Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies

Joseph Tawie

Local village headmen are being told that the government has shelved the construction of the Baram Dam.

The deceitful and insidious manner by which the state government is going about with the construction of the Baram Dam has angered the Orang Ulu communities in the dam project vicinity.

Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA) chairman Pete Kallang said: “As one of those affected I just can’t understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploitation.

“Why, it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our well-being and opinion.

“This could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties.

Apostasy issues cloud this Raya as politicians turn religion into a millstone

Chiifen Hiu

There has been a recent uproar surrounding the issue of apostasy amongst the Muslim community, and fingers of blame have been pointed in all directions, from Christian tuition schools to opposition leaders.

But really, at a time like Hari Raya Aidilfitri, should we perhaps not be celebrating our commitment and faith, or the commitment and faith of our loved ones to Islam? Instead we are squabbling and pointing fingers; actions that stem from a place of insecurity and lack of faith, in direct contrast to what all religions call for.

St Thomas Aquinas once said, “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

After the celebrations, will M’sia get a new Tun Najib and Toh Puan Rosmah

Iskandar Dzulkarnain

So the academics have come out to offer their views on the issue of Malay disunity.

In consensus with the Perak Mufti Harussani Zakaria, who blamed it on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s weak and corrupt government, Professor Madya Mohammad Agus Yussoff has said that the deterioration was also caused by government inaction to listen and to accept the varied views of the people

“I fully agree with the views of Harussani, but I would like to add that another cause of Malay disunity is the government’s refusal to open their ears and listen to the Rakyat’s differences. If the government is serious about Malay Unity, the government must listen and accept the views as to why the Malays are split but the problem is that the government refuses to listen. The Malay split is also because of discrimination and injustice to the Malays themselves as what happened in Kelantan and that’s why there is a split.”

For UMNO and PBB, religion is the final gamble

Pak Bui

We are used to hearing wizened (if not particularly wise) men like Taib Mahmud, Wong Soon Koh and Alfred Jabu warning us, with furrowed brows, that the DAP and PKR must be stopped from bringing in ‘peninsular style’ politics to Sarawak. They talk about the DAP championing racial politics, and the PKR practising a confrontational style.

But these indignant protests are increasingly greeted with scepticism. A growing number of Sarawakians now understand Barisan Nasional (BN) was built on racial politics, and was established to provide a kind of stability, as exemplified by its election symbol of (primitive) weighing scales or ‘dacing’.

Under this simplistic model, BN component parties behaved as advocates for each “imagined community”. Ostensibly, Umno would ‘fight’ for Malays, PBB for Malays and Dayaks, MCA and SUPP for Chinese, and so on. The model kept BN in power, but poisoned race relations in Malaysia for generations.

Of Ali-Baba elected reps, sidetracked multi-racialism and the DAP

Iskandar Dzulkarnain

DAP seems to have gotten out of control once again in its demand for seats from Pakatan Rakyat ally PKR. This time, afraid of being called a chauvinist Chinese party, DAP has put on the line its Malay candidates. But this is tantamount to making stooges of their own Malay candidates, and sad to say these Malay candidates were naive or did not think carefully enought to agree. Whatever the rationale, badly reasoned or not, the DAP only confirmed the worst accusations UMNO has made against it.

In all my years, and I am not young, I have never heard of Malay candidates from, lets sayGerakan seeking seats from UMNO, because of their Malayness. But this in essence is exactly what the DAP Malays are doing.

According to Malaysiakini, Penang DAP leader Zulkifli Mohd Noor said the DAP had “no choice” but to request at least one parliament and five state seats from PKR in Penang in the coming polls. The Penang City Council member added that the party may be perceived to be “anti-Malay and chauvinistic” should it fail to field Malay candidates in the next election.

Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin.

Of patriots and scoundrels

Hazlan Zakaria

Playing at war, as kids often do, I was always the one dying under the flag – defending my country to the last, the doomed protector keeping a nation safe by selfless action.’

I was, admittedly, a product of mass-produced patriotism, so common in the movie industries’ endless parade of itinerant war movies. Growing up, I was touched by Hollywood. Or as some would sometimes say, touched in the head.

Like many children who became cannon fodder in wars past and present, my daily diet constituted movies and literary pieces like ‘The Dirty Dozen’, ‘The Alamo’, ‘The Four Stars of Hell’ and other war themed works.

I was at the time and presently still am, what I must term, a self-declared patriot.

Aidilfitri – a time for forgiveness, reconciliation

Sim Kwang Yang

Malaysia is poised on the eve of yet another Aidilfitri celebration, spanning the entire month of Syawal. It is a joyous occasion for Muslims, as it signifies a personal triumph, and a victory of self-restraint and abstinence, symbolising purification and renewal.

The ‘balik kampung’ exodus is underway, nearly reducing the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur to a ghost town, as the Malay Muslim population throughout the nation move back to their ‘kampung’ homes to renew their connection with their ethnic roots.

Every year, I am deeply affected by this mood of national joy on the eve of another Aidilfitri. This is a fine multi-racial tradition in Malaysia, for we celebrate all the major festivals of the various races, with an abundance of joy. 

It is time to stop buying into a lie.

Vernon Kedit 

May I be honest?

I am sad. I am sad because I am told by my government that I must celebrate the Independence Day of my country on the 31st of August. But what is so wrong about this that it makes me sad?

Let me tell you. If you don’t like dry and boring history lessons, you can leave my blog now. But if you have ten minutes to spare, read on.

The Federated States of Malaya which comprised all the nine Sultanates, Malacca and Penang were given their independence by Great Britain on the 31st of August, 1957. The photo below records the historic event. It is the iconic image of Tunku Abdul Rahman proclaiming independence for Malaya. Yes, MALAYA. Not Sarawak, not Sabah, but MALAYA. And this date became known as MERDEKA DAY. For the Federated States of MALAYA. 

Who do the police serve – rakyat or Najib?

Jeswan Kaur

The PM’s refusal to acknowledge the role of the IPCMC speaks volumes of the government’s indifference to the sufferings endured by the rakyat at the hands of the police.

Police officers may drive black and white cars; however, what goes on in their jobs is a lot of gray. –Arik Matson

The 204-year-old Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has made news for so many wrong reasons: behaving in a trigger-happy manner, forcing a woman to do squats in the nude, raping a teenage girl inside a police station, whacking detainees which have led to their deaths, threatening and intimidating the layman, working with car-theft syndicates and refusing to help Sarawak’s Penan women and girls who for many years have been crying for help against the rapes suffered at the hands of timber loggers.

Now, the latest story about the abuse of power by the police comes from Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) which said its detained activists were asked, among others, to undress in the presence of male police officers.

Independence vital for panel on electoral reform

Sim Kwang Yang

Finally, a Parliamentary Select Committee has been established to look into the issue of electoral reform, amidst a storm of allegations of foul play, involving millions of postal votes and a defective electoral roll.

As expected, the Parliamentary Select Committee will try to sideline the importance of the Bersih 2.0 movement, even though the protest on July 9 was the single most powerful condemnation of the existing electoral process in our nation’s history.
By right, the Select Committee ought to appoint members of the Bersih 2.0 movement, or any of the 62 NGOs in its lineup, to be consultative members of the committee.

Pakatan confident of ‘mission impossible’

B Nantha Kumar

The opposition bloc aims to win 14 out of the 28 state seats in Malacca, which is a BN stronghold.

Pakatan Rakyat is gearing to launch a powerful offensive in Malacca, which is considered a Barisan Nasional stronghold, in the next general election.

Although political pundits predict that BN would retain power, PKR and PAS were aiming to win more seats in the state assembly.

Sources revealed that the two opposition parties alongside DAP would bank on “Umno’s arrogance” in running the state to pull in the votes.

In the 2008 general election, BN won 23 seats while the opposition won five – all by DAP.

‘Exclude NCR land from provisional lease’

FMT Staff

Respect the rights of Sarawak’s indigenous communities, says NGO.

Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud and company have come under attack for issuing provisional leases (PL) to oil palm companies to continue destroying forests in the Baram region.

Environmental group, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), wants the state government to rescind the PLs and exclude all native community territories from these plantation licenses.

Said SAM president SM Mohamad Idris: “Taking into consideration all the complaints and hardship suffered by affected communities, as well as their legal rights to their land, we urge the Sarawak government to ensure that all indigenous community village territories are excluded from all plantation licences.

End game for Tripoli

Sim Kwang Yang

AT the time of writing, rebels in Tripoli are closing down on forces loyal to Gaddafi to deliver a conclusive blow in the long, drawn out battle for Libya.

Six months after the revolution began, the world is finally on the verge of witnessing the end of the historic struggle of the Libyan people for their freedom to determine their own fate.

Thousands have died in the struggle, as Gaddafi continues to cling to the last vestiges of his hold on power. The dictator’s whereabouts are unknown.

But in the last moments of his grip on his country, all parties are prepared for some kind of last ditch effort. He is expected to deliver as destructive a final retaliation as possible.

Stopping the religious cliches’: Why PAS is gaining on Umno so quickly

Moaz Nair

Muslims in the country have been reminded not to belittle or insult other religions, even in the event of defending Islam, as such actions run contrary to Islamic teachings. This was said by a PAS leader, quoting a verse from the Qur’an (6:108):

“Do not revile those whom they invoke besides God lest they should, in their ignorance, revile God.”

PAS has morphed into a well-liked political entity among people of all races and religions in the country before and after the 2008 general election. When UMNO is unceasingly embroiled in racial politics and at times making religion as a gizmo to win Malay support, PAS has decorously shown a moderate stance in Malaysian politics. Race or religion-bashing in politics does not seem to be the cup of tea for PAS. Neither is PAS seen more radical than UMNO when it comes to the use of religion to harvest support from the people. If PAS can uphold its present unpretentious political deportment the next general election would see the party win big and become the biggest political party to represent the Malays and Islam in the country.  It appears that PAS is on its way to replace UMNO as the biggest political party for the Malays and Muslims in the country.

Strengthening English by improving the teaching of English

 Aliran

LLG Cultural Development Centre views with grave concern the recent statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Education, that the government is mulling the possibility of allowing schools to decide on their own whether to continue using English as the medium of instruction for the teaching of science and mathematics.

Photo credit – rosmah.blogspot.com

The aim of this move, if adopted widely, is possibly to raise the standard of English in primary schools. We are, however, of the view that such a move, besides representing yet another flip-flop in the government’s education policy, is also unprofessional in its approach towards strengthening the level of English.

Baram Dam will drown rich heritage

Joseph Tawie

The Sarawak government appears to have little concern for environmental “heritage” in its pursuit of material gains.

The construction of Baram Dam will have devastating effects on the lives of Sarawak’s indigenous communities.

Some 20,000 Kayan, Kenyah and Penan will see their longhouses, villages, land and cultural heritage submerged once the dam is completed.

According to state PKR deputy chairman See Chee How, the “effects will be far worse” than the Bakun Dam construction which displaced about 10,000 natives.

New investigation into film maker that took millions from Malaysia

Ian Burrell, The Independent

Press corps in Kuala Lumpur all knew FBC had close links to the Malaysian government with special access.

One of America’s most prestigious magazines, the 154-year-old The Atlantic, has become the latest high-profile news organisation to launch an investigation into its relationship with a media company that was allocated millions of pounds by the Malaysian government.

The Washington-based magazine and website is “reviewing all transactions” it had with FBC, a media company that also produced television programmes for the BBC and the business channel CNBC. The Independent revealed this month that FBC had been hired by Malaysia in a “global strategic communications campaign”.

NCR survey: ‘State cheating natives’

Joseph Tawie

Section 6 of the Sarawak Land Code under which surveyed NCR lands are being classified has brought the government’s ‘real intention’ to light.

The Sarawak government, which is already under heavy fire over its land policies, has been accused of “hoodwinking” poor, ignorant natives with the perimeter survey procedure which aims to demarcate native customary rights (NCR) property.

Krian state assemblyman Ali Biju has questioned the state government’s real intention of carrying out the perimeter survey of NCR lands.

“On the surface, perimeter survey looks like the government is pretending to solve NCR problems, but in reality it is the government which is creating problems in the first place.

Time for ‘co-opetition’ in politics

Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz

Moving towards the general election, Umno must review its political perspectives of PAS.

There’s an interesting management book written by two authors which must be taken up as reading material.

Authors Barry J Nalebuff and Adam M Brandenburger used the term “co-opetition” as the title of the book, published in 1996, on game theory.

The term “co-opetition” term implies that while you compete you must also cooperate. Co-opetition refers to the inter-dependence in which competition and co-operation occurs between two or more firms.

Co-opetition involves competitiors actively working together to create a new enterprise to compete in the market place.

Secret pacts: Time for Najib to take the stand and answer Anwar, Malaysia

Maclean Patrick

Anwar Ibrahim’s recent statement in defense of himself is indeed a damning indictment to his foes. It revealed the apparent flaws within the prosecution’s case against him and also the biased nature of the courts themselves in the handling of the high-profile Sodomy II case.

Above all, it put on record the long-held suspicion of how dirty politics is in Malaysia’s ruling UMNO party, to the extent that white can be turned to black and vice-versa without conscience or respect for the truth, justice and the citizens’ wishes.

The Malaysian Opposition Leader’s statement from the dock mirrors the one Nelson Mandela made in the famous Rivonia show trial of 1963 under the then South African apartheid regime. The stance taken by Anwar and Mandela before him, in making an un-sworn statement from the dock is a direct protest against the failure of the court of law in ensuring the defendant would be given a fair trial. It affords protection to the accused especially those implicated in a politically motivated trial such as Sodomy II.

Sarawak govt ‘constantly’ ignoring court rulings

Joseph Tawie

The state government is abusing its power over NCR land policies and eroding investor confidence, claims PKR.

State opposition PKR has accused the Sarawak government of “abusing and misusing” the office of the state Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-G) to defend the wrong-doings of a few who continue grabbing native customary rights (NCR) land.

According to PKR vice-chairman See Chee How, the state government is “constantly” denying court rulings favouring natives on NCR land.

“The High Courts, the Court of Appeal and even the Federal Court have spoken and ruled on the recognition of NCR according to the customary practice of the natives concerned, but the state government chose to have its own restrictive interpretation.

Another court victory for the NCR landowners

HUEditor 

Jubang Ak Punjab, Juslin Majang Anak Bada, Berjaya Anak Pundu and Mat Anak Taggon are farmers, simple Iban folks of Kampung Sual, Simunjan. They are no big names or personalities like Jacob Sagan or Dennis Ngau, the BN YBs. Of course they are different! Jubang and his gangs fought and won the court battle after..

29 pages full judgment in Pdf

Is Najib still in control of the country?

Iskandar Dzulkarnain

Who is running the country? Isnt it Najib anymore? Has anyone any idea? We know there is talk that Najib’s time is almost up. The amount of controversy surrounding him seems to have peaked to such levels that a State Mufti has even joined in to condemn Najib’s government as weak, lacking trust and full of corruption.

PKR communications chief Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad also alleges that Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has taken over the administration of Malaysia from his boss Najib Razak, as the row over a Parliamentary Select Committee heats up. Najib had pledged his administration would wait for the outcome from the PSC before calling for fresh elections. But just days after announcing it, he went back on his word and his latest statement on the matter is that polls can be held any time from now.

“People used to joke about Rosmah running the country. Now it’s Muhyiddin who is running the country,” Nik Nazmi told reporters.

Disaster looming over Bakun

Joseph Tawie

Failure to implement the recommendations of the EIA report on the Bakun Dam will be disastrous, according to an environmentalist.

An impending disaster is looming over Bakun Dam following the state government’s failure to implement the recommendations detailed in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, according to environmentalist Dr Ellie Luhat.

Luhat, who is the chairman of Bakun Community Safety Committee (BCSC), warned that disaster would strike the area in the next three to five years.

“There was a study of the EIA reports where recommendations were made. But somehow when the implementation was done, these recommendations were forgotten.

WWF and Taib’s empire: Sleeping with the enemy?

Keruah Usit

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), an NGO describing itself as the world’s leading conservation organisation, has admitted it is “highly concerned” over allegations of corruption involving Sarawak-based logging conglomerate Ta Ann, a member of the WWF’s Global Forest and Trade Network (GFTN).

 The WWF flagship GFTN scheme to encourage sustainable forestry has provided a veneer of credibility to Ta Ann’s logging operations in Sarawak and in Tasmania, Australia.

Ta Ann is is headed by Abdul Hamed Sepawi, a member of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s inner business circle. He’s also Taib’s cousin.

Global environmental NGOs have accused Taib (right) of hoarding a fortune by awarding contracts worth billions of ringgit to proxies, and in particular, to his own family members. Taib’s response is simply that his relatives are astute business people.

Voters demand promised development from BN rep

Joseph Tawie

Voters in Opar constituency in Sarawak are furious at their assemblyman’s deceitful promises.

Voters in Opar constituency are demanding that their Barisan Nasional assemblyman Ranum Mina explain the delay in the construction of the proposed rural growth centre (RGC).

Mina, who won the ticket on Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), had promised the 8,099 – strong electorate an RGC.

The state government had twice organised ‘earth-breaking ceremonies’ – one five years ago in 2006 and another during the run-up to the April 16 state elections.

BN paranoia and ethnic polarisation

Ronald Benjamin@Aliran

There is a deep underlying paranoia in the ruling coalition, which has been unable to adapt to a new political landscape that has seen Malaysians of all ethnic groups joining hands to demand accountability, observes Ronald Benjamin.

Since the general election in 2008, when the opposition parties made significant gains, inter-ethnic relations have been experiencing strains. This situation has been aggravated as the Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat are slogging to win decisively in the next general election. 

There have been various reasons put forward by commentators – from the lack of empathy towards the indigenous community, the lack of respect for Islam and the so-called ghost of the former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew’s ideology – for the current predicament.

BN hit by its own racial poison: Chinese parties drained and Umno vulnerable

Chiifen Hiu

1957 saw the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) and Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) work together to achieve the country’s independence. Together, the three parties formed a coalition that collectively represented the welfare of all three of the majority races. It was our first act of unity, and it gave us our independence.

Fast-forward 54 years to present day, and we see the now larger coalition unravelling at the seams, with Chinese-based components MCA, SUPP and Gerakan at the zones of greatest pressure, and many say past the point of return.

It takes both hands to clap, and in any polygamous relationship all parties have to bear the blame whenever there is divorce albeit in differing degrees. In the case of the BN coalition, the party most faulted is UMNO. Although, it always held the leadeship position due to the Malay electorate being the largest at some 60 per cent, UMNO became overly greedy through the years. Not that its partners were blameless, but UMNO was the aggressor, willing even to cannibalise the BN to feed its own ambitions and goals.

Why EC’s arguments are seriously flawed

John R Malott

There has been much informed discussion in Malaysia over the past two months about electoral reform, with thoughtful proposals from reformers and counter-statements by the government.

In this article, the first of two, I take a look at some of the proposals that have been made and compare Malaysia’s situation to that of other countries.

Lowering voting age

From an international perspective, Malaysia’s 21 year age requirement is out of step with the rest of the world.

Wikipedia lists the voting ages in almost 240 countries and territories around the world, and overwhelmingly the predominant voting age is 18. Malaysia is one of only 12 countries where a voter must be 21.

The dying god of Capitalism

Pak Bui

A friend related a story to me, gleaned from a conversation she had had with the owner of a furniture business.

The ‘boss’ (as Malaysians like to say) of a furniture factory, had gone to visit an Indonesian employee in hospital. She had been taken ill by a rare, inherited cause of liver failure, called Wilson’s disease.

“She was dying,” my friend told me, “so the boss had a discussion with the doctor. I was there with the boss in the ward.

“The doctor told us the liver failure was advanced, and the only treatment that could save her was a liver transplant. The doctor explained that this was not possible for a foreign national, because there is a shortage of liver donors in Malaysia.

GE-13: BN wins landslide victory

Mariam Mokhtar

Only an optimist would believe that their vote would sweep Umno from power in GE-13. Why bother with a sham election and waste resources going through the motions of an election, where the outcome has already been decided in advance? The headlines will proudly boast: “BN wins. Najib scores a landslide victory, in a massive 103 percent turnout”.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak wants GE-13 before electoral reforms. In a functioning democracy, the rakyat has a choice. The fundamental difference is that we are denied that choice.

We distrust our electoral processes despite Najib’s assurance about the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on electoral reforms. Will Umno/BN leave office gracefully?

At the 61st Umno general assembly Najib declared: “Even if our bodies are crushed and our lives lost, brothers and sisters, whatever happens, we must defend Putrajaya”.

DAP reveals another land shocker

Joseph Tawie

A company owned by the CM’s niece has secured two parcels of state land at a very low price, prompting DAP to cry foul.

Sarawak DAP today exposed another shocking allegation on the abuse of power and misappropriation of state assets by the state government.

This time it concerned the alienation of two parcels of state land totalling 16,025 acres to a daughter and a niece of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud at a cheap price.One parcel of land with an acreage of 9,983 acres and the other with 6,142 acres at Sungai Anap between Bintulu and Kapit totalling 16,025 acres had been alienated to Ikrar Bumi Sdn Bhd at an alienation price of RM2.9 million, which was payable within five years.

Malott drops a bombshell: A secret pact between Najib and Anwar

John Malott

Today I read Anwar Ibrahim’s statement from the docket.

Anwar said that it all is a political conspiracy against him.

And I agree.

After all, I was the American Ambassador to Malaysia when all of these things happened the first time around.

As people know, the American Embassy has many sources of information.

Just ask Wikileaks.

Global protests a threat to BN?

Clare Rewcastle Brown

First it was the Arab spring, but now India’s anti-corruption protest could hold more danger to Barisan Nasional.

No country is an island in this global era and 2011 has not been a comfortable year for a regime like Barisan Nasional, which is seeking to perpetuate half a century of uninterrupted power in Malaysia.

At the outset, Malaysia’s establishment was just one example of many across the world’s oil rich states, where family-based elites basked in absolute power, having pretty much grabbed the wealth of their countries for themselves.

Then, one by one, the dominos have started to fall.