February 2009 – Page 4

A mockery of Our Democratic Institution

February 11, 2009 by johnlee_my

This is a good piece by Hannah Yeoh, a young and intelligent ADUN just back from the USA where she was one of two Malaysians picked by the US Embassy to attend Obama’s inauguration. Her thoughts on the Anwar-Najib defection comparisons re Perak Crisis is sharp and most relevant. I am most glad I voted her as my ADUN in Subang Jaya. MAlaysia needs more young, intelligent leaders like her.

Amelia

EDITOR’S NOTE: The article was sent by one of our readers (Amelia) to our Director, Dr Lim Teck Ghee, and CPI is happy to help publicise Hannah Yeoh’s piece of fine writing. – YL Chong

Friday, February 6, 2009
http://hannahyeoh.blogspot.com/2009/02/mockery-of-our-democratic-institution.html

A mockery of our democratic institution
To those who argue that the political crisis in Perak now is a taste of Pakatan’s own medicine (referring to the Sept 16 takeover plan), they have failed to see the key differences between the two. If you remember what happened when Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim claimed to have the numbers to form the new federal government, he wrote to PM Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi requesting him to convene an emergency sitting of Parliament.

The Perak Consitutional Crisis: Who Is to Blame?

February 10, 2009 by johnlee_my

INTRODUCTION: The state of Perak has been plunged into a state of politcal chaos and uncertainty in the past few days when the Pakatan Rakyat-led government lost its 32-28 majority in the State Assembly following the switching of their political allegiance by four State Asemblymen on Wednesday, February 4, 2009, resulting in a “hung” assembly. Two assemblymen from PKR and one from DAP left their respective parties to become independents allied to BN, and the Bota state assemblyman who had recently joined PKR after defecting from UMNO, then returned to BN — creating a situation that has become essentially a Constitutional Crisis with an impact going beyond the borders of the Silver state.

STS reports…”Perakians tired of drama”

February 10, 2009 by johnlee_my

Hazlin Hassan susses out the online political fatigue in Perak.

February 9, 2009

In Kuala Lumpur

THE recent political upheaval in Malaysia’s northern Perak state is proving so divisive that some friends can no longer talk politics without ending up insulting each other.

Such arguments have spilled over onto the Internet, onto such seemingly harmless conduits such as the social network of Facebook, where “friends” attack each other with insults as they fervently support their own parties, justify or condemn the other’s actions.

Some have hailed Barisan Nasional’s move to take over the state government in Perak, and poked fun at former chief minister Nizar Jamaluddin’s infamous quote of asking to “mohon derhaka” or “go against the Sultan”. The opposition’s supporters have decried the BN supporters’ “poor memories” and recounted past instances of how the BN had gone against the monarchy.

Perak Constitutional Crisis- The Best Way Forward

February 9, 2009 by johnlee_my

Since the incumbent Pakatan Rakyat (PR) Perak Government was overturned on 5th Feb. 09, many creditable commentators such as Transparency International and Suhakam have expressed their views on this political crisis. Many ordinary people are also questioning the wisdom of the Perak Sultan, the former Lord President, in handling the case. Generally many people are dissatisfied and some even angry with the way in which the Government they elected to power in March last year and the Mentri Besar legally appointed have now been pushed out of office.

A Financial Look at Singapore/Malaysian Property Scene

February 7, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://malaysiafinance.blogspot.com/2009/01/2-major-defining-issues-for-malaysia.html

Thursday, January 29, 2009

The 2 Major Defining Issues For Malaysia & Singapore Property

1) The stock market effect in Malaysia – If you were to look at the financial turmoil in the past, namely, the mid-late 80s, the blip in 1994, the major monster of 97, the internet bust, the SARS effect, the tsunami effect and now the credit implosion… you can chart a very useful multiplier effect from losses in the stock markets. Prior to 2000, any kind of financial bust ups will see a lot of havoc and bad debts, ask any remisier… Following moves to limit contra and contango trades, this has removed a HUGE “leveraged disaster” from the domestic economy.

Najib’s Falacious “Majority” in Perak

February 5, 2009 by johnlee_my

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak announced in a press conference on Feb 4 that though the Perak State Assembly is tied between Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan Nasional at 28 vs 28, he had the support of three “friendly independents” for the Barisan Nasional to form a majority state government.

Najib’s claim of the majority of three is fallacious because his so called “friendly independents” — former PKR assemblymen Jamaluddin Radzi and Osman Jailu — had already resigned on Feb 1. When Speaker V. Sivakumar received their letters of resignation on Feb 1, he announced on the same day that he had accepted the resignations and declared: “They have stepped down as state assemblypersons with immediate effect???. Hence, these two men legally ceased to be assemblymen upon the Speaker’s announcement.

Dato Nazir Razak and Dr. Lim Teck Ghee on Economic Leadership and the NEP

February 5, 2009 by johnlee_my

Statement from Dato Sri Nazir Razak

“The Government must show economic leadership???

The global financial crisis is having a brutal impact o the world’s real economy. It is not just another economic slow-down, this crisis is shaking the core of the established world economic order. The Malaysia Government must show economic leadership beyond just orthodox fiscal stimulus and monetary measures, as major global economic dislocations and enforced reconstruction present not only severe challenges but also tremendous opportunities.

In this environment I believe these 5 key strategies should be considered:-

Who’s Been Busy For Nothing?

February 5, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/17630/84/

Published by malaysia-today.net

Thursday, 05 February 2009

The political scenario in Perak has been plunged into a state of utter chaos overnight, with assemblymen playing the vanishing game, hopping over, resigning and state assembly dissolved–taking the entire nation aback and unprepared.

Journalists are scrambling to get the latest updates, and before anyone could take a breather, MCA president Ong Tee Keat smashed out another shocker, “Hee Yit Foong’s hopover is mere fabrication which has kept the reporters busy for nothing.”

His words have left many with deep sighs: Who has actually been busy for nothing?

Pakatan Riding Over Storms in Perak

February 5, 2009 by johnlee_my

February 4, 2009

Just as Malaysians were held spellbound by another round of the country’s unique brand of “missing persons” politics, we are hit by another bombshell – the record-smashing move by the Election Commission (EC) to overrule a decision by the Speaker of a legislature to accept the resignations of members of the legislature.

When newly installed election EC chairman Abdul Aziz Yusof announced on Feb 3 that two assemblymen of the Perak state assembly should continue to hold their positions as assemblymen, despite having received a notification from the Speaker that these two have resigned, the EC was in fact telling the Speaker: your acceptance of those two resignations is no damn good, we don’t recognize it, so the two will remain assemblymen, and there wouldn’t be any by-election.

CPI Press statement On “The Perak Mess???

February 4, 2009 by johnlee_my

The Centre for Policy Initiatives lauds the statement by Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Dr Nazrin Shah, that the Sultan will be “neutral, nonpartisan and free of having personal interest to ensure justice for the people???.

Amidst uncertainty surrounding the resignations of Perak state assemblymen for Behrang and Changkat Jering – Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu respectively – Raja Nazrin’s assurance that his father the Sultan of Perak has always upheld the principles of justice based on the sovereignty of the law and emphasising solidarity, cooperation, consensus and consultation, is indeed timely.

It is hoped that the national leadership will pay heed and take a leaf from the ruler’s book by similarly putting the interests of the rakyat first and foremost over political self-interest. The interests of the rakyat are best served when the pivotal and watchdog institutions of state work with scrupulous integrity and are autonomous. To borrow from Raja Nazrin’s wise words, this independence “helps in enhancing the effectiveness of the check and balance mechanism???.