Kit Siang: We don’t want money, power hungry defectors

The DAP will not accept Barisan Nasional (BN) members of parliament crossing over to the opposition to form the next government on Sept 16 if they are driven to do so by money and power.Its advisor Lim Kit Siang said the party would only welcome BN MPs into Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition pact, if they decided to cross over on the principle of wanting to bring about change to improve the lot of the people, and not for their political rice bowl."If they want to quit the ruling coalition and join us just for material gain, then it's unethical and unprincipled. We will not accept them."Whether a new government will be formed or not in nine days' time depends on many factors. We need to wait and see," he told reporters after officiating at the setting up of DAP branches in Sungai Tong, Setiu and in Kampung Cina, Kuala Terengganu with about 60 members.The DAP had opened up branches in Terengganu in 1990 but they were dissolved in 2002 due to poor response from the local community.Lim claimed that he did not know what kind of reward had been offered by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to 30 BN MPs, mainly from Sabah and Sarawak, said to be joining Pakatan Rakyat to form a new government on Sept 16.He also urged the amendment to the Federal Constitution made in 1990 that prohibits an MP who resigns from the post from contesting in the general election in the next five years to be abolished.He said this way it would enable those who resigned as MPs to stand by their principles and contest again in a by-election. — Bernama

Gerakan will leave BN if it no longer has meaningful role

Acting Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon says the party will review its role in the Barisan Nasional (BN). And if the review finds Gerakan no longer has a "meaningful" role in BN, then it would pull out of the coalition. Speaking at the party's Selangor Delegates Conference here today, he did not, however, announce a timeframe for which the review would be completed.His comments come even as BN has scheduled a supreme council meeting on Tuesday to thrash out the issue of component parties threatening to pull out of the ruling coalition amid racial disputes.The meeting comes as pressure mounts from within the ranks of MCA and Gerakan for reform in Umno, the party blamed by them for the loss of non-Malay support during the March general elections.Speaking to The Malaysian Insider after opening the Selangor conference, Dr Koh confirmed that the Supreme Council meeting would take place on Tuesday.He had told delegates earlier that "we will discuss, consult and finally come to a decision soon. I don't know when because we need to watch political developments", confirming in a press conference later than he was referring to the issue of their membership in BN."We will not blindly be yes-men. We will stay as long as we have a meaningful role," he said.When quizzed as to what would be a meaningful role, he said that there should be communication, mutual respect, shared ideas and consultation on programmes and policies.But he refused to offer a timeframe, stating that it had to be reasonable, not "immediately nor five years from now.He said that there had been progress as "there have been more meetings in the past six months than in the previous three years", referring to BN Supreme Council and management committee meetings.But he stressed that the coalition's leadership needed to meet more often than that. He admitted however, that he was currently "not too happy but not unhappy enough to leave BN."He insisted in his speech that as "Gerakanist", party members had to be rational and not allow "Ahmad Ismail to dictate whether we stay in BN or not. Don't give him that face, otherwise any branch or division leader can insult us and we want to leave"He was referring to reports that Bukit Bendera Umno chief Datuk Ahmad Ismail made racist remarks during the Permatang Pauh by-election campaign, by stating that Malaysian Chinese were squatting in the country."I am holding back my own anger because a coalition with such a long history of governance should not be victims of such remarks."He reiterated his calls for a code of conduct to be established in the coalition to deal with such cases in the future."In this case, police reports have been made, so the solution is to let the investigation carry on because one party will deny while the other says it has proof."But the long-term solution is to have a disciplinary committee for all BN members and not just leave it to component parties to handle internally."

2009 NATIONAL BUDGET AND ECONOMIC POLICY BRIEF BY DSAI

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (KeAdilan) recognizes that for millions of Malaysian citizens the economic climate has become a troublesome one. Malaysians today face ongoing reduction in their purchasing power, job insecurities, increased fuel prices, low wages, and a high gap between the rich and poor. KeAdilan believes that Malaysia can no longer afford to stand on the sidelines and allow the BN government to pursue a ‘too-little-too-late approach’ to addressing these issues. That is why, on this day, KeAdilan is pushing forward one more step its positions on the Malaysian Economic Agenda, to relieve the burden on Malaysians struggling with record high inflation levels and dwindling economic prospects. Whereas the current government has failed to adequately assess or address these issues, KeAdilan will pursue the policies critical to reasserting Malaysia’s quality of life, economic strength and competitiveness in the global economy.

Summary:

The KeAdilan proposals on the budget and response to the current BN government’s Malaysia Budget 2009 are based on a new model of socio-economic development drawing on an analysis of some of the best performing economies in the world. This specifically includes understanding the successes of Taiwan, Korea and Ireland, and integrating the best practices of these economies with the enormous potential of Malaysia’s natural and human resources as well as the positive aspects of Malaysia’s past development plans. When Parti Keadilan Rakyat model is implemented, the gap between Malaysia and other developed countries in terms of economic performance and living standards must be narrowed, instead of growing as it has under the current government. KeAdilan’s policies will spur a rapidly growing economy that can effectively compete at the regional and global level as well as open up numerous opportunities for all Malaysians and for all scales of business at the individual and sector level. KeAdilan’s educational and human development reforms will bring about an improved educational system and knowledge based economy and enable Malaysia’s domestic businesses to meet the global challenge with a locally sourced and higher skilled labor force.

PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

We won! And our victory is decisive and overwhelming.I share in the joy felt by all Malaysians on this historic day. This is a victory for the people. And it’s great to be back!On March 8th Malaysians voted for a New Dawn. Today, on the eve of our independence day, we have reasserted that call. We celebrate our nation’s independence in the spirit that our founding fathers intended - a nation of one and a people united.In the face of the greatest adversity, our campaign focused on the issues that matter to Malaysians. Our calls for national unity, good governance and a vibrant democracy have silenced the voices of racist chanting, those who profit from the abuse of power and exploit the politics of fear and deceit.We have promised a New Dawn for Malaysia and we will deliver on our promise. We will forge ahead on our Malaysian Economic Agenda to revive the economy, and to uplift the poor and the marginalized of all races. We will restore the integrity of the judiciary, fight corruption and build a truly unified nation.We will be a government that is totally committed to realizing the people’s aspirations.With the success of the eight of March and tonight’s resounding victory, I daresay we are indeed ready to face the challenges of the future, together.We could not have won without the firm, unwavering support of our friends in the Pakatan Rakyat and the tens of thousands of Malaysians – Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadhazans - who have come to Permatang Pauh to work hard for this victory. I truly appreciate your courage, conviction and valour; and congratulate your commitment to our shared principles of freedom, justice and democracy.This may be one small step for Permatang Pauh but one giant leap for the people of Malaysia.

ANWAR IBRAHIM

Run-up to Permatang Pauh by-election: All eyes on Ezam - Asia World News

IF there is anyone besides the candidates who needs to prove his worth in the upcoming Permatang Pauh by-election, it is Ezam Mohd Nor. One of the most watched for aspects of the campaign will be how well the one-time Parti Keadilan Rakyat Youth leader uses his oratorical skills to attack his former mentor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.Ezam was very vocal in criticising Umno's leadership, particularly on alleged corruption in the Barisan Nasional government, before he rejoined the party in late May. He continued to do so after he left PKR two years ago and set up the Movement for Democracy and Anti-Corruption (Gerak).Ezam has vowed to do all he can to deny Anwar victory and return to active politics. He even offered himself as the Umno candidate although he pledged to support anyone picked by the party.The by-election is by far the best platform for Ezam to convince Umno members unhappy with, and suspicious of his return to Umno, that he is sincere in fighting for the cause. His re-entry into the party has been met with distrust and even hostility. Some senior party leaders openly showed they were less than thrilled by his presence, fearing him as a Trojan horse for Anwar's comeback into the party.Ezam, who has been travelling the country helping Umno reconnect with the Malay grassroots, has called Anwar a traitor to the Malays because of the latter's alleged willingness to do away with the New Economic Policy and compromise on Bumiputera privileges in exchange for non-Malay support. He charged that Anwar was willing to risk the country's political and economic stability to pursue his political ambitions."My priority is to campaign against Anwar and I support any candidate picked by BN," he said at a Malay unity gathering at Politeknik Permatang Pauh recently. At a talk organised by the Shah Alam Umno division last month, Ezam warned Anwar not to implicate him in the conspiracy that Anwar claimed was behind the latest sodomy charge.He threatened to divulge secrets that he claimed could disgrace Anwar's family, a move he said he would be forced to make to defend his dignity after he heard allegations that he received millions of ringgit to join Umno.Ezam was confidential secretary to Anwar from 1996 until the then deputy prime minister's expulsion from the government and Umno in 1998. The by-election will be a testing ground for those in Umno who doubt him, as well as those who see him as Anwar's most credible critic. What Ezam says and does during the campaign will be monitored with eagle eyes both in and outside Umno.