‘I’m beyond frustrated’

SEBERANG JAYA, Aug 28 — Just 45 minutes after voting ended at 5pm on Tuesday, Datin Latifah Asmawi knew her husband’s hopes of winning the Permatang Pauh seat were gone.

Based on estimated vote counts given by party officials and polling centre officials, she knew the battle had been won by the favourite, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of Parti Keadilan Rakyat.

The New Paper met her at her Jalan Tenggiri home last night before catching up with her husband, Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah, at Sunway Hotel where he had just emerged from a press conference.

Both husband and wife could not hide their disappointment, though they tried playing it down.

Said Latifah: “By late afternoon, we expected it (the loss). When the polling stations closed at 5pm and each of them counted their votes... around 5.45pm, we already knew.”

Latifah, 45, said they were being kept updated. Initially, things looked hopeful of a “50-50” per cent chance of winning, as she had maintained throughout the day when we met her at several polling stations.

She said: “We had unconfirmed results for about 14 counting centres and at first, it was just a loss by 100 votes.

“Then, it became a lot, so I called my husband and said, ‘You better not go to the main counting centre.’ Then DPM (Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak) called to get him to attend a press conference instead at Sunway Hotel.”

She also said that a decision was made to pull back all the BN supporters heading to the counting centre.

She admitted that she was taken aback by Anwar's winning margin of 15,671 votes — more than his wife's majority of 13,388 in the March general election.

“We had realistic expectations but we never thought it would be by this much... We thought we could stand a chance of losing, but by less than 10,000,” said Latifah.

Similarly, Arif Shah said he was “slightly surprised” by the margin.

With head bowed, he said: “Right from the beginning, I was told that my battle was to reduce this majority, but I was more than confident that it was possible to wrest away that seat.

“But it was not to be... Maybe there's something better waiting for me... who knows.”

He added: “I thought that people were more concerned about the welfare of the state and their future, but instead they subscribe to propaganda and promises of my opponent.

“Still, I accept it's their decision.”

Latifah confessed that she had mentally prepared herself for a loss.

But if they knew that they could lose, why did Arif Shah continuously maintain to voters that he would win?

She said: “I can't just tell everyone that we are prepared to lose. We have to tell our supporters, workers and party machinery that we can win this because if not, nobody has the motivation to work.
”We were prepared to lose but we still want to carry out the fight... No one should give up.”

Her disappointment showed when she said she “cannot read people's hearts now”.

“When we go house to house, maybe in front of you they can say they support, but behind you, they may mean ‘ah, go to heck!’”

It had been a mentally and physically tiring experience for her.

At one point, she paused to calm herself, then said: “I gave it more than

100 per cent, this campaign. To say I'm frustrated is not it, I'm beyond that now.

“I can say that I really cannot understand what the voters want.” — The New Paper

45th Hari Kebangsaan - Malaysia 1963

Datuk Yong Teck Lee speaking at the SAPP HQ unveiling of the "Malaysia 1963" bill board on Wednesday, August 20.

1. For 45 years, the nation has been struggling with the idea whether the national day (Hari Kebangsaan) should be celebrated starting from 1957 (when Malaya achieved independence) or 1963 (when Malaysia was formed after the Malaysia Agreement with the United Kingdom, Malaya, Singapore, Sabah and Sarawak).
   

2. Both Sabah and Malaya achieved independence on August 31 but on different years; Malaya in 1957 and Sabah in 1963. On 16 September 1963, Malaysia was officially formed and the new Malaysia flag with 14 stripes of red and white and the 14-pointed star was raised for the first time in Malaysia.
   

3. At one of the BN Supreme Council meetings last year (2007 being 50 years after Malaya achieved independence), this was debated again, mainly between the UPKO President who favoured 1963 and an UMNO leader who insisted on 1957. As we all know, the federal government defied historical truth and went ahead to declare the 50th Hari Kebangsaan for Malaysia, thereby using 1957.
   

4. Today, we see that the authorities still insist on using the historically erroneous date of 1957 for Hari Kebangsaan. What saddens the people is that even the Sabah State Government has mistakenly or obediently adopted the 1957 date by declaring this year's (2008) Hari Kebangsaan as 51st rather than 45th. We note that Sarawak has done the right thing by celebrating the the 45th Hari Kebangsaan and not the 51st Hari Kebangsaan.
   

5. SAPP calls on the Sabah State Government to do justice to the early pioneers of Sabah and the founders of the Malaysia to declare 2008 as the 45th Hari Kebangsaan and not the 51st Hari Kebangsaan. People in Sabah (then North Borneo) and Sarawak has nothing but colonial rule to celebrate in 1957. As true Malaysians, we should celebrate 1963.
   

6. Our bill board "Malaysia 1963" at our party HQ today is to highlight to the Government and the people that we celebrate Malaysia 1963 and the 45th Hari Kebangsaan. We call on academicians, historians, civil servants and our political leaders to speak up in the interests of history and true facts so that the government will respect history and truth.

http://www.sapp.org.my

Nephew looking for PI uncle

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — For the past one month, R. Kumaresan has been waging a one-man campaign to locate his uncle and his family.

He has engaged the services of a private detective to help track his uncle, P. Balasubramaniam, who disappeared mysteriously after rocking Malaysia's political landscape with claims that implicated the deputy prime minister and people close to him in the murder of a Mongolian woman.

“I know he fled because he feared for his life. I want to find him to make sure that he and his family are all right,” said Kumaresan, an executive in an IT company, in a recent interview.

His search for his uncle carries serious consequences for Malaysia's already rocky politics.

Balasubramaniam, a private investigator and a former officer with Malaysia's elite Special Branch, had made two declarations which contradicted each other.

In his first statutory declaration, the private investigator gave a detailed account of events leading to the murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu in mid-October 2006 which showed how people close to Datuk Seri Najib Razak were allegedly implicated in the crime.

He also claimed he was told by one of the accused in the murder that the deputy premier had had a sexual relationship with Altantuya.

The second statutory declaration, which came less than 24 hours later after the first one, was a wholesale recantation of the earlier declaration.

Balasubramaniam's claims triggered strong denials from Najib and reopened the controversy surrounding the high-profile trial for the murder of Altantuya.

The police have said they are investigating the former police officer, who was the prosecution's star witness in the trial, for allegedly making a false statutory declaration, which is a crime in Malaysia.

But the somewhat unusual tactics of the police in handling the investigation have raised eyebrows.

So far, the police have said they have questioned Balasubramaniam in a “neighbouring country”. But they have yet to compel him to return to face the consequences of his actions.

The police have also not established whether he was forced, under duress, by unidentified people to make his first statutory declaration, as he claimed in the second declaration. A senior police officer told The Straits Times that investigations were ongoing but declined further comment.

The unresolved status of Balasubramaniam's claims in the two declarations, together with other allegations linking people in the deputy premier's office with the murder have raised questions over the near-certainty of Najib succeeding Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who plans to retire in mid-2010.

Balasubramaniam's sudden disappearance also provoked fresh scrutiny of the workings of the country's security and justice systems.

Kumaresan said he is inclined to believe his uncle's first declaration. He said his uncle had repeatedly stated during family dinners at his home in Rawang, outside Kuala Lumpur, that he was unhappy with the way the murder trial was unfolding.

“He did his first statutory declaration voluntarily because he was unhappy with the police investigation and the trial. The first declaration took two months to prepare, so how could it have been done under duress?” Kumaresan told The Straits Times.

Balasubramaniam, 48, was thrust into the public spotlight in early June last year when he appeared at the murder trial.

He had been engaged as a security consultant by Abdul Razak Baginda, a former political adviser to Najib who is being charged with abetting the murder of Altantuya. Two policemen who were part of the deputy prime minister's security detail are accused of killing her.

Police officers who have worked with Balasubramaniam describe him as a jovial person with a ready smile.

“His private eye business was doing well, but after he testified in the Altantuya case, business dried up,” said a police officer who knows him well.

Relatives believe that Balasubramaniam, together with his wife and three children, are now in hiding somewhere in India.

Before his disappearance early last month, he told The Straits Times he had sought legal advice on how best to reveal information he had on the murder case.

Because he had already testified in court as a prosecution witness, his lawyers told him a sworn statement in a statutory declaration would be the best legal route to give new information on the murder.

Kumaresan said his uncle has so far contacted him three times by phone and on each occasion reprimanded him for raising questions about his whereabouts in public.

“The first time was just before a planned candlelight vigil for him and his family two days after his disappearance. He told me that by going public with concerns over his safety, I was giving him trouble with the authorities,” Kumaresan said. — Straits Times Singapore

Anwar’s popularity adds to ruling party’s fear and loathing

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim won a crucial by-election for the parliamentary seat of Pemantang Pauh on Tuesday.

That Anwar was going to win was never in doubt. He was first elected to the seat in the early 1980s and his wife became MP when he was jailed in 1998.

Last month, she resigned from the seat so Anwar could get back into Parliament. What was unexpected was the huge margin of victory. Anwar's wife won the seat in the March general election with slightly more than a 13,000-vote majority.

Many had expected Anwar to win by about 10,000 votes rather than the nearly 16,000 votes he took on Tuesday. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition poured everything it had into the campaign.

Led by the Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the BN promised nearly RM60 million worth of development. Almost every minister visited the constituency offering more goodies if Anwar was defeated.

The BN has spent millions in trying to discredit Anwar, using the mainstream media and giant video screens spread all over the constituency, to remind voters that Anwar is under criminal indictment for sodomy. Sodomy is a serious offence under Islam and more than 60 per cent of Pemantang Pauh's voters are Malay Muslims.

The BN showed a tape of Anwar's accuser swearing on the Quran that he was sodomised by Anwar. Malay voters were told also that Anwar was a race traitor.

Anwar champions the removal of the New Economic Policy, or NEP. Under the guise of affirmative action, this policy discriminates against the non-Malay population in all areas of political and economic life. Special scholarships, bank loans, contracts and even a university were established exclusively for the Malays.

While it was initially popular among the Malay population and deeply resented by non-Malays, in recent years, the younger, better educated, Malays have become critics of the NEP.

It is a known fact that the NEP has enriched only those with link to Umno, the ruling party, and that poorer Malays have benefited much less. Some Malays who supported opposition parties were even denied access to the NEP.

Younger Malays are starting to realise that the NEP, far from helping them, is actually a tool for Umno to manipulate and buy its political support from the Malay community.

The culture of corruption created by the NEP has reached the plateau that a large segment of the Malay community has decided that the only way to get rid of the corruption is to get rid of the NEP and Umno.

They also want an end to racial politics in Malaysia pioneered by the BN, and Umno in particular. Umno's ideology of ''Ketuanan Melayu'' or Malay supremacy has meant open and blatant racial discrimination against the non-Malay population.

One senior Chinese minister described Umno's relationship with its non-Malay parties in the BN parties as akin to a ''master-slave'' relationship. Race relations are now much worse after 50 years of independence.

Anwar has promised to replace the NEP with the Malaysian Economic Policy, or MEP, which does not have racial criteria. The overwhelmingly majority of the younger population sees this as the only real long-term solution to racial polarisation.

Anwar has promised that he will engineer the defection of about 30 MPs from the BN by the middle of September, and he will take over as prime minister then. There is every reason to believe that Anwar is capable of doing this, although the BN will still try to do its best to stop him.

The BN will do its best to make sure that Anwar is convicted of sodomy. It does not matter that more than 80 per cent of the population thinks that the sodomy allegations are politically motivated.

The only political game Malaysia now, at least among Umno, is to stop Anwar. The security apparatus will also be used against Anwar's allies.

Several leaders in Anwar's parties have been arrested for corruption, and bloggers who are sympathetic to Anwar are being sued for defamation and publishing false reports on the Internet.

The Government is also expected to pass laws that restrict political chatter on the Internet, and crack down harder on civil society groups.

The BN is still a powerful political machine and when it is threatened, it moves back to its authoritarian mode. There is every reason to believe that there will be mass arrests under the Internal Security Act to stop Anwar from becoming prime minister.

There are too many vested interests that will stop at nothing to make sure that their corruption and past misdeeds are not exposed by Anwar's new administration.

They have every reason to fear the consequences of an Anwar ascendancy. When Anwar's party took power in several states after the March general election, they exposed shady land deals and government contracts worth millions.

A Morgan Stanley report published a few years ago says that corruption has cost Malaysia the equivalent of more than US$110 billion (RM360 billion) in the past 30 years.

The NEP was promulgated about 30 years ago and it was only after the NEP came into being that ''money politics'' became synonymous with Umno.

If Anwar eventually becomes prime minister, it will be one of Asia's most remarkable political comeback tales.

The closest one to it is that of Kim Dae Jung. Sometimes called the Nelson Mandela of Asia, Kim was nearly killed by South Korea's intelligence service in the 1970s, imprisoned, put under house arrest, sentenced to death for sedition and banned from politics.

Kim managed to overcome all these obstacles before becoming South Korea's president from 1998 to 2003. — Canberra Times

Shafie Apdal: East Malaysian MPs loyal to BN

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 - A group of East Malaysian MPs claiming to represent the entire BN contingent from Borneo stated their "undivided loyalty" to the ruling coalition.

Led by Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, the group of about 20 MPs called speculation of jumping over to Pakatan Rakyat nothing more than lies by irresponsible parties.

"We are not commodities to be bought and sold. We have our honour," he said at a press conference in the Parliament lobby today.

"Don't listen to Anwar's lies," Shafie replied when quizzed about opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Inbrahim's continued insistence that his plan to take over the federal government by Sept 16 is on track.

"Ask Anwar to name the MPs," Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Datuk Peter Chin Fah Kui challenged, saying that all East Malaysian BN MPs would be signing a pledge and sending it to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi tomorrow.

Shafie also said that Sabah Progressive Party's two MPs, Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun and Datuk Chua Boon Sui, also assured they would stick with BN.

However, the duo, whose party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee has stated he would support a motion of no-confidence in the currrent administration, were conspicuous in their absence as was Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman who had today itself raised serious questions about the hotly-debated DNA Identification Bill.

Anifah, whose brother Datuk Seri Musa Aman is Sabah Chief Minister, is widely considered to be the leader of Sabah Umno MPs, and is believed by BN officials to have decided along with a few other MPs to cross over to Pakatan Rakyat.

Other MPs present included Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Douglas Uggah Embas and Deputy Minister Of International Trade and Industry Datuk Liew Vui Keong.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my

Ong wants ACA to probe other agencies under Ministry too

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 - The Transport Ministry is going on a major house cleaning.After the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) moved in on corrupted Puspakom officials and customers, Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat wants its to investigate corruption practices in other agencies under the ministry.

Speaking to reporters at the Parliament's Lobby here today,Ong, in welcoming the ACA's move, said he was prepared to cooperate with the agency to eradicate corruption.

"I want such a move to continue and I also want to see such collaboration between the ACA, Puspakom and even the police strengthened and action taken.

"I reiterate that I will not condone this. Enough is enough," he told reporters when asked to commenton news reports that 55 people nationwide, 28 of whom are Puspakom employees, had been nabbed by the ACA.

The suspects, who were arrested on Tuesday and yesterday, were believed to have earned up to RM1,000 a day or RM55,000 a month "in takings" from vehicles allegedly sent to Puspakom for inspection.

Ong said that he had been monitoring the situation on the ground and wanted all runner syndicates and vendors to be eliminated.However, he said, one of the hurdles was the hesitation of the complainants to furnish evidence of their transactions to allow investigations to be
carried out.

"I personally take special interest in this matter and I want action to be taken," he said. - Bernama

Yong on the landslide victory of PKR

SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee on the landslide victory of PKR Advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Permatang Pauh by-election 26 August 2008

Kota Kinabalu, August 27, 2008

1. The land slide victory of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim augurs well for non-racial politics in Malaysia. The rejection of racial politics shown in the March general elections has been repeated resoundingly by the voters of Permatang Pauh of whom 69% are Malays.

2. But the BN leadership, especially UMNO, never learn. Instead of strengthening national unity among the people, UMNO tried desperately to whip up racial emotions on the NEP issue by mob demonstrations in Penang immediately after the elections. The orchestrating of the student demonstrations at UiTM by UMNO this month, the inflammatory speeches of their MPs in Parliament and racial instigation against SAPP MPs over the no confidence motion in June all prove that the BN and UMNO are still trapped in the old mind set of racial compartmentalization of Malaysian politics.

3. In fact, after the March general elections, both the PM and DPM had declared that the BN would conduct independent studies on the losses suffered by the BN and why people were rejecting BN. Several high level BN committees were even formed to ¡§re-brand BN¡¨.

4. But instead of changing for the better with people-friendly policies, the BN government played around with fuel prices at the whims and fancies of the Prime Minister inflicting suffering on the ordinary people. High level corruption continues unabated. And according to news reports quoting senior UMNO leaders, this year¡¦s UMNO party divisional and branch elections are the dirtiest and most corrupted by money politics ever in the history of UMNO.

5. When SAPP first declared no confidence in the PM, almost all the BN component parties chose to condemn SAPP instead of solving the issues affecting the people raised by SAPP. SAPP reminds the BN component parties to join the SAPP's move of no confidence in the PM so as to effect change for the better in the country. SAPP now calls on the people in Malaysia, especially in Sabah and Sarawak, to be ready for change.


Issued by SAPP HQ

http://www.sapp.org.my

30 per cent surcharge on bus fares from Sept. 15

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 - The government today fixed a 30 percent surcharge on stage and express bus fares for the Hari Raya season effective for one month from Sept 15.

Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Minister Datuk Noh Omar said this was a temporary measure before the ministry could decide on the request for fare increase by bus operators.

"The temporary surcharge on bus fares is to reduce the bus operators' operational costs after taking into consideration their woes and the views and feedback from various quarters," he told reporters at the parliament lobby, here today.

Noh said this tempopary measure was not new as it had been implemented before with a surcharge of RM3 on bus tickets for express buses only.

He said 2,000 temporary licences for imposing the surcharge would be issued and applications could be made at the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board's (CVLB) offices.

"Buses that are allowed to be used as additional expresses buses are stage buses, chartered buses, school buses and factory buses that are not more than 12 years old.".

Noh said the CVLB and enforcement agency would carry out integrated operations on highways and at bus terminals, including monitoring the sale of tickets at the counters to ensure that bus company staff were not in cahoots with touts to indiscriminately hike bus fares.

He said for public convenience, RapidKL would be providing feeder bus service from the Puduraya bus terminal to the Duta bus terminal and Bukit Jalil Sports Complex with a fare of RM3 for a one-way trip.

Noh also said that the government had agreed to liberalise the express bus service by introducing the Premier Class while retaining the Economy and Executive-class services.

"The classification of services is based on the fare charged, passenger capacity and facilities provided.

"The fare for the Economy service is controlled by the government to protect the interest of users, especially the low-income group," he added. - Bernama

What is reform to Umno?

By Wan Hamidi Hamid
Political Editor

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Are Umno leaders on the same wavelength with the rest of the country over the issue of reform?

Among the many definitions of reform is to "make changes for improvement in order to remove abuse and injustices". This is what the opposition Pakatan Rakyat is propagating and this is also the call by some Umno allies in the Barisan Nasional.

However, from the top to the bottom of the Umno hierarchy, the cry of reform simply means to get rid of president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and to strengthen the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) agenda. No one is really serious about removing "abuse and injustices".

Although not many dare ask the Prime Minister to resign, those who do believe it can resolve the party's woes after the March 8 general election debacle. For them, without Abdullah, the party can move on with its Ketuanan Melayu agenda.

The problem with this is, with or without Abdullah, Umno top leaders must continue to promote the racial supremacy agenda, much to chagrin of BN component parties who believe that was the main reason for the massive losses in this year's elections.

Whether Abdulah's deputy Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak or vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, or even an outside challenger such as Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah is the one to lead Umno, the problem remains the same.

With Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's return to Parliament today, riding on a Ketuanan Rakyat (supremacy of the people) platform and a rejection of race politics, his popularity among the non-Malays — representing 40 per cent of the population — is on the rise.

Many of those who disliked Anwar in the past, especially when he was the deputy to then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, have begun to evaluate his new political offerings. While the majority of the non-Malays are already getting closer to giving him their full support, the Malays too are beginning to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Initially many political pundits saw the support for the opposition in terms of a protest vote against BN. It was true for the March 8 political tsunami. It was to teach the "arrogant" BN leaders a lesson, some argued.

Almost six months later, even those loyal BN supporters who regretted voting for either PKR, Pas or DAP on March 8 have absolved themselves of such a sin. They see the Umno and BN leaders, although not all, have not learnt their lesson — they are still arrogant, uncouth and corruptible.

Now MCA and Gerakan leaders are allowing members to think aloud, saying that Umno must get rid of parochial race politics if it wants to continue cooperating with them. The two Chinese-dominated parties are being pressured by grassroots members who have seen that despite ideological differences, Pakatan Rakyat is based on equal partnership. BN component members are unhappy with the master-servant relationship, as described by some of their senior leaders.

But Umno is already trapped in its Ketuanan Melayu game.

Abdullah has tried to explain what it means — the Malays must strengthen themselves to be successful and developed, and it is not to dominate, rule over and force their power upon other races.

Unfortunately for the Umno president, his definition is not the one accepted by many top and low level leaders whose understanding is that Malay supremacy means the masters of the land, and no one should challenge, let alone question it.

The racial agenda has been translated into many forms of intimidation — at least in the eyes of the non-Malays and even some liberal Malays — such as threatening to take stern action against those who question Malay privileges and demanding the government provide more aid and assistance to the Malays at the expense of the multiracial taxpayers.

At the current meetings of Umno branches nationwide, despite a few calls for the Prime Minister to resign and for the party to abolish the quota nomination system for party polls, the Ketuanan Melayu bit has become a compulsory war cry.

At branch-level meetings, some are just race-baiting — the non-Malays will take over the country if the government stops giving the Malays more power, jobs, business and education opportunities and other perks.

The question is — if they take over the Umno leadership, can Najib, Muhyiddin or Tengku Razaleigh reform Umno to suit with the needs of all Malaysians? Or will the racial supremacy continue to reign to the detriment of Malaysia's multiracial society?

The Federal Constitution's provision for the Malays is to help the underprivileged and bring the Malays out of poverty. To promote racial supremacy and segregation is not constitutional.

This is the problem Umno leaders must resolve if they truly want a Bangsa Malaysia, as espoused by one of their great leaders, Dr Mahathir, despite the veteran politician's racist remarks.

In his own words 15 years ago Dr Mahathir said: "The establishment of a fully united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny, a nation that is at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and in full and fair partnership, made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (one Malaysian nation) with political loyalty and dedication to the nation."

It's up to Umno leaders now if they really want to achieve the former premier's dream of Vision 2020, and that's just 12 years from now, or continue to talk racial politics.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my

Anwar’s back in Parliament

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim ended his 10-year absence from Parliament when he was sworn in at 10.05am by Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia in the Dewan Rakyat.

He can now drop the "de facto" prefix from his position as opposition leader as Pandikar Amin confirmed the endorsement by Pakatan Rakyat of his leadership immediately after the swearing-in.

"According to Standing Order 4A(3), I wish to inform that from the feedback I have received, I am satisfied that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, MP for Permatang Pauh, has received unanimous support from opposition members to be appointed opposition leader," the speaker told the House to the loud table-thumping by opposition MPs which had soundtracked the entire swearing-in ceremony.

In asking the first question during the Q&A session, the BN's Sepanggar MP Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun first congratulated "the honourable Permatang Pauh" and this was echoed by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz.

"I would like to congratulate him on his return to Parliament and also his appointment as opposition leader," he said before answering the question.

Immediately after, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang stood up to ask a supplementary question but prefixed it by proclaiming that the Permatang Pauh by-election was a "second political tsunami" after the March 8 general election and added that "the government will be sunk like the Titanic".

Dressed all in black, including his songkok, as is required for the swearing in of an MP, Anwar later told the press that "everyone wanted me to take an oath, so it's done", a double entendre alluding to earlier calls for him to swear on the Quran to counter sodomy allegations reiterated in a similar oath taken by his accuser Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Saying that he was glad to be back after a decade of "being denied of my rights, although it's been good that Azizah has been holding the fort as MP for Permatang Pauh and opposition leader," referring to his wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.

"I feel I am vindicated after all these personal attacks just to deny me — at all cost, Anwar must not be allowed to return to Parliament. But the people of Permatang Pauh are wise enough to want to see me in Parliament. All their machination, the might of those in authority, the massive power and billions of dollars cannot alter the minds of Malaysians," he stated.

He also commented on fresh calls for Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to resign, saying that it is up to Umno but "clearly the PM has lost the mandate and the Deputy Prime Minister who spearheaded the campaign has been rejected outright. It's not just them but the entire Umno and their cronies who have amassed billions from the people".

On the other hand, Anwar was evasive about his much-publicised plans to take over the federal government by Sept 16, merely saying it was on track and that details would be dealt with in due time.

"I can assure you, in our stated policy, when Umno is the opposition, they will be given more right than when we were," was his only reference to Sept 16.

Asked about the fact that the "live" broadcast of Parliament today had only begun after his swearing in, he replied: "That's normal for these nasty machinations of the BN government. Even after I have won, they are still in a state of denial. They use their henchmen in the media, RTM and TV3 for example, not just to broadcast malicious and scurrilous attacks but to deny even what is standard procedure.

"Doesn't this sound stupid?" he added.

Nazri, however, insisted that the government had only ever agreed to broadcast the Q&A session and not specifically proceedings from 10am.

Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek echoed this, saying that "We begin the telecast every day from the first question. Even when we swore in 216 MPs we didn't have a live telecast, what more for one person?"

Tomorrow, he wil take his place opposite the man he seeks to depose, Finance and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, for the tabling of the 2009 Budget.

"To me it's about policies," he said of meeting Abdullah in the Dewan Rakyat. "It is nothing personal. I can meet them and be very civil. It's the Umno leadership that has been dirty and personal. We did not bring up any issue about their candidate in the by-election. Shouldn't they feel shameful?"

Anwar left the press conference to be shown his new office as opposition leader by his predecessor, wife and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail but returned to the Dewan Rakyat at 11.55am.

Anwar's first statement in the House was to interject during the debate on the controversial DNA Identification Bill, said by the opposition to be targeted at him.

"The one whose credibility is in question is our corrupt leaders. This government's desire to push the Bill quickly shows they are greedy and disrespectful to the Speaker and the House. They have not given members time to scrutinise the Bill and exercise their responsibility. The government's approval of the Bill only proves they are corrupt as it has been opposed by all experts in the related fields. The government and Cabinet are afraid of people power."

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my

Anifah attacks DNA Bill

By Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — On the day Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim returned to Parliament and took his place as opposition leader, a leading Barisan Nasional MP attacked the DNA Identification Bill.

Considered the de facto Sabah leader in the Dewan Rakyat, Kimanis MP Datuk Anifah Aman told the House that “implications of many clauses in the Bill have not been thought through”.

Anifah, the brother of Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, said that according to Clause 24, DNA analyses would be considered conclusive proof over-riding other evidence in court and in Clause 7, a high-ranking police officer would be appointed chief of the DNA databank.

“I propose that an independent DNA expert not in the employ of the police be appointed as the chief and deputy,” he said, explaining also that this was to ensure the integrity of investigations.

“To an accused, he will always question the integrity when the investigator who is seeking conviction and the one in charge of storing evidence is the same party,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

When asked if he was defying the party whip, he denied it, claiming that he was merely “making suggestions to complement the Bill”.

“It’s not about which party you are from. You must go with your conscience. The Bill has a lot of loopholes and they don’t just apply to members of the opposition but to everyone.”

He clarified also that the speech in the debate was only his personal view as an MP.

Anifah was widely speculated to be one of a number of Sabah MPs said to be ready to cross over to Anwar’s Pakatan Rakyat to fulfil his plans to form the federal government.

Dissident BN leader and Sabah Progressive Party president Datuk Yong Teck Lee had two months ago called on the Umno politician to lead an independent group of MPs from Sabah and Sarawak although he promptly turned down the invitation.

“While I share the sentiments expressed by the SAPP in promoting the interests of Sabah, I still believe in the Barisan Nasional,” Anifah had told The Malaysian Insider.

When Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi formed his Cabinet after the March 8 general election, Anifah had turned down the position of deputy transport minister. Some media reported that he had thrown a tantrum, claiming he is senior enough to be made a full minister.

The DNA Bill, tabled by Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar, has been hotly debated these past few days due to its supposed relation to allegations of sodomy against Anwar where DNA evidence has become a key issue. The opposition is seeking to bring the Bill to a select committee to make amendments to proposed legislation which has come under fire from parliamentarians and also the Bar Council.

A select committee is a panel that collects more feedback from the public and interest groups to clear any weaknesses in a Bill. Once that is completed, the committee will reintroduce the Bill for debate.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my

Cyberspace crackdown limited to Malaysia-Today website… for now

By Debra Chong and Shannon Teoh

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — It looks like Malaysia-Today is the only target of the government’s sudden crackdown on blogosphere. So far.

“At the moment, even Anwar Ibrahim’s blog has been spared. So it seems to be Malaysia-Today only, you know,” its editor, Raja Petra Kamarudin, told The Malaysian Insider this morning.

The controversial blogger said that he was surprised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's (MCMC) order to 19 Internet service providers (ISPs) to block his website.

“Well, I expected them to do something, but I just didn’t know what they were going to do. But in Malaysia we’re always expecting to expect anything, you know what I mean?”

The 57-year-old explained that the authorities had gone to his house last Thursday and confiscated his computer. They had wanted to record his statement at police headquarters in Bukit Aman that week, but he informed them that he would be busy covering the hotly contested by-election in Permatang Pauh, Penang.

“They wanted me to report last week but I told them, nope, I’m going up to Permatang Pauh. If they want, they can come up to Permatang Pauh; so they said, no, they’d rather not. They’d rather not go into the ‘sarang tebuan’, to quote, unquote what they said-lah.

“So I said, it’s your choice. You either come to Permatang Pauh and interrogate me there, or you wait until after I come back. So they said, OK, after I come back,” he said. He returned from Penang yesterday and expects to be called up for police questioning in the next couple of days.

The news portal, wildly popular with politically-minded Malaysians and other followers of Malaysian political news, normally receives between 10 million and 15 million hits a day, he said.

Access to the website via its domain name system (DNS) www.malaysia-today.net has been barred since 6pm two days ago.

On the eve of polling day, however, its online traffic tripled, due to overwhelming worldwide interest in the by-election, which catapulted former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim back into Parliament, but this time as the opposition leader.

“I’d already said I’m going to start reporting the results as soon as they come in. And just as the results were coming in but before we were could even flash it onto the site, they blocked the site.

“So I suppose they wanted to make sure I couldn’t flash the early results until they were ready for the results to be announced,” said Raja Petra.

However, it was only a partial shutdown limited to Streamyx users. Raja Petra clarified that readers who are overseas and those who subscribe to other ISPs such as Maxis are still able to access the Malaysia-Today website normally.

He also managed to set up an alternative blog site at mt.harapanmalaysia.com and passed the word of the new DNS address through SMSes.

“Of course, many people don't know yet that there’s a new address they can go to. Our readership has declined to about half of what it normally is. People overseas can still access Malaysia-Today though.

“The fact that it was half the normal shows that a lot of the traffic is not coming through from Streamyx, and they are using Maxis or accessing from overseas,” said Raja Petra.

He believes that the MCMC will take further action soon and order all ISPs to block all access to his blog, contravening Section 3 of the Communications and Multimedia Act, which prohibits any censorship of the Internet.
Asked on his next course of action, Raja Petra replied: “What action can I take? I don’t think there’s any action I can take.”

Queried further if he was planning to lodge a complaint against the MCMC, he said: “Ahhh, no point. I get beaten up by the director of CID, I make a police report and nothing happens. I couldn’t even be bothered to enter a plea when they charged me in court. Anything involving government, I tak layan. They do what they want, I do what I want. I’m not co-operating with the government. Why should I want to write to the government?”

Whatever further action imposed by the MCMC will not deter him from writing and publishing what he deems to be the truth on the local political scene.

“I’ll just continue doing what I’m doing. I’ll just keep running around all over the world-lah, setting up new sites. The readers will just have to SMS each other to inform their friends and so on what’s the new addresses.”

Meanwhile, several ministers in Parliament today commented that they saw nothing excessive in this latest development.

Deputy Energy, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum fired a salvo against the website.

“You should ask MT what is wrong with them? I don’t think the MCMC will just block any media,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

“Even if something is remotely sensitive, people may misinterpret what we think is proper. Issues of race and religion are normal basis for action,” he said.

However, he hurriedly added that he does not read the news on Malaysia-Today and had not been informed of the MCMC action. He deflected further questions, saying his superior, the minister, was in Bali at the moment but would be back for the tabling of the Budget tomorrow.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar said that the MCMC was just “exercising their power under the Act”.

“I think the most important thing is everyone is subject to the law, even people operating on websites or blogs. We do not intend to curtail people’s freedom and right to give information or debate.

“But when you publish content that is libellous, defamatory, slanderous to other people, I think it is only natural, looking at their powers, in order to bring law and order within the country, to take action which they deem necessary,” he said.

He noted that the authorities had given many fair opportunities and warnings to bloggers, which have gone unheeded.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said that it was the government’s responsibility to take pre-emptive action against anything that could jeopardise the stability of the country.

“We have laws to ensure that no sensitive issues are raised. If the MCMC made that decision, it was made considering the welfare of the population of this country,” he said.

“There must be control, it cannot be complete freedom. You have to discuss behind closed doors, you know, we are multiracial. Sometimes, you bring up a matter and say you are sincere. But the perception of other groups is different,” he added.

“For example, I think it is foolish for the Bar Council to have a seminar or conference of which the title is ‘Conversion to Islam’. I expected them to have common sense. If you want to discuss sensitive things like this, why can’t you have a theme: ‘Problems of conversion in a multi-religious society?’ That’s clever, isn’t it? Then you can talk anything; you talk about conversion to Islam.

“In this country, it’s all about perception... Then nobody’s going to get angry. It’s not that you can’t discuss, but sensitive things, it’s better behind closed doors rather than openly,” Nazri elaborated.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my

Kassim: Permatang Pauh result showed rejection

Kota Kinabalu, August 27, 2008: The result of the recent Permatang Pauh by-election 2008, is a testimony that the people including BN and UMNO members are rejecting BN administration.

Party Keadilan's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim garnered 31,195 votes while BN 15,524 votes, giving a majority of 15,671 votes.

Although BN's total membership in Permatang Pauh is 26,942 ( UMNO ¡V 19,442, Gerakan ¡V 2,900, MCA ¡V 2,400, MIC ¡V 1,700, PPP ¡V 500 ) but BN managed to secure only 15,524 votes. This shows that a total of 11,271 BN members have opted to support Party Keadilan's Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

As Permatang Pauh is in the home state of the Prime Minister, the failure of BN in wresting Permatang Pauh from the opposition, is an expression of no-confidence on the Prime Minister's leadership.

http://www.sapp.org.my

After Anwar’s win, is real change probable?

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 28 — Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's impressive showing in a Penang by-election carries deep significance, which politicians raised in a culture of patronage and race segmentation ought to ponder.

The win was by a margin bigger than his wife's in the March general election. It came on top of misgivings induced by a sexual allegation against Anwar, dramatised by his accuser, a young man, swearing his truthfulness.

Leaders of the ruling Barisan Nasional, especially in Umno, will make of the poll atmospherics what they will. They could rationalise that Permatang Pauh was a family seat, that Anwar was an artful campaigner rolling on a momentum. They would be remiss in thinking only in those terms. What they will find hard to wave away is re-confirmation in the result that a tidal shift in Malaysia, in favour of an inclusive Malaysian nation, is well under way.

Urbanites, including more and more disaffected Malays, signalled their discontent powerfully in the March parliamentary elections, although Malays in the rural hinterland largely still hew to the race line.

This is the last, enormous divide to be breached. It will determine whether Malaysia becomes progressive-modern or backsliding-part modern. The field is wide open to contenders with the nerve and the ideas to make the races believe in one another. All political parties, not just Umno and its BN partners but also the race-based constituents of Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat, have work to do to undo the decades of indifference towards the concept of Malaysian-ness.

Anwar claims he can persuade enough BN MPs to cross the floor for Pakatan to unseat the BN government. Now that he is ready to take his seat in the Dewan Rakyat, scheduled for this morning, his credibility will be tested on the record. The defectors, if they eventuate, can just as easily be lured back to BN; such is the elasticity of Malaysian political allegiance.

Anwar is setting the ideological agenda by pledging to build a more equal nation. In Penang, he spoke of the people wanting change for freedom and justice. “They are saying they don't want to be taken for granted any longer,” he scolded. Umno as the linchpin of BN has also been grappling with the issue since it got shaken out of its slumber in March. Its difficulty has been how to protect Malay interests without making non-Malays feel like guests in their land of birth. It has to do a better job of it.

But Malay racial sentiment in the rural swathe is resurgent again after the electoral drubbing. The Islamic Pas, a member of Pakatan, has not been above playing up race. The bloc that can draw these divisive energies towards the political pulse centre will win the day. It is anybody's contest. — Straits Times Singapore

45 or 51?

AUG 28 — Before you get excited and think this has something to do with the voting pattern in the recent Pemantang Pauh by-election, let me assure you it is something more serious.

"51" here refers to the coming 51st Merdeka celebrations. As we all know, Malaya achieved self government in 1957 under the leadership of the Alliance — Umno, MCA and MIC. The rest is blah, blah, blah (refer to Form Four history textbook) until the Alliance became the Barisan Nasional in 1974. We all know the story from then onwards. No wonder people outside Malaysia call this country a "one-party state" since the government has not changed for half a century.

So, what then is the "45"? Actually, 45 is the "correct" number of years that Malaysia has been independent. If you read your history carefully, the Federation of Malaysia came into being only in 1963.

So for our five million-plus East Malaysian brothers and sisters across the South China Sea, it's only 45 years. They don't really understand how you can miscalculate or misinterpret a historical date. 2008 minus 1963 is 45. There is no other answer.

Look South. Singapore just celebrated its 43rd anniversary. It was kicked out of the Malaysian Federation in 1965. It did not celebrate 45 and count 1963 as its birth year. Singapore could have easily used several other dates as its "independence" day.

Similarly, why are we choosing 51 instead of the accurate historical date of 45? Is it because we wanted to look "older" as a nation-state? Does an extra six years of independence make a difference?

Some of you will think, so what? Who cares if it's 45 or 51? We should care because in this country, history is constantly being manipulated to suit political ends. If a sovereign state cannot even use an accurate date for its independence, you really have to wonder what else we can change in our history.

Right now there are disputes over the portrayal of the social and political history of Malaysia. There are allegations that some "political" historians are rewriting history to downplay the contributions of certain ethnic groups in the historical development of this country. Names of roads are being changed to wipe out their history.

Others not only re-write, but simply, make up history to justify racism and other discriminatory policies. In most countries, these "historians" would be exposed as fakes but in this country, they are celebrated and some of this revisionist view of history actually makes it to the history textbooks.

Some of these "facts" are then passed on to the younger generation who are then conditioned to think in a certain way. You can't blame them as they were fed with distorted history in the first place.

Truth be told, some of what is written as Malaysian history is, at best, political propaganda.

China, Taiwan and South Korea have protested for years against the Japanese for distorting the war years in their history textbooks. People have died fighting for an accurate version of history and what the Japanese did during the war.

Right now there is a worldwide movement by some prominent historians to debunk the book "1421", and its latest offering "1434". Many real historians think the arguments presented by Gavin Menzies is pure rubbish. I wish there was a similar site run by real Malaysian historians to debunk some of the historical "facts" about Malaysia.

In sum, all I am saying is: let's keep politics out of history. And make sure the rakyat have access to and be taught a true version of our past. A nation with a fake or distorted history cannot take its place as a great country.

James Chin teaches at Monash University's Malaysia campus in Bandar Sunway. He can be contacted at Jameschin1@gmail.com

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com.my