MELALAP TO HAVE NEW TOWNSHIP

CEREMONY....Musa (fifth right) with from right: Rubin, Sukarti, Radin, Pairin, Ghulam and Raime jointly launching the Melalap town ground-breaking ceremony.

TENOM: Melalap, a sub-district near here with a population of about 5,000, will be getting a new township, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman. He said the project would take a substantial period to complete as the area was presently an oil palm plantation belonging to Sime Darby Bhd.

“We appreciate Sime Darby chairman Tun Musa Hitam’s gesture to let us have the site for rebuilding the town. I suppose it is also part of Sime Darby’s corporate social responsibility,” he noted.

He said the new township would have various amenities such as an administrative building, shops, a recreation area and a school.

Musa said the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government is committed to defending fate and future of the people of Sabah.

He said the creation of a new Melalap township is a promise fulfilled to reciprocate the commitment and cooperation of BN leaders here wanting to see the people enjoy progress.

Musa said the role played by BN leaders in developing Tenom, especially Melalap was a responsibility they must fulfill to enable the people to enjoy the fruits of development brought about by the BN government.

“I believe that without cooperation, we would not be able to develop the Melalap town,” he said in his speech at the Melalap town’s ground-breaking ceremony here yesterday.

“I am confident that this new town will be equipped with various facilities that can provide comfort to the community, especially the increasing pace of socio-economic development which means better living standard for the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Infrastructure Development, Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitiangan told reporters that the creation of the Melalap town showed the commitment of the BN government.

“Pledges and promises are kept,” he said, adding that Pairin and the elected representatives in Tenom had submitted a plan to realise Melalap town a long time ago.

Eventually Sime Darby had agreed to give 200 acres of its oil palm land to the state government for the purpose of rebuilding Melalap town.

Meanwhile, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department Datuk Radin Malleh, who is also Melalap state assemblyman, said the first phase of the project would involve 23 acres while the second, 20 acres. The following phases would involve 20, 65 and 60 acres. (BP)

SEWERAGE PROBLEM AT PUTATAN POINT

THE SEWERAGE problem never seem to have an ending and this as evidenced when the Sabah DAP Wanita Chief, Puan Noriah Onong visited Putatan Point. The sewerage system behind several shops there is giving the shop owners an uncomfortable smell coming from the sewerage that overflows to the surface.

According to one of the shop owner, complaints has been brought up to the Putatan Council but todate no action has been taken by them. He questions why the Council is not taking their predicament seriously and this has affected their business and customers are shying away especially the eateries shops there.

The problems could have arises due to the blockage in the sewerage system. And the Council need to address this problem as Sabah DAP KK MP office also received complaints from other Putatan residents pertaining to blockage sewerage system in their residential area. This has caused their toilet to be overflowed especially when it rains.

KK MP office will forward the complaints to Putatan Council and will ensure that this matters will be looked into so as not to burden the shop owners and Putatan residents who are also paying for their house assessment.

LAJIM AND WILFRED, PAWNS SABAH PLAN

KOTA KINABALU - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) appears to have parted ways with Pakatan Rakyat after initially showing signs of building ties with the peninsula-based opposition coalition.

The fallout stems from PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim informing SAPP president Yong Teck Lee that Pakatan was now bringing in Lajim Ukin and Wilfred Bumburing as his new trusted warlords in Sabah.

That decision was made known last month in a meeting room at a hotel here when Anwar met Yong and Jeffrey Kitingan, the Sabah chapter chairman of Sarawak-based State Reform Party (STAR).

Since then, Yong has not appeared at Pakatan functions unlike in the past when he made an effort to attend nor has he sent senior members to represent the party at such events.

His latest snub of a Pakatan function was the Sept 15 gathering in Tuaran of Pakatan’s top leaders to mark the 49th anniversary of Malaysia Day.

In the past, Yong would have been loath to miss an event like that since Sept 16, 1963, date of the formation of Malaysia, has been high on SAPP’s agenda. However, he did not even send a junior party leader to the function hosted by Lajim and Bumburing in the grounds of a restaurant.

The event was staged to show Sabahans that Pakatan leaders empathised with them about how Sabah and Sarawak were equal partners with Malaya in the formation of Malaysia but had since been reduced in status equivalent to those of the peninsular states.

Yong would not have wanted to ignore this gesture as among those present with Anwar were PAS president Hadi Awang, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim along with senior Pakatan component party leaders Tian Chua, Mohamad Sabu, Mustaffa Ali, Husam Musa and many others.

The fracturing of ties can be traced to the closed-door meeting with Anwar last month when, as soon as the brief meeting ended, Yong left with his waiting SAPP colleagues to his residence near here.

Shortly later, Yong issued a statement that his party was interested in contesting in Sepanggar, Penampang and Kota Kinabalu.

He specifically mentioned the three parliamentary seats that Pakatan component DAP is eyeing, which is regarded as a direct challenge to the coalition’s influence in the state.

Anwar’s New Pawns

DAP is the incumbent in Kota Kinabalu through Hiew King Chew, a former SAPP man himself who quit to join PBS and later DAP to become their candidate.

According to the political grapevine, Yong and Jeffrey are irked by the inclusion of Lajim and Bumburing in the opposition equation and Anwar’s declaration that Pakatan now has five components with APS (Angkatan Perubahan Sabah) and PPS (Pakatan Perubahan Sabah) joining PKR, DAP and PAS.

APS is headed by Bumburing while PPS by Lajim. The two were in the meeting room with “guests” Yong and Jeffrey along with PKR vice-president Tian Chua and DAP MP Teresa Kok and Anwar’s aides. No one from PKR Sabah was present.

Yong and Jeffrey were accompanied by senior leaders from their parties but they were not included in the meeting with Anwar.

According to those familiar with discussions, Anwar signalled that APS and PPS would be the main players in Sabah, even duplicating some of Sabah PKR’s role and the message to Yong and Jeffrey was “we now have them, so are you coming in or not?” or more bluntly “we can do without you”.

The meeting lasted only 20 minutes, according to insiders who said that Yong was also irked by Lajim’s condescending tone after the meeting when he allegedly told the SAPP president that he could help deliver Lahad Datu constituency to SAPP.

The assumption that Yong and his party would need outside help in his own hometown was seen as a slight, according to party insiders.

Two days after the meeting with Anwar, Yong and his men turned up at the United Borneo Alliance (UBA) fourth meeting to meet Jeffrey.

Some have taken that as a signal that SAPP could be working with Jeffrey’s STAR instead to counter the Pakatan-Lajim-Bumburing tie-up.

UBA is a loose alliance of Borneo-based groups that Jeffrey has been trying to stitch together and its membership comprises STAR and the remnants of Usno.

Observers said both SAPP and STAR are trying to be the main opposition force in the state and wrapping themselves in the cloak of a freer and independent Sabah that they promote as the Borneo Agenda and Sabah for Sabahans.

If STAR’s slogan is “Ini kali lah” (Now is the time), SAPP’s is “Sekaranglah” (It is Now).

Even Pakatan has latched on to the popular catchphrase with Anwar shouting it out thrice at the Tuaran function during his speech.

The behind-the-scenes political tussles appear to show that while Pakatan, SAPP and STAR are united in dethroning the Umno-led BN government, their inability to temper their yearning to be the dominant party to fill the vacuum left by the outgoing party may be their undoing.

When contacted by FMT for his comment, SAPP supreme council member, lawyer Peter Marajin, said that from his observation, Yong was frustrated with Anwar.

“I think Yong is frustrated with Anwar because he now shifted his eyes to Lajim as a new ‘taiko’ for Sabah, completely forgetting his 40 [state] seats promise [to Yong and SAPP],” he said.

MIC insists Indian support up markedly

TEMERLOH, Sept 30 — MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel emphasised that the Indian community’s support of the government was increasing significantly as a result of the transformation programmes implemented by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Indians were being provided with more business and educational opportunities, he added.

“Therefore, the Indian community is urged to continue supporting the Barisan Nasional government as it has proven that it cares for all Malaysians, regardless of race,” Palanivel (picture) said.

He was speaking at a Family Day organised by the Temerloh MIC Youth and Women movements, which was also attended by Temerloh Member of Parliament and Higher Education deputy minister, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah. — Bernama

Wedding of Ali Rustam’s son sets attendance ‘record’

MALACCA, Sept 30 — Some 130,000 guests attended the wedding of the eldest son of Malacca Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam and Datin Seri Asmah Abdul Rahman at Dewan Tun Ali Bukit Katil here today.

The joyous ceremony for Mohd Ridhwan, 26, and his wife, Nur Azieha Mohd Ali, also 26, lasted eight hours, beginning 10am.

Among notable guests were Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, Melaka Yang DiPertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, Home Deputy Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop and former Malacca chief minister Datuk Seri Abu Zahar Ithinin who is also the bride's grandfather.

The couple met each other 10 years ago, through tuition class.

Nur Azieha received a golden token of RM6,000 and dowry of RM22,222.22 from the bridegroom.

The reception also earned a place in the Malaysia Book of Records for the most number of guests attending a wedding reception.

MBR representative Zulhairi Md Zin presented a certificate to Mohd Ali to mark the achievement. — Bernama

BN's RM60BIL LAND GRAB: Thousands show up in solidarity with Pengerang residents

The sleepy hollow of Kampung Sungai Rengit came alive this morning with animated chants and blares from portable air horns as green-clad protesters streamed in by the bus loads to rally against a RM60 billion petrochemical project that will see thousands of villagers lose their homes and livelihoods.

The highly-anticipated Himpunan Hijau Pengerang Lestari protest kicked off peacefully to a bright and early start despite earlier fears of possible police blockades to prevent protesters from attending the mass rally.

From 25 different locations across the country, including the east Malaysian state of Sabah, rally participants arrived from 9am onwards, all dressed in Himpunan Hijau’s signature neon green T-shirts and bearing banners that detailed the rally’s three protests — to protest the land grab, to protest the loss of livelihood, and to protest environmental destruction.

As at 10am, the small village square where the township’s landmark steel lobster structure is located was flooded by nearly a thousand protesters.

The atmosphere was peaceful and almost carnival-like with some rally-goers erecting small booths to sell items like T-shirts, umbrellas, face masks and light snacks, while only a handful of police personnel were seen keeping an eye on the cheerful rally participants.

Seen among the crowd were known Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders like PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub and Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau, as well as Bersih 2.0 steering committee members Wong Chin Huat and Hishammuddin Rais, who was the emcee for the event.

The vocal activist, Hishammuddin spurred the crowd on by teaching them cheering signals and a song “Suara Rakyat” (voice of the people), which was sung along to the tune of the famous American folk ballad “Oh my darling Clementine”.

Banners and placards condemning Petronas’ Refinery and Petrochemicals Development (RAPID) project, which will see the relocation of over 3,000 people from seven villages girdling the shore of Pengerang, have also been erected across the small Chinese-majority Kampung Sungai Rengit, the only village that has escaped the government’s relocation plans thus far.

Refused to acquire land

According to rally organisers, the government has refused to acquire land from Kampung Sungai Rengit residents due to the high value of the commercial property here.

But a Pengerang PKR leader Taufik Jahir claimed the objective was to “force the villagers from their homes” as Kampung Sungai Rengit will turn into an island once all phases of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC) is completed in the years ahead.

RAPID is set to occupy over 6,424-acres of PIPC’s 22,500 acres, which is home to some 28,000 Pengerang parliamentary constituents in the southernmost tip of Johor. PIPC is a massive RM170 billion project that is expected to turn Malaysia into a mega petrochemical hub.

“Once they have been turned into an island, the Kampung Sungai Rengit property values will drop and the residents will be forced out, having lost their means of living,” Taufik told the Malaysian Insider.

No room for PR to criticise - Rais tells Malaysians to "open up their" eyes to Najib's Budget

The opposition will not have the opportunity to criticise the 2013 Budget tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak yesterday as it looks after the interests of all strata of society.

Information, Communications and Culture minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said instead the budget would move the people to have greater appreciation for the ruling government and country.

"I urge Malaysians to open up their eyes and listen closely so that they can give recognition to the deeds (of the government) in fulfilling its promises," he said.

He was speaking to reporters at the launching of the 'Promises Fullfilled Tour' programme by the Prime Minister at the Paroi Youth and Sports complex, here today.

Also present were the prime minister's wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.

Meanwhile, Works Minister Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor said he was convinced the construction industry would see a strategic growth next year due to the multiple allocations in the budget.

He expected an increase in the volume of projects that would encourage more participation by contractors.

"Malaysia's construction industry has a brighter future because a lot of projects, particularly under the Economic Tranformation Programmes, are still on-going since last year," he said.

Felda chairman Tan Sri Mohd Isa Abdul Samad said Felda would collaborate with state governments in search for available land to develop 20,000 houses for its new generation which had been allocated in the budget.

"We are ready, we have available land, the only thing is we just want to identify which land are suitable and we will hold a discussion with the state governments and build pre-fabricated houses," he said.

Meanwhile in Kuala Lumpur, Information, Communications and Culture deputy minister Datuk Maglin Dennis D'Cruz said the RM150 million budget would encourage the younger generation to be informative and knowledgeable with the establishment of 100 internet centres in public housing schemes.

"Rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak already have their Wifi villages. What the Prime Minister announced yesterday, is an additional allocation to all levels of the society," he said.

He said with the allocation of a RM200 rebate for 3G smartphones for youths aged 21 to 30, it showed the government's support for the younger generation to be technology savvy and never to be left behind.

Maglin was speaking to Bernama when met at the launching of the 13th National Youth Taekwondo Championship at Cheras badminton stadium, here today.

The two-day championship saw 600 participants from 31 Teakwondo associations and clubs in the 10-13 years old and 14-17 years old categories beginning today, said Malaysia Teakwondo Association (TM) technical director, R.Dhanaraj. – Bernama

BN VIEWPOINT: Urbanisation of the political landscape - a key factor in GE13

WITHOUT doubt, the 2013 Budget,   unveiled on Friday, touched virtually every Malaysian -- the young and the old, the poor and the middle-income group.

But what is more telling is the challenge confronting policymakers in formulating this, and subsequent budgets, given the arduous task of managing Malaysia as a successful nation.

Rising population, accelerated urbanisation and rapid rural-urban migration have reshaped Malaysia's demographic profile, as well as people's needs and lifestyles. These factors are having a huge impact on the political landscape and government policies.

Undoubtedly, Malaysia is fast emerging as an urban society. When we gained independence in 1957, only 11 per cent of Malaysians lived in urban areas. This had risen sharply to 34 per cent in 1980 and 72 per cent last year.

As such, there is pressing demand for better jobs, shelter, schools and efficient public transport in cities.

Supply of affordable housing has not been able to match the ever-increasing demand from ordinary households in the Klang Valley. Houses offered by some private developers are too expensive. The rising cost of living and tight disposable incomes are also taking a heavy toll on them. Data suggests that about 70 per cent of those living in urban areas are struggling to make ends meet.

Another issue is urban deprivation. It is a much greater challenge in meeting the aspirations of the relatively deprived in the urban areas than in managing the rural poor.

The government's capacity in dealing with urban deprivation is quite limited unless the community at large provides the necessary support, too. We don't want certain precincts of our cities to be turned into ghettos where drug addiction and other social ills are prevalent.

We are in the next phase of urbanisation, where we should aim for a better quality of life for the people.

The process of urban transformation is inevitable. This has to move in tandem with improving people's welfare through better shelter, health, education, security and environmental protection. Economic wellbeing alone is not enough.

Thumbs-up from ALL AROUND - really?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has made it abundantly clear in his Budget speech, the last before the next general election, that government spending should also be skewed towards addressing the demanding needs of urban dwellers.

He dwelt at great length on a multitude of people's touch points, including making cities safer places to live, building more affordable homes for the lower- and middle-income groups, putting some limit on excessive property speculation and adding more stage buses in the main cities.

Besides the bricks and mortar issues, politicians will also have to face a new reality of the changing mindset of voters with the advent of new media, broadband, smartphones and tablet computers.

The next general election will be decided, to a certain extent, by how well political parties engage and win over urban voters, some of whom are first-time voters.

So far, there has been a big thumbs up from around the nation for the 2013 Budget. This should provide strong goodwill for Barisan Nasional going into the elections.

For Najib, who is banking on his three-year "transformation" agenda and feel good factors for the polls, Friday's budget speech appeared to reinforce his plan to win a strong mandate.

Jalil Hamid is NSTP Group managing Editor

PR-bashing in Budget speech reveals a SHIVERING Najib fearful of losing power

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s barefaced denial yesterday that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 2013 Budget was an “election budget” illustrated what is wrong with the UMNO/Barisan Nasional government after 55 years in power – that the Umno/BN government leaders suffer from the dual terminal ailments of denial complex and unprecedented credibility gap.

Even UMNO/Barisan Nasional Ministers, MPs and members would not believe Muhyiddin’s brazen denial that Najib’s 2013 Budget was not an “election budget”.

Why then is the Deputy Prime Minister making a denial that is completely bereft of credibility, whether in Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional camps?

The only answer is that UMNO/BN leaders continue to suffer from the false sense that they could transform Malaysian politics into a world of make-believe and get ordinary Malaysians to believe what the UMNO/BN leaders decreed, although totally divorced from the world of reality.

It is because of this misguided and misplaced complex that caused UMNO/BN leaders to continue to deny that the growing fear of crime among Malaysians as well as rampant corruption in the country are major problems in the country, falling back on discredited GTP and NKRA statistics and claims of falling crime index and progress in the war against corruption.

But this is false sense of make-believe and denial is not sustainable in the real world, especially in the era of Internet and information technology where information travels at the speed of light and could no more be buried by the BN mainstream media.

Opposition-bashing to deflect attention from Budget's inherent weaknesses

Najib had put his finger on the pulse of the problem when he became Prime Minister in April 2009, when he declared that “the era that the government knows best is over”, but the tragedy is that Najib had demonstrated in his 42 months as Prime Minister that he could diagnose the problem afflicting UMNO/BN government but he could not act on the diagnosis, either for lack of political will or personal convictions.

Najib made dubious history yesterday when he transformed his 2013 Budget – which had goodies for almost every sector of the electorate – into a brazen electioneering speech.

Despite Muhyiddin’s post-budget claim that the 2013 Budget is not an “election budget”, Najib devoted more than 10 per cent of his budget speech in a blatant electioneering appeal for continued support for Umno/BN while launching a most improper attack on Pakatan Rakyat.

Najib took MPs and the listening Malaysian public by surprise when he devoted the first six paragraphs of his 2013 Budget speech appealing to Malaysians for continued electoral support for Umno/BN government after 55 years, and hurled charges and insinuations against Pakatan Rakyat.

But he outdid himself at the end of the budget speech when he devoted the last 14 paragraphs of his 174-paragraph budget speech on a unashamed glorification of Umno/BN rule and condemned Pakatan Rakyat, causing many on both sides of the political divide to shake their heads with the common complaint that the 2013 Budget presentation was a poor reflection on the “class” and “standard” both on the Prime Minister and the annual budget.

It is evident that the 2013 Budget hides a very unconfident Najib who is haunted and hounded by the phobia that his fourth budget speech as Finance Minister may be the last Umno/BN budget in Parliament in the nation’s history.

This is why despite all the chest-thumping and braggadocio of supreme confidence that Malaysia will witness six more budgets to be tabled by the Umno/BN Government to transform Malaysia from middle to a high-income developed country, Najib has continued to play the role of Shakespear’s Hamlet, “To Be or Not To Be”, agonizing over whether “To dissolve or not to dissolve Parliament” since last year.

The reason is simple – Najib has no confidence that he would not be the last Umno Prime Minister in Malaysia or that he would not be toppled as UMNO President and Prime Minister in a repeat scenario like what happened to Tun Abdullah in 2009, becominng the latest “trophy” of Tun Mahathir with the scalps of three DPMs and two PMs!

Lim Kit Siang is the DAP adviser & MP for Ipoh Timur

Pakatan’s promises are venomous poison

Prime Minister Najib urges rakyat to be wary of Pakatan's weapons.

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak today urged Malaysians to be wary of the opposition’s three main “weapons” which were condemning, instigating and making all sorts of promises in trying woo the people.

“They must condemn (the government), they must knock you (government) down. After that, they must instigate (the people) and then they will promise. Like I said, they’ll promise the sun, the moon, and even the galaxy,” he said when opening Gerakan’s 41st National Delegates Conference here.

Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said the people should ponder about the sweet promises made by the Pakatan Rakyat opposition coalition which in the end were actually nothing more than venomous poison for them.

“Is it really something good for the people or will it lead to some catastrophic outcome for the nation. This is something the people must think about, because to become the opposition, the arsenal is three things  — condemn, instigate, promise,” stressed Najib.

Najib said that to be a credible opposition in a parliamentary democracy, a few fundamental conditions must be fulfilled, one of which is having a common symbol.

“In other words, you must register as a party. But Pakatan Rakyat is not registered as a common party nor do they have a common symbol,” Najib said.

The prime minister pointed out BN had been using a common symbol, with electoral candidates contesting under the BN banner.

“We go and face the people as BN, but the opposition will go to the people with different faces.

“Symbol not the same …we are not sure whether they will table a common manifesto ,” he said, noting that squabbles over (the implementation of) hudud (Syariah laws) among the opposition pact had been conducted openly.

Unfulfilled promises
Najib said this demonstrated that they did not have a common position and common policy on how this country was going to be administered.

He also took a swipe at the opposition’s failure in unveiling its ‘shadow cabinet’.

Najib said the country should not be governed by the opposition pact who kept on making unfulfilled promises.

He noted that 75 per cent of promises in PKR-led Selangor, remained unfulfilled while the BN had to step in to resolve the Kampung Buah Pala (eviction of villagers) issue in DAP-dominated Penang.

The prime minister also said that a leader must be fair and just, traits which had apparently escaped an opposition leader when he tried to deprive a competent senior state Education official from being promoted in Penang some time ago because he was a non-Malay.

“When I checked on it, I took a risk. He was the deputy prime minister, I was the Education Minister…I said no, that man must be given the Pengarah Pelajaran (atate education director) post. And I was prepared to face the consequences because of principle. A leader must be fair and just,” he said.

Touching on the 2013 Budget he tabled on Friday, Najib said the underlying philosophy in its preparation was that the people must come first and all steps taken were for them.

“This budget is about the people as well as about moving the economy. You can’t just talk about the rakyat (people) without moving the economy, without attracting foreign investment, domestic investment, innovation and productivity.

“There are 111 initiatives or touch points in Budget 2013. Read them one by one,” he said.

- Bernama

PKR to scrap Rapid when it gets to Putrajaya

PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng says a Pakatan federal government would not allow the petro-chemical project to continue.

FULL REPORT

KOTA TINGGI: PKR will scrap the proposed RM60 billion Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Project (Rapid) in Pengerang should they come to power after the next general election, said its Johor state chairman Chua Jui Meng today.

Addressing some 3,000-strong crowd during the Himpunan Hijau Lestari in Pengerang today, Chua said a Pakatan federal government would not allow the petro-chemical project to continue.

“Anwar (Ibrahim) has asked me to convey this message to everyone here today, that we will reject the project and rebuild the livelihood of the locals ,” he told the cheering protesters.

Speaking to FMT later, Chua said the decision was made in PKR’s political bureau meeting chaired by de facto leader Anwar recently.

He said Rapid will be scrapped alongside with the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Gebeng, Pahang.

“I want to warn companies who wish to invest in the Rapid project, even if (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) gives them license, we will revoke it once we come into power,” he said.

He added that Pakatan was willing to incur extra costs to compensate investors’ losses.

Raising in Parliament
Johor DAP chairman Boo Cheng Hau told the crowd that Johor should develop its fishing industry as it has some 400km of coast lines.

“We should develop something that can benefit a lot of local people, not just one or two persons such as the case of this project,” he said in his addressing speech.

Meanwhile, PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub said his party will raise this issue in Parliament next week.

“We from PAS, PKR and DAP will make your struggles the centre topic of our speech,” he said.

The Johor government is planning to acquire some 8,094ha of land in Pengerang for the development of the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC).

About 2,550ha will be developed by Petronas Rapid, while 544ha will be for the Pengerang Independent Deepwater Petroleum Terminal.

Phase 1 of the relocation exercise will begin in March next year with three villages, namely Kampung Sungai Kapal, Kampung Teluk Empang and Kampung Langkah Baik.

By October next year, four villages will follow suit, namely Kampung Sebong, Kampung Batu Mas, Kampung Jawa and Kampung Sungai Buntu.

Lee Lam Thye, a Malaysian

The Malaysian Insider - Prioritise welfare of PDRM personnel, says Lee Lam Thye

Lee Lam Thye - indisputably a legend in KL and among older Chinese Malaysians as a quiet, soft spoken but redoubtably effective DAP politician. Borrowing and paraphrasing the popular title of the film'Singh is Kinng'*, I have no hesitation in declaring 'Lee Lam Thye was Kinng' in Kuala Lumpur, where his electoral constituency was Bukit Bintang.

* the word 'king' was deliberately (mis)spelt 'Kinng' on advice from an Indian numerologist . Not unlike Hong Kong film makers, Bollywood is fussy about good feng shui when starting or launching a film.

The sad part of 'Lee Lam Thye was Kinng'lies in its grammatical tense, namely 'was'. Today, the younger ones, even DAP members (with no clue as to their party's history) hate him for no other reason than he chooses, since his publicly declared retirement from politics, to be a non-political non-partisan Malaysian.

Whoooaa, that won't do in today's Malaysia for current politics has gone 'George Bush II', as per that low-brow Dubya-ish 'you're either with us or against us'.

This (extract on Lee only) was what I wrote in an earlier post Gentlemen in ungentlemanly Malaysian politics in March 2010:

… when I read readers’ comments at various places – Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Insider, my matey Susan Loone’s blog, etc – I seldom see a reasonable and balanced or civil comment. The comments would in general be feral, ferocious, and frightening, not unlike rabid salivating attack dogs unleashed ;-). It seems these are worse at RPK’s Malaysia-Today wakakaka. […]

They adopted George W Bush’s doctrine of"either you’re with us or against us", just black or white with no grey in between.

Likewise the attacks against Lee Lam Thye were scurrilous, sleazy, sickening and by some scumbags whose pubic hair weren’t yet in sight when Lee LT was already performing sterling services in KL.

Lee was virtually a demigod in the eyes of his constituency and woe betide any political challenger for his seat – my uncle told me in each general election he actually felt sorry for those MCA pollies who were ‘nominated’ by MCA leaders to stand against Lee. They were probably unpopular members, good only as cannon fodders wakakaka.

Maybe the following poem by kamikaze pilot, the late Matomi Ugaki, should be dedicated to those foolish or 'pushed forward' to stand against Lee Lam Thye:

Flowers of the special attack are falling

When the spring is leaving.

Gone with the spring

Are young boys like cherry blossoms.

Gone are the blossoms,

Leaving cherry trees only with leaves.

MCA cherry blossoms? Totally crushed by Lee Lam Thye! Wakakaka!

Poppy, MCA's Bukit Bintang cherry blossom

Of course Lee retired from politics but these young punks couldn’t, wouldn’t respect his decision and let him be as he went about his Malaysian way. He was only ‘acceptable’ if he was like them, feral, ferocious and frighteningly moronic in blind hatred against anything and everything UMNO and BN.

Same stuff happened to my matey Hsu Dar Ren in my post Gerakan hopes to snatch a new breath of life. Just because I refer to him as my matey, a commentator called him a ‘running dog’, just as some others had so termed Lee Lam Thye.

Hsu Dar Ren

Though I dislike the BN for its terrible governance and divisive antics, I do have friends in Gerakan, MCA, UMNO and wakakaka even MIC. I don’t see the need to maul them as well though of course I would certainly challenge their political policies if these are not supportive of fairness, transparency, accountability, or just wasteful.

In fact I was delighted to see that Hsu had written a letter to Malaysiakini titled The ascendancy of right wing politics. Read it if you think he is a ‘running dog’.

Some people like Lee Lam Thye and Hsu Dar Ren are gentlemen through and through, civil, soft spoken, well-mannered and treat even their political enemies as fellow Malaysians. In politics one doesn't have to assume one of the extreme positions like the general UMNO apparatchiks or anwaristas.

And I am glad Lee and Hsu aren’t.

Also, in another much earlier post (October 2007) titled The necessary demonization of Lee Lam Thye I wrote (extracts only):

Here is an outstanding former DAP stalwart who was the best performing opposition politician bar none. Neither my political hero Lim Kit Siang nor the late Tan Sri Dr Tan Chee Khoon could match his popularity and the respect the people of KL of an earlier generation have for him.

Yet to today’s political Johnnies & Ginny’s-come-lately, he is a “hypocrite, a spineless turncoat who goes with the flow. His past actions have clearly shown he is a ‘yes-man’ and ‘brown nose’ and he is certainly not independent nor trustworthy” – see comments on the post.

So, on the above pseudo-logic, for Lee to be trustworthy in the amoebic minds of these J’s-come-lately, he must, according to their tadpole worldviews, be a ‘no-man’. Oh yes, he must buck the ‘flow’ in accordance with their wondrous views of which way the ‘flow’ has been going. Yes, Lee should bloody well conform to their dictates or ‘de facto’ assessments.

What about the critics themselves? Certainly they would say ‘no’ to the establishment! But what would they say to the man who can walk on water.

No, I wasn't referring to Yeshua ben Yusuf, but the bloke whom visitor {zzz} informed me “Didn't you know the guy practically walks on water?” in an earlier post Guess who've been singing that old tune "I'd have been sacked ..."?

Read the above post and see whether Lee Lam Thye or He who walks on water has been a ‘spineless hypocrite’.

And pause to consider whether you critic-wonders of Lee Lam Thye aren't ‘yes men’ yourselves (to He who walks on water, the unelected 'leader')?

And where is it stated that Lee must act or opine in accordance with your Winching Wendy's wishes to be not spineless - oh, don’t you now dare forget to compare Lee with who’s really spineless. [...]

I had questioned the biased criticism that“Lee hasn't made any statement contrary to or critical of government policies without first taking the wind directions” by asking the following:

(1) Must he?

(2) Has that been his style even when he was at his pinnacle?

Visitor {xxx} commented: “You speak with hypocrisy. There're bigger issues at stake now than just bread and butter issues. If he wants to be left alone, it's very easy, he only needs to back out from the panel.”

“Since he allowed himself to be on the panel, he should expect to be scrutinised to the fullest.”

“This is what democracy is all about. Can't take the heat? Get out of the kitchen, or in this case, the panel.”

It’s quite obscene for him (or her) to mouth the phrase “This is what democracy is all about” while at the same condemning Lee, as a citizen who has retired from opposition politics, from accepting an invitation to be a panel member. Hellooooooooo, can Lee be allowed to decide for himself, or should he toe your line?

And as a former opposition politician retired from active politics, if that doesn't make him an independent person, who then is? He who walks on water? Lee as an independent person is under no f-obligations to say things that you only want to hear.

Democracy, my bloody foot - you have no clue what democracy is!

{xxx} continues to show his/her ignorance of the phrase “Can't take the heat? Get out of the kitchen” by applying it to a retired politician sitting on an panel for independent investigation, but WTF, why let facts bother the mealy-mouth attack on Lee.

* {xxx}'s nick can be seen on an earlier post titled Leave Lee Lam Thye alone.

Unlike in the West, in Malaysia there is no room for civility outside (or stand down from) politics, where politicians from both sides of the House could sit down and have a drink or two and laugh about matters ‘off the record’ as colleagues rather than as political adversaries - not even for retired politician who has not taken up politics but wants or is willing to do some public service work.

But regardless, what Lee LT has suggested today, namely prioritizing welfare for PDRM personnel, is all too correct. Though we have come to equate the PDRM as an unpleasant, unsavoury, and disreputable organization, we must make the effort to be conscious of what Napoleon Bonaparte once said: 'There are no bad soldiers, only bad officers', and thus not marginalize a group of fellow Malaysians.

Undoubtedly, most of the PDRM senior officers are of the carma (Samad Said's cari makan) variety, with some more enthusiastic than others in wanting to please their political masters. And we know that some have set bad examples in more than one way - in politics, in their disregard for rule of law (alleged pally buddy with underworld kingpins), in their 'style' of living and allegedly in 'close one eye and open one palm'.

But like ordinary soldiers, the mata-mataare not all that well-paid, and even if we can argue they are, consider their natural urges in the face of some of their officers living lives like the rich at Monte Carlo, or when they ride their motorcycles past a palatial mansion in Selangor styled like a Bali Palace. I wonder whether Dr Mahathir meant this when during his premiership he promoted 'Leadership by example'?

Yes, we most certainly can tell those mata-mata off with a 'that's no excuse' for wanting a similar get-rich-quick approach in the course of their work. But shouldn't we first sack the bunch of those bloody bad examples, staring from the top?

In the meanwhile, we should support what Lee LT has advocated, that we look after their welfare. Remember, they're Malaysians too.

Related:

(1) The necessary demonization of Lee Lam Thye (2)

(2) Mat Sabu - a new Lee Lam Thye?