Media Monitor

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/19/world-bank-reform-recession

Published by guardian.co.uk

Thursday 19 February 2009

As we reconstruct the banking system, we must look to this international body’s disastrous neoliberal policies

Reconstruction of the banking system must extend to the World Bank. Its influence is all-pervasive. Governments and pressure groups hang on its words. But its persisting failure to deal with the huge scale of poverty in the developing world, together with its failure to deal with, or even report, predatory corporate forces, including banking systems, places it at the storm-centre of world recovery and reform.

The bank does not have capability to lead recovery from deep recession. Getting rich quick has meant exploiting many millions on the lowest incomes and failing to satisfy their basic human rights. This subversive motive must be ascribed to the reach and dominance of neo-liberal economic ideology in the last 40 years.

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http://www.theborneopost.com/?p=47229

Published by The Borneo Post

“IT’S so hard to believe but it’s all coming back to me now.???

There you are the song, It’s All Coming Back To Me Now by Celine Dion which made it to the billboard in the 1990s.

The current political fiasco in Perak, a reminiscent of what happened in Sabah in 1994, has made the headlines these few days, no thanks to the three state assemblymen who deserted their parties to be independents.

The three, PKR state assemblymen Mohd Osman Jailu and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi and DAP’s Hee Yit Foong who played hide -and-seek eventually showed up at the press conference on Tuesday by incoming prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who claimed that the BN had the enough numbers to seize power from the mere 10-month old Pakatan Rakyat-led state government.

In 1994, the PBS-led government in Sabah managed to secure only a razor-thin majority of 25 state seats against the BN’s 23 and with the defection of few PBS state assemblymen to BN, the BN eventually seized power from the PBS.

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http://www.thenutgraph.com/whos-afraid-of-the-rakyat
 
Published by The Nutgraph

ONE of the most lucid things I’ve read above the din of the political fiasco in Perak is Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s statement about respecting Sultan Azlan Shah’s decision.

Following the Perak Ruler’s decision, the PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar, who is himself of royal lineage, said, “I don’t question the decision of the Sultan of Perak in not consenting to the dissolution of the state assembly as it is the Sultan’s right.”

However, Nik Aziz said what needed to be reviewed and questioned was what led to the Sultan’s decision. Nik Aziz was ostensibly referring to how it came about that Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons deserted their parties, adding: “There must be something that’s not right, and planned by certain quarters.”

Perhaps Nik Aziz’s statement calls on the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) to be self-analytical on the fall of the Perak Pakatan Rakyat government. But I believe his statement calls us to ask one other thing: What led to the Sultan’s decision? In other words, how did our respected former Supreme Court Lord President arrive at the decision he did?

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http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/opinion/breaking-views/136-breaking-views/18377-risking-the-nation-for-an-umno-post–the-malaysian-insider

Published by The Malaysian Insider

FEB 15 – The Perak imbroglio has thrown up many issues and many players on national stage from royalty to politicians, some hungry for their 15 seconds of fame and eyeing a bigger role in the future.

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Poll: Sultan’s decision contrary to people’s will

Published by The Nutgraph

PETALING JAYA, 12 Feb 2009: A new poll has found that the Perak Ruler’s decision not to call for snap elections to solve the political imbroglio in the state is unpopular with Perakians.

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http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/18342-pakatan-treads-carefully-as-royalty-flexes-muscle

Published by The Malaysian Insider

February 14, 2009

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 14 — While Barisan Nasional may yet pay at the ballot box over its ruthless power grab in Perak, its aggressive foray has put Pakatan Rakyat on the ropes, with its parties mulling an uncertain future and the possibility of a powerful enemy it could do without — the Malay Rulers.

Beyond the prospect of dealing with a resurgent BN and Umno, adept at using the advantages that come with being in power, the PR parties of Pas, PKR and DAP will now have to tread very carefully in dealing with the royalty.

Yesterday, Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah made it quite clear in a public statement that he was unhappy with what he perceived to be the rudeness shown against his uncle Sultan Azlan Shah over the latter’s role in the Perak political impasse.

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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?

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http://www.thenutgraph.com/better-access-to-information
 
Published by The NutGraph
 
January 22, 2009

PETALING JAYA, 22 Jan 2009: The March 2008 general elections have increased prospects for greater freedom of information, with Pakatan Rakyat governments taking the lead.

Cover for the annual review by CIJ”The Selangor and Penang state governments have made public announcements to introduce freedom of information (FOI) laws in their states within the year,” Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) said in its 2008 review of freedom of expression in the country.

The review, which was released today, also noted the move, though unsuccessful, by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Member of Parliament (MP) for Subang, R Sivarasa, to initiate a Private Member’s Bill in Parliament on FOI.

It also commended Pakatan Rakyat MPs for committing to the setting up of a parliamentary caucus on media freedom.

Another breakthrough in 2009 was the Works Ministry’s release of controversial toll concessionaire agreements to the public, CIJ said.

However, CIJ still expressed disappointed with the Barisan Nasional (BN)-led federal government.

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