Pakatan Rakyat : a new hope for the nation

Today is indeed a historical day in the history of the nation,a day when PKR,PAS and DAP have formerly agreed to from Pakatan Rakyat,thereby paving the way for the much awaited two-party system for Malaysia.

Anwar Ibrahim,Lim Kit Siang and Abdul Hadi Awang will go down in history as the creators of a new Malaysia where racial politics will be thrown out.They will join the rank of Tunku Abdul Rahman,by freeing the nation from the race based BN government.

Let us unite and do our part in the creation and promotion of the new Malaysia,where all citizens are equal.

Dr.Chris Anthony



Opposition forms People's Alliance

Malaysiakini,Apr 1, 08 1:53pm

Top leaders of opposition parties - multiracial PKR, pre-dominantly Chinese DAP and Islamic-based PAS - today announced that they have agreed to form a new coalition called Pakatan Rakyat or People’s Alliance.

At a joint press conference this morning, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim said the leaders will now take the proposal back to their respective parties for approval.

Anwar, who was flanked by DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang, said that the People’s Alliance will hold its maiden conference after the proposal has been endorsed by all three parties.

Also present was the new parliamentary opposition leader, Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is PKR president and Anwar's wife.

"Pakatan Rakyat pledges to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians as enshrined in the Constitution," said Anwar.

He said the governments of Kelantan, Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor would now be known as Pakatan Rakyat state governments.

"The policies of these governments will be conducted in accordance with the policies of Pakatan Rakyat," he said.

"We have developed and strengthened the structure of Pakatan Rakyat by creating under the leadership council - consisting of the leaders of the three parties - a joint secretariat consisting of three leaders from each party.

"This joint secretariat will be tasked with building the foundation and framework of the Pakatan Rakyat for ratification by the leadership council."

Anwar said that a convention of all Pakatan Rakyat representatives to Parliament and the state assemblies will be held on April 27.

PAS and PKR are members of the existing Barisan Alternatif which was formed in 1999. DAP was originally a member, but quit the grouping two years later, due to bitter disagreement with PAS over its Islamic state policy.

'Don't harp on Islamic state'

However, Hadi sought to play down PAS’ Islamic state policy by arguing that this was not part of the party’s constitution.

Despite repeated questioning, neither Hadi, Lim nor Anwar could confirm if PAS would abandon its ambition to form an Islamic state.
“The media should be looking at the (PAS) administration of Kelantan and Terengganu which has been accepted by people of all faiths. They have accepted that we practise fairness and equality without leaving any group behind,” said Hadi.

Anwar stressed that the Islamic state issue has not been raised by PAS for several years now and that the coalition would only deliberate on issues explicitly raised by the three parties.

“Why harp on the issue and provoke them to respond? To be fair, should PAS still make (it) an issue, it is okay for us to respond. But as I see it, they have not made this an issue for years,” he said.

"We never raised the issue of an Islamic state (in the meeting). I must reiterate that this issue had not cropped up in PAS manifesto," Anwar added.

Hadi Awang said his party would not take any action that would create anxiety among Malaysia's multiracial society.

"PAS is an Islamic party. But we have a common ideology and that is we will fight for justice, we oppose corruption and promote human rights," he said.

Lim said the emphasis is to focus on "common principles among the three parties".

He said the alliance was a "logical step forward" following the opposition's stunning gains.

“The message of the March 8 elections is very clear. The people want to see the three parties work together and bring about change... they want to see change in the area of justice, democracy and good governance,” he said.

“The message of the people is not for an Islamic state or hudud law. I think the message is very clear on that. That is the basis of (the three parties) coming together.”

Asked if the three parties are equal partners within the coalition, Anwar said any problems within the three parties would be ironed out collectively.

He dismissed any suggestion that he is the leader of the group, saying he was merely their spokesperson for today’s press conference.

He also said that it was too early to say if the three parties would contest under a common banner in the future.

Civil servants must be non-partisan

Party and government are not the same

I refer to “Not compulsory for teachers to attend Penang state functions” (Star,March 27)

The directive from the State Education Department not to compel teachers to attend official functions organized by the state government may be a good idea as many such functions are a waste of precious time of the teachers. We are well aware that too often teachers are taken away from their classrooms to attend functions that are not relevant to the duties. Such valuable time could be betters spent in the classrooms with their students.

However the decision to grant such an option to teachers because the state is no more under the BN government clearly lacks professionalism and an understanding of the principle of our democratic system. It is important to remember that the teachers as civil servants are to serve the public and the government, regardless of the party that forms it. The government is duly elected by the people and legitimately sworn in accordance with the laws of the state. Therefore civil servants are to respect and take orders that are legitimate from the officials of the state government regardless of the political party that forms it. Civil servants themselves should be non-partisan and be loyal to the government of the day.

After being subjected to fifty years of rule by a single party it may be difficult to accept a sudden change in the administration, and the emergence of ‘Little Napoleons’, who are reluctant to adopt the new changes, will be inevitable. The new administration that takes over should be patient and try to win over the trust and confidence of the staff before it embarks on radical changes especially controversial ones. They should walk the talk and the changes they undertake should be seen to benefit the people in general and not as a means to run down the previous administration. If treaded with care and caution, ultimately it would be possible to change the mindset of the civil servants and develop a clear partition between political party and the government.

The people have spoken and their verdict must be accepted by all, including the civil servants. They must change to adapt to working with the new government which is elected by none other than the people themselves. Those refuse to work with the new government must make way for others who can.

Politicians come and go but the government with its various ministries and departments should remain non-partisan, committed to serve in accordance with the laws of the state irrespective of which party rules it. In the final outcome the system that is in place should benefit not the party or the government but the rakyat who are the real masters.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Freedom as its constraints too

The Star Online > Worldupdates

Wednesday March 26, 2008 MYT 3:46:35 AM

Pope's baptism of Muslim not a hostile act - Vatican

By Phil Stewart

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Benedict's baptism of an Italian Muslim over Easter weekend was not a hostile act against Islam, the Vatican's newspaper wrote on Tuesday after the public conversion prompted criticism in the Muslim world.

Pope Benedict XVI baptises journalist Magdi Allam (R) as he celebrates a Easter Vigil mass in Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 22, 2008. (REUTERS/Dario Pignatelli/Files)

In a surprise move, the pope baptised Egyptian-born Magdi Allam, a well-known journalist and outspoken critic of radical Islamism, at an Easter Vigil service in St Peter's Basilica on Saturday evening that was broadcast around the globe.

Muslim commentators said Allam's hostile writings and his headline-grabbing baptism strained relations between Muslims and the Catholic Church and cast shadows over a recently agreed dialogue between Catholicism and Islam.

The Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, apparently reacting to this criticism, wrote a front-page editorial arguing that Benedict's gesture was an expression of religious freedom and certainly not directed against Islam.

"There is no hostile intention toward such an important religion as Islam," editor-in-chief Gian Maria Vian wrote on Tuesday. "For many decades now, the Catholic Church has shown its willingness to engage and dialogue with the Muslim world, despite thousands of difficulties and obstacles."

But critics of the baptism questioned why the pope chose to highlight the conversion of Allam, known in Italy for his attacks on Islam. Church experts on Islam privately expressed concern that his message could strain inter-faith relations.

Writing in Sunday's edition of the Milan daily Corriere della Sera, of which he is a deputy director, Allam said: "... the root of evil is innate in an Islam that is physiologically violent and historically conflictual."

"DIFFICULTIES AND OBSTACLES"

Catholic-Muslim relations nosedived in 2006 after Benedict delivered a lecture in Regensburg, Germany, that implied he thought Islam was violent and irrational.

Muslims around the world protested and the pope, who said he did not agree with the Byzantine emperor he had quoted, sought to make amends by visiting the famous Blue Mosque in Istanbul and praying towards Mecca with its imam.

Earlier in March, the Vatican agreed with Muslim leaders to establish a permanent, official dialogue to improve relations.

L'Osservatore Romano said the Vatican remained dedicated toward dialogue with Islam: "Difficulties and obstacles should not overshadow what there is in common and how much can come of the future."

Aref Ali Nayed, a key figure in a group of over 200 Muslim scholars that launched the dialogue with the Vatican and other Christian churches, said on Monday the Vatican had turned the baptism into "a triumphalist tool for scoring points."

"The whole spectacle... provokes genuine questions about the motives, intentions and plans of some of the pope's advisers on Islam," Nayed, who is director of the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Tom Heneghan in Paris)

---

© 1995-2008 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd (Co No 10894-D)

Comment:

It is not wrong to convert anyone including a Muslim but conversion is not the issue here.

The real issue here is the motive - why the highly publicized manner.

Umno polls to be postponed?

This is not surprising.Instead of solving the problems facing the party head on,Umno prefers to sweep them under the carpet,only to re-emerge with a bigger magnitude.

Pak Lah would be making a grave mistake by following the style of his predecessor in postponing the elections.He must play by the rules of the game and not shift the goal-posts so as to ensure victory for himself all the time.

The BN and Pak Lah may be down but not out yet.They have been given another chance to re-organise and revamp to become relevant again to Malaysians.

Umno polls to be postponed?

Syed Jaymal Zahiid Malaysiakini Mar 25, 08 3:11pm

Umno may postpone its party elections to next year in order to avoid “havoc”. said its information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib.

Speaking at a press conference in his office at the Rural and Regional Development Ministry today, Muhammad said that there was a big possibility that this is happening.

“We have received feedbacks from the party leaders of all states and they asked that the party elections be postponed to next year,” he said.

He added that “almost all divisional and state leaders advised that the party elections be delayed for fear of creating havoc”.

When asked if it was because of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s challenge to the party’s leadership post, the former Selangor menteri besar was evasive in his reply.

“Things are blur right now and people cannot see clearly. There is no space to make rational decision and when this happens, the outcome may be a regrettable one,” said Muhammad.

He said that the matter would be discussed at the party's supreme council meeting this Thursday.

New Law Minister a hope for judicial reforms

Judicial reforms : let’s start cracking

The newly-appointed de facto Law Minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim,should be commended for his bold suggestion that the government has to apologise to the victims of 1988 judicial crisis.These senior judges including the the then Lord President were humiliated,disgraced and sacked from their positions for standing up to defend the truth and the integrity of the judiciary. The fact that such calls for apology and dissenting voices are being tolerated augurs well for the future of the nation as they were unheard of in the past.

Although there are those would want nothing short of a total review of the crisis but an apology would suffice as the unfortunate tragedy occurred 20 years ago and digging into the past may be too painful and damaging. It is time to put the past behind and focus our attention on revamping the judiciary to return it to its past glory and reputation.

Zaid has promised many changes which are very encouraging and we hope he can achieve all of them. Among his priorities should be to restore the independence of the judiciary and establishing transparency in the appointment and promotion of judges. Political meddling has had disastrous effects on the judiciary as it compromises on its impartiality in delivering justice.

The system of promotion and appointment of new judges should be another area that has to be seriously looked into as the existing system leaves much to be desired. It gives absolute power to the executive without the need for discussion and consultation with any parties, not even the Chief Justice.

Judges appointed should be of high caliber, integrity and morality. Their loyalty should not be to politicians and businessmen but only to the rakyat.Their judgment must be based solely on the provisions in the laws of the country not sentiments or inducements.

The rakyat have given the Barisan Nasional (BN) a new mandate to rule but with a smaller majority which goes to show that they are not happy with its handling of the affairs of the nation. The BN should take it not only as a lesson but a challenge to review, revamp and strive to improve its services to the people and actively address the numerous problems that plague the nation.

The appointment of Zaid as the new Law Minister may be one of the many positive measures taken by the government to heal the ailing judiciary but there are many more that need to be addressed with great urgency.These include corruption,high cost of living, ethnic polarizations, high crime rate and the ‘little Napoleons’, just to name a few.

It is sad that after more than 2 weeks since the elections there is so much in-fighting and power struggle within the ruling party.It is time for the Prime Minister and his new cabinet to seek ways to get over with their political bickering amicably without further delay and get down working seriously to address the problems facing the nation.

Dr.ChrisAnthony

Opposition should not accept political defectors

Anti-hopping law timely

Since PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced that his party welcomed any Barisan assemblyman or Members of Parliament (MP) wishing to cross over, there has been considerable interest on this issue of defection of MPs and assemblymen from their parties.MPs and assemblymen crossing over to new parties, although unhealthy, is nothing new in Malaysia politics. It has been practiced before, by the previous BN government, and as been accepted as normal. Very often the ruling party gains from these defections and we rarely see MPs crossing over from the ruling party to the opposition for obvious reasons.

The Barisan Nasional (BN), in particular Umno, appears to be deeply troubled by the talk of their MPs crossing over to the opposition. This has prompted its newly appointed Secretary General, Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor,to order a probe into these claims of defections. Umno Youth chief Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein describes this act of defection as shameful and the Prime Minister himself calls it morally wrong.

You call party-hopping whatever you want, cheating, disloyal, betrayal, treacherous or immoral, but it has been a normal practice employed by those in power to continue remaining so.

In Malaysia MPs and state assemblymen are elected based mainly on the party to which they belong and less so on their individual qualities and merits. Crossing over to another party after being elected under one is definitely not right and is morally wrong. It amounts to betraying the voters who have elected them? It only goes to show a lack of integrity and credibility on the part of the defector. Of greater wrong is buying-over of defectors from other parties. Such money politics is an act of corruption that must be condemned

To protect the electorate from unscrupulous party-hoppers, it is timely to introduce laws to declare a seat vacant and call fresh elections once its MP or state assemblyman crosses over to another political party. This would not only help check defections but also put pressure on the party leadership to be more stringent in the selection of their candidates for the election. It will ensure that only those with a deep sense of loyalty, integrity and credibility would be selected thereby the people would be the ultimate gainers from such an anti-hopping legislation.

MPs and state assemblymen are lawmakers who represent the people’s interests in the highest legislative body, Parliament. Their deliberations and debate on policies to be formulated will decide the present and shape future of nation and its citizens. It is therefore of paramount importance that only those with high integrity and credibility are selected to be parliamentarians. The interests of the voters supercede the personal rights and freedom of the elected representatives.

Crossing over of lawmakers to other political parties and buying-over of such legislators after being elected are not only morally wrong but is a form of corruption that we should not condone for any reason whatsoever. How can we entrust the nation to these party-hoppers who so easily succumb to such temptations for their own interests.

The people have boldly transcended racial divide to give the Opposition the unprecedented victory in the recent elections. They should treasure this unity among the people and quickly start working to fulfill their pledges. The main reason for their success is the multi-racial platform they adopted, pledging to dismantle racial politics that is threatening to tear the nation apart. They must be very selective in allowing those from other parties to be admitted to their fold. Only those who genuinely treasure the multi-racial approach and share the ideology of the opposition coalition should be allowed in not any defector from opponent parties, whose motives are questionable.

The Opposition may not have the mandate to form the government this time but they have succeeded in denying the ruling party a 2/3 majority which is already a great acheivement.They should strive to win over the people by their commitment to serve them better that the previous government. If they can do that there is no reason why they should not succeed in obtaining enough support to form the government the next time around.

Being obsessed with gaining power through the backdoor by buying over elected representatives from other parties will only erode the trust and confidence of the of the people in the Opposition coalition, which is already under severe stress in forming the state governments. They detested such practices by the previous government before and it would be foolish of them to resort to that now when they are in a position of advantage. There are no short cuts to winning the hearts of the people other than hard work, dedication and sincerity.

Dr.Chris Anthony

Accept people's verdict and move foward

NEP is not an issue anymore and should not be exploited for political mileage.The recent election has shown that the people are more mature to be exploited by racial sentiments.The PKR-DAP-PAS coalition has a better plan for all in the form of Malaysian Economic Agenda (MEA) and it should be given a chance to prove its benefits.

The people have spoken loud and clear through the ballot box.All parties in particular Umno should take the people's verdict in a sporting spirit and not continue to vent their anger against the rakyat.Its time to stop bickering and move forward to build our nation.

Umno and the BN have more important issues to address to remain relevant.Umno, as the predominant partner in the BN, should should start taking remedial measures to win the hearts of the people of all races before the next elections.Street demonstration is definitely not our culture and they should not make it one now when they are in an unfavorable position.

NEP: PKR Youth backs Guan Eng

Malaysiakini Mar 18, 08 5:36pm

PKR Youth today defended the new Penang coalition government’s decision to steer away from the New Economic Policy (NEP) and slammed Umno Penang for exploiting the issue for political mileage.

In a statement today, the movement’s spokesperson Hasmuzair Hassan said Umno Penang leaders who raised the issue had caused confusion between the NEP and Malay rights that are enshrined in the Article 153 of the Federal Constitution.

He said Penang Umno’s objections were an attempt to raise racial tensions and show that they still had their support despite Barisan Nasional losing the state government to the DAP-PKR coalition.

"Our position is that it is not wrong for the new Penang government to not implement the NEP because it is not enshrined in the Federal Constitution. It is just a policy by Umno that has been absorbed into government administration," said Hasmuzair.

Newly-minted Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng had reportedly said that state administration would be "free" of NEP practices beginning with a open-tender system for government deals.

This had triggered angry reactions from Umno Penang which resulted in a demonstration against Lim near his office on March 14.

MEA better than NEP

Elaborating, Hasmuzair said PKR Youth was of the opinion that the NEP was a construct of Umno that is similar to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s Islam Hadhari and former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Vision 2020.

"What makes NEP ‘special’ is that it is frequently used by Umno leaders to gain support from the Malays. It is only used when Umno feels that they have lost Malay support and for them and their cronies to obtain government tenders and deals.

"With the NEP as a model, Umno leaders and their cronies can obtain tenders and contracts even though they are not eligible or qualified," added Hasmuzair.

Hasmuzair said Umno had always claimed that the Malays would be left behind economically should the party not defend the NEP.

"But the biggest success the NEP had in 40 years is to enrich Umno leaders and their cronies while the original intention of the policy - to ensure 30 percent equity ownership among the Malays - were not achieved," he added.

He stressed that the movement believes that the PKR’s Malaysian Economic Agenda was a better alternative to the NEP as it plays a better role in poverty eradication.

Hasmuzair said that the MEA would also ensure that the rights of the Malays and the position of Islam would be retained as laid out in the Federal Constitution.