Friday, February 26, 2010

Sabahans Want CHANGE - PKR Must Start With Itself

Sabah will continue to be administered by UMNO/BN after the 13th General Elections unless Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) is able not just to reinvent, re-brand and repackage itself but repair itself and restore confidence to be a force to be reckoned with.What the rakyat want, is to be part of a tsunami, to wipe out corrupt individuals, institutions, installations and ideologies that have become part of the Malaysian political landscape

Society is becoming more and more chaotic while politics is in a mess. Politicians are either confused about their identities or simply suffer from amnesia. They talk about this today but can't remember about that tomorrow. Eventually, they forget about the State's needs as well as the people's interests.

Self-interest leading to betrayal, back-stabbing and deceit are, today, a norm in Sabah politics. Sabah is the only state in Malaysia that has been governed by four (4) different political entities - USNO, BERJAYA, PBS and now UMNO all, at one time or most times, under the mere symbolic Barisan Nasional. But the people continued and continue to be betrayed by politicians corrupted to the core.

Sabah has an over-supply of politicians but NO TRUE LEADERS nor ANY STATESMAN.

PKR Sabah is no different, having gone through State Chief after State Chief since it's inception.What irks the people is that there has been no improvement to the strength of the party.And why not, with the continuous in-fighting for leadership and power?

The leadership has no HALATUJU or sense of direction and they are still claiming and dreaming to be the "government in waiting". Late last year a group of renegades from PKR forwarded an application to the Registrar of Societies to form a new political party, calling themselves PARTI CINTA SABAH (PCS). There has been blatant denials from these traitorous individuals

These renegades are still members or claim to be members of PKR but no disciplinary action for their deceitful act of betrayal to the party has been taken.What's even more shocking is the state leadership has not done anything,reluctant or haven a clue what to do. Recently a copy of a bonafide document (click image attached) was obtained from reliable sources identifying 12 Supreme Council members of PCS. Ironically, these 12 "disciples of a mahaguru" still hold important positions in PKR, as Division Chiefs and Branch Chiefs among others. Some were even PKR candidates during GE12. Eyebrows are now raised as to their continued presence within the party. Will any action be taken by PKR against these "Judas"? Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim should "wake up" and overhaul PKR Sabah or the party will be irrelevant at the GE13.

Will Anwar Ibrahim finally accept the facts that PKR Sabah is in turmoil and will self-destruct unless he acts now to revamp the leadership?

On the 20th & 21st of February the charismatic, dynamic and much-loved and respected PKR President, Dato'Seri Wan Azizah visited Kota Kinabalu. At her meet the people session, 600 people were invited to attend. There was a commotion outside the venue as unknown individuals had been engaged to distribute flyers with malicious intent against Anwar Ibrahim. What was more shocking was that 70% of the "invited guests" in attendance were UMNO members. Was this an UMNO event or was it a mass conversion or baptism of UMNO members joining PKR? Either way, all the wrong signals were sent. I thank God that nothing violent occurred and the safety of the President was not compromised.

PKR Sabah is full of weaknesses. The people are craving for change and if this is how PKR Sabah is going to conduct itself as a 'government in waiting', we might as well fold-up and just pray for divine intervention.

The leadership needs to be hauled up for its incompetency and in-fighting. Some of the present leaders need to be admitted to homes for old-politicians. Let them savour or repent in style and time.

The citizens particularly the young seeking and crying for change cannot wait.

I still hold PKR in high esteem as a party capable of effecting changes for the better.

But to bring meaningful changes PKR Sabah in particular and PAKATAN Sabah as a whole must be brave enough to get out of the Sabah Syndrome - new parties always being formed by out-of-favour or discarded old politicians who play up genuine grouses of the people but after coming to power go back to business as usual - rape, rip and ransack the wealth of the state while feeding the people with rhetorics and sweet parochial slogans such as 'Sabah for Sabahans'.

We should not turn away people seeking membership of the party but we must learn to discern and pick the leaders wisely. As goes with materials - some leaders can be re-used, some repaired and some re-cycled but we must be daring enough to refuse, reject and remove those that are only good for the septic tank.
Though it is the people who vote-in the government it's the leaders who run the government. The people of Sabah had been voting for change all the while but they failed to change the leaders and have had to pay a heavy price.

This has been the sad story of Sabah.

I believe and most learned and caring Sabahans would agree with me - PKR / PAKATAN Sabah can and is the only hope for Sabah.

What Sabah needs is a new breed of leaders to lead us and carry us through without fear, favour, fame or fortune.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Voices Of The Silence....We do exist.

Capitalism has failed us because governments have lost track of their obligations. What's the purpose of a government?

The purpose of a government is to ensure proper Organization, Administration & Management of the country; ensure that right laws are there and implemented without fear or favour and moderate things around.

Tax the rich to bring welfare to the sick, poor and needy.
Provide safe residences & security to law-abiding citizens; affordable or free health, education etc.

For these to happen there must be separation of powers of The Judiciary, Legislature & Executive.

A government should ensure there's clarity and prosecution based on right & wrong not 'them and us'.

Malaysia's top two leaders made starling statements,while the Chinese welcome the LO FU (Tiger) recently.Prime Minister,Najib Razak uttered stupidity when he said "UMNO adalah party yang berwibawa dan perihatin".He must have been living on the moon or ridiculously insane.Arrogance of the highest degree,is he blind,deaf and dumb to notice that Malaysia is currently the laughing stock within and outside the country?

Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said "I'm sorry I made a mistake",in reference to the departure of Bayan Baru MP Zahrain Hashim,and the possibility of more leaving the opposition.We welcome the sincerity,and hope this is not a political ploy to gain sympathy.In an email I forwarded to Anwar last year,I mentioned,if at all PKR is to make an impact in the next generation,PKR has to re-invent,rejuvenate,re brand and reposition itself,or all hell will break loose.The signs are beginning to show.

How does the younger generation view the fiasco that the country is currently undergoing,is Malaysia heading to self destruction?I invited a 24 year old graduate to tell me,what's in the minds of the younger generation in his own words.

By Thyn.....

I am not the most eloquent speaker when it comes to politics. But my father asked me a question today about what I think about our country and its politics. I paused for a moment. At times I don’t quite understand my old man’s interest in enduring in the subject for I would usually avoid the topic because I feel it is a sensitive and a never ending subject to debate about. There will always be a sense of fear and entrapment when we talk about it. Hence, more often than not I would avoid it.

You see it was also that very moment I realized that we need more people (like my father) to share not only an improbable love but an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation.

A respectable world leader once said that “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for; we are the change that we seek”.

Quite frankly I have never indulge the importance of change of our nation especially when I have a habit of picking up a newspaper and skipping any news or headlines to do with politics and go to sections with ‘happy’ news because the rest I thought are better handle by ‘others’. You know they say ignorance is bliss. Now I am also quite certain that some of us share the same school of thought. We share the same fear. We share the same entrapment.

I also believe that there are other respectable activists who have talked about politics and who are greatly aware of our political disposition and has managed to influence many opinions. But my story goes to my fellow Malaysians who have not had a chance like me to open their hearts, to speak and to listen up, those who are unaware, those who are not ready to settle for the world as it is and those who have not had the courage to make a stand.

It’s safe to say ‘we’ are not completely oblivious. Some of us may be aware of merely the facade of our worries. Like who is governing who, which sacred sanctuary is being attack, who’s sodomizing who and who is being caught for internal security reasons. But when I dwell about it deeper, when WE dwell about it further, we ask ourselves have we as a member of the nation spent time to consider what pushes us apart or whether we have committed to a sustained effort to find a common ground with the issues at hand. Ladies and Gentlemen, you and I both know that Action speaks louder than Words.

My dear friends, the world is evolving. Our country faces new challenges everyday and the magnitude of the challenges calls for a new attitude. We don’t need more political tactics - what we need are more good ideas. We don’t need more point scoring - we need more problem solving. These ‘Old habits’ are passe and it’s time for new actionable and effective steps. We can no longer rely on the present. I quote again that change will not come if we wait. While some of us are still fearful of these subjects let us listen and not hear, speak and not talk. It’s time for a fundamental change.

Let us resolve that we will not let our children live in a world where they will witness the product of our foolish mistakes of our past. I am not talking about the future of our selfish desires, power hungry or popularity agendas because this time - it is about the future of our children.

We need a body that personifies the spirit of a great leader. A body that has a heart and the empathy to recognize what it is like to care and love for the nation and whose main agenda is not merely challenging our opponents’ patriotism to win elections. I am not here to brag about any political party or to steer you from your beliefs. I write to you to open your hearts to possibilities to make amends so we don’t allow ourselves to be shaped by pass events and history but act to shape them.

There is no substitute for hope but if we think change can happen by hoping without acting tough and smart then we will misunderstand this moment and miss its opportunity. In 2008, 139, 696 Malaysians have left the country. In 2009, 304, 358 have migrated the country. Now we might think that this disturbing news has nothing to do with the way the nation runs but I think the times are too serious for this kind of politics.

We need to stop making our problems the topic of a global discussion. It is humiliating and it has inevitably put us in a shameful and unwanted spotlight. Are these the things we want the world to remember us by and what is really the point of all these? No, it does not in anyway boost our economy and transform our country to a high middle income country. No, it does it in anyway promote or invite tourist to want to visit our beautiful country.

Our government should stop imposing on what is right for the people. They need to stop presuming what is best for us. What we yearn is for a government with clear visions and constructive policies. We yearn for the ability to speak our mind. We want the privilege to say how we are governed. We want a government that is transparent so we ourselves can learn to instill confidence in the rule of law and equal administration.

Clearly the above is something we are still all unyieldingly hoping for but if we think that addressing larger problems like that is too ambitious and that such effort will be too contentious then we do have serious problems ahead. The moment has come for us the young generation to put ourselves forward and reshape the destiny of Malaysia. Let us stand together in one powerful voice in preparation for the next general election.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Transformation Of A Government , Is It Possible?

On 28th January, 2010, The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the Government Transformation Programme.

His keywords were ... politicians and especially the civil service must be “big and bold” in delivering the targets for the six national key result areas under its Government Transformation Programme.

Big words, great words; then exaggerated, amplified, inflated and dished out to the masses, without a question, by a sub-servient government-controlled or 'government-friendly' media.

My question is "Can the government be transformed if the root problems are not tackled?”

We are only fooling ourselves if we go on believing that beautiful words can be transformed into beautiful deeds. For the past 26 years or so, beginning somewhere in 1984, we have been led to believe in phantom enemies and hidden agendas of the opposition. We were also led to believe that inflated but sub-standard development projects were all for the good of the people. Our nation's wealth has been drained to feed the insatiable greed of the political mafia. Corruption was well-guised as economic policies to help the bumis, privatization and Joint Ventures.

Now we realize, the enemy was within; the hidden agenda was of the ruling elites and inflated mega-projects was to feed the hungry politicians and satisfy the vanity of the chief.

If we search of our hearts deep enough and take a look at the way things work in Malaysia, we will understand and accept the fact that the root problems are:

Corruption especially 'negotiated tenders',

Abuse of power,

A confused Judiciary,

A muzzled media,


Sub-servient enforcement agencies,
be it PDRM, MACC, IRB or others.

Things have gone from bad to worse simply because people in power refuse to admit to mistakes or even crimes. At times they go after a hundred dollars or a thousand dollars while millions and billions are siphoned away under negotiated tenders.

The rampant practice of negotiated tender was and is the root cause of Malaysia's problems. But this will never be admitted by the ruling government because this is from where all their political and life-style funds come from.

And simply because money from corruption is what oils the political machinery and keeps them ticking. Without kick-backs and fringe benefits the government’s political units - both the main and auxiliary - will grind to a halt. They are so used to using money to buy people, votes, support or just silence. They would be lost in a plain playing field.


No amount of make-believe or PR stunts by the government is going to help Malaysia. No, it cannot deliver anything. It may create tiny waves for sometime - but that’s it. After a while it would be back to normalcy. Instead of scrubbing the dirt they'll be scrapping for more and more.

The only thing is for the whole machinery to be revamped, restructured and redefined.

The civil service must become 'civil' as it was intended to be. It should carry out its duties according to the law, without fear or favour and without giving in to political pressure.

The legislature must go back to making the right laws and ensuring that they are thorough in their job.

The executive should ensure the laws are being enforced and rightly in the spirit it was intended to be.

The enforcement bodies, all of them, must be under independent commissions. The commissions should be responsible for recruitment, promotion or termination and all aspects of the service. There should be no interference by the executive.

They and all others should be answerable to Parliament and thereby to the people who are masters of the nation.

Will it be fair to have a police committee investigate a death in custody? Should the PM or cabinet decide who should be the IGP or Chief Justice or how long their tenure should be extended beyond retirement? Should the government decide if negotiated tenders are right? Should only the AG decide if a case should go for prosecution? Should those who bring to light cases of corruption be charged under OSA?

Well, if you ask me, it shouldn't matter if one is sincere to serve the people.

But when one wants to enjoy fringe benefits while serving the people and slips and falls in love with the glamour and the power that comes along with it - Can you trust the government, especially one that constitutes such characters?

If all the powers are rolled into one, as in Malaysia, in reality, then it won't lead to 1Great Malaysia, but 1Absolutely Corrupted Malaysia.

There is a believe among some that a two-party system may save the country - well, maybe, to a certain extent. But what if the incoming new party uses the same 'machinery' to subvert the truth and enjoy the benefits? Look at our Sabah.

We had Berjaya taking over from USNO claiming, "The riches of the land should belong to the people". Then PBS took over from BERJAYA claiming abuse of power and marginalization. Then UMNO led BN took over claiming everything under PBS was wrong and it is still in power, but strangely though not surprisingly with PBS as bed-fellows.

What did these parties achieve? Each party did achieve something - BERJAYA leaders become wealthy, PBS leaders became wealthy and now BN-UMNO leaders are wealthy and getting wealthier.

Now we see the emergence of PKR and DAP(Pakatan Rakyat) in Sabah, trying desperately to create an impact in wresting the remote possibility of forming the next State government.Does PKR and DAP possess credible leaders capable of championing the state,it's people and reposition Sabah back to it's glory days? Quite honestly I don't think so,not yet anyway.

The people must see credible personalities emerging from PR. This is a lengthy mindset changing process. There must be credible people and the rakyat must be familiar with these personalities. They must be household names way before GE 13. PR must start to bring these people to the surface.The sickening thing is,there is an over doze of POLITICIANS but NO LEADERS. Pathetic but catastrophically true.

History will show that no ruling parties or governments, anywhere in the world, have 'transformed' themselves to become clean, clear or caring. In words, yes. In deeds, NO! Why should they when the going is good? Governments have been overthrown by revolutionary new leaders or through open revolutions.

In a revolution, even if it succeeds, there is a high price to pay and this normally is paid by the poor, suffering, simple citizens.

It looks then; the people do not have much choice. Call it what you may - Paradigm shift, Mental Revolution (Revolusi Mental), Brave New Order – The people have to go for revolutionary leadership that is sincere in working for the people. And if the New Order proves to be a fake or Old Order in new clothes then change the government.

And keep changing until you are absolutely or reasonably satisfied.

KONG HEE FATT CHOY to all our Chinese brothers and sisters in Malaysia and around the globe,and a HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY....from Ronnie Klassen and Family.
May the year of the Tiger bring prosperity,good health and wisdom to all.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Transforming The News For Malaysians

Our Prime Minister's recently launched "Government Transformation Programme"(GTP) is yet another public relations stunt, still believing that Malaysians are an ignorant lot. This public relations act was a gross failure, wasting public funds at a time when Malaysians, especially Sabahans, are suffering financial hardship due to increased cost of food and shelter. But it must have succeeded in making some cronies happy.

1Malaysia, would perhaps be the mother of all publicity stunts catered to hoodwink the people,by the current regime.The recent outburst by Nasir Safar,a special officer to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and a former assemblyman for Pulai Sebatang in Johor, caused a furor at a seminar on the 1Malaysia concept when he made derogatory remarks about Chinese and Indian immigrants coming to Malaysia.The racist remarks made by this 30 year close friend of Najib,is tantamount to being seditious and should be immediately reprimanded.

To think that Malaysia has transformed is not totally wrong, having lost it's relevance and credibility among investors, not forgetting being a laughing stock in the global community.

The Government has miserably failed in addressing the recent spate of burnings,arson attacks in Churches and surau's, and most recently wild boar heads found "placed" in a mosque.
I thank the Almighty Allah, that Malaysians have matured by leaps and bounds in understanding and realizing that these lowly acts were politically motivated by those currently walking the corridors of power as a desperate move in wanting to stay in power. Minister of Misinformation, Rais Yatim, in Port Dickson recently, said "Readers will most likely shift to the Internet". One doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to know this but shockingly, our "learned" Minister of Misinformation is only now aware of this. Much important news and the truth about it never seems to appear in Malaysia's main stream media, unless given the go-ahead.

An avid reader stumbled upon this piece of information which was never published or reached the shores of Malaysia or did it? How did this one get away?

PM Najib's Visit to USA Last December was not well received by the White House.

Prime Minister Najib Razak was in Washington DC on 26th December 2009, busy eating nasi lemak and mee goreng as BERNAMA proudly reports. No mention of meetings with State Department, on Capitol Hill, with the White House, or any think tanks. Instead he bragged about 1Malaysia to the choir of Malaysians who had already heard it so many times. He also offered some comments on Malaysia's economy, which according to a recent report is failing to make much progress these days.
No media in US would want to interview him and also no one in US would like to be seen with him.Also at the same time India's Manmohan Singh was in the US and what did Barak Obama do? He went out of his way to charm both Mr. and Mrs. Manmohan Singh in a White House black-tie state dinner.He didn't even notice Najis's presence in the US.Tell me if not the Mongolian girl then what is it that merits being ostracized in the States for Najis? However Barak Obama has placed great respect for the Minister Mentor of that tiny red dot to invite him to the White House in late October for a tete-a-tete with him so that he can pick Harry's brains on what his thoughts are of a changing world and America's role in it.And LKY is no longer the PM of Singapore!....Recieved Through Email

What is the point of a 20 million dollar contract with APCO if our prime minister cannot even get a manufactured speaking slot at the National Press Club? We're not even talking about Brooking or SAIS where one has to have something meaningful to say to be invited. Anyone can speak at the Press Club so long as they can afford the cost of organizing the function. Does the concept of 1World not carry much weight in the halls of international diplomacy or in the most powerful city in the world? I guess not.
I think taxpayers should demand to know why, after spending that much money on a DC lobby our prime minister cannot even get an interview on the local news.

On the other hand, Anwar Ibrahim, on his recent trip to the United States, in just a few days, held events at Brooking, SAIS (even our US Ambassador attended the function), Georgetown and the Council on Foreign Relations. He met with officials from the House Foreign Relations committee, the Senate Foreign relations committee, the State Department and the White House. His visit was covered by the media including the Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review and the Washington Post (but not Bernama), Saudi television and ABS-CBN from Manila.

Does the Prime Minister's flimsy schedule have anything to do with the scandal that just won't go away? Not PKFZ. No, it wasn't the Bukit Antarabangsa slide nor the collapsed bridge. Well, then was it due to the Mongolian who is taboo in 1Malaysia conversations?
Your guess is as good as mine.

By the way, I wonder, in the time that Najib spent in the US, how many new designer bags did the Prime Minister's wife purchase?

Breaking news....a growing FaceBook group has emerged  known as PAKATAN FRIENDS. I urged all readers who have facebook accounts to join the group and play a contributory role and be a voice of the people.The people's power must prevail .The link can also be found on the sidebar of my blog.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=310818534941&ref=ts