All eyes on Dr M’s speech at Perkasa assembly today The Malay Mail Online

PETALING JAYA, Nov 23 — All eyes will be on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad when he launches non-governmental organisation Perkasa’s convention today.

While the general public and opposition parties wait for Dr Mahathir to add fuel to his seemingly strained ties with Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Umno delegates wait anxiously for further revelations.

With the Umno annual general assembly scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Dr Mahathir’s speech is considered to be a prelude to come at the assembly debate.

This despite speakers being briefed on guidelines for what can and cannot be said, given the sensitivity of issues such as Chinese schools and vernacular education.

They will scrutinise and decipher every word of the speech, searching for hidden messages and translate them accordingly. Some may pick up points and expand on them in the debate later.

Given the so-called delicate relationship between Dr Mahathir and Najib presently, Umno delegates will be looking at clues to confirm this theory, not just the points and arguments raised by Dr Mahathir.

With Perkasa’s philosophy of protecting Malay rights, the monarchy and Islam, Dr Mahathir’s speech is expected to spur the Malay spirit and better understand the issues affecting the community.

Umno’s current weak position is expected to figure prominently in his speech, and in fact, the ex-premier had suggested Selangor Umno be disbanded and pro-tem committees appointed to rejuvenate the party in the state.

In this aspect, Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyidin Yassin has already expressed fear the Malay party could become irrelevant come the next general election if party members persist on living in their comfort zones.

While Dr Mahathir’s speech may provide the core points for speakers at the impending Umno debate, speakers may add their own points to impress party leaders.

Dr Mahathir is seen as the front man to pressure Najib into changing the moderate and reconciliatory approach and not replace or amend the Sedition Act.

Perkasa views Najib’s transformation as not in accordance with its struggles, particularly concerning Malay rights and the sovereignty of Islam.

Since Dr Mahathir will be opening Perkasa’s annual convention, he is expected to stress Perkasa’s role in defending the Malays, the monarchy and Islam without going overboard.

The timing of the Perkasa convention a few days before the Umno assembly — whether purely by coincidence or not — is viewed by many as the perfect curtain raiser for the Umno assembly.

Malays will be like Red Indians if PAS and Umno don’t cooperate, warns ex-chief justice The Malaysian Insider

Malays are in danger of becoming "Red Indians" in their own land if PAS and Umno do not cooperate to defend the government from DAP and PKR, former chief justice Tun Abdul Hamid Mohamad warned today.

He said that should Pakatan Rakyat take over Putrajaya, PKR and PAS would not be able to "control" DAP the way Umno "controlled MCA and Gerakan's ambitions".

"Malays will become Red Indians in their own land. Trust me, the threat towards Malays now has never been this serious in the history of the race.

"Now, we are split and being used. PAS and Umno must think about collaborating, uniting or cooperating at least at the federal level to defend the government from falling to DAP and PKR," Hamid said in his speech at the National Unity Convention in Pusat Islam, Kuala Lumpur today.

The convention was organised by a coalition of 58 Malay non-governmental organisations (NGO), who are set to debate a draft of the National Unity Memorandum.

Hamid said that PAS should recall its core struggles, which is to protect Malays and Islam, adding that working alongside DAP and PKR would defeat its purpose.

"DAP cannot be counted on... they are more chauvinistic than MCA and Gerakan.

"PAS and PKR cannot control DAP's ambitions the way Umno controls MCA and Gerakan's ambitions. So PAS must work with Umno."

He said PKR was a lost cause as the party was not interested in fighting for the Malays, but for "just one Malay", in an apparent reference to opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Hamid said that if PAS as well as the Bumiputera of Sabah and Sarawak joined Barisan Nasional's (BN) fold, the federal government could be saved regardless of the Chinese community's overwhelming support for DAP.

However, he added that DAP's Chinese supporters may even change their minds once they calculated the profits and loss involved in aligning themselves with BN.

"The Chinese operate based on loss and profit. That's all they think about. To them, maarof (good) is profit, mungkar (bad) is loss. And we don't want to sideline the Chinese," said Hamid.

He also urged Malaysian Indians to ask themselves if they believed PR could do a better job of serving them compared to BN.

"Umno is on the right track. Umno should continue to be the dominant Malay and Muslim party," said Hamid.

"But the problem is with the leaders. The number one factor that causes people to hate Umno is the perception that they are corrupt."

He said Umno must fix this perception, and allow more young professionals the chance to vie for positions in the party, noting that many had turned to PAS for this reason.

"If this goes on, Umno will run out of leaders," he warned. – November 23, 2014.

It is Barisan’s pledge to continue paying BR1M until 2018, says Ahmad Maslan The Malaysian Insider

The 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) is here to stay for another four years at least, Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said today.

Calling it Barisan Nasional's (BN) pledge in their manifesto for the 13th General Election, Ahmad Maslan said the government will make BR1M payments until 2018, Bernama reported.

He added that hence, it cannot be withdrawn but must be continued.

"We not only promised to continue the BR1M payments for five years but to increase the quantum yearly to RM1,200 in the fifth year. For 2015 the amount is RM950," Bernama quoted him as saying in a press conference following a briefing session on the Goods and Service Tax (GST) for TM employees in Port Dickson today.

Ahmad Maslan also compared the way Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad used to stimulate the economy, saying that the former prime minister did so by giving more projects for Class F contractors then.

In contrast, the Umno information chief said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak wanted  to spur the economy by providing aid to the people who need it most directly, and in the form of BR1M so as to have a multiplier effect.

"So, BR1M is not corruption as alleged by certain quarters. If it was corruption, we would have only given it once before the election... this is why we are giving it yearly," he said, according to Bernama.

Earlier today, Ahmad Maslan said he will propose that the pump price of RON95 petrol be cut, if crude oil prices go down to between US$70 to US$75 per barrel.

"I was told by officers in charge of petrol subsidy matters that when crude oil prices is at between US$70 to US$75 per barrel, the cost of fuel will be lower than the current pump price of RM2.30 per litre.

"As deputy finance minister, I will propose to the Fiscal Policy Committee that the price of petrol be reduced from RM2.30 per litre," he was quoted by Bernama as saying in Malacca.

Crude petrol now costs US$79.41 per barrel.

He added that he hopes traders will also cut prices of goods and services if petrol pump prices are reduced.

He will also propose that no additional tax be charged on RON95, he said.

Pakatan Rakyat representatives have pointed out that consumers will effectively be paying the government a tax on petrol if the price remains at RM2.30 per litre, once crude oil prices go down to US$73 per barrel. – November 16, 2014.

Raising income with BR1M is wrong, says Dr M in renewed criticism of Putrajaya The Malaysian Insider

Putrajaya giving out handouts to increase average incomes to a certain level to achieve developed nation status by 2020 is misleading, said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

In a blog posting, the former prime minister said per capita income should not be a measure of Malaysia's achievement of developed nation status.

"By itself, per capita income will not make Malaysia a developed country. It would be even more misleading when the income is due to handouts by the government," he said.

He noted that socialists and communists had tried to improve their people's income by giving them cash and support facilities. But socialism and communism eventually failed and people still had "to resort to free enterprise and hard work", he wrote on his popular blog, chedet.cc.

"We must earn our income through higher productivity and not through handouts by the government," he said.

Malaysia's longest serving prime minister of 22 years said it was unfair for people to say he did not understand Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), the government programme which dispenses cash aid to low-earning households and individuals.

Since March this year, he has become more vocal in criticising the programme and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for using it as an election goody.

Najib, however, has defended BR1M by saying that it was part of the government’s efforts to move away from blanket subsidies and instead provide targeted aid to the people.

Dr Mahathir, who has also held the finance minister's post, said he had been opposed to giving monetary handouts as a way to increase income "right from the beginning".

"If at all, financial aid should be given to the very poor who are unable to work to earn an income. My primary objection is because handouts on such a scale look too much like bribery."

Furthermore, Dr Mahathir said, when BR1M was given near elections or listed in the election manifesto, it created the impression that the aid was used to buy votes.

"If incomes are to be increased, it should be by way of creating opportunities for work or business.

"But BR1M has more negative implications than that. It increases the tendency towards personal dependence on the government even for one’s income, without any effort by oneself.

"It weakens the character of people and reduce their competitiveness in the market place," he wrote.

High incomes should come from increases in productivity, which can only come about through better education and training, Dr Mahathir said.

"The ability to increase productivity comes from greater added value to the products.

"It follows that when we promote industries with greater added value, then the incomes of employees would increase due to greater contribution of the employees."

Noting that government revenue was derived from taxes, Dr Mahathir said he did not think that people liked to see their taxes being used as part of election ploys.

"Certainly they would not want their hard-earned money to be expended on winning popularity for anyone or political parties or administrations," he wrote. – November 14, 2014.

Where are DAP, PAS during Anwar’s sodomy appeal, asks Utusan The Malaysian Insider

Utusan Malaysia today questioned the conspicuous absence of DAP and PAS at opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's appeal against his sodomy conviction.

The Umno mouthpiece reported that the absence of the two Pakatan Rakyat partners lent credence to the theory that Anwar has become a liability.

Awang Selamat, the pseudonym for the paper's collective editorial voice, also pointed out that the crowd's support at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya was also dwindling.

"As the trial drags on, the attendance figures outside the Palace of Justice is also decreasing with every passing day," Awang wrote.

"This should send a clear message to Anwar that the rakyat, including the youth, are no longer enthusiastic about supporting him.

"Members of the public are more fascinated with following the Malaysia Cup than they are about Anwar's questionable moral and personal ethics."

Awang also noted PAS's apparent reluctance in being associated with bodies representing lesbians, bisexuals, gays and transvestites.

"DAP appears to be completely uninterested in supporting Anwar as well," Awang wrote in today's Utusan Malaysia.

"What does it mean for Anwar if less than 100 supporters turn up to support him? Where are the PKR supporters and members who have steadfastly stood by him?"

Awang said Anwar had harboured a secret ambition that tens of thousands of Malaysians would flood Putrajaya to support him.

"Anwar envisioned a similar scenario to the current pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, but alas, it was not to be," Awang wrote.

Anwar's appeal against his sodomy conviction began last week in the Federal Court in Putrajaya amid tight security by the police.

It is expected to resume tomorrow morning as the prosecution continues with its submissions. – November 2, 2014.