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Malaysiakini :: Berita

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TV, radio diarah 'momokkan' BERSIH Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:23 PM PDT Pihak berkuasa dikatakan semakin terdesak kerana rakyat terus berkeras mahu menghadiri perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini bagi menuntut pilihan raya yang bersih dan adil di negara ini meskipun terus dihambat. Dalam usaha terbaru, Suruhajaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (SKMM) melancarkan kempen media bagi melabelkan perhimpunan itu sebagai sesuatu yang haram. Sehubungan itu juga, semua stesen televisyen dan radio diwajibkan menghantar laporan harian mengenai liputan mereka. Antaranya, mereka diarah menyatakan jumlah berita dan kandungannya dalam laporan mereka berhubung BERSIH. Semalam, SKMM juga mengarahkan perwakilan daripada 22 media elektronik dan telekomunikasi untuk menghadiri seminar sehari bertajuk "Seminar Kawal Selia Kandungan 2011" di auditoriumnya di Cyberjaya. Menurut surat SKMM yang diedarkan kepada semua media elektronik itu, dengan sesalinannya diperolehi Malaysiakini, tujuan seminar itu "mengenai pematuhan kepada syarat-syarat lesen serta lain-lain peruntukan yang relevan." Menurut beberapa editor yang tidak mahu identiti mereka didedahkan, mereka diarahkan supaya tidak merujuk perhimpunan 9 Julai itu sebagai "perhimpunan BERSIH" tetapi sebagai "perhimpunan haram" dalam semua liputan berita serta tidak menggalakkan orang ramai menyertainya. Selain itu, jika polis menggunakan kekerasan ke atas rakyat yang berhimpun, rakaman visual perbuatan itu dilarang sama sekali daripada disiarkan. Sebaliknya, laporan media elektronik perlu memberi tumpuan kepada kesukaran dan ketidak-selesaan yang dihadapi rakyat akibat perhimpunan itu, termasuk orang ramai merusuh, harta benda dimusnahkan dan kesesakan lalu lintas yang teruk. [Baca berita penuh] Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Putera Albert 11 digesa pulangkan derma Rosmah Posted: 30 Jun 2011 10:02 PM PDT Sebuah pertubuhan bukan kerajaan menggesa Putera Albert II supaya memulangkan derma 100,000 euro yang disumbangkan oleh isteri perdana menteri Malaysia, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Badan pejuang alam sekitar, Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), "mengesyaki" derma itu mungkin dibiayai Ketua Menteri Sarawak, Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, yang mereka dakwa bertanggungjawab terhadap kegiatan pembalakan yang memusnahkan hutan di negeri ini. "Sumber 100,000 euro (RM437,500) itu adalah tidak jelas, dan oleh itu, dana tersebut tidak sepatutnya diterima oleh Yayasan Putera Albert. "Kami mencadangkan Albert memulangkan wang tersebut kepada masyarakat Penan, golongan paling terpinggir di Malaysia, bagi menyokong perjuangan mereka untuk mempertahankan hutan daripada pembalakan," kata BMF dalam satu kenyataan akhbar. Rosmah menyerahkan sumbangan tersebut kepada Albert di Festival Fesyen Islam di Monte Carlo Ogos tahun lalu untuk Yayasan Putera Albert. Menurut lamanweb yayasan tersebut, yayasan itu adalah untuk "melindungi alam sekitar dan menggalakkan pembangunan mampan". Sebelum ini, Borneo Post melaporkan, dan diterbitkan semula dalam lamanweb rasmi Taib, bahawa derma tersebut dikumpulkan oleh Festival Fesyen Islam KL-Jakarta (IFF) ""melalui penaja untuk menyokong promosi pelancongan Sarawak". BMF - yang dinamakan sempena aktivis Switzerland yang mempertahankan kepentingan kaum pribumi di Sarawak dan hilang sejak 2000 - juga menimbulkan persoalan mengenai hubungan antara Taib dan Albert. [Baca berita penuh] Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Malaysiakini :: Surat

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Apa beza sosialis dan komunis? Posted: 30 Jun 2011 02:55 AM PDT PKM adalah Parti Komunis Malaya yang telah ditubuhkan pada tahun 1930 sebagai sebahagian daripada Comintern (Komunis Antarabangsa). PKM telah berjuang menentang penjajahan Jepun sebagai MPAJA dan kemudian menentang penjajahan British dan menuntut kemerdekaan. PKM adalah parti pertama dalam negara yang menuntut kemerdekaan dari British. Mereka akhirnya meletakkan senjata dan membuat perjanjian damai dengan kerajaan Malaysia pada tahun 1989 dan hari ini tidak lagi wujud sebagai sebuah parti yang aktif. PSM pula memohon untuk pendaftaran pada tahun 1998 dan berideologi sosialis. Setelah sebelas tahun berjuang, akhirnya PSM mendapat kelulusan pendaftaran parti pada tahun 2008. PSM pula mendaftar untuk melibatkan diri dalam proses pilihan raya dan telah bertanding dalam tiga pilihan raya setakat ini. Benarkah PSM hidupkan fahaman komunis? Perjuangan PSM berlandaskan ideologi sosialisme dan bukannya komunisme. Sosialisme adalah sistem ideologi yang mengatakan sumber kekayaan negara mesti dimiliki oleh awam daripada sektor swasta. Program PSM mengutamakan rakyat, memastikan pengagihan kekayaan dan sumber negara secara adil dan saksama. Antara perjuangan PSM ialah pendidikan untuk semua, kesihatan untuk semua dan segala kemudahan asas seperti air, letrik dan perumahan selesa untuk semua. Maka, kempen-kempen yang sedang dijalankan oleh PSM ialah tuntutan Akta Gaji Minima untuk pekerja-pekerja bergaji rendah, pemansuhan GST agar tidak memiskinkan lagi rakyat, hak perumahan selesa untuk rakyat berpendapatan rendah dan peneroka bandar, hak pendidikan percuma dan kempen membantah penswastaan hospital. PSM juga bersama kumpulan-kumpulan masyarakat madani yang berjuang untuk hak demokrasi seperti pilihanraya kerajaan tempatan, dan pilihanraya yang bersih dan adil. Fahaman Komunis secara idealnya adalah satu tahap dimana kaum pekerja memiliki segala harta dan tidak ada sektor swasta. Kenapa PSM mengagung-agungkan pemimpin-pemimpin komunis? Apa salahnya PSM mengiktiraf pejuang-pejuang kemerdekaan yang telah menentang penjajahan British dan Jepun sehingga negara mendapat kemerdekaan. Antara pejuang-pejuang ini Abdullah CD, Ibrahim Yaakob, Ahmad Boestamam, Suriani, Rashid Maidin, Shamsiah Fakeh dan Chin Peng yang mewakili organisasi-organisasi seperti PKMM, API, AWAS dan PKM. Malah sejarah juga membuktikan bahawa selepas perjanjian perdamaian ditandatangani antara kerajaan Malaysia (IGP Hanif Omar) dan Parti Komunis Malaya (Chin Peng & Rashid Maidin) pada tahun 1989, peranan yang dimainkan oleh PKM dalam perjuangan kemerdekaan negara telah diiktiraf. Suriani dan Abdulah CD juga telah diperkenan oleh DYMM Sultan Azlan Shah pada tahun 1998. Mereka bercakap lebih dua jam, malah Permaisuri sendiri tertarik dengan cerita perjuangan pejuang-pejuang ini! Sepatutnya kerajaan Umno-BN (dulu Perikatan) patut dipersoalkan kenapa mereka mengenepikan sumbangan pejuang-pejuang kiri kemerdekaan tanah air dalam Buku-Buku sejarah kurikulum akademik masa kini. Kenapa Umno-BN menyeleweng dari sejarah sebenar? Adakah disebabkan UMNO mendapat kemerdekaan kerana bersekongkol dengan British? Pakar-pakar sejarah juga telah mengakui bahawa sejarah Malaysia harus ditulis semula. Sejak bila T'shirt Chin Peng dan Rashid Maidin menjadi senjata untuk melancarkan perang ke atas Yang di Pertuan Agung? Kenapa perlu PSM berjuang selama 10 tahun untuk pendaftaran selepas lebih 20 tahun bekerja di bawah NGO? Kerana Perdana Menteri ketika itu, Tun Mahathir Mohammad mencabar rakyat Malaysia untuk bertanding dalam pilihan raya jika tak puas hati. PSM membuat permohonan pendaftaran pada 30 April 1998. Sejak itu hingga PSM didaftarkan pada August 2008 dan sehingga hari ini, segala aktiviti-aktiviti PSM adalah secara terbuka dan diketahui oleh semua pihak Sejak tahun 1999, PSM telah ambil bahagian dalam sistem pilihanraya di mana calon PSM telah bertanding dalam pilihanraya di bawah tiket DAP dan PKR oleh kerana PSM masih belum di daftar. Semua aktivis-aktivis PSM dan pemimpin-pemimpinnya memang diketahui umum termasuk pihak polis. Pemimpin-pemimpin PSM selalu di 'front line' dalam semua isu rakyat seperti isu kenaikan harga barang, masalah pengusiran paksa, isu akta gaji minima, protes GST dan penswastaan hospital. Jangan memperkudakan PSM. Terbukti sudah paranoia BN apabila Buku Kartun Zunar, T'shirt Rashid Maidin dan kini sajak sasterawan negara dikatakan anti-kerajaan dan hasutan ! Kalau T-shirt pemimpin komunis antarabangsa seperti Che Guevara, Mao Tse Tung, Ho Chi Ming dan lain-lain dapat dipakai secara bebas, mengapa pula T-shirt komunis tanahair tidak boleh dipakai ? PSM menggunakan BERSIH untuk menjatuhkan kerajaan dan mempropagandakan ideologi komunis? BERSIH adalah usaha bersama masyarakat madani (NGO-NGO) di negara ini dan Perhimpunan BERSIH adalah untuk mendesak kerajaan untuk reform proses pilihanraya dan bukannya untuk menjatuhkan kerajaan BN. Tuntutan-tuntutan ini adalah bertujuan untuk pilihanraya bersih dan adil. Jika berlaku pertukaran kerajaan, ia adalah melalui pilihanraya bersih dan adil. PSM menyokong tuntutan-tuntutan BERSIH seperti mana parti-parti PAS, DAP dan PKR kecuali parti-parti di bawah BN, PERKASA dan 'katak-katak' lain. Usaha NGO-NGO ini turut menerima sokongan majoriti rakyat. Kita semua tahu itulah punca kenapa kerajaan BN-Umno sekarang bertindak tidak tentu arah dan mahu menangkap semua yang memakai baju kuning dan mengedarkan risalah kuning. Warna Diraja juga kuning, apakah ini bermaksud kita boleh menuduh kerajaan Umno-BN anti-monarki? Bukankah propaganda anti-kerajaan PSM boleh mengancam keselamatan negara? PSM adalah satu badan politik yang berideologikan sosialisme dan perjuangan PSM adalah seperti mana yang di katakan di atas (1) iaitu berjuang untuk memastikan rakyat tidak ditindas dan dieksploit oleh segelintir yang kaya dan berkuasa. Sebagai parti politik, PSM berhak membuat kempen pilihanraya seperti mana yang dilakukan oleh kerajaan BN sendiri yang membuat kerja-kerja kempen dan propagandanya sepanjang tahun dan selama-lamanya. Seperti mana juga PKR, PAS, DAP dan parti-parti lain, PSM juga membuat kempen BN kata 'Rakyat di dahulukan dan pencapaian diutamakan' tapi polisi-polisi dan undang-undang yang dibuat membuktikan sebaliknya dan PSM menentang dan mendedahkan segala polisi-polisi kerajaan yang anti-rakyat, menindas dan mengeksploitasi rakyat – apa salahnya? Maka PSM membuat kempen "udahlah itu...bersaralah ". Tapi Umno-BN yang paronoid menuduh ini adalah sebahagian kempen BERSIH PSM memiliki bahan-bahan berunsur komunis spt T shirt. Era perang dingin telah berlalu dan semua bahan-bahan zaman itu seperti memoir sedia didapati dipasaran dan boleh dibeli mana-mana sahaja. Ia sudah menjadi bahan 'fashionable'. Di seluruh dunia kita boleh dapat T shirt, selipar, key chain dan bermacam-macam lagi dengan gambar-gambar pemimpin-pemimpin dunia Lenin, Chandra Bose, Martin Lurther King, Ho Chin Minh, Che Guevara, simbol tukul dan sabit komunis serta simbol bintang . Adakah ini bermaksud mereka yang memakai semua ini juga berfahaman komunis? T-shirt ini dan juga T-shirt Chin Peng, Suriani memang boleh dibeli dari pelbagai tempat seperti Chow Kit, Petaling Street dan sebagainya. Kerajaan Umno-BN sudah paranoia sehingga citarasa rakyat pun mahu di kongkong! Kalau kerajaan Umno-BN begitu anti-komunis, kenapa mahu ada hubungan dengan kerajaan-kerajaan komunis? Bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Abdul Razak telah melawat Pemimpim Parti Komunis China Mao Tse Tung pada tahun 1974 dan tahukah anda gambar (foto) perjumpaan ini pula telah digunakan semasa pelancaran Barisan Nasional! Lawatan ke negara komunis Cuba oleh Mahathir dan lawatan Fidel Castro ke Malaysia. Kenapa Petronas dan lain-lain kumpulan kapitalis membuka pernigaan di negara-negara komunis seperti Vietnam? Akhir kata PSM ingin merakamkan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan kepada PDRM dan KDN kerana telah mempopularkan PSM di kalangan rakyat Malaysia dan sekali gus memberikan peluang kepada kita mendidik rakyat tentang apakah berbezaan antara PSM dan PKM dan sosialis dan komunis. Penulis adalah setiausaha agung PSMFull Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Malaysiakini :: Letters

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MCGBGHST: Peaceful assembly constitutional right Posted: 30 Jun 2011 03:54 AM PDT The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) notes that Bersih Organisers, Perkasa and Umno Youth are intending to hold peaceful assemblies on 9 July 2011. MCCBCHST is of the view that since our federal constitution, the supreme law of our land provides under Article 10(1Xb) that "all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms", the proposed assemblies by the said groups should be allowed. Further, one of the pillars of our Rukun Negara is "Keluhuran Perlembagaan". i.e. Supremacy of the Constitution. Even the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) has stated that the people have the constitutional right to assemble peaceably (The Star 28-16-1-2011) and the government should allow it. Any pre-emptive banning of proposed peaceful assemblies would mean that one has no right to peaceful assembly, making the fundamental guarantee illusory. The police have the duty and the capacity to control such assemblies and can designate routes and separate the different groups as has been done during the recent by-elections. The fact that such assemblies may cause traffic jams and inconvenience the people is not a legitimate reason. People generally are prepared to put up with some inconveniences in furtherance of their fundamental rights. Many national and religious functions and processions are held on regular basis and Malaysians have accepted these inconveniences as part and parcel of the heritage of our Malaysian Society. MCCBCHST therefore appeal to the police to act professionally in the matter and allow people to exercise their fundamental right to peaceful assembly. The police can call the groups concerned and make arrangements on the route each may take. On the day itself police should be there to separate the groups and to control the traffic. The MCCBCHST calls upon all concerned citizens of Malaysia to earnestly pray that all parties concerned will conduct themselves with decorum and respect, as we approach the day of the proposed peaceful assembly. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

'Bersih' the dark politics in Malaysia Posted: 30 Jun 2011 03:29 AM PDT As the world waits for the final instalment of Harry Potter battling the dark Lord Voldermort, Malaysians have also been battered by dark politics for a long time. The whole country is cast with the curses of deception, fear and greed. These are so powerful that no one shall speak badly about the BN regime. Nowadays, many colors are banned, namely orange (as it is claimed to be associated with Hindraf movement), black (Teoh Beng Hock) and Yellow (Bersih). I wonder the next color will be green as PAS gave UMNO a damn "no" to their unholy merger proposal through the Bersih. Words are not spared either; most sensational are the name of the country associated with the brutal murder by C4-military grade explosion and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Associated-With-The-Case. Allow me to draw your attention to the thoughts of Ronald Coase, a Nobel Prize in Economics recipient. While amazed with the richness and complexity of literatures on how industries are organised, he pointed out the important missing piece - the determinant of the organisation of industry. What determines what a firm does? To answer that question, Coase highlighted the necessary to understand why a firm exists at all. Back to the many "banned" rallies like the Reformasi, Makkal Sakhti and Bersih, it is necessary for us to understand why they exist. In Buddhism, or perhaps also in science and other religions, when there is an effect, there is a cause(s). Banning the demonstration rally without answering "why it exists" will not solve any antagonism of the people but it is a deceptive curse to ensure the dark lord and its cronies remain in power. In fact, the cause bringing rise to such a rally is that the people no longer can tolerate the excessive manipulation and suppression from the ruling government. The people do not like to demonstrate but unfortunately they have no other alternative. A thief may not wish to be a thief if he has a good standard of living, unless the curse of greed has corrupted his mind. The Bersih rally organisers will not be able to gather enough supporters if the ruling government is clean, free and fair. Indeed, it is the BN ruling government that gives birth and supports the rally. In Malaysia, there are plenty deceptive dark curses that need to be cleaned (di-BERSIH-kan). First and foremost, the government is not equal to BN (which is merely a political coalition). The government belongs to its people, thus there is no need for BN to defend Putrajaya with their blood. Just have a bersih general election and lets the people to determine the government. Second, the police, judiciary, Election Commission and MACC work for the country and its people under the separation of powers system, and not for any political party. I was once asked in a Transparency International's forum on how independent these organisations are, when the appointment of their top brass is influenced by the prime minister. The answer from a high ranked representative from Election Commission sparked laughter from the audiences. He said: "Our top management is appointed by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong". He then paused for few seconds and continued: "... on the advice of the prime minister". Therefore, one will not be surprised that many decisions by the law enforcement bodies are being criticised as biased. Third - what we see and hear cannot be taken as truth. All mainstream media is controlled either directly through equity ownership or rules and regulations. Thus, the BN has been so scared of alternative channels from online news to blogs, YouTube and Facebook, which they have minimum control. The problem is that when lies are told repeatedly through mainstream media to non-information savvy like senior citizens, the lesser educated and rural folk, lies are taken as truth. Indeed, the seed of deception has been planted into the minds of young children through improper education that dampens critical thinking. Meanwhile, teaching permit requirements, printing acts, sedition acts, a draconian ISA and threats of prosecution by the law have gagged many voices of criticism against the BN government. The curse of greed casted on its cronies is added to ensure much needed support to the dark regime. Yet, the most astonishing deception spell has been cast on the 1Malaysia campaign. It's promoted aggressively into our daily life from "Salam 1Malaysia" to "Cuti-cuti 1Malaysia" and "Kedai 1Malaysia". Everything is 1Malaysianised to show that BN is non-racist. Indeed, the existence of 1Malaysia itself is racist. There is a rather abstract philosophical reasoning to counter this curse. It is a matter of "nothing" and "being nothing (nothingness)". In this case, "nothing" is something called "nothing". When you think: "I think nothing," you are actually thinking! So, having a slogan to remind us to be "non-racist" or a practice to ensure there must be a combination of Malay, Indian and Chinese in everything, implies racist thinking. Thus being non-racist is "being nothing", meaning we don't need to bother with this issue at all. Furthermore, the silence of BN government on Perkasa and Utusan Malaysia is completely contradictory to what they are campaigning. Nonetheless, the darkness has rooted too deep in Malaysia that neither Harry Potter and his Hogwarts gang nor Pakatan Rakyat and Bersih can dispel it overnight. They came close in the previous general election but it was still not enough. Dark politics remains a hazard in Malaysia. But there is always hope that there will be a time when Malaysians can see the light. 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Mat Sabu: PAS akan turun beramai-ramai 9 Julai ini Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:30 PM PDT Di sebalik pelbagai tekanan dan amaran kepada penyokong BERSIH 2.0, PAS yakin ramai rakyat negara ini akan memberanikan diri menyertai perhimpunan aman bagi menuntut pembaharuan dalam sistem pilihan raya negara itu. Timbalan presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu juga berjanji anggota parti Islam itu akan berkelakuan baik dan mematuhi undang-undang. "Arahan presiden PAS (Datuk Seri Hadi Awang), mursyidul am (Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat) dan ketua Dewan Ulama (Datuk Harun Taib) supaya ahli turun menyertai perhimpunan itu... kita tidak ada pilihan melainkan menyertai perhimpunan ini. "Semua anggota akan berkelakuan baik dan teratur seperti pada demonstrasi sebelum ini. Jika tidak, polis boleh bertindak ke atas mereka," katanya. Menurut Mohamad, polis atau pihak keselamatan boleh menahan dan mengambil tindakan terhadap ahli PAS yang melanggar undang-undang. "Polis boleh ambil tindakan atau menahan ahli PAS yang buat kacau seperti membakar kereta atau melempar batu. Kita tidak akan membela mereka kalau betul ahli PAS bertindak ganas," katanya. Mohamad yang terkenal sebagai pemidato yang lantang hadir di balai polis daerah Gombak untuk memberi keterangan berhubung apa yang diperkatakannya pada muktamar parti itu yang lalu. Katanya, PAS menyokong BERSIH kerana tuntutannya yang mahu pilihan raya yang bebas dan adil. Ditanya apa yang akan dilakukan jika BERSIH membatalkan perhimpunan itu, Mohamad berkata terpulang kepada gabungan itu kerana mereka adalah badan yang bebas. "Namun, kita akan tentukan apa yang perlu dilakukan seterusnya (jika ini berlaku)," katanya. Mohamad juga memberi jaminan bahawa ramai akan keluar menyokong perhimpunan 9 Julai itu tetapi tidak dapat memberikan ramalan jumlahnya tetapi mengulangi ia adalah himpunan yang aman. "Saya mahu polis dengan serius menyiasat sebuah pertubuhan yang mendakwa akan berlaku 'pertumpahan darah' jika BERSIH diteruskan. Perkataan seumpama ini berbaur hasutan dan tidak perlu," katanya. [Baca berita penuh] Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

PM dan isteri lawat Kelantan Sabtu ini Posted: 29 Jun 2011 10:20 PM PDT Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan isteri Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor akan mengadakan lawatan kerja sehari ke Kelantan Sabtu ini. Jabatan Penerangan Kelantan dalam satu kenyataan hari ini berkata Najib dan isteri dijangka tiba di Gong Kedak, Terengganu pada pukul 9.40 pagi untuk menghadiri beberapa program membabitkan daerah Pasir Puteh, Machang, Bachok dan Kota Bharu. Najib akan memulakan program pertamanya dengan mengadakan perjumpaan bersama jawatankuasa penyelaras Barisan Nasional Kelantan di Pejabat Umno Bahagian Pasir Puteh sebelum membuat 'tinjauan mesra' di Stesen Kereta Sewa dan Pasar Besar Pasir Puteh. Selepas itu, perdana menteri dijadual menghadiri majlis perhimpunan bersama rakyat di Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Aman, Kampung Tok Nik, Pasir Puteh sebelum menunaikan solat Zohor di Masjid Kampung Pulau Lima di Pasir Puteh. Perdana menteri kemudian ke daerah Machang bagi menghadiri Program Jiwa Murni disusuli majlis Perjumpaan Bersama Rakyat dan penyokong pasukan bola sepak Kelantan, The Red Warriors, di Sekolah Kebangsaan Machang 1, Machang. Najib juga dijadualkan menghadiri majlis perjumpaan dengan rakan-rakan Facebook di Hotel Renaissance di sini selepas itu. Rosmah pula mempunyai acara berasingan dengan menghadiri program "Apa Khabar Anak Permata" di Pusat Anak Permata Negara Parlimen Bachok dan program minum petang bersama pertubuhan-pertubuhan wanita di Hotel Grandriverview di Kota Bharu. Pada sebelah malam, Najib dan Rosmah akan menghadiri Jamuan Rakyat 1Malaysia di Wisma Persekutuan d Kota Bharu sebelum berlepas pulang ke Kuala Lumpur pada jam 10.55 malam. - Bernama Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Malaysiakini :: Letters

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To Bersih or not to Bersih? Posted: 29 Jun 2011 04:27 AM PDT Frankly, the above title is just a smart-ass title to get your attention. Indeed, "To Bersih or not to Bersih?" is not the question. Before we even venture to consider such a question, let us be very clear what Bersih is. Even in the newer version known as Bersih 2.0, it is still a coalition of non-governmental and civil society organisations that are collectively campaigning for clean, free and fair elections. (It is not a movement to defeat the incumbent government or one to support the election of the opposition.) If I may put it in more concise terms, Bersih is a non-governmental-civil society coalition working towards electoral and political reforms in Malaysia. I prefer this description simply because it's less value-laden than the official line, which presumes that Malaysian elections are unclean, unfree and unfair. Out of the three adjectives, I can only honestly say, with clear evidence, that the third is obvious. To me, and most rational people, a fair contest includes giving all contestants equal access to the judges via all legitimate channels; and, in the case of Malaysian elections, it is only fair if candidates and/or political parties are given equal access to voters via the mainstream and alternative media. Indeed, to me, the single most important factor in any clean, free and fair election is the information that is made available to the voters, and it's very obvious that the mainstream media, which is under the Federal Government's regulations, is key. Unfortunately, any party that is not a member of the current government coalition does not seem to have any chance whatsoever to be given publicity by the mainstream media except to cast them in a negative light. Fair comment? Now, before I come to the question of whether our nation's elections are clean and free, let me digress a little. Most Bersih advocates and activists will talk about the electoral roll, the postal ballots, the use of indelible ink and the campaign period. Before I even go there, I'd like to ask the following basic question first: Are the parliamentary and state constituencies delineated in a transparent and fair manner, which allows constituents to elect their preferred representatives and also enable their elected representatives to work effectively for their constituents? To help you answer the basic question above, consider the following specific questions: Does it make sense to have constituencies where the areas covered do not have any real communal connection with each other? And does it make sense that some constituencies have 20 times more voters than others? Further, is the 'first past the post' electoral system really the most effective way to provide voters with a meaningful election result? I leave it to you to answer the above questions yourself. Whether you like it or not, these are questions that are critical to the fairness and effectiveness of our current electoral system, which - if answered honestly and objectively-will lead us to the logical conclusion that it needs to be reformed. An acknowledgment that our electoral system needs to be reformed is not an admission that it is not clean, not free and not fair. Like it or not, the current administration inherited the system from the previous administrations. If the prime minister of the day wants to be seen as responsible and proactive, he should implement much-needed reforms before they are demanded by the people. Having said that, it's not too late to do something about it. It's not how we start but how we finish that matters. At the same time, the Bersih rally organisers must realise that their mandate is not simply to organise a rally but to achieve the so-called eight Bersih demands, which includes strengthening public institutions, stopping corruption and stopping corruption (apart from points covered above), by any effective and peaceful means. It is very clear to me that Bersih's mandate is a long term one, which imposes on the leaders of the coalition a duty to not only address the Election Commission (EC) and the government of the day but also all participants of the political process in Malaysia. It is very obvious that the EC cannot strengthen the judiciary and/or stop corruption in the police force. And it is also obvious that the EC cannot stop politicians from 'playing dirty', irrespective of whether they are BN, PR or independent. If we, the People, represented by Bersih, want the government to reform, we must also be reasonable in our demands and expectations. If we are sincere and serious about electoral and political reforms, let's work towards it with open minds, not with pre-conceived notions about BN, PR or the EC. If there is a chance to hold public and/or televised roundtable talks with the EC and/or any interested party, why are we not accepting the offer? If people want to get together to show their support for Bersih (or electoral and political reforms) and also to celebrate democracy, why can't we do it in a suitable place (read "safe place") instead of on the streets where our boys in blue don't seem to be able to control crowds in a friendly, professional and effective manner? I am not saying what I am saying to stop people from walking for democracy. On the contrary, I am saying what I am saying to encourage people to walk for democracy in a safe and effective manner. Whilst it is the government's responsibility to promote and protect the rights to freedom of assembly and expression, we cannot exercise them and expect the government to undermine the exercise of the same rights by Perkasa and Umno Youth. However, we can choose to work together with all parties in a fair and transparent process to enjoy the exercise of those rights in a safe, dignified and meaningful manner. If we, the People of Malaysia, want the Government of Malaysia to change, the real question is, "Are we ready, willing and able to change first?" Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Democratic rights should be promoted, not stifled Posted: 29 Jun 2011 03:42 AM PDT The Malaysian Bar regrets the Malaysian Government's wanton, unjustified and wholly disproportionate crackdown on freedom of movement, expression and assembly this past week. Various individuals have been summoned by police for questioning or to have their statements recorded, and numerous others have been arrested nationwide, some merely on the basis of their attire. Today alone, the police raided the office of the Bersih 2.0 secretariat and arrested some of its staff, and various arrests were also made in Perak. Most alarming has been the arrest and remand for seven days of a group of individuals (including two juveniles in their teens) in Penang, who are now being investigated under section 122 of the Penal Code for allegedly "waging war against the Yang Di- Pertuan Agong". The unreasonable and unwarranted use of this provision, which provides for potentially severe penalties, and the length of the detention period reflect the government's determination to clamp down on the citizenry's right to express their viewpoints peaceably and to intimidate anyone wishing to exercise that right. Repeated calls for the government to embrace the public's increased articulation of viewpoints as a positive development in our society, and to accord it the necessary democratic space to flourish, continue to fall on deaf ears. The government has indicated its intention to review Section 27 of the Police Act to allow more latitude for public rallies, but its recent actions stand in stark contradiction to this avowed goal. The Malaysian Bar reiterates that we support and defend any individual or group's fundamental freedom to speak, assemble or walk in support of a cause, if the freedom is exercised responsibly and peaceably. We commend Suhakam, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, for also speaking out earlier this week to remind the government of the people's rights of assembly and expression, as enshrined in our Federal Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Malaysia is a member of the UN Human Rights Council, and was recently elected as chairperson of the Third Committee for the forthcoming 66th session of the UN General Assembly, which is responsible for tackling social, humanitarian and human rights issues. Furthermore, our prime minister showcases Malaysia as a moderate and progressive nation. It therefore behooves the government to speak and act consistently both domestically and internationally, by protecting and promoting democracy and human rights, not restricting or stifling their exercise. The Malaysian Bar is concerned about the current tendency of various quarters, including certain media, to sensationalise the issues and demonise those who are involved. Irresponsible journalism and inflammatory remarks that are unchecked can unleash dangerous forces in society. We call on all individuals and groups to engage in civil discourse and a mature exchange of views. The Malaysian Bar urges the government to act reasonably, responsibly and proportionately, and to recognise and uphold the clear wish of the people to assemble peaceably and to express their opinions. The police has shown that it is possible for peaceful public rallies to take place when organisers of such gatherings and the police cooperate with each other. We therefore call on the police to permit all walks and public rallies, and the activities leading up to them, to take place peacefully and with minimal disruption, while preserving public order and ensuring the safety of all participants. Lim Chee Wee is President of the Malaysian Bar. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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PKR jangka darurat diguna halang himpunan BERSIH Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:09 PM PDT PKR Selangor menjangka kerajaan mungkin menguatkuasakan undang-undang darurat bagi menghalang perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai. Ketua penerangannya, Shuhaimi Shafiei berkata PKR Selangor menjangkakan demikian memandangkan tindakan yang ditunjukkan pihak berkuasa kini "ke arah itu." "Darurat mungkin diisytiharkan, kita tidak tahu. "Kita jangka mungkin sampai ke peringkat itu sebab pakai baju kuning pun tak boleh," katanya dalam satu sidang media hari ini. Katanya lagi PKR juga telah menyediakan pelan darurat bagi menghadapi tindakan berkenaan. Namun parti berkenaan tetap dengan rancangan asalnya untuk mengerahkan anggotanya, kata Shuhaimi lagi. Tambahnya, PKR Selangor telah menyediakan pelan laluan 70,000 penyokongnya di sekitar Selangor dan Lembah Kelang untuk membolehkan mereka menyertai perhimpunan berkenaan. Kumpulan penyokong berkenaan akan dibahagikan mengikut lima zon laluan bagi membolehkan mereka menggunakan perkhidmatan tren ke Kuala Lumpur. Tambahnya, PKR Selangor juga menyediakan tempat tinggal untuk membolehkan penyokong berkenaan bermalam di Kuala Lumpur. "Senarai tempat tinggal ini akan disiarkan di lamanweb PKR Selangor," katanya lagi. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

'Ya, ya, ya', polis akan bertindak ke atas Pemuda Posted: 28 Jun 2011 10:01 PM PDT Pemuda Umno akan berdepan dengan tindakan kerana mengadakan perhimpunan tanpa permit di hadapan ibu pejabat PKR pada lewat malam Isnin lalu, kata Menteriu Dalam Negeri. Ditanya secara spesifik sama ada polis akan bertindak berhubung insiden itu, Hishammuddin Hussein berkata: "Ya, ya, ya." Katanya, tida ada mana-mana individu yang akan mendapat layanan istimewa dan kerajaan telha menjelaskan pendiriannya itu. "Saya telah arahkan (polis) supaya Pemuda (Umno) diberikan layanan yang sama. Tidak ada sesiapun mengatasi undang-undang," katanya. Dalam demonstrasi yang diadakan dalam keadaan hingar bingar, kira-kira 300 orang menurut anggaran PKR datang dengan bermotosikal dan menuntut PKR agar menarik balik sokongan mereka ke atas perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 yang dijadualkan pada 9 Julai. Setiausha Agung PKR Saifuddin Nasution Ismail yang bekejar ke ibu pejabat parti setelah dimaklumkan oleh ahli-ahli parti berkata beliau tiba pada jam 11 malam semalam dan memantau dari jarak jauh. "Sudah tentu, dia ada kata yang dia mahu bakar ibu pejbat kami. Dia boleh nafikan semua itu tetapi kami ada rakamannya," kata Saifuddin. Bagaimanapun exco pergerakan itu Lokman Noor Adam menafikan dakwaan itu dan berkata beliau hanya dimaklumkan bahawa terdapat seorang pemimpinnya berucap: "Sekiranya PKR meneruskannya juga perhimpunan pada 9 haribulan ini, kita ada pastikan pejabat PKR tidak ada di sini". Bagaimanapun, tegasnya, beliau sendiri tidak ada mendengar kenyataan itu dikeluarkan dalam perhimpunan mereka itu. [Baca berita penuh] Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Bersih: Who is actually the threat to peace? Posted: 28 Jun 2011 04:54 AM PDT On June 23 at around 1pm, I received a SMS, the message conveyed to me was in Bahasa Malaysia and read: "Korg ni buta hati ke?? buat apa sokong ambiga keling paria haramjadah tu? dia ni kapir laknat. korang tau tak dia ni jadi alat anjing2 politik untuk musnahkan keutuhan melayu. dia kata je nak BERSIH kan SPR. bersih kepala bapak dia. Puak2 PAS n PKR pun buta tuli n pekak badak.. kalau SPR tak bersih, boleh ke diorang menang kat Sgor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan n perak dulu? DAP cina sial tu pulak lagi haram jahanam. dia tengok je melayu bertekak. hujung2 dia perintah negara ni dan kristiankan kita semua. aku nak kasi amaran kat korang semua. Kalau perhimpunan ni jadi, aku dan org2 aku akan bunuh ambiga dan korang2 keliling dia satu persatu, termasuklah orang2 politik bangang yg bersekongkol ngan kafir laknat tu.. ini amaran aku. Korang tengokla nanti." The message translates roughly in English as: "Don't you have any sense? Why should you support that pariah keling "haramjadah" Ambiga (Sreenevasan)? She is a scorned infidel. Don't you know that she is a tool of those political dogs who are out to destroy the Malays. She claims she wants to clean up the Election Commission (EC). Clean up her father's head. These PAS and PKR lots are deaf, dumb, blind and illiterate. If the EC is not clean then how did they win Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan and Perak? The damned Chinese DAP is even more despicable. Their members just watch the Malays go at each other's throats. In the end, they will rule the country and Christianise all of us. I am warning you. If this rally takes place, my people and I will kill Ambiga and those around her one by one, including these stupid politicians who are hand-in-hand with this scorned infidel… this is my warning. You watch." What I received is apparently the same as those received by the steering committee members of Bersih 2.0. Aliran is part of Bersih 2.0 and is represented on its steering committee, and we are committed to free and fair elections, which are crucial to the democratic process. The message in the SMS is full of venom, threatening death to Ambiga and warning to kill all those around her one by one. It reeks with racial hatred and blatantly concocts lies that have no basis. It seeks to communalise an issue that concerns free and fair elections, which is supported by a wide spectrum of our civil society. It is intended to arouse passions and disrupt our improving communal harmony, which is seen as an impediment to communal parties that are striving to hold on to their political power through evil means. The perpetrator of this heinous crime must be brought to book urgently. We cannot brook this criminality and we cannot condone any inefficiency in getting to the bottom of this threat. It should not be difficult as there is a telephone number which can be traced to the culprit. This is a challenge to the police and they should rise to the occasion to convince Malaysians that they are capable of looking after our national interests and safeguarding our peace and harmony. Anything short of this expectation is totally unacceptable. P Ramakrishnan is Aliran president Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Ibrahim Ali and Najib's 1Msia doubletalk Posted: 28 Jun 2011 12:30 AM PDT I am commenting on Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali's "Chinese stay home" remark during his anti Bersih rally launch. Ibrahim Ali may see himself the simulacrum of a Malay hero, but his simulacrum of a patriotic intellectual is far funnier than he really is. His racial remarks bear the imprint of his shallow political profundity and reveal himself in his race alterity. Dr Mahathir, who is the patron of Perkasa, must be held responsible for Ibrahim Ali's spiteful contumelies upon the Chinese community. Mahathir may not furnish Ibrahim Ali with a kris, but as a former prime minister of this country he does provide an intellectual architecture for Ibrahim Ali's sanguinary hatred of the Chinese, as well as sustain him in the conceit that his racial slurs agitating for blood are on a high plane. After having publicly showed himself as Perkasa's patron, Mahathir cannot now conveniently put back on the mask of pater patriae (father of the nation) to avoid taking responsibility for Ibrahim Ali's invidious taunts. During Mahathir's era, sedition, it was understood, had serious consequences. Today nobody would dare banning Mahathir or his epigones from anything. Yet sedition have serious consequences, even today. All this, most unfortunately, will only make good Prime Minister Najib's 1Malaysia a highfalutin double talk. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Unggun-Bersih Posted: 27 Jun 2011 06:49 PM PDT Semakin lara kita didera bara - kita laungkan juga pesan merdeka: Demokrasi sebenderang mentari sehasrat hajat semurni harga diri. Lama resah kita - demokrasi luka; lama duka kita - demokrasi lara. Demokrasi yang angkuh, kita cemuhi; suara bebas yang utuh, kita idami! Dua abad lalu Sam Adams berseru: (di Boston dijirus teh ke laut biru): Tak diperlu gempita sorak yang gebu, diperlu hanya unggun api yang syahdu. Kini menyalalah unggun sakti itu; kini merebaklah nyala unggun itu. A Samad Said Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Siapa anak jantan? Posted: 26 Jun 2011 09:45 PM PDT ULASAN Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak membuat kenyataan mengelirukan apabila mencabar Pakatan Rakyat supaya berdepan dengan BN sebagai "anak jantan" dan bukan mengadakan Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini. Najib mendakwa matlamat utama Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 adalah mahu menimbulkan huru-hara dalam negara. "Pada pembangkang (Pakatan Rakyat) bila mereka melihat kita terus bergerak ditambah pula kemenangan pada pilihan raya kecil yang lalu dan pilihan raya negeri Sarawak, jadi bagaimana mereka mahu merampas momentum ini sebab momentum ini ada pada kita. "Mereka buat kesimpulan untuk mendapatkan kuasa dengan mengadakan Himpunan BERSIH 2.0, bukan untuk serahkan memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong atau mahu sistem pilihan raya yang adil tapi nak buat huru-hara. "Waktu pilihan raya, kalau anak jantan yang sebenar bila pilihan raya, bertandinglah . . . kalau berani, kalau bukan anak jantan buatlah di jalanan dan berdepan dengan undang-undang," katanya ketika merasmikan Perhimpunan Agung Tahunan Parti Progresif Penduduk (PPP). Kenyataan perdana menteri itu tersasar kerana Pakatan sememangnya akan bertanding dalam pilihanraya umum ke-13, malah itulah nadi utama segala aktiviti parti politik. Namun pada masa sama, Pakatan, sebagai sebuah gagasan "anak jantan", mahukan sebuah pilihanraya yang bersih dan adil, justeru, ia memberi sokongan bulat kepada Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. BERSIH 2.0 adalah anjuran pertubuhan-pertubuhan bukan kerajaan termasuk gabungan pelajar Islam dan Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim). Pengerusi BERSIH, Ambiga Sreenevasan beberapa kali mengundang parti komponen BN untuk bersama-sama dalam gerakan bagi memperkasakan Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya namun pelawaan itu ditolak. Oleh kerana itu, amat mudah untuk pemimpin seperti Najib menyerang BERSIH sebagai kononnya forum pembangkang untuk mencetuskan huru-hara. Dalam ucapannya semalam, Najib juga merujuk kepada kemenangan BN di Sarawak sebagai bukti "momentum" atau rentak memenangi pilihanraya ada ditangan BN. Sebenarnya Pakatan melipatgandakan kemenangannya dari tujuh kerusi kepada 15 kerusi dalam pilihan raya Sarawak April lalu. Pilihan raya itu juga memaksa Ketua Menteri Abdul Taib Mahmud untuk mengumumkan tempoh persaraan beliau selepas pemerintahan 30 tahun yang dibelit dengan dakwaan rasuah dan penyelewengan kuasa. Jangan lupa kemenangan Pakatan itu diraih walaupun BN menguasai segala jentera kerajaan, media arus perdana dan dikatakan menabur wang ringgit untuk mengekalkan majoriti dua pertiganya. Walaupun menang, jumlah undi untuk BN di Sarawak merosot kepada 54.5 peratus berbanding 62.9 peratus pada pilihanraya negeri sebelumnya. Justeru, janganlah dibanggakan sangat kemenangan BN di Sarawak. Najib juga mendakwa BN tidak pernah memanipulasi pilihan raya sepertimana yang didakwa Pakatan Rakyat. "Kalau kata pilihan raya ini tidak adil kenapa kita nak serah Selangor, kenapa nak serah Pulau Pinang, kenapa PAS boleh perintah 20 tahun di Kelantan. "Kalau kata kita manipulasi pilihan raya sudah tentu semua negeri akan jadi milik BN, kita tidak manipulasi pilihan raya tapi kita didokong rakyat," kata Najib. Alasan lapuk yang diguna pakai sejak zaman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ini mudah dijawab. Tsunami politik yang melanda Malaysia tahun 2008 menyebabkan segala undi pos, pengundi hantu dan amalan-amalan lain tidak cukup untuk menongkah arus sokongan luar biasa rakyat terhadap Pakatan. Kotak-kotak undi pos dan pengundi hantu hanya memadai untuk mengurangkan jurang sokongan yang diperolehi oleh calon-calon Pakatan di Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Kedah dan Kelantan, namun tidak cukup untuk menafikan mereka kemenangan. Namun begitu, di Perak, majoriti tipis Pakatan membolehkan Umno cepat-cepat merampas semula negeri itu kerana tiga wakil rakyat Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan DAP sanggup lompat keluar diselubungi dakwaan menerima ganjaran lumayan. Oleh itu penguasaan Pakatan di beberapa negeri tidak harus dijadikan contoh untuk menghalalkan SPR sebagai sebuah badan bersih dan berkecuali ataupun dakwaan BN tidak pernah memanipulasi proses pilihanraya. Hakikat ialah pilihanraya di negara ini sentiasa dibayangi oleh masalah ketelusan undi pos dan pengundi hantu. Pada zaman Mahathir, fenomena itu diburukkan lagi dengan pemberian kerakyatan kepada warga asing untuk membolehkan mereka mengundi BN di Sabah. Kini projek IC Sabah dikatakan menular di Semenanjung selain masalah pemindahan pengundi dari satu kawasan ke kawasan lain. Berlatar belakangkan semua ini, tidak harus timbul keraguan dalam tekad pembangkang mahukan sebuah SPR yang berwibawa, justeru sokongannya kepada BERSIH 2.0. Pada masa sama "kejantanan" Pakatan untuk menghadapi Umno-BN pada PRU akan datang tidak juga perlu diragukan. Persoalannya adakah Najib dan Umno anak jantan yang sanggup bertanding secara adil, tanpa menguasai media arus perdana, dan tanpa menggunakan kemudahan awam serta dana rakyat untuk menyogok pengundi. Jika jawapan adalah YA, saya yakin penganjur BERSIH tidak akan keberatan untuk membatal gerakan mereka. ULASAN ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mencerminkan pendirian sidang pengarang Malaysiakini. Wira Arjuna adalah seorang wartawan dan editor kanan yang berpengalaman luas dan pernah menerajui beberapa media arus perdana sebelum bersara menjadi pemerhati politik. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Chinese 'losing political power' that we never had Posted: 27 Jun 2011 04:57 AM PDT Yesterday, Star editor-in-chief (On the Beat, 'Big Test for Chinese Voters', Sunday Star June 26), echoed MCA president's stern warning to the Chinese - to swing their votes back to the party or risk losing government representation (not surprising since Star is owned by the MCA). He postulates that the Chinese in Malaysia face a big test in the next election - will they "follow their heart or rule with their head"? These statements from the two Chinese leaders in the political and media arena respectively, reek of desperation, and no matter how hard they try to mask it, is simply a threat to the Chinese electorate that they risked losing big time should they "follow their heart". It also shows just how out of touch they are with the ordinary Chinese voter. The Chinese have always been pragmatic in their voting preferences. And crucially, Chinese representation in government is not nearly as important as who will be the prime minister of the day. We understand that in the make-up of Malaysia's political structure, the Prime Minister's Office is the entity that will shaped the destiny of the Chinese in Malaysia. The PM's political leanings, his planned policies and perceived fairness is thousands of times more important that who the MCA president is or how many seats the MCA has or how many cabinet ministers are from MCA. We know that at the end of the day, at best the MCA can influence policies, but it can never shape them. For that matter, even with strong Chinese representation in government, it is the prime minister's voice that matters - whether he is fair, transparent and pragmatic in implementation of national policies. When Mahathir was prime minister, he enjoyed immense support from the Chinese. Not just because the economy was growing rapidly. Remember, this was the time when 'Malaysian Inc' was at its peak, where privatisation yielded immense wealth to selected Unmo-linked businessmen. This was at a time of Operasi Lalang, where ISA was invoked to arrest opposition politicians. Media freedom was muted. Yet, the Chinese in general continued to express admiration for Mahathir. Why? Because we were never felt to be an outsider in our own country - we genuinely feel Mahathir was a prime minister for all. He espoused for all Malaysians to be united in progressing towards a developed nation, and indeed, all Malaysian truly believed we can do it if we work hard together. The Chinese continued to support Dr M when he faced a grave test in the 1999 election with the sacking of Anwar. As Wong Chun Wai rightly pointed out, Dr M opined that it was the Chinese voters who saved many Umno candidates in the 1999 GE. So then, did we vote with our hearts or head even as substantial Malay votes swung to the opposition? MCA (and Wong) should realise by now that we do not care whether the MCA is relevant as much as whether the PM is genuine in uniting all Malaysians in a common objective. So what if the MCA is represented in the cabinet when the true levers of power lies within Umno, where only the PM can hold sway? The 2008 GE saw heavy defeat for MCA because the Chinese lost hope in the administration of Abdullah Badawi. A vote for MCA will mean a vote for a PM that never did quite deliver on his promises. And now, for PM Najib, certainly he has done a much better job than his predecessor in addressing the Chinese concerns by saying and doing some right things. However, when extreme right-wing parties like Perkasa is allowed to utter racist remarks and get away with it, when the Chinese is accused of being ungrateful for exercising our democratic rights - we need to see firm action from our leader. We need to see that he can rise above racial politics currently being played out by Umno (and MCA) and speak for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion. Some quarters have labelled the Chinese as being "ungrateful". After all, we did enjoy immense benefits - good education, good career prospects, good racial harmony. However, we fear that what we have enjoyed in our generation, and that of our parents, may not necessarily be true for our children. We are genuinely worried that with intense global competition, instead of strengthening our country's building blocks - education, legal system and public administration - on the contrary, it is being torn apart by politics, corruption and incompetence. And to top it all, racial harmony is being stretched and tested such that what we take for granted in our youth now require a slogan to remind us that we are in this global race together. We want change, not just for the Chinese, but for all Malaysians. We want meritocracy. We want to realise Malaysia's true potential. But so far, we see little progress in that direction, except for some expedient statements but no action to that effect. Wong Chun Wai and Chua Soi Lek may genuinely be worried that Chinese may lose "political power" if the MCA does not receive a firm support from its constituents - but you can't lose what was never yours. We are pragmatic - we tend to vote with our heads, and seldom our hearts. But in this instance, both our heads and our hearts are in unison - we vote for change. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Probe lies and incitement by Bersih critics instead Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:43 AM PDT Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (Komas) strongly condemns the use of racial elements in describing the Bersih 2.0 rally. We fully support the demands by Bersih 2.0 calling for electoral reforms based on the principles of free and fair elections in Malaysia. Below are the 8 demands for the Bersih 2.0 rally; Clean the electoral roll Reform postal ballots Use indelible ink Minimum 21 days campaign period Free and fair access to media Strengthen public institutions Stop corruption Stop dirty politics However these demands have been twisted intentionally to fan racist sentiments by certain irresponsible parties and highlighted in Utusan Malaysia. The latest report by Utusan claims that Bersih 2.0 is funded by foreign Christian funds suggesting that the Bersih's initiatives have certain religious interests. The planned Bersih 2.0 peaceful march on July 9 is our way of expressing our support for the principles of free and fair elections. The freedom of assembly and expression is guaranteed under Article 10 of the constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). In the past week, we are appalled by the number of irresponsible people making baseless statements to fan racial, religious and social conflicts amongst Malaysians. For example Perkasa leader Ibrahim Ali is one such ignorant and misguided person who warned "Chinese communities to stay home and stock food" implying threats of racial violence. This same person also attacked Bersih chairperson, Ambiga Sreenevasan, calling her a "dangerous Hindu woman" and painting her as an enemy to Islam. We would like to strongly reiterate that Bersih 2.0's peaceful march is a show of force by ordinary Malaysians to uphold the basic principles of free and fair elections. The event is not meant to incite religious or racial sentiments in any way whatsoever. On the other hand those irresponsible parties who continue to fan racial sentiments by slandering and distorting Bersih 2.0's aims should be accountable to their lies and false statements. We urge upon the relevant authorities especially the Police to investigate these elements instead of making threats and using their authority to intimidate Malaysians from participating in the march on July 9. Lena Hendry belongs to NGO Pusat Komunikasi Masyarakat (Komas). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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BERSIH 2.0: A Samad Said, Ambiga disiasat Posted: 26 Jun 2011 10:03 PM PDT Sasterawan Negara Datuk A Samad Said merupakan antara yang dipanggil bagi memberi keterangan kepada polis hari ini, dipercayai berhubung ucapannya di majlis pelancaran BERSIH 2.0 pada 19 Jun lalu. "Saya pun tak tahulah, tengok sajalah," kata A Samad ketika ditanya berhubung siasatan yang dijalankan ke atasnya itu. Tambahnya, siasatan itu "mungkin" dijalankan berhubung ucapannya di majlis berkenaan. Selain menyampaikan ucapan ringkas, A Samad turut membacakan puis berjudul Unggun Bersih pada majlis berkenaan. "Ucapan pendek, itu saja," katanya lagi mengulas ucapannya pada malam itu yang antara lainnya menyentuh mengenai gambaran media arus perdana ke atas kumpulan BERSIH 2.0 Ucapan berkenaan turut dimuatkan di laman blog peribadinya – samadsaid.wordpress.com, kata A Samad yang juga aktivis Gerakan Mansuh PPSMI. "Kita maklum bahawa gergasi media arus perdana kini sedang ikut garang menghempit kita dalam arus peristiwa yang semakin durjana. Kita sedang berlawan dengan keangkuhan yang pejal. "Oleh media arus perdana ini, kita sewenangnya digambarkan sebagai kumpulan 'siasah' yang sangat bercita-cita buruk. "Lebih buruk, kita digambarkan sebagai kelompok yang sengaja ingin menggelorakan masyarakat seburuk hajat," ucapan itu dipetik. Selain A Samad, pengerusi jawatankuasa pemandu BERSIH 2.0, Datuk Ambiga Sreevenasan turut dipanggil ke balai polis daerah Dang Wangi hari ini, dipercayai berhubung perhimpunan yang akan dijalankan pada 9 Julai. [Berita penuh menyusul] Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Siapa perlu tonjol diri sebagai anak jantan? Posted: 26 Jun 2011 09:45 PM PDT ULASAN Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak membuat kenyataan mengelirukan apabila mencabar Pakatan Rakyat supaya berdepan dengan BN sebagai "anak jantan" dan bukan mengadakan Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini. Najib mendakwa matlamat utama Himpunan BERSIH 2.0 adalah mahu menimbulkan huru-hara dalam negara. "Pada pembangkang (Pakatan Rakyat) bila mereka melihat kita terus bergerak ditambah pula kemenangan pada pilihan raya kecil yang lalu dan pilihan raya negeri Sarawak, jadi bagaimana mereka mahu merampas momentum ini sebab momentum ini ada pada kita. "Mereka buat kesimpulan untuk mendapatkan kuasa dengan mengadakan Himpunan BERSIH 2.0, bukan untuk serahkan memorandum kepada Yang di-Pertuan Agong atau mahu sistem pilihan raya yang adil tapi nak buat huru-hara. "Waktu pilihan raya, kalau anak jantan yang sebenar bila pilihan raya, bertandinglah . . . kalau berani, kalau bukan anak jantan buatlah di jalanan dan berdepan dengan undang-undang," katanya ketika merasmikan Perhimpunan Agung Tahunan Parti Progresif Penduduk (PPP). Kenyataan perdana menteri itu tersasar kerana Pakatan sememangnya akan bertanding dalam pilihanraya umum ke-13, malah itulah nadi utama segala aktiviti parti politik. Namun pada masa sama, Pakatan, sebagai sebuah gagasan "anak jantan", mahukan sebuah pilihanraya yang bersih dan adil, justeru, ia memberi sokongan bulat kepada Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. BERSIH 2.0 adalah anjuran pertubuhan-pertubuhan bukan kerajaan termasuk gabungan pelajar Islam dan Angkatan Belia Islam Malaysia (Abim). Pengerusi BERSIH, Ambiga Sreenevasan beberapa kali mengundang parti komponen BN untuk bersama-sama dalam gerakan bagi memperkasakan Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya namun pelawaan itu ditolak. Oleh kerana itu, amat mudah untuk pemimpin seperti Najib menyerang BERSIH sebagai kononnya forum pembangkang untuk mencetuskan huru-hara. Dalam ucapannya semalam, Najib juga merujuk kepada kemenangan BN di Sarawak sebagai bukti "momentum" atau rentak memenangi pilihanraya ada ditangan BN. Sebenarnya Pakatan melipatgandakan kemenangannya dari tujuh kerusi kepada 15 kerusi dalam pilihan raya Sarawak April lalu. Pilihan raya itu juga memaksa Ketua Menteri Abdul Taib Mahmud untuk mengumumkan tempoh persaraan beliau selepas pemerintahan 30 tahun yang dibelit dengan dakwaan rasuah dan penyelewengan kuasa. Jangan lupa kemenangan Pakatan itu diraih walaupun BN menguasai segala jentera kerajaan, media arus perdana dan dikatakan menabur wang ringgit untuk mengekalkan majoriti dua pertiganya. Walaupun menang, jumlah undi untuk BN di Sarawak merosot kepada 54.5 peratus berbanding 62.9 peratus pada pilihanraya negeri sebelumnya. Justeru, janganlah dibanggakan sangat kemenangan BN di Sarawak. Najib juga mendakwa BN tidak pernah memanipulasi pilihan raya sepertimana yang didakwa Pakatan Rakyat. "Kalau kata pilihan raya ini tidak adil kenapa kita nak serah Selangor, kenapa nak serah Pulau Pinang, kenapa PAS boleh perintah 20 tahun di Kelantan. "Kalau kata kita manipulasi pilihan raya sudah tentu semua negeri akan jadi milik BN, kita tidak manipulasi pilihan raya tapi kita didokong rakyat," kata Najib. Alasan lapuk yang diguna pakai sejak zaman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ini mudah dijawab. Tsunami politik yang melanda Malaysia tahun 2008 menyebabkan segala undi pos, pengundi hantu dan amalan-amalan lain tidak cukup untuk menongkah arus sokongan luar biasa rakyat terhadap Pakatan. Kotak-kotak undi pos dan pengundi hantu hanya memadai untuk mengurangkan jurang sokongan yang diperolehi oleh calon-calon Pakatan di Selangor, Pulau Pinang, Kedah dan Kelantan, namun tidak cukup untuk menafikan mereka kemenangan. Namun begitu, di Perak, majoriti tipis Pakatan membolehkan Umno cepat-cepat merampas semula negeri itu kerana tiga wakil rakyat Parti Keadilan Rakyat dan DAP sanggup lompat keluar diselubungi dakwaan menerima ganjaran lumayan. Oleh itu penguasaan Pakatan di beberapa negeri tidak harus dijadikan contoh untuk menghalalkan SPR sebagai sebuah badan bersih dan berkecuali ataupun dakwaan BN tidak pernah memanipulasi proses pilihanraya. Hakikat ialah pilihanraya di negara ini sentiasa dibayangi oleh masalah ketelusan undi pos dan pengundi hantu. Pada zaman Mahathir, fenomena itu diburukkan lagi dengan pemberian kerakyatan kepada warga asing untuk membolehkan mereka mengundi BN di Sabah. Kini projek IC Sabah dikatakan menular di Semenanjung selain masalah pemindahan pengundi dari satu kawasan ke kawasan lain. Berlatar belakangkan semua ini, tidak harus timbul keraguan dalam tekad pembangkang mahukan sebuah SPR yang berwibawa, justeru sokongannya kepada BERSIH 2.0. Pada masa sama "kejantanan" Pakatan untuk menghadapi Umno-BN pada PRU akan datang tidak juga perlu diragukan. Persoalannya adakah Najib dan Umno anak jantan yang sanggup bertanding secara adil, tanpa menguasai media arus perdana, dan tanpa menggunakan kemudahan awam serta dana rakyat untuk menyogok pengundi. Jika jawapan adalah YA, saya yakin penganjur BERSIH tidak akan keberatan untuk membatal gerakan mereka. ULASAN ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mencerminkan pendirian sidang pengarang Malaysiakini. Wira Arjuna adalah seorang wartawan dan editor kanan yang berpengalaman luas dan pernah menerajui beberapa media arus perdana sebelum bersara menjadi pemerhati politik. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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