Church wins right to challenge ‘Allah’ ban

By Debra Chong of Malaysian Insider

KUALA LUMPUR, April 24 — After a lengthy battle that lasted over a year, the Roman Catholic Church in Malaysia finally won the right to challenge the government’s ban on the right to use the word “Allah” to mean "God" outside of Islam.

The High Court today granted leave to the Archbishop of Kuala Lumpur, as the publisher of Catholic newspaper The Herald, in his application for a judicial review.

The Catholic Church claims the word “Allah” is not exclusive to Islam and wants the court to overturn the home minister’s order declaring it as such.

A lawyer for the Catholic Church, Derek Fernandez, said it was supposed to be a “simple, straightforward matter” but became complicated as more and more parties got involved in the suit.

Several state Islamic councils including from Penang as well as certain Sikh religious groups had sought and were granted permission by the court early this year to intervene in the Catholic Church’s suit despite the latter’s objection.

The archbishop had originally filed the suit early last year and refreshed his application two months ago, on Feb 16, following the home minister’s renewal of the newspaper’s annual publishing permit for 2009.

Justice Lau Bee Lan from the Appellate and Special Powers division made her decision on the matter in chambers this morning.

She also set May 28 to hear the Catholic Church’s application to stay the home minister’s directive and to allow it to use the word “Allah” until the court rules conclusively that it cannot.

The leading lawyer for the Catholic Church, Porres Royan, explained to The Malaysian Insider that until the court approves the stay, the “status quo is preserved”.

LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER, SUHAKAM AND CHIEF MINISTER

My uncle recently sent me a copy of his email which he sent to Prime Minister Najib, Suhakam Chairman and Sarawak Chief Minister on the NCR land issue affecting the Dayak in Sarawak.

I've decided to post it here for all FS visitors to see. My uncle Johnny came from Sapak, Pantu in Sri Aman. Eventhough he is enjoying a relatively comfortable life as he is in the oil and gas industry, he, like many Dayaks that live in urban areas, are concerned about the abuse of NCR lands by the well connected in the name of Politics of Development.

So, one day, he decided to tackle the bull by its horn and wrote directly to the highest authority in the state and country. I am not sure whether Najib or Taib Mahmud will read his email but it's a start.

I hope many more will be like my uncle Johnny, dare to take action, no matter how small to ensure that the Dayak not be squatters on their own land.

Go uncle go!!

Lo

To: Prime Minister of Malaysia
Pejabat Perdana Menteri
Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan
Bangunan Perdana Putri
62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia
Tel: +603 8888 8000/8032; Fax: +603 8888 3444
Email: ppm@pmo.gov.my

Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman
Chairman
Human Rights Commission of Malaysia
Level 29, Menara Tun Razak
Jalan Raja Laut
50350 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603 2612 5600; Fax: +603 2612 5620
Email: humanrights@suhakam.org.my

Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud
Chief Minister of Sarawak
Pejabat Ketua Menteri, Tingkat 22
Wisma Bapa Malaysia
Petra Jaya, 93502 Kuching
Sarawak, Malaysia
Tel: +082 - 440801; Fax: +082 - 444566
Email: linu@sarawaknet.gov.my

Dear Sirs,

We are gravely concerned and perturbed by the violation of the rights of indigenous groups commonly known as the Dayaks, which has been taking place for almost the past three decades in Sarawak, the largest state in Malaysia.

This is taking the form of a massive land grab through a legal and systematic means of forcing them to give up their ancestral lands or lands over which they have native customary rights (NCR). These lands are supposed to be recognized by the country's highest courts and the Sarawak Land Code. However, these lands are given away to companies closely connected with State Government leaders, the political elites and cronies.

In April 2008, an International Fact Finding Mission (IFFM) team consisting of members from Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants Society (CECOEDECON, India) Sustainable Development Foundation (SDF, Thailand) Rainforest Action Network (RAN, United States) visited over 19 communities in Sarawak, consisting of 70 villages and long houses and met with about 825 people from the north to central and south of Sarawak and found that there was continued and systemic organized aggression on indigenous peoples land and rights.

The IFFM established through interviews with the people, through documented evidences provided by the people and through evidences found in the form of graves, fruit trees and cultivated land, that the land areas claimed by the people are native customary rights to land (NCR). Therefore, they have a pre-established right to the land.

The team is of the opinion that since the lands are native customary lands through continuous customary practices of cultivation for generations, the land cannot be taken away from the indigenous peoples by the state government nor be leased out to private companies for plantations. This strategy and action constitutes gross violation of indigenous peoples' rights to NCR land. They also violate the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

By losing their NCR lands, the indigenous communities lose their farms and the forests where they collect timber for housing and where they go out for hunting and for fishing. Moreover, they continue to suffer on account of the insatiable greed of the politicians in power who clearly show scant regard for human rights as food crops and homes are often bulldozed and the natives left landless and homeless.

Even the law-enforcement agencies, are siding with the plantation companies and are refusing to act when the affected indigenous farmers lodge official complaints against encroachment of their NCR land and the destruction to their crops and properties.

These violations of the rights of indigenous people continue unabated in the face of a deliberate collusion between State Government leaders and large commercial interests and is leading to an extremely dangerous situation. The authorities even deploy the police and the military to make arrests when the natives put up a struggle to defend their ancestral farming lands.

We are therefore extremely concerned at the land grab that is going on in Sarawak as this would lead to serious consequences and implications for the life, livelihood and food sovereignty of the indigenous groups of Sarawak, particularly the Dayak communities.

We strongly support the indigenous people's struggle to protect their land for their survival.

We demand that the:

1. State Government of Sarawak should uphold the Native Customary Rights (NCR) as guaranteed under the Sarawak Land Code (1958) and recognize the NCR status of all affected parties who can prove the existence of their claim to these rights.

2. State Government of Sarawak should immediately cease the operation of the oil palm plantations in question.

3. State Government of Sarawak should provide protection for the safety of indigenous people against all forms of harassment, intimidation and threats of physical harm that arise from land disputes.

4. Free, fair, prior and informed consent should be obtained from the affected communities before NCR land is requested for commercial development via partnerships with government agencies and/or private sector initiatives.

5. Federal Government of Malaysia shall undertake to revise inconsistent laws in order to abide by Article 5 of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia which enshrines the guarantee of right to life for every inhabitant of its land.

6. State Government of Sarawak shall respect and abide by the case precedent established by the Federal Court of Malaysia's decision of Madeli Salleh vs Government of Sarawak, which states very clearly that the customary rights of inhabitants were recognized and accepted by the British Crown when it governed Sarawak. It became part of common law and therefore shall be recognized as being a fundamental right.

7. State Government of Sarawak shall cease the issuance of "provisional leases" (PL) for NCR disputed land with immediate effect.

8. Federal Government of Malaysia shall recognize the relevance of all international convenants and instruments on human rights and make haste to ratify and to conform to all these said Charters.

If the State Government of Sarawak fails to comply with the above demands, then the Federal Government of Malaysia must come forward to take appropriate steps to protect NCR lands, the lives and livelihoods of the indigenous people.

Through this letter, I appeal to you to listen to the above demands and look into the struggle of the indigenous peoples in Sarawak.

Sincerely,
Johnny Empading
Country: Malaysia
E-mail: empadingsumbang@yahoo.com.my
Organisation: SIWA Member

NATIONAL SERVICE TRAINEES USED TO CAMPAIGN FOR BN IN BY ELECTION

I was quite surprised when I read the report by MAFREL claiming that BN used NS trainees to campaign for BN at Batang Ai by election recently.

During previous elections, it was common to see SGs (government vehicles) being used around to ferry BN campaigners.

One of my friend who used to work with one of the biggest conglomerate in Sarawak that has link with a top politician and his family, was asked during campaign time, to be a driver and help in election campaigns. His colleagues were asked to do the same. I guess it was part of their job description ie to assist political parties during election time.........

Is it the right thing to do like using government vehicles and 'forcing' your staff to go and work for political parties to campaign or to use compulsory government training participants to campaign on your behalf?

But then again, this is Bolehland

Lo

A WALKOVER?

BN will pull out of Penanti by election? Well, that was mentioned by Najib recently. However, knowing the way he always talk and can never say white is white and black is black, I advise Pakatan Rakyat not to 'manjung ba pala wong' ie prematurely declaring victory.

It's no harm for Pakatan Rakyat to be fully prepared as if Najib suddenly decides otherwise, Pakatan Rakyat will not be caught offguard with its pants down.

Otherwise, over cofidence or worse, trusting the words of Najib could be costly for Pakatan Rakyat

Lo

Najib: BN may skip Penanti
UPDATED from Malaysian Insider

PEKAN, April 18 — Stung by four straight by-election defeats in the peninsula, Barisan Nasional might skip contesting the Penanti by-election if there is consensus among component parties.

It that happens, it would possibly be the first ever by-election not contested by the ruling coalition since Merdeka.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the ruling coalition will decide soon after getting feedback.

"Don't know yet (whether we opt out or not). We will look first, but I don't rule out any possibility," he told reporters here.

He added he would meet with the Umno supreme council and leaders from BN component parties to discuss the matter.

"I will raise the matter at the next Umno supreme council meeting. If I don't have the time, I will bring it up to the political bureau, and discuss with the BN component party presidents," he added.

He had earlier called it a wasteful process, saying people were tired of the slew of by-elections and the focus should be on the softening economy.

The Election Commission has said it will have to establish if the PKR-held Penang state seat is vacant after incumbent Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin sent a resignation letter on Thursday.

The embattled Fairus had earlier quit as deputy chief minister I after allegations of being involved in illegal quarries.

PKR is keen to have a by-election to decide Fairus's successor as deputy chief minister which has been reserved for the party.

It has two other Malay lawmakers in Penang but de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is not keen on them.

The Penanti seat is seen as a PKR stronghold as it is within Anwar's political fortress Permatang Pauh, which returned him to Parliament last August.

If the Election Commission does declare on April 24 to hold by-elections, it will be the third in the semi-rural state seat since March 2008.

NUMBERS DON'T LIE

........In the 2008 general election, Umno garnered only 2,381,725 or 29% of the votes. But not all these votes came from Malays. Umno actually won these seats because many non-Malays voted for it.

If based just on Malay votes, Umno would have been demolished just like the other component members of Barisan Nasional.

The next time around, Umno is not going to get these non-Malay votes as the four by-elections since 8 March 2008 have proven (unless the Chinese, Indians and ‘others’ are still xxxxx macam xxxxx).

PKR, on the other hand, garnered 1,509,080 or 19% of the votes while PAS garnered 1,140,676 or 14%.

This means, while Umno won 79 seats and PKR-PAS a total of only 54 seats on 8 March 2008, PKR and PAS combined garnered more than 2.6 million or 33% of the popular votes. That is more than what Umno got........

Click here to read more

Bangkitlah Melayu
From Utusan Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR 14 April – Orang Melayu perlu bangkit dan bersatu dalam berhadapan dengan tuntutan kaum lain yang kini dilihat semakin keterlaluan.

Mereka juga perlu sedar dan insaf dengan situasi politik semasa yang menyaksikan pelbagai tuntutan hingga boleh menjejaskan kekuatan politik orang Melayu.

Sehubungan itu, orang Melayu diminta tidak tunduk kepada tuntutan keterlaluan tersebut sebalik bangkit bersatu bagi mempertahankan hak dan kepentingan mereka.

Ahli Parlimen Pasir Mas, Datuk Ibrahim Ali berkata, pemimpin bukan Melayu dalam hal ini perlu sedar yang sesebuah kerajaan itu boleh sahaja untuk tidak ‘melayan’ tuntutan mereka.

Katanya, jumlah kerusi terbanyak di Parlimen adalah milik Melayu dan ia cukup untuk membentuk sebuah kerajaan berasaskan wakil rakyat Melayu semata-mata di negara ini.

Katanya, justeru, dari segi politiknya kerajaan itu sepatutnya memenuhi apa sahaja yang menjadi kehendak Melayu kerana mereka adalah majoriti dan bukan asyik bertolak ansur dengan bukan Melayu.

‘‘Parti Melayu akan kuat bila Melayu dijaga. Jadi UMNO kena fokus orang Melayu. Jadi UMNO tak perlu takut kerana saya lihat bila UMNO itu kuat orang bukan Melayu automatik akan sokong juga Barisan Nasional (BN) macam dulu,’’ katanya kepada Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Beliau mengulas pandangan mengenai situasi politik semasa yang menyaksikan kedudukan politik Melayu seakan terancam dengan tuntutan bukan Melayu pada masa kini.

Ahli Parlimen Sri Gading, Datuk Mohamad Aziz berkata, parti pemerintah ketika ini tidak boleh merasa bimbang untuk membuat apa sahaja keputusan yang dilihat perlu untuk membantu orang Melayu.

“UMNO kalau kita tengok Fasal 3 perlembagaannya ialah memperjuangkan hak Melayu.

“Pada masa sama orang Melayu pun kenalah sedar, asyik bercakaran sesama sendiri, tak untung Melayu sedangkan kita main politik untuk apa kalau tidak untuk membela Melayu.

“Jadi UMNO dan Pas kena duduk, tak kan dalam berbeza tak ada persamaan. Atas persamaan ini kita duduklah semeja dulu,” jelasnya.

Pemimpin UMNO, Datuk Seri Dr. Rais Yatim menegaskan, dalam soal wakil Kabinet misalnya, semua pihak harus menerima pilihan Perdana Menteri kerana ia bidang kuasa beliau.

“Saya fikir kalau dilayan, Najib tak akan ada kerja lain.

“Apa pun ini akan mengajar UMNO supaya terus kuat. Bila kuat, orang segan, kalau lemah orang kucar kacirkan,” ujarnya yang juga Ketua UMNO Bahagian Jelebu.

Ketua Pembangkang Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor, Datuk Seri Dr. Mohamad Khir Toyo berkata, hak orang Melayu tidak harus dilepaskan dalam usaha kerajaan memenuhi kehendak masyarakat pelbagai kaum.

“Biar wujud situasi menang-menang. Kita tidak boleh biar sebelah pihak sahaja menang. Kalau kita nak penuhi apa yang mereka nak, jangan pula kita lepaskan apa yang jadi hak kita,’’ katanya.

Timbalan Presiden Gabungan Pelajar Melayu Semenanjung (GPMS), Syed Anuar Syed Mohamad berkata, walaupun kerajaan mahu menekankan konsep Satu Malaysia yang menyatukan rakyat pelbagai kaum, langkah juga perlu dilakukan bagi mengembalikan keharmonian di kalangan orang Melayu sendiri.

“Dalam keadaan sekarang ini, orang Melayu berhadapan banyak cabaran semasa dan kita perlu mencari cara untuk memastikan kaum itu tidak berpecah-belah,” katanya.

Katanya, UMNO dan Pas tidak boleh melengah-lengahkan masa lagi untuk bekerjasama dalam memajukan orang Melayu.

Ketua Umum Badan Bertindak Perpaduan Melayu (BBPM), Osman Abu Bakar yang sependapat dengan GPMS berkata, cadangan yang baik seperti itu perlu dilaksanakan secepat mungkin.

Katanya, kerjasama antara dua parti politik itu bukan sahaja akan memberi faedah kepada orang Melayu sahaja tetapi juga kaum lain.

Tambahnya, penyatuan UMNO dan Pas perlu menjadi batu loncatan untuk mengeratkan semua rakyat berbilang kaum di negara ini.

“Sememangnya usaha ke arah itu akan mengambil masa tetapi sekurang-kurangnya kita tidak hanya bercakap atau mencadangkan sahaja,’’ tambahnya.

A good result for Malaysia — The Malaysian Insider

APRIL 7 – No matter which way you cut it, this was not the result Datuk Seri Najib Razak or Umno/Barisan Nasional hoped for. They dreamt of 3-0 but believed that 2-1 (Batang Ai and Bukit Gantang) was in the bag, based on ground reports.

Instead, the scorecard read 1-2 for the ruling coalition with the BN candidate victorious only in the state seat in Sarawak. Worse yet, Pakatan Rakyat’s candidates not only withstood the might of the BN machinery in Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, they returned with bigger majorities than 12 months ago.

The Malaysian Insider spoke to Umno officials, opposition politicians and pundits and tried to make sense of what happened today.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak – It will take more than a few assuring statements and symbolic gestures like releasing 13 ISA detainees for non-Malays to return to Umno/BN. In Bukit Gantang and Bukit Selambau, the BN machinery worked well, perhaps even better than in the run-up to the general elections in 2008.

At least in Bukit Selambau, the Pakatan Rakyat campaign was hindered by disagreements over the candidate and defection by some PKR officials. But still victory was elusive for BN.

The Home Ministry may have outlawed the use of Altantuya Shariibuu's name during political rallies and seized all paraphernalia related to the Mongolian model but at every polling station today in Bukit Gantang, opposition workers shouted one name.

Quite clearly, having a new leader boosted the spirit of BN workers but it had little impact on the voting. Surely that is troubling.

Umno/BN – What excuse are they going to reach for this time? Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi carried the can for BN's poor performance in March 2008, and for the by-election losses in Permatang Pauh and Kuala Terengganu. Datuk Azim Zabidi’s aloofness was blamed for BN’s defeat in Bukit Gantang by 1,566 votes on March 8 and the wave against Umno was used by the MIC to justify its loss in Bukit Selambau 12 months ago.

In Bukit Gantang, Umno opted for a local politician, Ismail Saffian and in Bukit Selambau, MIC nominated strongman S. Ganesan as its candidate. Tan Sri Muhyiddin and other members of the supreme council were camped in both constituencies since nomination day on March 29.

Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Zambry Kadir worked the ground between 7.30am and 2am daily while Deepavali came early for many Indian voters in Kedah, courtesy of MIC. But the outcome was worse than 12 months ago. A senior Umno official told The Malaysian Insider: “The public just does not care about Umno or BN. They have an opinion about us and refuse to accept otherwise.’’

Sultan Azlan Shah – His name was not on the ballot paper in Bukit Gantang but his decision to accept the defection of the three Pakatan Rakyat representatives and install Barisan Nasional as the state government was the only election topic.

Despite calling Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin a traitor and a disgrace to the Malays during political rallies, despite daily demonization of him by the national television stations and despite a long cooling down period from the collapse of the Pakatan Rakyat government till polling day, the voters in this constituency (an Umno stronghold) sent a strong message to the Sultan of Perak.

Like many other Malaysians, they believe he acted wrongly when he refused to dissolve the state assembly following the defections. In the court of public opinion, the former Lord President is a loser.

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad – He grabbed the front page headlines, tossed a few sarcastic bombs at Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim but was a non-factor where it counted most – at the ballot box. Unkindly, some scribes at the frontlines noted that BN won in Batang Ai, the one constituency where the former prime minister did not campaign.

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and PKR – Phew! This was not a walk in the park for PKR or the opposition icon. In the run-up to the polls, they had to deal with the Elizabeth Wong issue, news that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was investigating Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and several PKR officials in Penang for separate offences and dissension over the choice of candidates in Batang Ai and Bukit Selambau.

Still, they came away with one solid victory and one sound defeat. The defeat in Sarawak is a lesson for Anwar. It will take more than a few flying visits to Sarawak to unseat the wily fox, Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.

Elections in the East Malaysian state is a logistical nightmare and only political organizations with superb organization and resources stand a realistic chance of winning control of the state. Yes, there is an undercurrent of discontent there but it can only be tapped with a solid slate of candidates and a machinery to reach the voters.

Datuk Nizar Jamaluddin and PAS – Good things happen when a solid candidate is supported by a well-oiled machine.

Malaysia – This is a good result for the country. We need Umno to reform and we need a two-party political system to take root here. Tonight’s 2-1 result for Pakatan Rakyat tells us that Malaysians still believe in an alternative to BN and lets Najib know his party and coalition need a complete makeover.

MY PREDICTION FOR THE 3 BY ELECTIONS

1. Bukit Gantang - Pakatan will win

2. Bukit Selambau - BN will win

3. Batang Ai - BN will win

Lo

His maiden speech as PM
Apr 3, 09 8:51pm

In his maiden speech as prime minister, Najib Abdul Razak made two key announcements. The following is the full text of his eight-minute speech.

On behalf of all Malaysians, I would like to thank Yang Bahagia Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his 31 years of exemplary public service to our country, his commitment to strengthening the institutions and fabric of our democracy and for his graceful example as our leader.

I am grateful to Yang Bahagia Tun for his confidence in proposing my name as prime minister to Duli Yang Maha Mulia Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, and I am honoured that His Majesty has consented to my appointment with this morning’s swearing-in ceremony.

I feel a deep sense of humility at the opportunity to serve as your prime minister at an important time in our nation's history.My life has been dedicated to public service.Growing up, I was inspired by the positive impact of public service in the example of my late father.

Four decades on, I remain committed to the goals of tackling poverty; of restructuring our society; of expanding access to quality education for all; and of inspiring a new generation of young Malaysians to work on behalf of this great country.

My own service in government has always been about getting results: to ensure a better deal for teachers, to improve conditions for our brave soldiers, and to strengthen our economy in defence of the people of Malaysia, as we deal with the outbreak of a global recession.

In the coming weeks, I will be consulting with people around our country, as I begin to reshape the leadership and priorities of the government. I am mindful that we should build on the successes and lessons of the past. It must be a government with new approaches for new times – a government that places a priority on performance and result, because the people must come first.

We must reach out to all parts of Malaysia… to all our diverse communities. In our national discourse and in pursuing our national agenda, we must never leave anyone behind. We must reach out to the many who may have been disaffected and left confused by political games, deceit and showmanship.

We must draw on talented people across our nation, regardless of their position or background, to re-energize a passion for public service. We must sow the seeds of goodwill and understanding in every corner of this land, so that we continue to harvest the fruits of progress and prosperity for all Malaysians.

We must seek to include and unlock the potential of our young people who will be the next generation of leaders, businesspeople, engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. We must give them wings to fly.

We must seek to include and unlock the potential of our young people who will be the next generation of leaders, businesspeople, engineers, scientists, teachers and doctors. We must give them wings to fly.

And so today, I pledge that I will work tirelessly to serve all of you.In this spirit, I would like to announce that the government has decided with immediate effect, to remove the temporary ban on two news publications, release 13 detainees from ISA detention, and conduct a comprehensive review of the Internal Security Act.

Additional details will be announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs shortly.These decisions are timely as we move to enhance the confidence of our citizens in those entrusted with maintaining peace, law and order, while recognising the need to remain vigilant of the very real security threats we continue to face as a young nation.

I know that for every citizen, these are hard times and I remain focused in providing strong leadership to lead us out of this economic crisis and unleash our full potential as a nation. I will be steadfast in my commitment to meet the needs, aspirations and concerns of all Malaysians.

So today I ask you to join me in this task of renewing Malaysia. I urge us to rise to the challenge of building a One Malaysia. People First. Performance Now.Let us begin this great journey together.

Don’t expect much from Najib from Malaysian Insider

APRIL 3 — All is settled: Datuk Seri Najib Razak is our sixth prime minister. As any Malaysian should, I hope he does his job well. But unfortunately, as any Malaysian also should expect, every sign points to his being yet another lacklustre premiership.

His track record in government suggests that his administration will not markedly improve on Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s; if anything, its only distinguishing mark may be the rollback of the few reforms Abdullah was able to carry out.

Those expecting Najib’s capabilities to exceed Abdullah’s are, I fear, mistaken. While it is true that unlike Abdullah, Najib is not a career civil servant, it is also true that his career in government has been distinguished by its complete lack of remarkable achievements.

Like all prime ministers except our first, he had a stint at the Education Ministry — can anyone name a single thing he did as education minister? Even opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at least made his mark as education minister, albeit in rather negative way.

As defence minister, Najib’s tenure was characterised by corruption and scandal; while he was rarely directly implicated, this certainly suggests that those hoping for a change in the tone of politics and administration under Najib shouldn’t expect much.

And as finance minister, Najib has unveiled a lacklustre stimulus package that mostly comprises ill-advised infrastructure projects. There is not a single sign of promise here.

In terms of intellectual promise, Abdullah and Najib are virtually on par. Tunku Abdul Rahman secured our independence by skilfully tailoring his rhetoric to suit both British and local audiences.

Tun Abdul Razak not only birthed the New Economic Policy but also the backbone of our public education system. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will always be remembered, not just for his achievements as prime minister, but for his ability as a politician and his intellectual tour de force of Malay society and history in The Malay Dilemma.

Abdullah’s biggest achievements upon taking office were being brave enough to oppose Dr Mahathir in the 1988 Umno crisis, and then being unassuming enough to wait for his invitation back into the halls of power — having learnt his lesson, he then diligently avoided disturbing the apple cart to protect his position.

And now as far as anyone can tell, upon taking office today, Najib is only known for his ill-advised comments on ethnic bloodshed during the 1988 constitutional crisis, his scandal-ridden Defence Ministry, and of course, for his unclear association with the death of the woman whose name now cannot be said.

As such, I have extremely low expectations of Prime Minister Najib. Malaysians had every right to expect a breath of fresh air when Abdullah succeeded to the premiership in 2003, and we were sorely let down. Perhaps we are now overcompensating for this by our extreme cynicism; opinion polls suggest that Najib’s approval ratings are lower than even his unpopular predecessor.

But I think we are just being realistic. Our euphoria in 2003 and 2004 was irrational — beyond vague promises, promises which we had heard many times before from even Dr Mahathir himself, we had little reason to believe Abdullah could seriously deliver on his promises of reform.

While Najib is making the same promises himself, there is little question that he is cut from the same cloth as the Umno delegates who gave a standing ovation to the latest additions to the Malaysian corruption hall of fame.

Even if Najib were sincere, his track record strongly suggests that he does not have the discipline or willpower to seriously impact the morass of corruption and inefficiency that burdens our government and our politics.

I say all this not because I hope Najib fails; nothing would give me greater pleasure than to see him succeed in reforming our institutions and fixing all that is so clearly wrong with our country.

But until he proves otherwise, there is every indication that Najib cannot and will not make these reforms a reality. Malaysians elected Abdullah in 2004 and then rejected him in 2008 based solely on his promised reforms.

Unless Najib can make a clear break with his sordid and otherwise unremarkable past, Malaysians will reject him even more resoundingly than they did Abdullah.

Jabu calls bloggers 'specialist instigators'
Joseph Tawie Apr 2, 09 1:23pm from Malaysiakini

Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Alfred Jabu fired another salvo at Dayak bloggers today - this time describing them as instigators who “sabong” (pit) BN leaders against each other in the hope of weakening the coalition.

“They are really specialists in that arena - ‘sabong people’” he told a press conference in Batang Ai this morning before starting his campaign for the day.Dayak bloggers have been very active writing about the ‘weaknesses’ and ‘faults’ of the state government.

Recently the spat between Jabu and PRS president James Masing over certain billboards was also highlighted by the bloggers. Jabu who is PBB deputy president was said to be unhappy when he saw that certain billboards did not carry the symbols of other BN component parties. The billboards feature only the PRS symbol and photos of its leaders.

According to a PRS source, Jabu confronted Masing over the matter, asking why other symbols of BN components were excluded. Masing was said to have explained that in certain areas, like Salcra oil palm schemes, the PRS symbol was more effective.

Naturally, this did not go down well with Jabu who had been accused previously of running Salcra like his own private entity.When bloggers learned of the spat, they highlighted it and even described Jabu as being petty.

However, the deputy chief minister denied that he had any differences with Masing, a cabinet colleague, pointing out that it was he who had proposed Masing to be the director of operation for the Batang Ai by-election.

Advising the people not to read such blogs, Jabu said many of the postings were “cooked-up stories” with no quality. “They are only interested to ‘sabong’ people and hope that others will turn against the BN,” he said.

On rumours that BN candidate Malcolm Mussen would be appointed assistant minister if he were to win, Jabu said that Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud had never promised any newly elected assemblyperson a cabinet position even when there were vacancies.

“That is not Taib’s style of leadership. He wants the legislators to prove themselves first. Usually he will observe them closely. If he thinks that they are good enough, then he will appoint them,” he said. But that is not stopping Mussen’s campaigners from telling voters that if their man win, he would be appointed an assistant minister to replace the late Dublin Unting.

Unting was assistant minister (sports and agriculture) before he passed away on Feb 24.