By Stanley Koh, Free Malaysia Today
COMMENT When one Malaysian dreams alone, it remains a dream. But when all Malaysians dream together, it can become a reality.
For decades after independence, most Malaysians dreamt alone. But in 2008, more than four million of them woke up from a nightmare and voted for an opposition coalition.
But the nightmare is now recurring. Some of the sleaze that makes Barisan Nasional so contemptible has somehow seeped into the opposition parties. Their effectiveness – and even credibility – has come under question.
Should ordinary Malaysians and civil society unite to remove the muck and slime that is tainting our dream? Of course. But how? Perhaps we can learn something from an examination of the rot that gives BN its disgusting character.
Indeed, it does not take much effort to convince the ordinary Malaysian in the street that the BN rot has gone to its core. It has been unable to take any lesson from its 2008 setback.
BN is still dishonest and obfuscating. It is intent on preserving itself, but it does this not by trying to cure itself of its disease.
Instead, it demonises its opponents and covers up its own monstrosities through stereotyping, cheap publicity and denial of facts. It raises emotive issues, plays to the gallery and turns half-truths into absolutes. It tries to keep itself opaque and it shuns accountability. Its leaders are intellectually bankrupt; they do not even care how ridiculous they look every time they run to the police station to lodge reports against critics.
The castration of BN in 2008
Barisan Nasional’s popular votes fell from 4.47 million votes in 2004 to 4.08 million in 2008.
Analysts say this setback was due to a wide range of factors, many of them related. They have cited, among other things, massive corruption, rampant abuse of power, arrogance of leaders, unevenness of the electoral playing field, lack of credibility of the Election Commission, cronyism, nepotism, failure to control inflation, blatant abuses of natural resources and denial of human rights.
Even at the best of times, Barisan Nasional (BN) never garnered more than 65% of popular votes despite its two-thirds majority in Parliament between 1974 and the 2008 fall day.
BN suffered a serious electoral setback in 1969, and this led to the May 13 riots. It was then a coalition of three parties called the Alliance. After the setback, it worked to widen its support base, and on June 1, 1974, BN was officially registered under the chairmanship of Tun Abdul Razak.
It appears that the 2008 setback is also prompting BN to institute changes. However, the current chairman, Razak’s son Najib, does not seem to have the imagination of his father. We hear that BN will change the design of its logo. Is Najib trying to fix his badly damaged engine of his car by changing the tyres?
That engine went through 22 years of abuse with Dr Mahathir Mohamad at the steering wheel.
The authoritarian Mahathir concentrated power in his hands, instilled a herd mentality among his lieutenants and nurtured a patron-client relationship between Umno and the other members of the BN coalition.
With his belief in a distorted version of democracy – he called it “guided democracy” – he gave the nation a political physiognomy.
In a blog article last year, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah recalled the constitutional crisis of 1993 and asked:
“Is today’s Umno, with its inconsistent adherence to the rule of law, its inconstant respect for the key institutions of our country, a credible or effective defender of the Rulers and of the laws upholding this institution? Or do we actually harm what we claim to protect?”
By 2008, when it was under Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s leadership, BN’s image had sunk to its lowest ebb and the beautiful words contained in the election manifesto released in that year – “We respect the separation of powers provided under the Constitution” – remain today as a sick joke.
Non-consumer product
No wonder the Najib administration keeps referring only to one feature of Abdullah’s legacy – the so-called feel-good factor.
Propaganda has it that this “non-consumer” product is rapidly regaining public confidence for BN. Of course, when the 3Ms – Money, Machinery and Manpower—are within reach of those who want to whip up the much-needed euphoria to win back support for this product, the effort can be seen to be as easy as flipping a coin.
Will the cosmetic changes intended for this unique non-commercial product be effective in pulling back electoral confidence and support?
A few political pundits actually accept the leadership’s denial that Umno’s decision to postpone its party elections has nothing to do with the next general election. Perhaps they think BN is smart enough to know that it needs plenty of time to format its survival plan.
Certainly, the BN government and administration remains unimpressive in performance. It has yet to address a long list of public grouses, including traffic congestion and spiralling food prices, to name only two of the most obvious.
BN’s component parties seem focused on quietly conducting electioneering training courses and equipping themselves with up-to-date computer software as part of the upgrading of campaigning logistics.
Are these unmistakable signs of an imminent early general election or part of a long-term plan?
The gospel truth is that the unity gathering of the BN’s top leaders at MCA’s home ground next weekend will not even remotely remember the stoking of racial fires at Umno’s annual general assembly in 2007.
Malaysian politics has its own brand of hypocrisy. Even shared hatred can bring forth unity.
In the eyes of certain BN leaders, only the opposition coalition members have ideological differences, power struggles and chair-throwing incidents, while BN history is full of noble sacrifices because no one in the coalition is power hungry.
Will Najib, in his BN chairman’s costume, unveil some details of Umno’s “new political model” for other coalition members to emulate?
One thing is certain: thinking Malaysians are unlikely to miss any heartbeat or bat an eyelid over any proposed changes in BN.
Many Malaysians also agree that the BN political culture has some imperishable characteristics. With Umno calling the shots, they say, the BN government is nothing more than a three-ring circus controlled by the executive, with the legislature, judiciary and even the enforcement agencies – and, of course, the mainstream media – dancing to every tune it plays.
The great legacies of the early Alliance leaders – people like Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Abdul Razak, Tan Siew Sin, VT Sambanthan, Tun Ismail Abdul Rahman and Hussein Onn – are lost forever.
Stanley Koh is a political observer who had in the past headed MCA's research unit.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wan Azizah Struck At Umno's Soft Spot
By Kim Quek
PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail seemed to have struck at the Achilles heel of Umno when she officially condemned “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay the master race) as the fraudulent ideology that has propped up Umno all these years.
Delivering her policy speech during the party’s annual congress on Nov 27, she said that the Malay supremacy concept was used by Umno’s elites to deceive the Malay masses for self enrichment and for maintaining their political power. As a result, the majority of Malays and bumiputra have remained poor and neglected despite 53 years of Umno rule.
Calling the Malays to discard this ideology, she said: “The concept of Malay supremacy must be left behind so that our children will grow up with the vision of a dignified race.”
By any democratic standard, Wan Azizah’s clarion call to abandon racism must be applauded as the voice of reason that is in consonance with fundamental values embraced by every member of the world community. After all, isn’t it true that the last country practicing institutionalized racism – South Africa – had given up its racist policy twenty years ago? Though Malaysia has largely escaped the kind of world condemnation accorded former apartheid South Africa, thanks to BN government’s skilful image polishing, nevertheless, endemic racism remains a plague that has sabotaged national integration and thwarted economic growth.
Ketuanan Melayu indefensible
Perhaps aware that “Ketuanan Melayu” is indefensible in the eyes of the world, Umno was at a loss as to how to respond to Wan Azizah’s unexpected frontal assault.
To keep silent would be to acquiesce Wan Azizah’s assertion and that would spell trouble – big trouble. For it is through inciting the primordial instinct of race that Umno hopes to scrape through the coming national election. So, how could Umno give up “Ketuanan Melayu”?
On the other hand, to defend the ideology would be to invite worldwide ridicule and condemnation. And that would not be pretty, keeping in mind that with the myriad of modern communication gadgets instantly transmitting news and messages, international backlash could be swift and unpalatable.
So, after a short interval to recover from Wan Azizah’s surprise initiative, responses began to drip in from Umno’s top leaders, but these are either evasive or irrelevant, and none has dared to take Wan Azizal head on.
Deputy Umno President and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin described Wan Azizah’s assertion as an attempt “to salvage a sinking ship”, and to regain public support after a divisive party election. What about the Ketuanan issue? Not a word of rebuttal.
Umno Vice President and Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi said Azizah was “only trying to divert public attention from the party’s serious problems.” He said PKR wanted to please the Chinese and Indians to gain their support for the next general election. Again, he avoided touching the Ketuanan issue.
Not unexpectedly, the dirty job of savage counter-offensive was left to Umno’s ultra racist wing Perkasa. Its youth leader Arman Azha Abu Hanifah attacked Azizah as “political prostitute”. He said that she and other PKR Malay leaders owed their professional achievement to “Ketuanan Melayu” policy and that they had now betrayed the race for the sake of gaining Chinese and Indian support.
Interestingly, Arman’s bad manner and insensitive blast at other Malay leaders seem to justify Azizah’s advocacy to abandon the “Ketuanan” mentality so as to regain dignity for the race. It is not only abhorrent conduct to call a respected national leader “prostitute”, but his inference that Malays are not capable of achieving success unless they are propped up by racial favouritism is outright humiliating to the race. In fact, Arman’s crass outburst has unwittingly made him the best poster boy of the ill fruits that “Ketuanan Melayu” has borne.
However, the icing of the cake in this episode is undoubtedly the novel theory put up by the vociferous Umno cabinet member Nazri Aziz to deflect Wan Azizah’s criticism. He said “Ketuanan Melayu” is not about the Malay race, but about the Malay Sultans. He said the word was coined to protect the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers, not to emphasize racial supremacy.
Glaring evidence of racism
While Nazri may consider himself ingenious in coming out with this new interpretation to escape the “Ketuanan” trap, it sure holds no water. The bedrock of Umno’s hegemony is its racial ideology which has captivated its core supporters, and “Ketuanan Melayu” has been coined to symbolize Malay supremacy. It is through the indoctrination and implementation of this ideology that Umno has been able to win election after election; and Umno is not about to give it up for whatever reason.
That Umno has practiced pervasive racism is manifested in the gradual and progressive Malay-nisation of the entire government machinery since the 1969 racial riots until it has become an almost mono-racial entity. This applies to our civil service, army, police, judiciary, attorney general’s chamber, election commission, anti-corruption commission, various statutory bodies and even government linked corporations. These publicly funded employees are not only almost entirely Malays, but are indoctrinated to be loyal to Umno while remaining hostile to its political adversaries who include Malays.
If Nazri insists he is right, he can put his interpretation to the test by asking his Umno cabinet colleagues whether they agree that “Ketuanan Melayu” is not about Malay dominance or Malay power but about Malay Sultans. I bet none will agree.
If Umno denies that it has embraced the racist “Ketuanan Melayu” as its core ideology, it should explain its persistent racist conduct and answer some questions such as the following:
·When Selangor’s Pakatan Rakyat Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim proposed that the mono-race Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) opened up 10% of its student admission to non-bumiputra and foreign students, why did top Umno leaders including then minister of higher education Khaled Nordin condemn Khalid Ibrahim as “traitor selling out Malay special privileges”?
·When Selangor state-owned PKNS’ (Selangor Development Corporation) general manager retired in late 2008, Khalid Ibrahim wanted to appoint deputy general manager Wong Siew Moi as acting general manager. Why did Umno and PKNS staff protested against the appointment on the ground of her ethnicity, if Umno was not racist?
·When Perak state government under Pakatan Rakyat during its reign in 2008 wanted to grant land titles to have-nots of all races who had long occupied the land (majority being Malays), why did Umno leaders criticize the move to grant land titles to non-Malays as betrayal of Malay interests?
Political observers should have no difficulty in discerning Umno’s racist ideology and policy as the root cause of the political, social and economic ills that have caused the country to slip badly against its regional neighbours. However, it still takes great political courage for a political party like PKR to take the bold step of calling a spade a spade and unmask Umno’s racist bluff. For such a move is fraught with the risk of alienating the largest electoral pool – the Malays – as Umno is bound to unleash the country’s mass media, which is entirely under its thumb, to inflict maximum vilification of PKR’s honest intention to salvage the country. For that, all patriotic Malaysians must not only commend Wan Azizah for her gallantry but must also give her their whole hearted support to enable her to fulfill her noble mission.
PKR President Wan Azizah Wan Ismail seemed to have struck at the Achilles heel of Umno when she officially condemned “Ketuanan Melayu” (Malay the master race) as the fraudulent ideology that has propped up Umno all these years.
Delivering her policy speech during the party’s annual congress on Nov 27, she said that the Malay supremacy concept was used by Umno’s elites to deceive the Malay masses for self enrichment and for maintaining their political power. As a result, the majority of Malays and bumiputra have remained poor and neglected despite 53 years of Umno rule.
Calling the Malays to discard this ideology, she said: “The concept of Malay supremacy must be left behind so that our children will grow up with the vision of a dignified race.”
By any democratic standard, Wan Azizah’s clarion call to abandon racism must be applauded as the voice of reason that is in consonance with fundamental values embraced by every member of the world community. After all, isn’t it true that the last country practicing institutionalized racism – South Africa – had given up its racist policy twenty years ago? Though Malaysia has largely escaped the kind of world condemnation accorded former apartheid South Africa, thanks to BN government’s skilful image polishing, nevertheless, endemic racism remains a plague that has sabotaged national integration and thwarted economic growth.
Ketuanan Melayu indefensible
Perhaps aware that “Ketuanan Melayu” is indefensible in the eyes of the world, Umno was at a loss as to how to respond to Wan Azizah’s unexpected frontal assault.
To keep silent would be to acquiesce Wan Azizah’s assertion and that would spell trouble – big trouble. For it is through inciting the primordial instinct of race that Umno hopes to scrape through the coming national election. So, how could Umno give up “Ketuanan Melayu”?
On the other hand, to defend the ideology would be to invite worldwide ridicule and condemnation. And that would not be pretty, keeping in mind that with the myriad of modern communication gadgets instantly transmitting news and messages, international backlash could be swift and unpalatable.
So, after a short interval to recover from Wan Azizah’s surprise initiative, responses began to drip in from Umno’s top leaders, but these are either evasive or irrelevant, and none has dared to take Wan Azizal head on.
Deputy Umno President and Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin described Wan Azizah’s assertion as an attempt “to salvage a sinking ship”, and to regain public support after a divisive party election. What about the Ketuanan issue? Not a word of rebuttal.
Umno Vice President and Defence Minister Zahid Hamidi said Azizah was “only trying to divert public attention from the party’s serious problems.” He said PKR wanted to please the Chinese and Indians to gain their support for the next general election. Again, he avoided touching the Ketuanan issue.
Not unexpectedly, the dirty job of savage counter-offensive was left to Umno’s ultra racist wing Perkasa. Its youth leader Arman Azha Abu Hanifah attacked Azizah as “political prostitute”. He said that she and other PKR Malay leaders owed their professional achievement to “Ketuanan Melayu” policy and that they had now betrayed the race for the sake of gaining Chinese and Indian support.
Interestingly, Arman’s bad manner and insensitive blast at other Malay leaders seem to justify Azizah’s advocacy to abandon the “Ketuanan” mentality so as to regain dignity for the race. It is not only abhorrent conduct to call a respected national leader “prostitute”, but his inference that Malays are not capable of achieving success unless they are propped up by racial favouritism is outright humiliating to the race. In fact, Arman’s crass outburst has unwittingly made him the best poster boy of the ill fruits that “Ketuanan Melayu” has borne.
However, the icing of the cake in this episode is undoubtedly the novel theory put up by the vociferous Umno cabinet member Nazri Aziz to deflect Wan Azizah’s criticism. He said “Ketuanan Melayu” is not about the Malay race, but about the Malay Sultans. He said the word was coined to protect the sovereignty of the Malay Rulers, not to emphasize racial supremacy.
Glaring evidence of racism
While Nazri may consider himself ingenious in coming out with this new interpretation to escape the “Ketuanan” trap, it sure holds no water. The bedrock of Umno’s hegemony is its racial ideology which has captivated its core supporters, and “Ketuanan Melayu” has been coined to symbolize Malay supremacy. It is through the indoctrination and implementation of this ideology that Umno has been able to win election after election; and Umno is not about to give it up for whatever reason.
That Umno has practiced pervasive racism is manifested in the gradual and progressive Malay-nisation of the entire government machinery since the 1969 racial riots until it has become an almost mono-racial entity. This applies to our civil service, army, police, judiciary, attorney general’s chamber, election commission, anti-corruption commission, various statutory bodies and even government linked corporations. These publicly funded employees are not only almost entirely Malays, but are indoctrinated to be loyal to Umno while remaining hostile to its political adversaries who include Malays.
If Nazri insists he is right, he can put his interpretation to the test by asking his Umno cabinet colleagues whether they agree that “Ketuanan Melayu” is not about Malay dominance or Malay power but about Malay Sultans. I bet none will agree.
If Umno denies that it has embraced the racist “Ketuanan Melayu” as its core ideology, it should explain its persistent racist conduct and answer some questions such as the following:
·When Selangor’s Pakatan Rakyat Mentri Besar Khalid Ibrahim proposed that the mono-race Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) opened up 10% of its student admission to non-bumiputra and foreign students, why did top Umno leaders including then minister of higher education Khaled Nordin condemn Khalid Ibrahim as “traitor selling out Malay special privileges”?
·When Selangor state-owned PKNS’ (Selangor Development Corporation) general manager retired in late 2008, Khalid Ibrahim wanted to appoint deputy general manager Wong Siew Moi as acting general manager. Why did Umno and PKNS staff protested against the appointment on the ground of her ethnicity, if Umno was not racist?
·When Perak state government under Pakatan Rakyat during its reign in 2008 wanted to grant land titles to have-nots of all races who had long occupied the land (majority being Malays), why did Umno leaders criticize the move to grant land titles to non-Malays as betrayal of Malay interests?
Political observers should have no difficulty in discerning Umno’s racist ideology and policy as the root cause of the political, social and economic ills that have caused the country to slip badly against its regional neighbours. However, it still takes great political courage for a political party like PKR to take the bold step of calling a spade a spade and unmask Umno’s racist bluff. For such a move is fraught with the risk of alienating the largest electoral pool – the Malays – as Umno is bound to unleash the country’s mass media, which is entirely under its thumb, to inflict maximum vilification of PKR’s honest intention to salvage the country. For that, all patriotic Malaysians must not only commend Wan Azizah for her gallantry but must also give her their whole hearted support to enable her to fulfill her noble mission.
Penang To Give Its Civil Servants RM800 Each For Good Work!
GEORGE TOWN -: Nearly 8,000 civil servants working at state agencies had received RM800 as a surprise gift from the state government in recognition of their contributions.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the reward is also a special form of financial assistant to those with school-going children.
“We hope the money would come handy and help ease the burden of many parents who are busy preparing for their children returning to school,” he said.
The money had been banked into the civil servants bank accounts on Tuesday.
Lim said the state had set aside RM25mil for this purpose.
- Star
Umno Postponement: Does The Prime Minister Take Us For Fools?
Mariam Mokhtar, Malaysia Chronicle
When Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that the Umno elections at the branch, divisional and Supreme Council levels were to be postponed for 18 months to ensure the party’s survival, he was only half right: He should have said it was delayed to guarantee his survival as party president.
He said, “This is provided for in the (party) constitution which we have used on several occasions so that all our attention and efforts can be directed at strengthening the process to provide the needed strength for our party.”
He opined that Umno ‘did not want next year to be turned into a platform for a political struggle that can cause factionalism within Umno’ and made indirect references to the internal politicking with PKR’s direct election: “We don't want a situation that is most stressful as was what had occurred in another political party, so we decided to postpone the election based on the party constitution.”
Najib’s prediction is not particularly strange given the current state of his own party. Perhaps he should have remained silent if he is unable to come up with a morale boosting and motivating rally for his own party members.
He shrugged off suggestions that the delay was related to the forth-coming general election: “To my knowledge, such a decision was made three or four times before and there was no problem or something unusual.”
Umno supreme council elections had its first postponement in 1999 which was deferred to May 2000 because of the 1999 general election. In 2008, the same thing happened and the Umno election was held in March 2009 instead.
It would be outrageous for Najib to suggest that he is unaware of what is happening as he is understandably trying to protect his position, by claiming to want to ‘strengthen his party’. But must he really take us for fools?
It is not so much that Najib has no confidence in his own party. It is more that he knows his party has no confidence in him. Moreover, he is an unelected prime-minister.
Najib’s 1Malaysia propaganda exercise is a sham. Around him teachers, civil servants and even his ministers ignore the ‘I am a Malaysian first’ line.
Around him, people are wary of the Umno leadership which smacks of arrogance and shines in complacency.
He said, “We will continue to make changes based on the New Political Model where I have outlined seven principles, and this we will further improve and we will explain on the 1Malaysia concept and how Umno, which places the people's interest first, (looks after) the interest of the people and (emphasises on) our delivery system.”
Despite promises to look after the interests of the people, Umno old style politics is still being preached.
Despite calls to clean-up the country, Najib allegedly openly offered RM5 million to the inhabitants of Sibu in exchange for their votes, in the Sibu by-election.
Perhaps one noticeable change might be how Umno is actively wooing the younger voters whose political allegiance is yet to be determined. Younger voters might well be the group which wields the most influence.
Nevertheless, Najib’s mouthpieces are at work. Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi criticised PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's keynote address at the 7th annual national congress recently. He condemned her rejection of the Malay supremacy concept as a ‘diversion’ from the allegations of fraudulent practices within the party.
The Home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, another Umno vice-president, said that
Wan Azizah's statement was politically motivated to cause unease among the various races. He reiterated how PKR leaders would stoop to any level to garner support from the people whilst disregarding the long term development of the nation.
Najib may claim that he is postponing the Umno election because he has a duty to strengthen his party.
But isn’t there a simpler reason?
If he were to hold the Umno elections now, i.e. before GE-13, he knows he’d be slaughtered. He is aware of rumbling within his party, others are vying for his post, and the party will suffer at GE-13. Would he be willing to step down in the interests of party unity? There goes his presidency!
Najib’s 1Malaysia plan is unraveling and calls of ketuanan Melayu are not actually helping him. If GE-13 were to be called before the Umno elections, Najib might still be slaughtered, his status as prime minister would then be under serious threat.
Thus, in comes the cavalry in the form of Mahathir Mohamad and Rafidah Aziz – two big guns who will guide the party machinery to ensure that the party does not flop.
Therefore, other than those with a personal or professional interest in seeing him survive, it's hard to find anyone who supports Najib Abdul Razak. Except perhaps, his wife, Rosmah Mansor.
With her beside him, Najib has no choice. He will know that he's doing the right thing.
When Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak announced that the Umno elections at the branch, divisional and Supreme Council levels were to be postponed for 18 months to ensure the party’s survival, he was only half right: He should have said it was delayed to guarantee his survival as party president.
He said, “This is provided for in the (party) constitution which we have used on several occasions so that all our attention and efforts can be directed at strengthening the process to provide the needed strength for our party.”
He opined that Umno ‘did not want next year to be turned into a platform for a political struggle that can cause factionalism within Umno’ and made indirect references to the internal politicking with PKR’s direct election: “We don't want a situation that is most stressful as was what had occurred in another political party, so we decided to postpone the election based on the party constitution.”
Najib’s prediction is not particularly strange given the current state of his own party. Perhaps he should have remained silent if he is unable to come up with a morale boosting and motivating rally for his own party members.
He shrugged off suggestions that the delay was related to the forth-coming general election: “To my knowledge, such a decision was made three or four times before and there was no problem or something unusual.”
Umno supreme council elections had its first postponement in 1999 which was deferred to May 2000 because of the 1999 general election. In 2008, the same thing happened and the Umno election was held in March 2009 instead.
It would be outrageous for Najib to suggest that he is unaware of what is happening as he is understandably trying to protect his position, by claiming to want to ‘strengthen his party’. But must he really take us for fools?
It is not so much that Najib has no confidence in his own party. It is more that he knows his party has no confidence in him. Moreover, he is an unelected prime-minister.
Najib’s 1Malaysia propaganda exercise is a sham. Around him teachers, civil servants and even his ministers ignore the ‘I am a Malaysian first’ line.
Around him, people are wary of the Umno leadership which smacks of arrogance and shines in complacency.
He said, “We will continue to make changes based on the New Political Model where I have outlined seven principles, and this we will further improve and we will explain on the 1Malaysia concept and how Umno, which places the people's interest first, (looks after) the interest of the people and (emphasises on) our delivery system.”
Despite promises to look after the interests of the people, Umno old style politics is still being preached.
Despite calls to clean-up the country, Najib allegedly openly offered RM5 million to the inhabitants of Sibu in exchange for their votes, in the Sibu by-election.
Perhaps one noticeable change might be how Umno is actively wooing the younger voters whose political allegiance is yet to be determined. Younger voters might well be the group which wields the most influence.
Nevertheless, Najib’s mouthpieces are at work. Umno vice-president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi criticised PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's keynote address at the 7th annual national congress recently. He condemned her rejection of the Malay supremacy concept as a ‘diversion’ from the allegations of fraudulent practices within the party.
The Home minister Hishammuddin Hussein, another Umno vice-president, said that
Wan Azizah's statement was politically motivated to cause unease among the various races. He reiterated how PKR leaders would stoop to any level to garner support from the people whilst disregarding the long term development of the nation.
Najib may claim that he is postponing the Umno election because he has a duty to strengthen his party.
But isn’t there a simpler reason?
If he were to hold the Umno elections now, i.e. before GE-13, he knows he’d be slaughtered. He is aware of rumbling within his party, others are vying for his post, and the party will suffer at GE-13. Would he be willing to step down in the interests of party unity? There goes his presidency!
Najib’s 1Malaysia plan is unraveling and calls of ketuanan Melayu are not actually helping him. If GE-13 were to be called before the Umno elections, Najib might still be slaughtered, his status as prime minister would then be under serious threat.
Thus, in comes the cavalry in the form of Mahathir Mohamad and Rafidah Aziz – two big guns who will guide the party machinery to ensure that the party does not flop.
Therefore, other than those with a personal or professional interest in seeing him survive, it's hard to find anyone who supports Najib Abdul Razak. Except perhaps, his wife, Rosmah Mansor.
With her beside him, Najib has no choice. He will know that he's doing the right thing.
Penang Councils Save Millions In Managing Waste Disposal
By Susan Loone
Dec 2, 10
Malaysiakini
Just by renegotiating with the contractor to reduce the cost of transporting solid waste within the state, two local councils in Penang have saved RM33 million of the people’s money.
The money, in the form of surcharge payment to the contractor, will be reclaimed by the two municipal councils – Penang Island and Seberang Perai.
“Imagine how much Umno cronies had profited before this and caused a burden to the people,” said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at a Seberang Perai Municipal Council function today.
He said following the Auditor-General’s advice, the municipal councils were tasked to reclaim the surcharge money paid to the contractor , which amounted to RM222,880.
If the contractor does not return the money, its monthly payment will be reduced, he added.
The contractor, who had been transporting solid waste for the municipal councils before March 2008, when Pakatan Rakyat took over the state , has amicably agreed to repay the surcharge incurred from 2008 to 2009 (21 months), Lim (right) said.
“The renegotiation with the contractor resulted in the reduction of the cost (of transporting solid waste) by about 40 percent and saved us RM33 million in three years,” he said, commending the municipal councils for bringing their accounts back into the blue.
Lim was referring to a recent reminder issued by the Auditor-General on surcharge payments to contractors for the service of solid waste transfer, which amounted to RM222,880 a month from January 2008 to last year.
The surcharge was due to the different weighing methods for the waste at two landfills – Ampang Jajar and Pulau Burung.
The Seberang Perai council managed to salvage the situation by signing a new contract with the contractor in December last year, under which the garbage collected must now be weighed at the Pulau Burung landfill, not at Ampang Jajar.
“This not only resolved that issue of extra payment to the contractor but was also commended by the Auditor-General as to be the right and accurate decision to make,” said Lim.
He did not provide details on the Penang Island Municipal Council’s handling of the issue.
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