Muhyiddin tells MIC to stop grousing

KUALA LUMPUR, – Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today stopped short, barely, of giving a public dressing down to the MIC by pointing out that Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties should respect the prime minister’s Cabinet choices and not air their grouses publicly.

The deputy prime minister was commenting on reports over the weekend that the MIC was unhappy with Cabinet appointments and was considering pulling out its representatives from the government.

The Malaysian Insider understands the threat against the BN leadership was a result of Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu’s exclusion from the Cabinet. The unpopular MIC president is unhappy that he was snubbed while Gerakan president Tan Sri Koh Tsu Koon was made a minister through a senatorial appointment.

Muhyiddin told reporters today that dissatisfaction over Cabinet appointments should not be openly discussed as it could be exploited as fodder by the opposition, suggesting the frailties of the BN government against unrelenting attacks from Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and other critics of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s fledgling administration.

He added that he has also spoken to the deputy president of MIC, who has denied the party had discussed such a move.

Muhyiddin said there was no need for the matter to be brought up to the BN because the MIC president could always meet the prime minister.

Muhyiddin was speaking to the press after handing over duties at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to Datuk Mustapa Mohamed, who is the new minister.

Of late there has been intense speculations in the press that MIC president Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu was considering pulling out Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam and deputy ministers Datuk S.K. Devamany and Datuk M. Saravanan, from the Cabinet.

The move is seen as a means to pressure the new administration to give the party more Cabinet positions. (TMI)

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Kayveas threaten to leave BN if ISA is not abolished

The PPP will pull out of the Barisan Nasional if the Internal Security Act is not amended before the next elections, party president Datuk M. Kayveas said.

“I have to follow what the Youth and Wanita divisions have proposed to the party and they want the ISA abolished.

“As a responsible party I told them let’s go halfway and ask for amendments to the Act so that it is not a draconian law imposed on innocent citizens,” he said when opening the Youth and Wanita meeting and elections yesterday.

“The Barisan has to make changes before the next general election. It would be suicidal if we do not.

“The problem with the Barisan is its success the past 50 years. Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.

“The March election has shown what the voters are looking for: good governance and multi-racialism.

“The solution has always been multi-racialism but to date the Barisan is still caught in its own political racial configuration and so what is said is not implemented fast enough.”

Wanita leader C. Josephine Anne said the Barisan had to act now to “fast-track development programmes for all races, show our sincerity and start by uniting the Barisan parties.”

“The Barisan must work towards a common society to regain the confidence of the rakyat, and not just offer lip service and continue to use the race card.

“In this day and age, we cannot continue to pit one race against the other and talk about unity.”

PPP Youth chief T. Murugiah said they did not support the use of the ISA against ordinary citizens.

“The ISA was designed to handle a terrorist threat and should be used only for the purpose.”

On Murugiah’s position in PPP, Kayveas said that he would appoint him to the supreme council and get the council’s approval to appoint him as vice-president.

R. Ellan Govan, who was deputy Youth chief, beat two others to become Youth chief while incumbent Wanita chief Josephine won uncontested.(TheStar)

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Shahrizat to challenge Rafidah for Wanita UMNO leadership - Malaysiakini

PETALING JAYA: Barely a day after Wanita Umno chief Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz announced that the wing’s power transition plan would remain as planned in June, her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil has sprung a surprise.

She has decided to challenge Rafidah for the Wanita Umno leadership. Highly-placed sources said that Shahrizat had made up her mind to go for the wing’s top post which Rafidah has held for more than 20 years.

Shahrizat is expected to take Kuala Kangsar Wanita division chief and lawyer Datuk Kamiliah Ibrahim as her running mate.

Sources said Shahrizat wanted to exhaust all avenues before deciding on a challenge. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the marathon Wanita exco meeting on Monday that saw Rafidah loyalists bringing out the knives.

Rafidah’s loyalists insisted that the transition plan go ahead at the five-and-a-half-hour meeting.

Shahrizat was chastised for issuing a press statement — a day before the exco meeting — in which she asked Rafidah to consider going in March instead of June.

One exco member said she was taken aback by the language that several of the critics used.

“They ran her down, insulted her and bullied her into agreeing,” said the exco member.

Her critics were also upset about the nominations she got and impli-ed she had conspired with Kamilia to get the endorsement.

She was even criticised for not inviting Rafidah to her Hari Raya open house. It is understood she received scores of SMSes after news broke out of the Wanita exco proceedings and it pushed her towards her decision.

Some scolded her for caving in to Rafidah, others expressed disappointment and said they felt betrayed, while others urged her to change her mind.

An aide said she spent half the night reading the SMSes, some of which were “hate mail” because some of the women were angry she had not resisted the transition plan.

Moreover, she has won 72 nominations against the 118 secured by Rafidah for the Wanita leadership.

Segambut Wanita chief and film producer Ruhani Abdul Rahman sa-id Shahrizat should go for it because “we are ready for a change.”

“A June transition would make Shahrizat an acting Wanita leader without a deputy for the next three years. What is the point of that?” said Ruhani.(TheStar)

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Najib's Budget 2009 revision irked Oppositions

KUALA LUMPUR- Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak revised the 2009 Budget today, presenting additional steps such as a RM7 billion injection into the economy as a "policy response" to deal with the global financial crisis.

Besides the RM7 billion injection, which is the savings from fuel subsidies, he also revised downwards the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast.

"This is to ensure Malaysia's economy continues to grow and the rakyat do not come under too much pressure," he said in Parliament today when announcing the new measures.

The revision brings forecasted GDP growth down to 3.5 per cent from 5.4 per cent and the budget deficit upwards to 4.8 per cent from 3.6 per cent.

This is due to changes in estimated revenue from RM176.22 billion to RM168.73 while expenditure remained the same.

With this, the Deputy Prime Minister crushed the opposition's hope to have the budget retabled. Najib also insisted that the government was "not in denial."

"Even though Malaysia is not directly experiencing a financial crisis and has strong financial fundamentals, we are aware that Malaysia is not exempt or sheltered from the risks of challenging global developments," he said.

He backed this up by stating that the national reserve was still healthy at 37 per cent of GDP with only 2.5 per cent non-performing loans and a risk weighted capital-adequacy ratio of just 13.2 per cent, above the international standard of 8 per cent.

Najib also said the government will proceed with the proposal to inject RM5 billion into ValueCap via a loan from the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) to purchase undervalued stocks.

He insisted that the funds would be guaranteed by the government and the returns from the loan would be higher than the prevailing interest rate but with minimum risk.

The DPM said this was to stimulate activity in the capital market and it was not compulsory for ValueCap to invest only in GLCs. He added that this move had precedents in Hong Kong's Tracker Fund during the 1998 economic crisis and also recent measures taken by the Qatar Investment Authority.

Najib also called the revised budget an expansionary one, stressing that priority would be given to projects with a high multiplier effect, citing as an example the shelving of the RM1.6 billion purchase of Eurocopter helicopters by the Ministry of Defence.

"The government has the flexibility to execute additional high impact projects due to savings from fuel subsidies. From these savings, the government will execute various initiatives involving an injection of RM7 billion," he announced.

The Bill was passed unanimously and now moves on to the committee stage.(TheMalaysianinsider)

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Mahathir is back with a vangeance

With a hit count reaching almost nine million in just one year, it would not be wrong to describe former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad as Malaysia's most successful blogger.His blog, chedet.com, routinely attracts hundreds of comments, and is frequently quoted by the mainstream media. Ironically, he started the blog only because he was blacked out in the media for his harsh criticism of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Five years to the day since his retirement in 2003, Dr Mahathir's influence seems to be growing steadily as Malaysia readies for a new prime minister by the end of March next year.

His every move is dissected for its significance. When he showed up at International Trade Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's Hari Raya open house last week, it stirred much excitement as it was perceived as an endorsement of the minister. This can count for a lot in the upcoming election in Umno, whose members still love him.

Is Dr Mahathir making a political comeback? Not exactly. But there is a strong belief that his influence is on the rise.

Observers suggest that he could have a big say in the next administration after he played a key role in securing the early retirement of Abdullah, who was blamed for the poor showing of the Barisan Nasional in the March polls.

Many believe that Dr Mahathir's skilful manoeuvres behind the scenes were instrumental in getting Deputy Premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak to persuade Abdullah to retire earlier than his original plan of June 2010. The whiff of resurgent power has sent Umno leaders and the media flocking to Dr Mahathir again, and he is back in the limelight after five years of being out in the cold.

“His views are being reported more widely, precisely because many people think that he will make a comeback,” said political analyst Ong Kian Ming.

Professor Agus Yusoff, from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, agreed that this was one perception, but felt that the bigger reason was the weakness of the current leadership.

“His views are being heard now because people are looking for better leadership. They see Dr Mahathir as experienced, and his views relevant,” he said.

Things have come full circle for Dr Mahathir, 82. His star dimmed soon after his retirement when Abdullah won a massive mandate in 2004. But the former premier soon sprang back into limelight after he began to give voice to public misgivings about Abdullah's weak administration.

His attacks gripped Malaysians for months in 2005, but they soon wore thin — until the March election that saw the BN suffer heavy losses. His campaign to topple his successor gained unstoppable momentum, returning him to a position of influence. Dr Mahathir's recent blog entry criticising the reach of vote-buying, or “money politics”, in Umno was debated widely in Umno circles.

His most recent acerbic comments on Najib's alleged young advisers sparked even more talk.

In a blog entry on Tuesday, he warned Najib not to repeat the mistake of cloistering himself with young advisers as Abdullah had, to the anger of Umno.

Dr Mahathir named consultancy firm Ethos as the Deputy Premier's adviser, and claimed that it also had links to Abdullah's young advisers.

“They (Ethos) are interested in getting a portion of the EPF worth RM300 billion to manage its investments, apparently with returns of up to 40 per cent,” he wrote, referring to the Employees Provident Fund.

The management of Ethos was quoted in The Edge business weekly recently about their interest in managing part of EPF investments. Najib has not responded.

Political observers believe that he will not marginalise the former premier, especially after seeing how Dr Mahathir's constant sniping damaged Abdullah's reputation.

“Najib will certainly prefer to have Dr Mahathir inside as an adviser rather than outside lobbing criticism at him,” said Ong.

This has led some people to predict a return of Mahathirism, suggesting a stronger hand on government than Abdullah's looser style. But Najib's supporters have denied this perception.

“Najib is not a puppet, he will have his own way and will want to make his own mark,” said Agus.

Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir's every move and word will continue to be watched, and his blog can expect to hit the 10 million mark very soon. — The Straits Times


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UMNO polls will not be reverted to December - PM

BEIJING(24Oct): The Umno party polls will be held in March next year as scheduled and not reverted to December, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“We already have the transition plan and it will be in March next year,” he told reporters on Thursday when asked if the Umno general assembly would be brought to December.

It is learnt that some Umno divisions are against the party’s Supreme Council decision to postpone the general assembly to March.

Abdullah, who earlier launched Khazanah Nasional’s Beijing representative office here, arrived on Wednesday to attend the two-day Seventh Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem).

Abdullah’s official programme includes the Asean Leaders’ Working Dinner and Asean Plus Three Leaders’ Breakfast Meeting on the Financial Crisis.

Abdullah will hold talks with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Thai Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Cypriot President Demetris Christofias and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

Established in 1996, Asem is an informal process of dialogue and cooperation between its 45 members, comprising the 10 Asean member nations, China, Japan, South Korea, India, Mongolia, Pakistan, and European Union members.

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Pak Lah hints could step down in March

Malaysian Premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi indicated Friday he could step down next March, saying he had not decided whether to stand in ruling party leadership elections to be held then.
Abdullah spoke after an emergency meeting of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), held amid speculation he would be forced to quit ahead of a planned transition to his deputy Najib Razak in mid-2010.

The embattled premier said that UMNO internal polls scheduled for December would now be postponed until March, and that he would make an announcement in the next few weeks over whether he would bid for the top job.

"I have not made any decision as far as this particular point is concerned," he said. "The decision is mine, you can go on guessing. As far as I'm concerned I love the party."

But he indicated that he would depart sooner rather than later, saying the party polls had been brought forward "to help facilitate an early transition".

Abdullah admitted that several members of UMNO's Supreme Council were pushing for a speedy transition of power, but he said the policy-making body agreed with the decision to shift the party elections.

Excerpt from http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1696709

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Gerakan might leave BN

Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik"s interview in Off The Edge seems to be the latest marker in a widening schism in Gerakan.

The party"s influential adviser and former president"s assessment of the membership"s desire to quit the Barisan Nasional is agreed to by grassroots leaders and observers alike, but they are divided on his suggestion that they give the Umno-led coalition one last chance despite his scepticism over their ability to reform.

Political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, whose book on the party was recently published, says that the difference in opinions goes all the way up to the top leadership.

"The interview shows us Lim is being a bit more sincere now. The other party leaders will simply strike aside the idea of leaving the BN immediately.

"There is a split in the party's direction now between Lim and acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon whose central working committee is loyal to him," he explains, pointing out that the rift was already obvious since the choice of Penang chief minister was being argued prior to the party's March 8 annihilation.

There is one camp, who like Kuala Lumpur Youth chief Ma Woei Chyi, is worried about their political survival: "Are we ready to hop? In terms of organisation and finances, we need time to get ready. Once we leave the BN, will our multiracial philosophy be unique? DAP and PKR offer the same thing."

"It's a dilemma facing the leadership," muses Cheras division chairman Dr Hsu Dar Ren, widely regarded as an influential grassroots leader in the party who favours leaving the governing coalition.

"Whenever the idea of leaving the BN is raised, they say you can either join Pakatan Rakyat and become a mosquito party or become an independent third bloc where you will lose in every three-cornered fight during the elections.

"But so what if we don't have elected representatives? If our ideals are being achieved by other organisations, then it doesn't matter if Gerakan as a party exists or not. It is immaterial whether our fight for a multiracial society is achieved by Parti Gerakan or otherwise," he adds.

There is no question however, that there is a strong sense of frustration with Umno's continued trumpeting of Ketuanan Melayu. Hsu says "Umno is beyond redemption" as it has too much "baggage".

Khoo believes that Gerakan must go back to its roots and reject communal politics by standing up against the Malay protectionist New Economic Policy.

"Leaving the BN will give the party a starting point to recovery. Its association with Umno is indefensible.

"After March 8, the leadership said voters were punishing Umno, and Gerakan was hurt because of that but after the Permatang Pauh by-election, there is a clear indication from the grassroots that young Gerakan members want to pull out and leave communal politics," he says of the party's attempt to win back its network of urban voters.

While Ma agrees that the urban working class has been suffering and, hence, was captured by the opposition in the March 8 elections, he believes the way to regain them is by representing their interest as part of government and performing instead of jumping ship.

"Yes, we can conclude that some are thinking of leaving the BN but where do we go? The thought of partnering Pas, an Islamist party, seems to be like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire," he adds.

Ma prefers Lim's option of giving Umno another chance. Echoing his "we are not deserters" statement, Ma says "we have been friends for 34 years and now when our partners are facing problems, is it morally correct to abandon the sinking ship? We ought to stay and assist them to regain the confidence of the people".

With noises of discontent with the status quo coming from the party's Perak, Penang, Kedah and KL outposts, the situation appears to be building up for a explosive national delegates conference next month.

Excerpt from http://m.themalaysianinsider.com/articles.php?id=8479.

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Cloud of despair over BN and Malaysia

This is the season of despair for Malaysia"s once proud Barisan Nasional of uncertainty, indecision, broken promises and a credibility deficit.

Just listen to the once strong and commanding voices of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik. They now have the timbre of beaten men; of politicians who despite their rich experience are at a loss to point the way forward for their supporters and countrymen.

Just listen to Cabinet ministers and senior politicians in their private moments. They are in unfamiliar territory; not knowing how to regain the trust of their constituents; wondering why their announcements are greeted with cynicism; troubled that the arch enemy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is Mr Teflon nothing sticks on him.

Dr Mahathir, Dr Lim, the ministers and politicians know that if the mood of despair does not lift, this could be the last time the BN governs Malaysia, the end of one of the world"s longest ruling regimes.

This is what the former prime minister said on his blog yesterday: -The BN is in a sorry state. I hate to say it but the Permatang Pauh victory by PKR probably sounded the death knell of all the BN parties and the BN.-

To be sure, the despair began long before the night of March 8 when news filtered through that the alliance of DAP-PKR-Pas had not only denied the BN its two-thirds majority in Parliament but also surrendered control of Kedah, Penang, Selangor and Perak.

For non-Malays, it started in 2005, when it became clear that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was reneging on his promise of being the leader of all Malaysians. He stood and watched as his party members flaunted their political muscle and questioned the status of Chinese and Indians. He was a bystander as Hindus and Christians faced challenges in practising their religions. He tolerated the unlawful behaviour of Umno warlords like the late Zakaria Deros in the name of political expediency.

All these omissions and actions only deepened the sense of despair about the country among Chinese and Indians, and hammered home the message that the interests of minorities will not be protected under the Umno-led BN.

For many Malays, the umbilical cord with Umno and the BN was cut 10 years ago, when Dr Mahathir dumped Anwar unceremoniously from government and when for the first time, many in the community wondered whether the New Economic Policy really benefited them. Along the way, they reached the conclusion that the politicians entrusted to look after their interest have grown fat and rich on government largesse. In the back of beyond, Umno is still strong. But in urban centres, many Malays no longer call Umno their party of choice.

Can Umno stop the rot? Can Umno galvanise a listless BN? Can Umno reconnect with the ground? Gerakan"s Dr Lim, a politician who has worked with the likes of Tun Abdul Razak, Tun Dr Ismail, Tun Hussein Onn, Dr Mahathir, did not think so.

He did not believe that any current or future Umno leader has the vision or the will to shake the ruling party out of its stupor and make the necessary reforms which Malaysians want done. In an interview with Off the Edge, he sounded defeated, fed-up with the arrogance and money culture in Umno.

Not once did he blame Abdullah directly but reading in between the lines, it is clear that he assigns much of the BN"s problems to the weak leadership of Umno.' Does he have a silver bullet for the BN? Dr Lim offers a fountain of rhetoric but little else.

It seems even the man with all the answers is giving up. Dr Mahathir noted that some readers on his blog had asked him to do something about the country.

His response was short: he had done everything. He had openly criticised Abdullah; asked him to step down as prime minister and Umno president; accused him of corruption; resigned from Umno; spoken about corruption and the fate awaiting Malays and started a blog.

-Privately many said they support me and they want Abdullah to step down. But they are not prepared to say it openly. That was why I started my blog. About six million had visited my blog site and tens of thousands have commented and supported me.

-But most appear to be worried and would not give their names. They are usually anonymous. So the support is not effective.

-I cannot do everything all by myself. I need support. I cannot just go to Dato Seri Abdullah, catch him by the scruff of his neck and throw him out,-' he said.

Getting rid of Abdullah may not be enough to lift the cloud of despair hanging over the BN and Malaysia. A recent survey commissioned by a government agency showed that many Malaysians seemed dissatisfied in the manner the BN operates.

More than 60 per cent of Chinese and Indians polled wanted the BN to become one single multiracial political party. Surprisingly, 71 per cent of Malays, Indians and Chinese polled said that BN race-based affirmative action policy is obsolete and must be replaced with a merit-based system.

Taken individually, 63 per cent of Malays support this change in policy, 83 per cent Chinese and 85 per cent Indians and 63 per cent non-Muslim Bumiputeras.

These findings make nonsense of some of the assumptions Umno politicians have relied on even after Election 2008.

Excerpt from http://m.themalaysianinsider.com.my/articles.php?id=8484-cloud-of-despair-over-bn-and-malaysia

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