RPK Speaks His Mind - My Moral Compass

SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE

NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin

Statement by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah

The Government, we are told, is being generous to the people of Kelantan by offering them a "compassionate payment." I have been accused of being unhelpful by standing before prayer groups of 60,000-80,000 in sports stadiums to confuse them with notions of their sovereign rights.
Some members of my party have expressed dismay at my action. There will be learned discussions on whether I have breached party discipline.

Let me be helpful then. Setting aside for the moment the discussion of oil "royalty" payments let me be fully supportive of the Government's initiative to dispense compassionate payments.

The public must be duly impressed that the Government is offering Kelantan money despite maintaining that Kelantan has no legal claim to its offshore oil. Clearly this money is being offered on the grounds of pity alone, and not on the basis of any rights the subjects of the state might imagine they have.

I applaud the Government's compassion, and I call for the wang ihsan, or compassionate payments, to be made to Malaysians in all the states, not just Kelantan and Terengganu. I am sure the Federal Govt does not want to be seen to be playing favourites with the people of these two states, especially those of Kelantan, who voted against BN anyway.

Surely the people of the other states  are equally deserving of compassion. Out of concern for for all Malaysians, wang ihsan should also be paid out to Perlis, Kedah, Sabah, Sarawak, Melaka and all the other states. Perlis and Kedah, like Kelantan, are deficit financing states.  In these difficult times, people all over the country are in need of help and state coffers are empty. We can work out some kind of population and means adjusted formula for handing out this largesse.  The Federal Government would be seen to be caring, fair and mindful of the principle of federalism. It might even become more popular.

After this little matter is cleared up I trust those more excitable federal leaders will not be  confused when I return to the entirely separate subject of the states' sovereign rights to their petroleum resources, and consequently the oil payments owed, with compound interest, to the two impoverished states from which they have been illegally withheld.


Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah
Member of Parliament
Gua Musang

MK : Umno 'pikat' PKR untuk tumbangkan Pakatan Rakyat

Ketua umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mengakui wujudnya usaha Umno untuk 'memikat' beberapa ahli parlimen parti itu, termasuk ahli Parlimen Indera Mahkota, Azan Ismail.

Anwar berkata, usaha tersebut diketuai oleh bekas menteri kabinet, Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis dan juga pemimpin Parti Cinta Malaysia, Huan Cheng Guan, yang menghubungi Azan melalui telefon bimbit.

"Azan beritahu secara khusus bahawa Huan daripada Parti Cinta Malaysia cuba untuk pikat dia," katanya yang menerima bukti hubungan itu dibuat melalui telefon bimbit Azan.

"Dan pastinya Datuk Jamaludin mewakili (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) untuk cuba memujuk dan memberi jaminan apa yang beliau perlu asalkan meninggalkan PKR. Tapi kerana (Azan) tidak layan lebih daripada itu, maka jumlah berapa juta (yang ingin ditawarkan itu) tidak disebut," katanya lagi.

"Maknanya usaha itu berjalan, cara merasuah dan menyogok parti itu ada. Sebab itu saya minta Azan (kanan) ada di sini sendiri untuk mengesahkan Huan (Cheng Guan) daripada Parti Cinta Malaysia dan Datuk Jamaludin Jarjis itu hubungi beliau," tambahnya.

Jelasnya, usaha itu mengambarkan tawaran untuk Azan meninggalkan PKR dalam masa terdekat.

Katanya lagi, ahli parlimen Balik Pulau Yusmadi Mohd Yusuff (kiri) juga disahkan menerima pelawaan seperti itu.

"(Yusmadi) ada (dalam mesyuarat) dan beritahu (pelawaan) itu semua karut," katanya lagi dan menambah usaha berkenaan termasuklah usaha untuk merampas kerajaan Pakatan di Selangor.

"Semua ini termasuk hendak rampas Selangor, hendak dakwa Tan Sri Khalid, hendak beli ahli-ahli parlimen dan ADUN nak dilakukan sebelum hari raya Cina kerana bila hari raya Cina keadaan reda selama dua minggu," katanya lagi.

Anwar yang juga ketua pembangkang memberitahu demikian selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat majlis pimpinan pusat PKR di Tropicana Golf and Country Resort, Petaling Jaya hari ini.

Ditemui Malaysiakini selepas itu, Azan berkata beliau tidak akan membuat laporan kepada Suruhanjaya Pencegah Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kerana menganggap pelawaan itu dibuat atas dasar "kawan baik."

"Saya anggap panggilan telefon itu sebagai panggilan sebagai kawan baik.

"Saya tampil untuk buat penjelasan ini atas tanggungjawab saya kepada orang dalam kawasan saya," tambahnya.

Talkin’ bout The New Order (UPDATED with Chinese and BM Translation)

What’s the point of Anwar being on the outside if he does nothing? Better he go to jail. At least the opposition can benefit from it. That is what it has been reduced to. Anwar is more an asset dead than alive.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Raja Petra Kamarudin

The Member of Parliament for Bayan Baru, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, has announced that he has ten Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament ready to follow him into Barisan Nasional.

Okay, he may have two or three; maybe even four; but certainly it is far from ten, as he claims.

Actually, the plan for Zahrain to jump was mooted quite a while ago. And, a few weeks ago, the final pieces were put in place. But he could not just make the move for no rhyme or reason. He needs a ‘strong reason’, a sort of ‘due justification’, to make the move or else he would look like an opportunistic scumbag and slime-ball.

And that was why he came out to openly whack the Chief Minister, Lim Guan Eng, and call him a dictator, Communist-minded, and whatnot.

He was hoping that Guan Eng would whack him back and challenge him to leave PKR and go join Umno or whatever. Then Guan Eng would be seen as an arrogant Chow Lang who ‘forced’ Zahrain out. Guan Eng would then be seen as the aggressor and Zahrain the victim.

But Guan Eng was smarter than they gave him credit for and he did not take the bait. He did not respond the way they hoped and expected. So the plan is now dead in the water. And if Zahrain makes his move then he would suffer a very serious credibility problem.

Time is running out for Zahrain. He needs this thing to happen as soon as possible, before the MACC catches up on him. It seems he has a lot of skeletons in the closet from his Umno days. The MACC has enough shit to send him to jail for 100 years. And only by jumping into Umno can he save his sorry arse. If he waits for the MACC to come arrest him and charge him for a dozen counts of corruption before he announces he is leaving PKR to join Umno it may be too late.

And he wants to offer some icing on the cake to make it more attractive to Umno. He wants to offer Umno a delicious ‘package’. And that is why he announced he is able to bring ten other Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament together with him to join Barisan Nasional. And he is not talking about just Malay Members of Parliament but a couple of Chinese and Indians as well.

But all these Members of Parliament are what the Malays would call ‘orang-orang yang bermasalah’. In English that means people with problems.

One is a Chinese Member of Parliament who accumulated loads of gambling debts. To pay off some of these gambling debts he borrowed a lot of money from the alongs (loan sharks) and they are now hounding him for the return of the money. He is under so much pressure he is even afraid to go home lest the alongs spot him and come knocking on his door.

Invariably, he needs a lot of money to pay off his gambling debts plus what he owes the alongs. And where to get the money other than from Barisan Nasional? So he is joining Zahrain’s so-called ‘exodus’ in return for a big chunk of money, which will help pay off all his debts.

The trouble is, he not only needs a lot of money to service his debts and to keep the bill collectors and alongs off his back. He also needs money to finance his lifestyle of wine, women, song and casinos.

So, this is not only about paying off his debts. It is also about allowing him to continue his womenising and gambling because he is not ready to ‘retire’ just yet. He wants to continue enjoying his lifestyle -- but only this time with enough money to finance that lifestyle.

Another Chinese Member of Parliament in this gang about to jump has two mistresses. Yes, that’s right, you heard me right. Two mistresses! And one of these mistresses -- who lives in Taman Tun Dr Ismail -- has just given birth. So this Chinese Member of Parliament has just become a father of an illegitimate child and this has caused some problems for him.

Umno has threatened to expose him and to reveal his immoral lifestyle. What future will he have after that? So, to protect his secret and to ensure that Umno will not reveal the story about his mistresses and bastard child and whatnot, he needs to consider leaving Pakatan Rakyat and go join Barisan Nasional, maybe MCA, Gerakan or PPP.

So, as I said, those in the gang of ten that Zahrain said will join him in leaving Pakatan Rakyat to go join Barisan Nasional are orang-orang yang bermasalah.

Okay, so ten Pakatan Rakyat Members of Parliament are going to jump over to Barisan Nasional, said Zahrain (although I believe it is lesser than that). And if that happens then Barisan Nasional is going to gain back their two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, honestly, I don’t care a damn. Let them leave even if that results in Barisan Nasional gaining back its two-thirds majority in Parliament.

We have to start talking about The New Order. And to achieve The New Order we need the Members of Parliament and State Assemblypersons to be people of a higher moral fibre. Pakatan Rakyat has to set certain benchmarks and establish a value system. And anyone who does not come up to the mark has to go.

Let us start talking about Politik Baru (New Politics). The old style politics of expediency and opportunity need to be abolished. And anyone who still plays by the old rules needs to be chopped off. Just kill them off and throw their bodies into the pigsty for the pigs to enjoy their dinner.

The people are totally fed up with what has been going on these last two years or so. They voted for change. They voted for a new government to see this change. But all they got was the same old shit packaged in a new bottle.

That was what they voted for on 8 March 2008? In that case why bother to vote for change? If we want Barisan Nasisonal style politics then just vote Barisan Nasional. Why vote Pakatan Rakyat if all you get is the same old shit?

But it takes two hands to clap. The rats can’t play if not because the cat is away. And that is why these rats have become rodents of the worst kind -- because the cat has gone to sleep.

And the ‘cat’ I am talking about is of course Anwar Ibrahim. Is it any coincidence that all these orang-orang yang bermasalah are those close to Anwar?

These orang-orang yang bermasalah have become a huge masalah because Anwar has done nothing about them. No doubt all these people have been problem people from the very beginning and in their ‘previous life’ in Umno or Barisan Nasional. But they are able to become a problem only because Anwar is allowing them to be a problem.

Anwar is beginning to become a liability to the opposition cause. Anwar can better serve the opposition cause by going to jail. At least in jail we can use Anwar as the icon of injustice and get some mileage out of his incarceration. With Anwar on the outside the opposition gains nothing.

What’s the point of Anwar being on the outside if he does nothing? Better he go to jail. At least the opposition can benefit from it. That is what it has been reduced to. Anwar is more an asset dead than alive.

Can Zahrain maybe convince Anwar to join the gang of ten who are going to soon leave Pakatan Rakyat to join Barisan Nasional? That would be like killing two birds with one stone as far as I am concerned. The problem is solved and the one who is allowing the problem to perpetuate is also solved at the same time.

Am I wishing for too much?

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_31.html

Translated into BM at: http://gomalaysian.blogspot.com/2010/01/raja-petra-bercakap-tentang-arahan-baru.html

Anwar in court on Tuesday

KUALA LUMPUR:  Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim goes to the High Court on Tuesday to seek a stay of his second sodomy trial even as prosecutors ready themselves to start the trial on the same day.
Whether the much-delayed and much-awaited trial will finally take off depends now on Justice Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah, who will first hear Anwar’s application for a stay.
In his application, filed just five days ago before the trial was due to start, Anwar said it had to be stayed pending his appeal to the Court of Appeal against the High Court’s refusal to strike out the sodomy charge against him.
The Court of Appeal has yet to set a date for to hear the appeal.
Last Dec 1, Justice Mohamad Zabidin rejected Anwar’s application and set a month beginning Jan 25 for the trial.
But the Federal Court ordered a posponement to Feb 2 pending its decision on whether to allow Anwar access to documents from the prosecution to prepare his defence. It made that decision–against Anwar–on Friday.
So, the public focus will be on Criminal High Court 3 on Level 5 of the Jalan Duta Court Complex here on Tuesday when Justice Mohamad Zabidin presides over Anwar’s bid to stay the proceedings.– Bernama

• Malice and conspiracy: 1
• Malice and conspiracy: 2
• Malice and conspiracy: 3
• Malice and conspiracy: 4
• Malice and conspiracy: 5

Amnesty International desak tuduhan liwat terhadap Anwar digugurkan

KUALA LUMPUR: Pemantau hak asasi global Amnesty International mendesak kerajaan Umno-Barisan Nasional (BN) pimpinan Perdana Menteri Najib Razak menggugurkan pertuduhan jenayah liwat, yang didorong oleh niat jahat politik, terhadap Ketua Pembangkang Anwar Ibrahim.

"Pihak berkuasa Malaysia pernah menggunakan taktik yang sama dalam usaha untuk menyingkir Anwar dari politik.  Pihak kehakiman di Malaysia sepatutnya membuang tuduhan-tuduhan ini," kata Sam Zarifi, pengarah Asia Pasifik Amnesty International, dalam satu kenyataan yang diperolehi Harakahdaily semalam.


Anwar, bekas timbalan perdana menteri, sedang menghadapi tuduhan liwat babak kedua di mana beliau mengaku tidak bersalah. Ikon reformasi berusia 61 tahun itu menyalahkan Najib kerana memalsukan bukti dalam usaha untuk membunuh kebangkitan semula karier politiknya.

Berikutan dari kritikan awam beliau terhadap perdana menteri pada ketika itu, Dr Mahathir Mohamad dalam tahun 1998, Anwar ditahan dan dihukum atas dakwaan rasuah dan liwat.  Beliau menghabiskan masa selama enam tahun dalam tahanan persendirian sebelum pendakwaan ditarik balik dan dibebaskan dari penjara.
Perbicaraan baru beliau – di mana pihak media melabel sebagai Sodomi II – kini ditetapkan bermula 2 Februari ini di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur.

Kes ini merupakan kali kedua setelah 12 tahun kerajaan Umno-BN membawa tuduhan ini terhadap bekas timbalan perdana menteri itu, kini Ketua Umum Parti Keadilan Rakyat atau KEADILAN.

Melanggar piawaian perbicaraan yang adil, definasi oleh Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu Jumaat lalu, beliau gagal mendapatkan bukti-bukti kerajaan terhadap beliau.  Kalangan pakar undang-undang telah membidas keputusan mahkamah persekutuan kerana mengenepikan Kod Kanun Keseksaan di mana ahli-ahli parlimen telah memasukkan syarat-syarat supaya pasukan pembelaan mempunyai akses ke atas senjata yang sama yang dimiliki oleh pihak pendakwaan.

"Kes Anwar telah menimbulkan keraguan di kalangan masyarakat antarabangsa dan para pelabur mengenai komitmen Malaysia terhadap keadilan dan peraturan undang-undang," kata Zarifi.

Beliau menerangkan,"keengganan pihak pendakwaan memberi bukti-bukti kepada pihak pembelaan pada peringkat pra-bicara melanggar piawaian perbicaraan secara adil dan undang-undang Malaysia sendiri."

Di bawah Seksyen 51A Kanun Keseksaan Malaysia sendiri, pihak pendakwaan mesti memberi dokumen dan kenyataan fakta-fakta secara bertulis yang memihak kepada pihak pembelaan.

Malahan Jawatankuasa Hak Asasi Manusia Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu, telah menetapkan bahawa kemudahan-kemudahan paling minima untuk perbicaraan yang adil "mesti termasuk akses kepada dokumen-dokumen dan bukti-bukti lain di mana pihak yang tertuduh perlu untuk membuat persediaan membela diri," kata Zarifi.

Keputusan mahkamah untuk membenarkan pihak pemdakwaan untuk menyembunyi bukti-bukti penting menjadikan kes ini sebagai satu contoh (precedent) yang bahaya yang akan digunakan pada masa depan untuk tujuan kes-kes jenayah di Malaysia kelak,"katanya.  "Ini menjadi resepi kepada perbicaraan yang tidak adil."

Bercanggah dengan hak asasi manusia antarabangsa Tambahan pula, Amnesty International berkata tuduhan jenayah liwat terhadap Anwar, di bawah Seksyen 377B Kanun Keseksaan, juga bercanggah dengan piawaian hak asasi antarabangsa.

Undang-undang kolonial British menyediakan peruntukan hukuman penjara dan sebat, satu hukuman kerana melanggar undang-undang antarabangsa atas kesalahan mendera dan layanan yang tidak baik.

Malahan, Suruhanjaya Hak Asasi Manusia Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu pada tahun 1997 memutuskan bahawa undang-undang liwat melanggar hak asasi utama peribadi," kata Zarifi.

Untuk selama lima tahun, Anwar telah diharamkan dari menjawat jawatan awam ekoran dari hukuman dakwaan rasuah.  Selepas larangan itu ditarik balik pada April 2008, beliau memenangi kerusi parlimen pada Ogos, 2008 dan menjadi Ketua Pembangkang dan diangkat sebagai ketua gagasan Pakatan Rakyat.

Tetapi pada 17 Julai, 2008, kira-kira sebulan sebelum pilihan raya kecil Permatang Pauh, Anwar sekali lagi ditahan atas tuduhan liwat terhadap pembantunya, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan.  Jika didapati bersalah, beliau berdepan dengan 20 tahun penjara dan hilang jawatan politiknya.

Guan Eng dictator? Good for Guan Eng (UPDATED with Chinese and BM Translation)

But Lim Guan Eng is nobody’s running dog. He is not in office to serve Umno’s interest, or the interest of ex-Umno people who no longer have any future in Umno and are now trying to build a new future in PKR.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
When the Umno Malays attack the Chinese from the opposition, they would normally use the word ‘Communist’. To the Umno Malays, any Chinese who opposes Umno is a Communist.
And this is what MP Zahrain Mohd Hashim from PKR called Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng from DAP -- ‘Communist-minded’.
But then, Zahrain is Umno. Okay, maybe now he is in PKR. But that was only very recently. For decades he was in Umno and, furthermore, he was one of the key people in Umno Penang who headed various very important government agencies in the state.
In short, in true Umno fashion, Zahrain was one of the Penang warlords -- and he was so for a great number of years. But Umno warlords, even ex-Umno warlords now in the opposition, no longer carry any weight in Penang. And this must be extremely unsettling for someone like Zahrain, who practically had the power of ‘life and death’ over Penang -- and now has no power to even change the curtains in his office without the approval of ‘dictator’ Lim Guan Eng.
Another thing that is even more upsetting for Umno, even ex-Umno people now in PKR, is that, during the days of the Gerakan state government, it was Umno that called the shots while the Gerakan Chief Minister was merely an Umno running dog and in office merely to serve Umno’s interest.
But Lim Guan Eng is nobody’s running dog. He is not in office to serve Umno’s interest, or the interest of ex-Umno people who no longer have any future in Umno and are now trying to build a new future in PKR.
The ex-Umno people in PKR, in particular those from Penang, will have to learn how to adjust to the new ‘culture’. During the Umno days it was the Chinese who sat on the throne while the Malays were the power behind the throne who manipulated Gerakan and the Chief Minister. All Umno had to do was tell the Chief Minister to jump and he would respond, “How high?"
Lim Guan Eng, however, has a mind of his own. He knows what needs to be done (after all, Penang is the best run state, according to the Auditor-General). He understands the old Umno culture, which invariably has been ‘imported’ into PKR. No one is going to pressure him or blackmail him. He will not allow himself to become a puppet Chief Minister like the Gerakan Chief Minister in the days when Umno was running Penang with Gerakan as its front.
So we lose some ex-Umno people in PKR who decide to go back to Umno because they are no longer warlords like they used to be. Well, so be it. Better they go now even if we see a Perak situation in the other states as well. Spring-cleaning in PKR (and DAP and PAS as well) is long overdue anyway.
I have just about had it with all these ex-Umno people like Hassan Ali, Zulkifli Noordin, Zahrain Mohd Hashim, and many more who have been nothing but a source of problems for PKR and Pakatan Rakyat. If I were to list down the names of people like Ruslan Kassim, Ezam Mohd Nor, Lokman Adam, Rozaid Abdul Rahman, Hanafiah Man, and all those many others who came from Umno into PKR, and then left PKR to rejoin Umno after causing so much problems, this article would probably run into 20 or 30 pages.
It is time we bite the bullet and purge the party, even if we have to use 'undemocratic' methods, or else this nonsense will never end. Maybe Lim Guan Eng can teach us some of his ‘undemocratic’ tactics that we can use in PKR to clean up the party.

***************************************************

Zahrain: Lim is a dictator
PENANG: Dissension within Pakatan Rakyat has spread and the simmering feud between DAP and PKR leaders broke into the open when Bayan Baru MP Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohd Hashim verbally attacked Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Describing the DAP secretary-general as a “dictator, a chauvinist and communist-minded”, Zahrain who is the former state PKR chairman, said Pakatan should stop compromising with the leader who is from Malacca as Lim had failed to deliver its general election promises.
Stressing that he was not attacking the DAP, Zahrain said Lim would become a liability to Pakatan in the state if he continued the way he was now.
“Lim does not like to be criticised. He is quick to label those who criticise him as Barisan Nasional agents,” he said. “Even his own party colleagues do not have a say the moment Lim makes up his mind.”
Zahrain said among the election promises that were not kept were the introduction of local council election and an open tender system.
“Lim may be reluctant to push for local council election because it will diminish his power if Penangites use that as an avenue to pass verdict on the state’s performance.
“He also promised an open tender system, but he has made the process worse by personally chairing the tender board,” he said, adding that there was better check and balance during Barisan’s rule.
He said when he criticised Lim for his dictatorial ways of managing the state, he was accused of being an Umno agent.
“I am certainly not an Umno agent. I just do not want to see Pakatan going against its promises,” he said. “It is a shame for Pakatan and its principles when projects are awarded based on who knows who.”
Zahrain said Lim was not suitable to be Penang Chief Minister because he was not a local and did not understand local sentiments.
“He has failed to bring in foreign investments despite travelling all over the world to attract investments,” he said.
“Voters are watching. Penangites are very particular about economic progress.”
Zahrain also questioned why a third of Lim’s speech during the Pakatan convention was in Mandarin.
“As a leader of the Pakatan, he should respect people of all races and speak in a language understood by all.”
The attack by Zahrain comes in the wake of the open defiance of Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Noordin against party orders over the ‘Allah’ issue.
This led to a feud bet­ween Zulkifli and PAS’ Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad when the former even lodged a police report against the PAS man.
Zulkifli even challenged his party disciplinary board which let him off with a slap on his wrist but this in turned angered PKR’s political bureau chief Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who had quit as an Umno member, minister and senator to join the party.
Zaid criticised the party for letting off Zulkifli lightly saying it was no more than a poor copy of Umno. - The Star

Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2010/01/blog-post_9643.html
Translated into BM at: http://gomalaysian.blogspot.com/2010/01/raja-petra-guan-eng-diktator-baik-untuk.html

Ku Li : Oil Forum in Kota Bharu

At 9pm tonight, I will be addressing the people of Kelantan at the Stadium Sultan Muhamad Ke IV, on the oil royalties that are their sovereign right.
I have written on this issue before.
http://razaleigh.com/2009/11/28/oil-payments/
http://razaleigh.com/2009/07/31/letter-to-mb-of-kelantan-on-oil-royalties/
Here are the Vesting Deeds I referred to:-





The larger issue is State rights. Malaysia is a Federation of sovereign states. The Federal government has no rights over any petroleum resources except where these have been assigned to the Federal Government by the respective state governments. The novel mechanism we created for this assignment was Petronas.
The states vested all their rights in their petroleum resources in perpetuity to this entity incorporated under the Companies Act. In return Petronas bound itself to pay the respective state 5% of the profit oil from any oil found on or offshore of the state. I signed those undertakings with the Menteri Besar of each of the states.
Petronas is all about the Federation of Malaysia. It was formed to strengthen and protect the Federation. In founding it we intended to strike a balance which ensured that while respecting the sovereign rights of the individual states over their oil resources, all the citizens of the country, no matter what state they lived in, had some part in the bounty of oil.
Sarawak and Sabah shared their oil bounty in the spirit of strengthening the Federation. The arrangement struck with those states was extended to all the other states on the principle of kesaksamaan, or fairness.
By ignoring both the letter and the spirit of those agreements, the Federal government sets aside the very purpose of Petronas. More importantly there is a failure to understand the origin of Federal powers over state resources. We have forgotten that the states existed prior to the Federation. The Federation only exists because the states were willing to vest their rights in it, such as their rights in oil.
Not the other way around. The Federation itself rests on the principle of fairness to all the states, and to all our citizens, wherever they live. When the government of the day ignores this principle, it is ignoring a basic principle holding our country together.
There has been too much centralization of power in the federal government. Powers functions and rights that belong to the states must be restored to them.

Okay, now my version of history (UPDATED with BM Translation)

So, with due respect to Dr Mahathir, it was actually the other way around. Umno was the one that split the Malays. And now Umno grumbles that the opposition is splitting the Malays? And, worse still, Umno split the Malays to serve the British interest and as a British ‘running dog’.
NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Dr M blames PAS, PKR for dividing Malays
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamed delivered a history lesson on Malay unity today and blamed PAS and PKR for dividing the community because of what he claimed was their greed for power.
He also described PAS and PKR among many other Malay-based political parties as Umno splinter groups responsible for disrupting unity among Malays.
Speaking at the National Library today at a special “Bicara Perdana” talk, he said that it was a historical fact that the first political party which was united and fought against the British for Malay rights was Umno.
He added that it was the unity of the Malays in backing Umno that made the British pull out and abandon their plans for a Malayan Union at the end of World War Two.
The former PM pointed out that it was the Umno ulamas, who had split from the Malay nationalist party in the 1950s to form PAS.
This was because they were “dissatisfied” when they were not given positions within the state and federal legislatures, according to Dr. Mahathir.
“PAS, in the beginning, were ulamas from Umno. They were upset that they were not chosen in the legislative and state legislative assembly...more educated and English-speaking Malay leaders were chosen and they were not happy with this.
“If you get selected, you become a YB, and then you got paid RM300,” he said.
The former premier said that these ulamas went into seclusion, then formed a new party so that they could “contest” to become candidates.
“The split between the Malays started just because they wanted positions. That was when PAS was formed.
“Later on the same thing happened with Keadilan, as well as the now-defunct Semangat 46...all these were splinter groups from Umno.”
Dr Mahathir also defended the social contract, the so-called unwritten agreement between the Malays and the non-Malays during independence, by affirming that without the agreement, Malaysia would not have been formed.
“If there was no social contract, the terms and conditions of allowing citizenship to non-Malays would have not taken place. One million outsiders were given citizenships at the time.”

*********************************************

Mustapha Hussain: Malay Nationalism Before UMNO
THE MEMOIRS OF MUSTAPHA HUSSAIN, 1910-1957
KMM: The Young Malay Union (1938)
Dr Burhanuddin Al Helmi
Dr Burhanuddin, a colossal name in Malay left politics, was not a KMM member. KMM only contacted him a week after the fall of Singapore. Ibrahim Yaakub and I interviewed him before suggesting that the Japanese Military Administration employ him as Advisor on Malay Customs and Religion. Dr Burhanuddin accepted the post graciously. Had he declined, KMM would have brought in Ustaz Abu Bakar Al Baqir, founder of the religious institute, Madrasah Maahad Il Ihya Assharif in Gunung Semanggul, Perak.
Dr Burhanuddin worked in Singapore initially, but when the Japanese Military Administration for Sumatra and Malaya was incorporated, and its HQ moved to Taiping, Perak, so did Dr Burhanuddin. We should commend Haniff bin Sulaiman, a faithful Taiping KMM member for introducing Dr Burhanuddin to the public in Perak through talks and religious sermons. That made it easy for the Malay Nationalist Party (MNP), the successor of KMM, to gain a foothold in Perak, when Dr Burhanuddin founded it in 1945.
Dr Burhanuddin was a remarkable religious figure, who combined the logic of science and Islam most effectively. Before World War II, he was a schoolteacher in Singapore and dabbled in politics from a distance. He had written many protest letters to the press on the Israeli Occupation of Palestine, and was once arrested and detained in a Police lock up. Although not a KMM member, he was very influenced by it.
Ahmad Boestamam
According to a statement given to me dated 12 November 1975, Ahmad Boestamam, another great name in Malay left politics, joined KMM a couple of months before the Japanese invasion. He took over the post of Assistant Secretary from Abdullah Kamil, who had left Kuala Lumpur. Boestamam stated that although he was a member of the daily Majlis editorial board, led by Ibrahim Yaakub in Kuala Lumpur, he was never once invited by Ibrahim Yaakub to join KMM, although two other editorial board members (Abdul Samad Ahmad and Mohamad Salehuddin) were.
National List of KMM Members Whom I Knew
Kuala Lumpur
Abdul Samad bin Ahmad, Majlis, Kuala Lumpur
Mohamad Salehuddin, Majlis, Kuala Lumpur
Ahmad Boestamam @ Abdullah Thani, Majlis, Kuala Lumpur
Mohd. Yassin bin Salleh, Malay schoolteacher, Kuala Lumpur
Hamzah bin Alang, businessman, Kampung Baru, Selangor
Abdul Rahman Tambi, clerk, Kampung Baru, Selangor
Mustaffa Yunus, barber, Kajang Selangor
Saidi Hashim, book store owner, Kajang, Selangor
Ahmad, Agricultural Department, Cheras, Selangor
Hashim bin Mat Dali, Pucung, Selangor
Ahmad bin Mohd. Amin, Agricultural Department, Selangor
Johar bin Kerong, Agricultural Department, Selangor
Rais bin Abdul Karim, Agricultural Department, Selangor
Abdul Rauf, Agricultural Department Selangor,
Hamzah Sanusi, Kuala Selangor
Perak
Tuan Haji Ariffin, Kuala Kangsar
Zainal Abidin bin Kassim, Technical School student, Kuala Lumpur (son of ‘Rich Man Kassim’ in Tapah Road)
Mohd. Nor bin Abdul Shukur, Ipoh
Mohd. Mustaffa bin Ali @ Majid, Ipoh
Aminuddin, Ipoh
Isa bin Sulaiman, Agricutural School graduate and Malay schoolteacher, Perak
Pak Cik Ahmad, self employed, Taiping
Haniff bin Sulaiman, insurance agent, Taiping
Mohd. Judin, Agricultural Department, Kuala Kangsar
Junid Mahmud, Malay schoolteacher, Tapah Road
Tuan Haji Mohd. Yusuf, Batu Gajah
Ahmad Shafik, Gunung Semanggul
Abdullah Che Dat or Abdullah C.D., Clifford English School, Kuala Kangsar (the youngest KMM member at 17)
Abdul Rahman Rahim
Mohd. Hanafiah Abdul Rahman
Pahang
Mohammad bin Baginda Besar, smallholder, Bentong
Yahaya bin Hussain, Agricultural Department (my brother)
Kamarulzaman bin Teh, Agricultural Department, Bentong
Negeri Sembilan
Jaafar Sidek
Achih bin Haji Masud
Thaharuddin Ahmad
Zubir Salam
Penang
Putih Badri bin Chek Mat, Al Mashoor schoolteacher
Abu Bakar Mohd Noor, Kelawai
Ustaz Abdul Majid
Kedah
Mohammad Ariff
Melaka
Mohd. Isa Mahmud
Ibrahim Endut
Abdul Hamid Abdul
Trengganu
Abdul Majid bin Haji Mohammad
Ibrahim Tahir
Wan Daud Ahmad (Datuk)
Johor
Haji Abdul Hamid Fadzil Tahir
Ilias Karim
Musa, Agricultural Department, Muar
Kelantan
Abdul Kadir Adabi, writer
Ibrahim Mustaffa, journalist
Endnotes To Chapter 18
British Police Officer J. Birch, who once served in Bagan Serai, Perak was sent to arrest me in Taiping, but the Japanese military’s speedy advance forced Birch to retreat. He diverted to Teluk Anson (now Teluk Intan), hoping to arrest Raja Yahaya, a Police Officer absent without leave, but Birch was unlucky to be in the Japanese way. He was killed.
Translated by Insun Mustapha
Edited by Jomo K. S.

******************************************

Okay, you have read Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s lecture on history, which I republished above. Now, compare Dr Mahathir’s version of history to mine. And, to support my version, I offer you just a very small extract from Mustapha Hussain’s book, Malay Nationalism Before Umno.
If you were to read the entire book (which I have), you will discover that the Malays united to fight for independence from Britain long before the Second Word War and long before Umno was born in 1946.
Then the British ‘created’ Umno. And I have also written about this, about ten years or so ago, which was published in Harakah, when I interviewed an ‘old boy’ of MCKK, Datuk Andika, who died a couple of years ago in Kuala Terengganu at the age of 100.
Datuk Andika related how he was encouraged and financed by the British to set up the first Umno branch in the state of Terengganu, which was in Dungun.
The British allowed Umno to campaign for Merdeka the length and breadth of Malaya. But when the KMM people did the same, the British detained them without trial.
In short, the Malays were already united long ago. And they were united against the British. But along came the British who created Umno. And the purpose of creating Umno was to split the Malays and kill KMM.
It was actually a very clever strategy. The British in fact did the same in the Ottoman Empire, if you were to study the history of Lawrence of Arabia. The British invented this marvelous strategy called ‘divide and rule’. And it worked all over the British Empire.
So, with due respect to Dr Mahathir, it was actually the other way around. Umno was the one that split the Malays. And, worse still, Umno split the Malays to serve British interests and as a British ‘running dog’. And now Umno grumbles that the opposition is splitting the Malays?
And let Royal History Professor Khoo Kay Khim prove me wrong.

Translated into BM at: http://gomalaysian.blogspot.com/2010/01/raja-petra-ok-sekarang-sejarah-versi.html

MT : Three frogs and another Pandora's box

Since rumours, climaxed with a Malaysiakini report, surfaced of at least one 'sure' defection of a Penang PKR MP, analysts have started to work on the theory that BN is trying hard to engineer 8 or 9 defections to re-gain its 2/3 in the lower house.
By "Sun Line" in a Facebook Note.
I shall not dwell on possible state level defections in this Note as it would only distract from the bigger implications at federal level.

While the elusive 2/3 may be the holy grail, things can get pretty messy even if just *three* PKR reps jump ship.

Why?

Here's why: PKR has 30 seats, DAP 28, PAS 23. If 3 PKR frogs leap, DAP becomes the strongest seat-based party in the opposition.

By convention and tradition the party with the most seats in opposition gets the Opposition Leadership position. This, however, is not a legal requirement because, in law, anyone -- even Zul -- can be opposition leader as long as he/she has the majority support of those on the opposition benches.

DAP and the then Keadilan have set a precedent in the 1999-2004 term by supporting Pas for the post even though their combined numbers are more than PAS, at a time when DAP and Pas were publicly bitch-slapping each other over the Islamic state issue.

If 3 PKR reps jump, Anwar has no moral claims to the post. As he's not even PKR's president, it would be hard-pressed to politically and morally justify giving the position to a mere 'de facto' leader of the second biggest party in Pakatan.

If he gets to keep the job, opponents will have a field day cementing claims that Pakatan is all about Anwar.

DAP members and supporters would also demand the party stick to convention and tradition and lay claims to the opposition throne.

If the post goes to DAP, then another Pandora's box will be opened. Umno will use all its, and the govt's, resources to cement claims that DAP pulls the Malay strings in Pakatan.

Under present socio-political conditions it just takes three frogs to re-shape public perception and the political landscape.al

This is, in my opinion, Umno's immediate plan. Selangor is peanuts compared to just 3 PKR federal frogs jumping.

Maybe this explains why Anwar is still hugging his political errant child so tightly despite loud calls for him to sack that fella.

Is he, in effect, just hugging himself?

Rais: Media tradisional jangan jadi alat propaganda

Para pembaca semestinya akan beralih kepada internet untuk mendapatkan berita sekiranya media tradisional kekal dengan gaya penulisan lama yang menampilkan laporan berdasarkan apa yang dirasakan oleh editor perlu dibaca oleh orang ramai sahaja, atau menjadi alat propaganda semata-mata.

Menteri Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim berkata internet yang mencetuskan satu fenomena perubahan baru di seluruh dunia, membolehkan orang ramai membaca apa sahaja yang ingin dibaca mereka.

Beliau berkata demikian dalam ucapannya semasa merasmikan persidangan antarabangsa mengenai Kewartawanan yang Bebas dan Bertanggungjawab di Port Dickson, hari ini.

Teks ucapan beliau dibacakan oleh Timbalan Ketua Setiausaha (Penerangan) Kementerian Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Azmi Ali.

Rais berkata wartawan perlu bebas dalam melaksanakan kewajipan membekalkan maklumat kepada orang ramai dengan mematuhi beberapa peraturan mudah, seperti yang pertama kewajipan utama adalah terhadap kebenaran, kesetiaan penuh kepada rakyat, perlu berdisiplin untuk membuat pengesahan terhadap setiap laporan, dan kekal bebas daripada kongkongan pihak yang dilaporkan.

Beliau berkata di negara-negara tanpa kebebasan akhbar, majoriti wartawan yang membuat laporan berita mungkin tidak mematuhi standard kewartawanan ini.

"Media yang dikongkong sering dilarang daripada mengkritik kerajaan dan dalam banyak kes, ia dikehendaki menyebar propaganda, seolah-olah propaganda ini adalah berita.

"Pelbagai bentuk tapisan pula dikenakan yang mungkin menghadkan laporan berita berhubung isu-isu yang dianggap sensitif oleh kerajaan," katanya.

Katanya para wartawan setiap hari berhadapan dengan risiko yang ditampilkan menerusi undang-undang media yang ketat, dan ancaman seperti kemungkinan lesen penerbitan tidak dibenarkan untuk diperbaharui, saman, denda atau penjara, serta gangguan dalam pelbagai bentuk campurtangan kerajaan di bilik berita.

Rais berkata selaras dengan kemunculan pelbagai isu dan cabaran ini, badan Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) ditubuhkan pada tahun 1909 di Amerika, khusus untuk menggalakkan amalan kewartawanan yang bebas di samping menjana standard tinggi etika perlakuan.

Menurutnya SPJ menampilkan kod etika secara sukarela untuk dijunjung oleh ribuan wartawan tapa mengira tempat atau platform, dan ia diguna pakai secara meluas di bilik-bilik berita ahupun kelas-kelas latihan sebagai garis panduan bagi perlakuan beretika.

Kira-kira 60 peserta dari Malaysia dan negara-negara Selatan seperti Azerbaijan, Brunei, Kemboja , Fiji, India, Sri Lanka, Venezuela dan Vietnam mengambil bahagian dalam persidangan dua hari itu.- Bernama

FMT : AG told to act against Khir Toyo

PETALING JAYA: The Attorney-General has no longer any reason to delay action against former Selangor Mentri Besar Khir Toyo, who is accused of lavishing RM1.7 million of  taxpayers’ money on two Disneyland trips during his term in office.
Ramon Navaratnam (picture), chairman of the Centre for Public Policy Studies, said this today in reaction to an announcement by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that it had completed its probe on Khir.
“That the file has been sent up to the Senior Federal Counsel indicates the MACC believes there are grounds to probe further,” he said.
“But whether the AG believes there is sufficient evidence to secure a conviction is another matter.
“This case has attracted enormous public anger and public funds are also involved. So, whatever it decides, the AG must be seen to be efficient and impartial. It must make its reasons very clear and spell them out publicly for all to see.”
Selangor PKR Youth leaders on Tuesday lodged a report to “remind” the MACC to complete its probe on the embattled Khir, who is facing several large corruption probes on different fronts.
Some 30 Youth members sporting Mickey Mouse masks handed in their report together with documentary evidence to Selangor MACC director Jaafar Mahad.
“I was told that the Putrajaya MACC had completed its investigations into the matter and the findings have been forwarded to its senior federal counsel,” Jaafar said. “Now, the senior federal counsel would investigate the matter from all aspects of the law.”
Khir, a senior Umno leader, has said the charges were false. According to him, the trips to Disneyland parks in France and the United States–each with a large entourage–were “technical visits.”
Apart from the theme park visits, his lavish bungalow in Shah Alam–which some have estimated to be worth RM24 million–has also attracted public interest. However, despite reports lodged with the MACC, the probe has been slow, according to Harakah Daily.
“This is the crux of the problem,” said PKR vice president and Subang MP Sivarasa Rasiah. “Corruption is corruption and the MACC must be seen to exercise more professionalism in the way it conducts its probes.
“When reports are made against the Pakatan Rakyat and over miserly sums, the MACC can rush about and get charges up and going in no time. But when it involves an Umno-BN leader, they have to be constantly reminded or the case will sink into obscurity.
“I believe the Disneyland charges were raised by the Selcat (a Selangor parliamentary committee) nearly a year ago in March 2008. And the amounts involved are not small. But till now, the authorities are pushing the case round and round with no result.
“If they want the public to have confidence in them, then they must do a much better job and target the big fish and not just the small fry.”

FMT : Anwar mohon tangguh bicara kes sodomi babak kedua

KUALA LUMPUR: Ketua Umum KEADILAN Rakyat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim semalam memfailkan permohonan bagi menangguhkan prosiding perbicaraan kes tuduhan liwat yang dijadualkan pada 2 Februari ini.
Permohonan ini dibuat sementara menunggu rayuan Anwar berhubung penolakan Mahkamah Tinggi di sini terhadap permohonannya bagi membatalkan tuduhan liwat terhadapnya.
Menurut peguam bela Anwar, Sankara Nair, beliau memfailkan permohonan itu di Pejabat Pendaftar Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur semalam.

Malah melalui sistem pesanan ringkas (SMS) yang dikirimkan kepada Free Malaysia Today memberitahu mahkamah telah menetapkan 2 Februari ini bagi mendengar permohonan tersebut di hadapan Hakim Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.
“Pada pukul 4 petang tadi pihak Pejabat Pendaftar Mahkamah Tinggi memberitahu bahawa 2 Februari (Selasa) bagi mendengar permohonan itu,” kata Sankara.
Namun sama ada perbicaraan itu diteruskan atau sebaliknya, ia bergantung kepada keputusan hakim.
Pada 1 Disember 2009, Hakim Mohamad Zabidin menolak permohonan Anwar dan menetapkan perbicaraan selama sebulan mulai 25 Januari 2010.
Bagaimanapun, Mahkamah Persekutuan yang mendengar rayuan terakhir Anwar berhubung permohonannya itu bagi mendapatkan dokumen yang didakwanya adalah penting bagi pembelaannya, memerintahkan perbicaraan ditunda kepada 2 Februari.
Keputusan ini dibuat sementara menunggu keputusan mahkamah berhubung permohonan untuk mendapatkan dokumen berkaitan.
Mahkamah Persekutuan dijadual memberikan keputusannya berhubung perkara itu hari ini.
Anwar, 63, dituduh meliwat bekas pembantunya, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, 24, di sebuah kondominium di Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur pada 26 Jun 2008.

MK : Mahkamah Persekutuan tolak permohonan Anwar

Ketua pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim gagal mendapatkan dokumen utama pihak pendakwaan bagi persiapan perbicaraan kes liwatnya yang dijadualkan bermula Selasa ini.
Antara bukti tambahan yang dipohon oleh Anwar ialah rakaman video, nota ahli kimia dan laporan perubatan Dr Osman Abdul Hamid dari Hospital Pusrawi

Hakim Mahkamah Persekutuan Abdull Hamid Embong, yang mengetuai panel tiga hakim menolak permohonan Anwar dan mengekalkan keputusan yang dibuat oleh Mahkamah Rayuan.

Panel Mahkamah Persekutuan telah mendengar hujah daripada peguambela Anwar, Karpal Singh dan penguam cara negara, Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden pada 20 Jan lalu.

Bagaimanapun mereka tidak dapat membuat keputusan dan menangguhkannya sehingga hari ini. Panel yang sama juga mengarahkan perbicaran kes liwat Anwar bermula 2 Feb ini.
Mahkamah Tinggi sebelum ini membenarkan Anwar mendapatkan semua dokumen terbabit kecuali sampel DNA pengadu, iaitu bekas pembantu peribadinya, Mohd Saiful Azlan Bukhari.

MK : Selangor dakwa polis sabotaj Thaipusam

Polis petang semalam merobohkan pentas yang telah siap dibina oleh kerajaan negeri Selangor untuk menyambut perayaan Thaipusam di Batu Caves.

Pentas berkenaan bertujuan digunakan bagi Menteri Besar Selangor, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim menyampaikan bantuan RM1 juta kepada sekolah-sekolah Tamil dan kuil-kuil Hindhu di negeri itu.

“OCPD Gombak (Abdul Rahim Abdullah) dan pegawai polis lain datang pada jam 6.30pm dan mendakwa ia (perobohan) untuk tujuan keselamatan," kata penyelaras program itu yang juga Ahli Majlis Tempatan Selayang, George Gunaraj.

Beliau juga mendakwa Abdul Rahim telah memberikan kebenaran lisan bagi pembinaan pentas itu ketika mesyuarat menganjurkan sambutan Thaipusam itu.

Exco Selangor Dr Xavier Jayakumar juga mendakwa mereka telah mendapat kebenaran dari Majlis Perbandaran Selayang.

Beliau berkata arahan pihak polis itu amat mencurigakan dan berkemungkinan besar menjurus kepada lawatan Perdana Menteri Najib Razak hari ini.

Beliau bersama-sama Adun Batu Caves Amirudin Shaari bergegas ke lokasi untuk meninjau tindakan polis ini, dan meminta penjelasan namun polis enggan bekerjasama.

"Kita telah angkat program ini di laman sesawang kerajaan negeri, promosi besar-besaran telah dibuat, ribuan pengunjung tahu akan program ini. Selepas perbincangan dibuat dan persetujuan dicapai, mengapa disaat-saat akhir polis mahu berhentikan acara ini," kata Xavier.

Sambutan Thaipusam adalah sebahagian daripada program pelancongan Selangor Shines yang diusahakan kerajaan negeri bersama Tourism Selangor dan syarikat telekomunikasi Digi.

Sambutan mesra rakyat kerajaan negeri sempena Thaipusam telah dirancang sejak tiga minggu lalu bersama-sama Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, penduduk dan pihak keselamatan.

Sementara itu, Ketua Polis Selangor Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar dilaporkan berkata pentas konsert itu didirikan di kawasan untuk kenderaan-kenderaan polis.

Khalid berkata polis tidak membantah sekiranya pentas diadakan di lokasi berbeza.

Beliau turut berkata alasan ini telah dimaklumkan kepada Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.

"Kita telah pun rancang program ini bersama-sama barisan penganjur, dan Majlis Perbandaran Selayang tiga minggu sebelum Thaipusam.
"Dalam masyuarat itu, pihak polis telah tunjukkan penempatan unit polis sepanjang acara Thaipusam. Pihak MPS telah meluluskan tempat ini untuk acara kerajaan negeri, dan saya bersama-sama polis telah melawat lokasi ini," jawab Xavier.

Xavier menjelaskan tapak dan waktu yang dipilih untuk menganjurkan pesta Thaipusam ini tidak bercanggah dengan aturcara Perdana Menteri Najib Razak.Katanya, jika Najib turut melawat pesta ini, kerajaan negeri akan mengalu-alukan kedatangan beliau sebagai tetamu kehormat.

Laporan palsu: Nizar tuntut TV3, TV9 mohon maaf

KUALA LUMPUR: Menteri Besar Pakatan Rakyat Perak, Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin (gambar) menggesa supaya Buletin Utama TV3 dan TV9 memohon maaf kerana membuat liputan palsu baru-baru ini.
Kedua-dua saluran televisyen elektronik itu mendakwa pegawai khas kepada beliau, sewaktu beliau menerajui kerajaan negeri, terlibat dengan kes rasuah pasir yang kini disiasat oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia.

"Saya menafikan sekeras-kerasnya maklumat dari TV3 dan TV9 berkenaan kerana saya tidak tahu menahu mengenai pegawai berkenaan.  Ia satu tuduhan tidak berasas," kata beliau kepada Harakah.
Ahli Parlimen Bukit Gantang itu berkata, pihaknya juga ingin mengetahui siapakah sebenarnya individu yang dimaksudkan tersebut kerana tidak mempunyai maklumat yang lengkap mengenai hal berkenaan.
Oleh itu, beliau menggesa agar pihak media yang terbabit menarik balik kenyataan yang dibuat dalam siaran berita berkenaan, yang menyentuh dirinya agar memohon maaf serta mengakui kesilapan dalam siaran berita yang sama bagi menjernihkan keadaan.

FMT : Terminal Petroleum Laut Dalam : Rakyat perlu tahu projek RM3.2 bilion

Oleh Tuk Nadim
PENGERANG: Rakyat, terutama penduduk Kampung Sungai Buntu dan berhampiran sehingga hari ini masih terpinga-pinga, apakah status projek Terminal Petroleum Laut Dalam yang menelan belanja RM3.5 bilion di Tanjung Ayam, Pengerang.
Walaupun selepas enam bulan, Memorandum Persefahaman (MoU) telah ditandatangani di antara kerajaan negeri Johor dengan sebuah syarikat kontraktor, Dialog Group Berhad, rakyat masih tidak diberitahu secara rasmi.
Bagaimana nasib kira-kira 100 penduduk kampung nelayan di situ? Mengikut perancangan projek itu, kampung nelayan itu akan dipindahkan dan seribu satu kemungkinan isu bakal berbangkit mengenai masa depan mereka.

Memetik sumber akhbar siaran 9 Jun 2009, iaitu sehari selepas MoU itu ditandatangani di Kuala Lumpur, projek yang dianggarkan bernilai RM3.5 bilion itu akan dibina di Tanjung Ayam, Kampung Sungai Buntu dan bersempadan dengan dua buah kampung tradisional iaitu Kampung Sungai Rengit dan Kampung Sungai Kapal.
Menurut sumber itu, kawasan laut seluas kira-kira 500 ekar akan ditambak untuk menempatkan terminal minyak dan projek itu dibayangkan sama seperti Kertih, Terengganu  dan Tanjung Langsat, dekat Pasir Gudang, Johor.
Projek itu dijadualkan akan memulakan kerja-kerjanya pada suku pertama tahun ini, dan kerja-kerja penilaian alam sekitar (EIA ) sudah dijalankan dan sudah di peringkat akhir.
Menurut Pengerusi yang juga Pengarah Urusan Kumpulan Dialog Group Bhd, Ngau Boon Keat, projek itu mengambil kesempatan dari permintaan tinggi terhadap terminal penyimpanan petroleum di rantau ini.
Ia sekali gus memberikan saingan secara langsung kepada Singapura yang ketika ini adalah hab penyimpanan petroleum terbesar di Asia Tenggara.
“Apabila siap, terminal penyimpanan di Tanjung Awam itu mampu menawarkan kos penyimpanan jauh lebih kompetitif berbanding negara jiran” katanya
Hasil tinjauan PAS negeri Johor dan PAS Kawasan Pengerang ke Kampung Sungai Buntu dan bertemu penduduk Ahad lalu, mendapati ada banyak perkara yang penduduk kurang jelas dan menyifatkan cara kerajaan negeri melindungi projek itu di mata rakyat seperti ada ‘agenda yang tersembunyi’.
Timbalan Pesuruhjaya PAS Johor, Dzulkefly Ahmad, yang mengetuai rombongan itu bersama enam orang ahli jawatankuasa PAS negeri dan Pengerang bertegas untuk membawa isu itu ke sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Johor pada bulan Mac akan datang.
Beliau berkata, dari pemantauan itu mendapati kerja-kerja uji tanah (soil test) jelas sedang dijalankan pada jarak kira-kira 2 kilometer daripada pantai, dan penduduk kampung jelas melihat kerja-kerja itu dijalankan.
Malah, beliau difahamkan nelayan sudah mengadu mengenai alat tangkapan mereka habis rosak akibat terlanggar sisa tiang-tiang besi pancang kerja uji tanah itu.
Beliau berkata, “ini projek besar, ini juga hasil kekayaan baru negara yang melibatkan nasib dan masa depan rakyat. Mengapa Menteri Besar tidak turun bertemu penduduk untuk menjelaskan secara berterus terang?”
“Kita sudah ada banyak pengalaman seperti projek lebuh raya dan Iskandar Malaysia. Kita tak mahu nasib yang menimpa kampung nelayan Kampung Kepok, Gelang Patah berlaku pula kepada penduduk Kampung Sungai Buntu,” ujar beliau.
“Soal ambil tanah dan bayar pampasan kepada penduduk mesti dibuat dengan cara yang sewajarnya. Isu pampasan kepada penduduk amat penting, kerana mereka selepas ini sudah tidak jadi nelayan lagi.
Bolehkah mereka menukar cara hidup dengan begitu cepat dan mudah, sesuaikah kerja-kerja yang akan ditawarkan kepada mereka nanti?” soal beliau.
Menurutnya, dari maklumat yang beliau perolehi zon tanah di kawasan situ adalah zon pelancongan dan pertanian. Apabila statusnya ditukar kepada zon industri, nilai tanah disitu secara automatik melambung tinggi.  Oleh itu, jumlah pampasan yang perlu dibayar kepada penduduk juga mesti tinggi.
PAS Johor berpendapat, apabila kerja-kerja uji tanah sudah dijalankan, kerja-kerja susulan selepas ini adalah kerja penambakan dan arahan supaya penduduk berpindah juga semakin hampir.
Pihaknya bimbang kerajaan akan menggunakan Akta Pengambilan Tanah sama ada mengikut Seksyen 4 atau 8. Atau besar kemungkinan soal pengambilan tanah penduduk itu boleh dibuat lebih cepat, dan yang biasa menjadi mangsa adalah penduduk.
Sehubungan itu, PAS Johor mendesak supaya kerajaan negeri pimpinan Menteri Besar, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman, segera turun padang bertemu penduduk untuk menjelaskan mengenai projek itu termasuk berdialog mengenai masa depan mereka.
Menurut penduduk, sudah lebih dua bulan jentera penggerudi minyak dan uji tanah berada di perairan laut bertentangan dengan kampung itu.
Penduduk pada peringkat awal tertanya-tanya apakah minyak sudah ditemui di perairan laut itu? Selepas mendapat penjelasan secara ringkas daripada ADUN Tanjong Surat, Datuk Harun Abdullah, sebahagian nelayan mula faham secara umum tentang projek itu.
Buat masa ini, antara isu yang ingin diketahui oleh penduduk adalah kemana mereka akan dipindahkan. Wakil penduduk,  Haris Yunus secara tegas menyatakan mereka tidak mahu dipindahkan ke kawasan petempatan yang jauh daripada kampung asal, sebaliknya mahu terus kekal berada dalam kampung itu.
Beliau pada dasarnya tidak menolak projek yang mahu dibangunkan di Tanjung Ayam itu. Tetapi, beliau mahu memastikan nasib mereka benar-benar dibela bukannya berlaku peminggiran seperti yang sudah banyak terjadi apabila projek-projek mega dibangunkan oleh kerajaan di negara ini.

The gathering storm in Pakatan

FIRDAUS ABDULLAH and SHUHADA ELIS, New Straits Times
His loyalty to Parti Keadilan Rakyat supremo Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the party knows no boundaries but when it comes to religion, Kulim-Bandar Baru member of parliament Zulkifli Noordin is ready to defy them all. FIRDAUS ABDULLAH and SHUHADA ELIS speak to the maverick PKR member and MP, who sees himself as “ikan bilis” in the party, on his controversial views

Q: You were a practising lawyer, how did you get into politics?

A: I was not even supposed to contest in the March 2008 general election. The seat for Kulim Bandar Baru was reserved for the late Datuk Sheikh Azmi Sheikh Ahmad, as he was the incumbent. But two or three days before the nomination day, his leg was amputated because of diabetes. So they needed a candidate and (Datuk Seri) Anwar Ibrahim called me up, asking me to contest. I was not even a party member then and we expected to lose. But Anwar gave me money and I went there campaigning, just days before the nomination day. But I won with a 8,000-strong majority. And that is when the "problem" started.

Q: Almost two years down the road where do you see the direction of PKR as a political party and Pakatan Rakyat as a coalition now?
A: I personally believe PKR and Anwar are genuinely into reform. The reform agenda is sincere, but the reality of politics is taking over. Things have changed. For once, the leadership of Barisan Nasional has changed, (Prime Minister) Datuk Seri Najib Razak is more dynamic and he can read the enemy well. So he is implementing what we want to do, as he is also into reform. This has caused setbacks in certain things tried by Pakatan. So they have to shift to adjust to current challenges. But sometimes there are events which are not within our control that supersede the programmes, like the issue of the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. It is beyond our expectations and had forced us to take a stand. And that stand has caused political repercussions.

Q: Previously you have mentioned that there are "little Napoleons" in the party who are waiting to kick you out (from PKR). How do these little Napoleons come into play?
A: I believe they have their own agenda, not to reform. Their agenda is revolution. In the sense they are changing the very fundamental pillars of the society, like making Islam and other religions equal. The special privileges of the Malays (which are) enshrined in the Federal Constitution, I think they will take it off. I'm not calling it a reform, it is a revolution. So this should be made known to the public because they should know that this is what we (in Pakatan Rakyat) are going to do if we take over the country.

Q: And you do not agree with that (changing the Constitution)?
A: I am against it because that (the Constitution) is the pillar of the country. We have been living in peace and harmony for so many years, so why should we touch or remove it (the special privileges of the Malays and the position of Islam)?

Q: How do you digest the DAP's recently-launched "Middle Mala- ysia" approach?
A: It is another way of turning Malaysia into a Chinese country. It is a chauvinistic approach and that is what they are doing in Penang anyway. Silently and quietly, they are turning it into another Hong Kong. They are saying certain Malay officers are not good so (they should) change (but) why replace them with Chinese officers? For me DAP is pure and simple a Chinese chauvinistic party. So we have to balance, and Anwar is playing that (political balancing act). He is the balancing factor. On the other hand, you have Pas which is very extreme into Islamic state, so you have to balance between the two. You cannot allow DAP to be masquerading here and there.

Q: But lately Pas is not as extreme as it used to be, even on the "Allah" issue. Party leaders and members have different views and do not subscribe to the Islamic agenda any more.
A: Exactly. I think there are certain elements in Pas who are too engrossed with political achievements that they overlook their fundamental struggle of Islam. And unfortunately, these few elements are receiving support from the "new world" within Pakatan. They are in the mainstream, so to speak. The old school are seen to be out-of-place, this is what's happening now.

Q: You mean they are neo-liberals?
A: That is the word, neo-liberals. And it is eating Pas. Unless they come back to their fundamental struggle, I think Pas will be fading out very soon.

Q: What do you think of PKR supreme council member Datuk Zaid Ibrahim who had called for your sacking?
A: I personally have no respect for this person. In fact I had challenged him when he filed a suit against the Terengganu state government to stop the implementation of hudud law when Pas was in power. At that time he was still in Umno. I look at him as an opportunist. I have never seen him as a fighter or reformist.

Q: Does Anwar take him (Zaid) seriously? Is he grooming Zaid to replace him someday?
A: I don't think so. Anwar sees Zaid as a political asset at the moment. Anwar is a political master so he sees the opportunity. People with political value are valued by Anwar, and Zaid is dancing to their tune (the mainstream in Pakatan). Unfortunately, I think Anwar is also dancing to their tune. He should be more firm in his struggle rather than politicising everything. For me this is dangerous.

Q: There has been much hype about the "road to Putrajaya" and Anwar seizing power as the prime minister, so where do you see all this heading to?
A: If you look from the micro-level of Pakatan, what we are doing now is self-destructive. Our stand on Islamic and "Allah" issues and certain things we are doing are self destructive. Unless Pakatan really stops, sits down and looks back at what we are doing now. But from the macro point of view, for the good of the country, I think it is time for all political parties in Pakatan and Barisan Nasional to sit down and talk. We cannot afford all the bickering during these times of serious economic, security and political crises.

Q: There are views that DAP is taking advantage of the situation to push for its own agenda because Pakatan strives for the non-Malay support. How do you see the situation?
A: DAP are part of the "little Napoleons". They see the opportunity before them through Pakatan. I really hope the other leaders realise this. That is why at this stage, it is better for Pas, PKR and Umno to sit together because we are the main players, the rest are just fringe parties. We must sit down and chart a new dimension for Malaysia, we can make a change and we should, before it is too late.

Q: Have you voiced the suggestion to anybody?
A: I am waiting for the right time. In fact I am waiting for my "Titah di Raja" speech in the March parliamentary session, calling all the three parties to sit down. We need cooperation to face all this.

Q: What is your stand in the party now since many are against you, including (PKR vice-president) R. Sivarasa and recently, Zaid?
A: I am becoming their punching bag now (laughs). I will say that they see this as the best time to get rid of me, and they are harping on it. I think for the first time, Anwar is being influenced by them, because I have been with him for quite some time. I have been with him at his lowest time, from day one, when all his friends were against him. And he knows my belief, my conviction on Islam and struggle, and my loyalty to him. I (have) stood my ground for him, until my (law) firm got busted and the police lock-up became my second home.

Q: Do you think PKR will not have much problem if (Pas Shah Alam MP) Khalid Samad does not come into the picture?
A: When this issue (the use of the word Allah by non-Muslims) came out, Anwar called me and said he knew my stand, but tried to be polite. But I told him, Datuk Seri, you are a Muslim leader with Islamic credentials and people never forget that. You know very well there are two contrasting views, so why didn't you take a neutral and non-partisan stand? Then came Khalid with his arrogant views... But the breaking point was when he said the Non-Muslims Enactment in Selangor was outdated and the Malays were not wise enough then. That is too much. It is insulting. Even then, I told Anwar to caution him (Khalid), but he did not. This is not Umno's doing. People on the ground are not happy because Anwar and Khalid are churning the issue into politics. But on the Pakatan side, the "little Napoleons" are really happy.

Q: Have you spoken to Anwar on this issue?
A: I have replied to his email but there is no reply from him just yet. The issue is not about the word "Allah" but because of Khalid's statement on the enactment. What Khalid has done is a criminal offence and I have nothing to apologise.

Q: Personally, where do you think you stand in PKR now?
A: I think not only because of the friendship, but because Anwar believes I am a political asset for the Malay Muslim sector, so he maintains it. But if he starts believing that I am a political liability (to the party), then the curtain is down for me. But I have no qualms about it as my main priority is my religion. So if it is fated that I have to leave Pakatan, I have no regrets at all. I have never dreamt of becoming Yang Berhormat, MP or even a minister. I believe the 'rezeki' is with Allah and I'll survive anyway. But if they decide it is time for me to go, I'll go. But it does not mean I will quit as politician or MP. Let the people decide at the next general election.

Q: But if they sack you, would you join another party?
A: I will consider and keep the options open. At the end of the day, my main move is whether it benefits Islam. Maybe it is a blessing if they want to kick me out, I can be more vocal. At the moment, I still limit (myself). You never see me criticise Anwar.
I still appreciate that he is my boss although in this "Allah" issue, the pressure is so enormous on me to criticise him, but I say no. But if it is fated that I am out of PKR, maybe it will be a different ball game altogether.

Q: Your fellow MP (Azan Ismail, of from Indera Mahkota) has quit his party posts as Pahang deputy chairman II and state membership bureau chairman. Does it have something to do with the controversy surrounding you?
A: I am not that close to him but you will be surprised at the amount of support I receive from my fellow MPs. I am telling you that something big will happen soon if they (Pakatan) do not buck up. There are a few MPs who are not happy, they feel we are giving in too much to DAP. I hope Anwar can read this.

Q: By "something big", you mean an exodus?
A: Something serious will happen, politically. If Anwar fails to handle this issue in a manner acceptable to all, not only seen to be favouring the neo-liberals, I think he is in for a big surprise. Quite a number of PKR MPs and assemblymen are not the type to say things openly, but when they make a decision, you will be surprised. The Indera Mahkota MP is the quietest MP among us, he hardly speaks, but he has quit. And there are a lot of MPs who are like him. I am receiving strong support from my friends who told me not to give in, and I do not think I will. It is too big an issue.

Zaid : Little Napoleon

Parti Keadilan Rakyat hari ini membuat keputusan merujuk kes Zulkifli Nordin kepada Jawatankuasa Disiplin parti untuk menyiasat serta membuat keputusan terhadap beliau dalam masa 30 hari. Parti juga mengeluarkan “gag order” atau larangan supaya beliau tidak lagi mengeluarkan kenyataan yang boleh memudaratkan parti serta merosakkan perpaduan Pakatan Rakyat.
Hebat bunyi keputusan PKR. Nak ikut “due process “atau proses keadilan dalam undang undang.Sebenarnya ramai orang merasakan PKR tidak serius untok mengambil tindakan. Malah ada yang mengagak tidak akan ada satu keputusan yang tegas akan diambil dalam tempoh tersebut. Sementara itu Zulkifli Nordin setiap minit akan terus menghina pendirian Pakatan dalam TV UMNO dan surat khabar UMNO dan tidak akan peduli arahan parti, sama seperti yang telah dia lakukan pada masa-masa yang lepas.
Hairan juga keadaan ini, seolah-olah Zulkifli Nordin adalah seorang manusia yang tidak boleh disentuh oleh parti; entah mengapa ada keistimewaan itu. Sebab itulah Zulkifli menggelar sesiapa saja yang mengkritiknya sebagai “Firaun Kecil” atau “Little Napoleon”, iaitu merujuk kepada pegawai parti yang tidak ada taring; maksudnya orang seperti saya.
Selepas hari ini, saya yakin PKR tidak mampu mempertahankan sesuatu prinsip utama dalam perjuangan nya. Hanya yang mudah dan expedient,.PKR hari ini tak jauh bezanya dengan UMNO; cuma ia hanya seperti acuan atau “a poor man’s version of” UMNO.
Ada pihak amat takut untuk mengambil tindakan terhadap Zulkifli Nordin, walaupun jelas tindakannya yang mahu menghancurkan parti dari dalam, kerana bimbang dengan persepsi bahawa orang Melayu dan Islam sayang kapada Zulkifli Nordin . Dia konon nya popular dengan “isu Islam nya”. Tapi Zulkifli Nordin bukan wira Islam. Bukan wira Melayu. Sikap, perbuatan dan kata-katanya sama dengan jaguh-jaguh UMNO. Lagi pula Zulkifli Nordin terang-terang membuat kenyataan yang bertentangan dengan keputusan parti dan Pakatan Rakyat. Apa yang dilakukannya hanyalah memberi gambaran kepada umum bahawa PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat telah mengkhianati umat Islam dan Raja Melayu kerana kononnya sanggup membiarkan orang agama lain menghina Islam, terutamanya dalam isu penggunaan perkataan Allah.
Bagi saya, kalau kita tidak yakin dengan pendirian kita dalam soal penggunaan perkataaan Allah ini, dan isu lain yang dibawa olih Zulkifli Nordin ikut saja UMNO dan Zulkifli Nordin. Tapi kalau kita yakin, kalau kita berpegang kapada prinsip dalam Perlembaggaan Persekutuan , dan pendapat alim ulamak maka kita mesti teruskan dengan pendirian kita.. Sampai bila kita mahu berpolitik dua alam; di sana kita berpegang kepada satu prinsip, di sini kita bertukar kepada prinsip lain pula.
Mungkin ada rakan-rakan yang akan berkata tindakan akan diambil selepas siasatan jawatankuasa parti, dan minta saya bersabar. Ikut lunas undang undang. Saya memang setuju, sebab itu kita sepatutnya gantung Zulkifli Nordin sementara siasatan selesai. Kerana kesalahan nya jelas dan berterusan bagi mereka yang dapat dan mahu melihat. Kita perlu berlaku adil kapada dia , tetapi kita juga perlu berlaku adil kapada ratusan ribu ahli parti yang mengharapkan pembelaan dalam mempertahankan prinsip perjuangan parti dan Pakatan Rakyat.
Dalam memperkatakan semua ini saya mungkin dipecat olih parti Keadilan kerana saya tidak ada kekebalan saperti sasetengah pemimpin PKR. Tapi saya biasa kena pecat dan saya akan terus menyuarakan perjuangasn politik yang sihat dan bermaruah untok kebaikan PKR dan Pakatan. Kita tidak mampu menjadi parti yang akan membawa perubahan kapada politik dan pentadbiran Negara kalau Zulkifli Nordin pun kita tidak bolih selesai dengan cara yang sepatutnya. Nampaknya PAS lebih berprinsip dan berani kerana sanggup mengambil tindakan kapada ketua negeri Selangor nya Dr Hassan Ali, tetapi PKR takut kapada ahli Parlimen Kulim Bandar Baru.

Interview – Malaysia Anwar Confident Ahead Trial

From Reuters
Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim goes on trial next week on sodomy charges for the second time, confident he will win and believing the government’s mishandling of a religious row has bolstered the opposition’s political standing.
Anwar, 62, was this Southeast Asian country’s deputy premier and prime minister-in-waiting until 1998, when he was ousted from government, accused of corruption and sodomy and eventually jailed at the height of the Asian economic crisis.
In an interview with Reuters on Tuesday, Anwar said the ongoing row over whether Christians can use the word “Allah”, in which 11 churches and other religious buildings have been attacked, had hurt “the credibility of the government”.
Anwar was released from prison in 2004 after the top court overturned his sodomy conviction, and went on to build up his three-party People’s Alliance coalition.
In 2008, the Alliance won its best ever haul in national and state elections, winning more than a third of parliamentary seats and ending up in charge of five of Malaysia’s 13 states as ethnic Chinese and Indian voters deserted the government in droves.
“We are more confident now as compared to 2008, primarily because the government, through their own dubious manner, have managed to alienate Chinese and Indians further,” Anwar told Reuters.
A conviction in his upcoming trial could end Anwar’s political career, with the offence carrying a maximum 20-year jail sentence. Sodomy, even between consenting adults, is a criminal offense in Malaysia.
Anwar’s trial, which he claims is a political conspiracy against him, could raise political tensions at a time when Prime Minister Najib Razak has pledged to boost sagging foreign investment in the country.
Foreign investors withdrew $35 billion between the second quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2009 .
Foreign ownership of Malaysia’s stock market stood at 20.8 percent at the end of 2009, according to data from stock exchange operator Bursa Malaysia, less than the 21 percent in March before Najib took over the leadership of the National Front coalition.
COMBUSTIBLE FAULT LINES
Najib took power in April last year vowing economic and political reforms to win back voter support, including by minorities complaining of increased marginalisation.
But the row over the use of “Allah”, which stems from a Catholic newspaper’s successful legal bid to use the word to describe the Christian God, has exposed combustible political and ethnic fault lines.
Christians, including Malay-speaking ones in the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak who have traditionally used the word Allah for God, account for 9.1 percent of the 28 million population.
Anwar’s opposition coalition, which includes the Islamist Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), have supported the use of the word by Christians. The government has appealed the court verdict.
“Why is it so difficult for them (the government) to call up the Christians and speak to them and get the Muslim elements to engage with the Christians? This did not happen,” Anwar said.
The row has split opinions among Malays in both the opposition and the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the lynchpin of the ruling coalition that Najib heads.
Both sides are eager not to alienate the majority Malays who form a critical vote bank, but Anwar said that UMNO had “misread the ground” in its bid to consolidate Malay support.
“Ordinary people may not be sophisticated enough to talk about the lack of foreign investment or growth but they know in terms of unemployment and inflation, these are still the big issues.”
“But UMNO wants to deflect this by using the race card, (by portraying) that the Malays are under threat, the Muslims are under threat,” said Anwar.
Having spent the past several months building public support on the stump in nightly speaking engagements that have drawn large crowds, Anwar said he has seen “an upsurge in interest” in his case.
Last Sunday, police stopped him from speaking in his daughter Nurul Izzah’s parliamentary constituency in the capital, because he did not have the required permit for the event.
“Their (the government’s) plan is to get me out of the political scene, so that is why we have made enough preparations for the Pakatan Rakyat to continue with or without me,” he said.

FMT : 100,000 rakyat Selangor dapat geran tanah

Oleh Norasikin Samsi
Untuk lebih tiga puluh tahun, mereka hidup dalam keadaan tidak menentu, walaupun diberi pelbagai jaminan oleh kerajaan negeri Umno-Barisan Nasional yang lalu.
Namun penantian kira-kira 6,000 keluarga di Kuala Selangor untuk mendapatkan hak milik tanah kini berakhir setelah mendapat pembelaan dari kerajaan negeri Pakatan Rakyat.
Mulai bulan ini, mereka akan diberikan geran hak milik tanah secara berperingkat melalui Jadual Perancangan Proses Pemberian Milikan Tanah secara berkelompok.
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim  berkata pemberian geran tanah dibuat secara berperingkat bermula bulan ini dan dijangka selesai  hujung tahun 2010.

Dianggarkan kira-kira 100,000 keluarga akan mendapat manfaat daripada langkah kerajaan negeri itu.
Di Kuala Selangor sahaja, pemberian geran itu sekaligus menyaksikan hampir 90 peratus masalah pemilikan tanah di kawasan berkenaan selesai.
“Kita akan mengadakan pemberian geran, iaitu bermula di Kampung Sentosa, Kampung Seri Aman dan Kampung Baru Ijok pada bulan Januari.
Kita pergi ke Kampung Seri Makmur, Kampung Aman Tambahan, Kampung Bistari Jaya, sampai ke satu tahun.
Kita ada program satu tahun. Jadi maknanya, pada akhir tahun ini, bererti lebih daripada 90 peratus pemberian tanah di seluruh Kuala Selangor dapat diselesaikan,” katanya.
Kuala Selangor adalah sasaran pertama di bawah rancangan pemberian geran tanah kepada penduduk yang menduduki tanah milik kerajaan negeri.
Khalid berkata pemberian geran tanah kepada rakyat Selangor yang telah lama menetap di kawasan berkenaan akan turut memudahkan proses pembangunan dijalankan di negeri Selangor.
“Dengan cara ini, kita akan membuat pembangunan di kawasan-kawasan ini dengan baik dan tertib. Dan penguasa tempatan boleh merancang pembinaan kemudahan awam contohnya, bukan sahaja di Kuala Selangor, malah di seluruh Selangor,”  kata beliau.
Sementara itu, Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad melahirkan kesyukuran di atas pengumuman yang dibuat Menteri Besar itu.
“Saya melahirkan lafaz syukur di atas pemberian tersebut kerana akhirnya penantian rakyat selama tiga dekad lamanya berkesudahan dengan sedikit keceriaan kepada mereka.
“Alhamdulillah ini semua kejayaan bersama pemimpin-pemimpin Pakatan Rakyat yang berjuang untuk rakyat, dan saya sangat-sangat menunggu perkara ini diputuskan Menteri Besar,” katanya.
Beliau berkata, kerajaan negeri di bawah pimpinan Pakatan Rakyat hanya memerlukan masa kurang dari 21 bulan sahaja untuk menyelesaikannya berbanding pemerintahan kerajaan terdahulu.
“Saya selaku Ahli Parlimen di Kuala Selangor dan juga mewakili Ahli-ahli Parlimen Pakatan Rakyat sangat berbesar hati kerana dapat membantu rakyat mendapatkan kembali hak mereka iaitu ratusan ekar tanah yang dibolot oleh pemimpin dan kroni-kroni BN selama 30 tahun lamanya, namun tiada satu ekar pun yang diberikan kepada rakyat.
“Tetapi di bawah kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat, kita tidak perlu mengambil masa yang lama untuk mengembalikannya kepada mereka. Kita hanya memerlukan sekurang-kurangnya 21 bulan sahaja untuk ke arah itu, kerana kita tahu apa yang rakyat mahu dan perlu,” ujar beliau lagi.

MK : Royalti minyak Kelantan sepatutnya RM40 juta

Kerajaan PAS Kelantan mempertikaikan wang ihsan hanya sebanyak RM20 juta dan meminta kerajaan pusat menilai jumlah itu.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perancangan Ekonomi, Kewangan dan Kebajikan Negeri, Datuk Husam Musa berkata nilai yang sewajarnya diterima negeri itu, berdasarkan dengan pihak Petronas awal bulan ini, adalah sebanyak RM40 juta bukannya RM20 juta seperti diumumkan Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, semalam. Husam yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS II Kelantan berkata melalui perbincangannya Pengerusi Petronas Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican pada 8 Jan lalu, beliau RM40 juta itu tidak termasuk tuntutan di kawasan telaga bintang yang dengan kawasan perairan Terengganu-Kelantan.

"Pendirian kerajaan negeri tetap tidak menerima keputusan itu...kami mahu kenyataan rasmi dari Perdana Menteri (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) katanya pada sidang media selepas mesyuarat Exco, di Kota Baharu hari ini.Beliau mengulas kenyataan Mustapa semalam mengumumkan kerajaan Persekutuan memutuskan untuk membayar sebanyak RM20 juta wang ihsan kepada Kelantan pada Mac ini yang merupakan nilai lima peratus daripada jumlah keseluruhan hasil cari gali petroleum diperolehi sejak Mei 2008.
Kelantan tahun lalu mengemukakan tuntutan royalti berjumlah RM2 bilion terhadap operasi cari gali di perairannya kepada pusat dan berhasrat untuk mengambil tindakan mahkamah.
Bagaimanapun Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak mengumumkan kerajaan pusat akan memberikan wang ihsan, menggantikan bayaran royalti minyak, kepada kerajaan Kelantan mulai tahun ini bagi hasil pengeluaran minyak di luar pesisir
pantai negeri itu.
Kerajaan Negeri Kelantan didapati tidak berhak mendapat royalti minyak kerana dua telaga minyak yang dipertikaikan itu terletak di kawasan 150 batu nautika dari perairan negeri itu.
Husam berkata kerajaan negeri akan terus memperjuangkan haknya dalam tuntutan royalti minyak itu walaupun pusat mengantikannya kepada wang ihsan.
- Bernama