise supplier which sued Umno for RM218 million for non-payment over the supply of election paraphernalia during the 2004 general election, lost its appeal to reinstate its civil suit against the party.
The Federal Court today dismissed Elegant Advisory Sdn Bhd’s leave application to appeal over the Court of Appeal decision in affirming the High Court’s ruling.
On September 10 last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court allowed Umno’s application to strike out the suit on the grounds that it did not follow the Contracts Act 1950.
Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Richard Malanjum, who presided over the hearing, said there was no question of law for argument for the Federal Court to determine as stated under Section 96 of Courts of Judicature Act 1964, for the court to grant the leave.
However, he advised the company as a “middle-man” (main contactor) with the sub-contractors to execute the contract agreement properly through signing of an agreement before proceeding with any project.
He said the company was lucky in that it was not sued by the sub-contractors, to which the company’s lawyer, Yusfarizal Yusof, replied “not yet”.
Malanjum, who sat with Federal Court judges Tan Sri Zulkefli Ahmad Makinuddin and Datuk Seri Md Raus Sharif, ordered the company to pay RM2,500 as legal costs to Umno.
In the suit, the company initially named former Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Abdul Azim Mohd Zabidi as defendant, but his name was replaced with that of former Umno administration and finance secretary Datuk Ishak Abdul Rahman after the High Court allowed the company’s application to amend the name of the defendant in the suit last year.
In its writ of summons, Elegant Advisory claimed that it was involved in supplying election merchandise, transportation and publications, and had supplied Umno with the items for the 11th general election in 2004.
The company claimed that it had sent invoices for RM218,013,475 and that the defendant had failed to pay up.
At the outset, Yusfarizal submitted there was an oral contract between the company and Umno, and that the goods had been delivered and used by Umno.
He told the court that the respondent also pleaded that they had received four delivery orders of the goods.
He said the company and Umno had discussed settling the case out of court, and reasoned that if there was no contract, the respondent would not have wanted to settle the case.
Yusfarizal submitted that Umno had paid RM8 million to four sub-contractors appointed by the main contractor, Elegant Advisory, for the project based on the delivery orders but refused to pay the amount sought by the main contractor.
Counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun, representing Umno, replied there was no new issue of law raised by the company for the court to grant leave.
He said the company had also failed to furnish the terms of oral contact between both parties, in the statement of claim, or by way of affidavit. — Bernama