BOYCOTT BARANG-BARANG KELUARAN SHELL, PHILIPS DAN UNILEVER DARI BELANDA

Ekoran dari filem 'Fitna' yang dibuat oleh Ahli Parlimen Belanda Geert Wilders kita umat Islam di Malaysia dan seramai 1.3 billion umat Islam sedunia hendaklah mengambil tindakan memboycott barang-barang dan jenama dari Belanda.

Jenama dan barang Belanda yang terkenal ialah Shell, Philips dan Unilever.

Kita mesti tegas menunjukkan sikap kita yang tidak boleh kompromi dengan mereka yang cuba menghina agama Islam yang maha suci.

Kalau boycott kita berjaya syarikat-syarikat Belanda tersebut telah memberikan amaran awal kepada Geert Wilders bahawa mereka akan menyaman beliau kerana tindakannya telah merosakkan perniagaan syarikat-syarikat tersebut.


Jadi ayuh kita mulakan dengan tidak membeli jenama-jenama keluaran Shell, Philips dan Unilever.

DASAR EKONOMI BARU (DEB) DAN PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT (PKR)

Apabila kita memperkatakan tentang DEB, kita perlu sedar bahawa DEB
adalah merupakan satu instrumen yang telah memberikan sedikit sebanyak
kejayaan melalui pembukaan ruang kepada bangsa bumiputera melibatkan
diri di dalam dunia ekonomi dan korporat.


Malah kuota pendidikan tinggi kepada bumiputera juga adalah satu
kesinambungan daripada DEB bagi memastikan golongan bumiputera
profesional dapat diwujudkan. Maka, natijahnya lahirlah ramai
golongan yang berilmuan, ahli akademik, golongan profesional dan Melayu Bandar yang mula dilihat mengimbangi golongan bukan bumiputera.


Pada amnya kita lihat melalui DEB jumlah peguam, jurutera, doktor, arkitek, jurukur dan lain -lain profesion telah bertambah dengan pesatnya sejak bermulanya DEB pada tahun 1990.


Begitu juga pertambahan yang pesat di kalangan pensyarah Melayu yang berkelulusan PhD dan bertambah ramai tenaga pengajar perubatan Melayu yang menjadi spesiolis dan sub spesionalis dalam bidang mereka masing-masing.


Namun begitu, seperti yang kita lihat hari ini, semangat DEB yang
masih dijalankan tidak dilaksanakan dengan baik dalam setengah sektor umpamanya dalam pembahagian sesuatu projek besar kepada individu yang ada kaitan dengan pemimpin tertentu.


Hanya mereka tersebut sahaja yang mendapat peluang dan ekuiti,
sementara orang lain yang juga sebenarnya berkelayakan tidak mendapat
ruang, melainkan jika 'mengenali' beberapa orang besar tertentu, maka
barulah mendapat projek.


Ini satu fenomena yang tidak sihat. Lebih malang lagi apabila
golongan tertentu itu dilihat masyarakat umum ada kaitan dengan
keluarga pemimpin negara sendiri. Maka timbullah tuduhan adanya kronisme.


Itulah sebabnya semangat DEB ini perlu diubah suai semula jika benarlah
kita ingin melihat bangsa kita terus maju tanpa ketinggalan.


Persoalannya, adakah PKR mampu memberikan suntikan yang diperlukan
sedangkan ianya adalah parti berbilang kaum?


Atau adakah Agenda Ekonomi Baru (AEB) yang dikatakan turut membawa semangat DEB yang diperbaharui hanya sekadar gimik politik?


Atau AEB memang tiada niat untuk terus membantu orang Melayu seperti
mana kenyataan Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim "Dasar Ekonomi tanpa kuota, berasaskan merit dan
berdaya saing"?


Senarai 40 orang terkaya di Malaysia tahun 2007 hanya menyaksikan tak
sampai 10 orang Melayu di dalamnya. Jika benar berasaskan merit tanpa
kuota, agak-agak bangsa mana yang lebih berdaya saing? Kalau bangsa yang
tidak cukup berdaya-saing, bagaimana?


Kita dijajah selama 497 tahun, dan baru 50 tahun kita bebas untuk
membina politik dan ekonomi kita. Oleh itu, tidak hairanlah apabila
ahli pakar ekonomi mengatakan orang Melayu ketinggalan 30 tahun di dalam
ekonomi berbanding bangsa Cina.


Jadi dapatkah Anwar Ibrahim dan PKR yang berbilang bangsa mempertahan kepentingan orang Melayu yang masih mundur dengan Agenda Ekonomi Baru mereka yang berasaskan merit dan kebolehan semata-mata?


Selasa kah orang Melayu yang mereka akan terbela dalam AEB Anwar Ibrahim?


Berlandaskan parti PKR yang berbilang bangsa dan dari ucapan-ucapan Anwar Ibrahim jawapan saya ialah PKR tidak akan membela orang Melayu.

KARAS TREES-POKOK GAHARU

By : CHAI MEI LING

The artificial inoculation process involves creating holes on a karas tree, filling them with fungal pathogen, and sealing them off with wax.

Never has anything sick been more valuable than a 'wounded' karas tree. CHAI MEI LING learns why from experts advancing the idea of planting these trees.

A 47-hectare karas plantation in Merchang, Terengganu. — Picture courtesy of Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia

IF you are looking for an investment with lucrative returns, look no further than the “black gold of the forest” — the agarwood, or better known as gaharu.

Each kilogramme of high-quality gaharu can fetch up to RM30,000 in the global market and prices are expected to surge as demand continues to rise.

But don’t tread into the forests scouring for them yet, for three good reasons — diminishing supplies, fine and jail if you have no permit to do so, and the market for wild gaharu could come to an end in the near future.

Instead, plant the Aquilaria or karas trees today, from which gaharu is derived, and you can expect to reap the rewards five to eight years down the line.

Produced only by “sick” trees infected by fungi, this highly sought after fragrant resin has a cohort of uses, from aromatherapy to spa baths, decorative furniture, perfume, chopsticks, weapon holders, massage oil, joss sticks and items of medicinal value.

The world’s gaharu production is able to meet only 20 per cent of the global demand, posing a huge potential for top exporters like Malaysia to cash in on the rewarding business.

Just by exporting some 200,000kg of wild gaharu a year to places like the Middle East, Singapore, Taiwan and France, Malaysia can rake in a whopping RM3 billion.

And that’s solid gaharu alone.

Meanwhile, gaharu oil, although fetching a lesser value at RM25,000 a litre, contributed nothing less than RM4 million to the economy two years ago.

The bulk of the 170 litres of exported oil went to the United Arab Emirates, according to the Malaysian Timber Industry Board.

However, concerns on dwindling supply have prompted the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to encourage everyone, from farmers and interested individuals to the private sector, to embark on karas plantation.

Wild gaharu especially the better-graded ones, could diminish from forests in the next 10 years due to over harvesting, according to the ministry’s secretary general, Datuk Suboh Mohd Yassin.

Planting gaharu is a viable and sustainable option, and plantation from this region will become a significant source in a few years, he said.

Around 700ha of karas have been planted all over Malaysia by both the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia and Forest Research Institute Malaysia for research and development, and by the private sector for exporting.

There are plans to expand the private plantation to 2,400ha in Sabah and 800ha in Selangor.

Interested planters can contact the Forestry Department to purchase saplings, which cost RM7-10 each, and also for technical assistance.

After four to six years, upon maturing, the trees will be injected with fungal pathogens to trigger gaharu production, and this can be harvested after five months to a year.

Suboh urged forestry departments and agencies to conduct further research on gaharu production on an operational scale.

The challenge is to come up with high-quality gaharu, the desired grade and predictable volume to make planting a viable proposition for commercial investment.

He said the quality and quantity of plantation-produced gaharu are expected to gradually increase and poised to replace wild gaharu.

“I’m confident we can do it,” “But we must move fast for our neighbours are much ahead of us. Still, it’s not too late to start now.” Other gaharu-exporting countries include Indonesia, China, Cambodia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Myanmar.

UMNO VOWS TO WIN BACK VOTERS' TRUST

PUTRAJAYA: About 100 Umno division leaders from four states yesterday pledged to work harder to regain the confidence of voters, especially the young.

The leaders, including ministers from Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and the Federal Territory, were seen entering the official residence of the prime minister, Sri Perdana, about 5pm.

In the closed-door meeting that lasted about three hours, Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, took turns to address the leaders.

During a dialogue session, several leaders took the opportunity to reveal their respective post-mortems of their performances in the general election.

There were also leaders who criticised the Umno leadership over the party's worst performance in the elections.
A division leader who did not want to be named said Abdullah stressed the need for all Umno divisions and committees to identify the people's grouses relating to inflation, crime, racial issues and accusations against the government on the Internet.

The prime minister also called on them to think up new ideas to attract youths, especially first-time voters.

While allocations for youth programmes had been set aside before the general election, he noted that they had not been fully utilised.

The prime minister reiterated that his relationship with his deputy was cordial.

Najib, in a speech later, confirmed this.

Najib reminded division leaders, especially those in the five states which had fallen to the opposition - Perak, Selangor, Penang, Kedah and Kelantan - to "work harder in order to go against the tide".

He also told them of the need to work out strategies to attract constituents, especially first-time voters and youths.

Today, another 200 division leaders from Perak, Kedah and Penang will meet Abdullah and Najib.

Tomorrow, about 150 more division leaders from Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang will be meeting both leaders for the same purpose.

Also present yesterday were Umno secretary-general Da-tuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor, vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno information chief and newly-appointed Umno Selangor head Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib, Negri Sembilan Umno chief Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan, Wanita chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz and her deputy, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil, Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad, Tampin Umno chief Datuk Shahziman Mansor, who is Energy, Water and Communication Minister, and Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar, who is also Tanjung Karang Umno chief.

Titiwangsa Umno division chief Datuk Seri Suleiman Mohamed said the meeting was held to strengthen the party.

"We are confident the present government will proceed to improve the situation and the party. There was no hostility whatsoever, we had dialogues and discussed party matters," he said, adding that Abdullah also wanted the Umno election machinery to focus on the people's woes.

Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusof said strategies to win back the people's confidence and faith in the government and overcoming the party's shortcomings were discussed and charted out.

"We also heard what Umno in the states had to say."

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RELEVANNYA UMNO SELEPAS PRU 12 2008

Keputusan PRU 12 telah kita ketahui. Kita pihak UMNO kena terima apa 'message' yang hendak disampaikan oleh rakyat. Kita terima keputusan dan suara rakyat dengan hati terbuka.


Banyak faktor penyebab kekalahan UMNO/BN di 5 negeri. Yang penting kita balik ke asas perjuangan UMNO iaitu mempertahankan kepentingan orang Melayu dan agama kita agama Islam.


Jadi kita balik kepada pegangan kita, agama kita agama Islam. Kita muhasabah diri kita dan nawaitu kita. Jangan pentingkan diri dan keluarga tapi yang penting adalah masa hadapan dan 'survival' bangsa dan masyarakat Melayu. Kita terima keputusan PRU 12 dengan hati terbuka. Memandang kehadapan kita buat kerja kita dan kita fikirkan yang terbaik untuk mempertahan kepentingan orang Melayu.

Inilah asas penubuhan UMNO pada tahun 1946. Kita perbaharui balik semangat UMNO mula-mula ditubuhkan tersebut.


Dan UMNO akan terus relevan sekarang, esok dan selamanya.

KHIR TOYO LEPAS JAWATAN PENGERUSI BN, UMNO SELANGOR; PAK LAH LANTIK TAN SRI MUHAMMAD AMBIL ALIH

19/03/2008 9:16pm

SHAH ALAM 19 Mac - Bekas Menteri Besar Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo melepaskan jawatan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO dan Barisan Nasional (BN) Selangor.

Menurutnya, keputusan itu dibuat sebagai mengambil tanggungjawab ekoran kekalahan teruk BN Selangor pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 sehingga menyaksikannya terlepas ke tangan pembangkang.

Katanya, Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi telah bersetuju melantik Ketua Penerangan UMNO, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd. Taib sebagai pengganti.

DIHARAP DATO SERI RAFIDAH AZIZ BERSABAR

Kedudukan Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz yang dikatakan merajuk tidak dilantik semula ke dalam kabinet yang diumumkan oleh Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tengahari Selasa akan diketahui petang ini.

Difahamkan para Exco Pergerakan Wanita UMNO Malaysia akan berkumpul di pejabat Rafidah di Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri di Jalan Duta Kuala Lumpur jam 2 petang ini.

Ikut ceritanya Rafidah yang terkejut digugurkan merungut nak meletakan jawatan sebagai Ketua wanita UMNO dan lebih serius …sebagai ahli parlimen Kuala Kangsar.

Tempat Rafidah di Kementerian itu diambilalih oleh Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

Para ahli Exco Wanita UMNO dikatakan terkejar ke sana kemari termasuk ke rumah Rafidah di Bukit Damansara sejurus mengetahui nama bos mereka tidak ada dalam senarai kabinet.

Satu sumber memberitahu Agendadaily Rafidah merasakan lebih baik beliau tidak dipilih bertanding semula kerusi parlimen semasa pilihanraya umum baru ini jika hendak digugurkan dari kabinet.

Pada jam 5 petang Selasa Naibnya Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil telah mempengerusikan mesyuarat Exco Wanita di pejabat Wanita UMNO di pejabat mereka di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra.

Ikut ceritanya waktu itu Shahrizat sudah dapat khabar beliau akan dilantik sebagai penasihat khas bertaraf menteri kepada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mengenai hal-ehwal pembangunan wanita dan sosial.

Namun beliau dikatakan tidak berani buat pengumuman di mesyuarat itu kerana (waktu itu) belum dapat surat rasmi dari Jabatan Perdana Menteri.

Selain Rafidah digugurkan,para Exco wanita dikatakan bising kerana tiada seorangpun dikalangan Exco Wanita dilantik mengisi kekosongan.

Sebelum ini ada ramalan mengatakan mungkin ahli parlimen kawasan Tenggara,Johor Datuk Halimah Saddiqe dilantik ke kabinet.

Setelah mesyuarat di ibupejabat UMNO itu Shahrizat mengelak diri dari bertemu wartawan yang berkumpul di situ.

Difahamkan juga sekumpulan exco dan ahli-ahli wanita UMNO telah pergi ke Putrajaya dalam usaha untuk menemui Perdana Menteri bagi menyatakan rasa tidak puashati mereka berhubung dengan ketiadaan wakil Wanita UMNO di dalam kabinet.

Semasa menjawab soalan para wartawan pada sidang akhbarnya mengumumkan kabinetnya Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi menjelaskan Rafidah digugurkan untuk beri laluan kepada muka baru.

Katanya beliau tidak bincang mengenai keputusan itu dengan Rafidah.Ketua Wanita UMNO itu mula pegang jawatan Menteri Perusahaan Awam pada September 1980 sebelum ke Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri iaitu semuanya hampir 27 tahun - 19/3/2008

BARISAN KABINET BARU 2008

18/03/2008 3:37pm

PERDANA MENTERI
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi

TIMBALAN PERDANA MENTERI
Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak

JABATAN PERDANA MENTERI

Menteri
Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok
Datuk Seri Mohamad Nazri Abdul Aziz
Datuk Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi
Datuk Zaid Ibrahim
Datuk Amirsham A. Aziz

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Mohd. Johari Baharom
Datuk Dr. Masitah Ibrahim
Datuk Hassan Malik
S.K. Devamany

KEMENTERIAN KEWANGAN

Menteri
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanazlah
Datuk Kong Cho Ha

KEMENTERIAN PERTAHANAN

Menteri
Datuk Seri Mohd. Najib Tun Abdul Razak

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop

KEMENTERIAN DALAM NEGERI

Menteri
Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Chor Chee Heung
Senator Datuk Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh

KEMENTERIAN PERUMAHAN DAN KERAJAAN TEMPATAN

Menteri
Datuk Ong Ka Chuan

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew
Datuk Hamzah Zainuddin

KEMENTERIAN KERJA RAYA

Menteri
Datuk Ir. Mohd. Zin Mohamad

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Yong Khoon Seng

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN ANTARABANGSA DAN INDUSTRI

Menteri
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd. Yassin

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Liew Vui Keong
Jacob Dungau Sagan

KEMENTERIAN LUAR NEGERI

Menteri
Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Seri Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar

KEMENTERIAN PENERANGAN

Menteri
Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Tan Lian Hoe

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER MANUSIA

Menteri
Datuk Dr. S. Subramaniam

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Noraini Ahmad

KEMENTERIAN BELIA DAN SUKAN

Menteri
Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob

Timbalan Menteri
Wee Jeck Seng

KEMENTERIAN PERDAGANGAN DALAM NEGERI DAN HAL EHWAL PENGGUNA

Menteri
Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad

Timbalan Menteri
Jelaing anak Mersat

KEMENTERIAN TENAGA AIR DAN KOMUNIKASI

Menteri
Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Joseph Salang Anak Gandum

KEMENTERIAN PELAJARAN

Menteri
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein

Timbalan Menteri
Dr. Wee Ka Siong
Datuk Razali Ismail

KEMENTERIAN PENGAJIAN TINGGI

Menteri
Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Dr. Hou Kok Chung
Datuk Idris Haron

KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN USAHAWAN DAN KOPERASI

Menteri
Datuk Noh Omar

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah

KEMENTERIAN SUMBER ASLI DAN ALAM SEKITAR

Menteri
Datuk Douglas Unggah Embas

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh

KEMENTERIAN PERTANIAN DAN INDUSTRI ASAS TANI

Menteri
Datuk Mustapa Mohamed

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Rohani Abdul Karim

KEMENTERIAN PENGANGKUTANMenteri
Datuk Ong Tee Keat

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Anifah Aman

KEMENTERIAN SAINS, TEKNOLOGI DAN INOVASI

Menteri
Datuk Dr. Maximus @ Johnity Ongkili

Timbalan Menteri
Fadilah YusOf

KEMENTERIAN PELANCONGAN

Menteri
Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Seri Sulaiman Abdul Rahman Abdul Taib

KEMENTERIAN PERPADUAN, KEBUDAYAAN, KESENIAN DAN WARISAN

Menteri
Datuk Mohd. Shafie Apdal

Timbalan Menteri
Teng Boon Soon

KEMENTERIAN PEMBANGUNAN WANITA, KELUARGA DAN MASYARAKAT

Menteri
Datuk Dr. Ng Yen Yen

Timbalan Menteri
Noriah Kasnon

KEMENTERIAN KEMAJUAN LUAR BANDAR DAN WILAYAH

Menteri
Senator Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd. Taib

Timbalan Menteri
Tan Sri Joseph Kurup
Joseph Entulu Belaun

KEMENTERIAN PERUSAHAAN PERLADANGAN DAN KOMODITI

Menteri
Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui

Timbalan Menteri
Senator A. Kohilan Pillay

KEMENTERIAN KESIHATAN

Menteri
Datuk Liow Tiong Lai

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk Dr. Abdul Latiff Ahmad

KEMENTERIAN WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN

Menteri
Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique

Timbalan Menteri
Datuk M. Saravanan

FOCUS ON PROBLEMS VS FOCUS ON SOLUTION

I am quoting this from a Yahoogroups forum. Very interesting!!

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface).In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C. And what did Russians do???

The Russians used a Pencil!!!
____________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _________ _______

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan 's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line. Moral of the story: KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) i.e. always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem

Moral of the story: The importance of being simple ..... ;o)
:-) So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems.
"If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything"
"If you look at what you have in life, you have everything!! !"
:) or :(

KERAJAAN PERAK DARUL RIDZUAN PERLU STABIL

Kita melihat perkembangan yang berlaku akhir-akhir ini di Perak dengan perasaan yang bimbang.

DAP telah meminta lapan jawatan Exco dalam kerajaan negeri Perak yang akan di tubuhkan. PKR satu jawatan Exco sementara PAS pula dua iaitu seorang MB dan seorang Exco.

Jadi dalam kerajaan Perak akan ada lapan Exco bukan Melayu dan tiga Exco Melayu. Ini pun kalau Exco dari PKR adalah orang Melayu.

Ia jelas tidak mencerminkan peratusan penduduk Perak. Mengikut kajian Tetuan William Talhar pada tahun 2000 orang Melayu adalah merupakan 43% dari penduduk Perak sementara China 42% pula manakala bakinya dari kaum India dan lain-lain kaum.

Jadi kalau diteruskan juga pembahagian kerusi Exco seperti yang dirancangkan oleh DAP, ia akan mengundang masalah dan ketidakstabilan masa hadapan negeri tersebut oleh kerana MB hanya akan dilihat sebagai patung. Kuasa sebenarnya adalah di tangan DAP.

Suasana begini tidak akan menguntungkan sesiapa. Sebaliknya rakyat dan negerilah yang rugi kerana akan terdapat unsur-unsur ketidakpuasan di kalangan orang Melayu yang merupakan kaum terbesar di Perak.

Akibatnya kerajaan Perak tidak akan stabil dan ini akan mempengaruhi iklim pelaburan dan pembangunan.

Satu cara penyelesaian ialah dengan PAS dan Barisan Nasional bersatu untuk membentuk kerajaan yang lebih stabil di negeri terebut.

Kita berdoa demi kebaikan negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan ia akan menjadi kenyataan.

CRACKS APPEAR IN PERAK OPPOSITION COALITION, DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PERAK DAP AND HQ

March 13, 2008 01:05 AM

IPOH, March 12 (Bernama) -- The pact between the DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PAS which had earlier agreed to form a coalition government in Perak appears to have caused differences between Perak DAP and its headquarters over the post of the Menteri Besar.

The DAP Headquarters have directed that 18 of their state assemblymen not to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the PAS representative, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, as the new Menteri Besar of Perak scheduled at Istana Iskandariah on Thursday.

DAP Advisor Lim Kit Siang said in a statement tonight that the decision to appoint PAS Assemblyman Mohammad Nizar Jamaludin as the Menteri Besar did not receive the mandate of the DAP's Central Executive Committee.

The three political parties had collectively submitted a letter to the Sultan of Perak to form the coalition government and had named Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham, Perak PKR Treasurer Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Perak PAS Secretary Mohammad Nizar to be considered as candidates for the post of Menteri Besar.

The Sultan of Perak today consented that Mohammad Nizar be appointed the 10th Menteri Besar of Perak and the decision was announced by the Regent of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, who also had an audience with the three candidates at Istana Kinta here this afternoon.

An Istana Kinta spokesman tonight made available copies of the letter to the press.

Dated March 11, it was signed by Ngeh as the Perak DAP chairman, Perak PAS Commissioner Ahmad Awang and Perak PKR chairman Zulkifly Ibrahim.

They had unanimously agreed to abide by Sultan Azlan's choice as to who would be the menteri besar.

Lim, who is also the Member of Parliament for Ipoh Timur, however, in his statement said the DAP was only prepared to accept Ngeh, who won the Sitiwan seat or Jamaluddin, who captured the Behrang seat, as the new menteri besar.

In Saturday's election PAS won six state seats, PKR seven while the DAP 18 for a total of 31 seats, which gave them a simple majority to form the new government. The incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) lost in the election after garnering only 28 seats out of the 59 at stake.

MOHAMAD NIZAR SAH MB PERAK, DUA TIMBALAN MB DIWUJUD

Utusan Online

IPOH 12 Mac – Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Pas kawasan Pasir Panjang, Ir. Mohamad Nizar Jamaluddin, 51, mendapat perkenan istana untuk dilantik sebagai Menteri Besar yang baru dalam kerajaan campuran Pas, DAP dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Majlis mengangkat sumpah di hadapan Pemangku Raja Perak, Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah akan diadakan di Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar pukul 4 petang esok.

Mohamad Nizar berkata, perkenan pelantikannya sebagai Menteri Besar Perak ke-10 telah dimaklumkan oleh Raja Dr. Nazrin dalam satu pertemuan di Istana Kinta petang ini.

“Dalam membentuk kerajaan baru ini, kita akan menubuhkan dua jawatan baru iaitu Timbalan Menteri Besar Pertama, Ngeh Koo Ham mewakili kaum Cina dan Timbalan Menteri Besar Kedua mewakili kaum India yang akan diumumkan kemudian.

“Saya berharap dengan pelantikan ini, ia akan mengurangkan rasa cemas dan bimbang di kalangan rakyat keseluruhannya,” katanya kepada pemberita selepas menghadap Raja Dr. Nazrin di Istana Kinta di sini hari ini.

Mohamad Nizar seorang perunding di sebuah syarikat kejuruteraan merupakan lulusan Sarjana Muda Sains Kejuruteraan Mekanikal dari University of Aston di Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Ngeh Koo Ham, 47, yang dua penggal berturut-turut menjadi ADUN Sitiawan dan Ahli Parlimen Beruas adalah seorang peguam lulusan Sarjana Muda dari Universiti Malaya merangkap Setiausaha Agung DAP Kebangsaan.

Mohamad Nizar berkata, kerajaan negeri yang akan ditubuhkan kelak ialah sebuah kerajaan gabungan dengan segala keputusan yang dibuat berdasarkan persetujuan bersama.

“Ia adalah sebuah kerajaan yang mewakili semua rakyat dan mengambil kira kepentingan semua kaum yang terbesar di negeri ini.

“Justeru kita meminta rakyat bekerjasama dengan kerajaan baru ini supaya dapat kita perintahkan negeri ini dengan lebih cemerlang dan gemilang,” katanya.

Mengenai calon-calon Exco kerajaan negeri, beliau berkata, senarainya akan dibincangkan dan diumumkan tidak lama lagi.

Sementara itu, Koo Ham berkata, cadangan mewujudkan jawatan Timbalan Menteri Besar adalah daripada gabungan kerajaan baru itu.

Katanya, walaupun jawatan baru ini diwujudkan, Perlembagaan negeri tidak perlu dirombak kerana ia lanjutan daripada jawatan Exco.

Ditanya kenapa calon Pas dipilih menjadi menteri besar sedangkan jumlah kerusi yang dimenangi parti itu paling sedikit dalam gabungan tersebut, Koo Ham berkata, Pemangku Raja mengambil beberapa pendekatan dalam keadaan ini dan baginda telah membuat keputusan.

“Tuanku memberi pelbagai pandangan dan sebab kenapa memilih Mohamad Nizar sebagai calon Menteri Besar,” katanya.

NEW PENANG GOVERNMENT ABANDONS PRO-MALAY POLICY

Many voters were angry about the pro-Malay policy

The Malaysian state of Penang says it will no longer follow a controversial central government policy favouring ethnic Malays above other citizens.

Penang is one of five states now controlled by the opposition, after elections on Saturday saw big losses for the governing coalition.

Malaysia has had a policy of favouring ethnic Malays in jobs and education for almost four decades.

The large Chinese and Indian minorities have become increasingly angry.

Correspondents say it was largely this anger that led to the dramatic election results over the weekend.

Equal opportunities

Lim Guan Eng was sworn into office as head of state in Penang, after his Democratic Action Party (DAP) won a convincing election victory.

Street protests in November highlighted discontent

As soon as he was appointed, he immediately targeted the central government's long-standing New Economic Policy favouring ethnic Malays.

"We want to run the state government administration free from the New Economic Policy that only breeds cronyism, corruption and systematic inefficiency," he told reporters.

"This is also a government that believes in equal opportunity and social economic justice. We are here to build a dynamic Penang for all," he said.

The policy was started in the early 1970s, to increase opportunities for the often poverty-stricken ethnic Malays - giving them preference in jobs, university seats and access to services.

But many Malaysians - even some Malays - say that it has only benefited an elite few.

Election upheaval

The country's large Chinese and Indian minorities - who make up more than a third of the population - have become increasingly critical of what they regard as blatant racial discrimination.

Ethnic Indians held a large protest rally in November which attracted more than 80,000 people.

Mr Abdullah's National Front coalition suffered its worst election result in five decades in Saturday's elections.

It won more than half of all seats in parliament, but still suffered unprecedented losses.

An alliance of opposition parties won seats in the states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Selangor, and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) retained control of Kelantan, leaving the governing coalition in control of just eight states.

SANG KELEMBAI: Melayu Pulau Pinang

<center>SANG KELEMBAI</center>: Melayu Pulau Pinang

IF DATUK SERI ANWAR IBRAHIM BECOMES THE PM, IT WILL AN UNMITIGATED DISASTER FOR M'SIA

Posted on 04/03/08 15:45

Author: voice

Category: General

(from left)Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar and Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim


ELECTION 2008: Chandra breaks silence on Anwar

PETALING JAYA: "If Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim becomes the prime minister, it will be an unmitigated disaster for Malaysia." That was the unhesitating reply of former Parti Keadilan Nasional deputy president Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar who broke his silence on his years as Anwar's trusted lieutenant when asked a question on the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat's de facto leader at a forum here yesterday.

Asked why he was breaking his silence now, Chandra said it appeared that people were being deceived by Anwar. "It is something for which I am prepared to go on record now so that people will not be deceived," he said.

Chandra, an academician who founded the reform movement Aliran and has also previously been detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA), was among many professionals and intellectuals who formed Keadilan because they were enraged with Anwar's sacking as deputy prime minister, his beating at the hands of then Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Rahim Noor and his subsequent charge for sodomy.

He was deputy president to Anwar's wife, Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail from April 1999 until he quit over differences with the party in December 2005. He contested the 1999 general election as a Keadilan candidate but lost.

Since then, Chandra has refused to publicly state his reasons for leaving the party nor voice his differences with Anwar. Yesterday, Chandra said that while Anwar was an engaging orator, he was now "speaking differently" from when he was in government.

Chandra said many non-Malays in the country were being gulled by Anwar's multi-ethnic stand. "Today he is taking a totally different image and it is sad that quite a lot of non-Malays believe in this man. He is saying today that he wants to abolish the NEP (New Economic Policy) and that is music to their ears.

"We are so communal that we cannot evaluate a person objectively," said Chandra, who was one of five speakers at The Star-Asian Centre for Media Studies Public Forum on the 2008 general election held at Menara Star yesterday.

Chandra said when Anwar was education minister he had forced a change in the nomenclature from Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu, which set back national integration. "Tunku Abdul Rahman wanted the use of Bahasa Malaysia to bring all the communities together and he (Anwar) forced Bahasa Melayu upon the school system," he said. The government reverted to use of the term Bahasa Malaysia last year.

"Anwar (when he was Education Minister) was also responsible for appointing non-Chinese administrators in Chinese schools, which led to a political crisis in 1987," Chandra said.

He said many people did not remember the role Anwar played in resolving the Kampung Jawa clash between the Hindus and Indian Muslims in Penang. "He said he would make sure the temple bells would not ring in the country anymore if his dictum was not accepted," Chandra said.

Speaking about the future of Malaysia, Chandra said the most important quality of a leader in a multi-ethnic country was honesty and consistency. "When a leader speaks on sensitive ethnic issues he must say the same thing to the non-Malays as he does to Malay audiences. You cannot play games because it is very dangerous," he said.

Chandra also said that although the Barisan Nasional was flawed, there was no other viable coalition in the country. He recalled his "bitter experience" trying to form an opposition alliance called the Barisan Alternative comprising Pas, the DAP, Parti Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia, whereby his task was to form a Just Malaysia manifesto for the 1999 election.

"The BA did very well and it was one of the best performances by the opposition but after the election Pas decided to pursue an ultraconservative Islam in Terengganu and this made it difficult for us.

"The DAP emphasised an aggressive type of secularism which does not understand the role of religion in the country. A deep chasm developed and the opposition could not hold a middle ground and I don't think they can for many, many years," Chandra said. - NST Online

KUASA POLITIK MELAYU LEMAH?

KEPUTUSAN Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12 memberi banyak isyarat kepada semua pihak terutama Barisan Nasional (BN). Sememangnya keputusan tersebut mengejutkan tetapi tiada apa yang boleh dilakukan kerana rakyat sudah membuat keputusan.

Saya sendiri sebenarnya terkejut tetapi sudah boleh menjangkakan 'ada yang tidak kena' terutama dari segi persiapan dan kempen BN.

Banyak bendera, kain pemidang dan BN di kebanyakan kawasan lewat dinaikkan.

Di sebahagian tempat pula, parti pembangkang lebih menguasai dengan poster dan kain rentang mereka.

Ini pada saya memberi kesan psikologi kepada masyarakat setempat dan pengundi. Selain itu, penentuan calon BN begitu lewat.

Sepatutnya BN yang lebih berpengalaman dapat memuktamadkan calon mereka lebih awal bagi memudahkan jentera bergerak dan bagi menangani segera isu dalaman seperti mereka yang kecewa tidak terpilih.

Pada pilihan raya akan datang BN perlu mengenal pasti calon lebih awal. Begitu juga dari segi persiapan kerana pada kali ini, peruntukan, bendera, poster dan beberapa keperluan lain lewat sampai ke bahagian.

Sedangkan parti-parti pembangkang kelihatan lebih terurus kerana mereka telah membuat persiapan yang lebih rapi.

Tetapi yang lebih menghairankan saya ialah kempen-kempen BN tidak agresif seperti pembangkang.

Kebanyakan pemimpin dan calon BN sekadar memberi penjelasan kepada isu-isu yang dibangkitkan oleh pembangkang. Ia menampakkan seolah-olah BN terpaksa bertahan dan pembangkang menyerang. Saya berasa strategi tersebut tidak kena.

Gelombang

Sepatutnya BN perlu sama agresif dan jika boleh, lebih agresif sebagaimana kempen tahun 1999 walaupun gelombang pembangkang kelihatan lebih kuat ketika itu.

Ada lagi faktor lain seperti isu nasional dan persepsi terhadap kepimpinan yang turut menyumbang kepada kekalahan BN terutama di Lembah Klang, Lembah Kinta dan Kedah.

Isyarat yang menggerunkan daripada pilihan raya kali ini ialah undi Melayu berpecah tiga iaitu UMNO, Pas dan Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

Dalam keghairahan menyokong pakatan pembangkang Pas-PKR -DAP, orang Melayu sudah di ambang 'menang sorak kampung tergadai'.

Kerana sentimen untuk mencuba gandingan pembangkang, cengkaman kuasa politik Melayu di Lembah Klang sudah hilang. Apakah kerana marahkan nyamuk, kelambu dibakar?

Akibatnya, DAP kini dominan di Wilayah Persekutuan, Selangor dan Perak, yang begitu strategik kepada negara. Di Selangor, walaupun Menteri Besar adalah pemimpin dari PKR tetapi DAP menguasai lebih kerusi dalam pakatan pembangkang itu.

Harap tanah-tanah rizab Melayu terjaga dan semoga rumah ibadat kaum lain tidak melebihi surau dan masjid selepas ini.

Di Wilayah Persekutuan, penguasaan DAP juga mencerminkan monopoli politik Cina. Ada wakil Pas dan Keadilan pun, mereka kecil dan tidak bersatu dari segi ideologi.

Kejayaan DAP ini semuanya adalah hasil 'bantuan' Pas dan PKR. Itu belum bercakap tentang bagaimana PKR dan Pas turut sama melonjakkan DAP ke persada kuasa di Pulau Pinang dan begitu juga di Perak.

Ternyata pilihan raya kali ini menyaksikan sentimen perkauman yang kuat dimainkan oleh masyarakat Cina dan India kononnya untuk menghukum BN khususnya UMNO.

Antara sebab UMNO ditekan kerana mempertahankan agenda Melayu selain berasa tidak puas hati terhadap beberapa isu kononnya masyarakat India dipinggirkan dan isu keris oleh Pergerakan Pemuda UMNO.

Sebab itu, hampir 100 peratus pengundi Cina dan India memberi undi kepada pembangkang. Nampaknya yang menjadi mangsa kepada muslihat politik ini, ialah orang Melayu.

Lebih menyedihkan ramai orang Melayu yang tidak mendaftar sebagai pengundi dan mereka yang mendaftar pula, ambil mudah dengan tidak keluar mengundi.

Atas alasan apa sekalipun jika kita kecewa atau marah terhadap BN ia sepatutnya tidak sampai menghukum orang Melayu sendiri apatah lagi UMNO yang selama ini mempertahankan Islam dan agenda Melayu.

Bapa saya, seorang bekas pegawai tentera menitiskan air mata bagaimana 'Melayu membunuh Melayu', angkara politik kepentingan sempit. Inilah realiti terbaru bagaimana kealpaan dan percaturan emosi akhirnya melemahkan politik Melayu.

Tepuk dada tanya selera.

– DR. SOSIAL,

Kuala Lumpur.

KITA SEMUA HARUS BERDIRI TEGUH MENYOKONG PAK LAH

Banyak faktor menyebabkan kerusi BN kurang dari dua pertiga dalam Parlimen dan tumbang kepada pembangkang di Dewan-dewan negeri Selangor, Perak, Kedah dan Pulau Pinang.

Tidak boleh salahkan Pak Lah seorang sahaja. Kita sebagai ahli UMNO sepatutnya berdiri seratus peratus menyokong kepimpinan Pak Lah. Kepimpinan Pak Lah masih diperlukan lagi.

Tetapi setengah pemimpin-pemimpin negeri golongan muda banyak mencentas pesaing-pesaing politik mereka yang lebih berpengalaman sehingga tanpa disedari telah melemahkan parti. Banyak pemimpin yang berwibawa dan berkebolehan telah digugurkan kononnya atas sebab untuk memberi laluan kepada orang muda. Di DUN kawasan Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor contohnya seorang Ketua Puteri yang baru aktif dalam UMNO untuk beberapa tahun sahaja telah diletakkan sebagai calun melawan Azmin. Beliau tidak dapat mematahkan isu-su yang ditimbulkan oleh pembangkang (sekarang anggota kerajaan baru Selangor) Kepimpinan BN negeri juga terkenal dengan sombong dan angkukhnya.

Ingat isu 'Penyapu' yang banyak menimbulkan kemarahan pegawai dan kakitangan kerajaan di Lembah Klang malah di seluruh negara.

Juga mengenai isu merobohkan kuil di Kampung Jawa dua minggu sebelum Deepavali beberapa bulan dahulu. Inilah antara penyebab yang menimbulkan kemarahan kaum India dan timbul dan menyemakkan perjuangan Hindraf dan mulanya orang India tidak menyokong BN.

Takkan semua kesilapan ini nak diletakkan bulat-bulat ke bahu Pak Lah seorang saja?

Tetapi sesuatu harus dilakukan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin negeri yang sombong dan angkuh ini. Merekalah perosak kekuatan parti UMNO sehingga hilang kuasa orang Melayu memerintah negeri.

Mengenai Tun Mahathir bukanlah saya tidak menghormati beliau. Jasanya banyak kepada UMNO dan orang Melayu. Sebagai maknusia biasa dia ada juga kelemahannya. Desakan beliau suruh Pak Lah letak jawatan adalah pada saya amat tidak adil.

Dulu pada tahun 1969 dia kata dia tidak memerlukan undi orang Cina di Kota Star lalu dia pun kalah. Kemudian dia suruh Tunku letak jawatan sebagai PM. Masa dia Timbalan Perdana Menteri dia banyak undermine Tun Hussein Onn. Sulaiman Palestin telah mencabar Hussein sebagai Presiden UMNO dan akibat Tun Hussein telah dimalukan dan kemudiannya telah meletakkan jawatannya sebagai PM.

Pada zaman Tun memerintah Malaysia, BN pernah juga kalah teruk iaitu pada Pilihan Raya 10 tahun 1999 oleh sebab isu Anwar Ibrahim yang telah disingkirkan dari jawatan Timbalan Presiden UMNO dan Timbalan PM. Akibatnya dalam PRU 10 tersebut UMNO telah kalah teruk. Tapi tidak pula ada sesiapa yang mendesak Tun Mahathir meletakkan jawatannya sebagai PM. Pak Lah sebagai Timbalan PM pada masa itu berdiri teguh di belakang Tun dengan setianya.

Dalam zaman Pak Lah memegang jawatan PM, Tun Mahathir telah banyak kali mengkritik Pak Lah secara terbuka yang telah undermine kedudukan Pak Lah. Katanya ia silap melantik Pak Lah sebagai PM. Ia memberi ceramah di Kelantan dan tempat-tempat lain yang turut dihadhiri oleh pihak pembangkang dan membantai dan memperkecilkan Pak Lah. Pembangkang telah mengunakan Tun untuk menyerang UMNO dan BN.

Ini semua cara Tun dari zaman Tunku dulu lagi. Sekarang ini beliau suruh pula Pak Lah letakkan jawatan sebagai PM. Ini kita sebagai ahli parti tidak dapat terima.

Kita semua mesti berdiri teguh di belakang Pak Lah sebagai Presiden UMNO dan Barisan Nasional dan Perdana Menteri Malaysia. Apa-apa kelemahan dalaman parti harus kita perbetulkan. Kita perkuatkan iltizam supaya parti bangkit semula.

Kita lihat misalnya negeri Trengganu yang telah jatuh ke tangan PAS pada PRU 10 tahun 1999 dahulu dalam gelombang hijau dan isu Anwar yang panas waktu itu. Tapi pada tahun 2004 dalam PRU 11 negeri itu balik semula ke tangan BN dalam gelombang biru dan permulaan pentadbiran Pak Lah. BN masih dapat bertahan di Trengganu dalam PRU 12 baru-baru walaupun Presiden PAS berada di negeri tersebut.

Berpandukan di atas tidak mustahil jika dengan perubahan-perubahan yang akan dilakukan dalam UMNO dan BN selepas post mortemnya nanti, negeri-negeri Selangor, Perak, Kedah dan Pulau Pinang akan kembali diperintah oleh BN. Sebenarnya bukan pembangkang yang kuat tapi UMNO dan BN yang lemah.

Mari juga kita lihat bagaiman pihak parti pembangkang DAP/PKR/PAS memerintah negeri yang mereka tawan dan tindak-tanduk mereka. Kemungkinan besar mereka akan ada masalah antara mereka kerana kerajaan mereka adalah kerajaan berlandaskan satu pakatan dari satu marriage of convenience. Soalan besar bolehkah DAP dan PAS sama memerintah Perak. Apa jadi dengan Fatwa Hadi Awang satu masa dulu yang mengkafirkan UMNO kerana bekerjasama dengan MCA dan MIC? Adakah ahli PAS di Perak dan Selangor juga kafir berlandaskan fatwa tersebut? Atau adakah fatwa tersebut telah dilupakan atas keperluan politik?

Tidak mustahil kerajaan campuran mereka tidak dapat bertahan lama.

Sama-samalah kita tengok dan lihat.

MB PERAK MESTILAH SEORANG MELAYU

Sampai detik posting ini ditulis masih belum nyata siapa yang akan menjadi Menteri Besar Perak.

Diharap BN Perak tolong mempastikan bahawa seorang Adun Melayu samada dari PAS atau PKR dilantik sebagai MB. Bukannya Adun dari DAP.

Kalau DAP jadi MB dikhuatiri akan menimbulkan masaalah.

SHAHRIZAT: TIME FOR BN TO SOME SOUL-SEARCHING

The Sun Online
Sharon Tan and Husna Yusof

KUALA LUMPUR (March 9, 2008): Wanita Umno deputy chief and former women, family and community development minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was beaten by Nurul Izzah Anwar in Lembah Pantai on Saturdayday.

“We have to do some soul-searching … nothing wrong with that. Parties go through rejuvenation and renewal. Barisan Nasional has to renew and reenergise itself. The people have spoken.”

Commenting on the overall election results, Shahrizat said: “There is a wave around the country. As politicians, we should not take this as a setback or give up. I understand this is a signal from the rakyat. You never know, we may make a comeback.

Politicians never say die. But I accept the message they are sending.”
Asked if the results of the election showed that BN has lost touch with the people, Shahrizat said: “No.”

“I don’t think that’s right. We are always with the people. I think there were one or two things that people wanted us to change but we didn’t. Some issues we should have taken seriously. We have to analyse [the results] after this.”

Shahrizat, who served as Lembah Pantai MP for 12 years, said she had worked really hard to change the constituency from a sleepy hollow to a metropolitan place.

“But now I have lost not only the constituency but the people as well.”

On her future, Shahrizat, a trained corporate lawyer, said: “I have enjoyed politics but I have life outside.”

Nurul Izzah, a daughter of former deputy premier Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who is now de facto Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader, said: “I thank Allah and all my supporters who have worked very hard for this victory for PKR. This result clearly shows that the Lembah Pantai electorate have embraced changes, signaling the sense that they want a better future for all Malaysians. We can give a better future for all of us.”

Asked whether there will be a by-election later to vacate her seat for her father, she said: “This is my win and you should allow me some time to celebrate with my supporters and plan the future for my supporters.”

Nurul polled 21,728 votes for a 2,895-majority win against Shahrizat’s 18,833 votes. Independent candidate N. Periasamy received only 489 votes.

BN PERLU AKUI WUJUD KELEMAHAN

09/03/2008 5:01pm Utusan Online

KUALA LUMPUR 9 Mac - Barisan Nasional (BN) perlu mengakui wujud kelemahan pada kempen parti itu sehingga menyebabkan ia kalah di banyak negeri pada Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-12.

Sehubungan itu, Ketua Penerangan UMNO, Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd. Taib berkata, keutamaan perlu diberikan bagi melakukan post-mortem untuk mengenal pasti dan memperbaiki kelemahan itu.

``Kita menerima keputusan rakyat dan sedang mengkaji kelemahan itu supaya kita dapat melakukan lebih baik untuk mendapat sokongan daripada mereka.

``Tumpuan harus diberikan bagi mengetahui kehendak rakyat dan perlu bekerja lebih kuat untuk memenuhinya,’’ kata beliau ketika ditemui pemberita di Bilik Gerakan Ibu Pejabat BN di Menara Dato' Onn di sini, awal pagi ini.

Muhammad berkata, kekalahan mengejut BN di beberapa negeri tidak harus dijadikan alasan untuk ia tidak meneruskan usaha bagi menyelesaikan segala masalah rakyat.

Dalam pada itu, beliau berkata, kejayaan BN membentuk semula Kerajaan Persekutuan walaupun dengan majoriti berkurangan menunjukkan rakyat masih menyokong kerajaan sedia ada.

`` Kita masih diberi mandat untuk mentadbir negara ini. Itu yang penting. Saya fikir kita menang kerana kita masih memerintah negara.

``Sokongan daripada rakyat walaupun dengan kemenangan satu undi adalah sokongan. Jadi sekarang kita menang besar, lebih 100 kerusi. Ini satu mandat yang besar,’’ ujarnya.

Menurutnya, kemenangan parti pembangkang itu membuktikan tuduhan mereka bahawa Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) kurang telus adalah tidak berasas.

``Keputusan kali ini menunjukkan pilihan raya kita adalah bersih dan ia terbukti apabila pembangkang menang banyak kerusi,’’ ujarnya. - Utusan

APA YANG HENDAK DISAMPAIKAN OLEH RAKYAT?

Kita hendak lihat apa tindakan pihak PKR/DAP/PAS untuk menurunkan harga minyak dan barang-barang keperluan lain di negeri yang mereka menang iaitu Selangor, Perak, Kedah, Pulau Pinang dan Kelantan.

Kita harus mengkaji apakah 'message' yang telah dan hendak disampaikan oleh rakyat dalam Pilihan Raya Umum 12 yang baru berlalu kepada kerajaan BN.

Adakah terdapat kesilapan dalam pemilihan calun-calun? Telah dikatakan bahawa pengundi memandang ketokohan seseorang calun lebih dari parti. Tapi ternyata beberapa calun BN yang kontroversial dan tidak dapat diterima oleh kawasan parlimen tempat mereka bertanding telah membawa padah ke parti.

Adakah BN terlalu 'confident' dalam approachnya menghadapi PRU 12 ini?

An election in Malaysia

Mar 6th 2008
From the Economist Intelligence Unit ViewsWire

Malaysia's ruling coalition is likely to stay in power

Malaysians are likely to turn out in record numbers to vote in the general election on March 8th. Increased political awareness, coupled with a seemingly competent opposition, has energised the electorate and led to frenzied campaigning across the country. Given the dissatisfaction with the current government over a range of issues, the opposition should win more of the vote than it did the last time. Nevertheless, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN, the National Front) coalition should still be too strong for the opposition and should keep its two-thirds majority in parliament. The incumbent prime minister Abdullah Badawi, will also remain in power. In that sense, the election should usher in much-needed stability, following months of political uncertainty marked by street protests and a slew of scandals involving the government.

Why now?

Even though elections had not been due until April 2009, with economic clouds gathering in the US and the domestic political scene likely to become less favourable for the government, Mr Abdullah had an incentive to call an early election. By holding the polls now, Mr Abdullah has prevented Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy prime minister and the de facto leader of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR, People's Justice Party), from taking part. Mr Anwar is barred from running for public office until April 2008 owing to an earlier conviction for corruption. He could, however, still seek entry to parliament by contesting a by-election after that. In fact, several opposition politicians, including Mr Anwar's wife, Wan Azizah, have promised that if they are elected they will duly step down in April to allow Mr Anwar to contest their seat.

The strongest rationale for the government to call an early election is to secure another five-year term before economic conditions deteriorate. Exports account for around 110% of GDP, so the prospect of a sharp slowdown in the US—Malaysia's most important overseas market—means that the economy is likely to face more challenging conditions in 2008. In addition, civil-service and police pay rises are still fresh in the minds of more than 1m people, who received pay increases ranging from 7.5% to 35% last July. The government stuck to its pledge of not trimming the subsidy on fuel prices in 2007, but it will find this policy difficult to maintain with international oil prices remaining high. All of this means that voters would probably have had greater reason to be unhappy about their financial well-being the longer Mr Abdullah had waited to go to the polls.

Why the opposition is in a strong position…

Over the past few months, protests organised by Hindraf (Hindu Rights Action Force) and Bersih (a coalition of human rights groups and opposition political parties pushing for electoral reform) have altered the political climate, revealing a level of dissent not seen since the Reformasi movement in 1998. There certainly seems to be a groundswell of discontent amongst the ethnic minority communities. The Hindraf protests have brought to the fore long-standing grievances about the country's institutionalised affirmative-action policies that give preference to the Muslim Malay majority—the so-called bumiputeras (sons of the soil). What's more, many segments of Malaysian society appear dissatisfied with the ruling coalition after years of perceived corruption and mismanagement. There is a feeling that while the bumiputera policies have enriched government officials and cronies, the programme has not helped ordinary Malays—in particular the lower-income group, the main purported beneficiaries—as much as it should have. The ruling coalition has also been hit by a series of scandals over the past few months.

While the BN has been beset by problems, the opposition parties appear to be more united this time around than at the last election. This is mostly due to the efforts of Mr Anwar, who has formed strategic alliances between unlikely bedfellows. The three main opposition parties are the PKR, the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and the Parti Islam sa-Malaysia (PAS), an Islamic party that had, until quite recently, pushed for the setting up of an Islamic state in Malaysia. Given their ideological differences, the three parties have not formed an official alliance, which their respective supporters would not have been comfortable with. However, with a few exceptions, they have agreed not to contest the same seats, paving the way for more two-way fights with the BN.

The increased penetration of technology has also added a new dimension to these elections, as it has allowed the opposition to communicate with Malaysians in spite of the government's stranglehold on major media channels. The political blogosphere has exploded over the past few years. The opposition also successfully disseminates news of upcoming ceramahs (public speeches) via the Internet and SMS.

…but why the ruling coalition is still too strong

With all this unhappiness in the air, will Malaysians vote in a new government? That is unlikely. The majority of voters will continue to vote along ethnic and religious lines, and in those constituencies where Malays make up more than 80% of the voters they will vote the BN back in. While the recent protests may have increased political awareness among Chinese and Indian voters, they have probably strengthened the resolve of many Malays to vote for the BN so that the affirmative-action policy can continue.

The Chinese in the country—about 24% of the voters—have traditionally split their votes between the ruling coalition and the opposition, and are likely to do so again. While there is a growing uneasiness about their place in society, many Chinese have prospered financially in Malaysia, and they like the political and economic stability that has come with BN rule.

The big change will come in the Indian vote, in particular the 80% of Indians who are lower-income Tamils. Indians have traditionally supported the ruling coalition en masse. That is set to change. In the eyes of many, the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), the Indian party in the ruling BN coalition, and its leader, Samy Vellu, have not done enough for the community. According to the Merdeka Centre, an NGO in Malaysia, Indian support for Mr Abdullah dropped from 79% in October last year to just 38% by the middle of December.

However, Indians only make up about 8% of the population; and in some constituencies the percentage of Indian voters is less than 5%. They are unlikely to make much of an electoral impact. According to Denison Jayasooriya, a political analyst who specialises in Indian affairs, Indian voters could make a difference in 62 of the 222 parliamentary seats being contested. However, even if the opposition won all of those, it could not deny the BN its two-thirds majority.

What is likely to happen

The Economist Intelligence Unit expects the ruling coalition to win, and to maintain a two-thirds or better majority in parliament. In 2004 the BN won 63.9% of the popular vote, and 90.4% of the seats (198 of 219) up for grabs. This time, we expect the opposition to win at most 50 seats, which would still leave the ruling coalition with 77% of the seats (172 of 222). The BN's share of the popular vote could fall to as low as 55%, which would be a clear indication of voter dissatisfaction. However, to put things in perspective, that would still be more than in the 1990 elections, when it won just 53.4% of the vote. Even with the reduced mandate, the then prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad, was able to carry on with his economic agenda. Therefore, a drop in the BN's share of the vote in this election is unlikely to disrupt the present administration's social and economic programmes. However, the vote would be a signal to the BN's leaders that they have to pay closer attention to the concerns of Malaysians.

What if?

In the unlikely event that the BN fails to secure a two-thirds majority in parliament, or that the parliamentary make-up is not settled after the elections—say, if Mr Anwar appears to be plotting a return once his ban expires—then lingering political uncertainty could have an adverse effect on domestic demand and foreign-investor sentiment. Of particular worry is the fact that many of the opposition's candidates are greenhorns—young starlets with impressive resumes but precious little political experience (in part because the BN's dominance has kept them out of power). If too many of them assume office, Malaysia's government could be hampered by fractious political skirmishing. Still, voters who have long felt uneasy about the BN's political dominance would at least have something new to complain about.