Will Selangor Gerakan’s pro-Umno-led BN warlords continue to rule tomorrow?

Will Selangor Gerakan’s pro-Umno-led BN warlords continue to rule tomorrow?

https://www.facebook.com/nthonlinemedia/videos/238422556852805/?hc_location=ufi (Gerakan Tanpa BN)

Tomorrow (Sunday Oct 14) is Selangor Gerakan’s elections and it will be the party’s return to the Opposition platform after nearly four decades or 40 years.

Its national elections is scheduled for next month.

Gerakan, had in 1969, toppled the Alliance (later re-branded as Barisan Nasional) as a new Opposition party.

Although the party central committee had decided to leave the BN coalition that ruled Malaysia for 61 years until they were given the boot by Malaysians in the May 9 14th General Election (GE14), party insiders say the party is split between pro-BN warlords and those who have started to see the political reality and genuinely want to change and rebuild the party.

Selangor, being the richest state in Malaysia, is thus the true political battle ground for any leadership to prove its worth.

Thus, the Selangor Gerakan electoral results will show clearly whether the party is truly on its path to rebuild, change and win back the confidence of Malaysians as a party in the political Opposition platform.

If the old pro-BN warlords in Selangor Gerakan win the majority of the seats, then the party is set to be permanently buried politically.

And these pro-BN warlords are easily identified - those who had remained silent post-GE14 and say nothing to upset the Umno-led BN.

View the above video on the few who dare to speak up to try and rebuild and make Gerakan politically relevant to Malaysians again.

And, here’s what a Gerakan founder’s son have to say about the party’s struggle to keep it politically afloat in the 21st Century:

"Gerakan must return to its roots, says founder’s son

Sheith Khidhir Bin Abu Bakar
| June 25, 2018

Syed Farid Alatas says it’s going to be tough but Gerakan needs to rebuild itself by looking at the philosophy of its founding fathers.

Syed Hussein Alatas gets a lift from party comrades following Gerakan’s victory in Penang in 1969. (File pic)

PETALING JAYA: Sociologist Syed Farid Alatas has advised Gerakan to return to its founders’ original idea for the party – a multiracial one that balances liberal and socialist ideals.

His advice comes in the wake of an announcement by the party yesterday that it was leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) to become an independent opposition outfit.

Syed Farid Alatas.

Syed Farid, son of the late Syed Hussein Alatas who was one of the founders of Gerakan in 1968, said the party had strong integrity during its early period.

“They should relook at the early philosophy of the founders. Then they can plan an effective role as an opposition party,” the National University of Singapore (NUS) professor told FMT.

He said Gerakan should have quit BN a long time ago, adding that the decision to leave only now was “several years late”.

“Even in the last several years when it was widely perceived that BN and Umno were corrupt and playing the racial card, Gerakan remained with BN,” he said.

He said the problem Gerakan faced in exiting from BN now was that it opened the door for the public to question the party’s true motive.

“The question remains as to what their real commitments are. It’s going to be tough for them to rebuild themselves,” he said.

But he said it was important nonetheless for a political entity like Gerakan to strengthen itself again as the country was in dire need of competent opposition against the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government following the recent general election.

“Malaysia needs opposition parties of calibre and morality. Currently, we don’t have parties in the opposition with that standing,” he said.

“Both Gerakan and Umno need to revamp themselves and make fundamental changes which require new leaders with the right values.”

Syed Hussein Alatas, who was also a professor at the University of Singapore, now known as NUS, was the founding pro-tem president of Gerakan before he was succeeded by co-founder Dr Lim Chong Eu, a former president of MCA and the now defunct United Democratic Party.

The other founders were former Labour Party leader Dr David Tan Chee Khoon, Malaysian Medical Association president Dr JBA Peter, Universiti Malaya professor Wang Gungwu and V Veerapan who had also formerly led the Labour Party.

Just a year after its formation, Gerakan formed the Penang state government after the general election of 1969, with Chong Eu assuming the chief minister’s post which he held till 1990.

The party joined the Alliance, the precursor to BN, in 1972."

Brace for extremely hard economic times? And, 'thank' the BN for it!

UPDATED with a Finance Twitter report posted by Malaysia Chronicle

Bank Negara's foreign reserves fall by US$300m on Aug 15
BANKING
Tuesday, 21 Aug 2018
3:27 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara Malaysia’s international reserves of Bank Negara Malaysia fell by US$300mil to US$104.2bil as at Aug 15, 2018 as the local unit weakened against the greenback.
This was a decline from the US$104.5bil as at July 31.
“The reserves position is sufficient to finance 7.6 months of retained imports and is 0.9 times the short-term external debt,” the central bvank announced on Tuesday. The ringgit was was trading at 4.1030 to the US dollar on Aug 15 and at 4.0605 on July 31. Bank Negara said the short-term external debt is mostly accounted by banking institutions, reflecting the centralisation of liquidity management of Malaysian banks operating in the region and the sizeable presence of foreign banks in Malaysia. “These institutions hold substantial external assets, which can be drawn upon to meet their external obligations without creating a claim on Bank Negara Malaysia’s international reserves,” it said. - The Star Online

Brace for extremely hard economic times? And, 'thank' the BN for it!

https://youtu.be/OnY1WQPZwAk (Economic Collapse Confirmed! Most Credible Video Ever!)

The above video link was posted by ProjectClarity on July 22, 2016.

It has to date registered more than a million views and 1,597 comments.

Perhaps, and arguably, Malaysians have done themselves a great favour in the May 9 14th General Election (GE14) by dumping the super corrupt Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN), ending its 61-year rule.

However, the new Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government had inherited an almost useless corrupt Putrajaya administration that had run up a more than RM1 trillion federal debt.

And Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has advised Malaysians to tighten their belts, spend and live prudently in the coming economic hard times rocked by a global economic meltdown.

Construction work in the Grand Canal Dock area of Dublin. Photograph: NurPhoto/Getty Images
Ten years on, how countries that crashed are faring
A decade of austerity has had a lasting legacy for eurozone members Ireland, Portugal, Greece and Spain
Phillip Inman
Sat 16 Jun 2018 16.00 BSTLast modified on Sat 16 Jun 2018 22.00 BST
Ireland
Three years after it was saved from bankruptcy in 2010 with a €67.5bn rescue loan, Ireland became the first stricken eurozone state to stand on its own two feet. Dramatic austerity measures, including steep cuts to many public sector workers’ pay, had satisfied the European Union, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund that their loans would be safely paid back. The finance minister at the time, Michael Noonan, was quick to dampen the celebrations with a warning against ever allowing another property bubble to grow and burst. The crash, he said, caused the country’s worst period since the potato famine of the 19th century … for more, go to https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/16/ireland-portugal-greece-spain-ten-years-after-crash-austerity 

Perhaps, the hard economic times would be that much less devastating on Malaysians if the BN federal government was toppled much earlier.

However, Malaysians should not cry over spilled milk but start preparing for the reality to face the hard times and, supporting and rebuilding Malaysia’s economy.

Like everything else, be it political, economic or social, unity and stability are the foundations for conducive domestic growth environments.

The fact that Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng has taken the unpopular decision to introduce new taxes shows the BN had left a super rotten financial kitty in Putrajaya.

Also, the fact that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM)’s international reserves fell by US$300 million to US$104.2 billion as at Aug 15, 2018, speaks volumes of the dire straits of Malaysia’s financial standing.

Just ask yourself this: Malaysia’s federal debt is more than RM1 trillion but its reserve is only about RM416 billion. But the super corrupt individual Malaysians have stolen and stashed hundreds of millions or billions of ringgit! Thank the BN for ‘successfully’ leading Malaysians and Malaysia to a bright future.

"WORLDWIDE BLOODBATH – 1MDB INDEBTED MALAYSIA WILL BE BADLY HIT: DOW CRASHES 832 POINTS, ‘GEOPOLITICAL RECESSION’ IS HERE AS U.S. WORLD ORDER STARTS TO END UNDER TRUMP

Business, Politics | October 12, 2018

Overnight Dow Jones futures indicated that the Dow will open Thursday market down by 377.74 points. That means the stock markets around the world will continue to plunge after the DJIA closed 831.83 lower on Wednesday. That’s the third biggest stock market plunges this year, after February 5 (1,175-point drop) and February 8 (1,033-point drop).

Dropping like rock, the Nasdaq Composite plummeted 4% or 315.97 points. Even the S&P 500 lost 3.29% (94.66 points) and small cap Russell 2000 shed 2.86% (46.45 points). The technology stocks was beaten so terrible that Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos lost US$9.1 billion, lowering the billionaire’s net worth to US$145.2 billion – lowest since July.

Oracle of Obama – Warren Buffett – was among the biggest losers when the Wednesday market bloodbath saw his net worth slid US$4.5 billion, while Europe’s wealthiest person, Bernard Arnault, also lost US$4.5 billion as shares of his luxury empire LVMH (Louis Vuitton) fell. Overall, the fortunes of theworld’s 500 wealthiest people were down by a staggering US$99 billion.

The world’s 67 wealthiest tech moguls, including Microsoft’s Bill Gates and Facebook Inc.’s Mark Zuckerberg, had US$32.1 billion wiped out from their pocket. America’s billionaires were the hardest hit – US$54.5 billion evaporated into thin air. And U.S. President Donald Trump feels the heat as the mid-term November election is about to kick in.

But it didn’t take him too long to point his finger at the culprit. Trump has essentially thrown the Federal Reserve under the bus when he said – “Actually, it’s a correction that we’ve been waiting for a long time, but I really disagree with what the Fed is doing. I think the Fed is making a mistake. They are so tight. I think the Fed has gone crazy.”

The Fed has raised interest rates 3 times this year and is expected to hike once more before year-end. Market expectations for a December rate hike were as high as 76.3%. The most recent September rate hike drew criticism from President Trump. However Fed Chair Jerome Powell thinks otherwise, that interest rates have further room to rise.

Trump, who is known to quickly take credits whenever the stock market hits new records, has every reason to worry about Wednesday’s crash. Normally, a stock market sell-off sets off a buying spree in Treasurys, as investors look for security in the more steady government debt market. But that SOP (standard operating procedure) didn’t happen on Wednesday.

Peter Boockvar, chief investment officer at Bleakley Advisory Group, said – “There’s no flight to safety in bonds. That’s a sea change.” Larry McDonald, head of U.S. macro strategies at ACG Analytics, said – “Something occurred in markets today that has been extremely rare this decade.” The unusual trade could be a warning that there will be more stock market selling ahead.

During the past 20 years, whenever the S&P 500 lost more than 2% in a month, Treasurys outperformed. Perhaps the steepness of Wednesday’s stock market sell-off was nothing but an overdue major correction. Some strategists suggest the market is also concerned about trade wars with China and the impact on corporate profits and on the global economy.

However, prominent political analyst Ian Bremmer thinks something much bigger – and deadlier – could be brewing. He believes the world is entering a “geopolitical recession”. Speaking at the ANZ Finance & Treasury Forum in Singapore, Bremmer said – “This geopolitical recession is something really simple – it’s the end of the U.S.-led global order. And we don’t know what is replacing it yet.”

Bremmer has suggested that a new economic downturn would lead to greater fragmentation across the globe. A major reason for the current political disruption is that the “geopolitical order is no longer as aligned with the United States and its allies”, thanks to deterioration in relationships between Americans and Europeans, not to mention the Chinese.

Similarly, the World Bank agrees that the U.S.-China trade tensions are sending shivers down the global financial markets. World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said there are risks from trade growth going down and many low income countries becoming more indebted. He said – “We’re worried abouttrade tensions. It’s a troubling picture.”

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has already warned that “a further escalation of trade tensions, as well as rising geopolitical risks and policy uncertainty in major economies, could lead to a sudden deterioration in risk sentiment.” Now, Steen Jakobsen, chief investment officer of Saxo Bank, has issued a new warning – U.S. markets are “going it alone” and investors are underestimating the risk in the economy.

So far, China has taken the necessary beatings as a result of the trade war with America. The Chinese tumbling stocks were being laughed at just a week ago. Some arrogant U.S. analysts had even proudly declared that U.S. stocks were weathering the escalating trade war far better than China’s. Obviously, they hadn’t expected the Wednesday’s crash.

Trump appears to be trembling, even panicking, at the sight of Wall Street as the mid-term election closes in. Chinese President Xi Jinping, on the other hand, doesn’t face much political pressure from his country’s 1.4-billion population. Why do you think the Chinese attacked American soybeans? Xi doesn’t give a hoot about the poor people in China, let alone American farmers.

China’s stock market plunge will not force President Xi to give up on its trade war with the United States. Perhaps Wednesday crash could be the beginning of U.S. stock market’s turn to get hammered. The rising interest rates probably were just an excuse used by big boys to take money off the table. This could be the beginning of global recession feared as a result of the China-US trade war. – Finance Twitter/Malaysia Chronicle"

Athens last year. Greece got the green light for the next round of bailout aid and has won additional pledges of debt relief. CreditFotis Plegas G./Associated Press
Explaining Greece’s Debt Crisis
By THE NEW YORK TIMES JUNE 17, 2016
What’s the latest?
European authorities have authorized handing 7.5 billion euros, or $8.4 billion, in bailout aid to Greece, which will allow the country to keep paying its bills in the coming months. It has also won additional pledges of debt relief, helping to ease concerns about another crisis in Greece at a time when Europe is dealing with an influx of migrants and a continuing terrorist threat. Debt relief has been a contentious issue for creditors, with the International Monetary Fund and Germany lining up on opposite sides. The I.M.F. has insisted that Greece cannot meet its budget goals without easing its debts, while Germany remains skeptical of cutting Athens more slack. They have reached a compromise, of sorts. Greece’s creditors committed to debt relief, although not until 2018 at the earliest, provided the country continues to carry out painful changes … for more, go to https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/business/international/greece-debt-crisis-euro.html

Love or hate Anwar - We Love Malaysia more, so …

Love or hate Anwar - We Love Malaysia more, so …

https://youtu.be/gEGOuLJ5LRo (VIDEO: Anwar Ibrahim’s full speech at the Congress on future of Bumiputras & Nation)

https://www.facebook.com/asalkeluarumno/videos/2293795117514892/ (VIDEO: A ceramah in PD)

No News Is Bad News wishes to make a political stand to Malaysians, especially to those eligible voters who will cast their ballot in the Port Dickson (PD) by-election on Saturday (Oct 13).

We love Malaysia more, and the political reality is that voters are almost always given the choice to pick the lesser of two evils or more.

Many say politics is dirty and so are politicians.

But, we firmly believe that the PD by-election is no ordinary by-election. It is a by-election that is likely to affect the future of peace-loving Malaysians and Malaysia.

The electoral result, whether Anwar wins or loses, will gravely affect Malaysians and Malaysia’s socio-economic future positively or negatively.

We say this: A vote against Anwar is a vote for Umno and its Barisan Nasional (BN) dogs, and PAS!

If Anwar loses, it is akin to throwing a political lifeline to Umno and its BN dogs, and PAS the opportunity to destabilise the May 9 14th General Election (GE14)-elected Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government.

That is why we reiterate that the PD by-election is no ordinary by-election.

And because we love Malaysia more, PD voters must vote to ensure that Umno and its BN dogs, and PAS do not have any chance to make a bid for Putrajaya in the near future.

That’s our stand! What’s yours?

It’s no ordinary by-election and it’s Port Dickson voters’ call!

Will this coalition start to crumble in Port Dickson if voters reject Anwar?

It’s no ordinary by-election and it’s Port Dickson voters’ call!

https://nowthisnews.com/videos/politics/michelle-obama-gives-the-speech-america-needs-to-hear-right-now  (Why citizens of any country must exercise their responsibility and right to vote for their future)

The suspected CIA-backed Malaysia Chronicle (MC) news portal reposted a malaysiakini article and gave it this heading: MOTHER OF ALL STORMS BLOW IN: WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ANWAR LOSES IN PD? AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF HE WINS


No News Is Bad News response is that you don’t need the brains of a rocket scientist to answer the questions raised by MC.

Anwar loses in the Oct 13 Port Dickson by-election, political turmoil will plunge Malaysia into political instability. The newly elected Pakatan Harapan (PH) government will have to struggle against all odds to grow the country’s economy and to maintain or raise the confidence of foreign investors.

In short, Malaysians and Malaysia will pay dearly for rejecting Anwar - courtesy of Port Dickson voters and Umno-led Barisan Nasional and PAS.

If Anwar wins, he is set to succeed Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Dr M) as Malaysia’s 8th Prime Minister - and it will happen only when Dr M decides he needs to retire and take a long deserved rest as a legendary PM.

Many choose to forget the fact that Dr M will not be able to step down and pass the baton to Anwar if the latter is not a parliamentarian, Hence the by-election.

Many also choose to forget the political implications that follow should Anwar loses.

Anwar loses creates the immediate perception that PKR and PH have weakened severely. You can expect Umno and PAS to exploit this to the hilt until kingdom come - and Malaysia’s infamous political “jumping frogs” may come alive to destabilise the PH federal government so that a new so called unity government led by Umno seizes Putrajaya via the backdoor.

So, good luck to Port Dickson voters, Malaysians and Malaysia for another 60 years of Umno 2.0. That’s the political reality of Umno politics in Malaysia - divide-and rule! No? Think harder for the future because this is no ordinary by-election!

And Umno and PAS are praying for this opportunity to have a real comeback shot at Putrajaya!

This is the MC posting, and it is up to PD voters to decide whether MC's so-called Mother of all storms will blow in:

"MOTHER OF ALL STORMS BLOW IN: WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF ANWAR LOSES IN PD? AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF HE WINS
Politics | September 28, 2018

Every Friday night, I play basketball with a bunch of my friends. Many of us have been playing together for 20 years since our university days. We used to talk about girls back in the day and naturally, we have now progressed to talking about, what else, politics!

Last week, they all ganged up on me during our regular mamak session after our game. They wanted me to write about the topic that is on everyone’s minds and that is the coming Port Dickson by-election and Anwar Ibrahim.

And so our mamak session began.

I had written in a previous instalment of my column on how the public has the perception that Anwar is just too impatient in wanting to be the prime minister, and that is why PKR has decided that PD MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah should vacate his seat to let Anwar contest it.

We all know that even before the general election last May, the Pakatan Harapan coalition already had in its plan for Anwar to succeed Dr Mahathir Mohamed as prime minister if they were to win the election. It was one of their campaign promises.

The only problem right now is that many people feel Anwar should just sit tight and wait his turn. This is not the right time for him to start pushing himself into government, the cabinet and eventually the prime ministership.

The Harapan government is still facing too many teething problems and the last they need is for Anwar to stir the muck. What would probably be best is for him to take a back seat (as he had stated when he was first pardoned and released from prison) for now.

Civil society has been vocal about this. Stevie Chan @youtiup @tapaimalaya has quite a following on Twitter and regular comments on local politics and social issues. He has decided to run as an independent candidate in PD to send that message to Anwar.

To date, several online surveys have already shown that Chan is leading in the popularity contest against Anwar. Other civil society groups have also expressed concern and displeasure, such as army veterans, and more recently, the “super liberals”.

These were all issues that my basketball buddies were talking about. But the main issue we were wondering is what would happen if Anwar loses in the by-election. To date, Anwar has never suffered a defeat in any election, and he mostly won with big margins.

This time around, the situation is a bit different. His party has already won and is a member of the ruling coalition. It is very unfortunate that he was in prison when this happened, hence he could not be a candidate, which in turn cost him his chance to be in the government, either as prime minister or a member of the cabinet.

Of course, everyone acknowledges his struggle and many Malaysians are very thankful for what he has done to bring change. For all those who voted for Harapan, they agree that he needed to be pardoned and released – and which he already has – immediately after Harapan’s win.

20 years of struggle

Anwar’s struggle ever since he was sacked as deputy prime minister in 1998 has been a long one. Twenty years to be exact. As much as he is a good political leader that has managed to rally the people together, he never could match what Mahathir has done – win the general election.

This is not to say that his struggle has played no role in Harapan finally winning. It definitely played a major role. But after 20 years, maybe his role was just that – to start the wheel rolling, make sure it keeps rolling, and when it has arrived at the destination, his role ends.

A good example to compare this with is DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang. He has been fighting as the opposition for close to 60 years and was even the opposition leader for decades. If we look at his struggle (he has been jailed several times too), wouldn’t he also deserve to be prime minister?

But he knew that his time is up and that his role was only to a certain point. He has even made way for others to take on the leadership in his own party. He continues to be a very important senior member, but other more relevant leaders are now driving the struggle.

If Anwar loses in the Port Dickson by-election next month, it will most probably prove that his prime time may be up and that he may not be as relevant anymore. He will then have to concede and make way for new leadership (or old) and position his struggle in a different way.

But Anwar is still is a very popular figure and seen by many as the one who really started it all. So he still has a high chance of winning. Indeed, there is a real possibility of him winning. He definitely seems to be very confident.

As for my basketball buddies and I, it’s Friday yet again and we have another game. After that, it’s to the mamak for our weekly session of politics talk. So let me pose this question out there to the readers so you all can join in on our weekly chats – what do you all think will happen if Anwar loses (or wins)?
ZAN AZLEE – M’kini"

Anwar’s track record of five consecutive years of budget surpluses … for details, go to https://victorlim2016.blogspot.com/2018/09/anwar-has-proven-track-record-in.html

Anwar! Please take note of this ‘idiot’ in Johor and have him removed from the state exco when the time is right

Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah does not believe that his move to vacate the Port Dickson parliamentary seat is tantamount to a betrayal of the people’s trust. (Pix by AIZUDDIN SAAD)
I'm not betraying the people's trust, says PKR's Port Dickson MP
By NSTP Team - September 12, 2018 @ 3:22pm
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah does not believe that his move to vacate the Port Dickson parliamentary seat is tantamount to a betrayal of the people’s trust. Danyal, who will be exiting the seat to enable PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to contest in a by-election, said he would still continue to serve the people albeit in a non-MP capacity … for more, go to https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2018/09/410610/im-not-betraying-peoples-trust-says-pkrs-port-dickson-mp 

Anwar! Please take note of this ‘idiot’ in Johor and have him removed from the state exco when the time is right

The Port Dickson (PD) by-election is affecting Malaysia’s investment climate, so says a PKR state excutive councillor in Johor.

And the suspected CIA-backed news portal Malaysia Chronicle has rightly posed the question - How stupid is Jimmy Puah?

The former PKR PD MP Danyal Balagopal Abdullah had voluntarily and graciously sacrificed his position by resigning to pave the way for his party president Anwar Ibrahim to make a comeback bid to Parliament, and perhaps succeed Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia.

And Puah just have to seize the opportunity to please his political master, Azmin Ali, who is locked in a neck-to-neck political race to defend his PKR deputy presidency with vice-president Rafizi Ramli.

Really, is there nothing more intelligent for you to raise, Jimmy Puah? You are undermining your party president, No?

Read on and judge for yourself how insincere politicians are prepared to say the darndest just to ensure their bosses achieve political orgasm and a The Star report on PKR's elections update :

"HOW STUPID IS JIMMY PUAH – AS STUPID AS HIS BOSSES IN AZMIN CARTEL? JOHOR PKR NO.2 CLAIMS PD POLLS DELAYING MALAYSIA’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY – BUT THE REALITY IS, A CLEAR SUCCESSION PLAN CONFIRMING ANWAR CAN ONLY BOOST INVESTOR CONFIDENCE & SPARK BADLY NEEDED OPTIMISM
Politics | October 6, 2018
 

THE constant politicking now that the Port Dickson by-election campaign is in full swing is affecting Malaysia’s investment climate, said a Johor exco.

State International Trade, Investment and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said the investment climate had just begun to improve following the shocking 14th general election result that saw the ouster of Barisan Nasional, which had ruled the country since independence.

He was referring to the Sg Kandis, Seri Setia and Balakong polls, which were held after the May 9 general election following the deaths of their assemblymen.

“We were starting to get back (to a more favourable climate), and then, Anwar Ibrahim announced that he is standing in Port Dickson, and now, we’re in politics mode again.”

Puah, who is also Johor PKR deputy chief, said he hopes investor confidence will pick up soon.

He said he recently visited Singapore and China to alleviate investors’ fears about Malaysia’s political climate.

“I hope people understand that the government is stable. Politics is politics. Let’s continue with our lives and let’s do business.”

Prime minister-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim’s candidacy in the Port Dickson by-election has been cited as a reason for renewed uncertainty among foreign investors. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, October 6, 2018.

After Pakatan Harapan clinched GE14 victory, Bursa Malaysia plunged as much as 10%, as foreign investors fled the market.

The stock market has since rebounded by more than 6%, and outflows of foreign investment has been slowing down, according to Bloomberg reports.

The sentiment in Johor has been affected by the federal government’s decision to defer the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project, which cuts through the state. Remarks on a China-backed mega residential project, too, have rattled investor confidence.

PKR president-elect Anwar is among seven candidates eyeing the Port Dickson parliamentary seat in the October 13 by-election.

His main rivals are former Negri Sembilan menteri besar Isa Samad, who is running as an independent, and air force veteran Mohd Nazari Mokhtar of PAS.

The four other candidates are all independents – Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, who is Anwar’s former aide and sodomy accuser, Lau Seck Yan, Stevie Chan and Kan Chee Yuen.

The by-election was called after Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, of PKR, vacated the seat for Anwar, who is attempting a return to Parliament before he succeeds Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister.

In an agreement between all PH parties, Dr Mahathir will hand over the reins to Anwar in about two years’ time.

THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT

IN PKR, THE GAME HAS CHANGED – FOOLISH AZMIN SHOULD REALIZE ‘TODDLERS’ LIKE RAFIZI CAN ONLY GROW UP & GET BIGGER: ONLY AZMIN’S CARTEL SAY HE’S POPULAR – BUT MOST PKR MEMBERS ARE ACTUALLY SICK & TIRED OF HIS ‘MY TRACK RECORD AS MB’ BOASTS WHEN HIS DAY IN POWER POCKMARKED BY GRAFT & NEPOTISM GROUSES

Politics | October 8, 2018

DATUK Seri Azmin Ali knew he would have a tough time in the PKR election.

What he did not expect was just how tough his challenger Rafizi Ramli would turn out to be in the contest for the party deputy president post.

He had labelled Rafizi a “toddler”, but the “toddler” has overtaken Azmin in the overall vote count after he emerged the winner in the Federal Territory (FT) and Labuan yesterday.

Rafizi pulled ahead after he secured 2,935 votes against 2,794 votes by Azmin in the FT and Labuan party polls.

There are still another eight states to go in this intense contest, but yesterday could be the game changer for Rafizi, who is not even an MP, whereas Azmin is a second-term incumbent and a Cabinet member.

Rafizi, currently a vice-president, now holds a super slim majority of 48 votes over Azmin based on results from the states that have concluded their polls.

He is now within striking range of the No.2 post in the party.

Some in PKR thought the firebrand Rafizi was talking big when he launched his campaign with a blitz of attacks against Azmin.

They were shocked at some of the accusations that he hurled at Azmin, especially the one alleging that Azmin had been eyeing the presidency. Many of them also did not like the airing of dirty laundry in public.

As one party leader from Selangor put it: “Why is he hanging our underwear on the highway for everyone to see?”

But Rafizi’s attack strategy appears to have paid off.

It was quite startling for Azmin to trail Rafizi in the east coast states, where the deputy president was seen as the favourite.

His team was surprised when Azmin lost the majority vote in Kelantan and Terengganu on Friday.

Moreover, Kelantan PKR chief Abdul Aziz Abdul Kadir is a staunch Azmin man.

The surprise turned to shock on Saturday when Azmin lost narrowly to Rafizi in Pahang. Azmin managed to win in only six of the 15 divisions in Pahang.

Then came the FT and Labuan shock results, which are bound to send Azmin’s team back to the drawing board.

Election expert Prof Datuk Redzuan Othman has been as puzzled as everyone else about the way the polls have turned out.

“There does not seem to be any logic in the voting pattern,” said Redzuan, who is also Unisel vice-chancellor.

For instance, Azmin had the lead over Rafizi in Penang and Johor, two states where Rafizi was said to have good support.

Redzuan pointed out that Azmin loyalist Zakaria Hamid had retained the division chief post in Bera, Pahang, but Azmin lost to Rafizi in the same division.

It was a similar situation in Bandar Tun Razak yesterday.

Azman Abidin, who is an Azmin supporter, retained the Bandar Tun Razak chief post by more than 700 votes, but Azmin beat Rafizi by only two votes in the division.

“PKR does not have much of a presence in Kelantan, where some of the candidates lost their deposits during the general election.

“But I got reports that in Gua Musang, there were suddenly hundreds of members turning up to vote,” said Redzuan.

There has been a lot of unhappiness among Kelantan PKR leaders about the spike in membership in June this year although they had not been actively recruiting.

A local leader in Bachok, Kelantan, had complained bitterly about people with no track record in the party and who joined just a few months ago being allowed to contest for division posts.

According to Redzuan, divisions that registered a spike in membership in June were the ones with hard-to-explain results.

If Redzuan is right, then expect unexpected results in Selangor and Sabah, where there has been a phenomenal increase in membership.

Selangor registered 240,671 new members, while Sabah saw 135,829 new members.

All eyes will be on the Julau division in the Sarawak outbacks. Julau had only 603 members on June 26 but a day later, the membership rocketed to almost 13,000.

The membership spike has been an issue in the party over the last few months.

When outgoing chief of the women’s wing Zuraida Kamaruddin brought it up during a political bureau meeting, party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail confirmed that she had signed “bundles” of new membership applications.

Some think that PKR is experiencing its own version of “phantom invasion” in the sense that the members exist on paper, but are not visible on the ground.

The party’s e-voting system has also been controversial, to say the least. The bulk of party members have no faith in it and there have been all kinds of stories that it is open to manipulation and abuse.

“I have been confronted by members questioning the new system. They are not comfortable with it, there is a lot of frustration,” said Azman.

The battle for the deputy president post has completely eclipsed every other contest going on in the party.

The party campaign has temporarily cooled down to avoid intruding on the Port Dickson by-election.

But the heat and fury will resume after Oct 13.

Rafizi will probably resume his attacks and this time, he will go for the kill.

By then too, president-elect Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will be the new Port Dickson MP and just a step away from the premiership.

“Based on Anwar’s statements, he appears to be leaning towards Rafizi. Everyone is watching to see whether he will help push Rafizi to the finishing line,” said former PJU chief Khairul Anuar Zainuddin.

It has been difficult for PKR members to say “no” to their president-elect and it will be even more difficult to say “no” to the prime minister-in-waiting on who he wants as his No.2. THE STAR/Malaysia Chronicle"

Anwar Ibrahim greets supporters on his way to the nomination centre in Port Dickson. (Photo: Amir Yusof)
Port Dickson by-election: Anwar Ibrahim, Saiful Bukhari among candidates in 7-cornered fight
By Amir Yusof @AmirYusofCNA
29 Sep 2018 11:13AM (Updated: 29 Sep 2018 12:11PM)
PORT DICKSON, Negeri Sembilan: A total of seven candidates, including Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Anwar Ibrahim and his former personal aide Saiful Bukhari, will contest in the Port Dickson by-election after they successfully submitted their nomination papers on Saturday morning (Sep 29) … for more, go to https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/port-dickson-by-election-nominations-anwar-10770936

It will be a folly if PH federal government takes national harmony and unity for granted

Zakir Naik's combative style of spreading Islam not suitable for Malaysia, says Mujahid Rawa
NATION
Monday, 24 Sep 2018
7:09 PM MYT
KUALA LUMPUR: The combative style of propagating Islam, which puts down other beliefs, as practised by Dr Zakir Naik (pic), is not suitable for Malaysia said Datuk Dr Mujahid Yusof Rawa. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of religious affairs hit out at the controversial preacher from India who has a penchant for insulting other religions. Zakir has sought refuge in Malaysia amid an investigation for fostering terrorism by authorities in his home country. “We don’t want a debate that ridicules others. We need a more intellectual and composed method of Islamic propagation without the need to ridicule other religions,” he was reported as saying on Free Malaysia Today in his speech to launch a seminar today on Islam and the challenges in a multiracial society. Various groups previously have condemned Dr Zakir’s sermons, which they have labelled as extremist and disrespectful of other religions … for more, go to https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/09/24/zakir-naiks-combative-style-of-spreading-islam-not-suitable-for-malaysia-says-mujahid-rawa/ 

It will be a folly if PH federal government takes national harmony and unity for granted

Of course the May 13 racial tragedy is not yet dead and gone. As long as there are racial and religious extremists who continue to hero-worship the likes of Zakir Naik, national harmony and unity will always be threatened.

The only question is whether there will be enough extremists to trigger another bloody May 13.

And the outcome of the May 9 14th General Election (GE14) and the three by-election showed all are still healthy for Malaysians and Malaysia.

The majority are still Malaysians who treasure national harmony, peace and unity - that was one of the major reasons they rejected the racist and extremist Umno, among the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) being corrupted to the core and on the verge of bankrupting Malaysia, just like Greece.

How long will Malaysians remain the majority - not race - depends on the ruling Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government’s political will to really transform Malaysia into a country for Malaysians.

And we have many sane Malay Malaysians, like Dr Syed Husin Ali and those from Patriots who have raised and expressed fear of those out to create racial and religious tensions to serve their political agenda.

In Malaysia, lies become truth when the lies are allowed to be repeated long enough.

Therefore, the PH federal government must use enforcement to nip in the bud the anti-nationals using racial and religious slurs out to destabilise Malaysia.

Sane Malaysians have started raising fears of the rise of such anti-nationals to an unprecedented force - the Umno-PAS politics of race and religion - if left unchecked.

It will do well for the PH federal government to not underestimate the damage such anti-nationals can inflict on Malaysians and Malaysia or take national harmony and unity for granted and not do anything about racial and religious extremists.

Read on what is worrying Dr Syed Husin, before it is too late for Malaysians and Malaysia:

"‘MAY 13’ NOT YET DEAD & GONE: ‘PEOPLE STILL DON’T TRUST EACH OTHER, CONFLICTS CAN OCCUR IF PAS-UMNO START FANNING THE FLAMES,’ PKR VETERAN WARNS UNREST NOT IMPOSSIBLE IF RABBLE-ROUSERS GIVEN TOO MUCH ROPE TO HANG THE NATION

Politics | September 23, 2018

A PAS-UMNO pact will create racial tension and not benefit the country, said former PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali.

He said if a formal political cooperation between the two Malay-Muslim parties materialised, it would only serve to inflame racial and religious sentiments.

Prior to the 14th general election, these same sentiments were played up against Pakatan Harapan parties – namely DAP, which has for years been accused of being anti-Malay and anti-Islam – to no effect, he said.

“They played up those issues in GE14, but it didn’t work. So, they will try again in the next general election.”

Syed Husin, who authored Masa Depan Orang Melayu (The Future of Malays), however, conceded that a PAS-Umno tie-up strategy might work on Malays.

“They may gain a bit in terms of seats, but it will split the people in terms of interracial relations. Tension will break out.”

The former Universiti Malaya sociology and anthropology lecturer said Umno and PAS should be more mature and effective opposition parties to keep the government in check.

PKR president-elect Anwar Ibrahim at the launch of Dr Syed Husin Ali’s book, A People’s History of Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur on September 16. Former PKR deputy president Syed Husin says interracial relations in the country have not vastly improved since the change of government, judging from the racism seen on social media. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Hasnoor Hussain, September 23, 2018.

PAS and Umno have been cosying up to each other since the Seri Setia, Balakong and Sg Kandis by-elections in Selangor, in which the parties campaigned for or supported each other.

Umno’s top leaders – president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, secretary-general Annuar Musa and vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob – also attended last weekend’s PAS muktamar in Terengganu.

The Islamist party’s top leadership is expected to attend Umno’s general assembly next weekend.

Syed Husin said interracial relations in Malaysia have not vastly improved since the change of government, judging from the racism seen on social media.

“People don’t trust each other. Ties are worsening. If it gets worse, we may have a conflict.

“We have not had incidents like (the) 1969 (racial riots) recently. People have experienced fights, and are afraid. More youth have been talking about unity, too.

“But, conflicts could occur if there are incidents, and if parties start fanning the flames.” – https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/Malaysia Chronicle"

Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History
A Black Day in May for Malaysia
More Moments in U.S. Diplomatic History
Malaysia has a long history of racial tension, dating back to the influx of Chinese workers in the 19th century, and which was exacerbated after Malaya gained independence from the UK in 1957. Constant tension simmered between the native Malay population and the more economically powerful Chinese population, which erupted into violence after the election of May 10, 1969. The governing Alliance won less than half of the popular vote and while it had a majority in Parliament, its number of seats was significantly reduced. The Opposition, despite their showing, claimed “victory.” Some Malays felt threatened and called for a procession; Malays were brought from the rural areas into Kuala Lumpur, which was a predominantly Chinese city. Thousands of Malays, some of them armed, arrived to join the parade… for more, go to https://adst.org/2016/03/a-black-day-for-malaysia/

MCA Liow’s ‘see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil’ stupidity

Three wise monkeys
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
… The three wise monkeys are a pictorial maxim, embodying the proverbial principle "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil".[1] The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.[2] Lafcadio Hearn refers to them as the three mystic apes in his Glimpses of unfamiliar Japan (volume 2, page 127). There are various meanings ascribed to the monkeys and the proverb including associations with being of good mind, speech and action. In the Western world the phrase is often used to refer to those who deal with impropriety by turning a blind eye.[3] Outside Japan the monkeys' names are sometimes given as Mizaru, Mikazaru,[4] and Mazaru,[5] as the last two names were corrupted from the Japanese originals.[6][7] The monkeys are Japanese macaques, a common species in Japan … for more, go to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_wise_monkeys 

MCA Liow’s ‘see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil’ stupidity

Malaysians really do not know whether to laugh or cry for the Liow Tiong Lai-led MCA.

Already laid in the political coffin and nailed in the May 9 14th General Election (GE14), only waiting for burial, Liow and MCA continue to insult the intelligence of Malaysians.

Liow and MCA continue to believe that Malaysians are easily fooled because they are born stupid!

MCA-owned The Star Online headline read: MCA ‘not aware of Umno plans’.

So, only MCA in Malaysia does not know that Umno and PAS are seeking to work together in politics and possibly forge a political alliance.

Hey Boh Liow! You think by applying the virtues of the Three Wise Monkeys you are smart, hoping to outsmart the majority of Malaysians?

Like what this blog has stressed in previous blog posts, the only way for MCA to make a comeback is to think out of the box and change its political strategy 100% to win back the trust and confidence of Malaysians.

And the Three Wise Monkeys is no solution at all for MCA! It just makes MCA look more stupid and irrelevant to Malaysians and Malaysian politics.

This was what The Star Online reported:

"MCA ‘not aware of Umno plans’

NATION
Sunday, 16 Sep 2018
by martin carvalho

KUALA LUMPUR: While MCA insists that it is kept in the dark over Umno’s intention to form new alliances, MIC said it is aware of the Malay party’s courtship.

“It has nothing to do with us and I am not aware of it,” MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai told reporters after launching the Federal Territories MCA annual convention yesterday.

Any alliance or cooperation by Umno with other parties, said Liow, must not go against the Barisan National spirit of multiracialism, moderation and power sharing.

“If any party in Barisan goes against this spirit, it means Barisan will cease to exist,” he said.

Liow was commenting on Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that all Umno MPs had signed statutory declarations empowering him to negotiate with parties outside of Barisan.

This came after Umno’s Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said it should stay out of the Port Dickson by-election, which would pave the way for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to be elected into Parlia ment, as a show of “goodwill” to PKR.

After the May 9 polls, only Umno, MCA and MIC are members of Barisan.

Asked what would happen should Umno decide to cooperate with PAS, Liow said MCA was clear on its stand against working with the Islamist party.

“We will not accept if their (Umno and PAS) cooperation continues on the path of racial or religious politics,” he said, adding that this would be against the founding of Barisan.

Should this occur, Liow said the question of whether MCA would pull out of Barisan would not arise as the coalition would cease to exist in the absence of the Barisan spirit.

MIC president Tan Sri S.A. Vigneswaran said he was aware of Umno’s move to court alliances with other parties although this was not formally discussed among Barisan’s component members.

“We did not have any meeting at all to discuss this but I am aware that the Umno president has been given the mandate by their MPs to talk to other parties,” he said.

Vigneswaran described Dr Ahmad Zahid’s move as normal in light of the fluid nature of the nation’s political landscape after general election.

“There are so many parties today and the term forming an alliance could mean being part of the government or an alliance among the opposition,” he said.

However, Vigneswaran said Dr Ahmad Zahid must discuss the matter with MIC and MCA under Barisan for a collective decision.

On Thursday, Vigneswaran told reporters after chairing MIC’s central working committee that it might be willing to work with PAS in the future.

Umno-PAS opposition coalition in the making

NATION
Sunday, 16 Sep 2018

KUALA TERENGGANU: Umno will go a step ahead in its collaboration with PAS when both parties form a coalition of opposition parties in the future, says Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The former deputy prime minister, who attended the PAS muktamar here, said further talks will be held between Umno and PAS to elevate the collaboration into a coalition heading into the general election.

“The position (of Umno-PAS cooperation) right now is a formal collaboration. We have made an understanding with them (PAS) that we should work together to address issues of common interest, such as the rights of Malays and Islam,” he added.

He also said a working committee needed to be formed to study all aspects before both sides create a long-term relationship to face the 15th general election.

Dr Ahmad Zahid also said an invitation has been extended to PAS leaders to attend the Umno general assembly at the end of this month.

Show of support: MIC central working committee members attending the 64th PAS muktamar. — Courtesy of PAS headquarters IT Department

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang said the party’s decision to be friendly with Umno was not a new matter.

“PAS once gave ‘shelter’ to Umno members who were expelled from their party. We did so they would not be ‘attacked by sharks’ and this includes Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, when he gave a ceramah in a PAS-held area in Kapar in 1969,” he added.

In his keynote address earlier, Abdul Hadi said PAS takes on the peaceful politics approach with all parties.

“This has been our strength since our formation,” he added.

Meanwhile, MIC caused a surprise when a few of the party’s leaders attended the muktamar with Dr Ahmad Zahid.

MIC deputy president Datuk Seri SK Devamany said the decision to work with PAS was agreed to by the party leadership.

“Our presence here is to express MIC’s intention to cooperate with PAS towards a more prosperous Malaysia.

“We (MIC) are willing to work with anyone who have the spirit of ‘Bangsa Malaysia’ for the sake of development, wealth-sharing and political cooperation,” said Devamany to reporters."

Is it any wonder that Malaysians see MCA as just Umno lap dogs?