Bloggers Buzz – Page 10

Is This a Case of Willing Giver and Willing Taker?

March 2, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://zorro-zorro-unmasked.blogspot.com/2009/03/is-this-case-of-willing-giver-and.html

YES, no doubt about this. The Dayaks of Sarawak, once feared warriors in the Borneo forests, today have lost almost all their Native Customary Rights Land (NCL). They have been robbed blind by their own Dayak politicians in collusion with the Taib’s Triad. As MT reported the Dayaks are in limbo and they are losing their very important asset – land by the day! Taib engineered it, Dayak politicians saw it and did not do anything; some are unashamedly his partners in crime; Federal government is either too far away or couldn’t be bothered! However, I don’t agree here. The Federal is concerned. They just tell Taib, ” You do whatever as long as you give us the seats. You have done well thus far and your government can plunder, steal, murder, kidnap…..but you give us the seats to form a one-third majority government…..we will close both eyes to whatever you cook up, so no cock-up in Batang Ai.”

CK Chew’s Counterpunch on Nik Aziz says ‘bumiputera’ term is racist

March 2, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://ckcounterpunch.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/nik-aziz-says-%E2%80%98bumiputera%E2%80%99-term-is-racist/

Nik Aziz says ‘bumiputera’ term is racist

MARCH 1 – In extraordinary remarks today, Pas spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat said the use of the term “bumiputera??? smacks of racism and deprived other races of government aid.

His comments, made in Kota Baru today, will certainly spark debate, especially since it comes from a Malay leader who is widely respected even by his foes in Barisan Nasional and Umno.

In calling the term bumiputera racist, he appears to be drawing a clear line between his Pas party and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) from that of Umno, which has been championing the special rights of Malays.

For sale… e-paper & p-paper

February 22, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://www.jeffooi.com/2009/02/for_sale_epaper_ppaper.php

Strictly from the grapevine.

The electronic paper.

P’ng Hong Kwang, an ex-NST and recently the Malaysian Insider frontman for Brenden Pereira, has left the news portal. By subtly distancing itself from Fox Comm and the 4th Floor Boys of late, will Malaysian Insider sustain financial viability except to put it up for sale?

With the 4th Floor Boys’ set-up crumbling by the day as Abdullah Badawi inches towards his political demise, Malaysian Insider has reached a crossroad. It was used as a “water-testing” instrument in the online media for the power-that-be. It employed the “starting a fire to dowse another fire” in its editorial strategy to a certain degree of success to beef up Abdullah’s sagging approval rate.

Sultans Must Read Their Subjects Well

February 20, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://www.bakrimusa.com/archives/sultans-must-read-their-subjects-well

The current tussle between the Sultan of Perak and his Pakatan Chief Minister is not the first, nor will it be the last, such crises in the country.

Contrary to the assertions of constitutional scholars and legal practitioners, this is not a legal issue. Its solution does not lie with the court system. Nor does it require of us to return to the old feudal ways of blind loyalty to the sultan, as some traditionalists would wish.

I am not surprised that Sultan Raja Azlan, a former chief justice, would view this as a legal matter. However, the reputation and salvation of Raja Azlan specifically, and that of the institution of sultans generally, would require of him to look beyond the law for a solution. Anything less and he would risk our country degenerating into another Thailand, cursed with endless constitutional and political crises. Coming as it is during these trying economic times, it would also be a major distraction, one we could do without.

The Monkey Handler

February 12, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://www.bakrimusa.com/archives/the-monkey-handler

February 8, 2009

In the few months that he has before assuming office I would have expected Prime Minister-in-waiting Najib Razak to be focused on forming his new leadership team and formulating his major policies. Instead there he was in Perak smirking with renegade state politicians who had crossed over to his Barisan coalition. Najib looked like a mischievous monkey handler who had successfully enticed a couple of wily monyets from the neighbor’s coconut tree to his.

In these perilous times Najib is more a slimy backroom political operative consumed with concocting shady deals than a national leader ready to steer the nation through tough economic and other challenges. This latest and unneeded upheaval in Perak only adds to Malaysia’s already muddled political climate, and comes at a time when the nation can ill afford this distraction. Najib is oblivious of the evolving global economic disaster and its inevitable impact on Malaysia.

Ancient Mariner on Another PKFZ in the making …

February 11, 2009 by johnlee_my

http://cyusof.blogspot.com/2009/02/another-pkfz-in-making.html

February 8, 2009

Another PKFZ in the making …

The Malaysian Insider, here, has quoted a Singapore The Straits Times (TST) report today that a worsening ownership battle for a planned Malaysian bunkering facility on a reclaimed island in Johor to rival Singapore’s is threatening to derail the project and could hurt CIMB, one of the country’s largest commercial banks.

It appears that the project leader, a little-known private company called KIC Oil and Gas, has so far drawn down nearly half of its RM1.4 billion financing facility from CIMB to fund construction work. But it has failed to resolve problems with another key shareholder of the project, Seaport Terminal, which owns both the Johor ports of Pasir Gudang and Pelabuhan Tanjung Pelepas (PTP). This has prompted CIMB to consider suspending further funding for the construction.

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.

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.