A Citizen Initiative for the Promotion of Free and Fair Elections

During an interview with NTV7 on 9^th Apr 2012, Prime Minister Dato Seri Najib Razak assured us that elections will be free and clean. We have followed up with his assurances and a coalition of NGOs is putting forward a package of electoral reforms aimed at restoring the spirit and intention of the original Federation of Malaysia Constitution. To achieve this, we are proposing more than 204 amendments to the Enactments and Regulations related to the election systems and processes as well as to the relevant Articles of the Federal Constitution.

SAPP-Pakatan: It just ain’t working out

By Calvin Kabaron

SAPP president Yong Teck Lee is adamant that
the party must stick to its principle that
a Sabah-based party must take the
majority of the state seats.

KOTA KINABALU: Mistrust and uncertainty within Sabah’s opposition politics could well indeed translate into a free-for-all fight at the coming general election.

Yesterday, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) supreme council met in Likas near here and snippets leaked out indicated that things may not be going too well with its alliance with PKR-led Pakatan Rakyat.

Insider information noted that party president Yong Teck Lee implied that if things don’t work out as it should, then SAPP could well be on a collision course with its newly-found allies PKR and DAP in many seats.

Will SAPP-STAR finally deal?

Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) wants a public
commitment from Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP)
and is no longer prepared to be left hanging.

KOTA KINABALU: Will today be the day that local Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) decides who it will bed with and openly declare so?

The party’s supreme council is scheduled to meet today and high on the agenda is its relationship with Sabah State Reform Party (STAR). Up until now, their ties have been “hanging”, with SAPP being seen as “non-committal”.

Currently, SAPP has a foot in Pakatan Rakyat and another in United Borneo Alliance (UBA), an umbrella body initiated by Jefftrey Kitingan as the political front for parties that subscribe to his United Borneo Front’s (UBF) Borneo Agenda.

Jeffrey, who is Sabah STAR chief, has kept the doors open to SAPP and its president Yong Teck Lee despite advice to the contrary from within and outside his party and circle.

Bumburing and Jeffrey in face-off

STAR is being accused of splitting the Kadazan, Dusun, Murut (KDM)
communities' votes in Sabah and handing BN a measure of
confidence that it can prolong its hold.

KOTA KINABALU: Two Kadazandusun opposition leaders here are going toe-to-toe over who has the more credible solution to what they claim is the great rip-off of Sabah and its people.

Maverick Sabah politician Jeffrey Kitingan has taken a hard line on ‘Malayan’ parties and has accused opposition leaders of being turncoats no better than the all-dominating Barisan Nasional ruling coalition they are castigating for rejecting his Borneo agenda that focuses exclusively on the rights of Sabah and Sarawak.

On the other side is Wilfred Bumburing, a MP who has turned independent and is leading Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), a opposition-friendly grouping that sees Jeffrey’s brand of Borneo-centric politics as out of touch with reality.

M'sia is world's No 2 in illegal capital flight

Steven Gan 8:01AM Dec 18, 2012

Close to RM200 billion of dirty money was siphoned out of Malaysia in 2010, putting the country second only to Asian economic powerhouse China in global capital flight.

Washington-based financial watchdog Global Financial Integrity (GFI), in its latest report which tracks capital flight, says the level of illicit flows from Malaysia in 2010 was the highest in 10 years.

GFI has introduced a new and more conservative methodology in its estimates of illicit financial outflows, which help to zero in exclusively on dirty money. As such, estimates from its previous reports have been revised.

Last year, GFI put the figure of illicit outflows for Malaysia in 2009 at US$46.86 billion(RM143.3). This has been altered to US$30.41 billion (RM93 billion).

DUMB DOWN for Islam - Is that what Pak Lah's IKIM is suggesting?

Written by  Joe Fernandez, Malaysia Chronicle 

The Institute of Islamic Understanding (Ikim), chaired by former premier Abdullah Badawi, recently came out with a strong statement warning Muslims against pluralism and liberalism on the grounds that such trends would "confuse them and undermine their faith". (scroll below for the Bernama report)

In short, the truth or otherwise  if there's any such thing isn't the crux of the debate, but to invoke "God" and keep society on a tight leash to ensure some sort of mindless social order for self-serving political reasons.

Banks robbing the poor….disgusting!!!

On 6 Dec 2012, PSM Kajang Branch received a complaint from Muniammah a/p Thambiram. She is 54 years old, illiterate, a widow and she is supporting her son who has been quite sick since last 4 years due to heart problem and an industrial accident. The son bought an apartment for the family in Oct 2001. Housing loan for RM78,318 was approved by AmBank and they started paying installment since Sept 2003.

It was not easy for them to pay the monthly installment which comes to about RM500-RM600 a month especially since the son, Thanasegaran is disable and surviving on SOCSO. They used up almost all their EPF money paying the installment. No doubt they were struggling as they was no stable income.

Wakil Rakyat cum Businessman

By: Datuk Tan Sri Tama Puyang
13.12.2012

In Oxford Dictionary, tells us the meanings of Politician (wakil rakyat), and the meaning of Businessman.

Let us start with “Politician”, what does it mean? In Oxford Dictionary, Politician means, “A person holding an elected government post.”

Secondly, what is the meaning of “Businessman” in Oxford Dictionary”? Businessman means “An occupation, profession, or trade; something that is someone’s duty or concern.”

Being your Tan Sri, I would like all of my Sarawakian to clearly understand the difference meanings between a businessman and a politician. Here you know how one person has to focus on making profits for his personal bank account, the other being elected during the election to lead the rakyat for 5 years.

Stop bullying NGOs, Sabah govt told

By Luke Rintod of FMT

A well known activists wants the Sabah state
government to stop harassing non-governmental
organisations in the state.

KOTA KINABALU: A long-serving Sabah human rights and social activist here has called on the Sabah government to be more accommodating to civil society groups in the state and not to apply unnecessary “pressure” on non-governmental organisations.

Patrick Sindu, said any “subtle pressure” from the government on these groups could be interpreted by the public and the international community, either rightly or wrongly, as interfering, manipulating, victimising or exploiting these NGOs in an effort to align them with the state government.

Frantic Najib in Sabah, again?

By Luke Rintod of FMT

The prime minister is expected to be in Sabah
tomorrow to shore up support for the Barisan
Nasional among the Christian community ahead
of the Christmas celebrations.

KOTA KINABALU: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is scheduled to visit Sabah twice this month, in what many here consider as an increasingly desperate effort to retain his coalition government’s grip on what is looking like a battle-ground state.

Najib is expected to arrive in Sandakan tomorrow (Dec 15) to open the annual congress of Sabah Barisan Nasional minor partner, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the following day.

On Dec 28, Najib is expected to visit rural Pensiangan where another tiny BN component, Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), is holding its own annual general meeting.