Kg Buah Pala: That RM3.5 million figure...

The Kg Buah Pala villagers have been portrayed as greedy, demanding, and unreasonable. This is partly due to the mixed signals coming from the committee, the seemingly conflicting statements and misrepresentations of those speaking on their behalf including those with vested interests and even those in the state government.

Guan Eng even claimed – incorrectly as it turned out – the villagers want RM3.5 million bungalows or compensation. Where did he get that from? But the damage is already done as it is all over the media.

As a result of such statements in the media by those intent on portraying the villagers as greedy – and the village committee’s own public relations blunders along with outsiders taking advantage – public opinion may have swayed against the villagers.

I have been to the village a few times, and I have never heard of a demand for RM3.5 million bungalows or any similar demand.

I did see the RM3.5 million figure mentioned once, in one of the handouts given. But look at the context: that was when the residents were reacting to accusations that they were greedy. They retorted that the real greedy parties were those who were coveting their respective property lots, some of which they claimed could be worth an average of RM3.5 million. That’s quite different from purportedly asking for compensation of RM3.5 million or demanding a RM3.5 million bungalow.

I contacted Sugumaran, the residents’ committee chairperson, for comment and he said the claim that the villagers wanted RM3.5 million bungalows is baseless. “They are just using that figure to turn public opinion against the villagers and to portray us as unreasonable,” he lamented.

Few have actually walked in their shoes and lived in the village to experience what life is like for them. It’s a different life-style closer to nature than what most city folk can understand – and I don’t claim to fully understand it either. Only the villagers know their real situation and what they really need to continue living in dignity, if and when they are wrenched apart not only from their homes but their land, their livelihoods and their community.

Najib wants Selangor back in BN’s clutches

KUALA SELANGOR, Aug 9 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today he wants Selangor back in Barisan Nasional’s (BN) fold.

Describing the state as the heartbeat of the country, he said, the BN has a bright chance of winning back the state provided that component parties, led by Umno, are prepared to change, he said when opening the Kuala Selangor Umno delegates’ meeting here today.

There is also a need for Umno and component parties to work together based on the spirit of consensus, he said.

“This is my hope... my message is, if we want to win, let’s act in a way that allows us to win. Let’s not say we want to win but court defeats in our deeds,” said Najib, who is also Selangor Umno chief.

Najib, who is Pekan member of parliament, also spoke of what he called the “Pekan Formula” which saw him rising in the political arena to become the prime minister and party president.

Najib said he implemented numerous changes after his narrow victory in Pekan in the 1999 general election, where he won by a mere 241-vote majority.

He said many felt that his political career was nearing an end but he nevertheless stood by the Pekan parliamentary seat even though he could choose to contest in safer seats in subsequent elections.

He said he began analysing the situation in a realistic manner and implement changes based on his sincere observation.

“We must be able to read the situation correctly... we must listen to the voices and aspirations of the people.

“If it’s a black area, we don’t say it’s a grey area. If it’s a grey area, we don’t say it’s a white area,” he said.

In the following election, he won by a thumping majority of 22,922 votes and last year, the winning margin increased to 26,464 votes.

The prime minister said leaders should go down to the grassroots, keep their promises, work for the people and not for their clique and be sincere in discharging their duties.

He said it was important for leaders to be sincere as this would determine whether they could get the extra support from the people. Leaders who failed to keep their promises would lose the support of the people, he said.

“When that happens, they can only become the people’s representatives for one term,” he said

Najib said it was important for the party to listen to the voices of the people so that it could translate them into policies, otherwise there would be a disconnect between the policies and the people’s aspirations.

When policies were in line with the people’s hopes, aspirations and expectations, they would readily support the government, he said.

He also said that the BN should be seen as a party with less problems.

This was not the case among opposition parties which were prone to clashing every now and then, said Najib. Unlike the opposition pact, the prime minister said, the BN had proven that it could unite its component parties.

He also said that the BN should be fair to the people in line with the 1 Malaysia concept.

“Being fair to all races is required in Islam and if Umno is fair to all, it will be respected by them,” he said.

At the event, Najib presented RM200 worth of Amanah Saham 1 Malaysia each to Saidon Alang, Tamodharan Manavalan and Loh Chooi Peng.

Future & Politic Of Malaysia

Malaysia''s predominant political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), has held power in coalition with other parties since Malaya''s independence in 1957. In 1973, an alliance of communally based parties was replaced with a broader coalition — the Barisan Nasional — composed of fourteen parties. The political process in Malaysia has generally been described as taking the form of "consociationalism" whereby "communal interests are resolved in the framework of a grand coalition""Malaysia: Developmental State Challenged". In Government and Politics in Southeast Asia'' The executive branch has tended to dominate political activity, with the Prime
Minister''s office being in a position to preside "over an extensive and
ever growing array of powers to take action against individuals or
organizations," and "facilitate business opportunities". Critics
generally agree that although authoritarianism in Malaysia preceded the
administration of Mahathir bin Mohamad, it was he who
"carried the process forward substantially" Legal scholars have
suggested that the political "equation for religious and racial harmony"
is rather fragile, and that this "fragility stems largely from the
identification of religion with race coupled with the political
primacy of the Malay people colliding with the aspiration of other
races for complete equality."
Like the desire of a segment of the Muslim community for an Islamic State,
the non-Malay demand for complete equality is something that the present Constitution will not be able to
accommodate. For it is a demand which pierces the very heart of the political
system — a system based upon Malay political pre-eminence. It is a demand that
challenges the very source of Malay ruling elites'' power and authority.
In early September 1998, Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad dismissed Deputy
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and accused Anwar of immoral and
corrupt conduct. Later in
September, Anwar was arrested, beaten while in prison (by among others, the
chief of police at the time), and charged with corrupt practices, in both legal
and moral contexts, charges including obstruction of justice and sodomy.
In April 1999, he was convicted of four counts of corruption and sentenced to
six years in prison. In August 2000, Anwar was convicted of one count of sodomy
and sentenced to nine years to run consecutively after his earlier six-year
sentence. Both trials were viewed by domestic and international observers as
unfair. Anwar''s conviction on sodomy has since been overturned, and having
completed his six-year sentence for corruption, he has since been released from
prison.The current Prime Minister is Dato'' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (colloquially
known as "Pak Lah"). He took office following the retirement of Dr.
Mahathir (now Tun Dr. Mahathir) on October 31, 2003. He is seen as a more
compromising and affable figure as opposed to Tun Dr. Mahathir''s more
confrontational and direct style. He has pledged to continue Tun Dr. Mahathir''s
growth oriented policies, while taking a less belligerent stance on foreign
policy than Tun Dr. Mahathir, who has regularly offended Western countries, the
United States
of America and Australia in particular.
In the March 2004 general election,
Dato'' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi led Barisan Nasional
to a landslide victory, in which Barisan
Nasional recaptured the state of Terengganu.
The coalition now controls 92% of the seats in Parliament. In 2005, Mahathir
stated that "I believe that the country should have a strong government
but not too strong. A two-thirds majority like I enjoyed when I was prime
minister is sufficient but a 90% majority is too strong. We need an
opposition to remind us if we are making mistakes. When you are not opposed you
think everything you do is right."
The national media are largely controlled by the government and by political
parties in the Barisan Nasional/National Front ruling
coalition and the opposition has little access to the media. The print media
are controlled by the Government through the requirement of obtaining annual
publication licences under the Printing and Presses Act. In 2007, a
government agency — the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission —
issued a directive to all private television and radio stations to refrain from
broadcasting speeches made by opposition leaders. The official state ideology
is the Rukunegara,
which has been described as encouraging "respect for a pluralistic,
multireligious and multicultural society". However, political scientists
have argued that the slogan of Bangsa, Agama, Negara (race, religion,
nation) used by UMNO constitutes an unofficial ideology as well. Both
ideologies have "generally been used to reinforce a conservative political
ideology, one that is Malay-centred"
Malaysia is a federal constitutional elective
monarchy. It is nominally headed by the Paramount Ruler or Yang di-Pertuan Agong, commonly
referred to as the King of Malaysia. Yang di-Pertuan Agong are selected for
five-year terms from among the nine Sultans
of the Malay states;
the other four states, which have titular Governors, do not participate in the
selection. The king also is the leader of the Islamic faith in Malaysia. The
system of government in Malaysia is closely modeled on that of Westminster parliamentary system, a legacy of British
colonial rule. In practice however, more power is vested in the
executive branch of government than in the legislative, and the judiciary has
been weakened by sustained attacks by the government during the Mahathir era. Parliamentary elections are held at least
once every five years, with the last general election being in March 2008.
Since independence in 1957, Malaysia has been governed by a multi-racial
coalition known as the Barisan Nasional (formerly the Alliance).
Executive power is vested in the cabinet led by the prime minister; the Malaysian constitution stipulates that the prime
minister must be a member of the lower house of parliament who, in the opinion of the Yang
di-Pertuan Agong, commands a majority in parliament. The cabinet is chosen from
among members of both houses of Parliament and is responsible to that body.
In recent years the opposition have been campaigning for free and fairer
elections within Malaysia.