Movement lambasted for setting quit deadline for Taib

KUCHING : The chairman of grassroots-based Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) Francis Siah was slammed for his ultimatum in demanding Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to step down by August next year.

“Who is this Francis Siah and MoCS?” asked Peter Minos, who is deputy information chief of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu.

He was reacting to comments made by Siah that appeared in FMT yesterday.

“And who has given him the power to usurp the wishes of the whole of Parti Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu executive committee members and the 71 PBB branch chairmen throughout Sarawak who have passed a resolution that Taib will continue as PBB president and as chief minister?”

“Besides PBB members, there are many others including non-governmental organisations, associations, community leaders, Sarawak United People’s Party, Parti Rakyat Sarawak and Sarawak Democratic Party who have agreed with PBB that Taib must stay on as chief minister,” Minos added.

Yesterday Siah said MoCS had respectfully sent a request to Taib to step down as soon as possible as this was the general “consensus of the people of Sarawak that Taib has served long enough as chief minister”.

“He should step down as soon as possible, but we will give him till next August to do so,” Siah had said.

Blasting Siah for such a comment, Minos said: “I put it this way, if Taib is able and willing, why do we disturb him? Why pressure him to resign?

“It is not easy to get a seasoned, strong and wise leader like Taib.

“Who has Siah in mind?” asked Minos, pointing out that Siah should respect democratic and free wishes of the majority and the people. He added that Siah had no mandate to ask Taib to step down.

FMT

'Taib must step down by August next year'

PENANG : The Movement for Change, Sarawak (MoCS) wants Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to step down by August next year.

“Today, MoCS respectfully sends this request to the chief minister. It is the general consensus of the people of Sarawak that Taib has served long enough as CM.

"He should step down as soon as possible but we will give him till next August to do so,” its leader Francis Paul Siah said at a NGO-sponsored event in Penang last night.

“We still accord him due respect as the chief minister, but MoCS may not be that respectful if he is still at the helm of the state Government by next August.

"Today, we humbly plead and ask him to seriously consider stepping down. If Taib remains stubborn and refuses to listen, we may have to resort to other courses of action when the time is up.

"Then, the request and plea will turn to demand. We hope we will not have to demand as it would be uncomfortable for the chief minister,” Siah told the gathering of Sarawakians and Penangites at the Malaysia Day celebrations organised by the Malaysian Election Observers Network (MEO-Net) at Weld Quay on the island.

Stating that the August date next year should give Taib ample time to plan his departure, Siah also said that date should also enable the long-serving chief minister to celebrate his final ego-boosting 30th anniversary as Sarawak CM.

“We all know that this is a man with a huge ego and we will allow him to have a final bash on March 26, 2011. After that, Taib should seriously look at his crystal ball and if it is not afraid to tell him the truth unlike his Sarawak BN lieutenants, it would surely suggest that he listens more to the loud voices of dissent from Sarawakians than to his political sycophants.”

'Emulate the people of Penang'

Elaborating on the August date, Siah pointed out that MoCS was formed to advocate a new political culture for the state and promote democratization and “MoCS realises that this evolution is only possible with Taib out of the scene”.

“We announced the formation of MoCS on Aug 13 and we gave ourselves one year to help start this process minus Abdul Taib Mahmud. We are serious in this quest.

"The people of Sarawak are serious and we hope the chief minister would be gracious enough to help us achieve our target without much agony and pain for all parties concerned,” he said.

On the recent PBB supreme council’s declaration of support for Taib to continue as chief minister, Siah laughed it off asking: “Do you seriously believe anyone in the PBB council dare to say ‘No’ to such a powerful and vindictive boss knowing that they could easily be buried politically the minute they challenge his authority.”

“On top of that, 20 or 30 people in the PBB supreme council do not represent 2.6 million Sarawakians,” he added.

Earlier in his speech, Siah urged Sarawakians to emulate the people of Penang by opting for changes and vote in a new government in the coming state elections. He said that Penangites had made a wise decision in the 2008 General Election.

“Today, Penangites are generally happy as Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had performed admirably. There are noticeable changes with Lim’s more accountable and transparent administration.”

Siah added that he has relatives in Penang and “they have informed me that Penangites are generally very supportive of Lim and his plans of action for the state since taking office more than two years ago.

“So the people of Sarawak must cast their votes wisely in the coming state polls and elect sincere leaders of calibre who could help in the evolution towards a new political culture for the state - one that is free of corruption, nepotism and despotism,” he said.

FMT

Sabah, Sarawak losing points to KL

COMMENT Malaysia is 47 years old through the unification of Malaya, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore in 1963. (Singapore was separated from Malaysia in 1965.)

The Kuala Lumpur-Kota Kinabalu-Kuching relationship must be relooked because of the imbalance between the centre and the periphery.

Most importantly, the 20-Point Agreement has been largely ignored in making the Malaysia that we have today.

Initial attempts by Sabah first chief minister Fuad Stephens to do so resulted in him being made Australian High Commissioner.

As a result, there were regressions from Sabah’s 20-Point Agreement and Sarawak’s 18-Point Agreement as seen in the “Allah” controversy and the ban on the Malay language Bible.

Both agreements on religion state that there should be no state religion for Sabah and Sarawak.

The “Borneonisation” of the public service as agreed to in the deal has also been violated. Over the years, more public servants from the peninsula were transferred to Sabah to fill in the void.

What development?

Unfortunately, an ignorant Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Rahim Bakri recently stated that Sabahans in the interiors should be grateful as Sabah’s inclusion in Malaysia had ensured development in the state.

Using development as a bait is wrong because “development is the one term most used by politicians to cheat the people” (quoted from a Malayalam movie).

If development had indeed been provided, why is the road network in both states still bad? My brethren from both Sabah and Sarawak can attest to the fact that Sabah and Sarawak are two decades backwards compared to Peninsular Malaysia.

What development is Rahim speaking about when my brethren over there are still having difficulties to complete 11 years of education?

Contrary to Rahim’s statement, Kuala Lumpur has gained more than Kuching and Kota Kinabalu in the 47-year-old relationship.

The most recent evidence was Barisan Nasional’s slim majority in the 2008 general election, which was only made possible because of the safe deposit votes from Sabah and Sarawak.

In addition, the Mahathir administration should be “thanked” for initiating the IC project that created BN voters out of illegal immigrants from Indonesia and the Philippines

To address the imbalance, more autonomy should be accorded to Sabah and Sarawak. It can be initiated by increasing the petroleum royalty from the current 5% to 20%.

Secession by both Sabah and Sarawak is out of the question as it violates the agreement

K Pragalath is a former journalist.

FMT

VIDEO Namewee, Malay, Indian RAP (1Malaysia anti-racism)

This is a spoof of Namewee's controversial 'Nah' video. Two guys (one of them sure looks familiar) dance to his 'Nah' song. Judge for yourselves if it is as inflammatory or insulting as the authorities say it is.



malaysian chronicle

Malaysia does not need Lee Kuan Yew's advice : Pak Lah

Lee Kuan Yew

KEPALA BATAS (Bernama) - Malaysia does not need any advice from Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew because it has its own way of governing the country which comprises multi-racial people, said former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

He said the cultural diversification and racial composition in Malaysia was far different from that of Singapore.

"We are too different from Singapore and Lee's statement which criticized the system being practised in this country cannot be accepted because Malaysia has adopted a different set of approaches and measures in managing issues involving the cultures and religions of its multi-racial population," he told reporters after hosting an Aidilfitri open house here Saturday.

"Malaysia far bigger than Singapore"

Malaysia's 5th prime minister Abdullah Badawi

Lee, in an interview published in the New York Times on Sept 1, had criticised the governing system system practised in Malaysia and accused that Malaysia was not being fair and had been sidelining its minority ethnic groups.

In the interview, Lee also envisioned that Malaysia could have done much better if it was not separated from Singapore because the island republic had achieved outstanding racial harmony.

Abdullah, who is Kepala Batas Member of Parliament, also refuted Lee's allegation that Malaysia had been sidelining minority ethnic groups in the country.

"If we really did that (sidelining minority ethnic groups), Malaysia would have been in trouble all along. We never sidelined any ethnic groups because all of them are equally important to the country," he said.

Unlike Singapore, Abdullah said, Malaysia was far bigger and consisted of various races and ethnic groups including those in Sabah and Sarawak.

"So far, there is no issue of certain races being sidelined and the government has always been fair to all races," he added.

malaysia chronicle

Nik Aziz tak tolak ada ulama, wartawan upahan

Menteri Besar Kelantan Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat mahu wartawan dan ulama memainkan peranan yang seiring untuk menjamin keselamatan ummah di dunia dan akhirat.

Mursyidul Am PAS itu berkata tanggungjawab kedua-dua golongan ini adalah sama iaitu mengabdikan diri kepada Allah.

"Tinggal lagi, ulama menyampaikan dakwah melalui lisan manakala wartawan menyebarkan maklumat melalui mata pena.

"Oleh itu, mereka hendaklah bergerak seiring untuk kepentingan dan kesejahteraan ummah dunia dan akhirat," katanya berucap di majlis dialog Menteri Besar Kelantan dengan wartawan anjuran Urusetia Penerangan Negeri, di Kota Bharu, malam tadi.

Hadir sama, Pengarah Urusetia Penerangan Kerajaan Negeri Abdul Rahman Yunus dan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Pembangunan Ladang Rakyat Dr Azmi Razali Azmi.

Nik Abdul Aziz berkata beliau mahu golongan wartawan bertanggungjawab terhadap penulisannya kerana mereka juga akan turut dipersoalkan di akhirat kelak seperti ulama.

Beliau tidak menolak kemungkinan wujudnya ulama upahan seperti juga wartawan upahan kerana tidak menjalankan tugas berlandaskan etika kewartawanan dan sebagai ulama upahan, mereka tidak menyampaikan dakwah yang betul kepada umat Islam sebagaimana ajaran agama sebenarnya.

Ditanya sama ada beliau akan terus menawarkan diri untuk bertanding dalam pilihan raya umum ke-13 nanti, beliau berkata, ia terpulang kepada pucuk pimpinan parti.

"Saya tidak pernah menawarkan diri untuk bertanding dalam mana-mana pilihan raya, kecuali pertama kali ketika kerajaan campuran BN-PAS, pada 1974," katanya.

Menurutnya, keputusan sama ada bertanding atau tidak pada pilihan raya ke-13 nanti bergantung kepada kehendak pucuk pimpinan parti kerana beliau mengakui telah lama berkhidmat dalam parti dan semakin uzur.

--Bernama

Mkini

Duit raya : Sami terima Dirham Kelantan

KOTA BHARU, 18 Sept : Seramai 40 sami mendapat duit raya sebanyak dua dirham sempena majlis Sambutan Hari Terbuka Aidilfitri Badan Perhubungan PAS Kelantan, hari ini.

Para sami yang diundang khas masing-masing mendapat duit raya berupa dua dirham itu disampaikan sendiri oleh Pesuruhjaya PAS Kelantan yang juga Menteri Besar, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat sebaik sahaja mereka selesai menjamu selera.

Tuan Guru dan isteri, Datin Tuan Sabariah Tuan Ishak antara kenamaan yang hadir pada majlis tahunan itu.

Acara kemuncak yang menjadi acara yang ditunggu-tunggu khususnya kanak-kanak, majlis penyampaian duit raya oleh para pimpinan kepada mereka.

Hampir 1,000 kanak-kanak yang berusia 12 tahun ke bawah beratur untuk mendapatkan duit raya masing-masing.

Puluhan ribu rakyat Kelantan hadir pada acara tahunan itu di samping 20 orang Palestin, masyarakat India, Cina, Siam dan Sikh.

Terdahulu Tuan Guru turut melawat lebih 25 buah gerai yang disediakan oleh PAS seluruh kawasan, Dewan Ulamak, Pemuda dan Muslimat di samping Nisa’.

Turut mengambil bahagian agensi kerajaan negeri Perbadanan Kemajuan Iktisad Negeri Kelantan (PKINK), Perbadanan Menteri Besar Kelantan (PMBK), Kompleks Perkayuan Kelantan (KPK), Kelab Penyokong Kerajaan (BBC) dan lain-lain lagi.

Antara juadah yang disediakan kepada orang ramai sate, nasi dagang, kuih muih, nasi bukhari, nasi arab, gulai kawah, pelbagai jenis laksa, lemang dan lain-lain lagi.

Dianggarkan hampir 100,000 cucuk sate dan aiskrim disediakan untuk para tamu.

Turut hadir pada majlis itu, Exco kerajaan negeri, wakil-wakilrakyat, anggota Parlimen, pemimpin parti peringkat negeri dan kawasan.

Di samping menikmati juadah yang disediakan, para hadirin di majlis yang bermula jam 12.00 tengah hari turut dihiburkan dengan lagu-lagu berunsur dakwah yang disampaikan oleh Kumpulan Dikir Hijrah Ar-Rasy yang diketuai Ausri Hussin.

Harakahdaily

Sokongan rakyat Kelantan pada PAS makin kukuh

KOTA BHARU, 18 Sept : Kejayaan PAS mentadbir Kelantan diraikan oleh setiap lapisan masyarakat yang kini menyambut tahun ke-20 dengan sokongan rakyat yang semakin kukuh.

Ini dibuktikan kehadiran rakyat ke majlis Sambutan Aidilfitri PAS Kelantan yang mencecah 15,000 orang pada tahun ini, kata Naib Presiden PAS, Salahuddin Ayub.

Ketika ditemui di majlis tersebut, beliau berkata, sambutan yang menggalakkan daripada rakyat Kelantan terhadap pimpinan ulama di bawah Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat boleh dijadikan kayu pengukur.

(Gambar: Tun Guru Nik bdul Aziz dan Salahuddin bersama ketua kaum Sikh.)

Justeru, katanya dakwaan Umno bahawa sokongan terhadap PAS semakin berkurangan amat tidak berasas.

“Pelbagai program yang dianjurkan oleh kerajaan dan parti di Kelantan kini, kita boleh lihat sambutannya yang begitu memberangsangkan dan dakwaan Umno yang mengatakan rakyat Kelantan sudah bosan dengan PAS tersasar sama sekali,” katanya yang juga Ahli Parlimen Kubang Kerian.

Sementara itu, Ketua Penerangan PAS Kelantan, Ahmad Baihaki Atiqullah pula memberitahu golongan muda yang berada di luar Kelantan juga semakin memahami dasar yang dilaksanakan oleh kerajaan negeri.

Beliau yang juga Timbalan Ketua Pemuda PAS negeri berkata, ini dapat dibuktikan apabila kerajaan negeri dengan kerjasama Persatuan Anak Kelantan di Perantauan (Perakan) yang setiap tahun mengadakan majlis ramah mesra bersama pimpinan kerajaan negeri juga mendapati kehadiran anak muda untuk bersama Menteri Besar semakin meningkat.

“PAS akan sentiasa bekerja keras bagi mempertahankan Kelantan pada PRU ke-13 nanti dan golongan muda akan menjadi tumpuan utama,” kata beliau lagi.

Majlis Rumah Terbuka PAS negeri yang diadakan setiap tahun, hari ini menyaksikan kehadiran 40 sami dari seluruh negeri yang makan bersama Mursyidul Am PAS, Tuan Guru Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

Mereka telah menerima sumbangan duit raya dalam bentuk dirham yang disampaikan sendiri oleh Tuan Guru pada majlis yang diadakan di Dataran Stadium Sultan Mohamad ke IV.

Harakahdaily