Showing posts with label perak. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perak. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Perak Crisis, Court of Appeal 12th May 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 (Bernama) -- Police are asking all quarters, especially political parties, to remain calm following the Court of Appeal's decision on the post of Menteri Besar of Perak.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar said the public were also advised not to be carried away or influenced by SMS texts being circulated to threaten public order.

"The public are also reminded to respect the court's decision, which means allowing the judicial system to prevail in this beloved country," he said in a statement, here, today.

The Court of Appeal earlier today granted Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir's application for a stay of execution on the High Court's ruling yesterday that declared Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin as the legitimate menteri besar.

Hence, Zambry will remain as Perak Menteri Besar until the Court of Appeal disposes of his appeal.

-- BERNAMA


My view:

They are fighting for power. It is not just that simple, there is something else going on underneath. There are land issues..., power greed......., There are naked truth of racial issues.. about pushing boulders down the hill... How are we as voters suppose to react. But the way they gear up this issue, and enticing people to go on streets, and lets say both quarters allow themselves to do just that.... It is going to be a real head on clash! Politicians against politicians and people against people. Just imagine kampung folks march to the town copying the game of politicians. Just imagine Kampung Deralik and Sungai Wangi folks march towards Ayer Tawar town. Just imagine. Arent we all silly.., real silly, including me.

So Dato Sagor and Maharajalela fought for nothin!! It didnt tickle minds!! I dont wish to talk and mention Nizar for now because it is not in tandem with lessons learnt from history. If he cant count blessing, he can always count something else.



Monday, May 11, 2009

High Court ruling on Nizar, 11th May 2009



Nizar is the rightful Perak MB

KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was declared the rightful Perak Menteri Besar by the High Court here Monday.

With the decision, the question of who is the rightful Menteri Besar -- Nizar or Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir -- which has plunged the state into political turmoil for more than 100 days, was finally answered.

High Court (Appellate and Special Powers Division) judge Datuk Abdul Aziz Abd Rahim ruled that Nizar did not vacate the office of Menteri Besar as he had not lost the majority confidence of the state legislative assembly.

In this case, said Abdul Aziz, there was no vote of no confidence issued against Nizar.

"How can one say that the applicant (Nizar) had lost his majority confidence under Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution?"

"Based on the democratic practice, the issue of the loss of majority confidence should only be taken by a vote of no confidence against the applicant (Nizar), only by this manner can a Menteri Besar be removed," Abdul Aziz, said in his written judgment which was delivered at 2.30pm.

On Feb 13, Nizar, 52, filed an application to the court for a declaration that he is at all material times the rightful Menteri Besar of Perak.

Nizar, who was appointed Menteri Besar on March 17 last year after the opposition alliance won 31 seats at the 12th general elections, also sought a declaration that Zambry has no right to hold the office of Menteri Besar.

Abdul Aziz, in his judgment, said that a Menteri Besar could not be dismissed by the Sultan of Perak for the reason that he did not hold the office at the sultan's pleasure.

The dismissal of the Menteri Besar by the Sultan of Perak was never contemplated by Article 16(6) of the Perak Constitution, he added.
BERNAMA.


BN will appeal against Nizar's Court Ruling

Barisan Nasional will appeal against the Kuala Lumpur High Court's decision that Datuk Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is the rightful Perak menteri besar, probably by tomorrow, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today.

"We feel we have a strong case," he told reporters after meeting Pemudah, the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business, at his office, here.

Asked what happens in Perak between now and pending the appeal, Najib said: "We must have a date (to appeal), probably tomorrow,".

He called on the people in that state to remain calm and not get too excited with the latest development.

Najib was asked to comment on the Kuala Lumpur High Court decision today declaring that BN's Datuk Zambry Abd Kadir was not the legitimate menteri besar of Perak.
Asked whether the Perak state assembly should be dissolved to pave way for a fresh poll in the state following the latest development, Najib said it was the purview of the Sultan of Perak (to dissolve the state assembly).

Asked whether he would be meeting Sultan of Perak soon, the prime minister said he had no problem meeting the sultan.

In today's rulling, the High Court also rejected the application for a stay of proceedings pending an appeal and ordered Dr Zambry and his exco members to vacate the office as soon as possible. - BERNAMA

It's a victory for the people - Nizar

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin has described the High Court ruling, that he is the rightful Perak Menteri Besar, as a "victory for the people of Perak and those who love democracy."

A jubilant Mohammad Nizar said he would rush back to Ipoh to seek an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah, to get his consent for the dissolution of the state legislative assembly as soon as possible.

On the judgment by Justice Datuk Abdul Aziz Abd Rahman, Mohammad Nizar said it was a historic decision and one that would be remembered "for years and years to come."

"Its positive impact in revitalising parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy is tremendous," Mohammad Nizar said.

He said that it had been a painful four months for him and that he felt relieved that issue was finally over, even though the respondents would be appealing against the decision. Bernama


My view:

A rough road ahead and horizon not as clear

Saturday, May 09, 2009

Not easy for Sivakumar and Nizar

Their names rhymed well with the letter "r" at the back. Sivakumar and Nizar. Sivakumar found it very difficult to let go the seat. And Nizar found it very difficult to handle "retirement". Have you heard about retired people suffering from this syndrome the first few months? Whereas Nga and Ngeh never hide their true color.

Photos: the star


Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman trying to prevent former Speaker Sivakumar from being removed from his seat. - 7 May, 2009

BN and Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen suurounding newly-elected state assembly Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan (with songkok, sitting left) before the start of the afternoon session of the assembly sitting. - 7 May, 2009

Newly-elected state assembly Speaker Datuk R. Ganesan (left) being asked to leave the Dewan by the Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen - Thomas Su (third from right), Li Kang (second from right) and Sivasubramaniam (right). - 7 May, 2009

Perak state secretary Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Hashim (third from left) being told by Pakatan Rakyat assemblymen not to interfere in the state assembly sitting. - 7 May, 2009 [ Again a malay guy being shown the door by a chinese guy]... I am not too racist, but just an observer..

Newly-elected state assembly speaker Datuk R. Ganesan (in black robe) and Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir at the assembly sitting with other BN assemblymen. - 7 May, 2009

Perak State Assembly secretary Abdullah Antong Sabri being asked to leave the Dewan by the Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman before the start of the sitting on Thursday. - 7 May, 2009
[This photo must be viewed with real caution, because I sensed a little bit of egocentrism being flared up. Too bad, the message is about a couple of chinese guys sending of a malay guy. And he looked very bitter!.. Do you see that? Will it flare up later? ]

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir is confronted by Pakatan Rakyat asemblymen at the state assembly sitting. - 7 May, 2009 [ I cant find a single photo showing, nizar leading the pack, its always the same guy, of nga and ngeh clan from ayer tawar]


My view:

1. In trying to be very nonchalant about the whole issue, I wish everyone the best of luck but to the three guys Nizar, Ngeh and Nga, please locate and look for yourselves where the hell is Jalan Melayu in Ayer Tawar. Look, Ponder and Understand!!... Ngeh should know, because the road is at the back of is law office, but I dont think he bothers to check whether the signboard if any still stands. I find it difficult to see him as Ayer Tawar assemblyman, but more of the real Menteri Besar of yestermonths. ......... Nizar should go to Lekir and Pasir Panjang, count the number of sand particles and count the souls he is representing and count his blessings as well!!...

2. Afterall Perak was in the hands of Ngeh and Nga, Nizar was just there. At least thats what I think.

3. I am sorry. I have been looking at the photos above, and I cant refrain myself from analysing them on racial lines, because it is too obvious. To Nizar, lets go home and do some real thinking. And to Anwar whereever he is, are you still adamant about being the next PM on ashes? To Hadi and Husam, is pegging your pursuit on Pakatan worth it?

4. Come a time, everyone has to walk on the familiar terrain and road. We better start counting the blessings now...

5. And the last point, not too important, but it suits my rural , backward and aboriginal thinking, if thats their game in there, then out here, a similar egocentric game can still happen as a repercurssion. When that happen it spares no soul.


A House in tatters

joceline tan
the star


It was one wild political circus at the Perak legislative meeting and the ensuing fiasco suggested that the acrimony between the two sides has reached a point of no return.

THE calm outside the Perak Legislative Assembly was a surreal contrast to the heightened political temperature inside the House.

The police had gone about in such a no-nonsense way to bar people from gathering in the area that one could have lain down in the middle of the road and not be run over by traffic.

Inside the grand building, pandemonium was the order of the day and no one, not even the fact that there were supposedly two Spea-kers in the House, could bring order to the proceedings.

It was one wild political circus from the word go.

In fact, what happened bordered on anarchy and it is difficult to visualise things returning to normal anytime soon.

The acrimony between the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat reached a point of no return yesterday.

“I don’t even want to speculate what will happen from here because people are no longer using their heads. It is all emotion that I am seeing, the law is being put aside,” said a source close to the palace.

The Barisan Nasional managed to push through its agenda yesterday, that is, to convene a new Legislative Assembly session, replace the Speaker and appoint three new House committees.

But it was not without costs and the embarrassing melee that ensued is something which Perak will not be able to live down for a long while.

Pakatan was bent on rejecting the fact that the Barisan holds the majority in the assembly and control of the government.

Barisan, on the other hand, was determined to cement its control of the House by installing a new Speaker even to the extent of forcibly removing V. Sivakumar from the chair.

“I thought things like this only happened in other countries,” said one former assemblyman from Perak.

One side is focused on forcing a snap state election, the other sees nothing wrong in carrying on till the general election.

Both sides are supremely convinced they command the moral high ground and no one is budging.

The Yang Berhormats demonstrated some astonishing behaviour that was more akin to lawbreakers than lawmakers. There was a lot of shouting, shoving, climbing atop tables, ringgit notes torn up and even a few punches thrown.

One assemblyman, caught in one of the scrapes, lost two buttons from his outfit, exposing his hairy tummy.

This will probably be the last time Malaysians would dare make fun of Taiwanese legislators.

And as some cynics claimed, there was “no sitting yesterday because the assemblymen were standing up” most of the time, trying to shout down each other and pressing on with their side of the agenda regardless of others.

For months, the joke had been about Perak having two Mentris Besar and two governments.

Yesterday, it really did seem as though there were two of each and, for several hours, there were even two Speakers.

The media had a field day although some of them did not know whether to laugh or cry at what was happening before their eyes.

The arithmetic does not favour Pakatan. The numbers are with Barisan but a government should not have to function surrounded by hundreds of security personnel.

The police could be put to better use given all those headlines of tragic snatch thefts in the last few days. They should not be monopolised to safeguard the very people who are elected to serve the people.

The Raja Muda got to deliver his royal address only at about 3.30pm, after Sivakumar had been physically taken out of the House and the new Speaker had taken his place.

The heir to the Perak throne looked regal and composed even after waiting since morning to make his royal address. He made no references at all to what had happened but he must surely be as troubled as everyone else.

His half-hour speech was the only time when there was decorum in the House because the angry exchanges between the two sides re-erupted after he left.

The ill-will between the rival camps was palpable and the House adjourned shortly after on a sour and uneasy note.

“There was no happy ending today,” said an aide to the Mentri Besar.

It was a day of records for Perak but not the sort of records to be proud of.

Yesterday saw not only the Speaker being replaced. Even the Speaker’s ornamental chair had to be replaced because it was damaged during the scuffle.

The damaged chair seemed like a metaphor for the Perak Legislative Assembly.

The reputation of the House has suffered a terrible blow after what happened. But, unlike a damaged chair, it cannot be repaired overnight.

Friday, May 08, 2009

Hee claims she has power to allow Ganesan's appointment

Perak Assembly Deputy Speaker Hee Yit Foong said she has the power to takeover the running of the assembly session as specified under Article 36A (1) (b) of the Perak State Constitution.

She said her decision to chair the assembly session to appoint Datuk R. Ganesan as the new Speaker yesterday was not an abuse of power or a power grab from former speaker V. Sivakumar.

"No doubt the Speaker (Sivakumar) has the power but as the Deputy Speaker, I can takeover when he is not capable of convening the session," she told a press conference here today.

Hee (Independent-Jelapang) said it was normal to appoint a new Speaker when the existing Speaker has lost the confidence of a majority of state assemblymen.

"The opposition can name a candidate as the new Speaker. This is the democratic process in Malaysia."
She denied an English newspaper report that Thomas Su Keong Seong (DAP-Pasir Pinji) had thrown a RM50 note on her table during the commotion yesterday.

"I would have picked up the money and give it to the needy. Being a stingy person, he was just showing off and will never drop the RM50 note," she said. - BERNAMA

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

PERAK: V. Sivakumar refiles for judicial review



The other day, private lawyers were refused to represent Sivakumar the Perak Assembly speaker. We were made to understand, state official going to court on official matter has to be represented by state legal advisor. Now, Sivakumar really wish to see a fresh elections for the three state seats namely; Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang.

2. I honestly do not know their level of confidence on electorate swing. For now, it seems that their confidence [pakatan] is brimming to the tip. I suppose it really depends so much on the momentum. There is real need for pakatan to push the whole community not about their ability, wisdom and good governance but rather on issues to hate barisan nasional as the most wicked, dangerous and crazy coalition and government the country ever come across.

3. Like it not, we had been living within the barisan nasional tenure since born, unless we think Pakatan can do better and BN is somewhat a spent force and too complacent, by all mean, parade Anwar as the pakatan's maskot to the throne. I have not come across his brilliant idea on combating economic downturn other than saying, Najib's mini budget is too late.

Good Luck Sivakumar.




V. Sivakumar refiles for judicial review
Mac 11 2009
The new straits times

Perak legislative assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar yesterday filed a judicial review application against three assemblymen who turned independent and the Election Commission.
Sivakumar, who filed the application in person at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry, wants the commission to hold fresh elections in the state assembly seats of Behrang, Changkat Jering and Jelapang.

A similar application with a similar remedy was also filed by three former executive councillors and three voters against the assemblymen: Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang), Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering) and Hee Yit Foong (Jelapang).

The former exco members were Chen Fook Chye, Tai Sing Ng and A.Sivanesan, while the voters were Ahmad Sabry Wahab (Behrang), Abdul Latif Ariffin (Changkat Jering) and Foo Hon Wai (Jelapang).

In both applications, Jamaluddin, Mohd Osman, Hee and the commission were named as respondents.
The 10-month old Pakatan Rakyat government collapsed early last month after Jamaluddin, Osman and Hee said they would support the Barisan Nasional. The BN, which has 28 assemblymen, then formed the government with the support of the independent assemblymen.

Pakatan, too, has 28 elected representatives.

Sivakumar, the former executive councillors and the voters want the respondents to show cause under what authority they were still assemblymen for their respective constituencies.

They also want the seats to be declared vacated and the commission directed to conduct fresh polls.

On Feb 3, Sivakumar notified the commission that the three seats were vacant after purportedly receiving letters that Jamaluddin, Mohd Osman and Hee had resigned as assemblymen.

However, the commission doubted the resignations and refused to hold by-elections for the seats.

Subsequently, Sivakumar filed an application for judicial review in the Ipoh High Court against the three assemblymen and the commission.

He told reporters yesterday that the application filed in Ipoh was withdrawn last week as "events had been overtaken by time" and had became academic.




beritadarigunung

Friday, March 06, 2009

POLICE summon Perak Speaker

Throughout this twisting fate, or shrewd political punctuation or whatever you want to name it, please by all means adhere to the timelines of events. Never lose sight of sequence. It is like a lesson on history.

2. You get it all wrong if someone said to you that trees in Ipoh are for the birds or a little shade in a hot sunny day or an extra volume of O2 released to support the breathless Ipohgites. That tree is destined for a state assembly!

3. But Police are out looking for Sivakumar. For all intent and purpose, Mr Speaker is to serve the government of the day and of course he should be neutral! Police will keep probing into the suspension of Zambry and six exco members.

4. Everybody knows that PKR, PAS and DAP will prolong this momentum, that they were wickedly being victimised at least until the date of BUKIT by elections. They will find ways, be it stupid or childish. Is it true?

Police summon Speaker over suspension order.

Malaysia Star

By IVAN LOH

Speaker V. Sivakumar was again summoned by the police to give a statement at the state contingent over the deluge of reports lodged against him for suspending Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and six executive council members from the state assembly.

He however failed to show up Friday, instead sending his lawyers Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran and Anthony Augustin to explain his absence.

Kulasegaran said Sivakumar’s office was informed by the police at 3pm Thursday to come forward and record his statement at the Criminal Investigation Department Friday.

“He is unable to be present as he is now on holiday outside the state,” Kulasegaran said, adding that Sivakumar was expected to be available by Wednesday.

Sivakumar, Perak Speaker must be neutral.

Someone was saying "I must stress here that a Speaker must be neutral". That is not an easy thing to do since the speaker is an assemblyman. He belongs to a political party. Since the former state government was made defunct, therefore the speaker is at a loss. It is only natural for him to cling to his old peers.

By virtue of him still a public official, Perak Speaker can only be represented by state legal adviser. A friend was saying, Sivakumar is definitely counting his days as Mr Speaker, as Anwar is counting his the moment his sodomy case is in full gear.

'Perak Speaker Can Only Be Represented By State Legal Adviser'

The High Court has ruled that Perak State Legislative Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar can only be represented by the State Legal Adviser in the suits brought by 10 members of the assembly including Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.[ 'Perak Speaker Can Only Be Represented By State Legal Adviser' bernama]

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

A game to him, even if it is childish

Anwar Defends Action To Hold Perak Assembly Meeting Under Tree

It might have looked amusing or odd to many people, but opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim defended the action of Perak Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar to hold an emergency assembly meeting under a tree in Ipoh Tuesday.

Anwar also regarded the meeting held under the tree near the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building, which houses the State Legislative Assembly hall, as valid because the members were prevented from entering the building.

"Knowing that the sitting should be held, they (the authorities) cordoned the entire area, forcing them (Pakatan Pembangkang assemblymen) to convene the meeting under a tree or it could have been at a car park.

"It does not matter, (for) what difference does it make? I remember that in my case, the judge once held the trial in the Sungai Buloh Prison. In this case, let the Speaker decide. They didn't have a choice," he said.

"My view is that the Speaker had been duly appointed. He has the authority to convene (the meeting)...As far as we see it, the meeting was legal as there was a legal notice, there was agenda...they barred him (Speaker) from entering the office," added Anwar, who questioned the authorities' action of not allowing the Speaker and the assemblymen to enter the building.

-- BERNAMA


COMPILING PERAK ISSUE:
1 POLITICS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Fire and arson in Perak
2 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Planet of the Apes
3 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: A simple twist of fate
4 POLITICS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Anwar in the mood to accuse
5 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Who the hell is V Sivakumar
6 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Flurry of reports in fury
7 POLITICS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: karpal gets two live bullets
8 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Nizar wasnt like this.
9 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: You mean Nizar really say this.
10 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Your turn, Mohamad Ariff
11 KEADILAN DI MALAYSIAKINI: antara Lingam, Khalid dan MACC
12 POLITICS: Mohsin Abdullah is right.
13 For the record, THE TREE.
14 PERAK; Silver lining
15 A game to him, even if it is childish
16 Sivakumar, Perak Speaker must be neutral.
17 POLICE summon Perak Speaker
18 ROYAL BANQUET WITH MALAYSIAKINI: no untoward incident
19 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Flurry of reports in fury
20 BARRICADE WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Nizar, Anwar and the late Dato Harun Idris
21 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Karpal will not represent Nizar
22 PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Stand off is a bluff
23 AYER TAWAR WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Where is Jalan Melayu.
24 CRISIS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: But, where is Anwar Ibrahim
25 KESALAHAN DENGAN MALAYSIAKINI: Anwar patut sedar
26
27
28
29

PERAK; Silver lining


Still looking for the silver lining

By : Zainul Ariffin

THERE is a sense of disbelief of what is happening in Perak now. It would be funny if not for the fact that the situation should bring tears to our eyes.

An al fresco State Assembly? This is what our democracy has evolved or degenerated into.

Now all of us have opinions on who are responsible for the mess. Yet we are drawn so tight in our circle of political beliefs, that we are likely to aggregate ourselves within our own sets and denounce those across the aisle, as a matter of fact.

Where are the cooler heads? Consumed by partisanship, perhaps.

I would still like to be positive that despite all these, there must be something to be learned and gained from this experience, such as our improving political maturity and greater democratisation of our political environment.
But it is getting rather difficult by the day, my unbounded optimism notwithstanding, to be looking for the proverbial silver lining.

The language of our discourse has also degenerated and so have our actions. Nothing is sacred anymore, which is both liberating as well as worryingly confusing.

An example, of course, is the decision by DAP chairman Karpal Singh to file suit against the decision by the Sultan of Perak to decline a dissolution of the State Assembly and subsequently to swear in Datuk Dr Zambry Kadir.

When Karpal Singh started his tirade against the decision to appoint Zambry, he also unleashed a tirade against the Perak ruler, and the Malay sultanate in general, especially via the anonymity of the world wide web.

Some of them are rude, distasteful, seditious and even downright anarchist in nature. This sudden torrent of abuse heaped on the Malay rulers suggests there is a sense that there is little appreciation of how the Malays, whom I would hazard to theorise to have greater affinity to the royals than others, feel.

Most Malays understand better than the others that the Constitutional amendments of the 1980s and 1990s meant the curtailing of the powers of the rulers. They agonised over it when the amendments were mooted, but at the end supported them.

They are mainly divided between the need to curtail any royal excesses and abuses, and yet still have the rulers around. Many Malays, I must add, not all, believe that the rulers are rooted in the history of the Malays. Also, the Constitutional amendments notwithstanding, the rulers are to be arbiters of last resort when all else fails.

Perhaps Malays are feudalistic by nature, but many want the institution of Malay rulers to be around. I may be wrong too, but from what I gather some Malays are generally not comfortable with the way the rulers and the institution have been treated arising from the Perak crisis.

Notice the absence of prominent Opposition Malay politicians outwardly supportive of Karpal's move, even if they have reservations about the Perak palace's decision.

The concept of loyalty must surely be rooted in more than just being loyal, but also respect

The constant challenge to the role and decisions of the royal houses is obviously a sign of disrespect, regardless of what the law says.

DAP and many assemblymen from Pakatan Rakyat would have realised that they were voted in partly, or largely, by Malay voters. Some of them voted PR because they subscribed to its ideology, or sympathised with its politics, or in some cases, to punish the incumbent Barisan Nasional.

There is a possibility this constant haranguing of the royals may not endear them to the Malays later.

Regardless, at the rate we are going I do not believe that any decision, either by the court or the palace, will satisfy everyone.

But, I believe, we must decide at some point that enough is enough. Perak needs a Government, one way or the other, BN or PR. A line has to be drawn. At some point a decision must be accepted. The loser will have to leave and fight another day.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

For the record, THE TREE.

Emergency session: Members of an opposition coalition attend an emergency session of the state parliament under a tree in a parking lot in Ipoh, Perak state, Malaysia, Tuesday, March 3, 2009. Riot police and ruling party supporters blocked members of the opposition coalition from entering a northern state's parliament Tuesday in an increasingly tense tussle for its control. AP/Vincent Thian
Emergency session:
Members of an opposition coalition attend an emergency session of the state parliament under a tree in a parking lot in Ipoh, Perak state, Malaysia, Tuesday. Riot police and ruling party supporters blocked members of the opposition coalition from entering a northern state's parliament Tuesday in an increasingly tense tussle for its control.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: You mean Nizar really say this.

Oh, I just put it for record purposes.

We were talking while having lunch the other day, about a football team killing the whole opposing team with machine guns before the match started, and of course they were declared menang tanpa bertanding. But the next day they were rounded by police and sent to the furthest valley of death to rot. Just a nonchalant remark over cups of caffein! Oh, admittedly we were drugged with caffein, but some of us are now drugged with greed. God bless us all.

I really dont expect Nizar to say this. Has he gone too low?



"Pakatan now has 28 seats and BN has only 21. So we now have the majority. And, they (BN) are worried about that. So we can expect some chaos and turmoil."

Asked to comment on public perception that Sivakumar's decision to suspend Zambry and his exco was biased and in favour of Pakatan, he said the decision was based on sound judgment and in accordance with rules and regulations.

"If he (Sivakumar) feels satisfied that his is the correct decision, then nobody can question or challenge his decision.

"He was not acting on the basis of bias or as the state assemblyman for Tronoh.

"Obviously, he will act on behalf of truth, be fair and just. The perception that the speaker is biased is merely a perception." speaker seeks special sitting New Straits Times

Friday, February 20, 2009

PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Flurry of reports in fury

A Sultan has said about justice in jeopardy if court is abused and developing into sandiwara. Flurry of reports is now a daily occurance. I thought too many lawyers turn into politicians further complicate things.

On a second thought, a slight amendment to the title will sound nicer, Furious flurry of reports


Flurry of reports on Perak Speaker.
by Christina
Eleven police reports have been lodged against Perak Assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar over the suspension of Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and his six exco members from assembly sittings.

State police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Zulkifli Abdullah said that as of Friday morning, various political groups and individuals had lodged eight reports in Perak, and two outside the state.

Following the reports, DCP Zulkifli said police would investigate under Section 124/120B of the Penal Code.

The offence under Section 124, which involves compelling an elected representative to refrain from exercising his lawful powers, carries a maximum seven years jail with fine upon conviction.

“The police will call witnesses to record their statements to aid in this investigation,” he said in a statement on Friday.

Meanwhile, Barisan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu also lodged another report against Sivakumar at the Sungai Senam police station.

In another development, national PKR Indian liaison committee chairman P. Jenapala has lodged a police report against Selangor Opposition chief Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo, Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir and Umno Youth deputy chief Khairy Jamaluddin.

Jenapala said he lodged the report against Khir Toyo mainly for leading supporters in a march towards the house of Bukit Gelugor MP and DAP chairman Karpal Singh in Penang.

He also urged police to investigate Mukhriz for statements he made on Malay supremacy, and Khairy for allegedly organising an illegal rally here recently.

Meanwhile in PANGKOR, Former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s directive to Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir to ignore the suspension order by state speaker V. Sivakumar was unlawful.

“He has given space to the people and teaching them to disobey the law and subsequently plunging the state into anarchy,” he told reporters before the start of a ceramah on Friday.

He also urged the people to remain calm and not to cause unnecessary problems and riot to show their disgust.

“The people are aware that the way Barisan Nasional took over the state government is wrong and cruel,” he said.

Nizar said the speaker had absolute power within or outside the state assembly bestowed to him under the state constitution and state assembly regulations. (perlembagaan negeri perak and dalam peraturan peraturan dewan)

“As long as it involves the state assembly, the speaker has the power to make decisions,” he said, adding that no court can challenge his decision.

Nizar stressed that Dr Zambry had brought contempt to the Legaslative Assembly and Sivakumar has every right to serve the suspension orders to him and the six excos. [Flurry of police reports against Perak Speaker Malaysia Star]

PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Who the hell is V Sivakumar

Oh, the day is hot minus much hoped drizzle. Everyone is feeling the heat as the sun keep glaring down. Perak has for long been the backyard of things. Everything seems to be peaceful after the first Pangkor Treaty. The second pangkor Treaty saw sovereignty sold for 30 bucks more forcing down the Yeop's throats for 30 generations down the line, when 999 years appear as the most suitable numbers for freeholdings. What can we say......

Oh, a chance to nullify the earlier Pangkor Treaty was tested and jeered as the real Pangkor Boy took solemn oath. i dont know, but he could have said, "Till death do us apart..... "

When Yang Bijaksana Tuan Speaker V Sivakumar suspended the whole lot for months, somebody were asking, has he got the power to do it? People begin to question.

So who the hell is V Sivakumar, the man not the speaker ?

Click here to find out, what it takes to execute suspension of Aduns and MPs from the house.
Perak Speaker Did Not Follow Procedures Bernama
Perak Speaker's Action A Misuse Of Power
Lodge police report against speaker
I am still Perak Assembly Speaker: Sivakumar
Perak speaker holds the key
Experts dispute speaker's right to suspend Perak MB
Expert: Suspension of Perak MB, exco members questionable

A little bit from wiki...
i wouldnt know
how true this info is;

V. Sivakumar is a Malaysian politician from the Democratic Action Party, and the current Speaker of the Perak State Assembly. He was the first ethnic Indian to become the speaker of a Malaysian legislative body, succeeding Junus Wahid as the previous speaker of the State Assembly. Sivakumar entered politics in 1997, serving as political secretary to M. Kulasegaran at one point, before winning the seat of Tronoh in the Perak State Assembly in the 2008 general election, defeating Lee Kim Choy with a majority of 2,571. Sivakumar holds a Bachelor's in Legal Philosophy and a Master's in Business Administration.[1]




Lets sing along with Madonna.
TILL DEATH DO US APART

Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't
Cause you don't love me no more

You need so much but not from me
Turn your back in hour of need
Well something's wrong but you pretend you don't see
I think I interrupt your life
When you laugh it cuts me just like a knife
I'm not your friend, I'm just your little wife

Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't if you don't
Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't
Cause you don't love me no more

They never laugh not like before
She takes the keys, he breaks the door
She cannot stay here anymore
He's not in love with her anymore

The bruises, they will fade away
You hit so hard with the things you say
I will not stay to watch your hate as it grows
You're not in love with someone else
You don't even love yourself
Still I wish you'd ask me not to go

Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't if you don't
Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't
Cause you don't love me no more

He takes a drink, she goes inside
He starts to scream, the vases fly
He wishes that she wouldn't cry
He's not in love with her anymore

He makes demands, she draws the line
He starts the fight, she starts the lie
But what is truth when something dies
He's not in love with her anymore

You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't
Cause you don't love me no more

Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't if you don't

Our luck is running out of time
You're not in love with me anymore
I wish that it would change, but it won't
Cause you don't love me no more

They never laugh not like before
She takes the keys, he breaks the door
She cannot stay here anymore
He's not in love with her anymore

He takes a drink, she goes inside
He starts to scream, the vases fly
He wishes that she wouldn't cry
He's not in love with her anymore

He makes demands, she draws the line
He starts the fight, she starts the lie
But what is truth when something dies
He's not in love with her anymore

She's had enough, she says the end
But she'll come back, she knows it then
A chance to start it all again
Till death do us apart

Thursday, February 19, 2009

PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: A simple twist of fate

There is an old song by Bob Dylan with a similar title. Before we go on with the lyrics, lets tread along the tight rope. Joan Baez played it in a jazzy mood. And as the mood wears thin, the rope is getting tighter! It will snap!!


Perak MB to take "follow-up" action
bernama
Feb 18 2009 Wed
IPOH,

Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said he and the six executive council members will take "follow-up" actions following their suspensions by the state legislative assembly's Rights and Privileges Committee.

He declined to say what the actions would be but said that the suspensions were made "in total disregard to the power of the Sultan of Perak to appoint the Menteri Besar and the executive council."

The committee also barred Zambry and his executive council from attending the state legislative assembly for 18 months and 12 months respectively, effective today.

All of them were summoned to appear before the Rights and Privileges Committee following complaints by DAP assemblyman for Canning, Wong Kah Woh, who claimed that their appointment to their respective posts contravened the state constitution, and in contempt of the assembly because the 10th Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin had not officially resigned.

Speaker V Sivakumar who announced the suspension, said Zambry and his executive council failed to offer any explanation pertaining to their actions.
[Perak MB says he will take "follow-up" action ]

The lyrics

Simple Twist Of Fate

They sat together in the park
As the evening sky grew dark
She looked at him and he felt a spark tingle to his bones
It was then he felt alone and wished that he'd gone straight
And watched out for a simple twist of fate.

They walked alone by the old canal
A little confused I remember well
And stopped into a strange hotel with a neon burning bright
He felt the heat of the night hit him like a freight train
Moving with a simple twist of fate.

A saxophone someplace far off played
As she was walking on by the arcade
As the light bust through a-beat-up shade where he was waking up
She dropped a coin into the cup of a blind man at the gate
And forgot about a simple twist of fate.

He woke up the room was bare
He didn't see her anywhere
He told himself he didn't care pushed the window open wide
Felt an emptiness inside to which he just could not relate
Brought on by a simple twist of fate.

He hears the ticking of the clocks
And walks along with a parrot that talks
Hunts her down by the waterfront docks where the sailers all come in
Maybe she'll pick him out again how long must he wait
One more time for a simple twist of fate.

People tell me it's a sin
To know and feel too much within
I still believe she was my twin but I lost the ring
She was born in spring but I was born too late
Blame it on a simple twist of fate.

PERAK WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Planet of the Apes



What is this?


I love movies. Entertainment. But there are lessons somewhere within the two hour show.

Planet of the Apes

The main events of the book are placed in a frame story, in which Jinn and Phyllis, a couple out on a pleasure cruise in a spaceship, find a message in a bottle floating in space. The message inside the bottle is the testimony of a man, Ulysse Mérou, who has written down his story in the hope that someone else, somewhere, will find it. Ulysse begins by explaining that he was a friend of Professor Antelle, a genius scientist on Earth, who invented a spaceship that could travel at nearly the speed of light. Ulysse, the professor, and a physicist named Levain fly off in this ship to explore outer space. They travel to the nearest star system that the professor theorized might be capable of life, the red sun Betelgeuse, which would take them about 350 years to reach. Due to time dilation, however, the trip only seems two years long to the travelers.

They arrive at the distant solar system and find that it contains an Earth-like planet, which they name Soror ( latin for sister), "because of its resemblance to our Earth." They land on the planet and discover that they can breathe the air, drink the water, and eat the local vegetation. They soon encounter other human beings on the planet, although these others act as primitively as chimpanzees and destroy the clothing of the three astronauts. They are captured by the primitive humans and stay with them for a few hours. At the end of this time, they are startled to see a hunting party in the forest, consisting of gorillas, orangutans, and chimpanzees using guns and machines. The apes wear human clothing identical to that of 20th-century Earth, with the exception that they wear gloves instead of shoes on their prehensile feet. The hunting party shoots several of the humans for sport, including Levain, and capture others, including Ulysse.

Ulysse is taken off to the apes' city, which looks exactly the same as a human city from 20th-century Earth, with the exception that some smaller furniture exists for the use of the chimpanzees. While most of the humans captured by the hunting party are sold for manual labor, the protagonist is sent to a research facility. There, the apes perform experiments on the humans similar to Pavlov's conditioning experiments on dogs, and Ulysse proves his intelligence by failing to be conditioned, and by speaking and drawing geometrical figures. Ulysse is adopted by one of the researchers, Zira, a female chimpanzee, who begins to teach him the apes' language. He learns from her all about the ape planet. Eventually, he is freed from his cage, and meets Zira's fiancé, Cornélius, a respected young scientist. With Cornélius' help, he makes a speech in front of the ape President and numerous representatives, and is given specially tailored clothing. He tours the city and learns about the apes' civilization and history. The apes have a very ancient society, but their origins are lost in time. Their technology and culture have progressed slowly through the centuries because each generation, for the most part, with what is recognized as characteristically ape-like behaviour, imitates those of the past. The society is divided between the violent gorillas, the pedantic and conservative orangutans, and the intellectual chimpanzees.

Although Ulysse's chimpanzee patrons Zira and Cornélius are convinced of his sentience, the society's leading orangutan scientists believe that he is faking his understanding of language, because their philosophy will not allow the possibility of sentient human beings. Ulysse falls in love with a primitive human female, Nova, whom he had met in the forest at the beginning of his visit to the planet. He impregnates her and thus proves that he is the same species as the primitive humans, which lowers his standing in the eyes of many of the apes. However, their derision turns to fear with a discovery in a distant archaeological dig and an analysis of memory in some human brains. Evidence is uncovered that fills in the missing history of the apes. In the distant past, the planet was ruled by human beings who built a technological society and enslaved apes to perform their manual labor. Over time the humans became more and more dependent upon the apes, until eventually they became so lazy and degenerate that they were overthrown by their ape servants and fell into the primitive state in which our protagonist found them.

While some of the apes reject this evidence, others - in particular, an old orangutan scientist, Dr. Zaius - take it as a sign that the humans are a threat and must be exterminated. Ulysse learns of this, and escapes from the planet with his wife and new-born son, returning to Earth in the professor's spaceship. Again, the trip takes several centuries, but only a relative time of a few years to the protagonist. Ulysse lands on Earth, over 700 years after he had originally left it, and lands outside the city of Paris. However, once outside the ship, he discovers that Earth is now ruled by sentient apes just like the planet from which he has fled (this is where his story on paper ends). He immediately leaves Earth in his ship, writes his story, places it in a bottle, and launches it into space for someone to find. It is at this point in the story that we discover that Jinn and Phyllis, the couple who found the bottle, are chimpanzees. Jinn and Phyllis dismiss Ulysse's story, saying that a human would not have the intelligence.


I am trying to imagine watching this movie while on vacation in Banding Perak, a spectacular resort. It is all about a group challenging another group, a species trying to outclass another species for power and greed. Of course there will be fire and arson. And humanity is burning to ashes. Lets go to Banding to save whats left of Humanity.



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Wednesday, February 18, 2009

POLITICS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Fire and arson in Perak

Posted for later reference. I know fire is burning.

Speaker bars Zambry,
excos from assembly sittings.


The star
Feb 18,2009 6.44pm


Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar has barred Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir from from attending all State Assembly sittings for 18 months

Dr Zambry's six exco members have been barred for 12 months, Sivakumar said on Wednesday.

Sivakumar said this after an inquiry before him and the Special Privileges Committee on Wednesday to give statements on complaints that their appointments were unconstitutional. [Perak speaker bars Zambry, excos from assembly sittings
Malaysia Star, Malaysia]

Arson

Arson is a crime - a felony. It is believed that arson is much more prevalent than statistics indicate because there is a less than perfect system for reporting fires and their causes. Statistics, no matter how incomplete, do indicate that arson is one of the nation’s most expensive crimes against property; and it frequently results in injuries, sometimes in deaths.

But here in Perak, there are political fire and arson at work! Who will be hauled up to court? In the end, who will contain the fire within the racial perimeter before things go beyond control. Or nobody cares? I hate to see the composition of the committee that had passed the decision. Racial lines may be broken if we are too careless or too calculative.



Sunday, February 15, 2009

CRISIS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: Trouble in Perak, Raslan

I thought this guy probe far deeper than most, on perak crisis. I just paste it down for later reference and for others who wish to understand things through Raslan's eyes.

Trouble in Perak

Raslan,
Sinchew


The Perak fiasco, although it is tempting to see it as a ‘victory’ for Umno and Barisan Nasional or as a “defeat” for Pakatan Rakyat, is really a general indictment of Malaysia’s political class. No one really emerges well from this cynical, torrid affair.

On the one hand, serious questions have been raised about Anwar Ibrahim’s management of his coalition and his political modus operandi in general. The general consensus is that Anwar was the “father” of the practice of crossovers in Malaysia - hence the events in Sabah in 1995 when he was still in Umno. The initial defection of Dato’ Nassaruddin, the Bota State Assemblymen to Pakatan seemed to confirm our worst suspicions that the Pakatan leader is still amenable to such tactics.

His ambition has cost his coalition dearly and it is quite right to question his ability to lead the Opposition, to say nothing about become Prime Minister. Anwar clearly has a lot of fences to mend with the DAP and PAS, as well as the public.

Nonetheless, the three former Pakatan ADUNs are guilty of a terrible betrayal of trust and deserve to be vilified and ostracised for letting down the voters. It cannot be denied that Pakatan did win Perak back on 8 March - they had a clear (though bare) majority in the State Assembly and won the popular vote by 43,095 ballots - at the Federal level the margin of votes was slightly larger at 57,732 votes. The defecting MPs have clearly gone against the will of the people who elected them in the first place.

On the other, Umno and Barisan Nasional have also signalled to Malaysians that they clearly aren’t interested in reforming their back-room style of politics. By relying on crossovers, Umno has secured power without reform. This is the kind of victory Umno likes - the kind of victory that requires no sacrifice or changes in its practices.

As we all know, what Umno circles imagine to be the “will of the people' is hardly a good indication of the sentiment on the ground. Umno may have re-taken Perak but their action is a debacle, a series of events that have created mountains of ill-will, resentment and anger that will damage the party of Merdeka.

Barisan Nasional - whose reputation is already in tatters and whose perceived integrity is virtually zero, will not benefit from the shenanigans in Perak- it’s a public-relations disaster and it really won’t be worth it in the long run. The fallacious argument of 'but Anwar started it' is irrelevant- why should they stoop to his level if it is indeed true that they are the more moral of the two?

As far as I can see neither the Barisan Nasional nor Umno have attempted to reform themselves. Instead, introspection and reflection have been replaced by the backroom deal-making of the past. Furthermore, it is not clear if the new administration, which will be dominated by the latter, can adequately reflect the state’s diverse demographics.

Even more disturbing is the fact that events in Perak have also raised important questions about the monarchy and its role in our democracy. There will be a lot of anger (not all of it justified) directed against the Perak Royal House and the implications are troubling.

Most non-Malays will feel dismayed and appalled by the transition. Try as we might, it is also impossible see what happened as anything other than the Sultan coming down on the side of the Malay establishment against the newer and far more dynamic forces of the modernist Ullama, young professional Malays and the working class.

It is also disturbing to think that in choosing to be so deeply involved in the formation of this State Govt, the Royal House has essentially assumed the responsibility for the new state government. The opponents of constitutional monarchy in this country, from both the right- and left-wing spectrums, will have another case study to bolster their arguments.

The royal house of Perak - which has been famed for its scrupulous independence- has essentially chosen to hitch its reputation to an Umno-led administration. While the former can take credit for its successes, the blame or ill-will any failures will also be laid at its door.

Had the Sultan decided to dissolve the State Legislature and call for an election he would have been passing the challenge of forming the state govt to the people. The responsibility for success and/or failure would have remained with the people of Perak.

Now, the future credibility of the Perak crown rests on the ability of the new Umno MB to govern a restive state. The odds are long and hard given the party’s endemic lack of human capital and horrible in-fighting.

The net result of all this, and it pains me to say it, could be significant damage to the constitutional and political institutions that have served Malaysians herein to so well. (By KARIM RASLAN/ MySinchew)

Trouble In Perak Sin Chew Jit Poh

ROYAL BANQUET WITH MALAYSIAKINI: no untoward incident




Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin dan Sultan Azlan Shah pada majlis Santapan Diraja Sempena Perayaan Jubli Perak Pemerintahan Sultan Perak ke-25 di Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar, malam tadi. [ikhsan: utusan]

ROYAL BANQUET;
a success with no untoward incident


nst
kuala kangsar

The royal banquet to commemorate Perak Sultan Azlan Shah’s silver jubilee celebration could not have been more different compared with the swearing-in ceremony of the new Mentri Besar hardly a week ago.

Last night’s banquet proceeded peacefully with no untoward incident, whereas the swearing-in of Datuk Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir was marred by loud protests.

Colourful fireworks, instead of an unruly crowd, greeted royal guests including several Sultans and crown princes from other states last night.

Yang diPertuan Agong Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah and the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah were among the royalty at the banquet.

All the Rulers except for the Sultan of Johor, Raja of Perlis and Yang diPertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan attended the banquet.

The Sultan of Johor was represented by Tengku Mahkota Tunku Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar, the Raja of Perlis by Raja Muda Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin and the Sultan of Terengganu by the President of the Terengganu Regency Advisory Council, Tengku Seri Panglima Raja Tengku Baderulzaman Sultan Mahmud.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, Dr Zambry, state executive councillors and assemblymen were the other guests.

Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin attended the banquet along with other Pakatan Rakyat state assemblymen.

He said he had come to take part in the celebration.

“We (the former state government) planned this celebration many months ago. In fact, I was the head of the planning committee,” Mohammad Nizar said before performing Maghrib prayers at the Ubudiah Mosque.

A large group of town folk gathered along the river bank to catch a glimpse of the royal guests. Many brought along food and treated the outing like a picnic.

A group claiming to want to hand over a memorandum on the current political situation in Perak was nowhere in sight as police tightly secured areas surrounding the palace.

Royal banquet a success with no untoward incident
Malaysia Star

Friday, February 13, 2009

CRISIS WITH MALAYSIAKINI: But, where is Anwar Ibrahim



I dont know,


but I think I have been having this negativity, that Anwar is bad news. As a guy had commented out loud that what I said or rather wrote, was utter bullshit and Anwar is his or their hero, the whole fiasco leads to perspective shooting off tangent. That was such a heroic momment when Anwar put pkr jacket on nasarudin from Bota. Was it two weeks ago?

2. Within a week, the reverse was happening, and Najib taking the upper hand. It was possible that Anwar had been thinking everything was like a game of Rubgy. You go for a scrum and yell out hell .... the circle just squeeze everything out and after a long halt, the next momment there is motion, a team pushing another team.

3. To my opinion, the Perak Fiasco could just be like a game of golf. There is no real opponent, but yourself !!. There are four in a golf flight, but each one is on his own, fighting out his very own strength and weakness. Once the swing and the feel is with you, 18 holes is yours to conquer. You chart your own score.

4. I suppose, Anwar has lost his own game, nothing to do with others playing dirty or cheating. He was beaten on his own turf, green, fairways, holes, bunkers and his very own game. Thats how I see it in retrospect.

5. Where is Anwar now?. Nizar was cheering out loud with 100 supporters for his own crusade. No Lim Guan Eng and no Karpal and no Anwar around. Has Nizar lost in the game of political seduction?

6. I flick through for any news on Anwar, and I found this. But Carolyn was trying to distinguish between fact and rumour, and still not his whereabout!!


Telling fact from rumour

Carolyn Hong relates
how it's now difficult
to do so in Malaysia.

by Carolyn Hong

THE toppling of the Perak government 10 days ago has spooked Malaysian politicians so much that they are seeing shadows in every corner.

Rumours are so rife that they have become impossible to sort from fact. Any MP or assemblyman who can't be contacted immediately becomes a target of rumour.

This is, of course, because defections are necessarily a secret business.

From the experience of Perak, an MP or assemblyman's "disappearance" is the first alarm bell.

On Thursday, it was the Port Klang assemblyman Badrul Hisham Abdullah, from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), who had to call a press conference to explain that he had not defected.

"The allegations are not true and fabricated by the opposition to create chaos within the Pakatan Rakyat government in Selangor," he said.

Mr Badrul, 49, had been named by a TV station and online news portal as having gone missing due to domestic problems. They also claimed that he had been marginalised in the Selangor state government and only given minor duties.

He was said to be ready to defect to Umno.

But he denied all these. Accompanied by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim's right-hand man Azmin Ali, he said it was a "technical problem" that he had reportedly not turned up at his service centre for a long time.

Mr Azmin also denied that Kulim assemblyman Lim Soo Nee, from PKR, will defect.

These rumours had sent scores of reporters waiting patiently outside the house of Selangor chief minister Khalid Ibrahim on Thursday night, as he held a meeting with his assemblymen.

The Pakatan Rakyat has 36 assemblymen to the Barisan Nasional's 20 in Selangor. This large majority of 16 makes it hard for Selangor to change hands. At least eight assemblymen must cross, and that's a very large number.

Besides Selangor, the PR also held Perak (which fell after four assemblymen defected), Kedah (eight-seat majority), Penang (18-seat majority), and Kelantan (33-seat majority).

Kedah is the riskiest because of its relatively small majority that would take four defectors to break. One of the PKR assemblymen V. Arumugam also resigned suddenly (and has since "disappeared"), prompting a by-election that will be held on April 7. Mr Arumugam, who is battling allegations of bigamy, claimed he had been threatened to get him to defect.

The fever had also spread to Negri Sembilan where the BN holds a six-seat majority, forcing its leaders to deny any potential defections.

Many analysts have pointed out that the defectors or potential defectors appear to be largely from the PKR. This is not surprising. PKR is the newest of the three opposition parties, and formed by breakaways from Umno in 1998 when Mr Anwar was sacked.

The DAP and Parti Islam SeMalaysia, on the other hand, are long established. Their members believe in the ideology of Malaysian Malaysia (DAP) and Islamic state (PAS).

This was why it was such a shock that a DAP assemblywoman Hee Yit Fong had jumped ship in Perak, after being in the party for 20 years.

PKR does not seem to have cemented a strong ideology or build up a good party network. In 2008, it was well known that it had to scramble to find hundreds of candidates to run in the seats that it contested.

The calibre of some was not entirely up to mark.

One of its candidates in a parliamentary seat in Johor caused a stir when he simply did not show up to file his papers, giving a walkover to the BN.

Even party insiders say the PKR needs to focus more on building up its internal strength and cohesion.

As a coalition, the PR has begun to meet more regularly to build cohesiveness, and to coordinate strategy. This Sunday, its MPs are meeting for a closed-door discussion to hammer out issues.

It's an exercise that has taken a long time to begin. And it'll take a while before the results are seen.

Until then, the fear of more defections is likely to remain, haunting PKR leaders - and keeping Malaysian politics uncertain.

Telling fact from rumour
Straits Times, Singapore



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