Truly What Benefits Will 1Malaysia Have For the Dayaks

Kuching

Tuesday, 28th December 2010

To all my dayak brothers, please dont just say 1Malaysia because 

It just a rethoric!

Not less than 12 times daily, Barisan Nasional Propaganda tools in the form of RTM1, RTM2, TV3 and TV7 are playing the 1Malaysia advertisement to fool Malaysians especially the dayaks.

Being the dayak myself, today I am going to write about what the 1Malaysia Concept really means for the dayaks.

Before going further let's me publish here the excerpt on the meaning of 1Malaysia as propagate by PM Najib and Barisan Nasional leaders (inclusive the dayak politicians who support 1Malaysia).

1Malaysia’s goal is to preserve and enhance this unity in diversity which has always been our strength and remains our best hope for the future. I hope this website will initiate an open and vital dialogue exploring our Malaysian identity, our purpose, and direction. I encourage each of you to join me in defining our Malaysia and the role we must play in its future. Each of us – despite our differences – shares a desire for a better tomorrow. Each of us wants opportunity, respect, friendship, and understanding - PM Najib Tun Razak

What are the Benefits Of 1Malaysia to the Dayaks

Religion

Majority of the dayaks are Christian. All this while government has been seen as not treated them fairly as compare to the muslims. No assistance were given by government to build or maintainance of their churches or house of worships. Classic example  was how St Luke church destroyed by fire for more than 10 years no government assistance was provided to rebuild the church.

Other than the above example, the Institute of Islamic Understanding Malaysia, a government agency, had on 

on Dec 15 2010 had issued a press statement saying , firstly, Islam rejects religious pluralism which claims that all religions are equally true and equally good, and secondly , only one religion possesses the perfect and complete revelation, that is, Islam (see the Qur’an, Al-Maidah, 5:3).

With the above , how can 1Malaysia unites  Malaysians of different religions. This I am very sure that the Dayaks that live in the interior are not awared about.

Development

To those from Semenanjung , the development in Sarawak today (year 2010) is equivalent to the development in their country about 50 years back. A house without electricity and clean water, and the kampongs without tar sealed road is something in the past.

But for the dayaks that live in the long house, life without electricity and tar sealed road is something normal. For them development means NCR lands being developed under  JV with Pelita and Peninsular based company and paid with RM 0.50 per  hectare/day divident, and their Wakil Rakyat gave them with RM5000 every  5 years MRP (Minor Rural Project).

Education

 Another important element where the dayaks are still left behind is on education. If one look at the number of students in Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UNIMAS) and University Teknologi Mara (UiTM) we will see that less than 5% of the students   are dayaks.

Business

One of the objective of the New Economic Policy (NEP) is for the Malay equity ownership to reach 30% . But what about the dayaks? So far what is the equity held by the dayaks?

The above points are the stumble block for 1Malaysia. With no effort has been made by Najib or Barisan Nasional or Idris Jala and Koh Tsu Koon to overcome the above stumble blocks will make 1Malaysia remain rethoric and  tool for najib and Barisan nasional to gain back its 2/3 majority in Parliament.

To the dayaks, be they are the Bidayuh, Iban, Kayan, Kenyah or Punan, 47 years ago we were cheated by  the leaders from Peninsular to form-up  Malaysia, this time we should learned the lesson and not one again to be cheated by the leaders from Peninsular Malaysia in the form of Najib Razak  into  saying  their slogan "1Malaysia".

Berubahlah With Pakatan Rakyat, 

PAKATAN RAKYAT’S FIRST 100 DAYS PROGRAMME

Pakatan Rakyat will implement holistic and necessary reforms in the national administration of the economy, education and others. These will be based on principles that have been outlined in the Common Policy Platform.

As a start to this reform programme, we commit to implement the following within the first 100 days of receiving the rakyat’s mandate to rule:

1. Reform the main national institutions of government, such as the Election Commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Malaysian Royal Police Force to introduce transparency and restore accountability of government.

2. Abolish the Internal Security Act.

3. Direct Khazanah Berhad, the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and all other government bodies that own highway concessions to complete the transference of such highway assets to the government with the purpose of abolishing tolls.

4. Change the structure of national subsidies by reducing corporate sector subsidies (such as the gas subsidies of RM19 billion to independent power producers) and transferring these savings toward subsidies for the rakyat.

5. Recognise the roles and contributions of public servants by re-evaluating the salary structures; starting with an increase in teachers’ allowances by RM500 per teacher per month as a recognition of the importance of their role as educators in nation building.

6. Restoring all private water concessions to the government, making water a public asset of the rakyat.

7. Deploy free Wi-Fi internet services to all Malaysians in the urban and semi-urban areas.

8. Dissolve Felda Plantations to redistribute its estate lands to the second and third generation of Felda settlers.

9. Increase oil royalties to Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Kelantan to 20%.

10. Set up a Royal Commission to comprehensively resolve the problems of illegal immigration and citizenship in Sabah.

Beaten and robbed by cops over expired road tax

Kuching
Monday, 27th December 2010

The government MUST put to the Police Brutality. The are supposed to PROTECT and not to HARM the People.

For being frank with the police, 34-year-old Chia Buang Hing was detained for five days and beaten up until he vomited blood.

The businessman, who is frame-maker, narrated the "horrific" incident today, saying that the police bashed him up, threatened and robbed him of RM13,000 in cash he was carrying - all for the expired road tax of his wife's car that he was driving.

Chia's (left) nightmare began about 11pm on Dec 18, as he was driving from his house in Tropicana to Kota Damansara, where traffic police had set up roadblocks.

Having spotted the expired road tax, one of the police officers asked for his driver's licence and identification card.

It was then, he said, that the officer spotted stacks of RM50 notes, totalling RM7,000, sticking out of his pocket and demanded that he hand them over.

Chia said he refused and insisted he be issued with a summons but as the officer kept asking for the money, Chia warned that he would lodge a report. Then the assaults began.

"I tried to take his picture with my mobile phone, but I was repeatedly punched by him and two other officers.

"One of them then handcuffed me and I screamed for help (but) I was shoved inside a police car and beaten again," he said, adding that there were several witnesses to this, including a security guard and a friend of his who was in another car.

Chia said he was carrying a total of RM18,000 that he had collected from his three frame-making shops that night, with RM10,000 in his pockets and RM8,000 in the car.

'My money was thrown into the toilet'

The father of two said he was then taken to the police station in Kota Damansara and again assaulted.

"I was outside a toilet at the station and seven officers kicked and stepped on me until I vomited blood and sustained injuries on my face.

"Then, one police officer took the RM7,000 from my front pocket and RM3,000 from my back pocket and they threw it on the floor."

"He (the officer) became angry when I demanded the money be returned and he threw the remainder he was holding into the toilet and hit me again."

Chia said the police then ordered him to write a report that his sustained the injuries in a traffic accident and when he refused, they threatened to plant a blood-stained machete and drugs in his car and get him locked up for a long time.

At about 3am the following morning, he said, he was threatened by an officer that drugs would be injected into his bloodstream. He was later assaulted again, by as many as five officers, at the police station and at another place he could not identify.

One thing he managed to do, Chia said, was to leave his bloodied fingerprints in many parts of the police station that he had been dragged to.

"Only when they saw that I was barely surviving - as I had vomited blood and white foams were trickling out of my mouth - they took me to the hospital. By the time we got there, it was already 7 in the morning.

Magistrate ignored his complaints

Chia was taken to the Sungai Buloh Hospital and after that to the Petaling Jaya magistrate's court, about 10am, for a remand order against him.

He said he informed the magistrate of his ordeal but he was ignored. The magistrate ordered Chia to be remanded by police until Dec 22 on suspicion of possession of drugs and weapons.

During that period, he said, he was taken to a officer at narcotics department in the Petaling Jaya district police headquarters.

"He told me there was no case against me and called up the men who had abused me. He advised me to lodge a report and allowed me to contact my family," Chia added.

He said that he was then released on police bail and RM5,000 was returned to him.

Segambut DAP MP Lim Lip Eng (left) assisted Chia in lodging his report at the Mutiara Damansara police station yesterday.

Lim said the investigating officer accompanied them to the Kota Damansara police station where most of the Chia's bloodstains been removed, but there were some under a table, behind a mirror and under a cupboard, which were photographed by police.

'Nobody is above the law'

It was later informed that the Selangor police contingent headquarters has officially taken ver the matter.

A task force has been set up to investigate the complaint in detail. There will be no cover-up in the investigation, police said in a text message.

"Nobody is above the law. If there is evidence, the persons responsible will be charged in court," added the contingent's officer in-charge of criminal investigations, Mohd Adnan Abdullah.

Sri Aman Voters : Wake Up And Vote These Non-Performing BN's Politicians OUT

Kuching
Monday, 27th December 2010

If the voters in Sri Aman Choose Not to Change the Ineffective BN's Representatives, we will see this scenerio whereby the people of Sri Aman Queing-Up For Water..LET'S CHANGE, CHANGE WE MUST!

This year just like the years before since year 1995, my family and I went back to Sri Aman to celebrate Christmas.

Since year 1995, despite so much development had been brought to Mukah and Betong by Taib Mahmud and Jabu respectively but to this Bujang Senang town, not much development one can see especially the hospital, colleges or to the town itself.

Another problem that has not been rectified after more than 15 years was its water supply. Sri Aman lies on wet area with plenty of rains. But I still do not understand why are the four BN politicians that represent the voters here still cannot find way to rectify this small problem.

These four BN representatives, YB Masir Kujat for P202-Sri Aman, YB Snowdan Lawan for N25-Balai Ringin, YB Mong Dagang for N26-Bukit Bengunan and Datuk Franchis Harden Hollis for N27-Simanggang.

Another problem that still not been solved by these four BN representatives is the reconstruction of the St Lukes Church. After many years, these 4 BN representatives have not been able to secure government funds to build the new church.

With the above, I would like to urge the voters in the above constituencies to vote for PAKATAN RAKYAT in the coming state election.

Mupok Aku

Malaysia Defeated Indonesia By 3-0 in First-Leg AFF Cup Final In KL

Kuching
Sunday, 26th December 2010

Malaysian Mohd Safee Mohd Sali beats Zulkifli Syukur of Indonesia to the ball during his team's 3-0 win in the first leg final match of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2010 between Malaysia and Indonesia at Bukit Jalil Stadium near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. EPA Photo

Indonesia came crashing back to earth in the Asean Football Federation Suzuki Cup, losing 3-0 to Malaysia in the first leg final in Kuala Lumpur, on Sunday evening.

Mohd Safee’s goals in the 61st and 73rd minutes and another one by Mohamad Ashari in the 68th gave the home side a comfortable cushion heading into Wednesday’s return match in Jakarta.
Indonesia entered the match at Bukit Jalil Stadium having given up only two goals in five matches.
The Merah Putih had also enjoyed some psychological edge with a 5-1 thrashing of Malaysia in the group stage.

But the Malaysians proved they were far from the team that got clobbered the first time, pressuring the Indonesians to make long passes on Sunday and forcing them to resort to counterattacks.

Referee Toma Masaaki stopped the match in the 53rd minute, after Indonesia complained that the lights were being aimed at players while they tried to defend Malaysia’s free kick.
The game resumed after eight minutes.
Meanwhile, Wednesday's game is in some doubt after fans rioted over problems getting tickets turfed up chunks of the Gelora Bung Karno pitch on Sunday morning.

Mupok Aku

The Undemocratic Democracy In Malaysia Parliament

Kuching
Wednesday, 22nd December 2010

Malaysian parliament: The Undemocratic Democracy

Malaysian Parliament suffered a fatal blow when the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) illegally and fraudulently suspended top law-makers from the opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat (PR) in a chaotic sitting of the House on Dec 16.

The opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and three other senior leaders of the alliance were suspended for six months through two separation resolutions in a process fraught with misinterpretation, misrepresentation and deceit. Coming at a time when the national election is expected to be just around the corner, this parliamentary debacle has undoubtedly charged up the political tension by several notches.

The origin of this tragedy sprang from a sitting in the House on March 17, 2010 when Anwar linked Prime Minister Najib Razak’s 1Malaysia slogan to the One Israel campaign under former Israeli premier Ehud Barak via international consultant Apco Worldwide which has served both governments. This was clearly a counter offensive by Anwar to neutralize Umno’s strategy to demonise Anwar as an Israeli stooge all these years. It was meant to unmask Umno’s hypocrisy and certainly does not contain any anti-Jew element, as Anwar repeatedly stressed.

However, Umno did not take this insinuation kindly, and moved on April 22 to refer Anwar to the Committee of Rights and Privileges for disciplinary action for “misleading” the House, despite Anwar having given abundance of supporting evidence in the House on March 30, and despite Najib having failed to respond to Anwar’s challenge to categorically deny Apco’s involvement in the 1Malaysia concept.

Committee denies justice to Anwar

In meetings of the BN-dominated privileges committee, Anwar was not only denied legal representation and calling of witnesses, but he himself was denied the chance to submit his defence.

The committee’s decision to punish Anwar was virtually made by ambush, as the two PR members in the seven-member committee was not informed of the agenda in a short three-day notice of its fourth meeting on Dec 3, which later turned out to be the final. In that fateful meeting, the two PR MPs – Karpal Singh and R. Sivarasa - walked off in protest upon the committee deciding to make its final decision based solely on a letter from Apco and answers in the House from ministers – while emphatically rejecting the request to allow Anwar to make his defence or any witness to be called. This shocking move was a complete reversal of the earlier pledge that all relevant witnesses and all relevant documents would be examined – as pledged by the speaker during the sitting in the House on April 22 and later re-affirmed in the committee’s first meeting on May 17.

Such desperate move of the committee that defies all norms of justice and law was obviously prompted by fear that incontrovertible evidence from Anwar would be put on official record that will do grave damage to Umno. Besides, the calling of Apco CEO Brad Staples who penned the Apco letter – which denied involvement in either 1Malaysia or One Israel – would have allowed the falsehood in the letter be exposed and nailed.

The committee then decided to suspend Anwar for six months and admonish Karpal Singh, chairman of DAP, for unacceptable conduct during the committee meetings. These recommendations would be tabled in a resolution to Parliament on its last day of sitting for this session on Dec 16.

Then, out of the blue, another resolution was presented to parliament on the Dec 15, this time calling for punishing three other top PR leaders. This second motion called for suspension for six months senior PR members of parliament: Azmin Ali (deputy president of PKR), R. Sivarasa (former vice president of PKR) and Karpal, who one day before was recommended for only “admonishment”.

Why this sudden twist of events? Sivarasa explained that this was attributed to the presentation of a minority report on the Anwar probe – co-authored by Karpal and Sivarasa – to the speaker in the evening of Sept 14. This report, which contained details embarrassing to BN that were otherwise omitted in the main report, was meant to be distributed to all members of parliament for debate alongside the main report. Hence, the decision to also axe Karpal and Sivarasah was made in reflex so that the misconduct of the privileges committee would not be formally exposed and recorded in Parliament. The speaker promptly refused to admit this minority report on flimsy ground. (This minority report is available at Sivarasa’s blog.

The sitting on Dec 16 is undoubtedly the most shameful episode in our parliamentary history. Leading MPs from the opposition were summarily punished without being allowed to defend themselves or accorded the customary notice of motion. The speaker, who was outrageously partisan, bulldozed through the motions without debate, which is the minimum decorum in any parliament. He was caught repeatedly lying to ward off the angry queries from the opposition. To cap it all, the motion to suspend the trio was defective and fraudulent in the first place, having misinterpreted the relevant standing order and having lied on the alleged offence. Let me start with the speaker.

Speaker lied and bulldozed

The BN Speakers For BN!

Pandikar Amin Mulia, who enjoys the dubious distinction of having rejected almost every motion from the opposition, is without doubt the most crudely partisan and spineless speaker we ever have. In the melee on Dec 16, he was observed to have ordered a vote on the Anwar motion without debate only after having received a written note from Nazri Aziz, de facto law minister looking after parliamentary affairs, who proposed the two motions.

When Anwar demanded his right to answer the charges, Pandikar Amin replied that Anwar had already been given one week to respond, which instantly sparked off angry protests to this false claim.

When asked by Karpal to recuse himself from presiding the current sitting due to a conflict of interest as Pandikar also chaired the committee meetings, the latter said that he only chaired the committee meetings but did not take part in the deliberation. This was found to be false, as Anwar pointed out that notes of meeting revealed that it was Pandikar who justified the decision not to call Anwar by quoting precedents.

Pandikar said that his justification for calling a vote without debate was the opposition’s reluctance to take part in it, but the truth is while Pandikar was making this claim in the House, Anwar was actually standing up, armed with a stack of documents and pestering to be allowed to defend himself.

Motion defective and fraudulent

As for Minister Nazri’s motion which accuses the trio of breaching Standing Order 85 for having ‘mentioned’ to outsiders evidence presented to the Committee, this is clearly a misinterpretation of the Standing Order. The latter only prohibits the ‘publication’, not mentioning of evidences presented in the committee meeting.

When Karpal and Sivarasa gave a press conference on the day they walked out from the committee meeting on Dec 3, they only mentioned the Apco letter to explain why they had to walk out in protest. They have never published the Apco letter.

The allegation against Azmin (left) cited in the motion was even more bizarre. When Azmin proposed an urgent motion to debate the Anwar issue on Dec 6, his letter to the speaker only states, I quote, “to debate the proceedings of the Rights and Privileges Committee on Dec 3, which had made the decision to deny the rights of the Permatang Pauh representative (Anwar) ... to defend himself in the investigation.” But the motion to censure Azmin read out by Nazri stated that the former had “published the content of the letter presented in the Rights and Privileges Committee in his letter to the speaker on Dec 6”. So, Nazri’s allegation is a complete lie, as Azmin did not even mention the Apco letter.

Another BN leader who joined the lying squad is Umno Youth leader Khairy Jamaluddin, who claimed that “Anwar had been given a fair process to defend himself. We in the BN had been prepared to debate the motion on his suspension.”

The brazenness with which these BN leaders are spewing lies is staggering.

PR leaders are of course right when they vowed to seek legal redress over such illegal suspensions precipitated by the unprecedented display of contempt for the nation’s supreme institution.

And it would certainly be appropriate if PR also moves to censure both speaker Pandikar and Minister Nazri in the next session of parliament by referring them to the privileges committee for disciplinary action. It is these culprits who truly deserve punishment which has wrongly been served on the four suspended PR MPs.

Such moves would at least give some consolation to infuriated Malaysians who have been gnawing their teeth to see BN punished for the unforgivable destruction of the fundamental tenet of our system of government, even though none expects any justice from our failed institutions.

Old Man Taib Mahmud Remarries Young Lebanese : Old cattle eat young grass

Kuching
Tuesday, 21st December 2010

The hottest news in Sarawak during the weekend was about Taib Mahmud and his ladylove, a 30 something  Lebanese , exchanged wedding vows . 

The  the closed-door wedding ceremony was officiated by Sarawak mufti Kipli Yassin  at  Taib's private residence at Demak Jaya  on Saturday, 18th December 2010 .

The reason why this wedding had received special attention from Bukittunggal was because it involved the most corrupts, the longest serving Chief Minister in Malaysia and a man who has so many sins against the Iban throughout his 30 years in power. On top of that,  what made the wedding  was so interesting occasion because of the age's gap between Taib and his new wife. Taib was 74 years old, and more than qualified to be called a grand father by his wife.

By looking at Taib's age just wonder what motivates this pretty and young Lebanese lady to marry him. Was it because her  love  toward Taib or his wealth. As for this 74 years Taib, thanks to viagra. Without this blue magic tablet making it impossible for him to satisfy the need of his young wife.

Even though the wedding reception was kept private, but the hand phone camera brought into his Astana by one of the guest had managed to take the photo of the event.

   

Bukittunggal would like to Wish Pehin (Syiekh) and his wife a Happy Wedding

Is it a trend for Barisan Nasional Leaders to Marry a Young Wife? George Chan with young and gorgeous Leona! 

AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN

Its Perak's Princess After Selangor

Kuching
Monday, 20th Dec 2010

The second Richest Woman and 25th In Malaysia!

Fairy-tale rise of Perak's princess in Malaysia's corporate world

Little is known about her as she is elusive and rarely grants interviews to the press. She is a businesswoman, a lawyer and a princess and her credentials and curriculum vitae are impressive. She is Raja Eleena binti Sultan Azlan Shah and recently, Malaysia’s Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak appointed her company as the joint venture partner for the Mass Rail Transit (MRT) project which is worth RM 36 billion.

Raja Eleena is the fourth child of the current ruler of Perak, Sultan Azlan Shah. She was born on April 3, 1960 and obtained her Law degree from the University of London.

Upon returning to Malaysia, she joined Messrs Skrine & Co and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1986. Her impressive performance in the legal world meant that by 1987, she was able to set-up her own legal practice Messrs Raja Eleena, Siew Ang & Associates in 1987 of which she is currently a senior partner.

Her royal pedigree is just as impressive, and her common touch is endearing to all. Her mother is from Penang and was the first commoner to be installed as Raja Permaisuri Agong of Malaysia. Her paternal grandmother, Toh Puan Dewangsa Khadijah binti Ahmad, was the commoner wife (later divorced) of Sultan Yusuff Issuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Abdul Jalil Nasruddin Makhtaram Shah who reigned from 1948 – 1963. Her grandmother had the bright insight to raise her son, Azlan Shah outside of the royal circle, to increase his exposure and experience of life.

A few years after her return to Malaysia, Raja Eleena’s sharp legal mind and her enterprising professionalism, meant that the corporate world would soon come knocking on her door.

On 1 June 1992, Raja Eleena was appointed to the Board of Gamuda, the country’s largest construction and engineering conglomerate, with interests in construction, water, toll and property development.

On hand to advise her on the intricacies of the engineering world, was her uncle, Kamarul Zaman bin Mohd Ali, an Executive Director of Gamuda Bhd. He too was admitted to the board, on 1 June, 1992.

Kamarul has been actively involved in overseeing Gamuda Bhd's quarry operations and related business requirements. He also serves as an Executive Director of G.B. Kuari Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Gamuda Berhad.

Raja Eleena’s broad spectrum of knowledge meant that other companies also expressed interest in utilising her wealth of experience. She is also a Director and major shareholder of Generasi Setia (M) Sdn Bhd, another major shareholder of Gamuda. Her other directorships are in public companies KAF-Seagroatt & Campbell Holdings Berhad and Danau Permai Resort Berhad.

Raja Eleena does not just have the common touch, but she also possesses the Midas touch.

In 2008, Raja Eleena was named as 2008 Forbes 40 Richest Malaysians 25th richest in the country with assets worth over US$228 million (RM 773 million). She was the list’s second richest woman in Malaysia after Chong Chook Yew who occupies the 18th place, with US$320 million (RM 1.085 billion). Her wealth comes from her being the largest individual shareholder in construction firm Gamuda.

At one of the Institut Teknologi Perak’s convocation ceremony in Ipoh, Raja Eleena told the graduates that they had to be dynamic and realistic to compete in a world without borders.

She said that competition no longer came from one’s own colleagues or neighbours but from others globally.

“In such a race, there are no compromises for those who are distracted and careless. You must compete with responsibility, without having to sacrifice your honour (maruah) and self worth.”

“Hold fast to your values in everything you do. Don’t waste your learning and knowledge by allowing your pride, values and self-worth to be traded away,” she said.

But that was another era, in May 2008, when she officiated at the college’s ceremony in her capacity as Chairman. Also in attendance then, was the Perak Mentri Besar, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin who presented the 274 graduates with their diplomas and certificates.


Mupok Aku

AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN

BN MPs' suspends Anwar, 3 top Allies

Kuching
Friday, 17th Dec 2010

The Rakyat must put a stop to BN Undemocratic Action By Vote Them Out In the Coming General Election...Bukittunggal

Many Malaysians believed that Anwar and the other three Pakatan Rakyat MPs were suspended so that BN   gain the two third majority that its needed to change the constitution and election district boundaries..www.Bukittunggal.Com

Malaysia's ruling coalition won a vote Thursday to ban its archrival Anwar Ibrahim and three of his top allies from Parliament for six months, eroding the opposition's legislative influence to precarious levels.

The suspension reduces the opposition to less than one-third of Malaysia's 222-member Parliament for the first time since 2008 general elections. That could enable Prime Minister Najib Razak's coalition to change the constitution and election district boundaries before the next national polls, which some expect next year.

Anwar was suspended on accusations of making false statements in Parliament last March, when he claimed that the government's program to promote multiracial unity in this Muslim-majority country was inspired by a 1999 Israeli election campaign.

The suspension was the government's "way of mocking the people's voice, preventing us from defending ourselves," the opposition leader said after Thursday's vote. Anwar's three senior colleagues were penalized for leaking details about a parliamentary investigation into his remarks.

Anwar and dozens of other opposition legislators stormed out of Parliament's lower house during the vote, which followed scenes of pandemonium and shouting. Some opposition lawmakers held posters denouncing the lower house as "a kangaroo court" because they claimed Anwar was unfairly targeted.

Anwar and the other three lawmakers will be barred from parliamentary debates and votes through June, but they can continue other political work, such as addressing rallies. The opposition has already launched efforts to convince the public that the government is abusing its legislative majority.

Well-known lawyer Karpal Singh, one of the suspended legislators, said he plans to file a court challenge against the measure, which he claimed was not conducted according to "the rule of natural justice."

Khairy Jamaluddin, a prominent government lawmaker, said Anwar "was given every opportunity to defend himself but chose to abuse and stall the process" over the past nine months. Anwar has insisted his comments linking the government's policies to Israel were correct.

Political activity has intensified amid rampant rumors that Najib will call for national polls next year, even though they are not due until mid-2013. Najib might seek to capitalize on internal bickering in Anwar's three-party alliance, which made spectacular gains in 2008 elections but has since lost some of its luster.

Anwar has also been distracted by an ongoing trial on charges that he sodomized a male former aide in 2008. He faces a 20-year prison sentence if convicted of the accusation, which he says was fabricated to stem his political ascent. The government denies any conspiracy.

Mupok Aku

AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN

Richard C. Holbrooke Passes Away

Kuching
Wednesday, 15th Dec 2010

Richard C. Holbrooke, the Obama administration’s special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan since 2009 and a diplomatic troubleshooter who worked for every Democratic president since the late 1960s and oversaw the negotiations that ended the war in Bosnia, died Monday evening in Washington. He was 69 and lived in Manhattan.

His death was confirmed by an Obama administration official.

Mr. Holbrooke was hospitalized on Friday afternoon after becoming ill while meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in her Washington office. Doctors found a tear to his aorta, and he underwent a 21-hour operation. Mr. Holbrooke had additional surgery on Sunday and remained in very critical condition until his death.

Mr. Holbrooke’s signal accomplishment in a distinguished career that involved diplomacy in Asia, Europe and the Middle East was his role as chief architect of the 1995 Dayton peace accords, which ended the war in Bosnia. It was a coup preceded and followed by his peacekeeping missions to the tinderbox of ethnic, religious and regional conflicts that was formerly Yugoslavia.

More recently, Mr. Holbrooke wrestled with the stunning complexity of Afghanistan and Pakistan: how to bring stability to the region while fighting a resurgent Taliban and coping with corrupt governments, rigged elections, fragile economies, a rampant narcotics trade, nuclear weapons in Pakistan, and the presence of Al Qaeda, and presumably Osama bin Laden, in the wild tribal borderlands.

One of his main tasks was to press President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan to take responsibility for security in his country and to confront the corruption that imperils the American mission there. At times, Mr. Karzai refused to see him, but Mr. Holbrooke was undeterred.

“He’s an enormously tough customer,” Mr. Holbrooke said during one of the periodic breakfasts he had with reporters who covered his diplomatic exploits. “As you’ve heard,” he added with a smile, “so am I.”

He helped his boss, Mrs. Clinton, whom he had supported in her presidential bid, to persuade President Obama to send more troops to Afghanistan, while pressing for more aid and development projects to improve the United States’ image there. But he died before anyone knew if the experiment would succeed.

A brilliant, sometimes abrasive infighter, he used a formidable arsenal of facts, bluffs, whispers, implied threats and, when necessary, pyrotechnic fits of anger to press his positions. Mr. Obama, who praised Mr. Holbrooke on Monday afternoon at the State Department as “simply one of the giants of American foreign policy,” was sometimes driven to distraction by his lectures.

But Mr. Holbrooke dazzled and often intimidated opponents and colleagues around a negotiating table. Some called him a bully, and he looked the part: the big chin thrust out, the broad shoulders, the tight smile that might mean anything. To admirers, however, including generations of State Department protégés and the presidents he served, his peacemaking efforts were extraordinary.

When he named Mr. Holbrooke to represent the United States at the United Nations, President Bill Clinton said, “His remarkable diplomacy in Bosnia helped to stop the bloodshed, and at the talks in Dayton the force of his determination was the key to securing peace, restoring hope and saving lives.” Others said his work in Bosnia deserved the Nobel Peace Prize.

Few diplomats could boast of his career accomplishments. Early on, Mr. Holbrooke devoted six years to the Vietnam War: first in the Mekong Delta with the United States Agency for International Development, seeking the allegiance of the civilian population; then at the embassy in Saigon as an aide to Ambassadors Maxwell Taylor and Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.; and finally in the American delegation to the 1968-69 Paris peace talks led by W. Averell Harriman and Cyrus R. Vance.

Mr. Holbrooke was the author of one volume of the Pentagon Papers, the secret Defense Department history of the Vietnam War that cataloged years of American duplicity in Southeast Asia. The papers were first brought to public attention by The New York Times in 1971.

As assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in the Carter administration, Mr. Holbrooke played a crucial role in establishing full diplomatic relations with China in 1979, a move that finessed America’s continuing commitment to China’s thorn in the side Taiwan and followed up on the historic breakthrough of President Richard M. Nixon’s 1972 visit to China.

During the Clinton presidency, Mr. Holbrooke served as ambassador to Germany in 1993-94, when he helped enlarge the North Atlantic alliance; achieved his diplomatic breakthroughs in Bosnia as assistant secretary of state for European affairs in 1994-95; and was chief representative to the United Nations, a cabinet post, for 17 months from 1999 to 2001.

At the United Nations, he forged close ties to Secretary General Kofi Annan, negotiated a settlement of America’s longstanding dues dispute, highlighted conflicts and health crises in Africa and Indonesia, and called for more peacekeeping forces. After fighting erupted in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1999, he led a Security Council delegation on a mission to Africa. He also backed sanctions against Angolan rebels in 2000.

While he achieved prominence as a cabinet official and envoy to many of the world’s most troubled arenas, Mr. Holbrooke was frustrated in his ambition to be secretary of state; he was the runner-up to Madeleine K. Albright, Mr. Clinton’s choice in 1997, and a contender when Mr. Obama installed Mrs. Clinton in the post in 2009.

Foreign policy was his life. Even during Republican administrations, when he was not in government, he was deeply engaged, undertaking missions as a private citizen traveling through the war-weary Balkans and the backwaters of Africa and Asia to see firsthand the damage and devastating human costs of genocide, civil wars, and H.I.V. and AIDS epidemics.

And his voice on the outside remained influential — as an editor of Foreign Policy magazine from 1972 to 1977, as a writer of columns for The Washington Post and analytical articles for many other publications, and as the author of two books. He collaborated with Clark Clifford, a presidential adviser, on a best-selling Clifford memoir, “Counsel to the President” (1991), and wrote his own widely acclaimed memoir, “To End a War” (1998), about his Bosnia service.

Mr. Holbrooke also made millions as an investment banker on Wall Street. In the early 1980s, he was a co-founder of a Washington consulting firm, Public Strategies, which was later sold to Lehman Brothers. At various times he was a managing director of Lehman Brothers, vice chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston and a director of the American International Group.

Richard Charles Albert Holbrooke was born in Manhattan on April 24, 1941, to Dr. Dan Holbrooke, a physician, and the former Trudi Moos. He attended Scarsdale High School, where his best friend was David Rusk, son of Dean Rusk, the future secretary of state. Richard’s father died when he was 15, and he drew closer to the Rusk family.
At Brown University, he majored in history and was editor of the student newspaper. He intended to become a journalist, but after graduating in 1962 he was turned down by The Times and joined the State Department as a foreign service officer.

In 1964, Mr. Holbrooke married the first of his three wives, Larrine Sullivan, a lawyer. The couple had two sons, David and Anthony, and were divorced. His marriage to Blythe Babyak, a television producer, also ended in divorce. In 1995, he married Kati Marton, an author, journalist and human rights advocate who had been married to the ABC anchorman Peter Jennings until their divorce in 1993. He is survived by Ms. Marton; his two sons; his brother, Andrew; and two stepchildren, Christopher and Elizabeth Jennings.

After language training, he spent three years working in Vietnam. In 1966, he joined President Lyndon B. Johnson’s White House staff, and two years later became a junior member of the delegation at the Paris peace talks. The talks achieved no breakthrough, but the experience taught him much about the arts of negotiation.

In 1970, after a year as a fellow at Princeton, he became director of the Peace Corps in Morocco. He quit government service in 1972 and over the next five years edited the quarterly journal Foreign Policy. He was also a contributing editor of Newsweek International and a consultant on reorganizing the government’s foreign policy apparatus.

He worked on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign in 1976, and was rewarded with the post of assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs. When Ronald Reagan and the Republicans took over the White House in 1981, Mr. Holbrooke left the government and for more than a decade focused on writing and investment banking.

When President Clinton took office in 1993, Mr. Holbrooke was named ambassador to Germany. He helped found the American Academy in Berlin as a cultural exchange center.

He returned to Washington in 1994 as assistant secretary of state for European affairs. His top priority soon became the horrendous civil war in the former Yugoslavia, a conflict precipitated by the secession of Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia and Bosnia. Massacres, mass rapes and displaced populations, among other atrocities, were part of campaigns of “ethnic cleansing” against Muslims.

After months of shuttle diplomacy, Mr. Holbrooke in 1995 achieved a breakthrough cease-fire and a framework for dividing Bosnia into two entities, one of Bosnian Serbs and another of Croatians and Muslims. The endgame negotiations, involving the Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, President Franjo Tudjman of Croatia and President Alija Izetbegovic of Bosnia, unfolded in Dayton, Ohio, where a peace agreement was reached after months of hard bargaining led by Mr. Holbrooke.

It was the high-water mark of a career punctuated with awards, honorary degrees and prestigious seats on the boards of the Asia Society, the American Museum of Natural History, the National Endowment for Democracy, the Council on Foreign Relations, Refugees International and other organizations. He was 59 when he left the United Nations as the Clinton administration drew to a close.

But there was to be one more task. As Mr. Obama assumed office and attention shifted to Afghanistan, Mr. Holbrooke took on his last assignment. He began by trying to lower expectations, moving away from the grand, transformative goals of President George W. Bush toward something more readily achievable.

But his boss and old friend, Mrs. Clinton, expressed absolute confidence in him. “Richard represents the kind of robust, persistent, determined diplomacy the president intends to pursue,” she said. “I admire deeply his ability to shoulder the most vexing and difficult challenges.”

Original article was published in New York Times


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Jeffrey to quit PKR on Thursday

Kuching
Wednesday, 15th Dec 2010

I believe with Dr Jeffrey Departure, PKR Chances to Wrest Sbah from BN will reduce...

On 7 October 2006 A large gathering was held in Tambunan, Sabah, to herald the entry of Dr Jeffrey Gapari Kitingan into Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).
But according to the source, Dr Jeffrey will announcing his departure from PKR, a departure that will affect PKR chances to wrest Sabah from BN by tomorrow.


Phone lines in Sabah are burning up with speculations that Sabah PKR strongman, Jeffrey Kitingan, will be quitting the party.

Party insiders are expecting the former PKR vice-president to announce his departure from the beleaguered party on Thursday, the day he returns from his two-month vacation from politics.

Jeffrey is scheduled to hold a press conference the same day at a restaurant in Penampang.

Jeffrey's aide, Philip Among, said his boss was holding the press conference "to explain his political destiny and the future of his struggle".

"He will also announce the setting up of a movement," Among added.

Among, who quit PKR weeks ago, is facilitating Thursday's press conference at the restaurant which was booked for the function. Scores of Jeffrey's ardent supporters are expected to show up.

Weeks of speculation that Jeffrey would follow in the footsteps of Zaid Ibrahim, who quit PKR not so long ago, culminated in a burst of text messages saying that he would leave on Thursday.

Jeffrey, when approached, remained tight-lipped. Both his lieutenants Danial John Jambun and Mozes Michael Iking, who were suspended from PKR for their involvement in the aborted attempt to register a PKR-breakaway party last year, also refused to talk on Jeffrey's move.

Rumour has it that Jeffrey may lead a political party and work with a Sarawak-based party and AKIM, the peninsular-based party to be headed by Zaid.

Jeffrey's disenchantment with PKR stemmed from, among others, the party's failure to leave Sabah leadership issues to Sabahans, lack of commitment from the PKR leaders to the 20-point Malaysia Agreement and Borneonisation.

Jeffrey has been politically rootless since the ouster of the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government led by his elder brother Joseph Pairin Kitingan in 1994 by the current Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition government.

He joined and left in quick succession several newly-formed political parties following the fall of PBS.

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AGI IDUP AGI NGELABAN