Halal apa lagi yang tinggai...

Pendedahan aktiviti penyeludupan daging haram selama lebih 40 tahun oleh kartel daging sangat mengejutkan umat Islam.Sejak tersebarnya berita ini, umat Islam di Malaysia berasa resah kerana berkemungkinan telah menjadi mangsa pemakan daging haram. Paling malang sekali bila projek lembu NFC gagal dan duit 250 juta disonglap mantan menteri UMNO. Akhirnya rakyat terpaksa dihidangkan daging bangkai dan kangaroo. La ni aku tak percaya 100% kat logo halal lagi... - dr.ts

JAKIM plays dumb about meat scandal,

No “Merry Christmas” Greeting On Cakes...

As Malaysia becomes more radical and extreme, this year’s Christmas has again attracted blockbuster drama from some silly religious fanatics whose faith in Islam appears to be challenged – by cakes. Apparently, bakery or cake shops with “halal certification” cannot decorate cakes with “Merry Christmas” greetings if the goal is to display the cakes at the shops.

 

According to JAKIM deputy director-general (Operations) Abdul Aziz Jusoh, permission for a cake to be decorated with religious celebrations such as Christmas is only allowed if a shop makes the cake as ordered and purchased by customers. In short, the cakes must be made to be delivered to customers’ consumption and not for the purpose of display or marketing.

 

JAKIM’s (Department of Islamic Development Malaysia) statement essentially means cakes with “Merry Christmas” greetings could somehow become a very dangerous weapon if being displayed in shops because Muslims may convert to Christianity at the sight of the cakes. It gives an impression Malaysian Muslims’ faith in their religion is so weak that cakes could trigger apostasy.

The drama exploded following news that a customer was shocked when a bakery shop delivered to him a pre-ordered cake with “Happy Holidays” instead of the original requested “Merry Christmas” greeting. The bakery owner explained it was due to labelling rules set by Jakim that says the halal logo issued by the Halal Management System cannot be used to promote other religions.

 

On Christmas Eve (Dec 24), Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri acknowledged that as long as the cake was not for display, halal-certified bakeries are not prohibited from taking orders meant for non-Islamic religious celebration. Does that also mean shops cannot display, let alone sell cookies in the shape of cute Christmas tree or snowman?

 

But if such a greeting is so harmful, why on earth did the moronic Jakim allow extravagant 30ft Christmas trees, Santa Claus, gigantic reindeers, snowmen and whatnot to be displayed in shopping malls? More importantly, should not Jakim send officers to arrest Malay Muslims who happily took photos with those decorations, which obviously meant for non-Islamic religious celebration?

During the 2017 Christmas, controversial preacher Zamihan Mat Zin from the same Jakim Islamic Department said Christmas trees and other decorations that symbolise the celebration worldwide should not be allowed. The extremist argued that such decorations will offend the feelings of Muslims as it could stir the sensitivity of the Muslim community, whatever that means.

 

Can you see how contradictory, hypocritical and idiotic of Jakim to declare cakes with “tiny” Merry Christmas greeting cannot be displayed in bakery shops, but 30ft Christmas trees along with “huge” Merry Christmas greetings can be displayed in Pavilion, KL East Mall, MidValley, Sunway Pyramid, The Gardens, Suria KLCC, Berjaya Times Square and 1-Utama Malls?

 

Fine, let’s assume the two words – Merry Christmas – are the ultimate WMD (weapon of mass destruction) that can destroy the faith and will drive Malay Muslims to abandon Islam in droves. But if a cake can have such a great influence, how about the country’s top leaders who explicitly used the two magic words to wish the country’s population of 32 million who celebrate Christmas?

Yes, backdoor Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin had wished Merry Christmas to all Christians. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) and Raja Permaisuri Agong (Queen) too had similarly extended their Christmas and New Year wishes to all Malaysians. So, why bakery shops cannot wish people Merry Christmas through a cake, but prime minister and the King can do so through news media?

Should not Jakim summon the premier and the monarch to explain their intentions of wishing Malaysians who celebrate Christmas? Should not PAS extremists and radicals lodge thousands of police reports against PM Muhyiddin and the Agong and Queen? Before you foam at the mouth screaming that there’s nothing wrong for a Muslim to wish a Christian a Merry Christmas, continue reading.

 

During the 2018 Christmas, Muhammad Khalil Abdul Hadi, the son of PAS Islamist party president Hadi Awang, warned Muslims not to celebrate Christmas – claiming it was an acknowledgement of the Christian religion and has elements of “syirik” or idolatry. In fact, the narrow-minded Khalil said Muslims are forbidden from posting Christmas greetings at all.

Based on PAS’ idiotic argument and half-baked logic, Jakim and police have every reason to grill and interrogate the prime minister and the monarch, no? In the same breath, Muslims should be prohibited from entering shopping malls or hotels decorated with Christmas celebration because not only they may be influenced by elements of idolatry, but also could encourage apostasy.

 

In reality, Jakim is not only clueless and incompetent, but is also a corrupt overpaid Islamic department. Heck, it’s an understatement to say Jakim is a wasteful and useless agency. The backdoor Perikatan Nasional government was indeed very dumb to dump RM1.4 billion in the recent Budget 2021 for the federal agency that claims to regulate Islamic affairs.

 

An underground “meat cartel” has just been exposed for distributing fake halal beef as well as passing off the horse and kangaroo meat as beef to Malaysian Muslims for the last 40 years. The cartel’s scam involves importing non-certified meat from countries like Brazil, Bolivia, Canada, Colombia, Spain and Mexico, before repackaging it with fake halal logos and documentation.

According to the New Straits Times, the syndicate would buy meat, including beef from animals of poor quality or even diseased, at up to 50% cheaper than meat obtained from certified slaughterhouses. The non-halal meat would be shipped to Malaysia and transported directly to the cartel warehouses, where it is mixed with certified halal meat.

The shipment of the dubious meat would bypass the authorities’ checks and upon repackaging, sold to suppliers and stores across the country. The cartel brings in between 300 and 400 containers a month. While corrupt government officers are paid between RM150 and RM3,000 to release cargoes, officers on the ground receive bribes of between RM150 and RM500 to release each container.

 

The government loses about RM1.5 million in revenue every month due to the meat smuggling activities. The scandal involves agencies like the Malaysian Quarantine and Inspection Services Department, Customs Department and Port Police, who are in charge of managing the supplies once they enter Malaysian ports namely Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), Westport and Northport.

The scam actually began abroad, where government agency officers entrusted with supervising the quality of the meat at the slaughterhouses – JAKIM – would sign off on the questionable meat, even before they arrived at meat processing plants for checks in exchange for bribes and sexual services. Therefore, at least four government agencies are working hand-in-glove with the meat cartel.

 

The best part is that the scandal has been hidden for the last 40 years – suggesting very powerful politicians and senior government officers, including those from Jakim, are “business partners” of the cartel. It’s both incredible and hilarious that the very Islamic department entrusted to ensure quality of meat becomes the agency that betrays the Muslims by supplying them with non-halal meat. 

It means from 1980 to 2020, unsuspecting Malays have been consuming their favourite burgers, sausages, meatball, “sup tulang” (beef bone soup) and “beef rendang” made of diseased non-halal meat largely thanks to Jakim. It also means under Prime Ministers Mahathir Mohamad, 

Sup tulang lembu or kangaroo? dah confused!!....

Curiously, UMNO and PAS champions, who like to stir up racial and religion sentiments among the Malays that the Muslims and Malay Rulers have lost power to the “Chinese, Christians and Communists”, are as quiet as a church mouse since the meat scandal was exposed. They no longer talk about holding mega rallies to “save Malays”, let alone protect Islam.

 

Clearly, the “munafiqs (hypocrites)” can’t divert attention by blaming the non-Muslims this time. All the corrupt culprits involved in the meat scandal are 100% ethnic Malay – politicians, government officers and businessmen. Even the companies given the AP (approved permit) to import the meat are 100% owned by Malays or Bumiputeras. This is a simple case of Malays cheating Malays.

Still, the burning question is why hadn’t Jakim conduct random check and test on imported meat to ensure quality and compliance with halal certification throughout the 40 years? If the genius Jakim scientists possessed the expertise to test Cadbury chocolate for pig DNA in 2014, what is so hard about analysing imported meat for horse or kangaroo DNA?

Instead of making a mountain out of a molehill in the petty issue of Merry Christmas greeting on cakes, Jakim and Religious Affairs Minister Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri should explain why tainted meat has been sold since 1980 under the nose of the Islamic department. Where are the holy men like Hadi Awang and Malay heroes like Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yassin when we need them the most?

 

At least 4 million UMNO supporters and 2 million PAS supporters have been scammed again. Make no mistake. Those rubbish third-grade poor quality and diseased beef mixed with horse and kangaroo meat are meant for the gullible 6 million UMNO and PAS fanatics. The corrupt leaders consume only top quality meat like Australian and Japanese Wagyu beef.

 

JAKIM is nothing but a corrupt department disguised as an over-glorified Islamic institution. Their main business is to enrich fake holy men and preachers by selling “halal logo”. To justify their existence and relevance, they would attack minority non-Muslims every now and then. No wonder even Sultan Ibrahim of Johor questioned why Jakim needed RM1 billion budgets back in 2015. - FT

cheers.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year semua...

cheers.

Patuh syariah,mai sponsor satu ticket lebai...

 Hangpa ingat lebai2 ni berani nak buka mulut minta batal? Lebai pi untuk bergambaq saja. Sorrylah, pihak penganjor hantaq mai jurucakap pakai seksi habih melelehlah lebai...sembang kuat di facebook dan media sosial beranilah..

Amanah Saham Bumiputera hari ini mengisytiharkan dividen paling rendah dalam 30 tahun sejarahnya - sebanyak 3.50 sen seunit bagi tahun kewangan 2020. Campur bonus 0.75 sen jadilah 4.25 sen.Sebagai saguhati ulang tahun ke-30, ia memberi bayaran ehsan 0.75 sen seunit, terhad kepada 30,000 unit yang pertama.Tahun lalu ia bayar 5.00 sen dividen dan 0.50 sen bonus menjadikan jumlahnya 5.50 sen.- akj

A premonition of Dr.M's grand finale...

Many have written off former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad, saying he has finally met his Waterloo in the Sheraton Move. But there is one crucial difference: Mahathir was not defeated.

He stayed away from the battle zone based on principles, as he claimed, to fight another day. His plan to form a unity government was thwarted by the failure to convene the Parliament. Anwar Ibrahim thought finally he could move in with his Pakatan Harapan to clinch the long-desired crown. That failed and they ran back to Mahathir, but it was too late. As much as everyone hates Mahathir, no one can live without him. I see a repeat of this scenario now, in what I call Mahathir’s grand finale.

Mahathir sought to lead Harapan again, with his yet another promise of six months, but it didn’t gain traction, especially from Anwar. However, his Harapan partners have different ideas as they had no faith in Anwar cobbling up a sufficient number of MPs. So they put him on a tight leash, giving him a deadline to realise his numbers to topple the government.

Just as Anwar and his supporters kept Mahathir on a tight leash with constant reminders of his two-year promise, DAP and Amanah were also constantly reminding Anwar of his promise.  Just as matters came to a boil in the February 2020 Harapan presidential council meeting, which led to the Sheraton Move, Harapan is also facing the same heat now with calls for Anwar to step down. Anwar has suspended the Harapan presidential meetings, only delaying his ultimate fate. Talk about history repeating itself.

Each time Anwar is reminded, he comes up with something and announces it to the public with bravado, but all turned out to be false. His ultimate gamble is unilaterally telling his colleagues to stand down on the 2021 Budget second reading vote, seemingly he has a better grand strategy. That was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

Meanwhile, Mahathir is quietly and calmly moving around with his strategic moves. He knows pretty well there is no appetite for another Malay-based party. Pejuang was just a transient political platform. He knows Harapan will eventually come back to him, given time. Guess he faithfully held to his belief that Anwar is not a capable leader.

True enough, Harapan went on self-destruct mode. They are stuck with their 91 MPs and it can only dwindle. Mahathir is now dangling his meagre numbers to show only he can make up the required numbers, and more.

Once Mahathir moves in, GPS may have a change of mind. GPS would have realised it’s better to work with the ‘arrogant’ DAP than the ‘holy’ PAS, which is increasingly dominating the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government polices with its hardline religious stance against non-Malays and Muslims. 

DAP and Amanah’s heart has always been with Mahathir, more so with some facing corruption charges and police investigations. Having tasted power, position and perks for 22 months, they must be itching to ditch their political or even personal principles.

PN and Muafakat Nasional might think it is smooth sailing towards GE15 in the next few months. But for all the bravado about Malay-Muslim ummah, the brotherhood will evaporate when negotiations for seats take place. The worst-hit will be Bersatu, and of course, the non-Malay parties. But before that, when Mahathir’s numbers gain traction, the Bersatu MPs and PKR defectors will realise there’s a better future with Mahathir. The joint Mahathir-Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah press conference confirms several Umno MPs will defect.

With the internal revolt in PKR, Anwar may have only about a third of his diehard MPs. In the final analysis, Anwar, and sadly, PKR, will become non-entities if he refuses to play ball. Mahathir may even realise his dream of a unity government after all.

Nobody can read Mahathir’s mind, more so an ordinary person like me. But as I said, this is a premonition. Premonition is succinctly defined as a ‘strong feeling of imminent disaster’. In the current politically snafu situation, no disaster can be any worse, not even a Mahathir comeback. But we can’t stop the inevitable, and neither can anyone defy God’s will, not even Mahathir.

So what is the option? We need to go back to the basics of democracy. Of paramount importance is to respect the will of the people as expressed in GE14.  Whoever is ruling now will have to fulfil the promises made by the winning party until they get a new mandate. 

I would call this a “democracy reset”. In that sense, PN leaves much to be desired, even running away from seeking confidence from the MPs making it illegitimate and untrustworthy. They have to reset their governance and policies to the mandate of GE14.

In case Harapan is back in power in one form or another, they have a lot of soul-searching to do. They have descended within two years to what they accused of BN for 60 years.

Anwar should realise he has met his Waterloo. Learning from Mahathir, he should withdraw and fight another day. It is better for him to work with his Harapan colleagues and build up the trust and confidence to win GE15 on his own accord. He may not achieve his dream. But he should not think only of himself and learn to let go.

If he plays his card well and grooms young leaders, his own daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar may become the first woman prime minister someday. This is what Malaysians will wholeheartedly celebrate. - Raman Letchumanan

In politic, Mahatir is dead and gone. No one is going to believe him anymore for what he did to PH and YAB Anwar Ibrahim. He is not an honorable man but a back stabber. - Geram

It will be a sad day for Malaysia if M comes into power again. He's corrupted the entire system which is why Malaysia is in the state that it is. He had an opportunity to change things but either failed or refused to. Also a sad reflection of the dearth of leadership in Malaysia if the younger generation can't step up to fill that gap. Tragedy for Malaysia either ways.- Jaded

There is no Malay leader in the opposition capable of helming the PM's post apart from Anwar . His much talked-about daughter Nurul Izzah has yet to prove her mettle preferring to keep a quiet profile . Similarly another of the opposition's hopeful Rafizi has yet to emerge to make his presence felt . The old goat is past his life expectancy to lead . So who for heaven's sake do we have now until GE15 ? It's still Anwar for a glimmer of hope of a multiracial government otherwise it's down the hill we go ! - GreenLeopard4021

cheers.

Bukan lawan ulamak tapi lawan ulaq dalam seluaq.

 Ustaz Budak didakwa cium pipi, cabul lelaki

1. US President-elect, Joe Biden took Covid-19 vaccine live on TV. 

2. It was a Pfizer-BioNtech. But...

3. Our good Director General of Health said it would take four months to evaluate the vaccine.

4. Something is amiss here. Either the incoming US President is foolhardy or Noor Hisham Abdullah is being left behind by time. OR...

5. I hope he's still on top of things and was misquoted by the Press about the four-month wait. 

OR...

OR...

6. Do we have the luxury to wait four more months when the whole world is rushing to vaccinate? - akj

LKS tuntut penjelasan kerajaan berhubung kos beli vaksin Covid

Belum apa2,penyamun2 dok berebut pasai komisyen...

Dr.Noor Hisham explains 'slow'

 vaccine approval,hopes to deliver quickly...

As several countries begin to roll out their Covid-19 vaccination programs, the Malaysian government has come under criticism from several quarters for its seemingly sluggish implementation. While Singapore has already received its first shipment of vaccines last night (Dec 21), Malaysia will take up to four months to approve the same vaccine and expects the first shipment to arrive in February next year.

Amid the public dissatisfaction, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has taken to social media to clarify issues and said the ministry would try to deliver sooner than expected. “The government has and is still conducting negotiations and pre-emptive measures to obtain vaccines through various parties and measures.

“The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) will follow up and give priority in assessing the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. “The typical time period is 90 to 120 days, but the Health Ministry is aiming for less than 90 days,” he said on Twitter.

Meanwhile, on Facebook, he responded to criticism of Malaysia’s supposed tardiness by highlighting the need for due process to be followed and the fact that NPRA’s foreign counterparts had been given a head start by drug manufacturers.

“When you have an adverse event following immunisation, then you will blame the NPRA for not doing a proper safety evaluation. “To be fair to the NPRA, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in the UK were given more than five months to evaluate the vaccine through rolling submissions,” he said.

In a separate Facebook post, Noor Hisham also explained the NPRA’s drug approval process. A typical dossier would include administrative information regarding the potential vaccine, as well as documentation to attest to its quality. Such documents would relate to the manufacturing process, vaccine specifications, and evidence of consistency.

Other information includes clinical and non-clinical documents, risk management plans, and periodic benefit-risk evaluation reports. That saids all pharmaceuticals to be marketed in Malaysia must undergo the same process, but it is up to the manufacturers themselves on when to submit the dossier.

The first dossier for a Covid-19 vaccine was only submitted by Pfizer a week ago on Dec 15 and is the only dossier submitted to the ministry so far, he said. “All these documents are needed for risk/ benefit assessment without compromising the quality, efficacy, and safety of the vaccine,” he said. He also touted the NPRA as an internationally recognised medicines regulator and assured that it would follow all applicable guidelines.

The NPRA is recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Regulatory Control of Pharmaceuticals since 1996, he noted. “NPRA will follow all international guidance and guidelines (such as from WHO and the International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use) and the ASEAN Common Technical Dossier which applies to Malaysia. “These steps are critical to substantiate the safety, quality, and efficacy of any vaccine intended for use in the country,” he said.

Once the vaccine has been assessed by the NPRA, it would make recommendations for the Drug Control Authority to make the final decision on whether to register a drug and thus allow it to be used in Malaysia.

Malaysia has thus far signed agreements to procure vaccines from Pfizer to cover 20 percent of its estimated population of 32 million people, as well another 10 percent through the Covid-19 Vaccine Global Access (Covax) facility, and 20 percent more from AstraZeneca. It is also finalising agreements with Sinovac, CanSino Biologics, and Gamaleya National Centre to procure additional doses.

Malaysia aims to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its population to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19. Current procurement deals including those still being finalised are on track to provide vaccine coverage for 82.8 percent of the population for RM2.05 billion. - mk

MOH would like to invite you to participate in the COVID-19 vaccination acceptance or refusal survey.  KKM mempelawa anda untuk menyertai tinjauan penerimaan atau penolakan vaksin COVID-19.  Klik http://tiny.cc/Vcovid19

cheers.

Tu baru betoi...

Bekas Menteri Umno/BN, Adnan Mansor, didapati bersalah terima rasuah RM2 juta empat tahun lalu. Dia menyertai bosnya, Mohd Najib Abdul Razak, sebagai "convicted felon" (mengguna pakai label yang diberikan oleh Bernama) berprofil yang kedua. 

Dia dituduh menerima sogokan itu daripada seorang tauke pembinaan bernama Chai Kin Kong. Pada 6 Disember dia bebas tapi tidak lepas satu lagi tuduhan rasuah melibatkan RM1 juta, juga dari seorang tauke pembinaan, Tan Eng Boon. Tauke ini telah didapati bersalah kerana bersubahat dengan Adnan dan didenda RM1.5 juta. SPRM sidang siasat semula kes ini. 

Semalam Adnan buat kenduri kahwin besar-besaran anaknya tidak jauh dari Istana Kehakiman, Putrajaya. Dia ini adalah Ahli Parlimen Umno/BN bagi Putrajaya. - akj

Another stay of jail sentence and fine?  Only in Malaysia do  the guilty elites crook get exempted and still be free to subvert democracy in the country. Former federal territories minister Tengku Adnan Mansor was sentenced to a year’s jail and fined RM2 million after he was found guilty of accepting RM2 million from businessman Chai Kin Kong four years ago.

Zaini, in his 87-page judgment today, said he was unable to accept that Ku Nan alone was entrusted to raise funds for the two by-elections as these constituencies were not in his domain as the then chairman of Umno and Barisan Nasional Federal Territories chairman. “He was furthermore not the treasurer (of Umno) as claimed. I am also disinclined to accept the testimonies of Rizalman and Zakaria …” the judge said.

Zaini said, in his opinion, their testimonies of Rizalman Mokhtar and Zakaria Dullah, were concocted after the event in an attempt to bolster the defence of the accused. He said it was undoubtedly apparent that the RM2 million given by Chai remained in Tadmansori’s account for the benefit of the accused.

Tengku Adnan has to serve another six months if he fails to pay the fine. He risks being disqualified as Putrajaya MP should he fail to file an appeal. High Court judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said corruption could not be condoned and he was inclined to follow precedent to also impose a jail term.

“The accused should not escape after profiting from his crime,” he added. Zaini allowed the application by the defence to stay the jail sentence and fine pending appeal. Now Ku Nan is officially a convicted criminal.

Article 48(1)(e) of the Federal Constitution states that an elected representative is disqualified if he or she is convicted and sentenced to a jail term of two years or more and/or fined RM2,000 and more and has not received a free pardon. - Amin Fasaili

Should PKR join the 

proposed grand coalition?...

Lately, there have been calls for the creation of a “grand coalitions”, both for the parties that support the current government and separately, for the parties which are now in opposition. On the opposition side, there have been calls for the revival of the “Harapan Plus” formula.

Broadly, this basically involves Pakatan Harapan - PKR, DAP and Amanah - getting back together with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his camp (his Pejuang party remains unregistered), as well as presumably other parties like Warisan and Muda (the latter also still unregistered).

Many good and honourable Harapan members or supporters - as well as those in civil society - think this is a good idea. But is it necessarily so? Harapan Plus cannot be led by Mahathir again. What will recreating Harapan Plus entail?

In June 2020, Mahathir was quoted in the media as saying that: “I want to be PM for a third time to rectify the corruption of Najib and Muhyiddin administrations…I'll back down after six months. I won't be PM any more.” In October 2020 too, Pejuang nominated him to be prime minister again.

Also, in his recent Dec 14 press conference, while he reportedly stated that he had “no suggestion” whether he would be a candidate for prime minister or deputy prime minister, he said: "If the government falls, then there will be a need for a new government. At this moment, unless we have a general election, the only way to form a new government is for the 222 MPs to begin to choose the government, perhaps beginning with the prime minister… And then to form a government that is dedicated to serving the people. I hope there are enough MPs who want to see this country recover and develop like before."

This strongly suggests - although I stand to be corrected - that recreating Harapan Plus will involve either accepting Mahathir’s leadership again, or someone acceptable to him. As I and many others have argued previously, this is unfortunately not a viable option - at least for PKR. The sad fact is that Mahathir has proven time and time again that he is unwilling and unable to set in motion the reforms that Malaysia desperately needs, whether economic, political, or social.

Working with Mahathir under Harapan was not an easy decision. Many suffered tremendously during his first tenure as PM as he destroyed the country’s institutions while the gap between the rich and poor grew.  But it was a judgment call made by Harapan to defeat Najib and Umno-BN in the 2018 election.

Mahathir had 22 months and enormous political capital to rectify our country’s problems- but could not or would not. And as the record will show, he repeatedly denigrated our Buku Harapan manifesto. Much of it was arguably achievable, but his unfortunate comments hurt Harapan’s credibility and strengthened the hands of our foes.

At the end of his tenure, he resigned unilaterally without consultation as a tactic to not have to fulfil his promise of handing over the leadership to Anwar Ibrahim. Instead, the entire Harapan government, which came to power carrying the hopes of many Malaysians, collapsed.

He has undoubtedly reached his limits when it comes to leading Harapan and our country to where both need to go, especially in this rapidly changing, tumultuous Covid-19 era. If our component parties and well-wishers still want Harapan or an enlarged coalition to be a reformist entity - then it cannot be led by Mahathir.

The prospect of a divided opposition will naturally be painful for many. But this simply is a case of differing, irreconcilable visions of what Malaysia’s future ought to be like. There’s no guarantee that Harapan Plus is even Mahathir’s preferred political vehicle moving forward.

In a September 2020 interview, he was quoted as saying that: “If we can get just 30 seats, we will be in a position to join either (coalitions). But if we want to join, we must insist on certain conditions. If they accept our conditions, then we will join.”

The Nature of coalitions are changing.To be fair though, the Harapan Plus proposal - as currently conceived - is problematic for reasons that go beyond the Anwar-Mahathir dynamic.

Malaysia’s political culture tends to see coalitions as “pre-election coalitions” as opposed to “post-election coalitions”. Parties agree on a common manifesto, with a common leader (or PM candidate) and a single candidate for each seat. But is this a natural state of affairs, really? Could it be that we are just so used to the Alliance and BN "model" that our country was ruled under until 2018 that we cannot think of any alternative?

The opposition tried to respond with the Socialist Front (1950s-1960s), Gagasan Rakyat and Angkatan Perpaduan Ummah (early 1990s), Barisan Alternatif (1999-2008), Pakatan Rakyat (2008-2015), Harapan (established in 2015) and Gagasan Sejahtera (2018).

But we should remember that Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) cooperated with Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) in the Federal BN but competed against each other at the state level from 1987-1992.

The DAP-PKR cooperation in the 2008 elections was a broad understanding to avoid overlaps in seats and coordinate their campaigns, without a joint-manifesto. Similarly, Warisan adopted a Harapan-friendly understanding without joining it in 2018. PN and BN both contested against each other in the September 2020 Sabah polls but formed the subsequent state government together.

Let us be honest. Given our current political realities and the terribly distorted way our parliamentary constituencies have been drawn, any grand pre-election coalition will struggle with seat negotiations. It has always been a fraught process even when parties are united and have the best feelings towards each other.

Indeed, this is a problem that will continue to confront, if not metastasise, for any future grand coalition: whether it's Harapan Plus and whatever shape the pro-Muhyiddin alliance takes. Even Mahathir, in his September 2020 remarks, seems to acknowledge that post-election coalitions will become the norm. Perhaps we must stop expecting our coalitions to be permanent entities but more fluid, depending on what the nation needs, to be formalised as a governing coalition after elections.

This is not unusual in Europe. In fact, the “grand coalition” is a phrase used in Germany to describe a coalition formed by the CDU and SPD that happened a few times in history, albeit after elections. In Britain, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats formed a coalition government from 2010-2015.

This is probably why talk of a Harapan-Umno tie-up in Perak generated so much public attention, although it did not materialise in the end. Malaysian voters, one suspects, may increasingly be curious about - if not open to - new political possibilities previously unthinkable.

PKR must continue to serve all Malaysians. Still, our politics does not have to be at the mercy of expediency, and this is where PKR needs to hold fast to its core ideal of building a fairer Malaysia for all. Yes, forming coalitions must be a flexible process moving forward. But the parameters need to be rooted in reforming Malaysia for the better.

Whatever happens, PKR must continue to serve the people and fight for a fairer economy as well as reforming our country’s public institutions. PKR is the only party with divisions in each of our country’s 222 parliamentary constituencies, whether in the Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak. It has a membership exceeding one million, behind only two much older parties - Umno and PAS.

As a big-tent party that has encompassed various ideological strands, that has emerged as Malaysia’s most successful multiracial political platform, PKR is well-placed to do so.- Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad,MP Setiawangsa

cheers.

Pak Mat dok di kedai kopi main dam & kutuk orang...

Tragedi Pemikiran Melayu,part 2...

Sebagai seorang pendidik universiti, saya percaya (tetapi saya tidak ada buktinya) kalau orang mendapat pendidikan, mereka akan lebih bebas dan berubah. Contohnya pada akhir tahun 1970-an. Ketika Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Dr. Mahathir Mohamad menjadi Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri, Malaysia ketika itu dapat menarik banyak modal asing untuk membuka kilang mikrocip.

Kita dapat mewujudkan peluang pekerjaan kepada beratus-ratus ribu orang terutamanya untuk wanita. Wanita Melayu yang bekerja kilang ketika itu akhbar-akhbar gelar mereka ini sebagai minah karan. Orang Melayu hina wanita Melayu yang bekerja kilang. Kenapa budak-budak perempuan Melayu ini mahu tinggalkan rumah di Kelantan, tinggalkan kampung di Johor untuk pergi bekerja kilang di Pulau Pinang, Selangor dan Melaka?

Mereka sanggup kerana mereka telah belajar sampai ke peringkat sekolah menengah. Jadi program kerajaan membuka sekolah-sekolah menengah pada tahun 1960-an dan 1970-an, walaupun tidak ada rancangan khusus, ia telah membebaskan pemikiran budak-budak perempuan Melayu. Waktu itu terdapat beribu-ribu remaja wanita Melayu pergi bekerja di kilang-kilang. Dalam penyelidikan saya pada tahun 1970-an, dalam soal selidik saya bertanya mereka, bila hendak kahwin?

Di kampung, dulunya mereka ini berumah tangga pada usia muda. Umur 18 dan 19 tahun sudah kahwin atau dikahwinkan, tetapi akhirnya bercerai juga. Oleh kerana pendidikan dan faktor pendedahan kepada karier baru, wanita Melayu itu sudah ada idea tidak mahu kahwin cepat-cepat. Mereka hendak bekerja terlebih dahulu dan menyimpan duit.

Kita tanya lagi, kalau sudah kahwin hendak anak cepat atau lambat? Mereka kata lambat. Mereka hendak tangguh dapat anak sebab mereka hendak enjoy hidup berkahwin dan mewujudkan rumah tangga yang lengkap terlebih dahulu. Kata mereka, kalau dapat anak susahlah. Dalam sekelip mata, wanita Melayu berubah sikap. Ini semua tidak diprogramkan oleh kerajaan. Ia jadi begitu sahaja. Tetapi masyarakat Melayu tidak faham keuntungan perubahan minda wanita ini terutama di kalangan kumpulan berfikiran konservatif.

Hari ini di Malaysia, trend semasa ialah wanita menguasai 65 peratus tempat belajar di universiti-universiti. Dalam sektor kerajaan, banyak wanita yang memegang jawatan tinggi. Trend ini pasti mengubah masyarakat Melayu secara pesat, sebagaimana ia mengubah pemikiran wanita Melayu pada tahun 1970-an. 

Ini semua adalah hasil daripada perubahan sikap yang tidak dirancang tapi terjadi. Perubahan minda itu berlaku secara tidak sengaja. Kadang-kadang kalau nasib kita baik, hasil perubahan yang tidak dirancang itu juga progresif seperti dalam kes perubahan minda wanita Melayu.

Bagaimanapun, kadang-kadang perubahan yang dirancang tidak terjadi kerana orang yang hendak melaksanakannya pun tidak jujur selain terdapat pengaruh lain yang menghalang seperti pengaruh politik tempatan, politik antarabangsa, Indonesia, peranan orang agama yang menimbulkan nilai-nilai sama ada seseorang dapat pergi syurga atau tidak.

Minda Melayu tidak dapat memikul ini semua. Kerana ada sesuatu dalam budaya mereka yang masih tidak diubah, mereka sanggup duduk di kedai kopi main dam. Contohnya orang lelaki di Kelantan dan Terengganu. Kalau mereka tidak main dam, mereka akan bincang untuk gasak kerajaan. Semua salah, dia sahaja yang betul.

Titik perubahan kepada minda Melayu ialah tragedi 13 Mei 1969, tetapi peristiwa tersebut dan dasar-dasar ekonomi, pendidikan dan politik selepas itu tidak sepenuhnya menukar sikap orang Melayu. Ada beberapa faktor lain yang menghalang iaitu pengaruh Barat, peranan media massa, politik serta agama. Kita memang berubah sedikit dari segi lahiriah tetapi saya tidak fikir orang Melayu kini berada pada kedudukan yang lebih baik. 

Kita sudah terjangkit apa yang bekas Perdana Menteri British, Margaret Thatcher hendak dulu, dan fahaman ini cukup besar sama ada di kalangan pemimpin Melayu dalam UMNO mahupun Pas, dan juga di kalangan para pegawai kerajaan. Kita hendak menjadi apa yang Thatcher kata a nation of shopkeepers. Kita tidak mahu kata shopkeepers, kita gunakan istilah usahawan.

Orang berfikir kalau sebahagian besar orang Melayu jadi usahawan, maka ekonomi orang Melayu akan naik. Ini saya rasa salah. Pendekatan untuk membangunkan orang Melayu dengan wang ringgit dan kebendaan ini tidak betul. Tesisnya silap. Tetapi itulah minda Melayu sekarang.

Akhirnya saya lihat orang Melayu kini sudah kurang komitmen terhadap bangsanya sendiri. Sudah tidak ada kesedaran bahawa aku orang Melayu, aku mesti berkhidmat kepada orang Melayu, untuk membangunkan orang Melayu. - Prof diRaja Ungku Aziz 

Ku Nan's son 10,000 at 

drive-through wedding...

About 10,000 people attended the "drive-through" wedding reception of Putrajaya MP Tengku Adnan Mansor’s son held at Dataran Putrajaya today. A special stage was set up in front of the Palace of Justice where the newly-weds, Tengku Muhammed Hafiz Adnan and Oceane Cyril Alagia, were seated and waved to the guests, who passed by in their vehicles before receiving food packs at a separate tent as they left the place.

The Javanese-themed ceremony started at 11am and ended at about 2pm. Hafiz said he and his family thanked all who came to the wedding reception, despite it being carried out under the new normal. 

“The drive-through concept is my father’s idea. He wants my wedding to be celebrated by all the people in Putrajaya as they are also my family as I grew up here,” he said.

Hafiz, who is pursuing medical studies in Indonesia, said the ceremony was held in compliance with the prescribed standard operating procedure (SOP) to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The event was enlivened with Javanese cultural performances, as well as by local artists, which could be watched on a huge screen next to the stage. - Bernama

Keputusan kes rasuah 21hb ni... 

20hb dia buat kenduri depan POJ..

This could be another world record for Malaysia – holding a grand private weddding reception right in front of the country’s supreme court building within the court compound!  

Making the record even more sensational is the fact that the host (for the wedding of his son) is one former minister who is currently going through multiple corruption trials in the court, with one due for a court announcement of its verdict today (21/12/2020). 

Is there any hidden message that host Tengku Adan (a warlord of Umno) wants to deliver to the court, Malaysia and the world regarding his corruption charges through such a stunt? What an irony on the Malaysian justice system!

I can’t imagine that such a daring deed could have been done without a nod from the Prime Minister himself. Does this not reflect on the vulnerability of Muhyiddin’s premiership? - Kim Quek

Who do we blame for 

political mess we're in?...

Let me state my position clearly. This article is not written in favour of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim or to oppose him. I’m just trying to be rational. Is this the end of the road for Anwar, as some suggest? Has he reached the end of his political career, as others claim? I don’t think so. But some politicians seem to believe so while others are busy whipping up sentiments of hatred to get rid of Anwar for selfish reasons.

Some have even been arguing that he had lost the confidence of the opposition. How so? Was he defeated in a majority contest? There has been no such contest to confirm their claim. A vote of confidence is only applicable when you have the majority but Anwar never had this majority in Parliament. So, what is the premise for this conclusion?

Paid cyber-troopers and trouble-shooters have been working full steam following the passage of Budget 2021. Their target is Anwar, creating the impression that he had blundered, otherwise the budget would have been defeated. They cite his last-minute instruction not to support the call for a bloc vote at the policy stage as a serious mistake.

They pretend as if the budget could have been defeated on Nov 26 at the second reading stage. Let’s get real. The opposition never had the numbers to defeat the budget. This has been amply demonstrated throughout the budget session. 

All through the 11 occasions when a bloc vote was called for, they did not have the numbers and the vote went in favour of Perikatan Nasional (PN) every time. On Dec 15, on the 11th occasion when the bloc vote was called, the opposition’s best numbers were 108 against 111.

To start with, the numbers were not there and expecting the budget to be defeated was a pipe dream. If the failure to defeat the budget was in any way construed as a reflection on Anwar’s leadership, it is not correct. It should rather be seen as a vote of no confidence in the entire opposition. Fixing the blame on an individual for a collective failure is foolish.

Anwar also came under fire from his opponents after he failed to prove he had the numbers in the Dewan Rakyat to defeat Budget 2021. They ridiculed him and constantly referred to his press conference on Sept 23 where he claimed to possess a “strong, formidable and convincing” majority in the House.

The truth is Anwar never laid claim to having the “strong, formidable and convincing” majority to defeat the budget. What he claimed was that he had this majority to bring down the PN government at that point in time.

The proposed audience with the Agong that was granted to Anwar on Sept 22 provided a window of opportunity for the PKR leader to stake his claim but sadly for him, that was lost when the Agong was warded in IJN the previous day and the audience had to be called off. The Agong was discharged on Oct 2 - 11 days later.

This period provided a breather and ample opportunity for Pakatan Harapan to win over all those Umno MPs who were prepared to jump ship and support Anwar. His claim was not fictitious. This was not a fantasy but a fact with Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also stating that he had received information some Umno MPs had expressed support for the opposition leader. 

These unscrupulous Umno MPs switched back to PN, betrayed themselves once again and broke their pledge to Anwar. This was the reason why Budget 2021 could not be defeated as no MP from PN or Umno stood up to be on the side of justice and fairness.

This betrayal is no different from the one suffered by former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Didn’t he bring over some 13 Umno MPs into Bersatu to strengthen his power and position in Harapan? What happened? They betrayed him and sided with Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin and later Mahathir himself was sacked from his own party. 

No need PH plus...

For these people, there is no sense of self-respect, shame or honour - it is a natural behaviour. It is seemingly part of their culture. It takes people of character and integrity to stay true to their word. All this said, why are they going after Anwar so viciously? Why are they vilifying and demonising him so maliciously, if not to camouflage their own lack of self-respect and the pure pursuit of their own gain and greed? 

It is not difficult to understand. Of all the opposition Malay leaders, Anwar is seen to be the most dangerous with enough persistence and stamina to mount a formidable challenge and threaten their grip on power. Therefore, he must be destroyed by hook or by crook, it is as simple as that.

They perceive that by going for him, they hope to divert the actual situation and spare the person who was primarily responsible for this pathetic situation we are in. It is a deliberate attempt to hoodwink us and sideline the real issue. Who is responsible for this mess we are in? It's not Anwar nor Harapan. One man is responsible. He, on his own, without consultation with Harapan leaders who put him in power, resigned unilaterally and caused this present mess.

Without respect for the more than 5.5 million Malaysians who voted out BN for the first time in our 61-year history, he frustrated our aspirations, dashed our dreams and crushed our hopes by throwing away what was a hard-fought victory. He nullified our mandate arrogantly.

On March 16, 2019, Harapan had 139 federal MPs – only nine short of the 148 MPs needed to secure a two-third super majority in the 222-seat Parliament. Harapan's position was invincible, it was set to rule for many decades.

Reforms were creeping in slowly but the kleptocrats were hounded mercilessly and charged in court as never before. These valiant efforts and struggles were brought to nought by this one man who has ruined our democracy.

If only he had remained a man of honour and faithfully kept his word and fulfilled his promise to hand over the baton to Anwar after two years as solemnly and collectively agreed upon, it would have been a smooth transition – but that wasn’t his game plan. Who is this man? It’s none other than Mahathir. 

Dr.M's Grand Coalition idea 

is to ensure Din remains PM...

Forget him and forget about trusting kleptocrats, dismiss any thought of working with them. Don’t dream of creating a united, stable nation for all with their help as it will never happen. Their strategy has always been divide and rule forever. The opposition should rally together to save our beloved Malaysia. There is much to do – and must be done – to rescue our motherland from the clutches of unscrupulous politicians.

We must wipe out corruption, save our economy, provide jobs for the unemployed and homes for the homeless. We must raise the standard of education that has deteriorated and ensure that our schools are manned by a multi-ethnic workforce that reflects our plural society and promotes peace, harmony and unity among our citizens.

We must amend our Constitution to disallow party-hopping that mock our right to vote for a party of our choice. We must forbid a caretaker government from announcing new policies and granting allocations to induce voters during the campaign period through legislations that are enforceable.

We must amend the Standing Orders of Parliament so that motions of no confidence will take priority over government bills to make democracy meaningful. A mandatory 14-day notice must be given to announce the vacancy for the speaker’s post inviting nominations before such election takes place. Even if there was no contest, the sole contending candidate must be proposed and elected by MPs – not declared as automatically elected.

We must investigate all the instant millionaires who had acquired their wealth through corruption and bring to book those who aided and abetted in this plundering of the nation’s wealth. We must ensure that those facing criminal charges involving the nation’s wealth do not go scot-free and those who had been released recently are re-charged to face the music.

Clearly, there is much to be done and achieved. It calls for the entire opposition in the country to come together with the mission to save Malaysia and serve the nation with commitment. The plea of the people is this: Forge ahead in unity and solidarity, be determined in the struggle to restore democracy and create a New Malaysia to be a country for all Malaysians. Let the guiding principle be: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller - P Ramakrishnan,mk

cheers.