I say it again, GE13 is for Pakatan to lose.

PAS's fickle mindedness is at play again,rearing its ugly Hudud rhetoric into the public domain,with friends like these who needs enemies.PAS seems to providing enough ammunition to Umno/MCA,enough to derail Pakatan's march to Putrajaya.

If PAS is adamant with its stand on Hudud,than Pakatan's chances of winning GE13 will all but,go up in smoke.PAS doesn't understand that many people are being convinced to vote for a corrupted Umno/BN regime to run this country where they'll be free of restrictions in how they run their life than having an Islamic party(PAS) that encroaches into our rights to freedom and the way we want to live life, the way we see it fit.

PAS had not learn its lesson when it implemented Hudud in Terengganu in 1999 under the Barisan Alternatif coalition,though the majority of people in Terengganu were Malays/Muslims,PAS was kick out from being the state government in 2004 allowing Umno/BN to take over Terengganu.

PAS has gone on record to say that Hudud won't affect the non-Malays,but their action on several issues have convinced me otherwise,they are:-

1. Banning the sale of pork/beer in Selangor
2. Separate sitting for male and female in cinemas and at payment counters in shopping complexes
3. Banning the construction of cinemas by non-Malays
4. Banning concerts,fashion shows
5. Calling for the ban on Valentine,Halloween and Christian bashing
6. Calling for the closure of shops/business during the Muslim fasting month
7. Suggesting/enforcing dress codes on non-Malays
8. PAS's silence on Islamic body's frequent raids on houses/businesses to confiscate dead bodies/books,one parent converting their children to Islam without the consent of the other
9. A non-Malay rape victim have to produce four Muslim witness to the crime
10.The contradiction/disparity between the Syariah and the Civil courts,for non-Malays.

The above are only some of the problems we,the non-Malays will face if PAS were implement Hudud,in this multi-religious/racial country.PAS is not interested in eradicating corruption,abuse of power,institutionalize racism or cronyism,they are more interested in going after petty theft,illicit sex and apostasy.

Again I say,GE13 is for Pakatan,to lose,if DAP and PKR fail to put a muzzel around PAS's mouth.

This is a touching speech with much energy.... by Lim Guan Eng.

Since Merdeka, two million Malaysians have migrated overseas because they do not see a future for themselves and for Malaysia . It is time that we don't live in our past that is filled with hatred and fear. We should look to the future filled with hope and harmony between all Malaysians. 
To put the past behind us, we must stop the politics of race and religion. 
To put the past behind us, we must end corruption. 
To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedoms. 
To put the past behind us, we must demand good governance and performance from our ministers. 
To attain peace Malaysians must stand united and reject those who wish to divide us by preaching racial and religious hatred. If we want to benefit from equal opportunities and realize our human potential we must stop extremists from continually degrading others as inferiors so as to uplift ourselves. Why should Allah not be allowed to be used in the Bible when it is used in the Middle East ? 
We can only achieve harmony together. Despite our differences and diversity, Malaysians can make our common aspirations of freedom, justice, democracy and truth come true if we remember key values. 
That it is not who we are that is important, but what we are that is 
important; not the colour of our skin that is important but the content of our character; and not our past ancestry that is important but how we connect with the present and with each other to face the future. 
We can only be prosperous together. The time has come to focus on the economy, in employment, education and business opportunities as the conditions for prosperity. We must build human talent and be performance-based. 
For those who say that PR do not know how to govern, the 4 PR states of Penang, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan have proven our ability by beating the other 10 BN states by attracting RM25 billion in investments comprising 53% of Malaysia 's total investments of RM47.2 billion in 2010. For the first time in history, Penang is now the new champion of investments in Malaysia , coming out top in 2010 with RM 12.2 billion. 
To put the past behind us, we must end corruption. Barisan Nasional cannot reform to end corruption. Remember, if we do not end corruption, Malaysia dies. If we end corruption, BN dies. The choice is clear. 
To put the past behind us, we must abolish the suppression, oppression, repression of our basic human rights and freedom. How can we have a clean government when we do not have clean elections? 
We do not want our children to live in fear of oppressive laws as we have lived. A Pakatan Rakyat government will abolish the UUCA, the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications Act and restore local government elections. 
When can we find justice for Teoh Beng Hock, Ahmad Sarbani and A Kugan? When will we have Freedom of Information & Freedom of Speech? When can we have justice that is not only done, but is seen to be done. 
To put the past behind us, we demand good governance and performance from our ministers. Malaysia can be an international and intelligent country. We must have digital intelligence with broadband connectivity. We must also have integrity intelligence, so ensure that only honest people are the decision-makers. We must have institutional intelligence under the rule of law. We demand good governance and performance from our ministers. 
Has the Transport Ministry done its duty to run our airports and seaports well? 
Look at the Penang International Airport whose completion has been delayed more than 3 times. And the Penang Port is to be reduced to be a feeder port and privatized to a 3rd party at the expense of Penangites. Why is there no consultation with the people of Penang to restore the port to its former glory? Instead of looking after airports and ports, the Transport Ministry is more interested in vehicle registration numbers and wants to increase the maximum traffic fines to RM2,000. 
Director-General of Tourism is wrongly charged of corruption but the Tourism Minister finds nothing wrong with spending RM1.8 million in doing up her Facebook page, when we all know that it can be done for free. 
The Health Ministry wants to privatise healthcare when it should be a public good given as an affordable right to all Malaysians. Why allow the wastage of public funds and affect the quality and affordability of drugs when drugs are bought through a middleman at higher prices when it could be boughtcheaper direct from the manufacturers, some of which are operating in Malaysia . 
The Housing and Local Government Ministry opposes local government elections 
in Penang , denying our fundamental democratic right to elect our councillors and our mayors. 
We believe that Malaysians deserve better. For the last 50 years, the wealth of the nation has been robbed. Let us protect the future of our children by ensuring we have a people-centric government that protects you instead of harming you, that rewards you instead of stealing from you, that respects you instead of abusing your rights. Let us clean up Malaysia to save our children's future. 
We must put the past behind us where profits matters more than our health. 
Lynas concerns all of us because if Lynas is allowed to operate, Barisan Nasional will proceed with building two nuclear reactors. If we continue to put health above profits, what is the use of having all the money in the world if you cannot enjoy it healthily? 
The next elections shall be fought on the economy. We refuse to allow BN to use race as the issue in the next elections. We need to increase the incomes of our poor or else they will fall victims to the Ah Longs. For example, 
Bank Negara's Annual Report 2010 revealed that Malaysia 's household debt at the end of 2010 was RM581 billion or 76 per cent of GDP, thus giving us the dubious honour of having the second-highest level of household debt in Asia . 
In addition, the Malaysian household debt service ratio stood at 47.8 per cent in 2010, meaning that nearly half of the average family's income goes to repaying debts. As a rule, banks would not lend money to those whose total servicing of loans exceeded one third of their income. In other words, we are spiralling into an indebted nation. 
According to the New Economic Model documents, the bottom 40% of Malaysian households are living with a monthly average income of RM1,500 (and three-quarters of them are bumiputera) while 60% of the households (of four persons averagely) live with a less than RM3,000 income, which is near subsistence if one lives in the cities. 
These are families living in fear. We will help them live with dignity and not in fear, by increasing their incomes and cutting down their costs, with a minimum wage, getting rid of monopolies, expanding internet connectivity and encouraging creativity, innovation and productivity. 
South Korea is a very good example of a nation that chose democracy, performance and freedom of opportunity to become a developed country. With a 
population of 48 million, its GDP per capita of USD20,000 is more than double Malaysia's. But in 1970, South Korea 's per capita GDP was only USD260 compared to Malaysia 's USD380. We used to regularly beat South Korea at football. And now our children are fans of K-pop culture and their football team are regulars at the World Cup. 
Only when we free ourselves of fear of change, can we be free to prosper. BN cannot change. They need to be changed, for BN wants to rule by fear. 
Thomas Jefferson said "When the governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny". 
The choice is yours, my friends. I urge you - Let us change so we can have liberty and live with dignity. 

*Lim Guan Eng, DAP Secretary General & MP for Bagan 

PR & HINDRAF: The Missed Opportunity

And because the blueprint is couched in terms of “Indian demands” as MIC has traditionally done so, it is easy for BN to accede to their blueprint. In fact, it is back to the quintessential “Alliance formula” of 1957 except that BN will then have a new associate tagged onto the MIC. Dr Kua Kia Soong, SUARAM Adviser

I attended one of HINDRAF’s dinners a few weeks ago at which they explained their blueprint for the 13GE. After the presentation, I posed the hypothetical question which seemed like quite a likely scenario: “What if the BN embraces your blueprint? What then?”

Waythayamoorthy’s reply was clear: “We would rather PR accepts our blueprint after all we have gone through under BN since Independence…” or words to that effect.

Well, now the election has been called and what is the scenario? BN is at the point of embracing HINDRAF’s blueprint, whether in toto or in part.

What is politically bewildering is that PR has rebuffed HINDRAF and has not included any proposals from the blueprint in their manifesto or that challenges the institutional racism (in particular, the NEP) that has been part of BN policy since 1971. The rationale was that HINDRAF’s blueprint was based on race while their manifesto was based on need of all classes.

After HINDRAF’s criticism of the PR manifesto, the Indian leaders in PR gave the lame excuse that they were not in the drafting committee of the PR manifesto. This was hardly convincing, while giving the public a poor image of the way in which policies are made within the PR coalition.

Soon after that, the DAP has seen fit to include several “pro-Indian” proposals in their post facto “Gelang Patah Declaration” and after they had done that, HINDRAF accused the DAP of plagiarising from their blueprint.

The bizarre and total inconsistency of this Gelang Patah Declaration is the fact that it was promulgated as a DAP rather than a PR policy statement! Why wasn’t it a PR declaration? Is the declaration only acceptable by the DAP but not PKR and PAS? Why was this not “racist” when the PR had said that the HINDRAF blueprint was racist? Politically, it looked ridiculous while providing more grist for BN fire against the PR coalition.

Whatever happens to this blossoming BN-HINDRAF romance, we will have to see if the union is eventually solemnised. It should not if the HINDRAF leaders have any political nous and honesty regarding UMNO’s cynical use of institutional racism through their 56 year reign, which is the root cause of national oppression of the ethnic minorities.

If BN can accept HINDRAF’s blueprint, something’s wrong with the blueprint

I have pointed out in an earlier article that the main failure in HINDRAF’s blueprint is its failure to demand the eradication of Institutional Racism. I have shared several fora with HINDRAF leaders at which we have condemned institutional racism in Malaysia. And despite their efforts in recent years highlighting the entrenchment of racial discrimination in the Constitution, I am surprised that the Hindraf Blueprint does not call for the abolition of the “New Economic Policy”.

PR cannot claim to be holier than thou because neither does PR condemn this institutional racism and announce their readiness to abolish the NEP in their manifesto.

Any corrective action in all economic and education policies must be based on need or sector or class and not on race with priority given to indigenous people, marginalised and poor communities. Since their blueprint extols human rights, Hindraf should put forward their demands for all minorities and not just the Indian community. Thus we find a gaping “disconnect” between Hindraf’s noble challenge to racial discrimination entrenched in the Constitution and their “Indians Only” proposals in the blueprint.

And because the blueprint is couched in terms of “Indian demands” as MIC has traditionally done so, it is easy for BN to accede to their blueprint. In fact, it is back to the quintessential “Alliance formula” of 1957 except that BN will then have a new associate tagged onto the MIC.

I have also earlier pointed out that to be consistent in their human rights stand, Hindraf should also call for:

•             the repeal of Amendment (8A) of Article 153 that was passed during the state of emergency in 1971 and was not in the original 1957 federal constitution;

•             institutionalizing means testing for any access to scholarships or other entitlements;

•             implementing merit-based recruitment in civil & armed services;

•             enacting an Equality Act to promote equality and non-discrimination irrespective of race, creed, religion, gender or disability with provision for an Equality & Human Rights Commission;

•             institutionalising equality and human rights education at all decision-making levels, including state and non-state actors/ institutions;

•             ratifying the Convention on the Eradication of Racial Discrimination (CERD).

If the HINDRAF blueprint was couched in these human rights terms, do you think BN would accept it?

Certainly not because BN has always been a “racial formula”, the coalition is the sum of its racialist parts – “UMNO, MCA, MIC and associates”.

Is PR suffering from a mental block on the National Question?

But why is PR averse to coopting HINDRAF’s blueprint and now losing the opportunity of a historic alliance with HINDRAF? Is it because PR is more purist than BN on the national question? I don’t think so because if the PR manifesto can take into account “FELDA settlers”, there is no reason why it cannot make considerations for “displaced plantation communities” or “the stateless”, etc. that is in the post facto Gelang Patah declaration. The DAP, as usual, are “wise after the event”, a euphemism for opportunism!

Or could it be that incorporating HINDRAF would pose a threat to the jostling for seats among the Indian leaders in PR? If this “realpolitik” is indeed one of the reasons for the PR-HINDRAF fallout, it is a let-down of serious proportions for all Malaysians who hope for change in the 13GE.

And having been spurned by the PR manifesto, we could only expect the fury of the HINDRAF backlash against the plagiarism by DAP…

No, in the end it boils down to PR’s failure to come to terms with the national question, and that involves taking a stand on the NEP. Isn’t it time for change? Isn’t it time for real change that will set our nation on a new footing of reconciliation and reconstruction, when we are no longer divided into “races” and progressive policies can be put in place to help the truly needy? Alas, I am afraid the “Ubah” in PR does not go far enough. (And I would ask all the homespun political philosophers to spare me their pearls of wisdom about the “pragmatic” reasons for “not frightening the Malays” in this 13GE!)

Ultimately, a nation that is unequal can never be free or be at peace. HINDRAF has already announced that they will be putting up candidates in several seats. Likewise, PR’s ambivalence toward the left, namely PSM, will likely see 3-corner contests in those constituencies that PSM will be contesting. I am afraid this historic non-compromise between PR and HINDRAF in the 13GE will probably go down in Malaysian history as one of the most unfortunate missed opportunities in the overthrow of BN rule…

‘DAP’s blueprint for Indians not enough’

PETALING JAYA: DAP launched a 14-point blueprint for the Indian community but the Malaysian Indian Business Association (MIBA) wants more.

Their president P Sivakumar said the blueprint has addressed some of the points that were left out in the Pakatan Rakyat manifesto but he feels that a few more points should be added.

Sivakumar, widely tipped to be a DAP candidate in Johor, said this was because the Indians need an extended catching up period.

“This is to settle the ‘debt’ owing to the long discrimination and marginalisation under the New Economic Policy,” he said.

“So much so, a major cross-section of the community has become seriously alienated from the system,” he added

He proposed an extra six points should be added to the blueprint. Some of the points proposed by MIBA are:

• Call for a second chance programme to give amnesty to blacklists and bankrupts within the Indian community.

• Ten percent of Indians to be appointed at the directors and executive levels in all critical government agencies, government linked companies and government linked banks.

• Increase of land banks for Indians in agriculture and animal husbandry together with special allocations for infrastructure and grants for seed, feed and animals from the Ministry of Agricultural Developement.

According to Sivakumar, a total of RM14 billion is spent to import vegetables and meat every year.

“These points proposed by us could help reduce the spending of the government and at the same time raise the standards of living for the minorities who live in Malaysia,” he said.

MIBA said they are looking to follow the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) which has been very effective in addressing the pressing educational and socio-economic issues facing the community.

“Even Charles Santiago (Klang MP) agreed with me when we proposed to follow SINDA’s work to uplift the Indian community,” he said.

Yesterday, DAP launched a 14-point blueprint for the betterment of the Indian community which will be added on to the Pakatan manifesto.

It was launched by DAP’s advisor Lim Kit Siang who will contest in Gelang Patah in the next general election.

The blueprint tagged “The Gelang Patah Declaration: Vision and strategy for Indian Empowerment” had stated 14 points which is expected to improve the standard of living for the Indians.

Sivakumar, who was among the DAP leaders who spoke at the event, had raised the need to incorporate these additional proposals to the DAP blueprint.

DAP’s Gelang Patah Declaration
The DAP’s blueprint for the Indian community meanwhile promised:

• To resolve the problem of the stateless Indians within 100 days of a Pakatan administration;

• To establish a National Housing Board which will build decent and affordable housing for marginalised groups, especially for displaced Indian plantation workers;

• To ensure that all national-type Tamil schools become fully-funded and the infrastructure of every single school is up to par with ‘sekolah kebangsaan’ (national schools);

• To invest in technical and vocational training coupled with apprenticeship programmes to provide an alternative education and career path for school dropouts from low-income Indian families;

• To provide jobs and raise the wages of low-income Indians by implementing a-RM1,100 minimum wage scheme;

• To increase the number of Indians in GLCs (government-linked companies), local councils, and public services;

• To alienate land for existing Hindu temples and burial grounds and find replacement land for temples and burial grounds which have to be relocated;

• To provide microcredit and other financial assistance schemes to Indian small businesses, with a special focus on women, youths and home-based business;

• To put in place the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) and to eliminate deaths in police custody and custodial deaths;

• To establish a special fund to promote Indian equity ownership in the country;

• To establish a commission to address urban poverty and social problems faced by the Indian community;

• To establish policies that could economically enable single mothers, including house ownership scheme;

• To establish or enroll in existing residential schools outstanding Indian students from plantation and urban poor families; and

• To abolish all anti-rakyat legislation and to get rid of discrimination.

DAP leaders are hoping that their Pakatan partners – PKR and PAS – would endorse this blueprint if Pakatan forms the next government.

Latheefa Koya blows her top

A row between PKR lawyer Latheefa Koya and a National Registration Department (NRD) officer was uploaded on YouTube recently.

The video shows Latheefa getting angry with the NRD official who refused to give her the MyKad forms for the 48 applicants who were at the Klang NRD on March 22. Throughout the video, Latheefa was seen asking several times for the MyKad form.

“Just give me the MyKad forms. These are all straight-forward cases. I don’t want to debate with you, just give me the MyKad forms.

“The faster this can be settled, the earlier we can all go home, so just give me the form,” demanded Latheefa to a seemingly oblivious NRD official.

“Right now we just want the MyKad forms. We want the identification card forms and not the citizenship application forms, do you know the difference? If you know the difference, just give us the forms.

“You see here, I’ve given you one sample [a document]. I want to show you that we have checked all the particulars, we don’t come here foolhardily, we have checked everything, we know their rights,” she said to the official who is seen just shuffling the documents.

After asking the NRD official for the umpteenth time for the MyKad forms, the official finally went to take 30 forms as requested by Latheefa.

In the meantime, chants of “we want the form” could be heard in the background.

After the official returned empty-handed, Latheefa began raising her voice at him.

“We’re not stupid, okay, all these people are poor, they’ve come here thousands of times and all of you just ask them to go home without even giving them the forms.

“So why don’t you just give us the MyKad forms? We will fill up the forms, and after that if you want to reject the applications, it’s up to you,” she told the official.

‘People are fed up’

(At this point the official was seen toying with his phone.)

“We’re trying to be nice with you and you treat us like this, you’re testing our patience, aren’t you?

“Why if the Filipinos and Indonesians come here you can process their applications in one day? Is it because they pay for it? These are Malaysian citizens we’re talking about here; if not we wouldn’t be so angry like this.

“Asking for a form is like asking for a house. We have come here because if they were to come by themselves, as they are weak and poor, you just push them away like a ball.”

With her tone continually rising, she said that she has lost her patience because all she wants is the forms.

“What’s so hard about it, don’t you have the forms here? People here are already fed up, look at what they’re saying,” said Latheefa.

“Why won’t you give us forms? You can give the Bangladeshis but you can’t give them to us?” said one of the applicants.

“It seems like they don’t understand when we speak to them nicely, we have to talk to them like this,” said Latheefa after the official went away taking a call from his phone.

When contacted, Latheefa said that they went to the Klang NRD with 38 to 48 Malaysian citizens of Indian descent without identification cards on March 22.

She admitted that they were finally given the forms after the official came back with a senior officer from the Selangor NRD.

“After asking for the forms for so many times, the official finally came back with a senior officer from the Selangor NRD and gave us 40 forms to fill up,” she said.

Commenting on the incident, she said it was not the first time they were handling similar MyKad application cases, adding that they never had problems to get the MyKad forms previously.

“We have done this many times in Penang, Kedah and Putrajaya and it was easy to get the forms.“Some NRD officials have failed to give proper documentation to these people [MyKad applicants],” she claimed

“We’re not stupid, okay, all these people are poor, they’ve come here thousands of times and all of you just ask them to go home without even giving them the forms.

“Why if the Filipinos and Indonesians come here you can process their applications in one day? Is it because they pay for it? These are Malaysian citizens we’re talking about here; if not we wouldn’t be so angry like this.Systematic silent discrimination by BTN entrenched officers on denying the poor n educated, basic rights.. Well, this must been on going for last 55 yrs n imagine the snowball effect..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsIYB4BiTk&feature=share