Seems like the PAS Youth have learned nothing after being slammed by the Sultan for their protest against rock queen Ella and dangdut singer Mas Idayu performing at the Sultan of Selangor Cup football match.

Frankly, if they can’t even stand the likes of Ella and Mas Idayu, we can kiss goodbye to most of the western artists if their wishes are granted; events like Super GT would probably be scrapped too… but I doubt the state government and royals would pay much attention to their plea at the moment.

It should remind people though, that PAS’ philosophy is not really aligned with PKR and DAP. If Pakatan Rakyat does take over the government by September… do bear in mind that PAS will have to part of the plan.

There are callings that we should not be shallow with PAS’ administration, that their governmental in Kelantan is better than some media is claming… but sometimes, what they are trying to do is plain annoying. They even tried to ban lipstick and high heels in Kota Bahru [Bernama], makes me wonder what they would come out next.

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.

The first benefit of the pact is that we could now refer to these parties in a single term… it was a pain trying to mention their coalition like the “DAP-PAS-PKR alliances government” etc.

On serious note… it’s a good move to form the pact. The official alliance would hopefully create more understanding between the parties. Issues like the Perak MB joke could be avoided if the coalition was forged before that.

Also, as Anwar mentioned, this coalition would mean that the policies of the Pakatan controlled state governments would be in line with the policies of Pakatan Rakyat, which should be a good thing. However, I wonder how ‘in line’ these states could be… PAS’s Islamic policy would certainly create an obstacle in this matter.

I am not saying that PAS’s policy is bad; I believe Kelantanese are well treated regardless of religion… but it’s obvious that PAS is governing their state differently from the rest of the country. The only probable thing that PKR and DAP are sharing with PAS is the common goal to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians.

Just some simple questions… will PAS give up some of their religious based policies in Kelantan if the Pakatan is to be formally formed? Will DAP be happy if PAS want to implement some religious based rules at other states? It’s still a long way to go obviously.

Perhaps we should give the Pakatan Rakyat a bit more time to finalise their plans and ideology. I would like to see them forming a mock cabinet if the coalition goes well; I think they are thinking about that too.

According to Lim Kit Siang, the appointment has caused shock and consternation to DAP leaders, members and supporters; and that the appointment has not received the mandate of DAP Central Executive Committee.

The decision to appoint a PAS MB is not going to be popular among the Chinese, despite the fact that a PAS MB is not equivalent of a PAS state government. I believe the younger generation would have little problem with it, but it’s not an easy task to convince the older generation to ease their prejudice on PAS.

The rumours that PAS is ready to implement Islamic law in Kedah must have raised further concern, and DAP is obviously trying to please the majority Chinese supporters by drawing a line here. It’s irony that most Chinese are hoping for a fair Malaysia for all Malaysians regardless of race and religion, and here they are… being discriminative after all.

The main question is however… why voicing it now DAP? Why NOW?

Like it or not, the whole nation was already anticipating the appointment of Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin for the past few days… if DAP has any problems with it, they should have strongly objected it before the appointment is made. DAP should have made it clear to the Sultan (or Regent) and the public that they would not tolerate a PAS MB… and not like what they did with the whole “all decisions would be respected” hoo-haa.

BN’s arrogance and ignorance has cost them clearly in the election… is DAP falling into the trap so soon? I mean, how stupid or ignorant could DAP be for not anticipating the appointment prior to the official announcement? And exactly how arrogant is DAP to defy the Sultan’s decision and to make such an immature fuss.

It’s a shame DAP, it’s a shame.

At the time of writing, non-BN parties (let’s drop the term ‘opposition’ shall we?) have officially claimed the states of Penang, Kedah and Kelantan. Selangor and Perak are also reported to have won by non-BN alliances, albeit unofficial.

It’s just the beginning though… set aside PAS that has been governing Kelantan for years, DAP and PKR are noobs when it comes to governing a state. I am not saying that they are not capable to do so, it’s however a fact that they are facing a new challenge that they had never faced before… governance.

First thing first, they need to do their best to maintain peace. I don’t think we will have any serious riots or demos following the victories in these states, but we do need to take extra safety precautions to maintain peace.

They need to form their state government ASAP. DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng has been announced as the next Penang Chief Minister, and will form the state government with allianced parties. Kelantan will obviously lead by PAS… I am not so sure about Kedah though, PAS and PKR will have to sort that out ASAP.

Selangor might be giving the real headache… if the non-BN parties do win the majority seats, PKR is the most likely party to lead the state government. Thing is, DAP has won more seats (unofficially) than PKR, but I think they should be able to sort it out rather peacefully as DAP has already have Penang in hand (maybe Perak as well).

So, what’s next? Time to fulfill their promises. All these parties have promised an awful lots of things… not only that they need to fulfill those, they also need to avoid doing things that they have been criticising the BN government of.

The first case that comes into my mind is the Motorola saga; the previous BN government was reported to have offered them a RM1 billion project so that they will stay in Penang… and the non-BN parties have strongly oppose to it. Thing is, if Motorola is deciding to leave just after the new government is formed, how would they respond to it?

Facing the risk of losing thousands of job opportunities (mind that the downstream industry might be affected too), the new DAP & PKR government might have to resort to something similar as well, which on short term is actually a right thing to do… but they can’t do that obviously, as they would be breaking the rare trust that the people have given them.

There are lots of other issues to think of… Penang Bridge, the Rapid buses, environmental issues, the sharing of wealth, and other social issues… and I am still not starting on Kedah and Selangor yet.

It’s going to be a long story, to cut it short… there’s a huge challenge ahead; and a precious opportunity on the other hand for the non-BN parties to show the people what they can do… not just for their supporters, but also showing to all Malaysians that it’s not really a bad thing to change.

For better or worse… we will be seeing a new Malaysia when we wake up the next morning.

Parliamentary seats: BN (140), BR (82: DAP-28, PAS-23, PKR-31)
States claimed by DAP-PAS-PKR alliances: Kedah, Penang, Kelantan, Perak and Selangor.

Just like many other Malaysians, I had been staying up late after the polling day to read the latest results… with waves of surprises pouring in.

Frankly, I was shocked by the outcome. I thought that the non-BN parties would have a chance to deny the 2/3 BN majority for parliamentary seats, but I didn’t really expect it to happen. The real surprise however was on BN losing 5 states, especially for Selangor… that was unexpected at all.

Regardless, for better or worst, we will be having a new Malaysia that we have never seen before… let’s hope for the best.

BN (Pdf file) ll DAP (Jpeg image) ll PKR ll PAS (need to download)

BN got a head start as expected, winning seven of the 222 parliamentary seats and two of the 505 state seats without contest.

The surprise of the day probably belongs to PAS’s Wan Ubaidah Omar, who retained the Kijang state seat (Kelantan) after BN’s challenger was disqualified for bankruptcy… a rare unopposed win for non-BN parties.

An article from AFP that shares similar point of view…

Nearly four decades of controversial positive-discrimination policies were supposed to lift Muslim Malays like fisherman Maskan Mohamad out of poverty.

But despite the programme, which has alienated the nation’s ethnic Chinese and Indian citizens, Maskan’s family have empty bellies and little hope as they struggle to survive on a handful of dollars a day.

“All I know is how to fish. My family are all fisherman and even my children are fishermen because we cannot hope for anything more,” says the 62-year-old, who earns about 400 ringgit a month (119 dollars).

That’s barely enough to feed his wife, three children and elderly parents. Maskan’s two teenage sons had to drop out of school at 11, and the whole family labours to process their daily catch.

“The government say they are helping us but I have not gotten much help from them,” he says.

“Where is the government money and projects to help us live a better life, to help my children get jobs and have a better future than me?”

Malaysia’s population of nearly 27 million is made up of 60 percent Malay Muslims who dominate the government, 26 percent ethnic Chinese who are prominent in business, and eight percent ethnic Indians.

Two years after race riots broke out in 1969, the government launched the New Economic Policy (NEP) with initiatives to narrow the wealth gap between the Chinese and Malays.

But by 2004, 8.3 percent of Malays were still living in poverty — earning less than 190 dollars a month — compared to just 0.6 percent of Chinese and 2.9 percent of Indians.

Critics say the main beneficiaries of the policy have been Malay entrepreneurs who cash in on an array of perks including discounts on property purchases and specially allocated government projects.

Meanwhile, the village of Seberang Takir outside the northern city of Kuala Terengganu is home to 20 fishing families leading a hand-to-mouth existence, living in rickety homes that are a patchwork of wooden planks and pieces of tin.

Women in brightly coloured batik work salting fish and shrimp in the hot sun, shrouded in dust from trucks rumbling to a reclamation site where the state government is building a new cruise ship terminal.

The fishing folk are unlikely to benefit. Instead, half the village has been demolished to make way for the new project.

“They now want us to move away from the beach. How can we do that as this is our livelihood? They are not paying us much for this land and they have yet to tell us where we will be shifted to. Is this helping the poor?” asks Maskan.

Terengganu, which until 2004 was held by the fundamentalist opposition Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), is expected to be a key battleground in national elections likely to be held by early 2008.

One out of every five people in Terengganu lives below the poverty line, and many say they are disappointed at how little the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which has ruled Malaysia for 50 years has done for them.

“We really need the government to help us boost our earnings,” says Alias Ismail, 45, whose family makes fish crackers in their simple home in Seberang Takir.

“See over there,” Alias says, pointing to the lights of Kuala Terengganu. “That’s where all the rich people are. We in the villages don’t get any money.”

Some of the fishermen say they support the government’s development plans for the region, but the green-and-white PAS flags that flutter in the windows and doorways of most houses tell a different story.

Development experts say that economic aid is badly needed in rural regions like Terengganu and neighbouring Kelantan, which is the only state now held by PAS.

“There has been a massive structural underdevelopment in the east coast states of Malaysia,” says Professor Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, director of ethnic studies at the Malaysian National University.

“The fact that east coast states have been in and out of opposition hands has meant that there has been very little interest or investment from the federal government.”

The ruling National Front coalition has begun gearing up for the elections, launching a series of big-spending development masterplans across the nation including one for Terengganu and the other eastern states.

But Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has warned that Malays cannot continue to rely on the NEP and government handouts, and that a change in mindset is needed.

“There are no easy ways to succeed in life. Only the educated, knowledgeable and the hardworking will succeed eventually,” he said Sunday, according to the state Bernama news agency.

“I’ve said many times Malays are not stupid or weak,” he added. “I want the Malays to capitalise on the opportunities given to them.”

At the Umno General Assembly next week, party members registered as voters with the Election Commission (EC), will stand to win prizes totalling RM5.25 million.

Umno executive secretary Datuk Husainay Hashim told Bernama this today.

He also said that Umno members who had registered with the EC would also receive membership cards. Umno had issued 2.8 million membership cards and would deliver them to those who had registered with the EC tomorrow, he said.

“For Umno members who have yet to register, we will provide the facility for them to do so during the assembly and the membership card will be made for them,” he said. [Bernama]

If PAS or DAP are doing this… UMNO will yell that it is money politic. However, since that it is UMNO that is doing it… I guess it is ok, right?

The clash was sparked when police ordered the crowd of 500 people (some reported 750) gathering at Jalan Sultan Mahmud, close to Batu Buruk, to disperse peacefully at 10pm. The crowd was there to attend a talk organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH), which was held without police’s permit.

Police officer fired live bullets

Terengganu police chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ayub Yaakob said that the policeman has fired one shot as act of self defence, while some PAS and PKR spokesmen claim that a few shots have been fired.

According to Malaysiakini, the alleged officer (a constable) had fired 4 shots.

This must be the first time I’ve heard that a live bullet is fired at a riot of this scale around the world. Anti-riot forces don’t use live bullets in general, for fear that it could injured (or killed) innocents during the crowd, for fear that the weapons might be seized by the rioters and cause other violence, and for other reasons.

To be fair… if I am the policeman that was under attack by group of people with sticks and stones during the riot, I would have pulled the trigger if I think my life was threatened. It could be an act of self defence, but under those chaoses… how sure was the police officer that he was firing at the right people? He could miss-fire and ended up wounding those bystanders around instead of those who attacked him.

That’s why… policemen should try their best to stay out of the crowd (especially when they are alone), and they shouldn’t carry guns into the crowd.

Why BERSIH didn’t cancel the gathering?

BERSIH has never given a permit to hold this particular gathering. There are accusations that the police was siding the BN government and offered unreasonable excuse to not issue the permits, which could be true… but that didn’t warrant BERSIH to hold the gathering as planned.

BERSIH organizers should know that police will interfere if the gathering carried on, and that there could be a clash between the crowd and the police. A (Chinese) report from Merdekareview said that the organizers had decided to cancel the gathering before the clash, but did they cancelled it soon enough, or just hours before the show?

If a law is stupid, you try to change it… if you can’t, you don’t break it. The gathering should be cancelled when permits were not granted, or alternatives should be sought.

Conspiracy Theories

PAS came out with a conspiracy theory that the riot was pre-planned by the police and UMNO…

Insiden berdarah di Pantai Batu Buruk 8 September lalu adalah hasil konspirasi jahat dan provokasi pihak polis yang dipergunakan oleh Umno-BN.

Maklumat tersebut disampaikan oleh Pesuruhjaya PAS Terengganu, Dato’ Mustapa Ali dalam satu sidang media yang diadakan di Pejabat Agung PAS Jalan Raja Laut tengahari ini.

Jelasnya, beliau mendapat maklumat daripada Adun Wakaf Mempelam, Abdul Wahid Endut yang menyatakan bahawa terdapat saksi yang telah menyatakan bahawa ia adalah ‘pre-plan’ yang melibatkan antara Setiausaha Politik Perdana Menteri, Senator Dato’ Wan Farid.

“Maklumat tersebut menyebutkan bahawa kira-kira jam 3 hingga 4 petang pada 8 September lalu, sewaktu satu kursus diadakan, seorang polis yang mengendalikan kursus tersebut telah menerima satu panggilan yang memaklumkan bahawa satu ‘huru-hara’ akan berlaku menjelang malam nanti di pantai Batu Buruk dan pegawai polis bertugas yang tidak beruniform dikehendaki memastikan identiti dengan memakai riben,” jelasnya.

Talk is easy Mr Mustapa Ali… prove it.

Update Sep 12 – BERSIH released their own media statement

UMNO will continue to struggle and discuss the need to keep the New Economic Policy (NEP) to ensure the interests of the Malays are protected, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamed Khir Toyo said.

The Umno supreme council member said the party could only remain relevant in the future if this was among its priorities.

He said, without such a thrust, the Malays could switch their support to religion-based parties such as PAS or other opposition parties including Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR).

It is no hiding secret that NEP has become a weapon for UMNO’s political agenda… I am kinda surprise though, to see an UMNO leader stating the fact so blatantly.

I actually think that the concept of NEP is not all that bad… the problems however, lies within the implementation of the policy. It is pretty obvious that only a small number of Bumiputras are reaping the rewards of NEP while most of the poor are being neglected or manipulated.

Besides, it is worse enough to have a racial bias government policy, it is even worse when it is being used for the benefits of a specific political party… even the Malays themselves are being discriminated (UMNO vs not UMNO members).