Knowing the Prophet and integrity

By DR MOHD ZAIDI ISMAIL
Senior Fellow / Director, Centre for Science and Technology, IKIM

To genuinely celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, or Maulidur Rasul, is to embrace integrity, to fight for the triumph of truthfulness and trustworthiness in society, and to reject hypocrisy.

ON MARCH 17, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak launched The National Integrity Plan report, dubbed “Target 2008” (Tekad 2008), at the Malaysian Institute of Integrity.

The report, purportedly an assessment of the country’s progress in promoting integrity, among other things, recommends that all the five priorities set in the plan’s first five-year period (2004-2008) be carried forward to the second phase covering the period 2009 to 2013.

Those priorities are: to reduce corruption and the abuse of power, to increase efficiency of the public delivery system, to enhance corporate governance, to strengthen the family institution, and to improve the quality of life and people’s well-being.

Earlier this month, Muslims in Malaysia celebrated what may by now be deemed as their official annual routine: the commemoration of Prophet Muhammad’s Birthday, or more commonly known in its Arabic equivalent, Maulidur Rasul.

Unfortunately, like what has frequently happened to a once noble or virtuous act that has been rendered a routine, the commemoration seemed to be more ceremonial than the embodiment of the message and spirit of his prophecy.

In fact, many have been lamenting about the deterioration in the quality of such a momentous occasion, though not much has been done to improve it.

Perhaps, the reader may have begun to wonder: what actually is my point in drawing attention to these two apparently separate events?

Simply to prove that the Muslims have become so segregated and accustomed to piecemeal undertakings that they continually, if not continuously, fail to notice the intimate relation between these seemingly disparate occasions, so near chronologically but which, were they to be held at once in a more organised fashion, would most probably have saved a substantial amount of public monies and yet would have given a more significant impact.

How can I make such a claim? Because the Prophet Muhammad is indeed the epitome of integrity.

And to genuinely celebrate his birth and his prophecy is to embrace integrity, to fight for the triumph of truthfulness and trustworthiness in society, to reject hypocrisy and all that is antithetical to honesty and virtue.

Muslims have been proud that their Prophet demonstrated perfection and comprehensiveness of life.

His life, as the late Saiyid Sulaiman Nadwi, a renowned modern biographer of the Prophet, correctly pointed out in his Mohamed the Ideal Prophet, “from ... birth to death, is before us like an open book”.

But many Muslims somehow fail to realise that for his life to be so, for every aspect and moment of it to be reported and preserved for the benefit of posterity, required that he be a complete man of integrity, exemplifying transparency at its fullest, distinguishing not between one’s private and public lives.

He never tried to hide anything about himself; on the contrary, he even instructed that his every word and action not only be recorded, but also transmitted.

He never lied. How could he have done so while at the same time professing to be the model example for humanity? How he appeared to the public is exactly how he was in his most secluded life.

Indeed, the Prophet knew full well that to Allah everything is transparent, nothing is concealed.

Hence, the explanation of a famous Muslim mystic-cum-theologian, Abul-Qasim al-Qushayri, in his al-Risalah al-Qushayriyyah, “the lowest degree of truthfulness is that one’s innermost being (al-sirr) and outward appearance (al-‘alaniyah) are in harmony”.

Or as Abu ‘Ali al-Daqqaq once remarked: “Truthfulness is that you be with people just as you perceive yourself to be or that you perceive yourself to be just as you are.”

Or, as noted by Abu Sa‘id al-Qarshi: “The truthful one is he who is ready to die and he who would not be ashamed if his secret were disclosed. Allah Most High says: ‘Wish for death if you are truthful ’.”

Yet, lacking consciousness of the Divine Presence and Scrutiny, how can all this be actualised in modern life?

- THE STAR

Read More →

Feeling impact of political fatigue

By WONG CHUN WAI

Once the year-long campaigning by Umno candidates and party polls are over, it’s time to get back to real work.

It’s 11am and the Dewan Rakyat sitting is taking place. Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has moved his office from Putrajaya to the Parliament tower block to carry on with his work.

From his second-floor office, he occasionally glances at the television set next to his table to keep track of the proceedings.

There is a long queue outside his office where a steady stream of visitors is waiting for their turn to meet him.

At an adjacent room outside, several Umno leaders are also preparing themselves for a meeting with Najib.

As Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin walks in, the visitors stand up and shake his hand.

He puts on a broad smile, as if aware of feedback from the grassroots that he needs to smile more.

Najib and Muhyiddin are very much the men of the hour as Umno delegates nationwide make their way to Kuala Lumpur to elect a new leadership.

Najib has already won the Umno presidency unopposed and is now waiting to take over the helm.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has yet to announce the exact date of his exit but the common consensus is that he is likely to do so at the Umno general assembly starting Thursday.

Many expect the Prime Minister to announce that he would step down on April 2, when both Abdullah and Najib are expected to meet the King.

April 3 has been touted as the day when Najib would be sworn in as the country’s sixth Prime Minister.

The perception is that Muhyiddin would be his deputy but a lot would hinge on the outcome of the polls.

He is regarded as the best second man with his strong background in economics and management as well as his fluency in English.

Unlike many Umno leaders, he did not start off as a civil servant but in the private sector.

As the country grapples with the effects of the financial tsunami, Muhyiddin is seen as the best man to help Najib. They understand the complexities of a global interlocked financial system, that’s for sure.

Premature as it may seem, many already regard Najib as the new PM and Muyhiddin as his deputy.

But standing in the way would be Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib. Popular and easy-going, he puts many Umno delegates and the press at ease when dealing with them.

A former Mentri Besar, he has pointed out his track record as MB of Selangor, the most developed state in Malaysia, as the candidate they should chose.

With Mohd Ali Rustam out of the race, he could pick up more votes and, certainly, this would also come from strong supporters of Pak Lah who still cannot forgive Muhyiddin for the pressure he exerted on the Prime Minister to retire.

Mat Taib, a Universiti Malaya history graduate, has made it a point in the past few weeks to answer queries from English newspaper reporters in English even when they asked in Bahasa Malaysia.

But the language factor, it must be remembered, is not an issue among the 2,500 delegates.

At the vice-presidents’ level, heading the pack of contenders is Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi. Almost everyone from Umno to the media has concluded that he has made it.

Those following closely behind, it is said, include Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin.

Equally important would be the 25 elected supreme council seats for which 51 candidates are vying. Umno delegates need to choose candidates who are credible and clean. It is not just about choosing a new line-up of Malay leaders but Malaysian leaders as well.

Leaders like Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, for example, are often not news material. Mustapa shuns controversy but he is regarded as one of the most moderate candidates around.

But a year after the political tsunami on March 8, and the almost year-long campaigning by Umno candidates, the country is beginning to feel the impact of political fatigue.

It’s time to get back to real work once the Umno polls are over this weekend.

A new Prime Minister, a new Deputy Prime Minister and almost certainly a new Cabinet line-up would be in place by then.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Commentary - It’s about time Umno took off the kid gloves

By RASLAN SHARIF

Something needs to be done to stop the rot eating at the roots of a once near-invincible party, and this cannot be reiterated enough times.

We are just days away from what is arguably the most important political event of the year – the 2009 Umno general assembly, which will see elections for all but one of the top party posts.

The country is set to have a new Prime Minister after the assembly, with Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak assuming the party president’s post uncontested from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is making way for his deputy at both the party and government levels.

It sounds straightforward enough. Umno and the country have more or less gone through this sort of thing before, most recently when former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad passed the baton to Abdullah back in October 2003.

But try telling that to Najib, who probably wishes it were that simple.

The road leading up to the assembly has been anything but smooth. And probably no other deputy president on the cusp of landing the top post has had to go through the trials and tribulations that Najib has gone through in the last 12 months or so.

“Embattled incoming Umno president” would be an apt description.

The latest test of Najib’s resolve has got to be the disciplinary action taken against several top party officials for breaching campaign rules, most notably the disqualification of Umno vice president Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam from contesting the deputy president’s post.

The Malacca Chief Minister was said to have had a very good chance of clinching the No. 2 spot, notwithstanding the findings of a recent opinion poll that showed Malaysians prefer to see International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as Najib’s deputy.

It is still not clear who Najib prefers, as he has remained neutral in public on the matter. In any case, he’s only got one vote to cast for the candidate he wants to be the deputy president, and the 99% of Malaysians outside of the general assembly next week have got none.

What seems to matter in this regard is that informal readings of delegates’ sentiments in the past few weeks showed Mohd Ali as the frontrunner in the contest.

So it is no surprise that his disqualification has got a lot of tongues wagging on a purported agenda to prevent him from becoming deputy president, and by extension, Deputy Prime Minister.

It is the talk of the town.

But such talk is missing the wood for the trees. The fact is something needs to be done to stop the rot eating at the roots of a once near-invincible party, and this cannot be reiterated enough times.

While the Umno disciplinary committee was delivering a shocker of an announcement to the media on Tuesday, Najib was at an event where he once again stressed, as many others have before, that Umno has to clean up its act.

“We have to clean up ... if we don’t change, we will be changed. It is no secret that we have to change,” he said.

It is no secret indeed. The very same opinion poll by the Merdeka Centre for Opinion Research that showed strong support for Muhyiddin among Malaysians also found that they viewed Umno as ridden with unsavoury political practices.

Specifically, about 61% of the respondents felt the main problem within Umno was corruption, more so than any other issue (“out of touch” came in second, with 13% of respondents).

And it doesn’t stop there. About 59% of the respondents also were of the opinion that the party’s internal problems – of which corruption was by far the most pressing – “jeopardises the future of the people”.

Now, if there are those within Umno or outside of the party who think the perception is largely confined to non-Malays, they have got something else coming.

More than half of the respondents were Malays, and of the Malays, about 75% believed that efforts to curb money politics in Umno “were insufficient”, and 52% that it was “not sufficient at all”.

The call for a clean-up and for change goes to the heart of the matter – that if people continue to see Umno as a corrupt political party, then it is headed squarely for the trash heap of history.

In other words, if Umno were to do only one thing to try and get back on track towards winning back the levels of support it once enjoyed, then going full throttle on a no-holds-barred anti-corruption drive would be it.

That means taking off the kid gloves and not showing any mercy, both to the giver as well as the taker.

Is the party willing to do that?

The answer remains unclear, as scepticism hangs heavy in the air over Umno’s willingness to go all the way.

The joke that continues to make the rounds is that if indeed no mercy were shown, the next general assembly could be held around a few tables joined together at a nasi kandar restaurant.

Some Umno members argue that the party is being unfairly put under the corruption spotlight.

Unfortunately, such things come with the territory. To use a football analogy, there are probably many more people who want to see Manchester United fail than there are fans of the club.

To its credit, Manchester United have recruited players who are some of the best in the business, and the club shows little hesitation in discarding those who fail to meet, or keep up with, its high standards.

More importantly, the team does its talking on the pitch.

The result is that even the most rabid fans of Manchester United’s closest rivals are forced to acknowledge the club’s awe-inspring achievements.

That’s what Umno needs, and that’s what it needs to do. The opportunity for a start towards that goal presents itself in the coming days.

The Umno general assembly next week is indeed the most important political event of the year.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Ali’s loss is Mat Taib’s gain

Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam’s knock-out from the Umno elections has changed the entire tone of the race for the deputy presidency of Umno. The contest is now between the two Tan Sris.

Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam made an early morning call on the Malacca Governor yesterday before returning to his official residence to chair an Umno meeting.

Then he changed from his formal suit into a red and white batik shirt to go to Ipoh for a gathering where Umno election candidates were scheduled to meet delegates from Perak.

The Ipoh meeting began at 3pm but before the meeting could even finish, news had trickled in that Mohd Ali had been found guilty of money politics and barred from the contest for the deputy president post.

It was an awkward moment for Mohd Ali, being among all the other candidates when he had just been disqualified as a candidate.

Speculation that he was in trouble had been in the air for several days but the reality still stunned everyone in the party. He is after all a big name in Umno.

But true to form, Umno’s Mr Likeable looked a picture of calm and smiled his way through the rest of the Ipoh function although some noticed that “his eyes looked sad.”

He had come so near the coveted prize only to see it slip out of his grasp. A less seasoned politician would have crumbled or lost his head but his composure was admirable.

As an editor of a Malay online portal said: “Sudah mahu sampai, tapi dia langgar lampu trafik (he was almost there but he hit the traffic light).”

But the penalty on Mohd Ali was rather unusual. He was not suspended like the others but was barred from contesting any post, effectively knocking him out of the race for the No 2 post.

And because he was not suspended, he can hold on to his Malacca Umno chief and division chief posts.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Mohd Ali will also remain the Chief Minister.

It is likely that some of the party’s top leaders had wind of the decision days earlier.

At a Monday night Umno gathering in Shah Alam, the other deputy president contender Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib or Mat Taib as he is known had playfully wrapped his arms around Mohd Ali much to the amusement of everyone.

It was Mat Taib’s way of defusing the tension given the media frenzy around Mohd Ali. Besides, Mat Taib knows how it feels to fall from the top; he has been through worse. But the picture of the comradely hug which was carried in some newspapers will probably be translated into several hundred votes for Mat Taib.

The party is anxious to clean up its image of money politics and it simply could not gloss over the decision meted out by the disciplinary board.

At the same time, an outright suspension would have further infuriated Mohd Ali’s support base.

As such, barring him from contesting while allowing him to keep his party posts seemed like a compromise of sorts. He was punished but not emasculated.

However, the decision has not gone down well on everyone. Mohd Ali’s supporters naturally see him as a victim and they are already lashing out at those whom they deem as responsible for their misfortune.

They see it as selective prosecution and think there are powerful people in the party who do not want him to win.

Some like vice-presidential candidate Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi are already making political capital out of it.

During the Ipoh meeting, Zahid who is deputy Perak Umno chief, gave a powerful speech condemning attempts to block candidates and appealed for all candidates to be allowed to contest. His stage performance was met with deafening applause.

SMS slamming the disciplinary board have started flying around.

A great deal of anger is going to be directed at the board.

Such high emotions will prevail for a while and Mohd Ali will have to play a role in reining in his supporters.

With Mohd Ali’s fall from grace, the race has narrowed down to Mat Taib versus Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The spotlight has swung onto the two Tan Sris.

It is no secret that many of Mohd Ali’s supporters are pointing their finger at Muhyiddin’s supporters for the damaging complaint against Mohd Ali’s campaigners.

The conventional wisdom is that Mohd Ali’s supporters will now try to punish Muhyiddin by giving their votes to Mat Taib.

The candidate whom few had given a fighting chance at the post is suddenly the man to watch.

When Mat Taib, who is Selangor Umno chief, hosted the state’s meet-the-delegates session earlier this week, he had to introduce each of the candidates on stage to the floor.

He described Muhyiddin as sahabat saya (my friend) and Mohd Ali as sahabat saya juga (also my friend).”

Then, he laughingly introduced himself, the third contender, as sahabat semua (everyone’s friend).

His claim of being sahabat semua is no longer a laughing matter.

Mat Taib’s support base has expanded overnight and Muhyiddin will now have to regard him as a serious rival.

- THE STAR
www.thestar.com.my

Read More →

Commentary - Entering the final lap of UMNO

Umnopolitics is about to take centrestage. The spotlight is on the contest for the deputy presidency amid expectations that on March 24, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak will send out signals on who he prefers as his No 2.

THE Muslim Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Seremban had not seen a crowd as boisterous as the one on Tuesday night.

It was an Umno group and they applauded loudly when the host, Seremban Umno chief Datuk Ishak Ismail, said: “I am not a minister, or MP, or even an assemblyman. I’m just like you, holding a division post, but Umno’s strength depends on people like us, not the ministers. We are the real VIPs in the party.”

The hot fights: Attention will be on who becomes the next deputy president and who will triumph in Umno Youth and Wanita Umno. Clockwise from bottom left: Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil, Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Khairy Jamaluddin, Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir, Datuk Seri Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. They laughed even louder when Tan Sri Isa Samad, the former Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, who was also there, said: “When people become ministers they sometimes forget the grassroots, but not Ishak because he has never been a minister. But never mind, he graduated from England.”

The 60 or so people at the dinner were Umno delegates from Negri Sembilan who had turned up for an Umno function only to find it had been cancelled, so Ishak suggested they go to the restaurant that boasted a Muslim Chinese chef from China.

Ishak was not exaggerating when he described them as “VIPs”. Folk like them not only make the party hum and tick but they will also be among the 2,500 delegates who will vote in the next Umno leadership at the end of the month.

The Umno election campaign has entered its final lap. The candidates are out every night and Umno circles can talk about little else but politics.

The marathon, as some have called it, is about to come to an end.

Every big post, with the exception of the presidency, is being contested, something that has not happened in ages.

But the spotlight will be on three fights – the deputy presidency, the Wanita Umno and the Youth leadership.

The likeability factor

It is a three-way fight for the deputy presidency but the campaign has essentially narrowed down to Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The third man, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, is trailing behind.

The contest has been likened to one of likeability versus ability or, as some in Umno put it, Pak Lah’s candidate versus Najib’s candidate. Mohd Ali is said to enjoy the blessing of outgoing Premier Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi whereas Muhyiddin is seen as the preferred candidate of incoming Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

It has been a close race for the pair but Mohd Ali has, by most accounts, taken the lead in the last few days. He has been more diligent on the hustings and he has the network and the resources. And, of course, he has the likeability factor that adds mileage in Umno politics.

Muhyiddin will have to make a big push in the final week if he wants to clinch the post.

This is the contest that even those outside Umno are watching with interest because whoever becomes the deputy president of Umno also becomes the deputy prime minister.

In that sense, every Malaysian has a stake in the contest for the No 2 seat in Umno.

Everyone is expecting a signal from the incoming president on his preference for No 2. They feel it is his privilege as the next president to state the criteria he expects of a deputy and particularly given the challenging times that Umno is going through.

He is expected to do this on the evening of March 24 when he officiates at the joint opening of the Youth, Wanita and Puteri wings.

It will be his swan song to the three wings and he would want to make full use of the occasion to shape Umno’s future.

As such, even though he will be speaking essentially to the three wings, he will be addressing the entire party.

“But don’t expect anything too direct from him. Datuk Seri Najib understands Malay subtlety and the signal he sends will not be direct. But I think everyone will get the message,” said an Umno official.

The fight for the leadership of Wanita Umno moved into the spotlight purely because of the dynamics of the two contenders who were once partners but are now bitter foes.

Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil are barely on speaking terms and it is going to be finito for whoever loses because the feelings between them have grown so personal the winner is unlikely to concede anything to the loser. It will be a winner-takes-all kind of ending to the Wanita fight.

On Tuesday, after a session to introduce those contesting posts in the wing to the women delegates from the Federal Territory, the two women, wearing fixed smiles, exited from the same door and went their own separate ways.

Of all the contests taking place, this one least represents change whichever way it turns out. Rafidah, 65, has held the post for 24 years while Shahrizat, 56, has waited too long.

But Shahrizat has run a very focused campaign that has seen her harnessing all her experience in women’s issues and will present a plan for the wing if she wins. On top of that, Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim who won the No 2 post unopposed has declared support for her.

The Umno Youth contest, like that for Wanita Umno, will take place on March 25, a day before the one for the main party.

Tense race

There has been so much interest in the battle for the Youth leadership that when a TV station featured the three men in a live debate, it was the talk of the party for several days.

One reason is that all three men are larger than life personalities in their own way – the son of the former Prime Minister, the son-in-law of the present Prime Minister, and a former Mentri Besar.

The antagonism among them has grown as personal as that for the Wanita Umno fight.

Khairy Jamaluddin and Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir have had a prickly relationship since the day Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad began attacking Abdullah.

They cannot stand the sight of each other but have to see each other almost every day now that the party’s meet-the-delegates sessions are in full swing.

Every night, they have to endure the “clapping politics” that has become a feature of these sessions. Each time a candidate’s name is called out, supporters clap and cheer and onlookers cannot help but compare who gets the loudest cheers and applause.

In Negri Sembilan recently, many noticed Mukhriz had a more enthusiastic reception than the other contenders when his name was called out. But Mukhriz, who had seemed unstoppable at the nominations stage, is struggling to catch up.

Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, on his part, entered the contest feeling like a stepchild with no famous family name to ride on.

But he has defied the odds and Umno straw polls have him in the lead. This, despite the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor exposing scandal after scandal that have allegedly taken place in Dr Khir’s administration.

A survey by the Merdeka Centre had some revealing insight into who Malaysian voters preferred as leaders in Umno. There is evidently a big gap between this and Umno delegates’ preferences for Umno.

The party should give some thought to it because it is the voters who will decide whether the party will remain in power or fall.

The finishing line is in sight for those contesting posts although nothing is for sure until they breast the tape. But Umno politics and personalities will take centrestage over the next two weeks.

- MSTAR
www.mstar.com.my

Read More →

A chance to undo mistakes

In the coming party elections, Umno delegates must pick leaders who are moderate and able to articulate the wishes of not just the Malays but the rest of Malaysians as well.

UMNO delegates must bear in mind two things when they attend the coming party general assembly – the way they deliver their speeches and who they choose to lead the party.

They must be reminded that Umno is the backbone of the Barisan Nasional that lost five states in the March 8 general election.

It may have snatched back Perak from the Pakatan Rakyat but with so much resentment on the ground, no one can predict the fate of the Barisan in the next elections.

The fact is that except for Penang, the rest of the states in which it lost badly were Malay-dominated areas.

When the delegates take to the rostrum, they have to remember that their speeches and the way they are delivered will have an impact on Umno and the other Barisan component parties.

We want to hear Umno delegates talk about the coming financial tsunami and how we need to fend off the effects. This is not the time to talk about who gets what slice of the cake but about making sure there is still a cake for Malaysians.

They can take the easy way out by playing the racial card, get the applause of some communal-minded members and win party votes but they will alienate a massive chunk of voters.

The general assembly is unlikely to be telecast live this time but rest assured, the contents of the speeches and mannerism of the speakers would make it to YouTube, the video-sharing portal.

Credible leaders

Umno leaders have a chance to redeem the mistakes of the past at this coming party meeting.

They not only have to win back the Malay votes but they should also never alienate the non-Malay voters, who have in the past been their lifeline, but the political scenario has changed as PAS has cleverly reinvented itself to the Chinese and Indians.

The rest of Malaysians may not be voting but they are certainly entitled to have many expectations of the 2,500 delegates.

Malaysians have a right to see men and women of integrity and credibility being elected into places of leadership in Umno.

We want Umno delegates to pick leaders who are moderate and able to articulate the wishes of not just the Malays but the rest of Malaysians as well.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has won the Umno presidency unopposed and is set to be the next Prime Minister.

Surely, he would want intelligent people of calibre in his Cabinet, as well as his Deputy Prime Minister.

Umno delegates need to vote in competent leaders who understand the complexities of a global economy, especially in this doom-laden period. It is not about whether a candidate smiles more or not. It is not a popularity contest.

They must be leaders who can help him face the challenges ahead, not burden him further with their baggage.

Out with the corrupt

Can Malaysians be blamed if they perceive Umno as a corrupt party when, as ordinary people, they hear of how huge sums of money are required to secure party posts, even at the branch level?

They ask cynically whether it’s true that only a few thousand ringgit is the normal amount as reported in money politics cases, or is it many times more?

Malaysia is doomed if corrupt figures lead Umno because, ultimately, the posts would have been sold to the biggest bidders.

These corrupt figures would be indebted to their financiers and the money spent would have to be recouped. It would also send the wrong message to the civil servants – if the bosses can put their hands in the baskets, why can’t the underling who just wants to earn a living?

Politicians need a war chest, let’s not kid ourselves. Money is needed for campaigns. There would be expenses, no doubt, and there would be reimbursements.

From the US presidential campaign to the elections in Britain, politicians receive donations, especially from powerful lobbyists.

But that’s quite different from pressing money into the hands of delegates for a vote. That’s corruption – pure and simple.

Umno leaders have to park in their mind that there is little point in winning this battle but losing the war.

Najib has to put things right – it’s time for direct party elections to be carried out as that would wipe away corruption and the powerful division heads who treat politics as a business.

- THE STAR
www.thestar.com.my

Read More →

‘Voodoo’ scare in Batang Ai

Pre-election campaigning in Batang Ai has taken a supernatural twist with Barisan Nasio-nal leaders warning of dire consequences for breaking longhouses taboo.

Although nominations of candidates are two weeks’ away, Barisan and opposition leaders have started hurling abuses at each other.

The latest statement made by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu anak Numpang surely tops the list of quotable quotes.

Jabu, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu deputy president and also State Minister for Rural Development and Infrastruc-ture Development and Communi-cations, warned opposition campaigners and native Ibans of “supernatural repercussions” that awaited those who allowed “outsiders” to enter longhouses and villages.

Jabu said that a resident of the longhouse died of mysterious circumstances two days ago after the longhouse folk allowed opposition members to enter their premises to launch a party branch.

“These outsiders do not understand that there are certain sets of rituals that must be strictly adhere to before they can enter the longhouses.

“They must respect these traditional beliefs or else the longhouse folks will suffer from the repercussions,” he said.

Jabu warned longhouse folks not to allow “outsiders” into their premises.

The opposition has accused the Barisan of trying to intimidate the voters ahead of nomination and polling.

Former three-term Sri Aman Member of Parliament Datuk Jimmy Donald, who has switched from Parti Rakyat Sarawak to Parti Keadilan Rakyat, said BN leaders in Sarawak are trying to prevent opposition leaders from entering the state.

“They (state Barisan leaders) want to stop opposition leaders from entering Sarawak. To Barisan, it would be an advantage if they can stop them from visiting the voters.

“That is why they are employing scare tactics to prevent the voters from meeting us during our visits and ceramah,” he said.

The Batang Ai by-election is held following the death of incumbent Barisan assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unting last month.

The by-election for the Iban-majority seat of 8,061 voters will be held simultaneously with the by-elections in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau.

Nomination Day is on March 29 and polling is on April 7.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Commentary - How long can this political crisis go on?

Politics in Perak has reached a more urgent level after the drama of an open-air “emergency assembly sitting” but there is no sign that either side is ready to concede.

It was not a scene that many in the crowd thought they would witness in their lifetime – a State Legislative Assembly “sitting” in the shade of a giant raintree smack in the middle of Ipoh.

Or, at least, that was what the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen declared it to be.

They were in formal suit and tie, the Speaker V. Sivakumar wore his embroidered songkok and ceremonial robes while the almost brand new Toyota Camry bearing the official seal of the Mentri Besar was parked nearby.

It was quite a surreal scene but the huge crowd that turned up to watch the event seemed to take it rather seriously.

But then, so much of what has happened in Perak in recent weeks has not been anything that Perakians imagined they would see.

And after what happened yesterday, it is difficult to see how much longer things can go on this way.

There seems to be twin sets of everything in Perak – two Mentris Besar, two executive councils and even two sets of lawyers representing the respective sides. It has become quite farcical.

Both the Pakatan and Barisan Nasional have tried to checkmate each other every step of the way and the result has been a political stalemate that has left Perakians confused, frustrated and unhappy.

Reporters have had an even more uniquely tough time. If they refer to Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir as the Mentri Besar, they are reprimanded by Pakatan supporters; if they refer to Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the Mentri Besar, they are reprimanded by Barisan supporters.

There are two governments and no opposition in Perak, as they say.

The question on many people’s mind is: When and how will all of this end?

The Merdeka Centre survey on how people felt about this issue was quite apparent on the ground yesterday. The Pakatan crowd saw a racially mixed group while the Malay sentiment was clearly split.

Among the more hardcore supporters on either side, there is very real anger over what they see as their right to power as illustrated by a number of brief but fierce scuffles yesterday.

Were it not for the political handlers controlling the situation, things could have become really ugly.

Yesterday’s events demonstrated just how determined Pakatan is in pushing the boundaries and in challenging the political standing and legality of the new Barisan government.

It is evident Pakatan has no intention of backing off from its claim to power even though Nizar looked like he had lost weight and the Speaker seemed quite overwhelmed as he was escorted to his car after the dramatic morning.

As far as they are concerned, the State Legislative Assembly has been dissolved and Dr Zambry and his six executive councillors have been suspended.

Their goal is to force a state election, something the Barisan has little intention of doing.

“They have filed legal suits to challenge the legality of the new Mentri Besar and to declare the seats vacant. Let the courts decide instead of resorting to street action,” said Datuk Chang Ko Youn, an adviser in Dr Zambry’s executive council.

He said Nizar should have asked for a dissolution of the State Assembly when he still enjoyed the majority.

“It was only after he lost the majority that he pressed for fresh elections. It was too late,” said Chang.

Analogies have been drawn between what is happening in Perak to that in Thailand, where the King consented to the formation of a new government after the incumbent regime lost its majority in Parliament.

But the Thai solution has not been ideal because the losing side has resorted to street protests or people power as they call it.

As for Perakians, they cannot even see the light at the end of the tunnel. But everywhere one goes in Ipoh, people have an opinion on the politics around them.

Even the Chinese, so notorious for keeping their political opinions close to their chest, are now getting it off their chest to just about anyone who will listen.

But it cannot be denied that regardless of whether people support Pakatan, Barisan or are undecided, there is widespread sentiment that the medium-term solution lies in a state election.

Otherwise, the political drama will continue with no real winners and the losers will be the rakyat.

The people are looking to the Perak palace for a wise solution.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Solve disputes the right way

By MARINA MAHATHIR

Politicians have been shoving and calling each other names. We’ve said big countries shouldn’t bully small ones and yet at home, a group of able-bodied men thought nothing of behaving aggressively towards an old man in a wheelchair.

Some time ago, my nine-year old called me from school in tears because another child, much bigger than her, had shoved her.

I happened to know the mother of the other child so I called her to find out if mine had done anything to warrant it. She was appalled that her child had decided to solve a problem that way.

So she talked to her child and the next day my daughter received an apology.

Among decent right-minded people, we know that the way to solve disputes is by talking and not by pushing and shoving.

What’s more, one side cannot take advantage of the other because of any perceived weakness such as size or disability. That is not a fair fight. It’s called bullying.

If parents do not instil this sense of fairness in children from young, as my friend did, they will grow up to believe that might is always right and aggression is the only way to solve problems.

Judging by the amount of bullying we now see in schools, obviously not many children are receiving this lesson.

But who can blame them? Today we see adults who are in leadership positions and who should know better behaving no differently from schoolchildren. School bullies, to be exact.

Of late, politicians have been shoving, calling each other names and doing everything gross and crude to gain an advantage over their political adversaries.

And when called out on these, they refuse to apologise, thereby setting new levels of low in political culture and behaviour.

We used to shout out that big powerful countries should not bully small ones. Yet at home, we see a whole group of able-bodied people behaving aggressively towards an old man in a wheelchair.

Apparently this behaviour is warranted because he said some bad words about the group.

Does this warrant such aggression? Isn’t this a bit like saying that girls who wear miniskirts deserve to be raped? Or maybe this group of thugs does believe this.

Do their leaders admonish them? No, they provide excuses instead. They cannot control their followers, they said. That is a bit like Israel saying they can’t control what their F16s hit on the ground in Gaza.

Leaders who say they cannot control their followers do not deserve that title.

Is it really too much to ask for a return to civility in our politicians? Do we seriously need all this bad-temperedness just because they can’t get what they want?

It’s like watching a bunch of kindergarten children stomping their feet because they did not get the candy they wanted. Not one mature adult in the bunch.

I don’t know what bubble our politicians live in that they seem totally oblivious to the rest of us.

Don’t they realise that we, the public, are watching and forming opinions? And more importantly, already making decisions about whom we will or won’t vote for?

I, for one, will not vote for anyone who acts like a thug, for the simple reason that if I consent to a thug leading my country, I will only feel ashamed. How do I defend such uncouth people to foreign friends?

If such uncivilised people had other redeeming factors, such as fresh and new ideas on how to lead the country, that would be something. But they don’t even have that. Instead, all we can expect is more of the same and worse.

There are some countries in the world where politicians are so incompetent and governments so ineffective that almost everything is run by NGOs and civil society organisations.

The schools and hospitals run by these NGOs are excellent while those run by the government are abysmal.

While I am impressed by these efforts, I can’t help thinking that it is also an indictment of the governments, which have failed to meet any of their people’s needs.

Our problem in Malaysia is that we are so used to the Government doing everything that if it becomes incompetent, we have nothing to fall back on. Private sector services are expensive, so they are not a viable alternative for most people.

Looking at the type of people vying to run the Government these days, is there a single person who we can even look up to? Who we feel has the qualities we can admire in a leader? Who has some sort of vision of where we want to be in the future? Who isn’t constantly compromising something or other for political expediency?

I may sound naive about current political realities but maybe it’s time for a new type of politics. Otherwise, given the type of simian behaviour we are seeing these days, we may well turn into a banana republic.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Three by-elections on April 7

The Election Commission has fixed March 29 as nomination day for the Batang Ai by-election, while polling day is on April 7.

The nomination and polling dates are the same as the by-elections for the Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat in Perak and the Bukit Selambau state seat in Kedah.

Chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof announced the dates after the Commission met at the Kuching Hilton Wednesday.

The Batang Ai seat fell vacant following the death of four-term assemblyman Datuk Dublin Unting Ingkot on Feb 24.

Ingkot, also former state Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) vice-president, died nine months after he fell into coma following a stroke.

PRS, a Dayak-based Barisan Nasional component party, is expected to meet Thursday to decide on the candidate for the by-election.

Barisan is expected to face PKR, part of the Pakatan Rakyat alliance, and independent(s) in the fight.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Sometimes it’s nice to be No. 1

Some claimed it was a divine signal from above. Others found it somewhat fishy while the more rational-minded thought it was simply uncanny.

They were all talking about the assignment of ballot numbers for those contesting for posts in next month’s Umno elections on Tuesday at the Putra World Trade Centre.

Umno circles are abuzz over the way certain leading favourites in the elections have uncannily picked the number “1” while the underdogs have ended up with the lesser and less glamorous numbers.

Muslims are not into numerology the way the Chinese are. But in an election as important as the one ahead, the number “1” assumes added significance even where there may be none.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, normally so poker-faced, must have grinned from ear to ear when he learnt that he had drawn No. 1 in the three-cornered fight for the deputy president’s post.

His rivals Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib took the No. 2 and No. 3 slots respectively.

All three were not present but their representatives made the draw, which was conducted ala lucky draw style, on their behalf.

An excited murmur rippled through those gathered in the hall when the order of numbers was announced for deputy president post.

But the excitement grew quite palpable when the ballot numbers for the eight vice-presidential contenders took place.

Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, the clear favourite, actually secured the No. 1 placing, followed by Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal and Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

Shafie and Dr Rais, according to word going around on the ground, also happen to be the personal choices of the incoming president.

“I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the papers. I’m not into numerology and all that jazz, but it has to be more than just coincidence,” said Khairuddin Mat Zain, an Umno member from Wangsa Maju.

Khairuddin, who was until recently part of the Youth wing, was naturally disappointed that outgoing Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein had drawn No. 8.

“But my Chinese friends say that ‘8’ is a lucky number,” he said.

However, the coincidence that took the cake was the draw for the three candidates eyeing the Umno Youth leadership.

Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir drew No. 1, Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo No. 2 and Khairy Jamaluddin No. 3.

It matched the order by which the three were placed during the nomination stage. And as Mukhriz’s supporters hope, the way the race will turn out.

“We aren’t superstitious but it is a morale booster for us,” said a Mukhriz aide.

It does seem like the contest may have narrowed down to Mukhriz versus Dr Khir, especially after the televised debate involving the three men.

Dr Khir lived up to his moniker of the dark horse because he was, much to everyone’s surprise, the most impressive of the three.

In the Wanita Umno contest, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil’s supporters were not too pleased that she drew No. 2 to Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz’s No. 1.

However, Shahrizat’s ally Raja Ropiaah Raja Abdullah drew No. 1 in the supreme council race where 51 people are vying for 25 seats.

The intellectual Datuk Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah who narrowly lost out in the supreme council race in 2004, drew No. 2 and he is hoping that it signifies better luck this time around.

Former Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid drew No. 51, the final number among the supreme council names. His supporters are probably keeping their fingers crossed that it does not mean the end of the road for this affable politician.

Kedah politician Datuk Rosnah Majid said it best: “It’s fun, that’s all.” With just about a month more to go before polling day, everything matters.

Supporters of some candidates had even prayed the night before for their men to secure a good ballot number.

Some people are said to have grown so desperate about their chances, they have turned to more esoteric sources for help.

For instance, there has been much discussion about a close aide of a candidate going for a key post who has not been seen in town the last few days.

Supporters from the rival camp are suggesting that the person has gone to either Indonesia or Thailand to seek the services of a bomoh.

Bomoh inputs are not unheard of although their consultancy has decreased over the years. And even when it comes to bomoh services, foreign is apparently still better than home-grown.

But given that this election will usher in a new president in Umno who will go on to become the next Prime Minister, it may be more pertinent to be associated with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak than with a top number or a powerful bomoh.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Heads or tails for Rafidah & Shahrizat?

By JOCELINE TAN

The fight for the Wanita Umno leadership has intensified and Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz and her challenger Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil are barely on talking terms.

Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz has not looked this good in years. The Wanita Umno chief has slimmed down and her below the shoulder-length hair also makes her look softer and more contemporary.

She has updated her dressing and looked quite chic in a striking fuchsia pink outfit at the Wanita Umno meeting on Friday.

The former minister looks much younger than her 66 years, which is a good thing, considering that she is hoping to win another term as the leader of the women’s wing.

But if party accounts are to be believed, her rival for the top post, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, has sprinted ahead of her.

Shahrizat’s prospects received a huge boost when Datuk Kamilia Ibrahim, who is Shahrizat’s running mate in the contest, was officially returned unopposed as the new Wanita deputy chief on Thursday.

Shahrizat can now claim the newly-declared No. 2 as her ally and ready to work with her from day one.

At best, Rafidah can only claim that she is willing to work with Kamilia because relations between the two Perakians have been anything but warm despite Rafidah being the Kuala Kangsar MP and Kamilia the Kuala Kangsar Wanita chief.

The reason is that although Kamilia is neither glamorous nor stylish, she is a strong woman who has no patience to play games with the powerful clique around Rafidah.

Just days before nominations closed, some of Rafidah’s loyalists had told Shahrizat point blank to withdraw from the contest.

They implied she would lose because she was associated with the outgoing president and that “everybody will be against you.”

A month ago, Shahrizat would have crumbled in tears at this sort of bullying but since returning from Mecca with her mother a fortnight ago, she has found a new and calmer equilibrium.

Apparently, she just smiled and said: “Who? Me, resign? The fight is on. Win or lose, I will accept it.”

At a Kedah function on Saturday, she had to endure stinging remarks from Rafidah’s allies when they sat down for lunch.

Shahrizat had initially agreed to stay on in her No. 2 post but changed her mind midway and the circle around Rafidah is still angry with her for that.

She sat through the tense atmosphere at lunch without a word. But she had already tasted her revenge before lunch started because when the emcee announced Rafidah and her names at the start of the function, the applause for Shahrizat was much louder than that for Rafidah.

Although the Wanita Umno campaign has been quite contained, there have been very personal attacks behind the scenes.

Rafidah and Shahrizat are barely on talking terms. They meet only at official functions, they have stopped exchanging hugs and kisses and are now limited to formal handshakes.

Rafidah’s earlier edge over her challenger had to do with the perception that the senior circle around Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak felt indebted to her for her role in speeding up the leadership transition.

She had been among those who spoke at a pivotal Umno supreme council meeting, telling the Prime Minister that he had to go earlier than 2010. Since then, Najib’s boys have been reluctant to take sides in the women’s fight even though Najib wants to usher in a bold, new team.

They felt Rafidah deserved some respect for speaking up. On the other hand, Shahrizat had painted herself into the Pak Lah corner by staying silent on the transition issue.

But sources said that Najib is staying above the fray in the contests in the three wings. He feels that for effective leaders to emerge, the political process should be allowed to take its course at the level of the wings so that those who win are people who the ground wants.

Rafidah’s standing received a boost when she was seen flying in several times with the Deputy Prime Minister during the Kuala Terengganu by-election. Rafidah was merely exercising her power of incumbency.

She enjoys support from many of the state Wanita chiefs who were appointed by her.

But as Shahrizat’s people said: “Kepala sokong Rafidah, ekor sokong Shahrizat” (the head or the top is with Rafidah while the tail or the ground is with Shahrizat).

So will it be heads or tails in the Wanita Umno fight?

Unfortunately, the contest is much more complicated than just tossing a coin.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Commentary - Look at issues rationally

With Malaysians being increasingly caught in political partisanship, we need to keep a cool head and not get over-emotional.

A scumbag. And that’s a mild word to describe the person who took and circulated lewd photographs of Selangor state executive councillor and Bukit Lanjan state assemblyman Elizabeth Wong, which caused her downfall.

Her boyfriend, Hilmi Malek, has been blamed for the disgusting action and if the allegations are true, he should be arrested soon and made to face the consequences.

But if Malek, a 32-year-old special assistant to the PJ Selatan MP Hee Loy Sian, has been wrongly accused, he should defend himself.

He is now being regarded as a spurned ex-lover who had wanted to hit back at the 38-year-old novice politician for a relationship that went disastrously wrong. Or worse, as someone who had been paid to carry out a dirty job on her.

In the murky world of politics, Hilmi owes it to his Parti Keadilan Rakyat members to come out with his side of the story.

Unfortunately, Malaysians now have to get used to politicians who flee the country without giving much-needed explanations.

Like in the case of Bukit Selambau assemblyman V. Arumugam, who faces allegations of bigamy. He quit, albeit through a letter sent via a third party, without the decency of explaining his move to his constituency and supporters.

Is he being pressured or threatened by the Barisan Nasional, as his party chiefs are claiming, or is he is just running away from serious personal problems? Unfortunately, the voters who picked him have been left on their own to speculate and in politically partisan Malay­sia, views have become pretty predictable. If you support PKR, his life must surely be in danger and if you are in the Barisan, he is just a bad husband and father.

As for Hilmi, we are told that he is now in Indonesia, and by a strange coincidence, Wong is also said to be in the same country.

Last week, Eli, as the former non-governmental organisation activist is popularly known, described her experience “as the darkest episode of my life” and “I have never felt so alone, vulnerable and humiliated”.

Wong, who has offered to resign from her state exco post and state assemblyman seat, said she had been told that there would be a fresh assault, with more photographs and videos released and circulated.

She said she has left the country “to search for peace of mind and get away from the stormy events surrounding me”.

Wong is not alone. Most Malaysians with any sense of decency and conscience stand by her and are even questioning her decision to quit her posts, however honourable it may be.

Her case cannot be compared with that of MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, who is married and was filmed having sex with another woman. Wong is a mature and single urbanite, serving multi-racial urban constituents who certainly don’t expect her to practise celibacy. They picked a state assembly representative, not a nun.

She is entitled to her personal life and what she does behind closed doors at home is none of anybody’s business. It has nothing to do with her performance as an elected representative.

She has said the photographs were taken when she was asleep, which meant she did not pose for Hilmi or any other person. If she was aware, the situation might take a different dimension but we should take her word for it at this point.

It is not fair for anyone to prejudge her. Who are we to decide on her morality, with all our flaws, weaknesses and sins? Certainly it is not right for any Barisan Nasional supporter to attack her because she is from PKR.

But on that note, the opposition should also not be too quick to blame the circulation of Wong’s revealing photos on the Barisan. It could well be internal sabotage by powerful forces within the PKR who feel that Wong has stood in the way of their agenda.

It has been said that Wong, an uncompromising figure on hill development in Selangor, had stepped on the toes of powerful people in the state, who may have just backed certain politicians.

It is easy for PKR leaders to blame the Barisan for the party’s shortcomings. The two Perak PKR assemblymen, who were arrested and charged with corruption, were defended by party leaders relentlessly, even to the extent of describing their arrests as political sabotage.

But the minute they quit PKR to become Independents, they suddenly became discards and unworthy politicians tainted with corruption. Suddenly, it was a case of good riddance, and good luck to the Barisan for taking in these allegedly corrupt politicians.

For some, the possibility that Wong could be a victim of an ex-lover or a rival politician within the PKR seems far-fetched. It has to be another evil act from the Barisan in the black-and-white world of Malaysian politics. The establishment’s lack of credibility is the cause for such public perception and perception is everything in politics.

We have become too caught up in partisanship. We may not agree with the politics of the Barisan or Pakatan Rakyat but certain issues need to be looked at with a clear mind.

And just because Wong is PKR, she has to be deemed immoral with a questionable lifestyle when we know there are plenty, including those in the Barisan component parties, who project a religiously pious personality but see little wrong in corruption. Not many would want to condemn such immorality.

There’s also a lesson for PAS and its many self-appointed guardians of morality: Do not be too quick to prejudge others. Surely, they too would want to walk with Eli now.

Malaysians need to take a step back and stop looking at issues too emotionally. Partisanship and inability to evaluate issues rationally can tear the nation apart.

Read More →

The bad and ugly side of politics

It has been a terrible fall from grace for Bukit Lanjan assemblyman Elizabeth Wong. Despite calls for her to stand her ground and not resign, it would have been quite untenable for her to soldier on.

During a late night meeting earlier this week, an exasperated Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim threw his hands into the air and said with some feeling: “Aku gelak, tension sangat!” (I have to laugh, there is too much tension).

It was his way of letting off steam after a week of high-drama politics for the party.

The PKR de facto leader had every reason to tension sangat, the Malay slang for being under pressure.

Anwar’s party is still staggering under the weight of the Elizabeth Wong issue, there are two by-elections round the corner and the political instability in Perak has climbed to a new level.

Anwar had missed the opening of Parliament on Monday and when he turned up the next day, he was mobbed by the media with questions about the fate of the Bukit Lanjan assemblyman.

It has been a terrible fall from grace for Wong.

Her party has asked her to go on long leave while they mull over her decision to resign from all her posts. The beleaguered politician, who has not even completed her first year as a Yang Berhormat, went abroad on Thursday.

Her supporters inside and outside the party have defended her and urged her not to resign.

Beyond control

But it should be clear by now that there is really no way she can stay on without inviting further damage to herself and her party.

The photograph scandal is now beyond her control. It has taken on a life of its own.

Although she has been pointedly silent about who might have taken the pictures of her, the identity of the culprit, for want of a better term, is out in the open.

He is allegedly an ex-boyfriend known as Hilmi Malek and his name was one of the most Googled last week.

The photograph of him, showing a clean-cut young man wearing a boyish smile and a black t-shirt, with a book and cigarette in hand, has appeared in some newspapers.

Discussion and speculation about the ex-couple and the circumstances in which the photographs were taken are all over the Internet.

The police want to question him, the media wants to interview him and everyone is talking about what a looker he is.

The spotlight has moved on to mystery man Hilmi.

Who exactly is he? What was his motive in leaking the pictures? Was it character assassination and if so, was it prompted by enemies from outside or was it an inside job?

Was she the actual target or is she just a tool to hit at bigger personalities in the party such as Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim’s leadership?

Or was it simply a soured love affair?

The Elizabeth Wong scandal has raised more questions than provided answers.

PKR leaders have been quick to accuse “political enemies” of being behind the issue.

“The way the scandal broke, just as Parliament opened, was too coincidental. It suggests a political agenda by politically connected people. People were talking about it in the Parliament lobby, that our pigeon holes were about to be flooded with the photographs,” said PKR vice-president and Petaling Jaya Utara MP R. Sivarasa.

Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, has condemned it as “gutter politics.”

“(Datuk Seri Dr) Khir Toyo was very quick to jump in and condemn Elizabeth. I find it comical and hypocritical. They are hoping for a crisis in the state government but it’s not going to happen because we have a strong majority,” said Nik Nazmi who is also political secretary to the Mentri Besar.

It is not difficult to imagine PKR’s opponents using such tactics to undermine the party in Selangor.

But it is also well known that the grassroots faction in PKR was angered by appointments like Wong and several others to the state executive council. This faction was upset with Khalid, the Selangor Mentri Besar, for not giving greater consideration to long-time grassroots loyalists when he formed his state executive council.

Khalid had apparently picked people like Wong, who came from the NGO camp of PKR, rather than grassroots leaders because he wanted to de-politicise his executive council. But it was seen as sidelining those who had been with the party from the very start.

However, said a party insider: “There is infighting in the party but it has not come to this extent.”

Party members who are acquainted with the alleged culprit prefer to subscribe to a less conspiratorial scenario. They believe it is basically a love affair gone seriously wrong.

But they admitted the way the photographs were made available to selected media outlets suggested that the individual might also have been exploited by people opposed to the party.

Now that Wong is out of the country, the media circus will move on to the still missing Hilmi. He has been incommunicado for more than two weeks but he has to turn up at some point or other.

The party’s political bureau was initially divided on whether Wong should resign. It was only when those at the meeting were informed that there might be more pictures and a 30-minute video that they reluctantly agreed she had to go.

Wong is basically a contemporary woman whose career imploded when her private life spilled over into her political life.

In hindsight, the party’s political expediency was for the better because of the intense interest in and curiosity about her lifestyle. All sorts of details, whether accurate or exaggerated, are leaking out.

Adverse publicity

Although people are genuinely sympathetic, they are not exactly adverse to jokes being made at her expense and unsavoury remarks about her photographs.

Moreover, the Muslim-Malay opinion is also starting to emerge, and she may find that sympathy over her private affairs is rather thin in that quarter.

Despite the good intentions of her colleagues that she stand her ground, it would have been quite untenable for her to soldier on.

Her life is being stripped bare and as she said in a statement before leaving for her break, “I have never felt so alone, vulnerable and humiliated.”

“The important thing is taking responsibility and she passed that test,” said Selangor PKR Youth chief Khairul Anuar.

Khairul had left for an overseas assignment at the height of the Perak crisis.

“I was in the Mentri Besar’s house listening to a ceramah the night before I went off. When I came back a week later, another issue was burning in Selangor, my own backyard. It has been a non-stop attack on us,” he said.

There is really too much politics going around and it may very soon reach saturation point for the common man.

The Merdeka Centre, in indepth interviews with voters in Selangor recently, found that people are concerned about the excessive politicking happening around them.

The centre’s director Ibrahim Suffian said that those interviewed think there have been too many political controversies. They complained that salaries have not gone up and prices of goods have not come down even though petrol price has been reduced.

The cost of living is still too high for them to cope. Those in the manufacturing sector are very worried about their jobs. There have been cutbacks in overtime and bonuses have been scrapped.

“The thing is, they are equally disillusioned and fed-up with both the ruling party and the Opposition,” said Ibrahim.

Elizabeth Wong may feel she is a victim of politics. If it’s any consolation, the common people out there also feel that their priorities are being sidelined by excessive politics.

Read More →

Commentary - It’s in the Constitution

By AZMI SHAROM
Teacher of Law

Sultans and Rajas are constitutional monarchs and have powers determined by the Federal Constitution.

I wish that all those people calling for Karpal Singh’s head would just take a minute and pick up the Federal Constitution. Turn to Article 182 and you will see provisions for a “Special Court”.

The job of this Special Court is to try civil proceedings brought against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or any of the Sultans.

This was not always the case. Before 1993, the rulers had absolute immunity. And before 1984, they actually had the power to veto legislation. These powers were taken away by the Barisan Nasional government headed by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

DAP chairman Karpal Singh’s desire for the Sultan of Perak to be brought to court is reasonable and allowed for by law. Besides, I think it is a good thing that the King and the Sultans can be brought to court.

You see, the days of the all-powerful king is gone now and that is, for me at least, progress. It shows that we are a society that values democracy.

Yes, we have Sultans and Rajas, but they are constitutional monarchs. This means that they have powers determined by the Constitution and not some divine power to do as they wish. This being the case, surely if they overstep their boundaries, if they behave in an unconstitutional manner, they should be challenged – respectfully, properly – in a court of law.

Now, did the Sultan of Perak act in a way that was unconstitutional when he appointed a new Mentri Besar? It is arguable.

The power to appoint a Mentri Besar is clearly at the discretion of the Sultan. This is one of the few real powers that he has. A power that he does not have is to dismiss an existing Mentri Besar.

Usually this does not raise many problems. During the last general election, we saw the Sultan of Perak and the Sultan of Terengganu both deciding on who should be the new Mentri Besar of their respective states.

They made decisions that went against the desires of the majority party in both state legislative assemblies. The two monarchs thought that their choices commanded the confidence of the two Houses and were the best men for the job. It was their prerogative.

But the current case in Perak is different. The Sultan chose a new Mentri Besar while the old one was still in office. By appointing a new man, he was in effect sacking the old one. And sacking the Mentri Besar is not within his constitutional powers.

I think there is room for debate on this matter and, ideally, it should be settled in the Special Court.

Actually, I am rather curious as to why the Sultan did not just dissolve the state assembly when requested. All this party-hopping business was wreaking havoc on the public’s faith in the democratic system.

Surely, the clearest and fairest way out of the debacle was to have fresh state elections.

For the sake of continued faith in democracy, I would have thought the Sultan, who has spoken many times so eloquently about democracy and rule of law, would have just said “right, let the people decide again”.

After all, the greatest threat to political, and thus national, stability are a people who have lost their faith in the democratic system. It is only when such faith is lost that extreme behaviour emerges.

Anyway, what is done is done; legal battles are being fought over the Perak matter and that particular crisis will be settled in its own time.

Meanwhile, there is much that can still be achieved. The states ruled by Pakatan Rakyat must continue to push their agenda forward and live up to their election promises.

For example, I notice with a little dismay that the new Selangor government has yet to withdraw the case against Sagong Tasi.

In 2002, Sagong obtained a judgment in his favour by the Court of Appeal which held that his Orang Asli community had a propriety interest in their customary land. This meant that when the land was taken by the government, they should have been properly compensated.

This case was against the former state government and, of course, Datuk Seri Khir Toyo and his men appealed the decision.

Considering the fact that Pakatan Rakyat is concerned about justice and fair treatment to all Malaysians, and considering also that the last MB of Perak was making headway in granting proper titles to the Orang Asli in his state, the current Selangor government should just stop the action.

Yes, the battle of Perak must continue. But there are many other battles to be fought and won. Fairness and justice must be striven for on all fronts, continuously. It’s easy to forget this amid the shrill cries of “traitor” by the ill-informed.

- THE STAR

Read More →

Commentary - Time to cut the fat and waste

The economic downturn should be an opportunity to re-examine the New Economic Policy, government procurement, the pricing system and the system of subsidies.

Two by-elections for Malaysians right after the political drama in Perak. And let’s not forget the two other by-elections in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu.

I don’t think many Malaysians are looking forward to the prospect of the two by-elections. The rising political temperature is draining our energy from more pressing concerns such as the economic crisis.

The storm clouds are gathering fast and the Government, private sector and individual Malaysians should be in a state of readiness for what could be a very challenging time for the Malaysian economy.

So, how should we respond? By being bold and brave. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has said that the Government is ready to unveil a mini-budget soon.

It’s termed a mini budget rather than a stimulus package because it is not just providing allocations that can generate growth but incentives would have to be included.

If the RM7bil stimulus package in Novem­ber was aimed at boosting domestic demands and perking up the construction sector, it is hoped that the mini-budget will focus on reducing the cost of doing business in Malay­sia and making some structural changes to the economy.

Making sacrifices

Malaysia’s Industrial Production Index is down and so are the country’s exports. This is a sure sign that the manufacturing sector is hurting and jobs are at risk.

To preempt any mass retrenchment, the Government should consider allowing employers to reduce their contribution to the EPF and suspend their payments to some funds, including the Human Resource Development Fund.

These savings will boost the reserves of companies and small and medium-sized enterprises, allowing them to keep retrenchment to a minimum.

We can already hear the unions baying for blood but the reality is very simple – jobs are going to be lost during this crunch time and everyone has got to be on the same page to ensure that unemployment numbers are kept down.

If this means suspending some of the employers’ contributions for a period of time, so be it. Workers should also be prepared to make some sacrifices. Some companies have already started asking their workers to work fewer days in the month. This is the result of a drop-off in demand for goods and services.

It’s simple. The United States and Europe no longer have the capacity to consume more goods; they just can’t afford it.

That means Malaysian factories are no longer required to produce more. Factories have no choice but to cut down production and reduce expenditure to save jobs.

It is possible that more companies in Malay­sia would have to shorten working hours and cut down on overtime. All in the name of keeping businesses going and keeping people on the payroll.

The priority of the Government has to be to save jobs. The goal of boosting domestic demands and keeping consumption at healthy levels will come to naught if Malaysians are out of work.

The mini-budget should also focus on spreading funds to projects which can be implemented speedily and easily. Building medium-cost houses and other major infrastructure has significant multiplier effect but all these take time to take off the ground. Land has to be acquired, approvals obtained and obstacles overcome.

In short, it will take some time before the funds from the Govern­ment get to the developer or contractor.

Treating the malady

As an alternative, the Government should focus on maintenance and repair of schools, maintenance of government flats and replacement of water pipes. Money can be disbursed faster and the spillover effects will also be felt faster.

The fact that school boards of management can now decide on their contractors is in the right direction.

That would result in fewer complaints of shoddy work, over-priced jobs and contract jobs that are dominated by one race.

But it is hoped that the mini-budget will not just be about pump-priming and short-term measures. Businessmen, foreign investors and analysts agree that Malaysia’s attractiveness as a place to invest and do business has been eroded by structural problems.

So the Government should view the economic downturn as an opportunity to re-examine all the assumptions and policies which have underpinned the Malaysian economy all these years. This includes the New Economic Policy, government procurement, the pricing system and the system of subsidies.

Nothing can be sacred in these unprecedented times. This is the time to cut the fat, eradicate waste and boost productivity without having to worry about offending the sacred cows, dead wood and Little Napoleons.

Read More →

Barisan faces crucial test

The Perak coup was a boost for the Barisan Nasional but it now has to do well in the coming by-elections to keep the momentum.

The official residence of the Perak Mentri Besar has been the hub of political activity in the past few weeks.

The lights have been burning through the night in the white, elegant building, with people coming and going at all hours of the day and night.

The new Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is living in his own house while Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin, who insists that he is the Mentri Besar, has decided he will move out of the official residence by the end of the month.

It has also been the “seat of government” for the ousted Pakatan Rakyat, leading local reporters to joke that there are “two governments in Perak and no opposition”.

The residence has also been the venue of several jam-packed events organised by the Pakatan side.

At one such event, a prayer session to seek divine guidance out of the crisis, the elderly imam sobbed as he recited the prayers, tears rolling uncontrollably down his cheeks. It was a stunning sight, and many in the mostly-male audience cried along with him.

It has been an emotional and drama-filled couple of weeks in Perak politics.

The controversial change of government dominated news headlines and events are still unfolding at a pace that is giving politicians and the media sleepless nights.

As for Perakians, they have never been this politicised. Everyone has an opinion about what has happened.

“Go to any coffeeshop and people will be talking politics,” said an Ipoh-based reporter.

Politics will continue to rank high on the agenda of Perak folk with the Bukit Gantang by-election set for April 7.

The air is thick with speculation of more cross-overs to come. The new administration has yet to fill several state exco positions and many see the vacancies as “dangling carrots” to tempt more assemblymen from the Pakatan side.

Players in the same game

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s I-have-the-numbers-game has backfired and it looks like his nemesis Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is the one holding the numbers.

And most interesting of all, neither side can claim the moral high ground because they are all players in the same game.

But the Perak coup has been a boost for the Barisan Nasional after months of being taunted with threats of MPs crossing the floor in Parliament.

“This is politics, it’s not illegal. Whoever commands the majority forms the government,” said Bukit Chandan assemblyman Datuk Wan Khairul Anwar.

Some Umno politicians even see the Perak development as a turning point for the party.

“It’s like the crack in the dam. Hopefully, it will lead to a flood,” said Wan Khairul.

But first there is the by-election in Bukit Gantang to deal with.

The Barisan’s edge is that it is going in as the ruling party. Toppling Pakatan has re-energised its rank and file and it will definitely not be taking the contest with a loser’s mentality.

Moreover, Najib who is the new Perak Umno chief will be Umno president by the time the contest starts and that will be an added shot in the arm for the Umno campaign.

On the other hand, the conventional wisdom is that Pakatan will be riding into the campaign on a wave of sympathy even though it was their own people – two from PKR and one from the DAP – who ended their spell in power.

State PAS deputy commissioner Asmuni Awi has described the by-election resulting from the sudden death of incumbent Roslan Shaharum as “God’s way for us to retest our strength.”

The three defectors who paved the way for the Barisan to return to power will definitely not be campaigning.

They are not exactly prime campaign material. Two of them are defending corruption charges in court whereas Jelapang assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong has become the most vilified woman in Perak.

Hee has been in hiding since her defection although a Chinese vernacular newspaper reported that she recently returned briefly to her mother’s house in the early hours of the morning.

The former DAP politician has been bombarded with insults and even threats. Hee, who is lame in the right leg as a result of childhood polio, reportedly received SMS threats from people vowing to lame her other leg.

She has had to bear the brunt of the people’s fury because she was the straw that broke the back of the Pakatan government. Some have said DAP leaders had encouraged the outpouring of condemnation so as to deter other would-be defectors.

“Defections from DAP are not new but she caused the Government to collapse. For that, no one can forgive her,” said DAP national Youth chief Anthony Loke.

In fact, it is difficult to imagine how the three can continue as wakil rakyat given the degree of public opinion against them.

Split Malay opinion

A Merdeka Centre survey showed that the majority of those polled supported having fresh elections, with 33% favouring fresh state polls and another 35% for by-elections in the areas held by the three defectors.

But Malay opinion is split down the middle on whether to have fresh polls or accept the palace role in the issue. A total of 51% of Malays were willing to accept the new Barisan government while 50% approved of the palace role.

In that sense, Pakatan did the right thing in distancing itself from Karpal Singh’s move to take the Sultan of Perak to court. No Malay politician in his right mind would want to be labelled as “penderhaka” or traitor.

Thus, even though the other half of the Malays are quite critical of the palace role, the Pakatan is unlikely to dwell on the palace factor in the by-election campaign.

However, a staunch defence of the royal house will be a key campaign prong for Umno in the by-election.

“The defection issue will be a big thing in our campaign. These people betrayed their voters, everyone can relate to that. We also intend to question the legitimacy of the Mentri Besar and state government,” said PKR information chief Tian Chua.

Chinese anger against Hee is likely to be exploited to the hilt in the campaign and it would be quite a sight to see DAP leaders running down one of their very own.

“People are all fired-up,” said Loke.

The Bukit Gantang parliamentary seat has only 54,894 voters and an ethnic composition of 63% Malays, 27% Chinese and 9% Indians.

It is almost a microcosm of the national populace except that it is very rural and dominated by farmers and fishermen.

The death of the incumbent MP shocked many people but its timing, smack in the middle of the most explosive politics that Perak has seen in a long while, has many in PAS reading it as a divine sign.

The more rational in Pakatan prefer to see it as a perfect storm in the making.

“The way things have fallen into place, how else but to see it as a potential perfect storm,” remarked one DAP politician.

Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau in Kedah are happening close on the heels of two other by-elections in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu which were won by Pakatan – and by decisive margins.

There was even talk of the domino effect then and that Anwar was unstoppable.

The fall of the Pakatan government in Perak has stalled such speculation for a while.

But the Barisan has to win at least one of the next two by-elections if it really means to stop Anwar and the domino effect.

Read More →

All eyes on the Bukit Gantang voters

The dramatic political events in Perak suggest that the Bukit Gantang by-election may even be more intense than the Permatang Pauh contest.

Although there will be two by-elections in the weeks ahead, one in Perak and another in Kedah, the battle for Bukit Gantang will take centrestage.

Everyone knew that the Year of the Ox would not be smooth-going but few suspected it would kick off with such sound and fury in Perak with the Bukit Gantang by-election now widely seen as a referendum on the political crisis in the state.

Barisan Nasional has taken over in Perak, Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir has been sworn in as the new mentri besar and his exco has been appointed. But the crisis is still unfolding with Pakatan Rakyat continuing to claim to be the government and a major lawsuit pending.

Dr Zambry, wearing a necktie in the colours of the Perak state flag and surrounded by his exco members, looked composed yesterday at one of his first press conferences since taking over. But he, more than anyone else, is aware of the challenges ahead.

First, there is the crucial parliamentary by-election and, second, he is presiding over a deeply divided electorate.

In a telephone conversation with a friend a day after he was sworn in, he had said somewhat ruefully: “Brother, it is a difficult time for me.”

Dr Zambry is really one of the few decent people in politics, the sort of politician that Umno wishes it could have more of.

Given that, the political climate surrounding his ascent is simply unfortunate. It is hardly assuring for any mentri besar to have to move around protected by the FRU and security forces.

Likewise, his predecessor Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin is a good man who was not quite ready for the politics involved in the job. And his insistence that he is still the mentri besar while still chairing “state exco meetings” is growing more bizarre by the day.

The palace is also in the spotlight. The Sultan’s decision not to consent to snap state elections is still the subject of heated debate. The political storm could not have blown in at a worse time given that this is the silver jubilee of his reign.

No one is happy to let go of power, not Barisan when it lost in Perak last year and certainly not Pakatan when it lost the majority in the State Legislative Assembly.

But Pakatan is hardly in a position to condemn the crossovers because it had advocated the practice.

The night before Bukit Gantang MP Roslan Shaharum suffered his fatal heart attack, he was among the Pakatan politicians who had gathered for sembahyang hajat (prayers) at the mentri besar’s official residence where Nizar is still staying.

“We prayed for divine guidance to end the crisis and to reach a peaceful and fair solution,” said PAS state deputy commissioner Asmuni Awi.

At the end of the evening Asmuni invited Roslan to join him for nasi ayam kampung.

“But he said he was taking his family out for supper. That was the last time we spoke,” said Asmuni.

The Barisan side has been re-energised by the fact that they are once again in control of the state. The younger set in Umno admit that a “government by crossover” is not the best way to come to power.

But as Pendang Wanita Umno chief Suraya Yaakob said: “Politics is about numbers and power, that is the reality. What happened in Perak is a boost for Umno and Barisan. We will put up a good fight.”

Morale on the Pakatan side is equally high.

“We don’t want to be over-confident but we believe people support our call for a new mandate in the state and this will be reflected in Bukit Gantang,” said Asmuni.

But the by-election, despite the high expectations, is not going to change the equation in Perak nor is it likely to lead to fresh state elections.

It may not end the political crisis, but it could enable both sides to let off steam and state their case and, more importantly, let the electorate have a say.

Read More →

What the people of Perak says about the crisis?

If the Barisan Nasional and the Perak royal household had any lingering doubts about negative public sentiment towards the change of the state government, here is a message: doubt no more.

A survey of registered voters in Perak on Feb 8 showed that:

• 74 per cent of the respondents feel that the state assembly should have been dissolved after the defection of the three Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers

• 76 per cent of the respondents felt that the "people, through elections, should decide on who forms the government"

• 62 per cent of the respondents felt that the "role of the palace in this decision" means it does not recognise the will of the people

• 66 per cent of the respondents do not accept state governments formed through the defection of state assemblymen

• 59 per cent of the respondents feel that the political crisis in Perak would decrease support for Barisan Nasional.

Taken together, the poll by the Merdeka Centre suggests that Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and the BN may occupy the seat of government but a significant number of Perakians may not accept their legitimacy to hold power.

The political crisis unfolded in Perak when three Pakatan Rakyat legislators became independents and said that they would back the BN.

This wiped away the three-seat majority which enabled Pakatan Rakyat to rule the state since March last year.

After interviewing the three and the 28 BN representatives, Sultan Azlan Shah decided that BN had the majority in the state assembly. This was a controversial decision given that Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin and Pakatan Rakyat felt that the correct decision should have been for the Ruler to allow for the state assembly to be dissolved for fresh elections.

There is a roiling debate even among lawyers on the Sultan's decision, with the majority saying that he should have either agreed to the dissolution of the House or held off making any decision until a vote of no confidence against Nizar was taken in the assembly.

The survey findings indicate that many Perak voters also feel that the Ruler may have erred.

Some 507 registered voters were interviewed by telephone and the sampling was done randomly. The margin of error was about 4.5 per cent.

- MALAYSIAN INSIDER

Read More →

Suara Keadilan seized nationwide

Some 10,000 to 20,000 copies of Suara Keadilan have been confiscated from vendors in various parts of the country since last month, said PKR information chief Tian Chua.

Chief editor of PAS’ Harakah Ahmad Lutsi Othman also confirmed that thousands of copies of last Monday’s issue of the party’s newsletter were seized from vendors in nearly every state on Sunday.

Its front-page story was on the change of government in Perak with the picture of a boy affected by tear gas during the demonstration in Kuala Kangsar on Friday.

The Home Ministry’s Publication and Quranic Text Control Division secretary Che Din Yusoh said the conditions of the printing permits require that the political parties must sell their publications to their party members only and not through vendors to the public.

“They are trying to test our patience,” he said.

On whether the confiscation had to do with the contents, Che Din said, “No.” He said it was part of their routine checks.

PKR information chief Tian Chua claimed that no specific reason was given for the confiscation.

“The Home Ministry should write and tell us specifically where we went wrong,” he said.

The latest issue had the headline “Siapa Derhaka” (Who is committing treason?) on the front page.

“If they are not happy with the contents, they should inform us,” Tian Chua said.

A photocopy of a letter from the Home Ministry showed that the confiscation was done based on Section 5 (1) of the Printing Presses and Publication Act.

PKR would write to Home Minister Datuk Syed Hamid Albar and bring up the issue in Parliament, Tian Chua said.

A joint complaint will be made with PAS on the confiscation of Harakah, although the target had been mainly Suara Keadilan, he said.

- THE STAR

Read More →