The UMNO purge is good for Malaysia...

 

Once again, Zahid will be the savior of the Unity Government and Malaysia. Many civil society personalities and academics would disagree with me and still name Zahid as the “collateral” for Anwar Ibrahim. Again, at the risk of repeating myself, these critics of Zahid only criticize and have not shown which personality can replace Zahid to ensure that Umno and BN are stout supporters of the Unity Government.

Do these critics believe that if there is a “fair election in the Umno General Assembly, this party will come out stronger, better and be a blessing for Malaysia?” Come on-lah! Which planet have you been living in? Who would be the next Umno president if all positions can be contested? Ismail? Hishammuddin? Or Khairy? All these people have relished working with PN under Ismail and Muhyiddin as prime minister. Is there a likelihood they would work with Anwar? There is no way that will happen.

Did Khairy say he was going to support Anwar if he became president of Umno? Is this the same Khairy who never apologized for calling the rakyat beruk-beruk and insinuated in a kurang ajar manner that Anwar main belakang? Come on-lah! Be realistic!

Many of these academics and political analysts have never been in the position of a “king” or leader in a political party. Many are just sideline commentators and pride themselves with their political analysis patterns and historical precedents.

I know enough to say I don’t know many things and being a leader of a political party or a “king” is one of them. I do know that the first rule of a king or a leader is political survival first and idealism second or third. If idealism and principles come first, then as they say, “the good die young.”

There is no place for “good but naïve” people in this world as leaders, maybe in the “Kingdom of God” in the next bolehlah! Right now, we are in this real world that calls for realpolitik. Umno is in a survival mode after its defeat in the last election.

Zahid has carved a winning formula by first agreeing to be in the Unity Government with Anwar, and second in putting down dissent by the ten traitors and now the art of purging the enemies from within before the next theater of war commences, the state elections. Zahid’s next hat trick will be forging an alliance with PH-BN against the enemies of Malaysia, the extremist PN.

In any military organization, the purging of traitors and would-be challengers is necessary. Umno cannot rejuvenate and reinvent itself with the dissenting voices of those who have sold their souls to the rival party…PN. These traitors are puppets for the puppet master Hadi Awang and Muhyiddin, no two ways about that.

How can Umno with 30 seats outplay PN with more than twice the number? Critics will also say that by purging Umno, PN will gain the upper hand by accepting these dissenters into their midst. Really huh? That much you know about Malays and politics? There is no trust between robbers and thieves and so there is no trust between PN and the sacked traitors. PN is interested only in influencing the voters in the camps of the individuals.

Well, that may be so. As far as I can understand, most of the voters and Malays who support the sacked and suspended leaders do it only for money. They may yell and scream for Melayu, Islam dan Raja but in reality, yang dia mau duit saja! Thus, not having been able to dish out projects and titles, how many would actually support these dissenters?

Take Khairy for instance, he rose with his connection as the son-in-law to the then PM and have never shown any credible leadership to support democracy or accord dignity to individuals like Anwar and Malaysians. Beruk-beruk, remember? Yes, he seemed successful at the tail end of Covid-19 after the hard work was done by others. That was no measure at all, to me. 

Now, he shouts democracy in his party when he himself helped weaken the Umno leadership. When someone threatens the leadership of a party when that leader is strong, then that someone can be called a hero. But when one threatens the leader when the party is weak, that person is an opportunist or a traitor!

Many observers must be interested to see Hishammuddin finally being dealt his destiny. This is one quiet but lethal warlord that strives on the loudness of others while he engineers lethal poisons silently to be the next prime minister of Malaysia. He has no vision like his grandfather, the great Onn Jaafar who stood tall against royalty, and Umno leadership to the point of setting up a party for all Malaysians. 

Hishammuddin is not even a shadow of his grandfather. The only way he can be PM is through stealth and cunning relationships with enemies. Malaysians must be smart in observing the historical events unfolding before us. Do not trust those who tout “principles” or “analysis” as if these two make up the real world. 

Believe me, as an academic, I once gave a lecture that academic knowledge is the least valuable as compared to knowledge from wisdom, experience, practice, divine inspiration and spiritual awakening. Principles and ideals are what we hold dear but implementation and their practice must be tampered with the situation of the time and the context of emerging and urgent issues.

We must trust Zahid to rebuild Umno in the image of the present leadership and that of the future to help us fight the extremist opposition that will destroy Malaysia as a nation for all. After Malaysia is safe…then we can create a new story. - Prof.Dr.Mohd.Tajuddin Mohd.Rasdi,mysinchew

Sri Ram’s landmark judgments...

Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram was well-known for giving on-the-spot oral judgments and landmark rulings relating to constitutional, public, contract and industrial law. Sri Ram, who died earlier today, aged 79, had the distinction of being the first lawyer in private practice to be appointed straight to the Court of Appeal when it was set up in 1994. He never served as a judicial commissioner or a High Court judge.

He was a Court of Appeal judge for 15 years before being elevated to the Federal Court in 2009, and subsequently retired in 2010. On July 12, 2007, Sri Ram, as a Court of Appeal judge, made a landmark decision on a 17-year-old boy’s case for murdering his tuition teacher’s daughter after ruling that his detention at the pleasure of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was unconstitutional.

The case caused an uproar when Sri Ram ruled that Section 92 (2) of the Child Act was unconstitutional as it gave the power to the executive to sentence a child convicted of murder. He said it went against the doctrine of separation of powers as enshrined in the Federal Constitution.

Sri Ram had held that the courts must have the exclusive authority to find a person guilty of murder and then impose a penalty, and it could not merely convict a person but leave the responsibility of sentencing to the King, the rulers or governors who acted on the advice of the executive.

On April 17, 2009, Sri Ram also made a landmark decision in allowing former national athletics coach C Ramanathan’s application to review the Court of Appeal’s earlier decision dated July 11, 2008. He ruled that the Court of Appeal had the jurisdiction to review an appeal, which had already been determined, to avoid and correct injustice to the party. He set aside the previous Court of Appeal’s order which upheld the sessions court’s decision in convicting Ramanathan and sentencing him to four years’ jail for molesting two underage female athletes in 1992.

On Jan 19, 2010, Sri Ram also made a ruling in a legal dispute between the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) and 354 Felda Kemahang settlers in Tanah Merah, Kelantan, over payments for oil palm fruits. In the case, the Federal Court, comprising then Chief Justice Zaki Azmi, Federal Court judge Zulkefli Ahmad Makinudin and Sri Ram, denied Felda leave to appeal against the Kota Bharu High Court’s decision ordering the agency to pay RM7.8 million in damages and interest to the settlers.

After retiring in 2010, Sri Ram continued to practise as a lawyer. He represented Anwar Ibrahim in his appeal on a sodomy case at the Federal Court, his defamation suit against Khairy Jamaluddin, and the case relating to the prime minister’s Pardons Board.

He also acted as counsel on R Kengadharan’s appeal to challenge the imposition of departure levy on Malaysians travelling overseas at the Court of Appeal, and Syed Iskandar Syed Jaafar Al Mahdzar’s appeal to challenge the dissolution of Parliament.

Sri Ram also led the defence team in clerk Sam Ke Ting’s appeal against her conviction and jail sentence for reckless driving that caused the death of eight teenagers riding on modified bicycles, or basikal lajak, in the Court of Appeal.

He was also appointed as lead prosecutor by the Attorney-General’s Chambers in high-profile cases involving former prime minister Najib Razak’s 1MDB corruption case, and the audit report tampering case involving Najib and former 1MDB chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy.

He was also the leading prosecutor for the corruption trials of Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, involving a solar hybrid project for 369 rural schools in Sarawak, and money laundering. RIP Sir... - fmt

Isu Nurul Izzah...

Heboh di media sosial mengenai perlantikkan Nurul Izzah dilantik sebagai penasihat kanan bagi ekonomi dan kewangan kepada Perdana Menteri, Anwar Ibrahim. Riuh di kalangan para cybertrooper pihak lawan menjerit-jerit'nepotisme' Mereka boleh orang lain tak boleh. Anak dia ok, anak orang lain nepotisme. 

Jika ingin berbicara soal nepotisme ini mari kita lihat sejarahnya. Presiden Pas, Abdul Hadi Awang pernah melantik anaknya, Khalil Abdul Hadi mengetuai Sekretariat Aid4Palestine. Akmal Kamaruddin yang juga menantu Hadi dilantik menjadi Exco Perak. Anak Abdul Hadi Awang, Muhammad Khalil menjawat jawatan sebagai Ketua Dewan Pemuda bagi sesi 2017 dan bertanding di DUN Batu Buruk. Itu belum Mahathir lantik anak jadi MB Kedah, Pak Lah lantik menantunya KJ bekerja di PMO dan lain2. Jadi adakah ia sesuatu yang pelik? 

Bagi saya bukan soal anak siapa? Yang penting integriti yang kita mahukan. Integriti maksudnya bersikap jujur ​​dan menunjukkan kepatuhan tanpa kompromi terhadap prinsip dan nilai moral serta etika yang kuat. 

Lagipun dia hanya sekadar adviser yang tak bergaji saja bukannya sebagai Menteri Utara atau Selatan negara. Dia hanya penasihat yg tiada apa2 kuasa memutuskan keputusan. 

Tiada orang bekerja tidak mahu dibayar gaji.Ia jauh lebih mulia daripada orang yang dilantik dan diberi gaji berpuluh ribu tetapi tidak bekerja. Jika bersoal kpd hukum yang mana makan duit haram? Kerja tak dibayar gaji atau bergaji tetapi tidak bekerja??? - Norman Radzuan

cheers.

Anwar is Zahid’s biggest collateral damage...

For those who think Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi is what Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim needs for his coalition government’s survival, the sacking of Khairy Jamaluddin and suspension of Hishammuddin Hussein proves that Zahid may also destabilise the government and, in the worst case scenario, even cause its downfall.

The coalition government’s 148-seat two-thirds majority consists of three players: Pakatan Harapan’s 82 seats, BN (30), and the assorted Borneo parties’ 36 MP seats [GPS (23), GRS (6), Warisan (3), KDM (1), PBM (1) and independents (2)].

Technically, even if BN walks out, the coalition government still has 118 seats. But that would mean all three Malay-Muslim nationalist parties – PAS (43), Bersatu (31) and Umno’s (26) – are in the opposition, politically undermining the coalition government’s communal legitimacy.

Keeping Umno afloat is therefore important for Anwar’s government itself to stay afloat. It is fundamentally about wooing back the middle-ground Malay votes lost to PAS and Bersatu. How successful such an effort can be is the waiting test of the six-state midterm election, which can be as late as mid-August but is contemplated to be held in July or June.

Pre-empting a bottom-up challenge...

How can Umno rise from its ashes and make a comeback?

The first alternative is having a new leadership, new direction, and fresh narrative to instil interests and hopes amongst floating Malay voters. This means a reformed Umno without Zahid and its allegiance to Harapan is not personal but structural – being No 2 to Harapan is better than being No 3 to PAS and Bersatu.

The opposite alternative is uniting under the existing leadership and hoping to win over the sceptical fence-sitters with control and distribution of patronage as a government party. The no-contest resolution concerning the two top posts passed in Umno’s annual general assembly (AGM) on Jan 14 has largely closed the door on the first alternative.

However, if the undercurrent is strong, then Hishammuddin, Khairy, Shahril Hamdan Suffian, Noh Omar and others could have fought a campaign from the bottom-up to sweep through divisions, supreme council, Youth, Women and Puteri wings up to the three vice presidents.

This might leave Zahid and his deputy, Mohamad Hasan surrounded by their opponents in the supreme council. The sacking and suspension of Zahid’s main rivals are to ensure the door is firmly closed, not even mildly ajar.

Umno’s ‘slaughtering field’ in the upcoming state elections...

For the mid-term state elections, Zahid will put only his loyalists as candidates, effectively purging Khairy’s and Hishamuddin’s followers, repeating what he did to warlords like Noh, Annuar Musa, Shahidan Kassim, Zahidi Zainul Abidin and Mastura Mohd Yazid in GE15. Umno lost all the seats previously held by the dropped incumbents. How can Umno do better this time around when more got ousted?

Why would Umno members supporting the axed leaders, let alone middle-ground Malays tired of corruption, come out to vote for Umno in Harapan-controlled Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Penang, not to mention the PN-PAS states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah?

By getting rid of its own generals, Umno is heading towards its own “slaughtering field” in the mid-term state election. What is Umno’s weapon to fight? No ideology, no direction, no narrative, no political stars - all Umno has would be the government’s patronage and largesse.

For this reason, PAS may halt its negotiation with the three Harapan states for a coordinated mid-term election and go ahead with early dissolution of its three states to deliver an immediate blow on Umno.

If PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s admission on giving voters money has allowed Harapan and BN in the past weeks to challenge PN’s claim as clean and anti-corruption, Umno’s purging last night has let PAS out of the hook, not just in media attention, but likely also in the state polls with its own abuse of government resources.

Is Umno taking MCA’s path?...

More detrimental for Umno, using patronage power to swing middle-ground voters has sharply declined. Had it worked, today it would have been MCA holding 40 seats in parliament, not DAP. Umno strategists might even have overlooked a similarity between MCA’s and Umno’s electoral fortunes with a lag of 10 years. Is MCA’s today going to be Umno’s tomorrow?

MCA’s electoral gain halved in 2008, dropping from 31 parliamentary seats and 76 state seats in 2004 to 15 and 32, respectively. If the sharp drop was unexpected, its worse results in 2013 (dubbed 7-11, for winning only seven parliamentary seats and 11 state seats) and 2018 were no longer surprises.

As DAP and Harapan captured state governments and performed better, the MCA’s standard narrative – “vote us or you have no representatives in government” – simply collapsed, as many MCA loyalists shifted to be middle-ground voters, while some middle-ground voters further shifted to be DAP/Harapan loyalists.

If Umno’s 2018 defeat is comparable to MCA’s 2008, then Umno’s 2022 bigger setback resembles MCA’s 2013. If Umno continues to have only patronage to offer, then its GE16 might look like MCA’s 2018.

Where would Khairy and Hishammuddin go?...

How bad can Umno’s purging hurt the party and the coalition government may depend on how Khairy and Hishammuddin react.

Many Harapan supporters hope that Khairy – and his close associate Shahril - would join their ranks, especially PKR, as they appeal to a more urban, diverse, youthful and sophisticated segment of the electoral market.

If this happens, Umno and ex-Umno dissidents under Harapan ticket may take on each other in the state polls. Given the deep enmity, such contests are unlikely to be friendly matches and may destabilise Harapan-BN relationship at the federal level. But this would be a lesser worry.

The opposite scenario would be worse for Harapan – if Khairy and Shahril join Bersatu, they would carry more Malay middle-ground voters, especially youngsters, to PN.

What may deter this move is that many in Bersatu, from ex-Umno leader Hamzah Zainuddin to ex-libertarian Wan Saiful Wan Jan, may not like the competition.

Would Hishammuddin do a ‘Shahrir’?...

The biggest threat to Zahid now is Hishammuddin. Zahid spared him from sacking simply because the anti-hopping law would free him to join Bersatu. But a six-year suspension means that he is blocked from contesting in one to two cycles of general elections, effectively ending his political life.

Does Hishammuddin have the guts to leave the party and resign as MP to force a by-election, before or during Umno’s party election? Would Hishammuddin emulate what Johor Umno veteran Shahrir Abdul Samad did to former Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad back in 1986? At the time, Shahrir won the by-election hands down – which was a slap to Mahathir’s face.

If Hishammuddin resigns, he has two advantages in retaining the seat. First, he is the fifth-term MP for Sembrong since 2004, winning on a margin of 10,000 votes and above, except in 2018. Second, and most importantly, this would be the national battle between “Zahid’s Umno versus all anti-Zahid forces”. Khairy, Noh and others can campaign all out for Hishammuddin before deciding their next move.

PAS may expedite its state elections to synchronise with the by-election in Sembrong, so that Harapan-BN’s machinery would be stretched. In the event of Hishammuddin’s resounding victory, five other Umno MPs labelled as pro-PN, including former premier Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former Johor menteri besar Hasni Mohammad, may contemplate doing the same.

Can Anwar prevent the worst scenario after Umno’s night of the long knives? In any case, Umno’s implosion promises to steal all limelight from his nation-rebuilding project of Malaysia Madani just launched last week, and sink all his signalling of political stability to the business community. And it seems Anwar and his government are clearly the biggest collateral damage here. - Wong Chin Huat,mk

Building affordable homes – Even the UK learned from Singapore’s HDB public housing programme...

In 2022, more than 20,000 HDB flats were completed – the highest number in the last 5 years. It was a 50% increase as compared to 2021, meaning even during the Covid-19 pandemic, HDB managed to build 10,000 affordable homes. The Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) is targeting to complete another 20,000 flats across 22 housing projects in 2023.

HDB was so serious about providing quality and affordable homes for everyone that errant flat owners who did not live in their HDB flats during the 5-year MOP (minimum occupation period) would be punished. In general, flat owners are not allowed to sell or rent out their flat or invest in a private residential property during the MOP, which starts from the day of key collection.

The HDB conducts about 500 inspections each month to detect violations of housing rules such as illegal flat rentals. This is to prevent buyers from buying a BTO flat, but not for the purpose of living there. They are greedy owners who buy and sell it as “almost brand new” on the resale market for quick profits. Such owners could see their flats acquired by the board, fined up to S$50,000 or slapped with written warnings.

That’s because HDB flats in Singapore – the world’s most expensive cities to live in together with New York – are heavily subsidized. From time to time, the authorities would conduct spot checks on the physical flat itself, a review of records to prove flat occupation, and interviews with flat owners, property agents, buyers and even neighbours Therefore, only a handful dares to cheat.

Between 2017 and November 2022, 53 errant flat owners who did not live in their HDB flats during the MOP were taken to task – averaging 10 cheating cases per year. But the fact that they got caught anyway means the government takes the violation of house ownership rules very seriously. Its policy is to reinforce public housing as a home for the owners to live in, not to speculate.

However, the HDB flat, commonly referred as “government housing”, is more than just an affordable public housing system. Its primary objective is building cohesive communities to ensure its multi-racial, multi-cultural and multi-religious community co-exist and maintain racial harmony by providing living environments with community spaces for residents to mingle and interact.

 

HDB vs Setesen Bas

So, when neighbouring Malaysia tries to engage experts from Singapore’s HDB to resolve the country’s endless housing issues, opposition Perikatan Nasional quickly spins and twists it into a racial issue. Initially, PAS Islamist party has falsely claimed that Malay reserve land would disappear after Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said he plans to consult Singapore 

Then, the despicable PAS religious extremists started stirring up racial and religion sentiments among the Malays that their village could disappear. Now, in an attempt to provoke government servants, the racist bigots lied that Mr Nga, a DAP (Democratic Action Party) minister, is bringing experts from Singapore because the Malaysian civil service is inefficient in housing matters.

It’s not hard to understand the political motives of PAS extremists in criticizing the Pakatan Harapan-led unity government for the sake of criticizing. It has to keep promoting racist hatred, xenophobia, and all forms of bigotry because that’s the only way PAS can stay relevant. It would rather see Malays remain poor and unable to afford a home than to see HDB flats succeeded in Malaysia.

Yes, it would be disastrous for the Islamist party if Anwar administration, especially DAP, could fix the 60-year-old housing problems by replicating the successful housing model of HDB in the country. The Malays would start asking why the previous Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional governments failed to solve housing problems that DAP Nga Kor Ming could easily fix.

Barisan Nasional, despite ruling for 61 years since independence in 1957, has failed to provide sufficient affordable homes. Perikatan Nasional did not even care about housing during its 33-month rule. According to real estate PropertyGuru, 51% of Malaysians do not qualify for the government’s affordable housing scheme and cannot afford to buy property without financial assistance.

Hassan Basri, who shared a 2-bedroom flat in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, with his parents and an aunt since he finished school in 2005, is still living there in 2022. Having to sleep in the living area, the 34-year-old factory bus driver simply does not have enough money to support a family, let alone owning a home of his own. Stories like Hassan’s are aplenty.

Najib Razak -PRIMA Houses Can See But Cannot Own 

Before former Prime Minister Najib Razak lost power in 2018, he proudly announced that his 1Malaysia Peoples’ Housing Scheme (PR1MA) has awarded more than RM15 billion worth of contracts to 574 Bumiputera firms. Overall, the PR1MA had given away a jaw-dropping RM22.4 billion worth of contracts to its business partners – comprising developers, contractors as well as vendors.

Heck, the ex-PM actually had promised to build 1-million affordable houses, including 500,000 units of PR1MA houses, after winning the 2013 General Election. Yet, despite his promise to build hundreds of thousands of affordable housing for the people – every year – the fact remains only 11,944 units of PR1MA homes had been completed and sold by November 2017.

Instead, Najib’s best friend – Jamaluddin Jarjis – believed to be the man behind PR1MA scheme became a billionaire. Known as JJ, Mr Jamaluddin’s wealth was exposed after his death in a helicopter crash in 2015, leading to family feud in court for his RM2.1 billion estate. As the chairman of PR1MA, JJ is believed to have had benefitted from the scheme through kickbacks.

According to Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank), the reason why Malaysians are unable to afford a home is not due to strict lending rules on housing loan. The real reason is because houses are not affordable to people like Hassan Basri. At the same time, crooks like former PM Najib and his cronies were scamming people and stealing money under the pretext of building affordable houses.

Exactly what PAS religious extremists had done to solve housing problems when they were the governing partner in the backdoor government of Perikatan Nasional for the last 33 months? They had done absolutely nothing except promoting racism and extremism, while talking about women and sex as well as demanding latest Mercedes Benz and marrying younger wives.

Even if it’s true that Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming is seriously seeking the expertise of the Singapore’s Housing and Development Board to build more affordable homes, it’s better than doing nothing like the useless PAS. Besides, tapping the professional advice from the neighbour does not mean surrendering or sacrificing national sovereignty.

Just because the new government of Anwar Ibrahim is serious about building affordable housing, it does not necessarily mean Malaysia can clone Singapore’s housing strategy. Hong Kong has tried to learn – but failed to copy – Singapore’s housing policy. While Hong Kong’s land mass is larger than Singapore by around 400 sq km, each person in Hong Kong has less living space as compared to Singapore.

Malaysia Low Cost Flat

Essentially, Hong Kong is larger than Singapore by three times, and it has twice as many residents, but yet the residential land area in Hong Kong is much smaller. There’s no solution for Hong Kong’s housing problem primarily because only 44.8% of Hong Kongers live in public housing as compared to 80% Singaporeans. Housing is affordable in Singapore because they are public housing to begin with.

And because private housing typically costs twice as much as public housing, it’s not rocket science why Singapore does not face the same problem as Hong Kong. In Singapore, the government controls the housing. In Hong Kong, property developers control the real estate. The Singapore government’s policies of allowing retirement funds Central Provident Fund (CPF) to be used to purchase houses help tremendously.

Interestingly, before HDB was established in the1960s, its predecessor – Singapore Improvement Trust (SIT) – had built 20,907 units of public housing flats in the span of 12 years from 1947 to 1959. This means during British colonial rule, the public housing in Singapore was built in a similar fashion to the British public housing projects called “council housing”.

Yet, 100 years later, the UK social housing policy becomes a major challenge, plagued with problems of affordability and availability. Today, the British want to learn from the “Singapore model”, especially how the HDB housing is cleverly integrated into the existing urban infrastructure, including roads, public transport, schools and health services to produce more upmarket housing.

Johor too is learning from Singapore’s HDB...

Malaysia has a bigger problem. There were at least 384 abandoned housing projects by the previous governments of Barisan Nasional and Perikatan Nasional. Another 129 “sick projects” have been identified as being delayed more than 30% behind schedule. In total, more than 500 projects worth billions of ringgit are stuck, which in turn affects thousands of house buyers.

The people, especially the Malays, have a choice. They can either continue to live with their parents like Hassan Basri, or they can ignore PAS extremists and bigots and adopt an open mind to the Singapore’s HDB model. There’s nothing wrong to learn from the experts. Nga Kor Ming has nothing to lose. He can easily let the public housing deteriorate, if that’s what the people radicalized by PAS wanted.

More importantly, PAS is afraid that if HDB can be replicated successfully, the government led by Pakatan Harapan could start building a multi-racial community that interacts with each other. It would be harder for the extremists to use “divide-and-rule” strategy for their selfish political gains. The HDB flats could be the game changer that could undermine the Islamist party. - FT

cheers.

Fuss about HDB system...

Stop being shallow,Malays 

will benefit from HDB system...

 

Opposition leaders were lambasted today for alleging that Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming has a racial agenda to oppress the Malay-Muslim community by emulating Singapore’s Housing and Development Board (HDB) housing plans.

Terengganu Pakatan Harapan chairperson Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad Kamarul said in a statement that such “narrow-minded” and reckless accusations from PAS and Bersatu are belittling efforts by the government to solve housing woes for the B40 and M40 community - most of whom are Malays.

He contended that the Malay community would benefit the most if the HDB housing system is successfully implemented at a lower cost with positive socio-economic factors. “The opposition cannot be prejudiced and make reckless accusations based on racial emotions just because the minister (Nga) is not a Malay and the majority of Singaporeans are not Malays,” he said.

Singapore's HDB Housing...

He also questioned if there were efforts made during former prime ministers Muhyiddin Yassin and Ismail Ismail Sabri Yaakob's administrations to find a solution to this dire problem. “Why are they afraid that the Harapan government could solve this issue – an issue that they did not even want to look into when PN (Perikatan Nasional) ruled?”

During his tenure as local government development deputy minister under former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad-led government, Kamarul said various efforts were carried out by the ministry including introducing a Home Ownership Campaign.

However, Kamarul said they were not fully successful as there were still many from the M40 and B40 community who could not own a house. He said that various housing models in other nations including South Korea, Singapore and other developed countries have been studied for a long time.

Elaborating on the matter, Kamarul said Singapore’s HDB housing system is the most suitable and practical as there are many similarities in the community’s ethnic profile, the weather and the construction system used.

“Singapore's HDB housing system is among the best in the world and is recognised by many countries. HDB has also won many major international awards and its excellence is recognised by western countries and Japan. 

“I am speaking as an architect who had served in the government and often lived in Singapore HDB apartments because I have relatives there. “More than 90 percent of Malays in Singapore have their own homes to live in from a young age,” he said.

He added that among the facilities provided by the neighbouring country’s HDB are health clinics, hairdressers, recreational halls, a place to hold receptions (bersanding) for Malay weddings and a place to bathe the body of a deceased.

Therefore, Kamarul said Nga’s plan to consult Singapore’s HDB experts is a positive step to solve long-standing problems for the poor to have a comfortable and affordable place to live. “The time has come to prioritise the importance for the poor to have a place to live.

“For Malaysians to progress, we need politicians who are more mature and progressive, not those who are narrow-minded and negative and who always stir up racist sentiments. "Don’t play racial political issues without thinking about the future of the people who need affordable housing.”

Singapore's HDB Housing...

Previously, PN leaders claimed that Nga is trying to undermine Malay property ownership and demographic spread through housing policies, with some saying it is a violation of the country's safety and sovereignty. This came after Nga revealed that his ministry would be meeting with contractors from Singapore's HDB in order to learn about the nation-state's successful public housing programme.

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor had also alleged that Nga has a hidden agenda to revive the local government elections by emulating Singapore’s housing plans.

Meanwhile, Nga has repeatedly said that restoring local government elections is not a priority for the people at the moment. He said his ministry is prioritising the people’s livelihood and everyday issues, despite knowing that the “third vote” - after federal and state elections - is part of the democratic process.

“We understand that local government elections reflect democracy. But there are priorities.

“The most important thing for me now is to revive the economy. We have to also ensure the roads are level, street lights are bright, toilets are clean and drains are unblocked.

“My work is not going to focus on what I want, but based on what the people want,” Nga said.

Last December, when he clocked in for his minister job for the first time, he also told the media that restoring local council elections will not be the immediate focus of his ministry. - mk

Story kat SINI

Bawa masuk pakar HDB bukan 

bermakna penjawat awam lemah...

Menteri Pembangunan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Nga Kor Ming menafikan dakwaan bahawa langkah membawa masuk pakar dari Lembaga Perumahan dan Pembangunan (HDB) Singapura dibuat bagi mengisi kelemahan penjawat awam di Malaysia.

Nga sebelum ini mendapat kecaman daripada beberapa pihak yang mendakwa dia mempunyai agenda perkauman untuk menindas masyarakat Melayu-Islam menerusi tindakan membawa pakar tersebut untuk berkongsi kepakaran mengenai program perumahan di Malaysia.

"Tuduhan sesetengah pihak berkepentingan politik bahawa perkongsian pakar perumahan Singapura dibuat bagi mengisi kelemahan penjawat awam Malaysia adalah tidak benar dan berniat jahat. "Jelas sekali tuduhan ini adalah satu tindakan provokasi yang berbaur hasutan,” kata Nga dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Pada 17 Jan lalu, Nga dalam temu bual dengan Astro Awani mengumumkan bahawa kerajaan Singapura telah bersetuju membenarkan kontraktor HDB untuk "memasuki’ Kementerian Pembangunan dan Kerajaan Tempatan bulan depan bagi berkongsi kepakaran mereka.

Banyak projek2 perumahan rakyat kita terbengkalai,lewat siap 

& tak ikut speksifikasi pasai kontraktor2 kroni dok balun duit...

Ini mendorong ahli majlis tertinggi Bersatu, Faiz Na'aman mendakwa tindakan Nga mengancam kedaulatan negara, manakala Ketua Penerangan Bersatu, Wan Saiful Wan Jan pula memberi amaran bahawa nasib Bumiputera akan berisiko jika model HDB dilaksanakan.

Penyiar percuma Awesome TV melalui program berita perdana Berita 757 melaporkan Perdana Menteri Anwar Ibrahim telah meluluskan rancangan untuk membawa masuk pakar HDB Singapura kerana Malaysia kekurangan pegawai kerajaan yang cekap.

Saluran berita itu berkata kelulusan itu dibuat susulan kenyataan Nga mengenai sesi perkongsian ilmu dengan pakar HDP Singapura.

"Tuduhan sesetengah pihak berkepentingan politik bahawa perkongsian pakar perumahan Singapura dibuat bagi mengisi kelemahan penjawat awam Malaysia adalah tidak benar dan berniat jahat. "Jelas sekali tuduhan ini adalah satu tindakan provokasi yang berbaur hasutan,” kata Nga dalam satu kenyataan hari ini.

Nga berkata penjawat awam di KPKT sentiasa memberikan khidmat terbaik dengan menghasilkan pelbagai dasar seperti Dasar Perumahan Negara, Dasar Rumah Mampu Milik dan Program-program perumahan holistik untuk rakyat di negara ini sejak merdeka.

"Sehubungan itu, niat untuk menjemput pakar-pakar dari negara luar termasuk Singapura dalam sesi seminar dan bengkel adalah bagi mendapatkan ilmu dan pengetahuan serta berkongsi kepakaran dalam bidang perumahan agar Malaysia dapat bergerak ke hadapan dan relevan dengan perkembangan semasa," katanya.

Nga turut menjelaskan bahawa penglibatan Malaysia dengan HDB Singapura dimulakan sejak tahun 2015. - mk

Nga, you should invite Faiz Na'aman and Wan Saiful to be in charge of the housing for B40 since everything you do is wrong. Give them two months and see what results they can produce. We, the rakyat, too would like to see what they can propose. If they fail, ask them to forever shut their gap! Very annoying when idiots make noise just for the sake of making noise, instead of helping the country. - tembikai

Kalau tak pandai sebab semua subsidi, uitm, takda kemahuan untuk maju sebab semua free, jangan kacau yang lain, yang mahu maju! Singapora has always did the correct things. They also had racism, even now. But to counter all HDB flats are mixed with colours for better integration. Quality of the builds are good. They don't blindly use semua Melayu with low standards due to sogok! - Maimun

Sistem perumahan HDB Singapura ini berjaya kerana tiadanya unsur2 rasuah & pembinaan rumah2 flat & kondo adalah ikut sepsifikasi yang ditetapkan,dengan kemudahan yang lengkap & siap bina ikut jadual. Bukan macam di Malaysia,projek rumah murah,PPRT di bina tak ikut speksifikasi,tak ikut jadual,kontraktor2 terdiri daripada kroni2 & pemilik2 rata2 kroni UMNO yang berada. Lepas tu depa sewa kepada golongan Indon & Bangla.- ts

Orang tak bersih benci kebersihan HDB. - save our currency

cheers.

A bribe is a bribe,regardless of how one chose to describe it...

 

PAS leader Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang drew more flak following his comments that “electoral bribes” are actually “charity”. This time, it is the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki who said he will investigate any form of bribery based on the law.

Azam added a bribe was a bribe, regardless of how one chose to describe it, as the law clearly defined what constituted vote buying.

“Section 10(a) of the Elections Offences Act 1954 is very clear, and whatever layman terms used to defend an argument are mere personal interpretations. “Name it ‘sedekah’ (almsgiving) or ‘contribution’, the law deems it a bribe paid to voters, regardless of whether the voters solicit it or not,” The Star reported him as saying.

Hadi has been under fire since last week after he tried to defend the actions of apparent PAS members who gave cash to potential voters, urging them to take an oath that they would vote for PAS if they agreed to take the cash handout.

A video (above) of a man giving out money to various members of the public while wearing a skull cap went viral on Facebook and Twitter. He is heard instructing the recipients of the money that they should vote PAS after receiving the money, leading some to speculate that he was a member or supporter of the PAS.

Section 10(a) of the Elections Offences Act 1954 pertains to acts of bribery committed before, during, and after elections, directly or indirectly, by a candidate himself or by a representative on his behalf.

MACC will probably start its investigations based on petitions filed by Terengganu UMNO to nullify the results of the 15th General Election (GE15) in three constituencies in the east coast state.

Akhirnya turun dalil Marang Krapu Marang Sepunden. Agama ini nilainya dah jadi barangan ‘bundle’.Dulu ada puak tu rasuah dikatakan komisen dan sekarang rasuah dikatakan sedekah. Kalau gitu tutup sajalah SPRM . - Norman Radzuan

UMNO veteran Secretary General Datuk Mustapha Yaakub chastised the PAS leader for labelling money given to the public during an election campaign as “charity.” Describing Hadi’s latest statement as not surprising, Mustapha said the PAS president may have found an argument to legitimise handing money to voters.

Last night, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim slammed those who justified cash handouts during elections by calling them donations, calling them a form of corruption.

While he did not name anyone, his remarks followed a recent statement by the PAS president in response to Terengganu UMNO’s petition to annul the results of the GE15 in three constituencies in the east coast state. — focusmalaysia

Azam Baki kata sedekah atau 

sumbangan,rasuah tetap rasuah!...

Azam Baki kata sedekah atau sumbangan, rasuah tetap rasuah! – Hadi bakal dikenakan tindakan?. Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) akan menyiasat apa sahaja bentuk rasuah berdasarkan peruntukan undang-undang, bukannya tertakluk kepada pemahaman peribadi, kata ketua pesuruhjayanya, Azam Baki.

Beliau berkata, rasuah adalah rasuah, tidak kira bagaimana seseorang itu memilih untuk menggambarkannya kerana undang-undang jelas mentakrifkan apa yang dimaksudkan dengan pembelian undi.

“Seksyen 10(a) Akta Kesalahan Pilihan Raya 1954 adalah sangat jelas dan apa jua istilah awam digunakan mempertahankan hujah adalah tafsiran peribadi semata-mata.

“Sama ada ia ‘sedekah’ atau ‘sumbangan’, undang-undang menganggapnya sebagai rasuah yang dibayar kepada pengundi, tidak kira sama ada pengundi memintanya atau tidak,” katanya memetik laporan The Star.

Seksyen 10(a) akta berkenaan dengan perbuatan rasuah sebelum, semasa dan selepas pilihan raya, dilakukan secara langsung atau tidak langsung oleh calon sendiri atau oleh wakil bagi pihaknya.

Komen Azam itu susulan kenyataan Presiden PAS Abdul Hadi Awang, baru-baru ini, terhadap petisyen difailkan Umno Terengganu bagi membatalkan keputusan PRU15 di tiga kawasan Parlimen di negeri Pantai Timur itu.

Hadi berkata, mereka yang dirakam dalam video menyerahkan wang tunai kepada pengundi hanyalah melakukan kerja amal. Ahli Parlimen Marang itu, berkata undang-undang pilihan raya menetapkan hanya calon dan ejen mereka dilarang memberi wang tunai.

Komen beliau mengundang kritikan pelbagai pihak kerana Akta Kesalahan Pilihan Raya 1954 jelas melarang perbuatan terbabit. - gemilangdaily

cheers.

Lunar year of the rabbit...

 

cheers.

MCA cannot be trusted...

Why the Chinese traitor should not be 

given any seats in upcoming state elections...

Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) hopes it could be allocated some Chinese-majority seats in the coming state elections. Three states under the administration of Pakatan Harapan – Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan – as well as another 3 states ruled by opposition PAS Islamist party namely Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu will hold state elections this year.

But MCA has a huge problem. Nobody, not even its political master – the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) – wants to give any seats to the party that no longer commands any support and respect from the community that it supposedly represents. Worse, MCA made the biggest mistake when it foolishly demanded UMNO president Zahid Hamidi to resign.

MCA president Wee Ka Siong, arguably the biggest fool in the history of the political party, has bet the wrong horse when it hastily joined a 10-member rebellious group led by UMNO traitor Hishammuddin Hussein in supporting rival Perikatan Nasional chairman Muhyiddin as prime minister following the 15th General Election that produced a hung Parliament.

Muhyiddin Yassin had tried to scam the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) by claiming that he possessed 115 SDs (statutory declarations) supporting him as the prime minister, the same trick he used to cheat his way to become the 8th Prime Minister with just 108 SDs back in February 2020. This round, his dubious claim was rejected flatly by the Palace. He only has the support of 84 MPs.

Not only Wee Ka Siong had wrongly bet that Muhyiddin would become the next prime minister, the MCA president also wrongly bet that UMNO president Zahid could lose power soon. Today, Muhyiddin could be charged for corruption, money laundering and criminal breach of trust (CBT) linked to Covid-19 stimulus programmes, while Zahid has won UMNO presidency uncontested.

If there’s an award for the dumbest politician of the year, Wee could easily win the contest. He should not have offended Zahid by fiercely calling for his resignation, even if he was merely hedging his bet by supporting Muhyiddin. He should have kept his big mouth shut instead of barking like a mad dog demanding for the UMNO president’s head. He stupidly burned all the bridges.

Now, Wee Ka Siong is shamelessly sucking up to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim with an invitation to MCA’s Chinese New Year open house. It would be Anwar’s first attendance to the MCA’s headquarters since he was sacked by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998. Wee hopes the premier would be flattered when showered with praises during the festival.

However, even if the Pakatan Harapan leader somehow could be intoxicated with praises from apple-polisher MCA, why should DAP surrender even a single seat for its bitter rival? Anwar should realize that DAP has sacrificed tremendously to enable him to become the 10th Prime Minister. DAP was given only 4 ministerial positions, although the party won a whopping 40 parliamentary seats.

Anwar Ibrahim’s party, PKR (People’s Justice Party), gets the lion’s share – 8 strategic ministries despite winning only 31 seats. UMNO was given 6 important ministries despite winning only 26 seats. Even Sarawak-based GPS with only 23 seats gets a staggering 5 ministers. While DAP willingly sacrificed to keep UMNO-Malay happy, it has no reason to sacrifice for MCA.

If PKR leadership feels there is a need to keep MCA happy in the name of unity government, it can always sacrifice its own seats. So far, Amanah, one of four component parties of Pakatan Harapan, has expressed the desire to defend all the 40 state seats in Selangor the coalition won in the 2018 General Election – even if there’s an alliance with UMNO-led Barisan Nasional coalition.

Pakatan Harapan, originally won 51 seats in 2018 national polls, saw its seats reduced to 40 after the infamous “Sheraton Move”, the political coup which ended Pakatan government in just 22 months after traitor Muhyiddin withdrew the support of his party Bersatu (Malaysian United Indigenous Party). Bersatu is determined to not only defend its existing 6 seats, but to capture Selangor together with PAS.

Now that Pakatan and Barisan are governing partners in the federal government, UMNO is expected to extract as many Malay-majority seats as possible in all the three states ruled by Pakatan Harapan. Assuming Pakatan is contended to defend its existing 40 seats in Selangor, it means Barisan will fight directly with Perikatan Nasional for the remaining 16 seats.

But it’s impossible that Anwar’s own party will give away state constituency like Bukit Antarabangsa, which former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali won under PKR ticket in 2018 before the traitor defected to Bersatu. If Pakatan Harapan insists to contest all the 47 seats it won in the 2018 general election before it was betrayed, UMNO would be left with 9 seats in Selangor.

In 2018, both Barisan and Bersatu won 4 seats each, while PAS grabbed 1 seat. This means UMNO is lucky if it could even defend its existing seats. Based on the recent 2022 General Election results, which saw the Malay nationalist party losing spectacularly, it’s likely it could be wiped out in Selangor if goes solo. Like it or not, UMNO has little bargaining power in seat negotiations with new ally Pakatan Harapan.

To make things complicated, Amanah would claim the same Malay-majority seats as UMNO. Negotiations could get even more complicated and hostile if UMNO gets greedy and starts demanding a swap of winnable seats from Pakatan. It might even ask PM Anwar to instruct DAP to give away some easy seats to its lapdogs MCA or MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress).

MCA has already thrown tantrums, warning that it must be allocated seats in Selangor, the crown jewel of Pakatan Harapan, otherwise it might go solo. The question is whether UMNO will sacrifice its strongholds in Malay-majority seats for MCA after all the insults Wee had thrown at Zahid. If even the UMNO president has no plan to entertain MCA’s request, why should DAP care at all?

It would be even harder for DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke to justify to his grassroots, what more 90% Chinese voters who hate MCA, as to why Chinese-majority seats should be given to the party that has betrayed the Chinese community. In fact, DAP could be punished by its own Chinese supporters if winnable seats are easily surrendered to MCA – a traitor to the ethnic Chinese.

Yes, it’s already bad for DAP supporters to support UMNO, its traditional enemy who had been using racial and religious cards to demonize the Chinese-dominated party as chauvinist, anti-Islam, anti-Malay, anti-Monarch and whatnot. It will be worse if DAP supporters are told to vote for MCA, the party that had signed statutory declarations in support of traitor Muhyiddin Yassin as PM.

The supporters of Pakatan Harapan, comprising PKR, DAP, Amanah and UPKO, might reluctantly vote for UMNO out of necessity to prevent racist bigot Muhyiddin and religious extremist Hadi Awang from taking over the country. But they definitely will not vote for either MCA or MIC, not after what the component parties of Barisan Nasional had done that almost plunge the country into a Taliban state.

Besides, why should Pakatan Harapan allocate more seats to Barisan Nasional in Selangor, or other states like Penang and Negeri Sembilan for that matter, when the same Barisan greedily refuses to welcome Pakatan as governing partner in Johor? More importantly, why surrender any seats to MCA, knowing it is ready to jump ships to Perikatan Nasional when an opportunity arises?

Sure, to defeat Perikatan Nasional, both Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional must work together – leveraging on 90% of Chinese support commanded by DAP and 30% of Malay support enjoyed by UMNO. Still, it’s unclear if UMNO could rally its Malay voters to support Pakatan Harapan, even though Chinese voters have basically no problem voting for UMNO.

DAP and UMNO Cooperation

It’s worth noting that in the past, between independence in 1957 to at least till 2008, Chinese had been voting for Barisan Nasional specifically through MCA. But UMNO-Malays had never voted for DAP in their entire life due to decades of brainwashing started by Mahathir, who used the divide-and-rule strategy to stay in power, and eventually backfired when their own supporters voted neither UMNO nor Pakatan.

Either way, MCA is irrelevant and useless. Its own survival depends entirely on the charity of UMNO to give it safe seats. But UMNO itself is struggling to survive today. The fact that MCA president was not given any portfolio in Anwar’s Cabinet suggests that it would take more than Chinese New Year cookies and lion dance to bribe Pakatan Harapan leaders.

Instead of threatening to go solo if not given any seats to contest, as if it could split or swing massive votes away, the Malaysian Chinese Association should seriously consider not participating at all in the upcoming state elections. This will avoid the party the humiliation of losing deposit. UMNO has yet to prove it is a trustworthy partner of Pakatan Harapan, let alone the treachery MCA. - FT

Fitnah dulu baru mohon maaf...

Seronokkan fitnah main isu perkauman boleh jadi MP, boleh jadi MB, boleh jadi Menteri. Bukan pertama kali golongan ini dlm pelbagai isu memfitnah kemudian memohon maaf. Ya sebagai org Islam kita maafkan tetapi berapa ramai umat Islam terpengaruh, tertipu dan sudah mempercayai kata2 tersebut. 

Tidak mereka ini merasa malu dan takut pada Allah. Bukankah dosa memfitnah itu lebih berat dari membunuh? Oh ya mereka kata minta ampun pada Allah akan diampunkan… dalil tetap ada. 

Tapi ingat jika memfitnah individu demi kesenangan nikmat dunia tidak akn diampunkan selagi individu itu tidak ampunkan. Walaupun saya berpendidikan sekolah Anglo Chinese School faham la juga bab ini.- Norman Radzuan

Time kempen guna isu perkauman dan agama, otak pulak masa tu simpan kat lutut. Itu yang terbawa² sampai lupa yang diri tu mp yang mewakili semua kaum dan agama..-Zainurin Romli

Tak ada maaf bagi puak2 yg segaja jdi kaki fitnah auta @ tak berfakta tu,semua dgn tujuan nak pecah belahkan sesama bangsa tu,kena amik tindakan undang2 gak tu,biar dia tahu langit tu tinggi ke rendah tu nanti - Zarah Safi

Fitnah sudah menjadi amalan bagi golongan2 yang merasakan diri mereka lah sebenarnya islam. Berbagai ciptaan dalil dan dalih untuk menghalalkan perbuatan dan meraih sokongan orang melayu kpd mereka. - Aiman Shaukie

cheers.