Indonesian poor to get 1.5 billion dollars in cash to offset fuel price hike: reports

source:AFP via MSN Malaysia News

Indonesia plans to transfer more than 1.5 billion dollars in cash to the poor to offset the cost of a planned hike in fuel prices, reports said Thursday.

The compensation program would see 14.18 trillion rupiah (1.53 billion dollars) transferred to 19.1 million poor families; the Bisnis Indonesia daily quoted Welfare Minister Aburizal Bakrie as saying.

The plan, which would reach 76.4 million people, would be distributed in monthly payments of 100,000 rupiah per household, the Jakarta Post reported.

Indonesia announced its intention to raise fuel prices last week, with rising global oil prices meaning the country is spending increasing amounts on its multibillion dollar subsidy scheme.

The price rise would be no more than 30 percent on average, Bakrie was quoted as saying by the Post.

A 30 percent rise would see the cost of premium gasoline climb to 6,000 rupiah (65 cents) a litre (2.46 dollars a US gallon) from 4,500 rupiah.

The administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono says the move is essential to cut back the ballooning cost of its subsidy scheme, which outstrips spending on social programs and infrastructure.

But the government is facing mounting opposition from the street as well as parliament, where most parties have reportedly turned against the plan in a bid to win favour with voters ahead of elections next year.

Indonesia last raised its fuel price by 126 percent in 2005, sparking widespread street protests.

Malaysia PM says 'big mistake' to ignore cyber-campaign

Malaysia's premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Tuesday his "biggest mistake" in disastrous elections was to ignore cyber-campaigning on the Internet which was seized by the opposition.

The powerful Barisan Nasional coalition suffered its worst-ever results in March 8 polls that left five states and a third of parliamentary seats in opposition hands.

The opposition, which was largely ignored by government-linked mainstream media, instead waged an enormously successful online campaign using blogs, news websites and SMS text messages.

"We certainly lost the Internet war, the cyber-war," Abdullah said in in a speech to an investment conference.

"It was a serious misjudgement. We made the biggest mistake in thinking that it was not important," he said.

"We thought that the newspapers, the print media, the television was supposed to be important, but the young people were looking at SMS and blogs."

The comments are a major about-face for the government, which had vilified bloggers, calling them liars and threatening them with detention without trial under draconian internal security laws.

In line with promises to reform after the humiliating election results, Abdullah said the government would "respond effectively" and move to empower young Malaysians.

"It was painful ... but it came at the right time, not too late," he said.

Malaysia's mainstream media are mostly part-owned by parties in the ruling coalition, and what was seen as biased coverage in the run-up to last month's vote alienated voters and boosted demand for alternative news sources.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Malaysia 124 out of 169 on its worldwide press freedom index. It says mainstream media are "often compelled to ignore or to play down" opposition events.

Source: AFP via MSN News - http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1306417

Iranians Vote for New Parliament; Few Surprises Expected

Iranians Vote for New Parliament; Few Surprises Expected
By VOA News
14 March 2008


pix: An Iranian man casts his ballot as others wait in background for Iran's parliamentary election in Tehran, Iran, 14 Mar 2008

Iranians are voting Friday in parliamentary elections, which are expected to keep power in the hands of the country's conservative faction.
More than 40 million eligible voters will cast ballots for 4,500 candidates nationwide competing for 290 seats in the parliament (the Majlis). But Iran's Guardian Council, a religious oversight group, disqualified 1,700 candidates, many of them reformists and opponents of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Council said the rejected candidates did not display enough loyalty to Iran's Islamic system.
With so few reformists running, some analysts expect a low voter turnout. Key issues before the electorate include Iran's high inflation and unemployment, and how President Ahmadinejad deals with the West. Early results could begin coming in Saturday, but complete election returns are not expected for several days.
The VOA Middle East correspondent reports the election is largely a contest between two rival conservative factions, one more closely allied to Mr. Ahmadinejad and the other favoring a more pragmatic approach to issues such as Iran's dealings with the West over its nuclear program.
The Supreme National Security Council decreed that subjects such as Iran's nuclear program were off limits for public discussion; so many issues barely have been mentioned during campaigning. Instead, local or domestic matters, such as pollution, have been the focus in many districts.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
Iran Elections: A Litmus Test for Ahmadinejad?
Voters in Iran go to the polls on Friday to choose a new parliament. The elections will pit conservative factions against one another for the body's 290 seats because many liberal reformist candidates have been disqualified from running.

Unlike some other countries in the Middle East, Iran has elections for parliament and president, and some room is allowed for political debate and discussion.
But the Islamic clerics of the Guardian Council, who have the power to disqualify candidates, have used their authority to rid the electoral field of most reformists in Friday's elections for the Majlis, or parliament. The Guardian Council rejected some 1,700 candidates, including some of the better-known leaders of Iran's reformist movement.
Middle East expert Anthony Cordesman, a former U.S. defense official now with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, says the disqualifications were targeted. "The factions, essentially, are factions among the Shi'ite clerical leadership and Revolutionary Guard under the supreme leader. This will be the most restrictive election by far for the Majlis," says Cordesman. "Only candidates who are conservative -- and very, very conservative -- are being allowed to run. Many, many people are being excluded who were allowed to run in the past."
The Economy, Few Choices, 2009: A Pivotal Year? -- Full Story

ahad, 9march2008, 1rabiulawwal1429: fajar menyinsing di timur

Malaysia’s Anwar hails 'new dawn' after political comeback - Opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim hailed "a new dawn for Malaysia" Sunday after stunning election results that cemented his political comeback after being sacked and jailed a decade ago. The performance has even revived talk of the charismatic 60-year-old as a future prime minister, after the lost decade that followed his 1998 fall from grace when he was convicted on sex and corruption charges. Anwar delivered a crushing blow to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition by rallying the opposition parties to their best performance in Malaysian history, seizing four states and more than a third of parliamentary seats. He weathered blistering personal attacks during the campaign from Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's ruling party, which was clearly rattled as he criss-crossed the nation delivering barn-storming speeches. A jubilant Anwar said the opposition now had toWan Azizah to make way for Anwar – nstonline prove it was a credible alternative to the coalition which has completely dominated Malaysian politics for half a century. "It is a new dawn for Malaysia," he told AFP. "People want to see justice."

Anwar hails 'new dawn' for Malaysia after polls - AFP

Harapan Baru Untuk Malaysia - anwaribrahimblog.com

A New Dawn for Malaysia – dinmerican.wordpress.com

Anwar to help form state govts - nstonline

Wan Azizah to make way for Anwar – nstonline

March 12, 2008:

Anwar plotting opposition's next move: ENTERING last week's election as the wild card in Malaysian politics, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has emerged from the polls as the politician holding the strongest hand, making him a serious contender for the national leadership.
As government politicians and analysts struggle to make sense of the stunning election results, which denied the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) its two-thirds majority and gave the opposition control of five state assemblies, Datuk Seri Anwar is plotting his next moves.
'We need to get the state governments in place and quickly show the people that this is not business as usual,' said the 60-year-old politician, who was sacked from government in 1998 and then jailed on corruption charges.
'We have to show that we can manage with prudence and make procurement policies transparent through tenders,' he noted, adding that the opposition will demand the same in Parliament of the BN.
The stakes are high for him and the ideologically diverse opposition coalition built around his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
For the first time in Malaysia's history, the opposition - which has little experience in governing - will be in charge of five states, several with established industrial bases and robust economies.
Should it succeed it crafting investment policies that will create jobs and bring an end to the patronage form of government that has characterised past BN administrations, analysts say the opposition alliance could make a credible bid for national power in future polls.
But it won't be easy, they say.
Apart from PKR, a Malay-dominated multiracial party, the alliance includes the predominantly Chinese and left-leaning Democratic Action Party (DAP). At the other end of the spectrum is Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS), which only recently dropped its demand to turn Malaysia into a theocratic state should its come to power.
Datuk Seri Anwar played a crucial role in getting the two traditional political foes to set aside their differences to create an unlikely three-way alliance for the election.
He acknowledges that forging a middle ground comfortable enough for PAS and the DAP to co-exist will continue to be a challenge.
'Three months ago, I knew that we could easily secure at least one-third of the parliamentary seats. My partners weren't convinced, but I told them as long as we remain a cohesive force we can deny the BN the two-thirds and get more,' he said.
There is no denying that the Anwar-led opposition can claim credit for shifting the axis of power that has long shaped Malaysia. -- MORE

haa... tu laa..., tidoq lagi!

Winning.

Campaigning reaches climax in Malaysia elections amid predicted opposition gains

Campaigning reaches climax in Malaysia elections amid predicted opposition gains
By VIJAY JOSHI,Associated Press Writer AP - Saturday, March 8
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Campaigning reached a climax Friday for general elections in Malaysia that could see gains for the opposition amid anger among Chinese and Indian minorities over race and religion.
Despite expectations of an improved showing for the country's small opposition, the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is seen certain to win Saturday's elections as they have done for decades.
On Friday, Abdullah met fishermen and visited a mosque in the northern state of Penang, while his deputy, Najib Razak, inaugurated a health clinic and met schoolteachers and senior citizens in eastern Pahang.
"Every time you face the election, you get some degree of anxiety because we cannot assume that victory is in our hands," Najib told reporters.
At stake in the elections are 222 seats in the Parliament. Twelve of Malaysia's 13 states will also go to the polls simultaneously to elect state legislatures. Most of the results will be known by early Sunday.
Unlike other parliamentary democracies, campaigning is low-key in Malaysia, largely because the weak opposition has little money to push through its message, and the ruling National Front has little need to prove its credentials.
The National Front has won every election since independence in 1957, and is expected to win again even though it is unlikely to repeat its 2004 performance when it captured 91 percent of Parliamentary seats.
Tricia Yeoh, director of the Center for Public Policy Studies think tank, predicted the opposition would win between 35 and 38 seats in Parliament, nearly doubling the 19 seats it held before Parliament was dissolved.
"There should be a swing in these seats" due to Chinese and Indians voting for the opposition, Yeoh said. "That's the fear of the BN ... The Chinese and Indian votes will be the important swing votes," she told The Associated Press.
A reduced majority for the National Front in Parliament would be seen as a personal rebuke for Abdullah, who has lost much of the goodwill he received when he took office in 2003, replacing longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad.
Abdullah has been blamed for failing to properly manage inflation, crime, corruption and most importantly ethnic tensions between the minorities and the majority Malays.
Muslim Malays make up 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people, and form the bulk of voters for Abdullah's United Malays National Organization. The party dominates the National Front coalition, which includes Chinese- and Indian-based parties in a power-sharing arrangement that has ensured racial peace in this multiethnic country.
But the minorities have complained of increasing discrimination, citing a 37-year-old affirmative action program for Malays that shows no sign of being diluted despite their rising standards of living. The program gives Malays preference in government jobs, business, education and religion.
The Chinese and Indians are also angry at a string of court decisions in religious disputes that have gone in favor of Malays. Indians were incensed by the demolition of Hindu temples by authorities last year.
"The problem is not with the Malays. The problem is with the corrupt leadership of this country," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told a rally in Kuala Lumpur Thursday night.
Anwar, a former deputy prime minister under Mahathir, promised to end racial discrimination if his People's Justice Party wins, a virtually impossible scenario.
"We want strong Malays, strong Chinese, strong Indians ... Take the best Malays, let them work with the best Chinese and the best Indians," he said to roaring applause.
At another rally on Thursday night in Chinese-dominated Penang, the opposition Democratic Action Party drew some 30,000 people, compared to a few thousand at a speech by Prime Minister Abdullah earlier.
"I think we have broken some new ground," said Jeff Ooi, a DAP candidate. "We are still hoping that the massive crowds will translate into votes. People are disappointed with how the government has been run in the past few years. People are dissatisfied with the inequitable distribution of wealth and opportunities."
Still, large crowds at opposition rallies do not always translate into votes.
"It's your choice but I hope the people think carefully," Abdullah told his rally, warning that the minorities will have no voice in the coalition if they do not vote for the Front.
___
Associated Press reporters Sean Yoong and Julia Zappei in Kuala Lumpur contributed to this report.
Source: http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080307/tap-as-gen-malaysia-elections-1st-ld-wri-b3c65ae.html

Malaysian govt in last-ditch bid to counter opposition: Malaysia's ruling coalition made an all-out push Friday on the eve of elections to counter a resurgent opposition which hopes to deny it a two-thirds majority for the first time.
Political observers said the coalition that has ruled for half a century is rattled by signs that minority ethnic Chinese and Indians will defect to the opposition led by charismatic former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim.
Newspapers linked to the government, which is dominated by Muslim Malays who make up 60 percent of the population, splashed front-page warnings that the minorities could lose their voice in the multi-ethnic coalition.
"I do not want to form a government that is made up of only one race," Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said of the indications that the Chinese and Indian parties in the Barisan Nasional coalition could be hit on Saturday.
"I hope the status quo is maintained in the interests of all."
Pollsters are tipping the opposition to claim about a fifth of the seats in the new 222-seat parliament, doubling its presence but falling short of the 75 it needs to break the majority that allows the government to amend the constitution at will.
The Merdeka Centre research firm said the three opposition parties could seize about 40 seats, mostly to the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party and the Islamic hardliners PAS.
Abdullah's government has mounted a savage attack on Anwar in recent days, in what observers said was a sign his Keadilan party is posing a real threat by appealing to voters of all races -- a first in Malaysian politics.
"Anwar has done a good job in terms of being able to organise a national campaign," said Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asia expert at Johns Hopkins University, who is here for the elections.
"Keadilan as a party is trying to reach across the races, and long term that potentially gives it the power to be able to govern."
Anwar and other opposition leaders have been drawing big crowds at political rallies in Kuala Lumpur, campaigning on issues like high inflation and rising crime rates which resonate with voters.
More than 7,000 Malaysians of all races braved the pouring rain to gather in a village outside the capital Thursday night to hear Anwar speak, standing transfixed despite the thunder and lightning.
"You can cheat as much as you want, but you cannot change the will of the people," he roared, drawing chants of "Reformasi, Reformasi", the battle cry that emerged after his 1998 dismissal and jailing.
Anwar was convicted of sex charges and corruption, charges he said were politically motivated. The sex count was later quashed but the corruption conviction makes him ineligible to stand for office until April.
Meanwhile, Abdullah is attempting to shore up support from minorities concerned over the rising "Islamisation" of Malaysia and decades-old discrimination policies that favour Malays.
"The tone is becoming increasingly defensive," Welsh said. "They've moved from trying to focus on their rhetoric, to attacking the opposition, which shows a real sense of concern."
Opposition parties warn that the polls may not be a fair fight, saying they are concerned over fraud including phantom voters and manipulation of postal votes in tightly contested seats.
Steven Gan, founder of online news portal Malaysiakini, said activity on the site had risen dramatically in recent months after unprecedented protests by ethnic Indians.
"I think that definitely you can sense there is a heightened interest, but whether this will be translated into votes is another issue," he said.
A notable battle in the campaign is the northern state of Kelantan, the only state the coalition does not hold and which it is hoping to snatch from the Islamic PAS, which has ruled there for 18 years.
"We think we will win by a comfortable margin," said Awang Adek Hussin, who is leading the Barisan Nasional charge to retake impoverished Kelantan, with promises of billions of dollars in investment and infrastructure.

Malaysian govt confident of seizing Islamic stronghold: Malaysia's ruling coalition said Friday it was confident of seizing the northern state of Kelantan in Saturday's general elections, ending 18 years of conservative Islamic rule.
Kelantan is the only state not held by the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition and a victory there would be a major boost for Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is expected to lose ground elsewhere in the country.
After months of intensive campaigning including coalition promises of billions of dollars in development funds, analysts say the race with the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) is neck-and-neck.
But Awang Adek Hussin, who is leading the coalition's charge to retake Kelantan and is tipped to be chief minister if the state changes hands, said he was confident of victory.
"We think we will win by a comfortable margin," he told AFP.
PAS controls the 45-seat state legislature with just a one-seat majority.
"If we can get 28 (seats) I will be happy. Anything more will be a bonus," he said.
PAS has changed tack in recent years, dropping the hardline rhetoric that alienated voters in 2004 elections and instead focusing on bread-and-butter issues such as improving welfare services and countering inflation.
"(PAS) has not been able to deliver on their promises because of sheer lack of funds and they are quick to make promises, new promises because they can't keep the old ones," Awang Adek said.
At the height of its power, PAS controlled Kelantan and neighbouring Terengganu state, which it won in 1999, but its goal of turning Malaysia into an Islamic state is credited with losing Terengganu in 2004.
PAS vice-president Husam Musa said most voters in Kelantan, which is one of Malaysia's poorest states, still supported the party's brand of spiritual development.
"We will do well as we have the people's support," he told reporters, but added that he was concerned vote buying and electoral fraud could skew the results.
"This could mean nothing if the BN uses money to buy votes and if there are phantom voters introduced into the state," he said.
The New York-based Human Rights Watch said this week that Malaysians will be denied a fair vote in Saturday's general election, accusing the government of muzzling the opposition and manipulating the electoral process.

Rayuan Khas Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz, MB Kelantan

"TAHUKAH kamu bagaimana Tuhanmu telah bertindak ke atas tentera bergajah? Bukankah Dia telah menjadikan tipu daya mereka yang menyesatkan untuk menghancurkan Kaabah itu sia-sia? Lalu dihantar-Nya burung-burung yang berbondong-bondong yang melempari mereka dengan batu-batu yang berasal dari tanah yang terbakar. Lalu, dijadikan mereka seperti daun-daun yang dimakan ulat" (Surah al-Fiil: Ayat 1-6)

Buat anak-anak perantauan, Pulanglah ke pangkuan Islam di Kelantan biarpun terpaksa berjalan kaki. Hatta, jika perlu merangkak dengan kedua jari sekalipun, kembalilah jua untuk melunaskan janji.

Tidak terasa terhinakah apabila 'orang luar' yang tiada kena mengena dengan Islam bertekad menggenggam penumbuk untuk menghancurkan Islam kita di Kota Serambi Makkah yang kita sama-sama kasihi ini?

TUAN GURU DATO' NIK ABDUL AZIZ NIK MAT
Mursyidul Am PAS
3 Mac 2008 bersamaan
25 Safar 1429

Warkah Anwar Ibrahim untuk Semua

Assalamualaikum dan salam sejahtera.
Penentuan sudah semakin hampir. 8 Mac 2008 bakal menyaksikan apakah rakyat bersedia untuk berubah ke arah Malaysia yang lebih mapan dan baik, ataupun mahu terus kekal dan terperosok dalam lipatan sejarah 50 tahun kemerdekaan negara yang penuh rencam.
Sebermula saat hari penamaan calon lagi,pelbagai penipuan telah disajikan oleh Umno-BN melalui SPR sebagai boneka mereka. Pengenalan duti setem, pemansuhan duti setem secara tiba-tiba, kempen yang tidak seimbang, ugutan dan ancaman berbaur samseng ke arah calon pembangkang, pengesahan SPR mengenai wujudnya 8,666 pengundi berusia 100 tahun ke atas, pengundian pos yang tidak rahsia, sehinggalah pemansuhan penggunaan dakwat kekal kepada pengundi atas alasan ‘keselamatan awam.’
Penipuan-penipuan ini pastinya bertujuan untuk mengekalkan pemerintahan Umno-BN, di saat mereka gelabah melihat rakyat sudah berani menyatakan rasa tidak puas hati mereka di semua pelusuk Malaysia. Tetapi sayang, penipuan ini memberi gambaran bahawa rakyat di mata Umno-BN adalah rakyat yang mudah diperkotak-katik dan diperbodohkan sewenangnya.
Inilah yang dikehendaki Umno-BN, agar rakyat mengalihkan pandangan, seterusnya menjadi leka dalam amarah. Lantas mereka menyusup menggunakan strategi kotor, termasuklah mengimport pengundi hantu di beberapa kawasan khususnya Kelantan, Terengganu dan tidak ketinggalan di Pekan, Pahang. Pembangkang dicemuh melalui media tanpa ada ruang untuk kita memberi respon balas. Saya, yang sebelum ini dikatakan ‘tidak relevan lagi’ dalam politik Malaysia, saban hari diasak dengan pelbagai jenis fitnah dan tuduhan-tuduhan dangkal. Ironinya sambutan dalam program ceramah dan rapat umum mencecah ribuan pengunjung tanpa perlu sogokan wang ringgit mahupun elemen hiburan.
Dari Utara membawa ke Selatan, kesempatan berkempen selamat 13 hari diisi dengan baik. Alhamdulillah saya telah menyaksikan kebangkitan rakyat hampir di seluruh negara, dan perjuangan ini bukan perjuangan picisan, ini perjuangan rakyat yang ingin bangkit daripada penindasan zalim Umno-BN! Sambutan ke atas calon-calon KeADILan termasuklah PAS dan DAP sangat memberangsangkan, dan kelihatan Umno-BN terus terdesak dan kalut. Meskipun mereka menguasai media arus perdana, mereka terus berada dalam keadaan bertahan. Manifesto KeADILan, PAS dan DAP langsung tidak mereka kupas, sebaliknya hanya menyerang, menyerang dan menyerang membabi buta.

Saudara-saudari sekalian,
Setiap rakyat berhak memperoleh peluang untuk melangkah dengan lebih baik. Malaysia punyai potensi yang sangat hebat, tetapi sayang potensi ini pudar dek rakusnya permainan politik Umno-BN yang terus memasung minda rakyat dengan sentimen perkauman sempit yang sarat dengan unsur-unsur rasuah. Sistem kehakiman mudah dijual beli tauke judi, jenayah kian berleluasa dengan kes-kes rogol, ragut dan bunuh semakin meningkat. Polis tidak lagi bertugas mengawal ketenteraman awam, sebaliknya dikerah memantau pergerakan pembangkang. Inflasi semakin menggila, gaji kian menyusut, akhirnya rakyat terus hidup melarat. Yang diseru BN, agar rakyat terus bersyukur dengan apa yang ada.
Apa yang perlu anda lakukan pada 8 Mac 2008 adalah keberanian untuk berubah. Komitmen KeADILan jelas, kemenangan yang saudara/saudari berikan kepada KeADILan dan pakatan pembangkang lainnya akan diterjemahkan dengan penurunan harga petrol, kawalan inflasi dan kenaikan harga barang,usaha membanteras jenayah yang lebih padu, pendidikan percuma yang fleksibel untuk semua, dan kerajaan yang lebih adil dan saksama kepada semua rakyat tanpa mengira agama dan bangsa.
KeADILan telah mengemukakan Manifesto berjudul Harapan Baru untuk Malaysia yang begitu peka kepada menyediakan penyelesaian masalah-masalah asas rakyat Malaysia. Dan harapan yang dijanjikan KeADILan ini akan direalisasikan melalui calon-calon KeADILan yang datang daripada pelbagai latar belakang serta mempunyai kaliber dan kredibiliti yang sangat baik.
KeADILan, PAS dan DAP telah pun memainkan peranan untuk menyelamatkan Malaysia daripada lemas dalam arus kemusnahan dek nafsu serakah pimpinan Umno-BN dan tauke-tauke judi. Tinggal anda untuk membuat keputusan. Segalanya boleh direalisasikan, melalui anda, rakyat Malaysia yang bermaruah.
Saya yakin dan percaya bahawa rakyat Malaysia kini telah matang dan bijak, dan kebijaksanaan itu akan diterjemahkan dengan mengundi KeADILan, PAS dan DAP pada 8 Mac 2008 ini sebagai satu usaha untuk menyelamatkan Malaysia.
Kini tiba masanya Malaysia menjajat masa depan dengan Harapan Baru yang lebih cerah dan perkasa. Penentuan di tangan anda. Kepada Tuhan kita berserah.
Selamat menunaikan tanggungjawab anda sebagai rakyat Malaysia yang bermaruah!
Anwar Ibrahim
sumber:
http://dinmerican.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/warkah-anwar-ibrahim-untuk-semua/

Anwar gains late swing among Malays

If last night’s huge turnout at Lembah Pantai is any indication, undecided Malay voters may yet be prepared to throw their support behind the opposition.
Despite a heavy downpour, over 10,000 people of mainly Malay working class gathered at a field behind the Angkasapuri complex to hear de facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim’s rallying call for change.
"If we win, the very next day I will lower petrol prices," promised the former deputy prime minister and finance minister.
"If we win, tomorrow there will be free education," he added, receiving a thunderous response accompanied by chants of 'reformasi, reformasi!'
Since PKR announced that it would abolish the New Economic Policy (NEP) and instead help needy from all ethnic groups, there has been a mixed reaction from the majority Malay community.
Some buy the argument that the NEP only serves the Umno elites, while other Malays – although not direct beneficiaries of the NEP – know someone who has benefitted, or believe that affirmative action under the policy would eventually reach them.
Moreover, a number of Malays have also felt threatened by the Hindraf rally and what is seen as Anwar’s support for the Indian community.
However, in the past year, the rising prices of petrol, tolls and consumer goods have drastically reduced their purchasing power.
Coupled with the inability of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to crack down on corruption and the growing wastage of public funds in the form of private sector bailouts, Malay voters have warmed up to Anwar’s message.
The last one week, Malay crowds have turned out to listen to PKR leaders such as Malaysian Trade Unions Congress president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, who is contesting in Pandan, PKR vice-president Azmin Ali in Gombak and party's secretary-general Khalid Ibrahim in Bandar Tun Razak.
Despite the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition consistently repeating that Anwar is not longer 'relevant', the government-controlled mainstream media appears to have detected the changing mood on the ground and have all guns trained on him.
In recent days, there have been numerous reports quoting Anwar's former friends plus retired politicians all freely condemning the opposition leader's actions when he was an Umno minister in the 80s and 90s."My own self, supposedly 'irrelevant' in the arena of Malaysian politics, has been attacked mercilessly day in and day out with an array of libelous accusations. Ironically though, thousands seem to flock to my rallies without ever needing the sops of money or 'entertainment'," said Anwar in a last-minute appeal to the voters.
"From north to south, I am glad to say that we have made the best out of our 13 days of opportunity," he said of the two-week long election campaign.The PKR leader has crisscrossed the country in a punishing 12-hour daily schedule which takes him to about a dozen non-stop ceramah a night.
All's well last night MORE HERE

ELECTION 2008: Najib: Focus on victory

PEKAN: Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Barisan Nasional will stay its course in the final lap to polling day despite provocation from the opposition.

The deputy prime minister, who is BN deputy chairman, called on party members to keep focused on securing victory for the coalition and not be distracted by the various last-minute tactics employed by their rivals.

"I am also hoping for voters not to be pressured by any attempt to intimidate or confuse them," he said after opening the new Mara business centre here yesterday.

Najib assured voters of ample security measures to ensure their safety on polling day.

He said the opposition was expected to resort to desperate tactics in the closing days of campaigning.

"They may even try to be aggressive in the hope of scaring our supporters from casting their votes," he said when commenting on an incident in Tumpat, Kelantan, where a BN shack was allegedly splashed with excrement on Wednesday.

He said the opposition had also predictably protested the cancellation of the use of indelible ink and would manipulate the issue into an excuse for their impending defeat.

"They will come up with all sorts of excuses if they lose but I don't think they will say anything if they win." MORE HERE

Don’t silence yourself: NO REPRESENTATION, NO VOICE

Don’t silence yourself: NO REPRESENTATION, NO VOICE

That’s the price of wiping out the component parties in Barisan Nasional, warns PM. ‘I do not want to form a government that is made up of only one race…’

ELECTION 2008: Be cautious, PM tells Chinese, Indian voters - GEORGE TOWN: If people vote out the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) tomorrow, then their communities will no longer have a voice or representation in government, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi cautioned yesterday.

ELECTION 2008: Dancing with wolves - ONE evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about the eternal battle that goes on inside people. He said: “My boy, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. “One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego. “The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, tolerance, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.” The boy thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?” The old Cherokee replied: “The one you feed.”

Opinion/Election 2008: Why 'the opposition' remains a pipe dream

Opinion/Election 2008: Why 'the opposition' remains a pipe dream
By SHAMSUL AMRI BAHARUDDIN 06 March, 2008

Malaysia does not have a 'traditional' ruling-party-and-opposition system because of historical and socio-political reasons, observes SHAMSUL AMRI BAHARUDDIN.

WITH the introduction of modern electoral politics in Malaysia soon after World War 2, the standard "ruling party v opposition party" analytical framework came to be used.Underpinning this framework is the assumption that there is a two-party system or dichotomy between the ruling party and the opposition, not dissimilar to that of the United States (Republican v Democrats), Britain (Labour v Conservatives) and Australia (Labor v Liberal).This framework has been convenient for most observers of Malaysian politics and society. As a result, many find it perplexing why, in the last 60 years of the history of our modern electoral politics, there has been a continuous flow in and out of many political parties from within the ruling party coalition, whether Alliance or Barisan Nasional, as well as within the individual component parties.Almost without fail, every new party formed by splinter groups that left the Alliance, the BN coalition or any of its component parties consisted of disgruntled members.Eventually, the party would join the ruling coalition, either on its own or in metamorphosised form, perhaps with a fragment from another party.For instance, Hizbul Muslimin, which later became Parti Islam SeMalaya (Pas), was formed in March 1948 by a group of dissatisfied Malay-Muslim activists, the ulama faction, some of whom were members of Umno, a political party formed in May 1946.In 1951, no less than the founding president of Umno himself, Datuk Onn Jaafar, left Umno to establish the Independence of Malaya Party.In July 1974, when Barisan Nasional was formed, Pas was one of six opposition parties that joined what was essentially an expanded Alliance. The other five were Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, the People's Progressive Party, the Sarawak United People's Party and Sabah's Parti Pusaka Bumiputera and the United Sabah National Organisation.Later, they were joined by more parties from Sarawak and Sabah, including Parti Bersatu Rakyat Jelata Sabah (Berjaya), itself an amalgamation of two formerly indigenous-based parties.Pas left BN in 1978 in a conflict related to the 1978 election, as a result of which an Emergency was declared in Kelantan.In 1984, a splinter group within Berjaya left to form Parti Bersatu Sabah, led by Datuk Seri Joseph Pairin Kitingan. It took control of the Sabah state legislative council from 1985-1994. In between, it joined, left and in 2002 rejoined BN.In 1987, after massive internal conflict within Umno, yet another splinter group left to form Parti Semangat 46, only to return to Umno's fold in 1996.Similarly, in April 1999, after then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was sacked and expelled from Umno in 1998, a new party called Parti Keadilan Nasional was formed, which in 2003 merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia to form Parti Keadilan Rakyat.The empirical evidence, therefore, indicates clearly that the two-party system concept of ruling party v "the opposition" does not exist in Malaysia. How, then, can we make sense of the opposition and its internal dynamics in Malaysia?It could be argued that what we have in Malaysia thus far is not "the opposition" but "oppositionism", a rather fluid socio-political phenomenon. There are a number of reasons why such a phenomenon has existed in our political realm, but all could be explained in terms of the "embedded thesis".Modern political parties were an innovation in our socio-political system, introduced by the British as a way to socialise and condition the ethnically divided plural society it had created, which was characterised by a systemic internal tension and contradiction as a result of competing interests of all sorts.However, the new imported political institutions - the modern nation-state and its modern electoral system - had to be embedded into the local socio-political mould that had existed for centuries.When political parties were introduced in our society, they came to be embedded in pre-existent socio-political fault lines.For instance, although Umno created an "official" Malay unity on its formation, the members remained segmented into state-based primordial ties, sub-ethnic associations, the English-educated elite, the ulama faction, and so on.Any component from within Umno with a strong leadership could leave Umno and create its own party. Some left forever, others repented and rejoined.Similar patterns, too, exist in other ethnic parties, such as the MCA and MIC. As a result, a stable, consistent and identifiable "the opposition" has never been realised in Malaysia.There have been many attempts by various political parties to form an alternative coalition. The Socialist Front tried in the 1960s, combining the Malay-based Socialist Party with the non-Malay-based Labour Party, with limited success.In the 1990s, Pas, Semangat 46 and a few smaller parties formed a loose coalition and succeeded in Kelantan. The bigger coalition was Barisan Alternatif, which performed quite well in the 1999 election, mainly at the expense of Umno.Because it was such a loosely structured coalition - indeed, a marriage of convenience - it floundered and failed in the 2004 election.With an experienced, respected, capable and charismatic leader, "the opposition" could yet become a reality in the next few elections. Demographically, there are three types of electoral seats in our system: Malay-majority, non-Malay majority, and ethnically mixed seats.If a new "alternative coalition" is registered as a full-fledged political party like BN, Pas could then concentrate on Malay-majority seats and the DAP on non-Malay seats. PKR, by virtue of its multi-ethnic character, could contest all seats, especially mixed ones.In other words, "the opposition" has to be in the form of an established and registered formal coalition; a mirror image of BN.If there is a serious effort among the main opposition parties to avoid contesting against one another; if urban voters are becoming more independent-minded about whom they vote for; and if the alternative media of the Internet spread wider and further in the populace, we might yet witness the dawn of a new alternative coalition.Such hopes have arisen before, but all have so far been false dawns.

Dr Shamsul Amri Baharuddin is founding director of the Institute of Ethnic Studies at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

Lim Kit Siang: No Such Thing As Barisan Rakyat
Posted by Raja Petra
Thursday, 06 March 2008
Jed Yoong
DAP icon and national leader Lim Kit Siang confirmed today that there is no co-operation among PAS, PKR and DAP under an umbrella body called the Barisan Rakyat.
“There is no such thing as Barisan Rakyat. DAP has no general election co-operation with PAS,” he said in a text message.
Commenting on a photograph of him with a PAS flag published in The Star today, he said: “I was suprised myself. PAS is contesting the Tenang state seat inside Labis (parliamentary seat).”
According to Raja Petra Kamarudin, who edits top political website Malaysia Today, Barisan Rakyat is an initiative “by the civil society movements and bloggers after the 6 political parties endorsed the People’s Declaration“.
The DAP candidate for Labis in Johor is Teo Eng Ching, 32. She will be running against disgraced former Health Minister and Labis MP Chua Soi Lek’s son, Chua Tee Yong, 31. Soi Lek resigned in January after DVDs of him having extra-marital sex were distributed in Johor. More here.

ELECTION 2008: 12th polls a crucial milestone for nationhood

ELECTION 2008: 12th polls a crucial milestone for nationhood
By Teresa Yong 06 March, 2008

The 12th general election is a crucial milestone in Malaysia’s road to nationhood, president of the Association of Chinese Chambers of Commerce Malaysia Tan Sri William Cheng said today. He said although much had been achieved in various sectors in the last five decades, the important and relevant thing to do now is to review and evaluate the lessons learnt.“Malaysia has to speed up its pace of development in the face of stiff global competition. We must explore the future direction from a macro point of view. Malaysia has to adopt a more liberal and open policy to stay competitive and viable,” he said.Cheng said the setting up of the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Permudah), using focus groups to power Malaysia into the top 10 of the World Bank’s Doing Business ranking had helped speed up the delivery system. But the implementation on the ground had to be closely scrutinised, he added. He spoke of the urgent for education and training of the country’s human resources to meet the demand of domestic and foreign investments.On his expectations from the general election, he said the democratic system and economic development must progress hand-in-hand so that economic development would enjoy a more liberal and wider space.“A more liberal and free policy will be conducive to the development of our economy and enhance its competitiveness. It will also promote racial harmony,” he said.He said Malaysia’s pace of development in the past few years was lagging its neighbours. “We have to move faster. We need to change our mindset, review our policy and start afresh. So long as the direction is right, we will be able to pick up,” he added.

© Copyright 2008 The New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad. All rights reserved.

Election 2008: Abdullah: We don't want Anwar back

GEORGE TOWN: Barisan Nasional chairman and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi slammed the doors shut on former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday, saying Umno does not want him back.

"He is not important to me, he is not important to Umno and we don't want him," said Abdullah, speaking at a rally of more than 10,000 people in the Chinese-majority heartland of Rifle Range Flats in Air Hitam here.

Abdullah said he did not want to dwell too much on Anwar as the speaker preceding him, former Gerakan president Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, had spoken at length about Anwar's characteristics and qualities when the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader was in BN for 17 years (see page 4).

"He (Anwar) wanted to come back but we said no. We have enough leaders in Umno and we do not need him.

"Now, he has to look for friends in DAP and Pas. They are just an alliance of convenience."

Abdullah has refrained from attacking Anwar despite Anwar's incessant attacks and allegations against him, his family, his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his colleagues over the last two years.

Abdullah said it was clear from the experiences of those in the government and from statements made by Anwar's former allies in PKR that the PKR leader "says different things to different people for his own selfish gain".

"He is making promises because he knows he can never form a government.

"But we can and will deliver because we have a genuine partnership in BN," he told the cheering crowd.

Abdullah cautioned voters in Penang that the so-called opposition alliance was playing to racial sentiments and this could only be divisive.

"We want the people to be united so that we can, together, shoulder the responsibility of ensuring the country's progress," he said.

The prime minister said the opposition, in its campaign, goes to the Indian community and tells them that they should not support Umno because it will become a problem if the Malays are strong. MORE HERE

Election 2008: Anwar's ideas don't add up, says Musa JOHOR BARU: "Simplistic." That is what former deputy prime minister Tun Musa Hitam thought of Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's boast that he could reduce the price of petrol and provide free education up to university level if he won the general election. Full Story

Barisan launches counter-attack at Penang’s Rifle Range

PENANG: The battle for Penang has intensified as polling day draws nearer.

Barisan Nasional chairman Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was joined at the Rifle Range flats here last night by top guns from the MCA and Gerakan to win over Chinese voters.

Abdullah, MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting, Gerakan acting president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon and Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik were greeted by thousands of people when they arrived at the flats.

Rifle Range, which has about 8,000 votes at stake, is in the heart of the Bukit Bendera parliamentary seat and was the first high-rise project built some 40 years ago.

PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng became the main targets of the four Barisan leaders who in turn fired salvo after salvo at them. MORE HERE

Pas claims BN wants Kelantan for its natural gas wells

Barisan Nasional's desperation to recapture Kelantan was motivated by its desire to take over the natural gas wells before they are operational, Pas vice-president Datuk Husam Musa claimed today. Husam, in his final press conference before polling day, said the joint development authority with Thailand was a known public fact and the state has 13 trillion cubic metres gas reserves which can last seven generations. He said projected royalty to the Kelantan Government would amount to RM121 trillion over 500 years if five per cent were paid out of the 50 per cent Malaysian portion based on current prices. He claimed at least six gas wells outside the Kelantan shores of Pantai Bachok and Pengkalan Chepa have been confirmed by Petronas and were scheduled to start operations by 2009. Husam, however, would not say whether there has been negotiations with Petronas but added that they will have one after the election. On outstation voters, Husam said his network revealed that as of today, 21,000 people have registered with the Umno headquarters at the Putra World Trade Centre and they will start their journey home at 9am this morning from Bukit Jalil. Husam raised his concerns over Umno deputy youth chief Khairy Jamaludin's statement that 80,000 voters would be returning, claiming that 60,000 “overlapping voters” from army personnel also listed as civilian voters. “Pas will monitor them closely and will put up banners on the road leading to Kelantan in the hopes they will repent,” he said. To prevent double balloting, Husam said the party will send the list to polling centres to be checked manually by their polling agents for overlapping cases. "If these voters can be stopped through legal means, we are confident the risk of zombie or clone voters will be minimised," he said. He said Pas believed it had an edge over BN in Kelantan and claimed it was leading in most of state and 10 parliament seats. Husam said BN had listed seven state seats as black (impenetrable), six black/grey (Pas leading highly) and 13 seats as grey (Pas leading), while for parliament, two were black, two black grey and six gray seats. He was also optimistic on Pas' chances in Kedah and Terengganu. "In Terengganu, Umno knows that it will lose," said Husam, citing non-delivery of promises and internal split as reasons. Source: http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Thursday/NewsBreak/20080306170125/Article/index_html

Intensive battle for Kelantan

KOTA BARU (March 6, 2008): Even at this eleventh hour, it is stilll difficult to predict the outcome of the elections in Kelantan. Both Barisan Nasional (BN) and PAS rate their chances as being favourable but the pundits are still at a loss to predict as to who will be hailed tomorrow night or Sunday morning.

Having ruled the state for the last 18 years, PAS thinks it has the upper hand in that it knows the sentiments of the majority of the voters in Kelantan, some of whom prefer to listen to abuses rather than praises.

For the entertainment-starved Kelantanese, ceramah and rallies, especially those organised by PAS, are a form of entertainment and they are well attended. Most of the speeches of its leaders are often spiced up with anecdotes and wisecracks often to further humiliate their opponents.

Nonetheless, one brilliant move that the BN has made thus far that could perhaps help to swing the votes in the coalition’s favour, was in naming Datuk Dr Awang Adek as their choice of mentri besar should the BN succeed in wresting the state from PAS.

He seems to be the only Kelantan leader PAS campaigners could not think up of something funny to say about him that could humiliate him and make their listeners laugh at him and to reduce his credibility in their eyes. To them he is scandal-free.

The general election in Kelantan has always been intense and this time around proves to be no exception, judging from the multitude of posters and banners dotting the landscape and the nightly statewide ceramah.

If there is one place in Malaysia which fits the description of elections by the late Indonesian president Suharto as the “feast of democracy”, it is Kelantan.

As always, PAS is portraying itself as the good guys, the defender of the faith and the defender of Kelantan, with the BN as the evil one through which the “orang luar” will control the state. MORE HERE

Former Malaysian deputy PM predicts big gains for opposition

Former Malaysian deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim predicted Wednesday the opposition is poised to deny the ruling coalition an outright two-thirds majority in the March 8 elections.

Anwar, now an opposition leader, said reports from various sources, including independent polling agencies and even the "intelligence" community, show the opposition could win more than one third of the parliamentary seats up for grabs.

Opposition parties are hoping to capitalise on a growing dissatisfaction with the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to deny the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition a two-thirds majority for the first time in history.

"From my sources both within the ruling (party) and also the intelligence apparatus, clearly the opposition... is making inroads," Anwar told the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore.

"We are moving very fast ahead and this has caused a lot of concern, consternation and anxiety on the part of the UMNO and the Barisan Nasional government to resort to what I consider as a politics of race, use of fear and intimidation."

UMNO is the United Malays National Organisation, the biggest political party in the ruling coalition.

Anwar said a recent "groundswell of support" has prompted the government to launch a "vicious personal attack" against him.

Anwar was deputy prime minister until being sacked and jailed in 1998. The erstwhile heir apparent to then-premier Mahathir Mohamad spent six years in jail on sex and corruption charges.

The sex charge was overturned but the corruption count bars him from taking public office until April. He has since become a vocal anti-government critic.

Anwar said he expects his wife, Wan Azizah, to successfully defend her seat in northern Penang state and his daughter, Nurul Izzah, to score an "upset" of her ruling coalition opponent.

Anwar also said the opposition has uncovered what he claimed was evidence of padding the voters' list.

For example, there are 10,820 registered voters aged 100 and above, prompting him to quip: "We have the largest number of old folks in the world."

Anwar said that in one place, 223 voters registered using one address and in another area, 200 voters used a single residential address.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch said Wednesday that Malaysians will be denied a fair vote in Saturday's general election, accusing the government of muzzling the opposition and manipulating the electoral process. -- AFP

Source: http://news.my.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=1276022

Islamic party supporters fast to seek God's help in Malaysian elections

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's opposition Islamic party urged supporters to fast Thursday, ahead of this weekend's general elections, hoping for divine intervention in a contest against the powerful ruling coalition.

Supporters of the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, or PAS, planned to abstain from eating until sunset Thursday, and were conducting special prayers ahead of Saturday's polls, said a senior party official, Hatta Ramli.

"Especially (in) an election like this when you face strong opposition, the best thing is to ask for God's help," he said in a telephone interview. "While trying our level best, we are also encouraged to devote ourselves through prayers and fasting."

The party, known for advocating strict Muslim doctrines, holds only six out of 222 parliamentary seats since the 2004 elections. It hopes to gain more ground this time amid dissatisfaction with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's government over rising prices, crime and ethnic and religious tensions.

Together with the two other main opposition parties, PAS said it is aiming to deny the National Front its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

But the National Front, which has ruled Malaysia since independence 51 years ago, still draws most voters with promises of stability despite growing qualms.

The Front's main victory would be to wrest northeastern Kelantan state from PAS. The state is the only one that is currently ruled by an opposition party _ albeit with a narrow majority margin.

Some 60 percent of Malaysia's 27 million people are Muslims.
___
On the Net:
PAS site in Malay language: http://www.parti-pas.org/
source: http://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/ap/20080306/tap-as-pol-malaysia-election-fast-b3c65ae.html