PAS state rep for Permatang Pasir dies

The eighth by-election since March 2008 general election would have to be called to fill the vacancy in Penang state.

PAS state assemblyman for Permatang Pasir Datuk Mohd Hamdan Abdul Rahman died of heart ailment at the National Heart Institute (IJN) in Kuala Lumpur.

Mohd Hamdan

The Permatang Pasir state seat is in the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency which is held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

The sole PAS assemblyman in the Penang state, Mohd Hamdan, 63, the was the former state PAS commissioner for 14 years was the Permatang Pasir assemblyman for three terms from 1999.

Mohd Hamdan, a Kedahan retained the Permatang Pasir seat in the 2008 general election by garnering 11,004 votes to defeat the Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate, Ahmad Sahar Shuib, who only garnered 5,571 votes. The margin of victory was 5,433 votes.

KPIs streamline all procedures

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today announced the key performance indicators (KPIs) and the lead ministers for the six national key results areas (KRAs).

It showed that the government was committed to implementing a transformation through an achievement-based management by using the NKRA method and KPI evaluation.

It involves deep commitment and heavy demand on the part of members of the administration and civil service staff collectively.

The KPIs will help streamline all procedures and pool all resources in an organization. All efforts will be focused on achieving the targets in a reasonable period of time.

All these are being done to ensure that in the final analysis it is the people who will derive the benefits.

He named Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as the lead minister for widening access to quality and affordable education, Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein for crime prevention, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Aziz for fighting corruption.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Jalil for raising the living standard of the low-income people, Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal for upgrading infrastructure in the rural and interior regions and Transport Minister Ong Tee Keat for improving public transportation in a moderate period of time.

Subramaniam's defection was not a boost for Pakatan Rakyat

The political influence of powerful individual is the ultimate way to help the BN government maintain its political dominance.

S Subramaniam

Former vice-president Subramaniam has little influence left in the Barisan Nasional as well as MIC, thus his defection was not a boost for the Pakatan Rakyat.

The ultimate cause for him to jump is because it was to his political benefit. He is irrelevant in BN and by joining PKR with the hope he might regain political power.

Undeniably, this defection probably did not affect the political dominance of MIC and BN in particular in any significant manner as Subramaniam had not contributed much in the struggle to champion the cause of the Indian community.

It’s a well known fact that Samy Vellu had enjoyed political dominance and still maintained dominant political power in MIC.

Subramaniam had opposed Samy Vellu on many occasions, causing him to be dropped from the vice-president’S post in 1994 in favor of his successor Dr S. Subramaniam. It was proof that he had no place within MIC.

Although Subramaniam had exploited it for his political gain but MIC president S Samy Vellu does not see it as a loss. In fact, what Subramaniam has done is a good thing as far as MIC and Samy Vellu was concerned.

S Subramaniam announced he had joined PKR and that 10 MIC branches with 1,700 members in the Klang Valley would follow suit in the near future.

Samy Vellu denied the claim and said that only 300 members were involved.

Wise decision to set up royal commission

Is it a wise decision taken by Cabinet to set up the Royal Commission to investigate the death of the former political secretary to a Selangor State Executive Councillor Teoh Beng Hock.

The setting up of a royal commission to look into the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's investigative procedures and to determine if there were any human right violations when Teoh Beng Hock was being interrogated is the only way to totally gives government more creditably.

The decision not only prevent the issue from being manipulated by certain groups to sensationalize the issue but also assure that the investigation can carry out in a transparent and professional manner. It is by far the best way to resolve the root cause of the issue that arises.

Undeniably, the outcome of investigation by the Commission will carry more weight compared to other investigations especially when fraud is said to be suspected.

Najib will personally inform the family the findings of the investigation beside making public shown that he is a trustworthy responsible leader.

Chua Jui Meng quits MCA and joins PKR

Former MCA vice-president Datuk Chua Jui Meng was defecting to the opposition by quitting MCA and joining PKR.


Chua Jui Meng

Datuk Chua was accompanied by former MCA senator David Yeoh Eng Hock and former Lumut parliamentarian Yap Yit Thong.

Datuk Chua said he was taking a "new journey, a journey of change".

The question arises: Is Datuk Chua took the right journey to defecting to the opposition by quitting MCA and joining PKR?

It is believed that the opposition is making Chua's defection to regain momentum for the opposition which has been floundering due to internal bickering and a resurgent BN under new Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Former Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng, 64, had contested for the MCA president's post twice and lost to two Ongs - Ong Ka Ting in 2005 and Ong Tee Keat in 2008.

He was not picked to defend his Bakri parliamentary seat in the last general elections.

Chua explained that he decided to join PKR because the country's two-coalition political system was being undermined by Umno.

He added that the death of Teoh Beng Hock, the political aide of Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was the “tipping point” in his decision to defect to the opposition.

Wait for the police investigation report

The public should remain calm and not overreact to the controversial death of Teoh Beng Hock in Shah Alam.

All quarters should let the police do their job and wait for the investigation report.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said police would investigate the death of Teoh Beng Hock thoroughly and professionally so that all quarters would be able to know what actually happened.

Najib also called on all quarters not to make statements or speculations which could confuse the public.

“The government hopes that the people will remain calm and patient. Let’s leave it to the authorities to investigate,” he said.

Teoh, 30, the political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah, was found dead on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam on Thursday after giving his statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

His body was found nine floors below the commission’s office on the 14th floor of the building at 1.30pm.

PAS won a mere 65-vote majority in Manek Urai

The results of the Manek Urai by-election in Kelantan clearly showed Najib's leadership and the diminishing influence of Nik Aziz.

Despite the constituency being a PAS stronghold in a PAS-controlled state, PAS would have won with a bigger majority, however managed to only winning with a mere 65-vote majority.

Mohd Fauzi, 50, polled 5,348 votes while Tuan Aziz, 39, obtained 5,283 votes.

10,000 units for hard core poor households

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak said, in 2010, a total of 10,000 hard core poor households, would be given 10,000 units under the E-Kasih list.

He said, in an effort to ensure an even distribution of wealth, especially for the hardcore poor in the urban areas, the government has allocated RM100 million for the Skim Amanah Saham Wawasan.

Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak who made the announcement said, the government has agreed to Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) establishing a new unit trust fund, Amanah Saham 1Malaysia, with a size of 10 billion units.

He said, the new fund would be launched soon and is open to all Malaysians above 18. The fund, he explained, is expected to provide an investment opportunity to investors to enjoy reasonable returns over the long term.

Najib: Govt committed to improve English

The decision to teach mathematics and science in Bahasa Malaysia and mother tongue languages will not detract the government from its efforts to make Malaysians more proficient in English.

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak

In relation to this, government had announced to increase hiring an additional 13,966 English teachers, increasing up to 100% the time allocated to teaching English in schools and introducing new elements for teaching of English such as grammar, contemporary literature, information technology and language laboratory.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said it was still the Government’s aim to see Malaysians proficient in the language and even master it so that it could compete in the ever challenging times and globalised era.

“The aim remains the same; there is no change. Only the method in reaching objective is now different.

“The government is aware how important it is for Malaysians to be proficient in English for their own advantage and for the future of the country.

“In fact, increasing the time allocated to teaching English, introducing English literature and language laboratories, among others will be a better method in boosting proficiency than teaching mathematics and science in the language,” he said.

Math and Science in Bahasa or mother tongues

The Cabinet has decided that all national primary and secondary schools will teach Science and Mathematics in Bahasa Melayu and Vernacular schools in either Chinese or Tamil respectively beginning 2012.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin

The Government made this decision after studying in detail the result of studies and close monitoring of the PPSMI by the Education Ministry and independent bodies since the policy was implemented in 2003.

Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Mohd Yassin said, the policy will be implemented in stages for Year One, Year Four, Form One and Form Four in 2012.

The changes do not involve Form Six and Matriculation students. All examinations for Science and Mathematics will remain bilingual until 2014, so as to not jeopardize the performance of students under the current policy - Teaching of Science and Mathematics in English or its official abbreviation PPSMI (Pengajaran dan Pembelajaran Sains dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris).

A Contemporary English Literature Programme For Children to inculcate the reading habit and introduce elements of literature will be introduced.

English labs will be set up in schools to help students learn the language more effectively, incorporating information technology through the use of appropriate software.

To expose students to scientific terms, elements of science and technology will be absorbed into the teaching of English.

Straight fight in Manek Urai

The Manek Urai by-election on July 14 will be a straight fight between Barisan Nasional and PAS.

The straight fight between PAS candidate Mohd Fauzi Abdullah, 50, a fishmonger, and Barisan Nasional candidate Tuan Aziz Tuan Mat, 39, a manager at the South Kelantan Development Authority (Kesedar) after a nomination process that passed without incident.

In the 2008 general election, Ismail, a five-term assemblyman, defeated Barisan candidate Zulkifli Omar with a 1,352 majority votes.

PAS had lost here in 2004 when the much-liked Ismail did not defend his seat but reclaimed it in 2008 by a huge majority when he beat BN's Mohamed Zulkifli Omar in the 12,000-voter constituency.

The constituency has 12,293 voters. The by-election has been called because of the death of state assemblyperson Ismail Yaakob of PAS on May 22.

Ideological isolationism of DAP, PAS, and PKR caused coalition government close to collapse

Pakatan government is indeed a government of marriage of convenience. It is a fragile coalition and the duration is remains questionable but definitely it could fall at any time.

The Kedah DAP’s decision to quit the Pakatan Kedah government and the dispute over the sacking of PKR Seberang Prai municipal councillor Johari Kassim is by far the catalyst to cause the collapse of the fragile coalition government.

Undeniably, the ideological isolationism of DAP, PAS, and PKR but driven the narrow alley of a political coalition in order to share power, is by far the main factor to cause the internal conflicts.

The Kedah DAP had announced its decision to withdraw from the PAS-led government over the demolition of the sole pig abattoir in the state.

The PKR Member of Parliament for Kulim Bandar Baru in Kedah, Zulkifli Noordin on the attack against DAP by saying, it was meaningless for DAP to remain in Pakatan if it could not tolerate its two partners in the alliance. DAP had to exercise mutual understanding to remain in the opposition pact or strike out on its own.

In Penang, state PKR chairman Datuk Zahrain Mohamed Hashim accused Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of failing to practice the principles of justice and compassion in the running dispute over the sacking of PKR Seberang Prai municipal councillor Johari Kassim.

These incidents clearly presented evidence of the role of internal conflict of Pakatan. They lack common policies and common stand on issues that may arise anytime.

From time to time, sensitive issues may arise which require some disciplinary intervention that opposition coalition has yet to develop.