tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43483236903633322202024-03-13T14:57:47.281+10:00The Politics BlogWe shall overcome! - President Lyndon B Johnsonvchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.comBlogger598125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-17032918048410209912009-04-04T13:45:00.003+10:002009-04-04T14:17:41.318+10:00The Bukits and Batang Ai by election predictionsI don't want to brag, but the last time I did a prediction on a by-election in Malaysia (Kuala Trengganu), I correctly predicted the winner and the results to the nearest hundred (with a bit of tembak luck), closer than anyone, including Kian Ming or Raja Petra. This time, I will attempt to do the same with the next 3 by elections in Bukit Selambau, Bukit Gantang, and Batang Ai.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bukit Selambau</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Malay: 50.20%, Chinese: 19.30%, Indian: 29.50%, Others: 1.00% </span><br />15 candidates, 34977 voters. While third party candidates have traditionally been discounted and used for comic relief. However, I think the third party candidates (13 of them, by the way) will have some impact in this election. Malay votes will be split between 3 parties, Pakatan, UMNO, and the Pekida candidate which will siphon his votes mostly away from BN. Generally, the further north we go the more influence PAS has, but seeing that PKR is carrying the Pakatan banner, its influence will be somewhat muted.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Support for Pakatan Rakyat</span><br />Chinese: 60-40<br />Indians: 70-30<br />Malays: 45-40-15<br />Giving Pakatan a total of 55.63% of the votes, while BN 37.37% of the votes, hence Pakatan winning with a 5109 vote majority assuming a 80% turnout rate. (Previous result Pakatan win of 2362 votes)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bukit Gantang </span><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> Malay: 63.50%, Chinese: 27.10%, Indian: 9.10%, Others: 0.20% </span><br />Many people think this is a referendum on the political takeover orchestrated by now PM Najib Tun Razak. While many disagree, I think the underlying issue has been set by both sides to be the takeover. The non-Malay vote bank is solidly behind Pakatan Rakyat, while the Malays are more or less a connundrum. However, I think Pakatan will win this seat with a majority around the same as March8. Despite losing the UMNO protest votes from March 08, it will gain increased non-Malay, especially Chinese support.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Support for Pakatan Rakyat</span><br />Chinese: 70-30<br />Indians: 65-35<br />Malays: 45-55<br />Giving: 53.46% of the votes, a 1535 majority assuming a 80% turnout rate.<br />Previous result (Pakatan win with 1566 votes)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Batang Ai</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">95% Iban, remaining Chinese and other indigenous people</span><br />This is the election that has the most probability of my prediction being wrong. The settlements near the dam, amounting to 20% of the constituents, are solidly behind PKR, while other rural folk appear to be behind BN. The shock and awe tactics employed by the BN are due on election eve, so its really hard to see where this one will swing.<br /><br />But I'll take a stab and say Pakatan win of 200-300 votes. Don't ever quote me on this one (except if I am really correct). (Previous result BN win of 800+ votes)vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-68213910364527336812009-04-02T21:56:00.002+10:002009-04-02T22:00:28.107+10:00Confusion Reigns Hours Before Power TransferA few hours before the purported power transfer between Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, confusion reigns as the nation holds its breath.<br /><br />Will the DYMM Sri Paduka Baginda allow the power transfer or not?<br /><br />As the clock ticks closer and closer to the purported inauguration of the most controversial Prime Ministers in the history of this nation, Malaysians of all races are praying and hoping for a miracle.<br /><br />We want our Tuanku, in his infinite wisdom to block, or at least delay this power transition.<br /><br />With all due respect, should the Tuanku not convene Parliament to see who has the support of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat? Discounting this, there are many deeper concerns regarding the ascendency of Najib Tun Razak.<br /><br />Ampun Tuanku!<br />Daulat Tuanku!<br /><br />Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is the most contriversial politician to ascend to the office of chief of executive. In the weeks leading up to these last few desperate moments, unprecedented negative international media coverage, from the streets of Lodon, to the homes of Paris, from the shores of Brisbane to the rivers of Bangkok, have been published in papers around the world. The image of Malaysia has already been tarnished. We are regarded as a nation without the rule of law, where the Deputy Prime Minister can be accused of such serious allegations and continue to hold office without being cleared.<br /><br />In addition, with the controversial Eurocopter deals, and the increasing heavy handed crackdowns on dissent, including the banning of two opposition news organs and the forceful breakup of several opposition rallies with tear gas canisters within weeks of this purported ascendency, we, your loyal subjects are afraid. We are afraid of the oppression and supression if this power transition takes place.<br /><br />Ampun Tuanku,<br /><br />Please don't allow Malaysia's image to continue on this accelerating downward spiral. By appointing Najib as the chief executive of the nation, we are signalling to the world that even such a tainted man with such immense, heavy baggage can lead the country.<br /><br />Please stop this, Tuanku!<br /><br />Ampun Tuanku!<br />Daulat Tuanku!<br /><br /><br />XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX<br /><br />Nat Tan has a simillar letter here: <a href="http://jelas.info/2009/04/02/a-rakyats-open-plea-to-dymm-yang-dipertuan-agong-save-us-from-najib/" title="A Rakyat’s Open Plea to DYMM Yang diPertuan Agong - Save us from Najib">A Rakyat’s Open Plea to DYMM Yang diPertuan Agong - Save us from Najib</a><br /><br />Pakatan Rakyat, representing a block of 81 MPs have petitioned the Tuanku in a similar letter: <a href="http://jelas.info/2009/04/02/letter-from-pakatan-to-dymm-seri-paduka-baginda-agong/" title="Letter from Pakatan to DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Agong">Letter from Pakatan to DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Agong</a>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-90574182188082404272009-03-17T09:56:00.001+10:002009-03-17T09:56:51.453+10:00Malaysia truly Asia!In a court of law you have the chance to defend yourself.<br /><br />In a court of law you have the right to confront your accuser.<br /><br />Even Nazi War Criminals can defend themselves.<br /><br />Even rapists have the right to confront their accusers, the rape victims.<br /><br />In the Malaysian Parliament you can't.<br /><br />In the Malaysian Parliament you get booted out.<br /><br />Malaysia, truly Asia.vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-61635680688002104112009-03-09T13:49:00.001+10:002009-03-09T13:51:13.651+10:00The Arrogance of Judicial Comissioner Ridwan IbrahimI must say I was taken aback by the astonishing ruling of Ridwan Ibrahim, a High Court judicial commissioner.<p><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/169/c41dff4e4a9a94a97e9589bfd643df69.gif" alt="perak state assembly and v sivakumar" title="perak state assembly and v sivakumar" align="left" width="210" height="142" />He ruled that the lawyers “engaged by (Perak assembly speaker V) Sivakumar (<em>left</em>) had no locus standi to represent him in an application by Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir, who is seeking a declaration that Sivakumar’s decision to suspend him and his executive council was unconstitutional and unlawful”.<br /><br />I am appalled at the arrogance of the judge. I am quite sure he is not an expert in constitutional law and even if he were, in a case of such great public importance to the nation, it is wise to listen to the views of the other side. Especially in this case, when eminent counsel Tommy Thomas was available to assist him.<br /><br />The judge could have invited him to submit as an amicus curiae - in Latin it means ‘friend of the court’ and when the phrase is used in a court of law it means ‘one who advises the court in a case’. I have done that many times even when I was in the Court of Appeal.<br /><br />Judges of far greater eminence than this judicial commissioner have often asked lawyers of great experience who are in the court for their valued views. Yet this judge thought he knew everything that he did not require any assistance from one of the top lawyers in the country.<br /><br />Dick Hamilton in his book ‘Foul Bills and Dagger Money’ wrote:<br /><br />“It is always easy to criticise judges, and some of them deserve it from time to time; but it is even easier to underestimate the difficulty of their task, and to take their successes for granted. No member of the Bar pretends to understand every branch of the law. ... But a High Court judge has to deal with any sort of case which comes before him.”<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/100/9cd1ad323a7fbbb57f875356be44cb37.jpg" alt="malaysian law conference 301007 tommy thomas 2" title="malaysian law conference 301007 tommy thomas 2" align="right" width="142" height="204" />In order for the judge to tackle all sorts of cases which come before him, the wise and able judge is always humble enough to ask any of the lawyers in court who is an expert in his field for assistance.</p><p>Here we have Thomas (<em>right</em>), who is one of the top lawyers in the country only too willing to assist the judge, yet this probationary judge, who thinks he knew more about law than some of the most eminent judges who have sat on the bench, refused to hear him out.<br /><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><strong>Here’s how to judge the judge</strong></span><br /><br />You cannot judge a judge unless you know the basic law yourself. But you do not have to worry because I shall now provide you with the law applicable so that you are in a position to judge the judge.<br /><br />You may be surprised at your own ability after you have read this. You might think that even a layman, after reading the applicable law, knows what is the right decision to make. And when a judge does not know the correct answer, it makes you wonder how such a thing could have happened.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">I shall start with section 24 of the Government Proceedings Act 1956. I have highlighted the important words for easier reading. Sub-sections (1) reads: </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“(1) Notwithstanding any written law -</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(a) in civil proceedings by or against the Federal Government...</span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(b) in civil proceedings by or against the Government of a State, a law officer ... authorised by the Legal Adviser of such State ... may appear as advocate on behalf of such Government...”.<br /><br />As you can see, this sub-section is not relevant as it only applies to civil suits brought by or against the state government, not a public officer.<br /><br />And sub-section (2), which is relevant on the subject of discussion, reads:<br /><br />“(2) Notwithstanding any written law in civil proceedings to which a public officer is a party -<br /> <br />(a) by virtue of his office; or</p><p style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(b) in his personal capacity, if the Attorney-General certifies in writing that it is in the public interest that such officer should be represented by a legal officer; a legal officer may appear as advocate on behalf of such officer...”.<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/169/2c105c08f7ca8bef1bb08f12319f6f50.jpg" alt="perak state govt crisis 030309 pakatan lawyers" title="perak state govt crisis 030309 pakatan lawyers" align="left" width="300" height="183" />This sub-section only applies to civil suits brought by or against a public officer. In such a case, a public officer may (the word is “may” not “must”) be represented by a legal officer which could include the legal adviser of the state.</p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Therefore, there is nothing in section 24 (2) of the Government Proceedings Act to suggest that a public officer if he sues or if he is sued must be represented by a legal officer such as the state legal officer.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">In any case, section 24 (2) of the Government Proceedings Act only applies to civil proceedings to which a public officer is a party. Therefore, the question is, does the speaker of the Legislative Assembly of a state hold office as a member of the public service? If he does, then he is a public officer.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">Article 132, Clause (3) of the Federal Constitution states that: </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">“(3) The public service shall not be taken to comprise - </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"> </span><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(b) the office of President, Speaker, Deputy President, Deputy Speaker or member of either House of Parliament or of the Legislative Assembly of a State.”</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">So now you know that the speaker and the members of the Legislative Assembly of a state are not part of the public service as they do not hold office as public officers. Therefore, section 24 (2) of the Government Proceedings Act does not apply to them.</span><br /><br />Now we all know, except the judge because he thought he knew better, that eminent lawyer Tommy Thomas could not be prevented to appear for the speaker Sivakumar. If only he would hear Thomas, instead of barring him from speaking, he would not have made such a grave error.<br /><br /><span style="color:#993300;"><strong>Courts can’t question validity of assembly’s decisions</strong></span><br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/166/c2b54b3e681144feb6316d9e6ee38e74.gif" alt="dr zambry abdul kadir new perak cm 110209 03" title="dr zambry abdul kadir new perak cm 110209 03" align="right" width="219" height="146" />According to newspaper reports, the case is an application by MB Zambry to the court to declare the decision of speaker Sivakumar in the legislative assembly to suspend him and his six exco members unconstitutional and unlawful.<br /><br />The question is, can the courts decide on the validity of the proceedings in the Legislative Assembly?<br /><br />The answer is staring at us right here in the Federal Constitution. Article 72, Clauses (1) to (3) states: <br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">“(1) The validity of any proceedings in the Legislative Assembly of any State shall no the questioned in any court.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(2) No person shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him when taking part in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of any State or of any committee thereof. </span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">(3) No person shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything published by or under the authority of the Legislative Assembly of any state.”</span><br /><br />So now you know from the Federal Constitution itself that the validity of the suspension of Zambry and his six exco members by the speaker in the state assembly cannot be questioned in any court.<br /><br />From what we have read from the newspapers, it seems that there is an injunction against the speaker.<br /><br />You may wonder how an injunction can be obtained against the speaker when our written constitution says that “no person shall be liable to any proceedings in any court in respect of anything said or any vote given by him when taking part in proceedings of the Legislative Assembly of the State”.<br /><br /><br /><hr style="font-style: italic;" size="2" width="100%"><span style="font-style: italic;">NH CHAN, who is former Court of Appeal judge, lives in Ipoh. The above article is an abridged version of a much longer piece.</span>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-50898899237199669572009-03-05T15:38:00.003+10:002009-03-05T15:47:12.775+10:00Can you read?Article 132 (3) of the Malaysian Federal Constitution states:<blockquote> <blockquote style="font-style: italic;"><p><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">The public service shall not be taken to comprise </span>-<br />(a) the office of any member of the administration in the Federation or a State; or<br />(b) <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">the office of President, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Speaker</span>, Deputy President, Deputy Speaker or member of either House of Parliament <span style="font-weight: bold;">or of the Legislative Assembly of a State</span></span>;...</p></blockquote> </blockquote><br />Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim's ruling on Tuesday (3/3/09): <blockquote><p> </p><p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><div style="margin:0;padding:0;left:0;top:0;position:absolute;visibility:hidden">MCPX<img style="position:absolute;visibility:hidden" align="left" height="1" width="1" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" /></div><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> The Ipoh High Court today dealt a blow to Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar by disallowing his team of lawyers from representing him in two actions filed by BN Menteri Besar Zambry Abd Kadir.</p>Judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim had ruled that private lawyers have no legal standing to represent the speaker.<br /><br />The ruling was made following an application made by Zambry's team of lawyers.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">"Their argument was that <span style="font-weight: bold;">the speaker is part of government</span>, and because the speaker is part of government, only the Attorney General's Chambers and the state legal advisor can appoint lawyers.</span></blockquote><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"></span> Again on Thursday (5/3/09) after dismissing an appeal:<br /><blockquote>The Ipoh High Court once again ruled that Perak speaker V Sivakumar must only be represented by the state legal advisor and not by his personal lawyers.<div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; font-style: italic;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" height="1" width="1" /></div><span style="font-style: italic;">The decision was made by judicial commissioner Ridwan Ibrahim after hearing submissions in chambers.</span><br /></blockquote><br />Princeton Dictionary defines <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(255, 0, 0);">public service</span> as: employment within a <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">government system</span> (especially in the civil service)<br /><br />WTF?vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-45863437024659258002009-03-03T14:49:00.004+10:002009-03-08T22:40:40.964+10:00The Tree of Democracy<span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost">The Perak state assembly today voted under a tree (I heard it was an mango tree) to dissolve the current state assembly. In addition, it voted to pass a vote of no confidence against the BN 'MB' while reaffirming its confidence in the Perak MB Nizar.</span></span><br /><br /><span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost">Why were they meeting under a tree? Because the police blocked them from assessing the state assembly.<br /><br />Yes. Although the speaker is the proverbial 'king' of the house.<br /><br />The (BN controlled) police should know that it is not the venue, or the chairs, or even the royal mace that makes up the state assembly.</span></span><br /><span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost"><br />It is the state assemblymen and people.<br /><br />And they have spoken today, under a tree, just like Jesus did under a tree, just like Buddha gained enlightenment under a tree, just like Melaka was founded under a tree, just like Ipoh was named after a tree. They have spoken, under that fateful tree.<br /><br />And they have spoken for the rakyat of Perak.<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);" id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">THE TREE OF DEMOCRACY </span></span></span></span><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://media.coveritlive.com/media/image/200903/pSy8bBGYQe_thumb_PerakStateAssembly3rdMar09conductedunderbigtree076.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 350px; height: 263px;" src="http://media.coveritlive.com/media/image/200903/pSy8bBGYQe_thumb_PerakStateAssembly3rdMar09conductedunderbigtree076.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span id="fullpost"><span id="fullpost"><br /></span></span><span style="font-style: italic;" id="txt15981933">A moment of humour occurred when the Speaker asked the Aduns, "Setuju?"<br /><br />Instead, of just the Aduns responding, the whole crowd shouted "Setuju!"<br /><br />The Aduns had to explain to the crowd that the Setuju response was only for the Aduns.<br /><br />Someone in the crowd muttered to my contact, "We are also part of this assembly. We have a right to express our confidence in the MB."</span> - <span style="font-style: italic;">Anil's commentary</span>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-13291636255565023742009-03-03T10:28:00.004+10:002009-03-08T22:51:38.370+10:00Perak's separation of powers<ul><li>Separation of powers:</li></ul><ul><li>The executive (MB and his cabinet), legislative (state assembly) and judicial (courts) branches of the government are of equal standing. </li></ul><ul><li>None of them have the right to overrule the other.</li></ul><ul><li>This is the fundamentals of the doctrine of the Montesquieu separation of powers.</li></ul><ul><li>Never in the history of Malaysia has this doctrine been broken.</li></ul><ul><li>In Montesquieu's separation of powers 300 year history, I struggle to even think of one instance where the judiciary, considered the 3rd branch, hence the most distant from the legislature and executive branches, has directly interfered with with the Speaker of the House's directive (leader of the legislature).</li></ul><ul><li>This is tantamount to saying that the judiciary system presides over the legislature.</li></ul><ul><li>Reading deeper into the Perak constitutional crisis, some would say that an overrule is also tantamount to the judiciary being beholden to the executive.</li></ul><ul><li>This creates a heiracy of powers, and is a dangerous precedent to set.</li></ul><ul><li>I beg the Malaysian courts to consider this before making any ruling. </li></ul><ul><li>This not only has ramifications for the future of Malaysia, but Montesquieu's doctrine itself.<br /></li></ul>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-33221740599336895732009-02-13T13:29:00.002+10:002009-02-13T13:30:09.226+10:00Kit Siang calls for those who lodge police reports against Karpal to be prosecuted - malaysiakiniFrom Kit Siang's blog: <br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;">If Hamid and Musa are not prepared to take immediate action against the 89 (including Dr. Mah) by opening police investigation papers against them, is the Attorney-General Tan Sri Gani Patail who is currently overseas, prepared to restore public confidence in the impartiality and professionalism of the law enforcement agencies by instituting criminal prosecutions against the 89 troublemakers the first thing he returns to his duties?</p><p><br /></p><p>Malaysiakini's report when out.<br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-71507123697613285722009-02-07T13:48:00.002+10:002009-02-07T13:50:36.243+10:00Live coverage of Perak Constitutional Crisis by AnilExcellent coverage of the continuing Perak constitutional crisis by Anil here:<br /><h3><a href="http://anilnetto.com/democracy/live-perak-in-crisis/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link: LIVE: Speaker moves to convene urgent Assembly sitting">LIVE: Speaker moves to convene urgent Assembly sitting</a></h3>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-30430966752545745772009-02-07T13:31:00.000+10:002009-02-07T13:32:22.842+10:00Ku Li, QUIT UMNO!<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Kelantan royalty Tengku Razaleigh has come out against the political coup in Perak. </span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Once again, the honesty and integrity of a man that came so close to becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia can truly be seen here. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Sadly, his calls will most definitely, again, <span style=""> </span>fall on deaf ears as those in UMNO and BN continue their pursuit of power and money, of personal fame and glory. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Ku Li, you don’t belong there. You don’t belong in UMNO. You don’t belong in this category. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Quit UMNO. Leave them as you left them before. This time, you leave with greater reason; you leave because of your country, Malaysia, and its people, Malaysians, whose rights, as you rightly pointed out, are being trampled upon without regard. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Quit UMNO. The latest coup in Perak has just shown how different you are to your party. The latest coup just shows how low UMNO has sunk to. The Alliance ship has sunk, its virtues, no more, its values, no more, its honesty, no more, its integrity, no more. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The party you are in now is not the party you joined so many years ago. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Quit UMNO, and maybe one day, Malaysians can truly echo the call of the great Tunku Abdul Rahman: ‘Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!’ <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Quit UMNO. Only through this avenue can you continue your pursuit of a better Malaysia, free from corruption, nepotism, greed, and bribery, something the word UMNO has become synonymous with. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Quit UMNO. Quit its oppressive policies, and help bring down a regime that does not represent its people, that denies them their rights. <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Do you want to be remembered as the one that did nothing when greed and corruption destroyed your nation?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Or do you want to be remembered as the hero that played true to his conscience, that spoke up against the oppression, the greed, the corruption? <o:p></o:p></span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><strong><span style="font-weight: normal; font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Only you can decide, Ku Li. Quit UMNO and be remembered as the one that saved Malaysia. </span></strong></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-9086335806468721422009-02-07T11:15:00.002+10:002009-02-07T11:16:20.150+10:00Pandemonium erupts as police beat up protestors in royal city (VIDEO) - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's video: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QJf9ZBpBe1U&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QJf9ZBpBe1U&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />- malaysiakini.tvvchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-91148987184064568632009-02-06T11:33:00.001+10:002009-02-06T11:34:06.595+10:00Illegal swearing in of new Perak MB taking place - malaysiakiniThe Star reports:<br /><br /><br /><p>PETALING JAYA: Pangkor assemblyman Datuk Dr Zambry Abd Kadir will be the new Perak Mentri Besar, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.</p> <div class="story_image right" style="width: 164px;"> <img src="http://thestar.com.my/archives/2009/2/6/nation/n_pg01zambry.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="172" /> <span class="caption"><b>New man at the helm:</b> Pangkor assemblyman Datuk Dr. Zambry Abd kadir will be sworn in Friday.</span> </div> <p>Abdullah, who is Barisan Nasional chairman, announced this after returning from his official visit to Istana Kinta in Ipoh yesterday evening, where he had an audience with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Azlan Shah.</p> <p>“Sultan Azlan Shah has consented to Zambry being appointed the Mentri Besar. He will be sworn in at 3.30pm tomorrow (today) at the Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar,” he said.</p> <p>Abdullah added that the new state executive council would be sworn in at 10am the day after.</p> <p>Zambry, meanwhile, thanked the Sultan, the Prime Minister and his deputy for trusting him to carry out the responsibility.</p><p><br /></p><p>Malaysiakini's report when out<br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-31006761191779478352009-02-06T11:31:00.001+10:002009-02-06T11:33:06.430+10:0096% think BN will suffer in next electionsSo says the NTV7 poll.<br /><br />Mainstream media some more.<br /><br />BN is dead.vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-68835474327537436382009-02-05T12:43:00.000+10:002009-02-05T12:44:12.217+10:00Najib goes into Istana Kinta to try to form Perak government - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini reports: <br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><div style="margin:0;padding:0;left:0;top:0;position:absolute;visibility:hidden">MCPX<img style="position:absolute;visibility:hidden" align="left" height="1" width="1" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" /></div><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><div classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></div> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Perak Barisan Nasional chief Najib Abdul Razak is presently having an audience with Sultan Azlan Shah at the Istana Kinta in Ipoh.<br /><br />Najib is expected to inform the sultan of BN's strength in numbers in the state assembly that will allow the coalition to take over the control of the state from Pakatan Rakyat.<br /><br />Also present at the meeting with the deputy prime minister is Perak Umno deputy chief Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. Najib and Ahmad Zahid arrived at the palace at 9.50am.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">After the meeting with the sultan, Najib, who is also the Perak Umno chief, will be chairing a state Umno meeting. Top on the agenda would the choice of menteri besar to lead the BN government.<br /><br />He had earlier cancelled a function in Putrajaya this morning to attend the meeting with the sultan.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="color:#993300;"><strong>Pakatan goes to court </strong></span></p><p style="font-style: italic;">Meanwhile, Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar has applied to the High Court to declare that undated resignations letters by former Pakatan representatives as valid.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">The three - PKR's Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Osman Jailu, and DAP's Hee Yit Foong - have claimed that their quit letters signed soon after being elected as assemblypersons last March were done under duress. </p><p style="font-style: italic;">The Election Commission has overruled the Perak speaker on the matter. </p><p style="font-style: italic;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><div classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></div> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Yesterday Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin also met the sultan for almost two hours to request for dissolution of the state assembly so that a snap state election could be held.<br /><br />Mohd Nizar's meeting coincided with the defection of four Pakatan representatives to BN yesterday, severely altering the number of seats from Pakatan to BN.<br /><br />The fate of the state government now hinges on the sultan. Political observers are waiting to see if he would allow BN to form the state government or will dissolve the state assembly.<br /><br />Among the other developments taking place in Perak today:</p><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li>Pakatan Rakyat will be holding its council meeting in Ipoh later this afternoon. Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim and all other top guns from the alliance are expected to be at the meeting to show support to Mohd Nizar and the state government.</li></ul><br /><ul style="font-style: italic;"><li>A mammoth gathering is also expected to convene at the menteri besar's residence to support the Pakatan government. A crowd of about 100,000 is expected.</li></ul><br /><ul><li><span style="font-style: italic;">A ceramah to take place at Mohd Nizar's residence starting 7pm with Anwar expected to address the crowd - malaysiakini.com</span><br /></li></ul>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-22454757584335842682009-02-05T10:49:00.003+10:002009-02-05T10:50:13.628+10:00Perak BN takeover Illegal!My letter to Malaysiakini:<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">A government can only rule when it has the confidence of the rakyat (people). This confidence is represented through its representatives, in Perak’s case, its state assemblymen. In this case, it appears that Barisan Nasional has got a slim majority of confidence in terms of its elected representatives.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">However, if a government has lost the confidence of the rakyat, but still has the confidence of its legislative assembly, then it is the Sultan’s (roughly translated to King) job to dissolve the state assembly to correct the misrepresentation in the assembly and seek a new mandate from the people. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And this is the case in Perak, namely because: </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style=""><span style="font-family:Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri;">The Election Commission (EC) acted outside its jurisdiction when it refused to call by elections in the 2 vacated seats. The EC has no say in whether an election should be called or not, regardless of whether the resignation was genuine or not. As far as the EC is concerned, if the speaker submitted two fake letters of resignation (which is not the case here), the EC would have to carry out elections, while the two ‘fake-ly resigned’ representatives have the option of getting a court order to stop the by-elections. Legally, these two seats are vacant, because the speaker has said so, and no court has ruled otherwise, regardless of EC’s position. I reiterate, the EC has no jurisdiction in deciding whether a seat is empty or not; that is the speaker’s job. And hence, from a legal perspective, these two seats are classified VACANT. </span></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span style=""><span style="font-family:Calibri;">-</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;font-family:'Times New Roman';font-size:7;" > </span></span></span><span style="font-family:Calibri;">My next argument rests on the Sultan’s wise opinion. In the 3 previously Pakatan seats (1 DAP, 2 PKR), did the constituents vote for the candidate or the party? My honest opinion of this matter is that many voters did not even care who was standing in the seat, they voted for the party. If the Sultan agrees with me, that means the mandate of the people was given to the party, not the candidate, and that the people are not being accurately represented in the legislative assembly if their elected party gets changed without their consultation. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">From my first argument, we can see that if BN forms the state government through the support of the 2 illegally occupied seats, it has taken over the government illegally. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">From my second argument, we can see that a BN government does not represent the will of the people. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">And it is for these reasons, I conclude that the best viable solution is to dissolve the state assembly, and call for new elections, and appeal for the Perak sultan to do so. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family:Calibri;">vchi </span></p><br />Link to Malaysiakini will be posted when it is up.vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-57181356390626761962009-02-04T11:48:00.001+10:002009-02-04T11:49:43.679+10:00Majority want snap elections to be held in PerakMalaysiakini reports:<br /><br /> <span style="font-style: italic;"> An overwhelming majority of </span><em style="font-style: italic;"><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" width="1" height="1" /></div>Malaysiakini</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> readers want a snap poll to resolve the political impasse in Perak.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">With two-way defections affecting both Pakatan Rakyat and the Barisan Nasional opposition in the state, 94% of those participating in </span><em style="font-style: italic;">Malaysiakini</em><span style="font-style: italic;">'s one-day online survey (</span><em style="font-style: italic;">see chart below</em><span style="font-style: italic;">) want either by-elections in the purportedly vacant seats held by two defectors or a state-wide election.</span><br /><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/cbd4b56b1ff265971a404de0aa2ad05c.gif" alt="jamaluddin mat radzi and osman jailu perak pkr" title="jamaluddin mat radzi and osman jailu perak pkr" align="left" width="219" height="146" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Just over half of the 2,308 respondents (51%) have opted for by-elections in the two state seats - Behrang and Changkat Jering - held by PKR defectors, Jamaluddin Mat Radzi and Osman Jailu respectively. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Another 41% want the dissolution of the Perak assembly so that a state election can be called.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Only 4.2% said that BN should be allowed to form the state government if they have managed to gather sufficient defections. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="subtitle">MB has option to dissolve assembly</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">With Pakatan's 32 seats against BN's 27, the opposition needs at least three defections before it can go to the Perak sultan to claim the right to form government.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">The Election Commission today has </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/97472" target="_blank"><strong>rejected</strong></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> by-elections for the two state seats. It ruled that both Jamaluddin and Osman are still state assemblypersons.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">EC chief Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said that their denial letters received yesterday indicated their wish not to quit their seats, despite resignation letters brandished by PKR which were signed earlier by the duo.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">With only one-seat majority, Menteri Besar Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin may exercise his option of calling a snap election to resolve the political instability.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/5775f61735ef629e320a9705f51fcaee.gif" alt="malaysiakini survey perak political situation poll 030209" title="malaysiakini survey perak political situation poll 030209" width="435" height="387" /><span style="font-style: italic;"> - malaysiakini.com</span><br /><br />I am more interested in what the Merdeka Review finds later on.vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-777868975149343202009-02-04T10:02:00.001+10:002009-02-04T10:03:36.033+10:00Perak resignation crisis: Pakatan on the verge of calling snap elections - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's report: <br /><br /><p style="font-style: italic;">Perak Menteri Besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin has conceded that Pakatan Rakyat is considering the possibility of dissolving the state assembly to pave the way for a snap polls.<br /></p><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; font-style: italic;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" width="1" height="1" /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We are in process of thinking about it. (You'll know) when the time comes," he said in response to a question.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/129/322f975b252f99bbf55f0e92b42ea09c.jpg" alt="nizar jamaluddin 100 days interview 180608 11" title="nizar jamaluddin 100 days interview 180608 11" align="left" width="291" height="221" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Mohd Nizar was speaking to reporters late last night after chairing a meeting at his official residence in Ipoh attended by most of the Pakatan state reps and top state leaders from PAS, DAP and PKR. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yesterday, two Pakatan state reps Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (PKR-Behrang) and Osman Jailu (PKR-Changkat Jering) '</span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/97472" target="_blank"><strong>defected</strong></a><span style="font-style: italic;">', leaving the coalition with just 30 seats in the 59 seat state assembly. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Barisan Nasional merely needs the duo and another rep to join the coalition in order to wrest back the state from Pakatan and bring an end to their 10-month reign. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Though the state government may call for a snap polls to prevent Barisan from enticing cross overs, Pakatan's next step to resolve the fragile situation is to seek legal redress against the Election Commission’s decision not to recognise the resignations of Jamaluddin and Osman. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;" class="subtitle">'Hee's still with us'<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Perak senior exco member Ngeh Khoo Ham, who was also at the press conference, said Pakatan intends to compel the EC into calling by-elections for the two seats 'vacated' by the duo. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We will file for a judicial review and apply for leave to obtain a mandamus from the court to compel the EC to carry out its public duty," said the state DAP chair. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/125/49c6cb90af11f5280445af676197513f.jpg" alt="hee yit foong" title="hee yit foong" align="left" width="64" height="64" /><span style="font-style: italic;">On Jelapang state rep Hee Yit Foong's subtle hints that she was unhappy with the Pakatan leadership, in particular DAP, Mohd Nizar said disagreements were normal in an alliance. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"That is very normal in Pakatan Rakyat. We are very happy with that actually. I have disagreed with my party and its leadership (before). It is part and parcel of the process," he said. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">On Hee's whereabouts, since she did not attend the meeting, Mohd Nizar jokingly replied in Cantonese: "</span><em style="font-style: italic;">Ngor mm chee</em><span style="font-style: italic;"> (I don't know)". </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"We have contacted her. She has some matters to attend to. She is with us (as a team)," he said, adding that Hee was busy with family matters. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Rumours are rife that Hee would quit DAP and become an independent state rep. The rumours intensified after she </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/97522" target="_blank"><strong>skipped</strong></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> an important state function yesterday morning.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Attempts to contact Hee and her husband today had been futile. Media representatives had even staked out at her house and the DAP Jelapang service centre to no avail.</span><p style="font-style: italic;" class="subtitle">Speaker: I've absolute authority</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Meanwhile, Perak state assembly speaker V Sivakumar told the same press conference that he had received the resignation letters from Jamaluddin and Osman in two separate envelopes at his house. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He said that the anonymous messenger came to his house in a car on Feb 1 and passed him the envelopes and said: "These are very important documents for you".</span><br /><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/3a37e9075df351caddd143f6e71e6924.jpg" alt="V Sivakumar" title="V Sivakumar" align="left" width="64" height="64" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sivakumar stressed that he had the absolute authority to declare the Behrang and Changkat Jering seats vacant after being satisfied with the letters. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He added that the duo would not be allowed to enter the House as elected reps when the state assembly reconvenes in April. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"They can sit at the public gallery," Mohd Nizar added - malaysiakini.com</span><br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-62793472674452508442009-02-03T15:07:00.003+10:002009-02-03T15:09:35.133+10:00EC defies Perak Sultan and refuses to call by election - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's report: <br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><div style="margin:0;padding:0;left:0;top:0;position:absolute;visibility:hidden">MCPX<img style="position:absolute;visibility:hidden" align="left" height="1" width="1" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" /></div><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> Election Commission announced that by-elections were not necessary for the state seats of Changkat Jering and Behrang as there were doubts on the resignation letters submitted by the representatives.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">EC said that it received the resignations letter of the duo from the Perak speaker V Sivakumar on Feb 2. </p><p style="font-style: italic;">On the same day, the commission also received letters from the two state representatives stating thatthey have not resigned.</p><span style="font-style: italic;">"As such, EC decided that it will not be able to call for by-elections. The two seats are still held by the two state representatives," said EC chairperson Abdul Aziz Yusuf - malaysiakini.com</span><br /><br />From the Malaysian Insider:<br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;">Pas officials told The Malaysian Insider that Nizar left the meeting <span style="font-weight: bold;">with the impression that based on the resignation letters calling by-elections would be the most palatable outcome to this political stalemate.</span></p><br /><p style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"><br /></p><p style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Now who's BIADAP? </span><br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-52490160895783231602009-02-03T14:34:00.002+10:002009-02-03T14:37:00.352+10:00Perak Pakatan Government's fate hangs by a thread called the EC - malaysiakiniMalaysian Insider's report:<br /><br /><p>IPOH, Feb 3 — While the Perak Pakatan Rakyat government pins its hopes on the Election Commission to declare by-elections in two state constituencies, the two renegade PKR assemblymen at the heart of the state's high-stakes political drama are expected to make legal challenges to ensure they remain as legislators.</p> <p>If the EC decides to hold by-elections, the PR government will not have to deal with potential defectors in its ranks even as it tries to fight off challenges from the opposition Barisan Nasional.</p> <p>A day after state assembly Speaker V. Sivakumar announced the resignation of Jamaluddin Radzi and Osman Jailu amid speculation that they were both ready to join Umno, the duo emerged from hiding through their representatives to deny that they have tendered their resignation, pledging their loyalty to PKR.</p> <p>At issue now is whether the EC will accept Sivakumar's decision.</p> <p>The speaker claimed to have received the purported resignation letters on Sunday evening.</p> <p>The PKR duo are likely to challenge the validity of the letters, said to have been signed just after the general election last year.</p> <p>Last night, at a hastily-called press conference, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin made a last-minute attempt to pressure the EC to accept the vacancy of the two state seats by saying he has the support of the palace for by-elections to be called.</p> <p>For almost a day yesterday, Nizar had been evading the press, in a sign that the Pakatan Rakyat-led government was unsure of the next move after the Behrang and Changkat Jering reps challenged the speaker's announcement.</p> <p>The closest the PR got to being on the offensive yesterday was when a PKR division leader called a press conference in the morning just to accuse Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak as the man behind the disappearance of Jamaluddin and Osman.</p> <p>Interestingly, the revelation, through yet another statutory declaration, was not sanctioned by the party as PKR officials at the beginning of the press conference repeatedly said that Ipoh Barat division chief Fauzi Muda was making the statement as an individual.</p> <p>The declaration however was uploaded to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's blog.</p> <p>"We are not losing, we expect victory through the Election Commission's announcement," said Pas lawmaker Husin Din on the government's silence since the speaker's declaration.</p> <p>The Selinsing assemblyman believes that the state's ruling coalition had scored a goal when the PKR duo did not turn up at their own press conferences yesterday.</p> <p>Interestingly, opposition leader Anwar, who played a crucial role in preventing three-cornered fights in the state in the general election last year, has been relatively silent on the issue.</p> <p>The Permatang Pauh MP, in a brief blog posting yesterday, accused Najib of being involved in the planned defections.</p> <p>And for Umno, which lost an assemblyman on the eve of the Lunar New Year with the defection of Bota rep Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim to PKR, the consensus among its leaders was that the fiasco has nothing to do with the Malay nationalist party.</p> <p>Just last week the state opposition was on the verge of losing more representatives with the menteri besar declaring that the government was expecting three more Umno assemblymen to cross over.</p> <p>But the latest political drama has provided Umno with a temporary morale boost and even the prospect of by-elections did not seem to worry the party leaders, as it successfully distanced itself from the turmoil.</p> <p>"It was not triggered by us in the first place. When one of us crossed over, they said it was morally right, but when we talked about their men crossing over, they said it is immoral," Umno's Datuk Zambry Kadir told <em>The Malaysian Insider.</em></p><p><br /><em></em></p><p><em>Malaysiakini's report when out.<br /></em></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-52787455986949101142009-02-03T13:37:00.000+10:002009-02-03T13:39:05.866+10:00Confusion and turmoil as Perak resignation crisis deepens - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's report: <br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;">As Barisan Nasional and PKR brace themselves for possible by-elections in Perak, Malaysiakini learns there is a likelihood that the matter could be first referred to the courts instead of the ballot boxes.<br /></p><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; font-style: italic;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" height="1" width="1" /></div><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/139/a8968fa51a68ea48b7dbf772a5b71061.jpg" alt="pkr permatang pc 230808 perak exco jamaluddin and osman" title="pkr permatang pc 230808 perak exco jamaluddin and osman" align="right" height="155" width="250" /><span style="font-style: italic;">According to lawyers, there are legal grounds to challenge the resignation letters submitted by the two PKR assemblypersons Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (Behrang) and Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Under commercial law, lawyer Hasnal Rezua Merican said any pre-signed letter of resignation is questionable as it is illegal and morally wrong.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"A resignation letter cannot be made under duress. It can be considered as not genuine as the person may not have a true intention of resigning now. Furthermore, if a politician wishes to switch parties there is nothing hindering him from doing so.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"There is a 1991 case of </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.ipsofactoj.com/archive/1991/Part07/arc1991%2807%29-011.htm" target="_blank"><strong>Nordin Salleh vs Kelantan State Legislative Assembly</strong></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> where the then Lord President Eusoff Chin decided that an assemblyperson does not lose his or her seat if they switch party," he added.</span><p style="font-style: italic;"><span class="subtitle">No anti-hopping law poses a problem </span></p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Lawyer Baljit Singh Sidhu also agreed with Hasnal that the resignation letters submitted could also be challenged as the person might have a change of mind and decide to retract.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He said this problem exists because there is no anti-hopping law in the country.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The alleged resignation letter cannot be absolute if the affected person claims that he had not handed it. It can then be argued that the resignation letters which they signed earlier were not absolute," he told </span><em style="font-style: italic;">Malaysiakini</em><span style="font-style: italic;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Asked to comment on Perak State Assembly speaker V Sivakumar handing the two resignation letters to the Election Commission, Baljit said the affected persons could file an application to quash the resignation letters.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hasnal also agreed that the duo could file applications at the High Court to seek a declaration that they have not resigned.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Another lawyer, David Matthews said if the assemblypersons could prove that they were coerced into signing the letters, it would make the letters null and void.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">He stressed that this was an important issue as it involved the credibility of elected representatives.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The fact is that a resignation letter must be signed on their own free will. If there is evidence of coercion, it would be open for challenge.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"The person must prove in a court of law how the coercion took place," he added - malaysiakini.com</span><br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-91682105357659957682009-02-03T12:50:00.004+10:002009-02-03T12:51:24.337+10:00Perak resignation crisis spreads to Negri Sembilan, NS BN government vulnerable? - malaysiakiniMalaysian Insider's report:<br /><br /><h2 class="contentheading"><a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/17437-perak-political-drama-spreading-to-ns" class="contentpagetitle"> </a> </h2> <div class="article-content"> <p>SEREMBAN, Feb 2 – The Barisan Nasional (BN) state government in Negri Sembilan is finding itself on the defensive amid swirling rumours of defections to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR).</p> <p>For the second time in a week, Negri Sembilan Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has had to deny speculation that a number of BN state legislators were planning to defect to PR.</p> <p>The BN coalition holds a slim majority in the state assembly. Three defections to the PR alliance would see BN lose power.</p> <p>Speculation is rife in Seremban that three Umno representatives and one MCA lawmaker are considering crossing over to PR.</p> <p>The rumours come even as a separate political drama is being played out in Ipoh, where BN and PR appear to be in an intriguing battle to lure each other’s assemblymen as the PR state government totters on the brink of collapse.</p> <p>Bernama news agency reported Mohamad as telling reporters in Seremban today that the rumours were merely a ploy by PR.</p> <p>“We should not fall prey into the opposition trap. After seeking clarification from the assemblymen, we know that the opposition is full of hot air,” he told reporters after meeting BN elected representatives and Negri Sembilan BN Backbenchers Club here.</p> <p>Palong assemblyman Datuk Aziz Shamsudin also quashed rumours that he would be joining the opposition, Bernama reported.</p> <p>“I am not jumping party. No opposition representatives have approached me but I welcome them if they want to see me,” he said.</p> <p>State executive councillor and Serting assemblyman Shamsulkahar Mohd Deli denied a blog posting that he was contemplating leaving BN.</p> <p>“I am not affected by this slander. Let me clear my name, this is utterly a slander by irresponsible people,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.</p> <p>State BN Backbenchers Club chairman Datuk Zainal Abidin Ahmad, who is also Sungai Lui assemblyman, said the people should not be hoodwinked by the opposition strategy to weaken the state government<br /></p><br /><p><br /></p><p>Malaysiakini's report when out.<br /></p></div>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-82810987743126175412009-02-03T12:18:00.000+10:002009-02-03T12:19:27.621+10:00Kedah PKR assemblymen: I was threatened with KIDNAP by BN - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's report:<br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;">Amid the political turmoil in Perak, a PKR elected representative in Kedah has filed a police report claiming among others that there was an attempt to kidnap him.<br /></p><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; font-style: italic;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" height="1" width="1" /></div><br /><img style="font-style: italic;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/0f7e7a8ebf5ccc64ea3daa2c71396954.jpg" alt="Arumugam Vengatarakoo" title="Arumugam Vengatarakoo" align="right" height="64" width="64" /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bukit Selambau assemblyperson V Arumugam also claimed that he and his officers have received numerous threats.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"All of this is being done in order to force me to leave PKR and move to Barisan Nasional," alleged the state exco in a statement today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Arumugam had filed the police report at the Sungai Petani district police headquarters this afternoon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Apart from the alleged 'kidnap' attempt last November, the assemblyperson claimed that he had also received threats via the telephone. </span><p><span style="font-style: italic;" class="subtitle">'Windscreen smashed' </span> <br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"On Dec 12, there was an incident where the windscreen of the official exco car (Proton Perdana) was smashed and there was a note containing a threat which was tied to a brick.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"A few days ago, several individuals had approached me with lucrative offers in order to coax me into leaving PKR," he said.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">According to Arumugam, the latest incident involving two PKR assemblypersons in Perak had motivated him to make this matter public.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I am worried that if I do not come forward, then the safety of my family would continue to be threatened.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"I also call on the police to investigate all my police reports since March 2008 and take the necessary action," he added.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Kedah - which was an Umno stronghold fell - into the hands of Pakatan Rakyat following the March 8 general election - malaysiakini.com </span><br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-17485181370185211702009-02-03T11:42:00.002+10:002009-02-03T11:43:33.487+10:00Police invading and forcing their way into Kugan's funeral (VIDEO) - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's video:<br /><br /><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lbWOLNF97wU&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lbWOLNF97wU&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object> - malaysiakini.tv<br /><br />First video here: <a href="http://malaysianpoliticsblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/video-of-kugans-funeral-and-gobinds.html">Video of Kugan's funeral and Gobind's passionate speech</a>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-70652508509651943152009-02-03T11:22:00.000+10:002009-02-03T11:24:09.427+10:00Video of Kugan's funeral and Gobind's passionate speech - malaysiakiniWhile the Perak resignation crisis is playing out, let us not forget about the horrific Kugan incident. <br /><br />Malaysiakini's video: <br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ju1L7rV5yDI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ju1L7rV5yDI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /> - malaysiakini.tvvchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4348323690363332220.post-81666896918579321702009-02-03T11:05:00.003+10:002009-02-03T11:07:05.199+10:00PKR Leader's SD: $50 MILLION OFFERED TO BUY PERAK ASSEMBLYMEN!! - malaysiakiniMalaysiakini's report:<br /><br /> <p style="font-style: italic;">PKR Ipoh Barat division head Fauzi Muda has leveled the damning claim that Umno deputy president Najib Abdul Razak had tried last year to induce him to secure the crossover of two Pakatan Rakyat representatives in Perak.</p><div style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; left: 0pt; top: 0pt; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; font-style: italic;">MCPX<img style="position: absolute; visibility: hidden;" src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/track/?id=dW5oY3I%3D" align="left" height="1" width="1" /></div><p style="font-style: italic;">Fauzi said he had been offered a total of RM50 million for his services and to pay off those he managed to convince, but that he had remained non-committal.<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/9da6d90b24b9ea6e251a5f0d4866ea96.jpg" alt="perak pkr pc fauzi muda pc statutory declaration 010209 02" title="perak pkr pc fauzi muda pc statutory declaration 010209 02" align="right" height="232" width="280" />While conceding that he has no concrete evidence to back his allegation, he nonetheless dared Najib<em> </em>- also the deputy premier and deputy head of ruling coalition Barisan Nasional - to deny the claim.<br /><br />Reading from a <a href="http://malaysiakini.com/pages/general/fauzi-muda-statutory-declaration.html" target="_blank"><strong>three-page statutory declaration</strong></a> at a press conference in Ipoh this morning, Fauzi (<em>right</em>) said a friend Suleiman Mansor, an ordinary member of Umno, had invited him to Kuala Lumpur on a business matter on March 11, 2008.<br /><br />This was three days after the momentous general election that dumped BN out of the Perak government, and brought a Pakatan coalition into power, albeit with a slim majority of five seats.<br /><br />However, Suleiman took Fauzi to meet three men, “including former deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin at the Jalan Duta toll plaza”.<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/158/2ec016c9c76e5b581ccf0390713338e7.jpg" alt="najib on kuala terengganu by election 060109 02" title="najib on kuala terengganu by election 060109 02" align="right" height="157" width="260" />“Thereafter, I was taken to Najib (Abdul) Razak’s residence in Putrajaya, where he tried to persuade me to lobby for the crossover of two PR assemblymen to BN,” said Fauzi.<br /><br />“I was promised RM50 million in return for my services and told that I would be allowed to allocate (part of) the money (to the assemblypersons) as I wished.”<br /><br />Fauzi, however, did not name any representatives in the document or during the press conference. He would not distribute copies of the statutory declaration either.<br /><br />“Najib assured me that if I succeeded, the appointment of the menteri besar for Perak would be delayed. However, I left his residence without making any promises as I feared for my safety.”<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/e081c31627518a16cbc8aaa1b48ff899.jpg" alt="perak pkr pc fauzi muda pc statutory declaration 010209 04" title="perak pkr pc fauzi muda pc statutory declaration 010209 04" align="left" height="254" width="328" />He further claimed that Suleiman approached him once more last year, after PKR assemblypersons Jamaluddin Mat Radzi (Behrang) and Osman Jailu (Changkat Jering) were charged with corrupt practice.<br /><br />“I was told that if I succeeded in lobbying for their crossover, the charges would be dropped. But this time, the reward for their defection dropped to RM5 million per person. Again, I refused the offer.”<br /><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);"><strong><br />‘Willing to meet Najib’</strong></span><br /><br />Fauzi told the media that he intends to lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission today, along with his statutory declaration.<br /><br />Commenting on the now-anticipated crossover by Jamaluddin and Osman, he expressed his suspicion that Umno has succeeded in pulling them out of Pakatan.<br /><br />When pressed as to why he had not lodged a report earlier, he said that rumours of BN attempting to manoeuvre the defections of Pakatan elected representatives had been rife since the general election.<br /><br />“I did not believe this would happen until the <a href="http://malaysiakini.com/news/97357" target="_blank"><strong>disappearance</strong></a> of Jamaluddin and Osman (since last week),” he said.<br /> <br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/159/0aad76e23f5ecf5594aa6bc1afe47d05.jpg" alt="anwar kuala terenganu by election 070109 02" title="anwar kuala terenganu by election 070109 02" align="right" height="173" width="285" />He noted, though, that he had previously brought up the matter with Pakatan leaders including <a href="http://malaysiakini.com/news/97370" target="_blank"><strong>Anwar Ibrahim</strong></a>.<br /><br />Fauzi, in challenging Najib to refute the allegations, said he is prepared to meet face-to-face with the deputy premier over this.<br /><br />“As to why (BN) had chosen me to lobby for the defections, perhaps they thought I had close relations with them and that I am easily hooked… but they are wrong. I have my principles,” he said.<br /><br />“I also hope that what I have done today will benefit the state as well as the nation. They will now know the evil political practices that our PM-in-waiting is capable of.”<br /><br /><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/cbd4b56b1ff265971a404de0aa2ad05c.gif" alt="jamaluddin mat radzi and osman jailu perak pkr" title="jamaluddin mat radzi and osman jailu perak pkr" align="left" height="155" width="234" />During the press conference, held at the PKR Perak headquarters, state party head Osman Abdul Rahman refused to comment on the brouhaha surrounding Jamaluddin (<em>left in photo</em> and Osman (<em>right in photo</em>) or the legality of their resignation letters.<br /><br />He would only say that both of them are still incommunicado.<br /><br />This morning, Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar <a href="http://malaysiakini.com/news/97381" target="_blank"><strong>officially informed</strong></a> the state election commission chief of the vacancy of the two state seats.</p><p style="font-style: italic;">Sivakumar had announced on Sunday that the seats became vacant after Jamaluddin and Osman tendered their resignation with immediate effect.<br /><br />Both have since challenged the resignation letter, insisting that they has <a href="http://malaysiakini.com/news/97429" target="_blank"><strong>not stepped down</strong></a> and that they remain state assemblypersons.</p><p style="font-style: italic;"><img src="http://media1.malaysiakini.com/164/31201183ee611b6dc3e85ea77ee7ff95.gif" alt="perak majority slim 300109" title="perak majority slim 300109" align="left" height="189" width="200" />At present, Pakatan has 32 seats in Perak with DAP (18), PKR (8) and PAS (6), while BN has 27 with Umno (26) and MCA (1).</p><p><span style="font-style: italic;">Before the defection of Nasarudin Hashim, the former Umno state assemblyperson of Bota, BN needed two additional seats to claim the right to rule Perak.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">However, after Nasarudin's defection last week, the state opposition must get three defectors. With Jamaluddin and Osman apparently in the bag, it will now need just one more - malaysiakini.com</span><br /></p>vchihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10358109116875109100noreply@blogger.com0