MCA not your ‘Mafia’, Tee Keat tells Soi Lek

MCA not your ‘Mafia’, Tee Keat tells Soi Lek

By Yow Hong Chieh

October 02, 2011

Ong said Dr Chua’s presidency did not make MCA his personal fiefdom. — Picture by Choo Choy May

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 — Former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has fired back at his successor for asking him to leave the party today, pointing out that MCA was not the Mafia and did not exist to serve one man’s whims and fancies. Ong said it was unclear if Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek had urged him to resign from the party or his MP post, but said the call served to expose the latter’s “sheer arrogance and disrespect” for democracy.
“He bluntly asked me to resign as a parliamentarian but had visibly forgotten that my MP post has never been a political appointment bestowed by him but was mandated by the people of Pandan in March 2008,” he said in a statement carried on his blog.
Ong said no president before Dr Chua had openly asked a member to ship out simply for losing faith in the party leadership and reminded the former Labis MP that MCA was not its president’s private property.
“Neither should the party be run like a Mafia purely at the whims and fancies of the helmsman, if at all he has an iota of respect for democracy,” he said.
Ong sparked a war of words with Dr Chua last week after insisting that MCA was doomed to “irrelevance” so long as it did not heed the call to reform by its ethnic support base.
He accused his party of “parroting old polemics” rather than delivering change after Chinese voters abandoned MCA in the last general election, leaving it with just 15 wins in 31 incumbent seats.
In response, Dr Chua told the former transport minister he should cease contesting under the Barisan Nasional (BN) banner and resign from the party if he had no faith in it, adding that Ong was a “footnote” in the history of MCA.
Ong continued to defend his remarks today, saying that he was merely conveying to the party leadership the public’s perception of MCA, and urged Dr Chua to take serious note of it.
“True, I have lost my faith in his leadership but that should in no way be misconstrued as losing my faith in the party I chose to join in 1981,” he said.
“As to whether I would become a mere footnote of the MCA’s history, it is certainly not for him to judge or conclude.”
Ong, who was deposed by Dr Chua in a fractious power struggle 18 months ago, has admitted he failed to convince the party to change its mindset during his short-lived term in office.
But he took pride in being responsible for opening investigations into the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal even though senior officers had told him it was a closed case.

Escaped Pet Birds Are Teaching Wild Birds to Speak English

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 09.15.11

Photo: enlewof / cc Across parts of Australia, reports have been pouring in of strange voices chattering high in the treetops -- mysterious, non-sensical conversations in English. But while this phenomenon is certainly quite odd, its explanation isn't paranormal. It turns out that escaped pet birds, namely parrots and cockatoos, have begun teaching their wild bird counterparts a bit of the language they picked up from their time in captivity -- and, according to witnesses, that includes more than a few expletives....Read the full story on TreeHugger

MCA, Umno running dog & parrot, already irrelevant

MCA heading for irrelevance, says Tee Keat

By Shannon Teoh

October 01, 2011

If MCA had been relevant all these years, it would have pressed for a fair policy and forced the Umno-led BN government to do away with racial quotas in education.

To this day, every year, MCA has to hide behind closed doors and beg like a dog to help top-scoring Chinese students to secure a place in local public universities even though they are more than qualified based on meritocracy.

Sadly, a programme called HOPE has been established to resolve this perennial problem.

Kepala otak Utusan masih tak faham. Namewee anti-rasis, bukan anti-Melayu

Utusan strikes back at potty-mouthed Namewee

By Debra Chong

October 02, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 2 ─ Malay daily Utusan Malaysia has filed two police reports against rapper-turned-filmmaker Wee Meng Chee for making obscene statements against it and its reporter through an online video clip.

The Umno-owned national newspaper carried an opinion piece last month in which the writer, Fauziah Arof, said she refused to watch “Nasi Lemak 2.0” despite the star-studded cast as Wee had previously insulted Malaysians, in particular Malays and Muslims, in his 2007 rendition of the national anthem, “Negarakuku”.

Shortly after, the Johor-born better known as Namewee (picture) returned fire on Utusan, in a three-minute clip on YouTube, for passing judgment on his cinematic debut without having seen it first.


“They said ... that director, Namewee, he’s the one who criticised Malaysia. He did this before, he wrote that song before. Eh, ****** lah. What the **** is with the past?” he rapped.


Utusan was not amused and has called for the authorities to act against the provocative entertainer for multimedia abuse to lower its public image using obscene language in its police report filed yesterday.


“By using obscene language, Namewee’s actions have lowered the reporter’s dignity and caused Utusan Malaysia to be seen as racist and extremist,” the company’s legal advisor, Mohd. Jefri Daman was reported as saying today on page two of Mingguan Malaysia, its weekend edition.


The prominent newspaper’s anger appears to have spilled over to some pro-Umno bloggers who have questioned the ruling Malay party’s president Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s backing for Namewee.


The anonymous bloggers behind portals such Parpukari (http://parpukari.blogspot.com/) and Gerakan Anti-PKR (http://gerakan-anti-pkr.blogspot.com/) demand Najib, who is also prime minister, explain his remarks.


Najib had last week dubbed Wee “a strong supporter of 1 Malaysia” today, in the face of calls for action to be taken against the “Nasi Lemak 2.0” producer for past criticism of the country.


He described Wee as “unique and unconventional in his methods and thinking”, when quizzed about the performer’s expletive-laden video attacking Utusan for suggesting his debut movie was not worth watching due to his allegedly racist past.


“What is important is that Namewee and other parties support what we are doing for the country. I understand he is a strong supporter of 1 Malaysia, so I encourage him to continue with his views as a blogger and (in) other media such as film,” the prime minister said, in what is seen as a move to burnish his credentials as a “cool” reformist leader ahead of the 13th general elections widely believed will be called by early January next year.


The Parpukari blogger who goes by the handle HousePK appeared enraged by Najib’s supportive stand.


“Aku masih tak faham kenapa PM keluarkan kenyataan menyokong anak haram yang aku rasa mak bapak dia pun menyesal kerana telah melahirkan dia yang begitu anti melayu sekali ni (I still don’t understand why the PM issued a statement supporting this illegitimate son whose father feel regrets begetting such an anti-Malay son),” he wrote yesterday.


“Aku dan rakyat Malaysia perlukan penjelasan, adakah ini 1 Malaysia? (I and Malaysians need an explanation, is this 1 Malaysia),” he added, referring to Najib’s oft-recited unity slogan.

First of all, had Fauziah Arof not lowered her own diginity by writing a piece of unfavourable report on Namewee and his work?


As for Utusan, has it not always been seen to be as racist and extremist? To me, it has always been, not only seen to be, racist and extremist even long before Namewee explicitly told the truth!

Umno in campaign to buy BN-friendly candidates! ;)

DAP lawmaker claims offered RM150,000 to run for BN in GE13

By Debra Chong

October 01, 2011

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — A suspended Johor DAP assemblyman today revealed he had been offered RM150,000 and 50 acres of land to quit his party and stand as an independent candidate aligned to rival Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming national polls.

First-term Bentayan state lawmaker Gwee Tong Hiang said he was approached last Tuesday by a Chinese man claiming to be a representative from the Prime Minister’s Department who caught him while he was feeling down over his six-month suspension for alleged power abuse.

Gwee said though he was upset after being suspended he would not accept the BN offer.

The allegation comes on the heels of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s latest charge to win back support from ethnic Chinese voters nationwide, following the dismal performance from the ruling coalition’s Chinese parties, notably the MCA, which has been practically written off as irrelevant.

 

The allegation also recalls the controversial takeover of Perak, which was won in the 2008 general election by the PAS-DAP-PKR pact.

Jepalang MP and Perak state assembly Deputy Speaker Datuk Hee Yit Fong had quit the DAP to become a BN-friendly independent, tipping the balance in favour of the BN.

Najib, who is also BN chairman, carried out a whirlwind tour into enemy territory in DAP-controlled Penang last weekend, but support towards the BN government in Umno-controlled Johor appears to be eroding as well if Gwee’s claim is to be believed.

Gwee told reporters the man, whom he named as Wee Pao Chin, had arranged for him to meet Najib in Putrajaya on Monday where the BN chairman would announce the news at a media conference.

He said the RM150,000 would be provided by Putrajaya and would be paid to him in one lump sum through the Wee clan association in order to avoid detection.

He also claimed that he was promised more than RM5,000 a month as extra funds and would be given an office and staff to take care of his constituents if he agreed to quit the DAP.

“Their terms were ‘you must stand as independent candidate in the next election to fight DAP candidate’,” Gwee, 44, disclosed at the DAP headquarters here today.

The Bentayan state seat is in the Bakri parliamentary constituency and was until 2008 an MCA stronghold. Gwee beat the MCA’s Lee Chin Yong in the last general election with a comfortable 2,798-vote margin.

Asked why the BN wanted him as a candidate there for the next polls, Gwee said he was told: “Top management kau-tim [has been fixed]. MCA will not put a candidate in Bentayan constituency.”

Gwee said he made an audio recording of his conversation yesterday with the alleged agent — carried out entirely in Mandarin — and handed out copies of the transcript, in Chinese and English, to back his claim.

A DAP member since 1990, Gwee said though he was upset after being suspended six months for alleged power abuse, he would not accept the BN offer.

“Although the past last week I’ve been very down…,” he managed to get out before breaking down into tears.

“I’m still a DAP man. The BN offering me this is not right. That’s why I expose it, to tell BN not every DAP ADUN or MP can be bought over. I love the DAP. My party is DAP,” he said in an emotion-choked voice.

He will be filing a police report later today in Muar and also plans to file a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Batu Pahat.

DAP publicity chief Tony Pua, who was also at today’s conference, said the party will be seeking clarification from the Prime Minister’s Department and called on Najib to disclose if he had instructed his men to entice opposition representatives or investigate and act against imposters.

Acute gastroenteritis? What's that? Stomach flu loh

Apparently, now is the season for people to be easily infected by acute gastroenteritis aka stomach flu.

My kid got it yesterday and the symptoms started late last night when he said stomach ache.

Later, close to midnight, when he was asleep, he suddenly cried and vomitted. After that, he vomitted a few more times until this morning.

He seemed to be fine when he woke up at 10 o'clock this morning but again, he vomitted after drinking some water.

Then only my wife and I knew something was really wrong and took him to see the paediatrician at Pantai.

As we related to paediatrician what happened, the paediatrician checked his temperature, tapped on his stomach and 'looked into' his nose.

I asked if my kid had food poisoining. The doctor said not food poisoining but acute gastroenteritis.

He also said many patients had been diagnosed and warded for it.

Acute gastroenteritis sounds like a big word but in layman's term, it's called 'stomach flu'. 8-)

Thank God that my kid is now on the road to recovery. Hallelujah!

Click here to find out more about acute gastroenteritis or bacterial gastroenteritis.

Why no action against the attorney-general? AG above the law!

Why no action against the attorney-general?

Mat Zain Ibrahim

Sep 30, 11
12:11pm

COMMENT Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail has been challenged to account for three expert reports, and is also alleged to have fabricated investigation into a particular case.

And, despite mounting public pressure for Gani to come clean on these issues, he has chosen to maintain a deafening silence.

Some things that Mat Zain wrote (edited by me):

The AG should at least show his sincerity by giving an account on just one of them should he find it too tough to account for all these allegations.

The first expert report was dated Oct 26, 1998. This report, together with the second expert report, was properly tendered during the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) proceedings on the infamous Black Eye Incident in 1999, and duly recorded by the commissioners but before the RCI's final report was presented to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the first report went missing.

The onus for producing, and the subsequent disappearance of the report dated Oct 26, 1998, before it reached the Agong, lay solely with Gani Patail for no other person, other than the maker of the document and the AG himself, have any personal interest in the expert reports.

If such a disloyal and despicable act be instituted against the King - that is, causing a report to be presented to him to "disappear" - then it can only mean that more serious and heinous acts can befall His Majesty's ordinary subjects and this becomes more worrying when the AG himself appears to be immune to criminal prosecution, ostentatiously protected by the powers that be.


The making of the first expert report to disappear, suddenly, just before it is to be presented to the Agong is no big deal to Gani. What more the sudden and timely appearance of a "suicide note" in DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hocks RCI and causing the material CCTV footage to disappear into thin air in Customs office Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed's inquest - these are just peanuts to Gani!