PM Said “No” To Anwar ~ malaysiakini

September 19, 2008

As expected, the Prime Minister has rejected Datuk Seri Anwar’s call for an emergency Parliament session. So the next step is for the Pakatan Rakyat to request for a session with the King.

PM rejects ‘no confidence’ session
Beh Lih Yi & Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Sep 18, 08 6:15pm

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today rejected a call by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for an emergency Parliament session to debate a no-confidence motion.

– Abdullah: No further ISA arrests
– Council notes Muhyiddin’s concerns

read more @


Letter To PM

September 18, 2008

This is Pakatan Rakyat’s official letter to the Prime Minister. In Datuk Seri Anwar’s press conference yesterday, he said : “We can’t very well say we want to topple you.”

Maybe the letter should have been more blunt instead and mentioned “We have to meet. I’m taking over the premiership by this week.” HAHAHA


Is Anwar The Culprit of Malaysia’s Economy Slump ? ~ malaysiakini

September 18, 2008

Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad took a swipe at Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, pronouncing him a threat to Malaysia’s economy. The big question is, how is Anwar able to condemn Malaysia’s economy while it is Abdullah who holds Malaysia’s Finance Ministry ?

Was it Anwar who increased the price of petrol & diesel in June 2008 ?
Was it Anwar who let the price of goods inflate due the increasing costs ?
Was it Anwar who let the inflation rate rise ?
Was it Anwar who increased public-sector spending through the years ?
Was it Anwar who expanded the national debt ?
Was it Anwar who let all this happen due to flip-flop decisions ?

Please read the article below, which summarizes Abdullah’s economic prowess.

Taken from themalaysianinsider.com

Pak Lah’s Economic Reckoning

SEPT 18 | Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced this week that he has enough parliamentary support to unseat the current government, led by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. If he does, Abdullah’s lacklustre economic management will be largely to blame.

The prime minister has not introduced any substantive reforms during his nearly five years in office, preferring to rely instead on opening up the government purse. Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan announced in 2005, he expanded public-sector spending to RM200 billion annually from RM160 billion. In his Midterm Plan Review this year, he increased this outlay to RM240 billion. The national debt now stands at RM285 billion, up from RM192 billion in 2004. The official fiscal deficit has risen to 4.8% of GDP this year, from 3.2% last year. Revenue is being spent faster than it is coming in.

It’s hard to argue that these outlays have served the broad public interest. Much of the funding has been channelled to elites in the majority Malay community, under the country’s pro-Malay affirmation action programme. That has created discontent with many Malay who don’t see the full benefits of the programme, and among the minority Chinese and Indians, who are excluded from it altogether.

Abdullah’s stewardship has had a real impact on the economy. Capital flight has risen sharply; Malaysian investment abroad now exceeds inward foreign investment. The Kuala Lumpur stock exchange has lost almost one-fifth of its value this year to date. Malaysia’s currency, the ringgit, saw its biggest one-month loss last month since the end of the dollar peg in 2005. Although GDP growth has averaged a robust 5% annual growth under Abdullah, that record is now under threat. Inflation reached a record 8.5% this summer. Job creation has reached record lows, as unemployment, particularly among young majority Malays, remains high. Ironically, only the opposition-led state governments are attracting new foreign investment and without the federal government’s help, no less.

Abdullah’s 2004 attempts to promote growth and investment such as through the promotion of the biotechnology and agricultural industries have failed. He also fumbled discussions with the United States on a free trade agreement, which have now stalled. What Malaysia really needs is education reform and the liberalisation of its labour markets to improve its economic competitiveness.

The political opposition, in the form of Anwar and his Pakatan Rakyat coalition, have seized on these issues. They have promised to root out corruption and to implement a new economic policy to address the concerns of all ethnic communities in Malaysia. Their platform aims to move beyond populist spending to introduce structural reforms in government procurement programmes and in the management of government-linked companies.

When Abdullah assumed office in 2004, he inherited an economy in need of structural reform. Malaysians have had to pay for his poor stewardship through higher prices, stagnating wages and growing private sector debt. Soon, Abdullah may have to pay the political price for that record. Wall Street Journal Asia.

At the same press conference, Abdullah passes his finance portfolio to his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak as Finance Minister, while he takes over as defence minister. Though this is seen as a step towards handing over of the premiership to Najib, some might say that this is just an entrapment to highlight Najib’s in-experience in handling the economy.


Anwar Dares Abdullah To Parliament ~ malaysiakini

September 18, 2008

Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dares Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad to re-convene Parliament session next Tuesday if he really wants to see the list MPs who has turned their back on BN. This move was taken after the Prime Minister spoke publicly that he will not entertain Datuk Seri Anwar for a meeting to discuss transition plan.

Anwar seeks emergency House session
Sep 18, 08 2:27pm

Opposition Leader leader Anwar Ibrahim today said he has sent a letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi asking him to convene an emergency session of the Parliament for an emergency motion to debate on the premier’s government.

– Letter sent to PM today
– Hold it no later than Tuesday

Minute-by-minute report :

1406: The press conference is about to start.

1419: The room is filled the loud chattering of several dozen media personnel present. The media conference has not yet started.

1422: The press conference gets underway. Anwar clarifies that the letter he sent to the PM used diplomatic language such as ensuring national security, “We can’t very well say we want to topple you.”

1426: Anwar says a letter has been sent to the PM asking him to convene an emergency sitting of Parliament. It warrants an immediate response. Any delay would be interpreted as sabotage of the democratic process.

1429: Anwar has met key fund managers and they told him they wanted to see comprehensive reforms: judificial reforms, free media, investor-friendly policies, a professional police force. The current administration has done nothing to advance these reforms.

1431: ”There is no reason for me to be arrested under the ISA,” says Anwar. “We have a major economic crisis… it is therefore important for them to think of the nation and not for themselves. This is now a minority government. The majority of MPs are now with us.”

1433: If this is rejected, Anwar says Pakatan will call an urgent meeting to discuss their options. “It is critical for the PM to respond.”

1436: What is required of the PM is for him to know that we have the majority. He can find out if Anwar is telling the truth by convening Parliament.

1438: The MPs want Anwar to give a guarantee that they will be allowed to attend Parliament safely on Tuesday.

1440: He explains why they can’t wait for Parliament to convene on 13 Oct. He says the country is in a state of a political and economic flux and there is a need to resolve this quickly.

1443: “Tuesday is the critical date,” says Anwar. “I said we have the list of names, we want to share the list with the PM, failing which we will go to Parliament. You want me to reveal the list and let them be harassed?”

@ anilnetto.com

And finally, the official statement :

Call for Emergency Session of Parliament by September 23
By Anwar Ibrahim 49 Comments

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA, 18 SEPTEMBER 2008

Today Pakatan Rakyat leaders have submitted a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to call an emergency session of Parliament to deliberate a motion of censure against the leadership of YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi no later than Tuesday 23 September 2008.

This is in accordance with Order 11(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament and warrants an immediate response given the gravity of today’s political impasse. A delay in his response would be interpreted as nothing short of a further sabotage of the democratic process and abuse of Executive Power.

The Prime Minister’s haggling on the syntax of our first letter is puerile at best. The intent of our meeting as described in that letter was clearly to discuss the future course of the nation’s leadership – though in deference to his position and in accordance with acceptable norms we remain considerate and polite in our approach.

I find the Prime Minister’s comment about me in his press conference yesterday to be reckless and irresponsible in light of the disastrous outcome of last Friday’s ISA raids.

He has conflated what is essentially an issue of democracy, freedom and the rule of law with national security. The use of the ISA to harass and detain duly elected political opponents is a grave transgression of the law and its continued use would further erode confidence in the current government and exacerbate political instability.

As the incumbent Prime Minister actively holding office and exercising all Executive powers, and as the outgoing Finance Minister, we hold him fully accountable for the current political turmoil and mismanagement of the nation’s economy. His accusation that I have had an adverse impact on the nation’s economy is entirely without basis.

I have met with the key fund managers in the region, representing over USD 1 trillion in assets, and on multiple occasions they were unanimously in support of comprehensive reforms in Malaysia including judicial independence, a free media, a more professional police force and anti-corruption agency, investor friendly laws and assurances on the non-interference of politicians in the governance of Bank Negara. These are policies Pakatan Rakyat has promised to implement– and initiatives that the current administration has done virtually nothing to advance since March 8th.

ANWAR IBRAHIM
Leader of Opposition
De-facto leader, Keadilan

@ anwaribrahimblog.com


Will Petrol & Diesel Price Be Revised ?

September 18, 2008

Will the government revise the price of petrol & diesel now that the world price has plummeted ? The answer is : “Wait-LAH”.

Ditanya mengenai penurunan harga minyak mentah dunia sekarang, Abdullah berkata: “Lagi turun lagi baik.”

Harga minyak mentah dunia semalam mencatatkan US$92 setong.

Bagaimanapun Abdullah berkata penurunan harga minyak dunia itu juga akan menyebabkan pengurangan pendapatan Petronas.

Ditanya sama ada harga pengguna bagi petrol dan diesel akan dikurangkan, Abdullah berkata: “Tunggulah lain kali.”

@ harakahdaily.net


ISA : How Can YOU Help ?

September 18, 2008

Learn what is the ISA
Understand what GMI or AIM is all about
Enlighten your loved ones and people around you about this ‘White Terror’.

Knowledge is Power.

@ mob1900.blogspot.com

The full list of ISA detainees


Zaid Ibrahim Joins PKR

September 18, 2008

Not confirmed yet, but I have been expecting this considering this weeks event.

1. He resigned on Monday [ read : Minister of Law Resigns ]
2. His name was mentioned by Datuk Seri Anwar in his speech at Kelana Jaya [ read : 916 : A New Dawn For Malaysia ]
3. It was made known previously that Datuk Seri Anwar’s list includes some minister’s name

Zaid Ibrahim masuk PKR
17 September 2008 3,989 views 74 Comments

Zaid Ibrahim membuat keputusan untuk menyertai PKR. Pengumuman rasmi akan dibuat esok. 34 MP sudah pun menandatangani surat persetujuan untuk menyertai Pakatan Rakyat.

Sementara itu, khabar dari saudara mara yang bekerja dengan Angkatan tentera memberitahu bahawa semua cuti anggota tentera dibekukan dan semua anggota tentera diperintahkan tinggal didalam kem.

@ perakexpress.com


SAPP To Join Pakatan Rakyat

September 17, 2008

Yes, they will join Pakatan Rakyat, but only when the new government has been announced. In the mean time, they will stay as independent.

I expect to see more MPs or parties will come out from the closet with this cue to start the domino effect for a New Malaysia. The MPs don’t have to join any 3 of the Pakatan Rakyat parties, just leave BN as independents.

With this pullout, BN are left with only 137 seats in the parliament. Pakatan Rakyat have 81 seats, with 3 independent MPs. Another seat (Pensiangan of Sabah) is currently vacated pending a hearing.

SAPP pulls out of Barisan

KOTA KINABALU: Finally rebellious Sabah Progressive Party has pulled out of Barisan Nasional after a four-hour supreme council meeting.

Except for two opposing the move, 30 of the 32 who attended Wednesday’s meeting backed party chief Datuk Yong Teck Lee.

Yong said his party will remain independent but will work with anyone and be in consultation with various parties including Pakatan Rakyat.

“We are not applying to join Pakatan Rakyat until the time comes when SAPP is ready to be back in government,” he told reporters Wednesday after chairing the meeting at the party’s headquarters in Luyang here.

SAPP’s two MPs – Datuk Eric Enchin Majimbun (Sepangar) and Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui (Tawau) – and two of its four assemblymen are with Yong. They are Melanie Chia (Luyang) and Datuk Liew Teck Chan (Likas).

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Raymond Tan, who is deputy president and Tanjung Papat assemblyman, with Elopura assemblymen Au Kam Wah have disassociated themselves from Yong.

Tan and SAPP vice-president Jimmy Wong opposed the pullout at the meeting while Au did not attend.

Walking out of the 2pm meeting half an hour before it ended at 5pm, Tan said that there was no proper basis to leave Barisan and the decision was not rational.

“I am from Sandakan and the signals from there are quite clear,” he said, adding that he would be meeting Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman to submit his resignation from the state cabinet.

Tan, who claimed that Au had resigned through a text message to Yong, said that he will be making a decision within the next 24 hours on his position in SAPP and whether he will be joining a Barisan component party or forming a new party.

When contacted, Au said that he has yet to tender his resignation letter and will announce what he intends to do on Thursday. SAPP joined Sabah Barisan Nasional in 1994.

@


SAPP Pulls Out of BN ~ malaysiakini

September 17, 2008

It’s official. SAPP has pulled out of BN, as expected.

* Read : SAPP, First To Jump Ship ?

Sapp pulls out of BN, stays independent
Sep 17, 08 4:51pm

The Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) has decided to pull out of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to become an independent party.

– Deputy chief upset with decision
– SAPP has 2 MPs, 4 state reps

@ malaysiakini.com

Official statement from SAPP :

SAPP Supreme Council declares that SAPP is no longer a member of the Barisan Nasional

Press statement by SAPP President Datuk Yong Teck Lee after the SAPP Supreme Council Meeting at Party HQ, Kota Kinabalu on September 17, 2008 (4:30 pm)

The BN has lost its “BN spirit”. It was not that the people who did not want the BN, it was the BN who abandoned the people. In spite of repeated appeals from some BN members to other BN leaders to be more sensitive to the peoples’ feelings, these leaders continue to treat the people with contempt. Perhaps, after 50 years of uninterrupted government, some BN leaders have got it in their heads that they have a divine right to rule.

On March 8, the people had spoken out loud and clear. The BN paid a heavy price. But yet the BN refuses to learn. The ruthless increase in fuel prices on June 4 and the failure to tackle inflation and economic slowdown have dealt a severe blow to ordinary people. The recent blatant abuse of the ISA against an innocent journalist, an MP and a blogger only confirms that the BN leadership has not learned from their mistakes. The shameful Taiwan trip by 49 BN MPs and the instigation of racial animosities have aggravated the collapse of confidence among the people and leaders, not only on the PM but the BN as well. The PM’s budget 2009 was totally uninspiring and has already been discredited even before it was debated in Parliament. The BN has lost its moral authority to rule. Numerical majority in Parliament means little if the people no longer respect you.

Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s resignation only confirms what many lawyers already knew that is that the Prime Minister and his government has never had the intention to reform the judiciary. Datuk Zaid’s exposure about “the BN government being paralysed by internal strife and divisions” has also been known to many people in the BN. In many other countries, such paralysis of government will lead to fresh general elections.

The PM himself appeared drifting, not knowing what has been happening around him. SAPP has nothing personal against the PM and family. None of the matters raised by SAPP concerns his person, his family, son, daughter, son-in-law or businesses. SAPP is only concerned about the issues affecting the country such as the need for good governance, the dangers of racial polarization and injustice of economic imbalances to be tackled effectively.

SAPP hereby proudly dissociates ourselves from these shameful wrong doings of the BN government. SAPP further believes that the BN is not capable of practicing good governance and non-racial politics; that BN has no intention in granting autonomy to Sabah, returning 20% of oil royalties and Labuan to Sabah, implement Borneonisation, review unfair federal laws and departments in Sabah, solve the illegal immigrants problems and remove social and economic imbalances. The BN leadership even refused to recognize historical facts by denying September 16 as Malaysia Day, 45 years.

SAPP had only wanted to see that the legitimate rights of Sabah and the unfairness suffered by Malaysians in Sabah be given due attention with results. The BN must realize that, if not for Sabah and Sarawak, BN would be in the opposition today. But instead of sincerely working to solve the issues raised by SAPP, the BN has chosen to embark on a course of action to destroy SAPP. The SAPP Supreme Council hereby condemns the attempts of BN operatives to destroy SAPP through divide and rule tactics and by abusing the economic resources of the BN State and Federal Governments aimed at instigating SAPP members and leaders to destroy SAPP.

As a matter of fact, by deliberately excluding SAPP from four consecutive meetings of the Dewan Tertinggi and two meetings of the Management Committee ever since the announcement of no confidence on the Prime Minister on June 18, the BN has effectively terminated the membership of SAPP. The SAPP Supreme Council hereby declares that SAPP is no longer a member of the Barisan Nasional coalition of parties.

SAPP is now free from the BN. SAPP shall henceforth use this freedom to pursue our autonomous political path to fulfill our mission to establish a trustworthy government and a progressive, just and harmonious society. We are no longer subservient to BN. We now have the master key to our own house. We shall build a brighter future for our people and the younger generations to come.

SAPP members who hold political appointments in the executive branch of Government shall relinquish their posts by giving the due notice under the constitution and relevant rules and regulations, starting at the Cabinet level.

With our experienced MPs, ADUNs and other party colleagues, SAPP shall provide quality opposition in and outside the Parliament and State Legislative Assembly until the time comes when SAPP is ready to be back in government.

I call on our members to be brave. Do not despair. Remember that one of our party culture seven values is Resilience. From the day we join the party, we knew that things can get very rough for us. Yes, together we shall overcome this difficult period because the people are with us. With the strong encouragement and support of the people, SAPP will succeed in our struggle.

In view of the current fasting month of Ramadhan, SAPP shall only embark on a series of political activities two weeks after Hari Raya. We shall plan a road map to victory in future elections. We shall elaborate how we plan to achieve the eight-points declaration, namely:

(i) Good governance and non-racial politics,
(ii) Autonomy for Sabah,
(iii) 20% oil royalties,
(iv) Return of Labuan,
(v) Review of unfair laws and detrimental departments,
(vi) Borneonisation of the federal civil service,
(vii) Solution to the illegal immigrants issue, and
(viii) Redress economic and social imbalances.

Thank you.

Issued by SAPP HQ.

@ sapp.org.my


SAPP, First To Jump Ship ?

September 16, 2008

It seems that SAPP is in the midst of embracing Pakatan Rakyat’s offer to join them for the future of Sabah & her people. Never before have we seen leaders from a BN component party getting involved openly in a programme with the opposition party. This is truly a new dawn, never mind that Mission : 3P has been put on hold till the end of the week.

Hmm, notice the camaraderie between YB Lim Kit Siang & YB Eric Majimbun in the last picture ? Friends or foe are they nowadays ?

Tomorrow will also be the day SAPP to decide their position in the BN.

Malaysia Towards A New Era

KOTA KINABALU, Tue. (Sept 16) – A forum organised by DAP Sabah, entitled “Malaysia Towards A New Era” held on Tuesday (16 Sept) from 1pm to 5pm, at Kian Kok Secondary School Hall was attended by more a thousand people. Guest speakers included Datuk Seri Panglima Yong Teck Lee, Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim and Datuk Dr Jeffery Kitingan. Forum moderator was Dr Oh Ei Sun.

Mr Lim Kit Siang, the DAP’s advisor did the closing speech. Organising chairman was Dr Hiew King Chew.

@ sapp.org.my

Here’s another program involving SAPP & Pakatan Rakyat :

FORUM ON : AFTER PERMATANG PAUH, IS 916 AN OPPORTUNITY OF CHANGE ?
Date : September 10, 2008
Venue: KL & Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall.
Organised by:
– Youth Section of The Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall
– The Pertubuhan Jamaah Islah Malaysia (JIM)
– Empower (Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor)

Talk by Datuk Richard Yong We Kong (Secretary-General, Sabah Progressive Party)

Read all about it @ sapp.org.my