BN can use Toyol to recapture Selangor

Altantuya will never vote for BN for sure.

How BN can win GE13

 

 

The PM must walk the talk to have credibility. The rakyat are no longer fools. Saying one thing today and then saying another the next day will never gain credibility. 1 Malaysia was a good slogan but it has been hijacked by Umno warlords and rent-seekers. Admonish them and get them to toe the line — you are the PM, not these guys! Do not be weak — they will push you out pronto. 

CK Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

Yesterday in Parliament, the government had to seek an urgent allocation of RM608 million for the period January-March 2012.

These are for the election “goodies” given out by the PM and DPM over this period — very nice and good.

But this is not going to get votes as the rakyat feels that this is rightly due to them for the way the economy is being run. Can you blame them?

While the PM’s office has engaged a string of highly-paid strategic advisers, they are terribly off the mark!

Attempts to “finished” off Anwar Ibrahim with sexual episodes faced a backlash —many rural and urban voters no long care or believe them. It is a story so tarnished and old. The PM and Umno have made a fallible assumption that Anwar is going to cause the fall of BN rule. Sorry, it is the BN that caused itself to lose voter support

Anwar is just a fiery politician and he cannot cause the demise of BN/Umno. Look at the factors for voter dissatisfaction:

Corruption and cronyism

Umno and BN have failed to address this issue which is dear to the heart of all voters. Time and again mega projects are awarded without transparency and proper procedures. Defence procurements are way above market rates and politically-linked companies reaped huge and shameful profits at the rakyat’s expense.

IPPs and toll operators reaped “sinful” profits, and the government has done nothing to resolve this. While it is difficult, has any firm attempt been done to re-negotiate these one-sided agreements?

Accusations have been hurled at the A-G and the former IGP for misdeeds by very senior ex-police officers yet no attempt has been made to investigate these accusations. They may not be true but the government has failed to address them.

Thus far the PM had not acted decisively on these accusations, but merely sweep them under the carpet. Dr M may say “rakyat senang lupa” —how senile can he get!!

The PM must immediately announce the postponement or revision of mega projects and ask for open tenders.

Costly defence equipment procurements must be cut back, saving billions of ringgit at the stroke of the pen.

Investigations into the accusations against the A-G and ex-IGP must be led by men of integrity. At least the rakyat shall feel placated and the accused can clear their name. The PM should persecute corrupt politicians and bring swift (but fair) justice.

Independence of the judiciary

Amend the constitution and bring back judicial independence immediately. If Pakatan opposes it in Parliament they will be committing political suicide.

Walk the talk

The PM must walk the talk to have credibility. The rakyat are no longer fools. Saying one thing today and then saying another the next day will never gain credibility. 1 Malaysia was a good slogan but it has been hijacked by Umno warlords and rent-seekers. Admonish them and get them to toe the line — you are the PM, not these guys! Do not be weak — they will push you out pronto.

Race and religion

The PM must publicly reject and condemn those organisations which use the race and religious card for their own ends. If the PM cannot do this, what hope is there for the peace-loving and law-abiding rakyat? How can we have a progressive society? It is these bigots that will bring Umno/BN down. The rakyat is sick and tired of these organisations — they bring no benefit to society. We have had 54 years of independence and never needed them. We do not need them now or ever too.

Stop political thuggery

While these thugs are certainly not directly linked with the PM, he is aware of their activities. Smashing and disrupting opposition ceramahs brings a backlash. How are you going to woo voters when Umno thugs threaten others with violence and their uncivilised behaviour? You lose votes by default. Anwar and Pakatan do not have to do anything. They just have to sit back and watch — the voters will know who they want.

Actually, it is very obvious how Umno/BN can win GE13!! Umno/BN is just not looking at the correct political perspective. Targeting Anwar is never the solution. Putting the Umno/BN house in order will get back your two-thirds majority. Anwar will not live forever but Pakatan will!! Giving goodies is welcomed, but the rakyat will take your money and vote who they want. In the final analysis you cannot control them. Times have changed. Voters are no fools. They can see a bigger picture! Replace the strategic advisers (and save the government millions too ) and BN will win. Winning an election does not require Phds from Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge and sleazy sex videos!

A set of policies that puts the rakyat’s interest first will win — from the rural to the urban centres. 

Nurul Izzah: Once And For All, We Kick This Political Parasite Out Of Our Country

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SqIPsU23EM

50 including 11 Malaysians hurt in Hat Yai blast

March 31, 2012

Thai rescue workers and police evacuate a woman at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel in Hat Yai on March 31, 2012 following the gas explosion. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 — A gas explosion rocked a hotel in Hat Yai, Thailand today, injuring at least 50 people including 11 Malaysians.

Many of the victims suffered from smoke inhalation in the incident attributed to a gas leak at a restaurant in the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel.

The Malaysians were being treated at the Hat Yai Hospital, Malaysian consul-general to Songkhla Mohd Aini Atan was reported as telling The Star.

It is learnt that about 200 people, mostly hotel guests and staff, who were trapped in the building have been rescued.

PBS reiterates call for RCI on Sabah illegal immigrants

Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) today reiterated its call for the setting up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) on illegal immigrants in the state.

Its deputy president Maximus Ongkili said this was among issues that needed to be solved by the BN government, stressing that the matter had become an issue of great concern among Sabahans.

"As such, it is important to tackle this issue with urgency by forming an RCI as the issue could turn into a crisis and could cause the BN to lose the people’s support,” Ongkili said at a PBS leadership seminar in Labuan today.

“The call for the RCI has been reiterated by PBS leaders over the years and we will continue to pursue this,” he said.

PM Najib Razak has said last month that an RCI to probe the matter was still under consideration.

Ongkili said native customary rights land issue was another issue of concern among the people.

"Land is an important asset for the natives; our role must be to protect the people’s rights. We must be seen to be doing this,” he added.

- Bernama

IPPs: 'Pakatan will do what BN dare not'

The government must have the courage to take on big tycoons in re-negotiating lopsided contracts with the independent power producers.

This, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim told an audience of more than 100 young professionals, he will do if he becomes prime minister.

"The current government lacks the courage to do this, I will do it," he said in a dialogue in Subang Jaya this evening.

Anwar, who is also Selangor economic advisor, said current high electricity tariffs are being driven by the monopoly of giant companies such as Genting and YTL and tycoon Syed Mokthar Al-Bukhary’s Tanjung Bin Power.

"They buy gas from Petronas at subsidised prices but sell to Tenaga Nasional Berhad at high prices. In the end, it is the consumers who must bear the cost," he lamented.

If Pakatan comes into power, Anwar said, these companies will be summoned and asked to come up with proposals to reduce the price of electricity.

"I will tell them I want you to continue making money, but not so high that the rakyat is burdened," the PKR supremo told the largely middle-class crowd which listened intently.

Or else it will be 'difficult'

Anwar added he would expect these giants to respond fairly despite having signed power purchase agreements with the government.

Or else, he said, it would be "difficult for both sides".

In contrast to Anwar's typical ceramah-style campaigning in the countryside, the dialogue today appeared to target urbanites with opportunities aplenty for the audience to engage him.

"When you are on Facebook or Twitter, just spend 10 minutes of your time each day to spread our message," he urged the young professionals.

Anwar gives glimpse into Pakatan's PTPTN policy

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim today admitted that Pakatan Rakyat has not hammered out the details over its promise to waive the PTPTN students' loan, but offered a glimpse of how Pakatan would handle it.

The PTPTN debt which amounts to RM43.6 billion, he said, could be written off within three years.

"If we allocate a few tens of billions from the (country's) RM150 billion annual revenue each year, we should be able to clear it," said Anwar in a dialogue with over 100 young professionals in Putrajaya.

The funds he said, would come from cuts to wasteful spending such as expenditure to boost the country's image, and from huge profit-making GLCs such as Petronas.

"For families who make more than RM10,000 a month, do they need to pay back (the loan)? These details we need to work out.

"Have we? No. But the principle will be that the poor cannot be punished," he said.

The details, adds Anwar, is being worked on by a committee.

When approached later however, the opposition leader declined to reveal details about when the policy draft will be completed.

"But what we can do immediately is to look into the (issue with the) impounding of passports for those who had not (repaid) PTPTN. That is unreasonable," said Anwar.

"We will move forward based on the principle that education from primary to tertiary should be free," he added.

BN skirting free education

Commenting on Higher Education Minister Khaled Nordin's assertion that free education will not eliminate the need for the student loan that the minister argued covered living costs, Anwar admitted that some "additional funding" may be required.

However, he said that this should not be used as an excuse to skirt any efforts to implement free education.

Asked by eager participants if Pakatan-ruled Selangor would take the lead by implementing such a policy first with its state-owned Universiti Industri Selangor (Unisel), Anwar said this was the responsibility of the state government.

"We have proposed it to the Selangor government. Selangor has a slight edge (financially) but we do not want to create a precedent where other states will be burdened.

"The role of the state government is to be the backup to the federal government. If there is not enough (funds), then they can give additional help," he said.

An example, Anwar said, was state funding for vernacular schools in Selangor even though it is under the jurisdiction of the federal government.

Pakatan’s plan to write off PTPTN loans and to implement free education, not part of its Buku Jingga manifesto, has generated debate on its feasibility.

The BN government has dismissed the opposition’s plans as impractical.

Meanwhile student group Solidariti Mahasiswa Malaysia is planning arally on Apr 14 to demand for PTPTN’s abolition.