Najib's Another Election Promise For Ex-Servicemen

Sunday, 16th Dec 2012
Kuantan, Pahang

Kalau pada tahun lepas mereka menjanjikan untuk memberikan pencen kepada semua bekas tentera yang tidak berpencen yang tidak pernah dilaksanakan, pada kali ini beliau menggunakan platform Jabatan Veteran iaitu platform serta kemudahan yang sedia ada untuk memancing undi bekas tentera. Tapi saya ingin menasihatkan bekas tentera, jangan terpedaya. Kalau Pakatan Memerintah, dengan pengurangan rasuah akan membuatkan mereka boleh memberi lebih daripada apa yang dijanjikan oleh BN.

 

 

Kepada Bekas Tentera Semua, Jangan Kalah dengan Rasuah Politik Najib....Remaung6Renjer

 

Semalam Najib telah melancarkan bantuan-bantuan untuk bekas tentera terutamanya mereka yang tidak berpencen. Tapi saya ingin mengingatkan anggota bekas tentera semua bahawa itu hanyalah janji politik. Kalau tidak percaya, saya ingin mencabar tuan-tuan semua untuk memohon bantuan berkenaan jawapan yang biasa kita dengar adalah "Peruntukan tidak Cukup".

 

Sila baca Laporan BERNAMA di bawah.

 

Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hari ini melancarkan Program Pengiktirafan Veteran 1Malaysia (1MVRP) yang menggariskan tujuh inisiatif bagi menjaga kebajikan dan memperkukuhkan tahap sosio-ekonomi veteran Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM).

 

Tujuh inisiatif berkenaan ialah Program Penempatan Kerja untuk Veteran; Program Bimbingan Usahawan Veteran; Program Meningkatkan Penerimaan Latihan Perbadanan Hal Ehwal Bekas Angkatan Tentera (Perhebat) oleh Industri; Kad Privilege 1Malaysia; Pusat Sehenti Veteran 1Malaysia; Program Pembangunan Keluarga Veteran 1Malaysia serta Program Membaikpulih dan Membina Rumah Veteran 1Malaysia.

 

Najib berkata 1MVRP adalah satu lagi produk 1Malaysia yang dilaksanakan di bawah Strategi Lautan Biru Kebangsaan. Beliau berkata program berkenaan akan memberi manfaat kepada semua veteran tentera termasuk 243,500 veteran tentera yang tidak berpencen. "Ia boleh dianggap sebagai satu lagi produk 1Malaysia yang bertujuan supaya setiap kelompok tidak kira latar belakang, wilayah atau komuniti mesti mendapat sentuhan, faedah dan pembelaan daripada kerajaan," katanya pada majlis pelancaran program itu di Kuala Kangsar.

 

Mengulas lanjut mengenai inisiatif berkenaan, Najib berkata melalui Program Penempatan Kerja untuk Veteran, syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) dan swasta yang terlibat akan menawarkan peluang pekerjaan kepada veteran ATM yang berminat. Beliau berkata sebanyak 4,300 jawatan kosong dijangka ditawarkan oleh syarikat berkenaan khusus untuk veteran ATM.

Katanya bagi kumpulan yang berminat untuk melibatkan diri dalam bidang keusahawanan, latihan keusahawanan juga akan disediakan kepada mereka. "Kerajaan memperuntukkan RM3.5 juta melalui inisiatif itu untuk diagihkan kepada veteran yang berminat dan dana ini akan diuruskan oleh Perhebat dan dikawalselia oleh Tekun Nasional," katanya.

 

Beliau berkata kerajaan juga akan memperluaskan Kad Privilege 1Malaysia yang diberikan kepada anggota tentera sebelum ini kepada veteran ATM. "Sebagai sebuah kerajaan yang prihatin maka kerajaan ambil keputusan keistimewaan ini akan turut diperluaskan kepada semua warga veteran ATM," katanya.

 

Beliau berkata bagi memastikan veteran ATM mendapat akses kepada maklumat dan pertolongan yang diperlukan, kerajaan akan mewujudkan Pusat Sehenti Veteran 1Malaysia. Najib berkata kem-kem tentera terpilih akan dijadikan pusat sehenti untuk mereka membuat rujukan dan pertanyaan.

 

Selain itu, beliau berkata Program Pembangunan Keluarga Veteran 1Malaysia diwujudkan untuk pembangunan sosio-ekonomi keluarga veteran ATM bagi membolehkan mereka menjana pendapatan yang lebih baik dan stabil. Katanya program itu akan dilaksanakan dengan kerjasama Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat melalui program 1Azam.

 

Perdana Menteri berkata bagi memastikan keselesaan hidup veteran ATM, kerajaan turut melaksanakan Program Membaikpulih dan Membina Rumah Veteran 1Malaysia. Katanya sebanyak 49 rumah veteran ATM dibina atau dibaik pulih di seluruh negara tahun ini manakala 100 rumah disasarkan akan dibaik pulih atau dibina tahun depan.

 

Najib berkata pelancaran tujuh inisiatif berkenaan membuktikan keprihatinan dan pengiktirafan kerajaan terhadap warga veteran ATM yang telah berkorban memastikan keamanan negara. "Saya hargai apa sahaja yang dilakukan oleh para veteran tentera. Apa sahaja yang dikecapi ketika ini atas jasa, perjuangan dan bakti anggota tentera," katanya sambil menjelaskan bahawa kestabilan ekonomi Malaysia juga diperolehi hasil daripada pengorbanan anggota tentera yang memastikan keamanan negara.

 

Najib memberi jaminan bahawa kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) akan terus menepati janji untuk memastikan kesejahteraan rakyat. "Inilah yang saya katakan bahawa berbeza antara kerajaan dan pembangkang. Kalau kita janji kita tepati, tetapi pembangkang hanya janji kosong... BN bawa keamanan dan kestabilan, pembangkang bawa kesengsaraan dan huru hara, tidak sealiran dan kucar kacir," katanya. - Bernama

 

Mupok Aku

 

 

 

Welcoming Najib and Sarawak State Election

KUCHING
Sunday, 21st February 2010

Najib Visit Means Sarawak State Election Just Around The Corner

Is this Not Abuse of Power MACC?

Najib Razak will begin a two-day visit to Sarawak tomorrow. This visit marks that Sarawak State election is just around the corner. So far many predicted that Sarawak state election will be held as early as March 2010 and not later than July 2010.

According to BERNAMA report, this time, he will be travelling to the Sarawak interior in order to lure Iban votes by launching mostly the electricity project and to fulfill whar he had promised 4 years ago.

His visit will start with a visit to the remote Iban longhouse, Rumah Juliana, in Kamidan Jaya in Ulu Awik, Saratok, and follow by Rumah Radin, another Iban longhouse, in Lachau Ulu in Sri Aman where he will launch the rural electrification project.And his last visit tomorrow will be to Simunjan where he will be briefed on a flood mitigation project in Kampung Nanas and Kalaka.

On Tuesday,23rd February 2010 he will visit Iban resettlements in Nanga Tada, Nanga Ngungun and Nanga Jagau in Kanowit in the central region of Sarawak where there are over 200 longhouses.The Iban community there was resettled during the communist insurgency in the 1960s and 1970s in Sibu, Kanowit and Kapit in the central region which was placed under the Rejang Area Security Command (Rascom) to protect the people from the communist terrorists.Najib visit to these longhouses aim to replace the old roof and electrical wiring of these old longhouses.

From Kanowit, Najib will fly to Sibu for lunch with the Chinese community before visiting the town’s central market.

Najib must remember that Sarawak is far behind Peninsular Malaysia in term of development. Provide them with electricity alone and replacing their longhouses roof will not made the Iban development in par with the other Malaysian in Peninsular Malaysia. The main problem facing by the dayak is their NCR land. Their lands have been sold by the state government to the big companies mainly from Peninsular. As long this problem is not rectify, PAKATAN RAKYAT (PR) will has better chance to wrest Sarawak from Taib Mahmud regime.

To all the dayak especially the Ibans out there, don't get cheated by BN, we are 30 years behind Peninsular Malaysia in term of development. Vote for PR if we want to have better development. Remember that BN government only serious about us after the GE12 or GE2008.

Mupok Aku

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban

Pol sec nabbed is Hasbie Satar a Sarawakian

BUTTERWORTH
Sunday, 14th February 2010

The political secretary to a senior minister caught by MACC men - with RM2mil in cash with him - is Hasbie Satar, a Sarawakian, the Malaysian Mirror can reveal.

The money was stacked in bundles of different denominations - all RM2mil of it!

Officers of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Comissiobn found the cash at an apartment in Teluk Air Tawar here Thursday afternoon.

The officers detained a man, said to be a political secretary to a senior minister, in the 3.30pm raid.

A national daily reported that about 20 MACC officers from Putrajaya arrived in five vehicles and grilled the suspect for over five hours at the Sri Molek apartment over the cash.

Rented ahead of 2008 elections

It was believed that fourth-floor unit was rented by the minister's election team weeks before the March 8, 2008 general election and later used as a transit-home for the minister's staff.

Besides the money – stacked in bundles of RM5, RM10, RM50 and RM100 – the anti-graft officers also seized a 4WD vehicle registered under the name of a Pulau Tikus-based company and a BMW registered in the name of a person from Sarawak.

According to a report in The Star, his bank accounts have been frozen to facilitate further investigations.

It is unclear where the suspect got the money from and why he had kept such a large amount of cash at the apartment.

The detained political secretary is believed to be Hasbie Satar, a Sarawakian, sources told the Malaysian Mirror.

It is learnt that two of the minister's service staff were present in the apartment during the raid.

Amassed millions in short time

The apartment was raided by MACC following a public tip-off that the man was said to have amassed millions of ringgit in properties over a short period of time.

Hewas alleged to have secured property and cash by being the middleman in deals for approval of multi-million ringgit projects.

Investigators had reportedly obtained an order to seize and freeze several of his properties, which include at least four luxury cars and four houses in the Klang Valley.

The MACC is reportedly calling on several other people to help in the investigations.

Mupok Aku

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban

Malaysians will end up sleeping on the street too Unless Present BN Government Change

Indonesia is one of the world's richest countries in terms of natural resources.

God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree.

Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets..

Food is expensive.. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe , tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday. An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60(160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Ketut in Indonesia .

Why is this so ? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country. They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and the wealthly. The same thing is happening in M'sia.

There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies. They cannot compete. They remain poor.

The children of the elite are sent overseas for their education.

Poverty In Indonesia:

Ø Poverty line : 130,499 rupiahs/month (urban) & 96,512 rupiahs/month (rural)
Ø Poverty rate : 18.2 % (38,4 millions people)
Ø Minimum wage : 631,554 rupiahs per month
Ø Unemployment rate : 9.06 %
Ø Foreign loan : US$ 176,5 billions (US$ 821 per capita)

An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia . Bumiputra university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they do not do much work but earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance.

That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia .

Bumiputra university graduates are turning up for interviews as taxi drivers and shop assistants. What about those who flunk out after SPM ? They become Mat Rempits (Motorcycle Racers). Last Saturday I saw another Mat Rempit get killed at the road races in Shah Alam (near Section 7).

In Malaysia , just like in Indonesia , food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices.

Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people,the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate.

Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil, flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc.

The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party.

So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies... So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised.

But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive.

There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the BN elites in Malaysia . But there is no bottomless 'well' full of money.

Everything has its limits. The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar, flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive ? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out ? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia . If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.

In Indonesia , the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over 250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.

The same thing has happened in Malaysia . Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either.

The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.

When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia . She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.

So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays.

It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia . This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.

Does Malaysia have a problem ? Yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy.

They spoke out at the March 2008 polls and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change.. The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites..

Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all.

We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians. Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street if no change is made to the present corrupt and very selfish system.

Mupok Aku

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban

Barisan Nasional Will Collapse If MACC Allows to Work Independently

I was not surprised with MACC Sarawak deputy chief commissioner (prevention) Datuk Zakaria Jaffar revelation that 60% of the development allocations siphoned elsewhere by the government officers and the MPs and assemblymen.
On Thursday, 26th November 2009, Datuk Zakaria revealed that The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Sarawak has uncovered government projects in the state where up to 60 per cent of their funding were diverted elsewhere.

“Based on the investigations the Sarawak MACC carried out on specific and real cases (projects), only about 40 per cent of the allocations were spent while the remaining 60 per cent is ‘bocor’ (leaked out). Datuk Zakaria (MACC Sarawak)

Datuk Zakaria said one of the method used by the contractors (the MPs and assemblymen) to siphone the allocation by making double claims from members of parliament (MPs) and assemblymen.He explained that a project might cost about RM15,000, but the contractor would bid for that amount from both the MP and the assemblyman, thus the contractor would earn 100 per cent profit.
The diversion of development allocation was first brought-up by YB Chong Chieng Jen (Bandar Kuching MP) on 17th November 2009 parliament sitting.  YB Chong tabled a motion to deduct RM10 from the salary of Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop.He was dissatisfied with the distribution of the prime minister’s special allocation for Bandar Kuching, claiming that only six of the 50 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) listed as recipients were from his constituency.
YB Chong said :

"Based on the 2008 list, Bandar Kuching NGOs should be getting RM610,000 from the total allocation of RM1.5 million received this year. But contrary to the minister’s reply that 50 NGOs received the allocation, only six are from Bandar Kuching; the rest of the money going to others, including the mosque and surau committees of N6, Tupong which received RM30,000 and the N8 Satok mosque and surau committees, RM10,000. Among the Bandar Kuching NGOs which received the allocation were Maksak Sarawak (RM50,000), The Carnation Club of Kuching and Samarahan (RM60,000), Yayasan Kemajuan Insan Malaysia Sarawak (67,400) and Harakah Islamiah Sarawak (Hikmah) (RM60,000)".

Earlier the MACC  had tried to suggest that the alllowance of the MPs and Assemblymen ought to be increase in order to prevent or reduce corruptions or the case of development allocations being abused by the government officers, MPs and Assemblymen.

In Sarawak, diversion of the development allocations is not something new. One of such case involved the construction of Technical School in Lachau. At planning stage, Betong Technical School was propposed in Lachau but after the project approved, it was diverted to Betong by the most popular Iban traitor. The diversion of fund is rampantly happened in Iban majority area as part of Taib Mahmud marginalisation of the Iban. That why if we do the survey thoroughly, we will see that most of the longhouses in the state are still 46 years behind compare to the development in the Malay and Bidayuh villages. These differences indicate that the possibility of the development allocations meant for Iban longhouses diverted to other places.

Based on the facts above, I strongly believe that the diversion of development allocations not only happened in sarawak. It might also happened in the other 13 states in Malaysia. The findings by Pakatan Rakyat governments in Selangor (through the state’s Competency, Accountability and Transparency committee (Selcat)and in Penang, indicated that misused of allocations were rampant among past BN assemblymen.

If the MACC really independent in executing their roles, based on the statistics indicated by MACC Sarawak, more than half of BN assemblymen and MPs are risked being charged in court.

Najib should seriously curb corruption among BN assemblymen and MPs other than concentrate and pull the goverment resources for his rethoric and the slogan of doom 1Malaysia.

 To MACC.....We want to see those responsibled in siphone the goverment monies charge in court immediately.

Mupok aku

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

Bau Police Station "Forbidden City"-Another PKFZ Scandal By Barisan Nasional Government

12th January 2009. Bau Police Station was worst hit by flood on 12 January 2009. The police station was flooded because of the corruption practice by BN representative in selecting the site and also due to poor planning (incompetent) of government servants involved in the project.

Saturday, 5th September 2009.

On my way back from Serikin this afternoon, I saw the contruction of the retaining wall for Bau Police station flood mitigation project was still in progress.Out of coriousity I went to the construction site to see the construction work . Being the train Safety Officer myself, going into the construction site without wearing a proper PPE and without escort is a serious safety violation and if caught can be excluded from the area immediately but for the sake of tax payers monies, I took a risk. Upon reaching the conntruction site, I parked my poor Kembara by the roadside. Equipped with my Sony Ericsson digital camera, I managed to take few photographs of the construction work without any problem.

The level of the road to the police station is being raised to avoid flood -Poor Planning and corruption practice by BN Politician

Is this Pehin Taib 13th Dam?

Since its completion, the new Bau Police Distric has been hit by flood for so many times. Many believed the problem was due to the corrupt practices by the Barisan Nasional politician for choosing the wrong site, and secondly due to the incompetent government officers that involved in the project.

The first of its kind in the world!

Because of a corrupted politician and the incompetent government officer, the government has to spent RM 34 million of the tax payers monies (eventhough it was estimated earlier at RM 31.9 million).

Once completed, the RM 34 million retaining wall that sorrounding Bau police station will becoming the only police station that is guarded by more than 12 feet height concrete wall in the world. Thus will make Bau Police Station as the “ Forbidden City" of Malaysia .

This is not Bakun nor Taib 13th Dam!

Gigantic Flood Mitigation Wall..this was where our monies gone to!

To cover-up Barisan Nasional blunder,Douglas Ugah, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, told the reporters when visited the project yesterday said :

“This project is costing RM34 million and is expected to be completed by end of November. I am very pleased with the project that went ahead of schedule proving that Bumiputera contractors are capable of doing a very good job. This project would be able to protect Bau town from flash flood at highest rate of rainfall in 100 years – 300 milimeter” .

Bukit Tunggal would like to Congratulate all the Barisan Nasional Politician for their brilliance in siphoning off the tax payers monies...just like their mentor Tok Uban. Let’s wait for the MACC to investigate this yet another BN blunders in Sarawak.

Mupok aku

Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban

Misused Of Gevernment Properties and Abused Of Power By BN Politicians Is Rampant

Resting Place for the Corrupted BN Politicians....

If we still remember last March/April 2009 in Lubok Antu, this ghost town of LA was full of cars with SG plat number. These vehicles were used for Barisan Nasional Campaign operation. But until now anyone heard that MACC (Malaysian Authority Of Car and Cow or Malaysian Anti-Chinese Commission) ever open the investigation paper or call-in someone for investigation?

Remember those two traitors from Perak who were charged by MACC for corruption? What happened to the court case..still pending for what??. See the scenario in Sarawak, the cancerous suffering Jabu beloved CM is still actively ransacking and siphoning government monies but has the MACC sprang into action?? The collapsed stadium in Trengganu, the PKFIZ scandal which cost millions or even billion of people monies, is there anyone been caught or even murdered so far??

In contrast to what happened in Pakatan ruled states such as Selangor. One blog, whereby the credibility was not certain can caused few state reps being questioned. How much monies were they alleged misappropriated? So far one casualty and one serious injury recorded.

Let's see what happened in Permatang Pasir by election. In which currently both parties are intensifying their campain to win the election. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi when reponded to PAS Vice-President Datuk Mahfuz allegation that he has been using the Armed Forces personnel and logistic for campaign, said that the armed-forces members were there for a "Project Jiwa Murni" and not to canvass votes. He must be DAMNED STUPID....why in Permatang Pasir and Why Now?. Even my primary school children know the answer why they are there....VOTE BUYING!

BN politicians all this while have been using government agencies and logistic to fulfill their political agenda, especially in Sabah and Sarawak. They can lie to people but not to god...Mahyuddin has been given the final warning...the rest of the Corrupted BN politicians, your warning might be final so DO NOT CHEAT people...

Mupok aku

"Agi Idup Agi Ngelaban"

Najib Promises Reform ?

KUALA LUMPUR - PRIME Minister Najib Razak has named veteran politicians to help him regain voter support, but analysts on Sunday expressed doubts that the old guard can provide new direction for Malaysia's embattled ruling party.

Mr Najib, who took over the premiership early this month, appointed several highprofile but old-time politicians Friday to help lead the United Malays National Organisation. Analysts said the appointees - including former International Trade Minister Rafidah Aziz and Information Minister Rais Yatim - were unlikely to give the ruling National Front coalition the boost it is looking for.

The coalition, dominated by Mr Najib's Umno party, is still reeling from poor election results last year, the worst in the five decades it has been in power. 'It's not impressive. ... It's still the same old people at a time when you promise a reform agenda,' said Mohammad Agus Yusoff, a political science lecturer at the National University of Malaysia. 'It's as if you lack credible, high-caliber leaders. ...Definitely (the new appointees) were once Umno leaders, but their time has gone,' he said.

Mr Najib has taken pains in his first month in office to emphasise that he plans wideranging changes to win back support. Earlier this week, he announced the liberalisation of several service sectors to make the country more economically competitive. As part of the liberalisation he has taken the first step to dismantle an affirmative action program that gives majority Malays privileges in state contracts, jobs, housing and education. The program has been a major thorn in the side for the minority ethnic Chinese and Indians.

He has also said he would ensure racial equality in this multiethnic nation, where Muslim Malays make up 60 per cent of the population and control the government. Ethnic Chinese and Indians, who together account for a third of the 28 million people, complain they face economic, religious and social discrimination.

But political analyst Khoo Kay Peng said Mr Najib's first month in office had been marked by promises and announcements with no real changes. 'There is totally no reform,' Mr Khoo said. 'His leadership doesn't have a clear direction. If you want a new direction, you can't have people from the old school. ...

There is a serious problem in (the party's) pool of leadership.' Mohammad Agus also said several of the political appointees had 'problems in terms of image' because they faced allegations of corruption. -- AP