A police report has been lodged against PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim for allegedly sodomosing one of his aides… the second time that such an accusation had been made in over 10 years. [Malaysiakini]
Anwar responded that the report is a complete fabrication, which could be a retaliation for evidence he has recently obtained implicating IGP Musa Hassan and AG Gani Patail in misconduct including fabrication of evidence in the cases launched against him in 1998-1999.
When Anwar was first accused of sodomy in 1997… the people were separated in opinions; but this time, people would find it hard to believe that he’s not been framed.
Update – PM Badawi claimed that BN government is not behind this and would leave the police to conduct investigations on the allegations and to take the necessary action. [Thestar]
The federal government has not been doing enough for Sabah? That’s probably true… but what have all the Sabahan politicians done all these years? Are the indegenious Sabahan politicians any better off than the peninsula’s politicians? I wonder.
The poor and chaotic situations in Sabah are collective ‘efforts’ for both the federal and state governments for more than three decades.
The illegal immigration issue in Sabah is widespread, it’s a shame that the government are not doing much to coup with this… but is it fair for Badawi and Umno to shoulder all the blames? What were the likes of Yong Teck Lee doing all these years (including his Chief Minister terms) to deal with this issue?
Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, Nik Aziz, and all the Kadazan-Dusun chieftains… what have they done for the past decade or two for the Sabahans? Nik Aziz never care, LKS only knows how to complain, and Anwar only started to care because he can become a PM. All these people (including some Sabahan leaders) are just as idiotic as everyone else when it comes to issues in Sabah, none of them are any better than Badawi when it comes to social welfare for Sabahans.
If the federal government is not doing well enough to help the state, by all means kick their ass… the only question is, why wait until now? The ass should have been kicked long time ago. So, if the BN government had won big again this term, SAPP and YTL would still remain silent and enjoy their honeymoon isn’t it?
Don’t just blame it on the federal leaders my fellow Malaysians, have a look at your local politicians as well. And if you think Badawi is idiot, think what Mahathir, Anwar and the local leaders had done for you.
I am tired of seeing all the political agendas from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat for the past 100 days. General Election is over, and it’s time to let the government do their job.
Pakatan are talking as if all the Malaysians would like a new govenment, but fact is they are still the oppositions because half of the Malaysians were not voting in their favour. There are lots of calls for Badawi to step down, including from within Umno itself… but that doesn’t mean that these people would want a new government or to have Anwar as the new Prime Minister.
Anwar has been campaigning like crazy for the past three months in hope of becoming the new PM. I don’t want to question whether he is genuine in building Malaysia or more of a personal agenda… but what he did for the past 100 days are hampering the country’s stability. What is the use of a GE if the opposition would continue plotting to take over the government after an election?
Imagine if PR takes over the government with Anwar’s crossover talk being materialised; the PR government would only have a minor majority by then, and what would happen if the BN (as opposition) starting to plot their own crossover plans to take back the government instead? The country will be in a never-ending political turmoil… and that’s why, the results of the GE should be respected and never be exploited in any other ways, regardless of who is doing it.
The people have spoken, you all have spoken, and the BN continue to rules. So be it, and let them rule for another 4-5 years and show what they can do (or not)… we’ll settle the score again in the next election.
Besides, while having BN under the radar, do mind that the Pakatan Rakyat state governments are being watched too. They are given the chances to rule as well; instead of all the political agendas, how about focusing on showing what they can really do at governmental levels and win the next GE fair and square?
Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his deputy Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak have reached an agreement on the right time for a leadership change, the prime minister said Friday. [Bernama]
That is, if both Pak Lah and Najib are unchallenged in the next Umno election… or that they managed to fence off their challengers somehow.
Regardless, I don’t like the idea of unchallenged leadership transition at all… it violates the spirit of democracy and also encourages political corruption.
Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has announced on Monday some government cost cutting measures to save public spending amounting to RM2 billion anually, which include freezing of paid leave for Cabinet members, aspects on travels for ministers, deputy ministers, government officers abroad, prohibiting renovation works on offices, postponement in asset purchases and the holding of official functions etc. [Bernama]
The measurements include a 10% reduction on entertainment allowance and restrictions on paid vacation for ministers and deputy ministers, which would be limited to the Asean region only and the duration should not exceed one week. Previously, the paid vacation is borne by the government to any destination once a year.
It’s a step forward for the government to cut wasteful spending, kudos for that… but they could really try a bit harder. 10% cut on the entertainment allowances mean nothing much; the ministers (and deputies) will still get a decent allowance to spend on I-don’t-know-what entertainment purposes.
Besides, why should we pay for their overseas vacation when we can’t afford to bring our family for overseas holidays? It’s not like the ministers are not getting paid… their monthly salary is higher than 70% (probably close to 90) of the Malaysians for goodness sake.
The paid vacation should be scrapped completely; and unless there is a good reason for the entertainment allowance, it should be scrapped as well. There are probably some other dubious expenses not mentioned in the plan… and there are definitely rooms for further improvements.
If the government has the determination to cut the petrol subsidy and forced the people to change our lifestyle, at least show their own determination to make a strong cut. It’s a good start, but not good enough.
Sharing a few stories…
The hawker: Cash strapped, TV, handphone
I have a friend that always complained on how tough life is, and how difficult it is to make ends meet. He is a hawker, his wife the helper, and has three kids.
Some hawkers are rich, but he is not… I am not really sure why. A couple of years ago, his eldest son finished Form Five, came out to work, got his first pay… and the first thing they did was spending most (if not all) of the salary to buy a new TV.
My friend is still crying on how tough life is… but he got a new company now, with his dear son complaining just about the same thing.
Last I checked, the son use a handphone that is five times more expensive than mine.
Read the rest of this post »
What Pak Lah has promised for the Sabahans on May 31… [Details]
1. Federal Development Department scrapped and replaced by Sabah State Development Office, with its operations placed directly under the state government’s supervision.
2. Formation of a cabinet committee on illegal immigrants to be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak to discuss and solve the perennial illegal immigrants’ problem in the state.
3. RM1 billion allocation from the prime minister’s special allocation to be distributed according to development requirements in Sabah.
The media is reporting that Sabahans are getting lots of benefits, but it’s not really the case. Set aside the extra RM1bil allocation, the first two actions are not something of a bonus, it’s something that should be done years ago.
If the BN government didn’t lose their 2/3 majority in March, these issues might be overlooked once again after the election. Still, it’s better late than never.
However, don’t take their promise for granted yet. One of the biggest issues with our BN government is on implementations… they do come out with decent ideas and policies occasionally, but often failed to meet the objectives due to poor executions.
Promising is one thing… delivering the promises is another story.
Mohamad Ezam Mohd Nor, former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Youth leader and one-time confidant of PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, has rejoined Umno. [Bernama]
Ezam was one of the iconic faces during the reformasi era a decade ago… but he has become pretty much irrelevant for the past year or two. His decision to quit PKR in June 2007 has left little impact to the party, and the anti-corruption NGO he formed is moving no way.
People are asking why he is joining back Umno… but where else could he go? Going back to PKR is obviously not an answer. If he is still interested in expanding his political influence, he would have to choose between PAS and Umno… not many choices actually.
Some people are claiming that Ezam is going back to Umno to help reforming the party, but frankly… this fella is way overrated by some folks. Besides his fame, he doesn’t seem to have much to offer… in fact, he might find himself having a hard time with his political struggle in Umno.
Badawi might like him though; they shared a similar thread of flip-flopping after all.
