Saturday, March 3, 2012

Pakatan Rakyat

Pakatan Rakyat














Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's First and Greatest Prime Minister





























































































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People's Pact
Pakatan Rakyat
تحالف الناس
人民联盟
மக்கள் கூட்டணீ
LeaderAnwar Ibrahim
Lim Kit Siang
Abdul Hadi Awang
FoundedApril 1, 2008
HeadquartersPetaling Jaya, Malaysia (DAP & PKR)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (PAS)
Membership  (as of May 2011)Parti Keadilan Rakyat.pngDemocratic Action Party logo.pngPAS logo.svg
People's Justice Party (PKR)
Democratic Action Party (DAP)
Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS)
IdeologySocial justice, Progressive, Social democracy, moderate Islamism, Public welfare, Centrism
Parliament:
82 / 222
State Assemblies:
206 / 576
Politics of Malaysia
Political parties
Elections
Malaysia
This article is part of the series:Politics and government of
Malaysia

 · Atlas
Politics portal

Other countries
Pakatan Rakyat or PR (English: People's Pact / People's Alliance is an informal Malaysian political coalition. It currently controls four state governments while in opposition to the ruling Barisan Nasional at the federal level.
The political coalition was formed by the People's Justice Party (PKR), Democratic Action Party (DAP), and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) on April 1, 2008, after the 12th Malaysian general election. They had formed the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front) previously in the 10th general election. On April 20, 2010, the Sarawak National Party (SNAP) officially joined as a member of the Pakatan Rakyat after being expelled from Barisan Nasional and again on May 6, 2011 SNAP declared to quit Pakatan Rakyat.[1]
The former three parties had worked together in the 12th Malaysian general election, in which they gained control of five state assemblies and made significant gains at the federal level, denying the Barisan Nasional a two-third majority in the federal parliament. With the establishment of the Pakatan Rakyat coalition, the state governments of Kelantan, Kedah, Penang and Selangor are known as the Pakatan Rakyat state governments. The government of Perak was under Pakatan until February 2009, when Barisan Nasional claimed power by defecting of 3 Pakatan's state assembly member as independent member who support the Barisan Nasional ruling, causing a constitutional crisis which end up with the winning of Barisan Nasional following the judgement of the federal court.
Pakatan Rakyat is to be collectively led and managed by all constituent parties and pledges to uphold the rights and interests of all Malaysians. Each political party in People's Alliance has its own ideology; PKR promotes its ideals that revolves around social justice and anti-corruption themes, PAS with its aim to establish Malaysia as a nation based on Islamic legal theory and DAP with its secular, multi-racial, social democratic ideals.

Contents

 [hide] 

[edit] History


The 'Big Three Of Pakatan Rakyat'. (From left: Lim, Anwar, Abdul Hadi)
The Pakatan Rakyat is a maturing development of the concept, of Barisan Rakyat (English: People's Front), that was created during the election campaign of the 12th Malaysian general election in 2008. Barisan Rakyat was the banner and policy position document which a group of Malaysian opposition political parties (DAP, PKR, PAS, PSM, MDP and PASOK) endorsed and coalesced around for that election.
PKR, DAP and PAS have also won in the recent general elections 41, 73, and 86 seats, respectively, in the various state assemblies.
As of 2009, Pakatan Rakyat remains an informal coalition. The media has reported that Malaysian law only allows the registration of a coalition comprising seven parties or more. However, former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, who coordinates the activities of the PR secretariat, has said "In fact in all our daily activities we are already acting as members of Pakatan and not just members of PKR, PAS or DAP." The media has reported that PR leaders "are understood to be in talks with several political parties to join the alliance."[2] In October 2009, the Registrar of Societies stated that Pakatan could formally register as a coalition, as "The condition does not apply to political parties as they enjoy a national status. Only [a] state-level organisation aspiring to become a national entity needs to have seven members from the states."[3] On 9 October 2009, Lim Kit Siang announced that Pakatan would seek to register itself as a formal coalition in light of this clarification.[4] On 4 November 2009, Pakatan officials told the press that they had submitted a formal application to the Registrar of Societies, naming Zaid as the chairman of the alliance.[5] PKR MP Tian Chua publicly denied this, saying the coalition had not yet decided on a constitution, logo, or leadership structure.[6]
Zaid has issued a statement on Pakatan's ideology, stating that in government, it would introduce anti-discrimination laws, set up a social safety net, establish a new education policy aimed at producing competitive graduates, especially among the Malays and Bumiputra, repeal the Internal Security Act and Printing Presses and Publications Act, amend the Official Secrets Act and Sedition Act to limit the government's power, and reform law enforcement institutions like the courts, the Royal Malaysian Police, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. Zaid also said that the proposed anti-discrimination law would not require the repeal or amendment of Article 153 of the Constitution.[7] Zaid has also request Dato' Nik Aziz to become the chairman of Pakatan Rakyat instead of Anwar Ibrahim or Hadi Awang.

[edit] Policies

Main article: Buku Jingga
Pakatan Rakyat basic framework policies are:
  • Transparent and genuine democracy
  1. Constitutional nation and rule of lawhh
  2. Separation of power
  3. Free, clean and fair election system
  • Driving a high performance, sustainable and equitable economy
  1. High skill economy
  2. Decentralisation and empowerment of the states' economic management
  3. Affirmative policy based on requirements
  4. Labour
  5. Social protection network
  6. Housing
  7. Infrastructure and public facilities
  8. Environment
  • Social justice and human development
  1. Solidarity and social justice
  2. Religion
  3. Education
  4. Women and family institutions
  5. Youth
  6. Security
  7. Health
  8. Culture
  • Federal-State relationship and foreign policy
  1. Federal system
  2. Sabah and Sarawak
  3. Foreign policy
Pakatan Rakyat further their policy through the introduction of 'Orange Book', also known as Buku Jingga, which outlining the policies together with Pakatan.

[edit] Frontbench Committees

On 2 July 2009, Pakatan Rakyat announced a list of its Members of Parliament who would shadow individual ministries. DAP Member of Parliament Tony Pua stated that this front bench would explicitly not be a Shadow Cabinet because the Malaysian Parliament does not recognise the institution of a Shadow Cabinet.[8]
PortfolioPKR MemberPAS MemberDAP MemberActual Minister
Prime Minister's DepartmentAnwar Ibrahim (Leader of the Opposition)
Mohamed Azmin Ali
Sivarasa Rasiah
Abdul Khalid Ibrahim
William Leong
Kesavan a/l Shamugom
Fuziah Salleh		Abdul Hadi Awang
Nasharudin Mat Isa
Salahuddin Ayub
Hatta Ramli
Dzulkifli Ahmad
Taib Azamuddin
Khalid Samad		Lim Kit Siang
Ngeh Koo Ham
Hiew King Chiew
John Fernandez		Mohd Najib bin Tun Razak (Prime Minister)
Muhyiddin Yassin (Deputy Prime Minister)
Koh Tsu Koon
Nazri Aziz
Nor Mohamed Yakcop
Jamil Khir Baharom
Idris Jala
Ministry of Home AffairsJohari AbdulSalahuddin AyubKarpal SinghHishammuddin Tun Hussein
Ministry of FinanceMohamed Azmin AliDzulkifli AhmadLim Guan EngMohd Najib bin Tun Razak (Minister of Finance I)
Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah (Minister of Finance II)
Ministry of TransportZahrain Mohamed HashimKhalid SamadTan Kok WaiChan Kong Choy
Ministry of WorksKamarul Bahrin AbbasMahfuz OmarGobind Singh DeoShaziman Abu Mansor
Ministry of Plantation Industries and CommoditiesRashid DinWan Abd Rahim Wan AbdullahEr Teck HwaBernard Dompok
Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and WaterChua Tian ChangMohd Nasir ZakariaCharles Anthony SantiagoPeter Chin Fah Kui
Ministry of International Trade and IndustryWilliam LeongMohd Hatta RamliTeresa KokMustapa Mohamed
Ministry of Agriculture and Agro-based IndustryAhmad KassimTaib Azamuddin Md TaibSim Tong HimNoh Omar
Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and ConsumerismAzan IsmailMohd Abdul Wahid EndutJeff OoiIsmail Sabri Yaakob
Ministry of EducationYusmadi YusoffChe Uda Che NikChong EngMuhyiddin Yassin
Ministry of Information, Communications and CultureAmran Abdul GhaniMahfuz OmarTeo Nie ChingRais Yatim
Ministry of Human ResourcesAbdullah Sani Abdul HamidMuhammad HusinM KulasegaranSubramaniam Sathasivam
Ministry of Science, Technology and InnovationNurul Izzah AnwarChe Rosli Che MatChow Kon YeowMaximus Ongkili
Ministry of Housing and Local GovernmentHee Loy SianSiti Mariah MahmudNga Kor MingKong Cho Ha
Ministry of DefenceSaifuddin Nasution IsmailMohammad Nizar JamaluddinLiew Chin TongAhmad Zahid Hamidi
Ministry of Rural and Regional DevelopmentAb Aziz Ab KadirAbdul Halim Abdul RahmanM ManogaranMohd Shafie Apdal
Ministry of Foreign AffairsSivarasa RasiahKamarudin JaafarP RamasamyAnifah Aman
Ministry of Youth and Sports[ - ]Mohd Firdaus bin JaafarAnthony Loke Siew FookAhmad Shabery Cheek
Ministry of HealthLee Boon ChyeMohd Hayati OthmanTan Seng GiawLiow Tiong Lai
Ministry of Women, Family and Community DevelopmentZuraida KamaruddinSiti Zailah bt Mohd YusufFong Po KuanShahrizat Abdul Jalil
Ministry of TourismManikavasagam a/l SundaramWan Abd Rahim Wan AbdullahFong Kui LunNg Yen Yen
Ministry of the Federal TerritoriesWee Choo KeongLo' Lo' Haji Mohd GhazaliLim Lip EngRaja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin
Ministry of Higher EducationZulkifli NordinSalahuddin AyubTony PuaMohamed Khaled Nordin
Ministry of Natural Resources and EnvironmentN GobalakrishnanMujahid Yusof RawaChong Chien JenDouglas Uggah Embas

[edit] Component parties

People's Pact General Chief: Yang Berhormat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (Opposition Leader)

[edit] Elected representatives


Pie chart representing proportion of parliament seats won by contesting parties.

[edit] Dewan Negara (Senate)

Senators:
  • Selangor
    • Dr Syed Husin Ali (PKR)
    • Ramakrishnan a/l Suppiah (DAP)

[edit] Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives)


Parliamentary results map of Malaysian general election 2008
Members of Parliament:
  • Current total numbers of MP = 80 (after included SAPP MPs)

[edit] Pakatan Rakyat state governments

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ SNAP quits Pakatan
  2. ^ Lau, Leslie (2009-07-31). "Pakatan parties will seal pact, says Zaid". The Malaysian Insider. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/33811-pakatan-parties-will-seal-pact-says-zaid. Retrieved 2009-07-31. 
  3. ^ "ROS: Pakatan can register as a single party". Malaysiakini. 2009-10-08. http://malaysiakini.com/news/114553. Retrieved 2009-10-08. 
  4. ^ "Pakatan Rakyat to register as a coalition". The Malaysian Insider. 2009-10-09. http://www.malaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/39878-pakatan-rakyat-to-register-as-a-coalition. Retrieved 2009-10-09. 
  5. ^ "Zaid to helm Pakatan Rakyat". Malaysiakini. 2009-11-04. http://malaysiakini.com/news/116688. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
  6. ^ Ghazali, Rahmah (2009-11-05). "No decision on 'Zaid to lead Pakatan', yet". Malaysiakini. http://malaysiakini.com/news/116744. Retrieved 2009-11-05. 
  7. ^ Lau, Leslie (2009-08-10). "Zaid outlines blueprint for Pakatan government". The Malaysian Insider. http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/34702-zaid-outlines-blueprint-for-pakatan-government. Retrieved 2009-08-10. 
  8. ^ Pathmawathy, S (2009-07-02). "Pakatan forms 'cabinet' committees". Malaysiakini. http://malaysiakini.com/news/107680. Retrieved 2009-07-02. 
  9. ^ Titiwangsa MP Dr Lo’ Lo’ dies. The Malaysian Insider. Retrieved 2011-7-19

[edit] External links













 










































 









Pakatan Rakyat














 











     












 











































Pakatan Rakyat Malaysia

This blog is dedicated to all Malaysians who have voted in Pakatan Rakyat candidates to Parliament. Time to have your say now.















  

















Malaysia’s Shining Political Stars: Young, Well Educated, Dynamic and Committed



Morgan-Hill, California




Great organizations have great leaders. Everyone recognizes that. Less appreciated is that to maintain its greatness an organization must actively nurture its next generation of leaders. Failure to do so would doom the organization.
The late Tun Razak was acutely aware of this crucial aspect of leadership. In his frequent visits to the districts he was always on the look out for talent. On spotting one, he would bring that promising individual back to headquarters for what we would call today “fast tracking.” Likewise Jack Welch, the legendary chief executive of GE. Whenever he toured the various units, he would ask those divisional heads to name two or three of their promising underlings. He would then ask those managers what they were doing to nurture the talents they had under their wings.
As a corollary to my observation, you can tell much about the potential for future greatness of an organization by looking at its next tier of leaders. It is for this reason that I am bullish on the future of Keadilan. The party is blessed with an abundance of young talent.
Currently in the news is its chief strategist, Rafizi Ramli (left with Khairy in London). It is a measure of the caliber of the young leaders in Keadilan that Rafizi’s rising status does not diminish the other shining stars. Nurul Izzah Anwar, Nik Nazmi Ahmad and Sim Tze Szin are among the many stars that glitter Keadilan’s sky. That augurs well for the future of not only Keadilan but also the nation.
The challenge for current Keadilan leaders is to keep these bright stars shining, for they in turn would attract others into their orbit. Bright talents attract other even brighter ones. They are not like dim candles; the only way to make a dim candle shine brighter (or appear so) is to snuff out the other candles. Bright stars welcome competition, for together they form an even brighter galaxy to light up the evening sky.
Except for Tze Szin(right), now Penang state assemblyman, I have never met the others. I knew Tze Szin when he was a graduate student and later an engineer in Silicon Valley. His quiet, unassuming but effective leadership clearly shone even then. I recognized his exceptional qualities when he sought my advice on attending an American law school.
Such an enquiry from an American would not have surprised me, but for someone from Malaysia who had been brought up under our regimented education system with its trademark forced early streaming, that reflected a mind capable of extraordinary thinking, unencumbered by traditions and expectations. Even more remarkable was the fact that he already had a graduate degree in engineering at the time!
Tze Szin aspired to play a major leadership role and knew the supremacy of the rule of law; hence his interest in pursuing law. I assured him that one need not have to be trained as a lawyer to appreciate this fact. On the contrary we have many examples of those formally trained in law and yet would later be as leader its greatest abuser. Philippines’ Marcos was not the only example, though he was easily the most egregious.
I knew Nik Nazmi (left), a King’s College honors law graduate, through his book, Moving Forward: Malays of the 21st Century. In my review of that volume I wrote, “At the risk of discomfiting Nik, I am tempted to compare his book to one written nearly 40 years ago by another not-so-young politician. It is not so much a comparison as a contrast.
Where Mahathir’s The Malay Dilemma is shrill and emotional, Nik’s Moving Forward is cerebral and rational. While Mahathir irritates, Nik Azmi persuades; while Mahathir excoriates, Nik conciliates. Nik beckons us to share his dreams of Malaysia.” Mahathir on the other hand, imposed his on us. Nik is now a state assemblyman in Selangor.
I judge political leaders not by their soaring rhetoric or oratorical flourishes but on the merit of their ideas and the clarity of their thinking. Nik Nazmi is definitely a promising political leader.
As for Nurul Izzah (right), she, like Nik Nazmi, is barely 30 and already a Member of Parliament. She won it on her first try at elective office, trumping a veteran and then-popular woman minister. It is to be noted that Lembah Pantai, Nurul’s district, comprised the University of Malaya campus and the upscale Bungsar area. Meaning, her well-educated and sophisticated constituents were swayed less by titles and promises, more by substance and capability.
A Young Tun Razak
Then there is Rafizi Ramli. If there is one person who has caused the Barisan government much embarrassment today it would be Rafizi. If Barisan, specifically UMNO, were to do badly in the next general elections, much of the credit would have to go to him, specifically his dogged pursuit of the National Feedlot Corporation scandal involving the family of Women’s Minister Shahrizat Jalil as well as UMNO and the Barisan government.
Rafizi’s tenacity matches his meticulousness in his pursuit of that national mess. Then in a brilliant display of strategy, he released the details in tantalizing bits and pieces, lulling his opponents. Shahrizat, her family, and UMNO leaders fell right into his trap.
When the first brief details were revealed, NFC officials quickly responded with their vigorous denials. Then having successfully lured them into the trap, Rafizi pounced upon them by revealing even more facts, forcing them to essentially recant their earlier denials. Continuing to underestimate Rafizi, they put forth another vigorous line of defense, only to be demolished by yet another revelation from him. Rafizi made them appear unbelievably stupid, embarrassingly incompetent, or both, quite apart from possibly breaking the law.
When Rafizi released the fact of the purchase of luxury condos, NFC officials initially denied it in and tried to gain the offensive by belittling Rafizi, only to quickly backtrack when he released even more specific details. This time they tried to rationalize the purchase as prudent “investment” decision!
The NFC managers were not the only ones snared by Rafizi. The Chief of Police initially dismissed the allegation only to backtrack and reopen the investigation. This time those wise investigating officers went public with their recommendation that NFC officials be charged for criminal breach of trust, essentially preempting his superiors who might be tempted to whitewash his work.
All these conflicting accounts prompted Law Minister Nazri Aziz to tell NFC officials to essentially shut up, a very unusual advice from a typically babbling politician.
Rafizi’s biggest trap was to trigger Shahrizat’s filing a defamation suit against him. In a civil suit, in contrast to a criminal one, both plaintiffs and defendants are subject to cross examinations. Now Rafizi will have a forum where those involved would have to testify under oath and in open court. This libel suit may prove to be the most effective way to expose the corrupt nexus of politics, government and business that so blighted our nation over the decades.
In terms of amount, at RM250 million this NFC scandal is but small change as compared to Bank Negara’s foreign exchange debacle or the current Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, for example. What it lacks in monetary value however, is more than made up by the sordid details that would be exposed, especially the unbelievable greed and pure hubris of those UMNO Putras.
Rafizi Ramli very much reminds me of a young Tun Razak. Like him, Rafizi is from a village in east coast Malaysia (Trengganu for Rafizi, Pahang for Razak). Both were top students at Malay College, and both were sent to Britain on a scholarship to pursue professional studies, law for Razak and engineering for Rafizi. Again, both had promising careers before giving them up for politics. Razak could have been the first “native” Governor-General of British Malaysia. He gave that up to join UMNO at a time when there was no promise of success or material rewards. Rafizi had a “fast track” career in PETRONAS and could have been its future CEO but gave that up to join Keadilan at a time when the party had no political power.
Razak’s formidable adversary was the white-skinned, deeply-entrenched colonial-minded British; Rafizi’s was equally formidable – those brown-skinned, deeply-entrenched feudal-minded warlords in UMNO masquerading as Malay nationalists.
It would be easy to dismiss Rafizi as another freelance muckraker or to call him names, as Women’s Minister Shahrizat (left with Rafizi) did. It would be worse to underestimate him, as many in UMNO are. Those involved in this shameful greed of the NFC scandal would be better off answering the specifics exposed by Rafizi, and do so without insulting the intelligence of Malaysians.
Rafizi could not have secured those details and documents without the help of “insiders.” That they have chosen to entrust him reflects their confidence in him. That is the measure of this bright young man.
Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi, Tze Szin and Nurrul Izzah are not only Keadilan’s shining stars, they are also Malaysia’s. It is young leaders of their caliber who will guide Malaysia to a bright future.
















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Pakatan Rakyat: After four years

9 Mar 2012 | 334 views
The 2008 political tsunami which swept Pakatan Rakyat into power in Penang has not lost its momentum.
If anything to go by, the ground sentiment speaks for itself at the "Jamuan Malam Mesra Rakyat" in Sungai Dua, Penang yesterday.
Fueled by fiery speech from the master orator, Anwar Ibrahim, the remnants of ripples from the last tsunami is gaining speed.

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Saturday, 10 March 2012 12:12

RISING STARS OF PKR: There's hope yet - the choice is ours

Written by  M Bakri Musa











RISING STARS OF PKR: There's hope yet - the choice is ours
Great organizations have great leaders. Everyone recognizes that.
Less appreciated is that to maintain its greatness an organization must actively nurture its next generation of leaders. Failure to do so would doom the organization.
The late Tun Razak was acutely aware of this crucial aspect of leadership. In his frequent visits to the districts he was always on the look out for talent. On spotting one, he would bring that promising individual back to headquarters for what we would call today “fast tracking.” Likewise Jack Welch, the legendary chief executive of GE.
Whenever he toured the various units, he would ask those divisional heads to name two or three of their promising underlings. He would then ask those managers what they were doing to nurture the talents they had under their wings.
As a corollary to my observation, you can tell much about the potential for future greatness of an organization by looking at its next tier of leaders. It is for this reason that I am bullish on the future of Keadilan. The party is blessed with an abundance of young talent.
Young talent
Currently in the news is its chief strategist, Rafizi Ramli .
t is a measure of the caliber of the young leaders in Keadilan that Rafizi’s rising status does not diminish the other shining stars. Nurul Izzah Anwar, Nik Nazmi Ahmad and Sim Tze Szin are among the many stars that glitter Keadilan’s sky. That augurs well for the future of not only Keadilan but also the nation.
The challenge for current Keadilan leaders is to keep these bright stars shining, for they in turn would attract others into their orbit.
Bright talents attract other even brighter ones. They are not like dim candles; the only way to make a dim candle shine brighter (or appear so) is to snuff out the other candles. Bright stars welcome competition, for together they form an even brighter galaxy to light up the evening sky.
Tze Tzin
Except for Tze Tzin, now a Penang state assemblyman, I have never met the others. I knew Tze Szin when he was a graduate student and later an engineer in Silicon Valley. His quiet, unassuming but effective leadership clearly shone even then. I recognized his exceptional qualities when he sought my advice on attending an American law school.
Such an enquiry from an American would not have surprised me, but for someone from Malaysia who had been brought up under our regimented education system with its trademark forced early streaming, that reflected a mind capable of extraordinary thinking, unencumbered by traditions and expectations. Even more remarkable was the fact that he already had a graduate degree in engineering at the time! Tze Szin aspired to play a major leadership role and knew the supremacy of the rule of law; hence his interest in pursuing law. Iassured him that one need not have to be trained as a lawyer to appreciate this fact. On the contrary we have many examples of those formally trained in law and yet would later be as leader its greatest abuser. Philippines’ Marcos was not the only example, though he was easily the most egregious.
Nik and Nurul
I knew Nik Nazmi , a King’s College honors law graduate, through his book, Moving Forward: Malays of the 21st Century.
In my review of that volume I wrote, “At the risk of discomfiting Nik, I am tempted to compare his book to one written nearly 40 years ago by another not-so-young politician. It is not so much a comparison as a contrast. Where Mahathir’s The Malay Dilemma is shrill and emotional, Nik’s Moving Forward is cerebral and rational. While Mahathir irritates, Nik Azmi persuades; while Mahathir excoriates, Nik conciliates. Nik beckons us to share his dreams of Malaysia.” Mahathir on the other hand, imposed his on us. Nik is now a state assemblyman in Selangor.
I judge political leaders not by their soaring rhetoric or oratorical flourishes but on the merit of their ideas and the clarity of their thinking. Nik Nazmi is definitely a promising political leader.
As for Nurul Izzah, she, like Nik Nazmi, is barely 30 and already a Member of Parliament. She won it on her first try at elective office, trumping a veteran and then-popular woman minister. It is to be noted that Lembah Pantai, Nurul’s district, comprised the University of Malaya campus and the upscale Bungsar area. Meaning, her well-educated and sophisticated constituents were swayed less by titles and promises, more by substance and capability.
A Young Tun Razak
Then there is Rafizi Ramli. If there is one person who has caused the Barisan government much embarrassment today it would be Rafizi. If Barisan, specifically UMNO, were to do badly in the next general elections, much of the credit would have to go to him, specifically his dogged pursuit of the National Feedlot Corporation scandal involving the family of Women’s Minister Shahrizat Jalil as well as UMNO and the Barisan government.
Rafizi’s tenacity matches his meticulousness in his pursuit of that national mess. Then in a brilliant display of strategy, he released the details in tantalizing bits and pieces, lulling his opponents.
Shahrizat, her family, and UMNO leaders fell right into his trap.
When the first brief details were revealed, NFC officials quickly responded with their vigorous denials. Then having successfully lured them into the trap, Rafizi pounced upon them by revealing even more facts, forcing them to essentially recant their earlier denials.
Continuing to underestimate Rafizi, they put forth another vigorous line of defense, only to be demolished by yet another revelation from him.
Rafizi made them appear unbelievably stupid, embarrassingly incompetent, or both, quite apart from possibly breaking the law.
When Rafizi released the fact of the purchase of luxury condos, NFC officials initially denied it in and tried to gain the offensive by belittling Rafizi, only to quickly backtrack when he released even more specific details. This time they tried to rationalize the purchase as prudent “investment” decision! The NFC managers were not the only ones snared by Rafizi. The Chief of Police initially dismissed the allegation only to backtrack and reopen the investigation. This time those wise investigating officers went public with their recommendation that NFC officials be charged for criminal breach of trust, essentially preempting his superiors who might be tempted to whitewash his work.
All these conflicting accounts prompted Law Minister Nazri Aziz to tell NFC officials to essentially shut up, a very unusual advice from a typically babbling politician.
Rafizi’s biggest trap was to trigger Shahrizat’s filing a defamation suit against him. In a civil suit, in contrast to a criminal one, both plaintiffs and defendants are subject to cross examinations. Now Rafizi will have a forum where those involved would have to testify under oath and in open court. This libel suit may prove to be the most effective way to expose the corrupt nexus of politics, government and business that so blighted our nation over the decades. In terms of amount, at RM250 million this NFC scandal is but small change as compared to Bank Negara’s foreign exchange debacle or the current Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) scandal, for example. What it lacks in monetary value however, is more than made up by the sordid details that would be exposed, especially the unbelievable greed and pure hubris of those UMNO Putras.
Rafizi Ramli very much reminds me of a young Tun Razak. Like him, Rafizi is from a village in east coast Malaysia (Trengganu for Rafizi, Pahang for Razak). Both were top students at Malay College, and both were sent to Britain on a scholarship to pursue professional studies, law for Razak and engineering for Rafizi. Again, both had promising careers before giving them up for politics. Razak could have been the first “native” Governor-General of British Malaysia. He gave that up to join UMNO at a time when there was no promise of success or material rewards.
Rafizi had a “fast track” career in PETRONAS and could have been its future CEO but gave that up to join Keadilan at a time when the party had no political power.
Razak’s formidable adversary was the white-skinned, deeply-entrenched colonial-minded British; Rafizi’s was equally formidable – those brown-skinned, deeply-entrenched feudal-minded warlords in UMNO masquerading as Malay nationalists.
It would be easy to dismiss Rafizi as another freelance muckraker or to call him names, as Women’s Minister Shahrizat did. It would be worse to underestimate him, as many in UMNO are. Those involved in this shameful greed of the NFC scandal would be better off answering the specifics exposed by Rafizi, and do so without insulting the intelligence of Malaysians.
Rafizi could not have secured those details and documents without the help of “insiders.” That they have chosen to entrust him reflects their confidence in him. That is the measure of this bright young man.
Rafizi Ramli, Nik Nazmi, Tze Szin and Nurrul Izzah are not only Keadilan’s shining stars, they are also Malaysia’s. It is young leaders of their caliber who will guide Malaysia to a bright future.

M Bakri Musa is a prominent Malaysian writer who lives in the United States



























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Malaysia’s Shining Political Stars: Rafizi, Nik Nazmi,Tze Szin and Nurul Izzah













Pakatan to step up campaign to expose BN’s 3Ds

Athi Shankar
 | March 27, 2012
The DAP has formed a team to uncover the 3Ds – deficit, debt and deceit – of the federal government.
GEORGE TOWN: The only way Pakatan Rakyat can deny Barisan Nasional its two-thirds majority is to intensify its campaign to expose the ruling coalition’s successful cover-up of its 3Ds – deficit, debt and deceit.
DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng said that people have still not understood that the Barisan Nasional (BN) “has to borrow money to give the people unlike Pakatan”.
Pakatan’s successful debt reduction compared to the rising federal government’s debt has not been communicated to the public as a result of BN’s campaign of deceit.
“Neither has it sunk in the people’s hearts and minds that BN, unlike Pakatan, has to borrow to give people money,” he said.
Lim, who is Penang Chief Minister, warned that BN may regain its lost electoral ground and parliamentary two-thirds majority if Pakatan slackens in its campaign to expose BN’s debts and deceit.
“Not only we will fail to capture Putrajaya but BN may even win back its two-thirds majority if Pakatan fails to expose the 3Ds,” Lim, the Bagan MP, said in his blog posting.
He said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s clearest indication yesterday of snap polls was buoyed by BN’s successful cover-up of the 3Ds.
Lim also said that a group of DAP economic researchers would work closely with the party’s general election preparatory team to expose the 3D cover-up.
The researchers will be led by its publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua while the election team will be headed by national vice-chairman and Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai.
Lim said that BN knew that economic matters, especially those related to reducing the escalating cost of living, would be the most crucial election issues.

Fighting graft: BN’s given up
Lim also said that BN has given up convincing the public that it was serious in combating graft following the recent revelation of the RM250 million National Feedlot Corporation scandal and country’s decline in the anti-corruption rankings of Transparency International from No 37 in 2003 to No 60 last year.
However, he said BN has successfully deceived the public into believing that the menace of corruption had not adversely affected the economy, especially the federal fiscal debts and deficits.
BN has claimed that the federal government budget deficit was RM43 billion in 2010, about RM45.5 billion in 2011 and projected to be RM43 billion in 2012.
In terms of percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), the deficit was 5.6% in 2010, 5.4% (estimates) in 2011 and 4.7% (estimates) in 2012.
“These budget deficit figures are way too low as the country’s projected economic growth is too high while operating expenditures are too low,” said Lim, who is an accountant by profession.
He forecasts that the budget deficit, estimated at 4.7% of GDP in 2012, would rise to over 5.5% due to BN’s determined vote-buying with government cash handouts, civil service pay hike and mega projects such as the roll-out of broadband to all schools.
He pointed out that the Pakatan state governments were giving out social assistance from annual budget surpluses achieved in the past four years.
He said the Pakatan governments do not need to borrow to spend on social appreciation programmes for the people.

BN borrowing money
On the contrary, he said the BN federal government had to borrow to disburse cash due to budget deficits incurred in the past 15 years.
Thus, he said that federal debts have leapt by 71% from RM266 billion in 2007 to RM456 billion in 2011.
He cautioned that the federal debt in 2010 would leap by another RM97 billion if contingent liabilities of loans taken by private companies or government agencies, were included.
Contingent liabilities for 2011 were, however, unavailable.
Lim reminded Malaysians of a day of reckoning when debts have to be repaid.
“Ultimately, the ordinary people are the ones who will pay for all these debts…,” he said.
In 2010, the off-balance sheet financing activities hit a record high of RM96.9 billion, a 14.9% increase from RM84.3 billion in 2009.
Lim said these were loans taken with a government guarantee, which means the government was obligated to pay should borrowers failed to settle the debts.
For instance, Lim said that if the Federal Territories Foundation (FTF) could not repay the proposed RM300 million loan from the Employees Provident Fund to provide financing for the low-cost housing purchasers, then the government will have to step in to make the RM300 million payment to EPF.
He noted that the federal government loan guarantees would increase dramatically with the West Coast Highway project worth RM2.24 billion; the RM20 billion to fund the first phase of the RM53-billion Klang Valley MRT mega-project; the construction of 74 police headquarters with government-guaranteed RM10 billion debt by Ministry of Finance-owned Pembinaan BLT Sdn Bhd; and the proposed RM20 billion sukuk plan by Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) to restructure the country’s water assets.
“These loan guarantees are debt exposures to the federal government that must be included in our total debt figures,” said Lim.
In contrast, he said the state government debts in Pakatan states have dropped dramatically just as the BN federal government debt has soared.


















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