BN SARAWAK MULAI MENGGERUNI DR MAHATHIR?

Kerajaan BN Sarawak pimpinan Abang Johari Openg meneruskan amalan kepimpinan sebelum ini mengharamkan pemimpin pembangkang dari memasuki negeri berkenaan. Terbaharu Adun Kuala Sepetang dari DAP, Chua Yee Ling diusir keluar dari negeri itu ketika wakil rakyat itu sedang menghadiri majlis malam malam di Miri.

Sebelum itu dua orang pemimpin pembangkang, Zuraidah Kamaruddin ahli parlimen Ampang yang juga Ketua Wanita Pakatan Harapan dilarang masuk ke Sarawak ketika sampai di lapangan terbang Kuching.

Begitu juga dengan Hee Leong Sean ahli parlimen Petaling Jaya Selatan turut sama di halang memasuki Sarawak.

Tindakan dilakukan terhadap pemimpin Pakatan Harapan itu menunjukkan kebimbangan kerajaan BN Sarawak dengan pengaruh pembangkang makin meluas ketika ini. Kebetulan larangan dan pengusiran pemimpin pembangkang itu menjelang kehadiran Dr Mahathir Mohamad ke bumi Kenyalang itu buat pertama kalinya.

Tindakan un-democratic kerajaan Sarawak itu sedikit sebanyak membantu mempromosikan  kedatangan Dr Mahathir ke Sarawak.  Rakyat Sarawak tentu jadi makin ghairah untuk mendengar apakah janji dan tawaran Dr Mahathir sempena kunjungan sulungnya sebagai pengerusi Pakatan Harapan ke Sarawak.

Abang Johari Openg memberi jaminan kedatangan Dr Mahathir tidak akan dihalang. Sejauh mana beliau sedia menempati janjinya itu sangat meragukan. Apapun kita tunggu dan lihat.

Dalam pada itu mungkin Pakatan Harapan boleh memasukkan dalam manifestonya sekiranya Pakatan Harapan memerintah Sarawak dan Malaysia peraturan Imigeresen yang diamalkan di Sabah dan Sarawak selama ini dimansuhkan kerana peraturan khas itu tidak mencerminkan yang kedua-dua buah negeri itu sebagai sebuah negeri bersekutu dengan negeri-negeri di Semenanjung mewujudkan Malaysia

MAHATHIR CALLS NAJIB ‘CROOK, THIEF & ROBBER’ & GETS A STANDING OVATION FROM ROARING CROWD

Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said relatively speaking, Malaysia was a peaceful country until a “crook, thief and robber” showed up.

Mahathir said Malaysians love their country as it gave the people a good life, although it is true that we may not be so close as to go hugging one another.

He said Malaysians live in peace and harmony compared to countries in the Middle East like Iraq, Syria or Yemen, where the same ethnic groups are at war, killing one another.

“But even though we have our differences, we do not riot and kill each other; we have many races and tribes yet we are very peaceful,” he told a crowd of 3,000 at the ‘Sayangi Malaysia, Hapuskan Kleptokrasi” hosted by the DAP in Penang last night.

“I admit we are not completely harmonious, but we can gather in this crowd and not fear that some of us may throw a bomb. We are safe.

“ In other countries, if there is a crowd, someone may throw a bomb – for these, we have to be grateful,” said the former premier.

“Yes, there were differences between us but we are able to tolerate.

“This was until came a thief, robber and crook […], and so we are in trouble,” he said to cheers from the crowd.

Daily salvos

Once Mahathir’s protege, Prime Minister Najib Razak fell out of favour with his former boss at the height of the 1MDB scandal. The sovereign fund is currently being investigated in several countries, including the United States where the Department of Justice has alleged money laundering activities.

Mahathir has been firing daily salvos against Najib since it was exposed RM2.6 billion had been transferred to the prime minister’s personal bank accounts prior to the 13 national polls in 2013.

Najib has denied taking public funds for personal gain, while attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali (photo) has cleared him of all wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, Mahathir, sporting a red shirt with a large print of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia’s flower logo, said the rakyat is not at war, but the prime minister has allegedly done much wrong like “buying support for himself, abuse of power and trying to divide people of different races”.

In his 40 minute speech, the Bersatu chairperson said the boundaries of constituencies are allegedly being changed to separate the Chinese and Malay voters.

“Najib believes the Chinese will not support him and I believe the same […], but he tried to save himself by separating the Malays in the hope they will support him.

“But believe me, the Malays will not support him,” he added to loud applause from the crowd.

Mahathir said he knew this because he was on the ground on a daily basis, citing a recent event in Selama, Perak on Friday, which according to him, drew a 8,000 crowd, mostly Malays.

Describing the matter as strange, Mahathir said most of the crowd who attended the ceramah were allegedly Umno and PAS members.

“They sit in the dark because they are afraid that Najib would recognise them. This is Najib’s dictatorship rule. If he sees Umno or PAS members, he will give them a warning not to attend our events, but later he will feed them with dedak (bran).

“Dedak will be fed to your eyes, mouths and ears – you will be blind, deaf and dumb.”

Apart from Mahathir, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, MPs Lim Kit Siang (Gelang Patah) and M Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat), Amanah president Mohamed Sabu and PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution also gave speeches at the event.

– M’kini

UNGRATEFUL NAJIB TURNS ON THE PEOPLE – ‘YOU ONLY LIKE PUBLIC HOLIDAYS & FOOD’, GST ONLY 6% VS 28% IN INDIA YET YOU RAISE ‘GREAT HUE & CRY’: WHY SHOULD MALAYSIANS VOTE FOR HIM ANYMORE?

MALAYSIANS do not like paying taxes, and are only keen on food and public holidays, said Prime Minister Najib Razak.

He said the nation’s goods and services tax (GST) was only at 6%, compared with India’s 28%.

“We can’t have higher taxes. Malaysians don’t like to pay more taxes. They only like public holidays and food.   They don’t like to pay more,” he told some 2,000 MIC delegates at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur today.

“GST in India is at 28%, please remember that. Meanwhile, in Malaysia, there is a great hue and cry raised over the 6% GST. Anger is directed at the government.”

He said even though traders were the ones who kept raising the prices of goods, the government was blamed for the higher cost of living.

GST was implemented on April 1, 2015, at a rate of 6%.

It was reported that the Customs Department had collected RM41.2 billion in the tax, exceeding its RM39 billion target last year.

In response to MIC president S. Subramaniam, who had proposed that the Malaysian Indian Blueprint committee come up with an additional financial aid mechanism to support Indian students from low- and middle-income families, Najib said he welcomed feedback on the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and that the government would conduct a more in-depth study on the issue.

“This is not a problem faced only by the Indian community, but all communities.

“PTPTN has helped many students, especially those from poor families. However, for some fields of study, the aid given is insufficient.”

– https://www.themalaysianinsight.com

WHAT’S WRONG WITH KERALA, NAJIB? IN FRONT OF INDIANS, NAJIB INSULTS THEIR ANCESTRY – ‘THOUGH MY DAD & GRANDDAD NOT FROM KERALA, I’M CALLED FATHER OF INDIAN DEVELOPMENT’: PM’S POKE AT DR M REVEALS HIS DEEP-SEATED RACISM, CONDESCENSION TOWARDS INDIANS

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 April -- Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menerima kalungan bunga malai dari Presiden MIC merangkap Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam (kanan) ketika melancarkan Pelan Tindakan Sosio Ekonomi Masyarakat India di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra hari ini. Turut hadir Timbalan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (kiri). -- fotoBERNAMA (2017) HAK CIPTA TERPELIHARA

KUALA LUMPUR – Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak declared himself today as the champion of development for the ethnic Indian minority.

In his speech at the launch of MIC’s annual general meeting today, Najib said that under his leadership, much has been done for the Indians, compared to previous administrations.

“The Cabinet committee on Indian affairs was started when I was the deputy prime minister. Without political will, the Indians would be neglected, marginalised and left behind.

“Though my father and grandfather were not from Kerala, I am called the father of Indian community development,” Najib said to thunderous applause from the floor, in a veiled jibe at former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Indian lineage.

Najib said that under his leadership, RM800 million had been approved for Tamil schools, which he claimed was the largest sum history.

He added that the government had also approved RM1.3 billion in loans for small and medium scale Indian traders, with 32,000 of them receiving a share of the sum via banks and government agencies.

In his speech, Najib also urged MIC to produce winnable candidates to contest in the next national polls.

“You have to produce leaders. I know MIC wants to contest in seats which were distributed before this, to MIC. You have to produce winnable candidates,” he said.

“Winnable candidates are credible candidates, candidates who can appeal. Must have acceptance from all races, because the reality is, (there is) not a single constituency in Malaysia, where you have the majority voters who are Indians. So if MIC wants to win, it has to depend on support from other races.”

– Malay Mail

BEER TEST FOR AZMIN: IS HE STILL TIED TO PAS’ HIP, WILL HE HIDE BEHIND THE SULTAN TO BAN FEST?

THE organiser of the Better Beer Festival must comply with all regulations set by local authorities if it intends to relocate the event venue to Selangor, said Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali.

He said the state government’s stand was to respect the customs and cultures of all the races that formed the Malaysian population.

Nevertheless, he said, the law must be obeyed.

“We (the state government) respect and preserve the rights of minorities, but we must abide by laws,” he said when asked to comment on whether the state government would allow the festival to be held in Selangor.

Azmin was speaking to the media after launching the Selangor Bio Bay, which will be developed by Central Spectrum Sdn Bhd, in Pulau Indah today.

On Monday, Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) rejected the application for the Better Beer Festival, citing security reasons.

It also said the event went against DBKL by-laws.

The festival had been planned for October 6 and 7 at the Publika Shopping Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. – Bernama

‘WE DON’T NEED YOU TO BE OUR FATHER’ – MALAYSIAN INDIANS UPSET AT NAJIB’S SELF-PROCLAIMED TITLE: ONLY MIC COULD STOMACH SUCH AN INSULT

PRIME Minister Najib Razak’s “father of Indian community development” remark at the MIC annual general meeting this morning only works on MIC members, say Indian leaders.

“He can say that in front of MIC members and they will believe him, but go and try to make the same speech in front of the general Indian community. He will not be so confident.

“When he held many important posts in the government prior to becoming the prime minister, what has he done for the Indians? Basically nothing.

“Even the Malaysian Indian Blueprint (MIB) was merely a paper that holds no weight as it is not policy,” said Malaysian Indian group Rapat’s president, A. Rajaretinam.

The MIB was launched in April to empower the Indian community in Malaysia.

It included an allocation of RM500 million by Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) for the Bottom 40 (B40) group within the Indian community, and a special clearance system to grant citizenship to Indians who resided or were born in Malaya before 1957.

“The blueprint was not endorsed in Parliament. The funds given can be cut anytime if the government does not have the money to execute the plan. To me, it is just a piece of paper,” he said, adding that the MIB was just to fish for votes.

“But MIC no longer appeals to the Indian community, not after 2007. 2008 and until now, their voting patterns have changed,” said Rajaretinam.

Meanwhile, Hindraf chairman P. Waytha Moorthy called Najib’s claim laughable.

“He is probably the father of kleptocracy and the reason why there are mini napoleons within the MIC leadership to continue to plunder the community further,” said Waytha Moorthy.

He said, after the 2008 General Elections, Najib as then deputy prime minister chaired the newly established Cabinet Committee on Indian Concerns.

Then, when he became the prime minister, he formed the Special Implementation Taskforce (SITF) in 2010.

“The prime minister is well known for planning and creating new units, but there is always no implementation, or it is handed down to the same old guards who have been looting the Indian community for the last 60 years.

“Furthermore, all these units are ad hoc in nature and have no formal standing or binding with the planning department of the government, even though they are under the Prime Minister’s Department,” Waytha Moorthy added.

He said Hindraf had previously forged an alliance with the government for the Indian community but left 8 months later after it realised that the ruling party had gone back to its old antics.

Waytha Moorthy also said that the MIB was practically a watered down Hindraf blueprint, revived to hoodwink the Indian community.

“After almost 10 years since Najib started, we are back to square one without any permanent long term solution for the Indian community to be on par with national development,” he said, adding that the MIB only offered piecemeal solutions without addressing core issues.

Klang MP Charles Santiago said Malaysians need a prime minister who strives for the development of all Malaysians and creates opportunities for all his citizens, not just Indians.

Charles said Indians under Umno’s leadership – even under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad – suffered because of the Malay first policy.
He said currently, Indians, especially those from B40 group, suffer from severe poverty because of failed Umno and Barisan Nasional policies, which focused on creating opportunities for the rich.

“I see poor Malays, Chinese and Indians in my office in Klang every Thursday. Many are not able to put food on the table for their families, send their children to school or pay for medicine.

“We have seen Najib wooing the Chinese and Indians over the past few months in a clear indication that the next general election is around the corner.

“But in doing so, Najib cannot set a new low for himself. He must understand that we don’t need a ‘father of Indian community development’ but a prime minister for all Malaysians.”

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT

SARAWAK ‘HEART ATTACK’ NOT ‘SAFE DEPOSIT’ FOR NAJIB: DR M LANDS IN KUCHING, IMMEDIATELY OFFERS TALKS WITH TAIB MAHMUD’S PARTY

Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad indicated that he was prepared to reach out to Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu Sarawak (PBB), which is instrumental to BN’s hold in Sarawak.

“I would like to talk to them. Whether they would like to talk to me or not, I don’t know.

“Everybody seems to be very shy nowadays. Last time I came, people can greet me, but now it’s a little restrained,” he told a press conference after arriving at Kuching International Airport at 4.50pm.

Mahathir, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairperson, was asked to respond to speculation that he will try to rope in PBB if the opposition was unable to win enough parliamentary seats in Sarawak to form the federal government in the next general election.

BN controls 25 out of 31 parliamentary seats in Sarawak and more than half of those, or 14, are held by PBB.

Umno does not contest in Sarawak as local parties, including PBB, have been insistent that Umno does not enter the state.

Mahathir, who is also Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson, was in Sarawak to unveil Harapan’s manifesto for the state.

Mahathir said he hoped Harapan can pick up “quite a number” of parliamentary seats in Sarawak.

When asked for a specific number of seats Harapan was targeting, Mahathir replied: “Enough to form the (federal) government”.

He assured that Harapan’s manifesto for East Malaysia will take into consideration of the unhappiness in Sabah and Sarawak with regard to its status within the Malaysian Federation.

“I think lots of people are unhappy. We need to look back at the reservations at the time of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

“We will look into all those reservations – 16 items in Sarawak, 20 items in Sabah.

We need to look at them and find out what the dissatisfaction is about and we will remedy that.

“They want to be in control of their petroleum products, education, etc. We will look into that. We will come with an open mind,” he said.

Yesterday, at least three opposition leaders, namely PKR’s Zuraida Kamaruddin, Hee Loy Sian and Chua Yee Ling, were barred from entering Sarawak for the unveiling for Harapan’s state manifesto tonight.

However, top leaders including Mahathir and DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang were allowed into the state.

Mahathir, when asked about the barring of the three opposition leaders, cheekily responded: ” It shows that Sarawak is very independent. You have your own passport, almost”.

Under the Malaysian Agreement, Sarawak and Sabah retain control on immigration affairs.

MKINI