My interest in politics begin a few months before the 1990 general election. I was at an age where I could understand the mechanics of electing a government and began asking questions about the political parties, their leaders and their agendas. Since then and for 20 years I have been a strong supporter of opposition parties in particular the Democratic Action Party (DAP). In any election (general or by-election) since then I have ‘campaigned’ strongly in my own little way (in coffee shops, among friends and even with strangers) in support of the those going against Barisan National (BN). But a lot has changed since the last general election in 2008 which forces me re-evaluate my political stand.

The BN government has been far from perfect (even by their own admission) and Malaysians have valid  reasons to be disappointed, feel betrayed and wish for a change. But is there a better alternative? Or has/is BN done/doing enough to change past errors and should they be given the mandate to continue with their ‘transformation’ programs for another term?

The results of the 12^th general elections shook BN to its core. It forced BN to take a long hard look at themselves and acknowledge the mistakes that they and previous administrations have made. They realised that Malaysians would no longer stand for mediocrity and if things didn’t change, the people would vote them (BN) of out Putrajaya. While the transformation is far from done, one has to admit that in the last 5years, BN leaders have gone to great lengths to undo mistakes of their predecessors.

Q.      Do you know that IF PR wins the coming general elections, the new PM will be from PAS, Malaysia will be turned into an Islamic State and Hudud law WILL be implemented?

Anwar Ibrahim is being touted as Prime Minister elect by Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and also Democratic Action Party(DAP) in the event of a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) victory but no PAS leader has endorsed Anwar.

The biggest and most dominant party in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) is the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) and by that virtue they (PAS) will form the core of a PR run government. In the event of a PR victory in the coming GE, the new PM will be from PAS.

One doesn’t have to look far to see that PAS calls the shots in PR. In the 2008 GE, Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin was elected Menteri Besar of Perak after PR won 31 of the 59 seats in the Perak State Assembly.

DAP captured 18 seats, PKR 7 and PAS 6. Though PAS won only 10% of the 59 DUN seats in Perak, a PAS man still became Menteri Besar, making a mockery of PKR and DAP who together won 25 seats (over 80% of the seats won by PR)

Q.      Do you want Malaysia to be turned into an Islamic state and Hudud law implemented?

PAS have vigorously and (to their credit) openly expressed their aspirations to turn Malaysia into an Islamic State. By joining PAS in PAKATAN, DAP and PKR have shown that they accept and share the ideologies of PAS.

The only leader from PAKATAN who is vocally against an Islamic State and the implementation of Hudud law is DAP chairman Karpal Singh. The silence of other leaders in DAP only indicates that they except the Islamic state plan.

Q.      How certain are you that the rights of non-muslims which are protected by the constitution will not be changed/ amended?

“The Federal Constitution will be amended and Islam will no longer be the official religion as it will be changed to ‘Islam is Addin (way of life)’ if Pakatan Rakyat comes into power.” – PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Q.      Do you understand the implications of Hudud law?

“In principle, I believe it (hudud laws) can be implemented. Looking at specific areas, there is clear guarantee of an administration of justice and it does not in any way infringe on the rights of non-Muslims,” – Anwar Ibrahim.

Yesterday (23/04/2013) , PAS deputy spiritual leader, Harun Din said this :-

“I’m confident that DAP will accept hudud law because of its willingness to contest under the PAS symbol. However, this can only be done after Pakatan is given the mandate to rule the country. Even if DAP is against it, Hudud law will be implemented. Although DAP had rejected the implementation of hudud law a few years ago, it is now no longer the case,”.

Q.      Did you know?

In Kelantan, the PAS-led state government had ruled that new buildings should include Islamic designs/elements in its architecture.

Q.      Do you want to see temples, churches and other places of worship in Miri be forced to incorporate Islamic designs?

Sisters In Islam (SIS) opposes the Terengganu Hudud Enactment 2003 for these reasons:- http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/news.php?item.301.121

1. It discriminates against women.
2. It discriminates against non-Muslims.
3. It opts for the most unforgiving and most severe opinion to be codified into law.
4. It fails to look at the nass (text) for the hudud punishment as a whole, focusing only on fixed penalties, instead of repentance, reform and forgiveness.
5. It adds two other crimes – apostasy and shurb (consumption of alcohol) – under hudud even though the punishments are not in the Quran.
6. It is unconstitutional.
7. It infringes international human rights standards by providing forms of punishment which can be regarded as “torture, or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment”.

It is common sense that Hudud is a criminal justice system and with its implementation, there will be two criminal justice system. This cannot work because two persons who have committed the same crime could receive a completely different punishment.

As an example, if a non-Muslim is caught stealing, he or she could be sentenced to a few months or years in prison. The exact same crime committed by a Muslim will result in that person losing their right hand.

  In PAS led Kelantan:-

1)    There are no gaming outlets (eg. Magnum, Toto and Pan Malaysian Pools) in Kelantan. 

2)    Gender segregation law applies to non-Muslims.

- A woman cannot cut the hair of a male. Even if your mother, sister or daughter gives you a hair cut in ‘public’ it is deemed an offence.

-In supermarkets and cinemas gender segregation applies, so a married couple can go for a movie or to shop but they can’t sit together in a cinema or queue together to pay for their shopping.

3)    Two  non-Muslim couples we recently fined for ‘indecent behavior’ for being  together in parked vehicles (one of this cases happen in broad daylight). 

4)    Women are not allow to perform on stage. Which means no singing competitions, beauty pageants or even school concerts.

Q.      Do you want the KUMANG which has been the tradition of native Sarawakians  that dates back hundreds of years to be banned for good?   

In a PAS-led Malaysia, Millions of Malaysians could lose their jobs.

Q.      What will happen to the 100,000-200,000 of you who work for Sarawak Cash Sweep,  Magnum, Toto, Pan Malaysian Pools, Sabah88, turf clubs and Genting?

Tony Pua of DAP once said that PAKATAN will reduce the size of the civil service half.

Q. Where are 700,000 of you who are going to be kicked out of a government job seek new employment?

Q.What about the 200,000-300,00 of you who are working in entertainment industry, DJ’s, bartenders, waiters, cashiers, singers, dancers, models?

Q. The 100,000 of you in transport industry servicing the gaming and entertainment industry, will you find jobs elsewhere?

Under hudud law, A woman who reports rape must provide four male witnesses to back her claims. Failing which she deemed the guilty party for committing adultery.

PAS claim that Hudud doesn’t affect non-Muslims.

Q.What if one of our non-Muslim friends, daughter, sister, mother or wife is raped?

A half decent lawyer will advice his client to claim trail under Hudud law.

In most rape cases, there are no witnesses so the rapist will walk free. This will give the rapist more power and crime against women will only increase.

(ref : A law to protect rapist – http://www.sistersinislam.org.my/news.php?item.300.121 )

The points that I have highlighted here are just a few of many and bigger problems that Malaysians will face if PR are given the mandate. Though I wish for a change, there is nothing better to change to.

Please vote with your eyes wide-open, choose with your head and not your emotions. As citizens, we are responsible for choosing the right people to govern us. We are not only voting for our future but the future of generations to come. At the end of the day the decision is yours, every single vote counts and whichever party or candidate you decide to support, PLEASE BE SURE TO GO OUT AND EXERCISE YOUR RIGHTS.

John Kenom
(Though most of the information in this letter comes from the newspapers and the internet, the views expressed, interpretation of the laws and the figures projected are entirely my own)

Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui

MIRI, 20 April – In the press statement issued today by SUPP president, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui, said that a major question that the Chinese voters must consider carefully in this GE 13, do you still think that Najib’s a better person to be the Prime Minister of Malaysia than Anwar Ibrahim or Hadi Awang or Lim Guan Eng?

“If your answer is that Najib is better than the other three, then you must vote for BN so that Najib can continue to lead the country after GE-13,” he added.

“There is no short cut to achieve victory in any battle,” he added.

He said that we all know that the oppositions are aggressive people and they campaigned aggressively.

“These people are dedicated to their cause which is to destroy SUPP completely. The Democratic Action Party (DAP) leaders are saying that SUPP is finished after the GE-13 is over on May 5th,” he stressed.

He said they may be aggressive but they are just ordinary people. They only know how to talk or to criticize or say negative things about the BN government and for that they say they are the best politicians and they know everything.

“As cadres of the party working to carry out a very heavy and important task during the next two weeks or so but we must not be discouraged.”

“On the contrary, we must be brave and be confident to achieve victory for our party and for Barisan Nasional (BN) in all seven seats that our party is contesting,” he said.

Chin told that party member must not be thinking that it is as simple as printing the posters, campaign leaflets or banners and then putting them up by the roadsides, as these are things we always do during each election.

“We must go to the people whether in their workplaces or in their homes to tell them about the importance of the elections as I explain above.”

He told that GE-13 will also determine the fate of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) in the Malaysian political equation and therefore the possible survival of the party.

Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui said that the above presumptions show the importance of GE-13 to SUPP and why the party has to perform credibly and to win all seven seats allocated to the party to contest in the state.

With Najib experiences and his performance records as the Prime Minister of Malaysia since 2009 at a same time showing his open minded policies towards all races with his well-known slogan of 1Malaysia: People First; Performance Now, Chin strongly suggesting that SUPP and the Chinese voters in Sarawak should give BN/SUPP candidates resounding victories in Serian, Stampin, Kuching, Sarikei, Lanang, Sibu and Miri.

He call for fellow comrades to unite and let be determined that SUPP must perform excellently during the GE-13 and be able to redeem ourselves from the political tsunami that we suffered at the hands of the DAP during the 2011 State Election.

“Fellow comrades, do we accept this as our fate? Or do we stand up and fight for the survival of our beloved party? Are we prepared to sacrifice a bit of our time and efforts during the next two weeks to defend our party and to make sure that our candidates can win?”

“These are important and crucial questions and I cannot answer them for you, each one of us must make the important decisions yourselves and I hope you will answer the call of duty to our party,” Chin said.

In his 1Malaysia blog, the Prime Minister said that the manifesto was not something that was created within one day merely to win the hearts of the voters in the coming general election.

“In fact, I personally have gone down on the ground to better understand all the issues and priorities of the people of all age groups, incomes, localities, races and religions.

“That is why the manifesto is realistic and comprehensive to suit the actual situation of the people currently,” he said.

At the same time, Najib pointed out that the basis of the manifesto, which was described as ‘Our Pledges’ to the people, was an everlasting national stability and harmony.

He said all past incidents, experiences, mistakes and successes were taken as a lesson and used as a guide in continuing the trust entrusted and would be carried out in the best manner possible.

He said Malaysia’s successes in the various fields until today clearly proved the capability and performance of the BN in fulfilling the pledges made to the people earlier.

“Of course, there were inadequacies all the while, I acknowledge and apologise, but these further strengthen our resolve to correct them for the sake of Malaysia’s future. This time, we propose 17 key areas as our subsequent pledge and commitment,” he said.

As such, Najib humbly called on the people to have confidence in his leadership by giving their support and votes to his team, namely the BN and promised to continue the struggle by giving hope to the people to turn Malaysia into a more developed and prosperous nation.

He welcomed them to obtain a summary of the 17 main points contained in the BN manifesto which he announced before tens of thousands of BN members and supporters at the Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil two days ago.

He said a summary of the essence of the manifesto could be obtained from his blog, namely, www.1malaysia.com.my/manifesto/ while the full text of the manifesto could be read at www.manifestopru13.com.  –BERNAMA

The Member of Parliament for Miri said he hoped Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, would give his blessings on his decision (not to be a candidate in GE13).

Chin, who is also the president of the Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), said he had recommended his political secretary Datuk Sebastian Ting for the Miri seat.

“The Prime Minister will make the final decision, nevertheless, I think he will agree to what I want,” he told reporters after attending his ministry’s 2012 Excellence Awards presentation ceremony here today.

Chin said although he was opting to stay out, he would still pay close attention to Miri and other constituencies held by the SUPP.

“For me, six terms as the MP of Miri is a very long time and it is time to make way for younger faces,” he said.

He said SUPP would be contesting seven seats in GE13, the same number as in GE12, and that the party’s manifesto would be announced on nomination day or after that.

He added that the manifesto would be changed slightly as some of the pledges in it were also in the BN manifesto announced by Najib on Saturday.

Meanwhile, when asked whether he would continue helming SUPP, Chin said it would depend on the party’s polls at the end of 2014.

“We will see what happens, whether the delegates still need my service,” he said.

The Election Commission has said that it would be holding a meeting on Wednesday to determine the dates for nomination and polling for GE13. — BERNAMA

In a live address over television, Najib said he had obtained the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah, to dissolve the 12th parliament.

He advised all the state governments, except Negeri Sembilan and Sarawak, to also dissolve their respective state legislative assemblies to allow for the state elections to be held simultaneously with the general election.

The Negeri Sembilan state legislative assembly dissolved automatically on March 28, paving the way for the state election to be held.

Sarawak held its state election on April 16, 2011, and the Barisan Nasional (BN) was returned to power after it won 55 of the 71 seats contested.

Following the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat today, the Election Commission (EC) is expected to meet soon to set the dates for nomination and polling.

The current mandate of the government was due to expire on April 28 this year.

According to Article 55 (4) of the Federal Constitution, a general election must be held within 60 days of the dissolution of parliament.

Based on the latest electoral rolls, as of December last year, 13.3 million people are eligible to go to the polls in the country.

A total of 222 parliamentary seats will be contested in the coming general election, 31 of which are in Sarawak, while 505 state seats will be up for contest.

At the time of dissolution, the BN had 137 seats in the Dewan Rakyat with the rest held by the DAP (29), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) (23), PAS (23), Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanahair (KITA) (one) and Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) (one). Eight seats were held by independent MPs.

In the last general election, in 2008, the BN failed to secure a two-third majority in the Dewan Rakyat, garnering only 140 seats while the opposition grabbed 82 seats.

Besides failing to regain control of Kelantan, the BN also lost control of Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor. After three elected representatives declared themselves friendly to the BN almost a year later, the opposition Perak government fell and the BN took back the state.

The 13th general election is the first for Najib as the leader of the BN after having taken over as the prime minister from Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on April 3, 2009.

Meanwhile, the EC is scheduled to implement eight new elements as part of the effort to improve the running of the general election, in accordance with the recommendations in the report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform presented to parliament on April 3 last year.

These include the use of indelible ink to mark voters, early voting to replace postal voting for policemen and soldiers, allowing postal voting for Malaysians abroad and journalists, and setting a campaign period of not less than 10 days.

After the 12th general election, 16 by-elections were held following the death or resignation of elected representatives, six of these for parliamentary seats and 10 for state seats. Eight seats were won by the BN and eight by the opposition.

The parliamentary by-elections were held in Permatang Pauh, Kuala Terengganu, Bukit Gantang, Hulu Selangor, Sibu and Batu Sapi while the state by-elections were held in Bukit Selambau, Batang Ai, Manek Urai, Permatang Pasir, Penanti, Bagan Pinang, Galas, Batu Sapi, Tenang, Merlimau and Kerdau.

The number of by-elections was the highest after the 1995-1999 parliamentary term that saw 17 by-elections held.

– BERNAMA

Chin berkata, nama-nama bakal calon SUPP untuk bertanding pada pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke-13 ini, masih dikekalkan, termasuk nama Sebastian.

“Datuk Seri Najib selaku pengerusi pusat ada berbincang mengenai senarai nama calon SUPP dengan saya bagaimanapun dalam perbincangan tersebut beliau langsung tidak menyebut nama Sebastian sama ada digugurkan dan digantikan dengan nama lain.”

“Kalau benar ini berlaku, saya selaku presiden SUPP akan menjadi orang pertama yang akan diberitahu mengenainya,” katanya ketika ditanya mengenai khabar angin kononnya nama Sebastian sebagai bakal calon bagi Parlimen Miri telah digugurkan.

Khabar angin mengenai pengguran nama Sebastian itu tersebar selepas kunjungan perdana menteri ke bandar raya ini, baru-baru ini. Malah spekulasi berkenaan tersebar luas dengan pelbagai versi hingga menimbulkan kekeliruan kepad aorang ramai.

Sehubungan itu Chin menasihatkan orang ramai supaya tidak mendengar atau mempercayai khabar angin tersebut.

“Saya yang menghantar senarai nama tersebut. Jadi jika ada perubahan mengenainya, saya perlu dimaklumkan terlebih dahulu mengikut prosedur, bukan melalui orang lain,” katanya lagi.

Sementara itu, Chin turut mengutuk pihak tidak bertanggungjawab yang telah memainkan politik kotor terhadap Sebastian dengan menulis kata-kata menghina beliau dan mempersoalkan tindakan parti mahu mencalonkannya.

Kertas bercetak dalam tulisan English, Mandarin dan Bahasa Melayu itu telah disebar dan dilekatkan beberapa lokasi termasuk hingga ke Kuala Baram.

Sehingga kini, menurut Chin, pihaknya masih belum tahu mengenai perkembangan siasatan polis berhubung perkara tersebut.

Namun katanya, parti tidak akan teragak-agak untuk mengambil tindakan tegas terhadap pihak yang bertanggungjawab, jika terbukti ia dilakukan oleh orang dalam parti itu sendiri.

Inspector-General of Police, Tan Sri Ismail Omar said six armed intruders were also killed in the exchange of fire that ensued in the 8pm incident in the water village. In the rescue operation launched today and which ended at 7pm, police also managed to bring out 19 of their men to safety from the village.

At a press conference at 9pm held at Felda Sahabat, Kampung Tanduo, here, Ismail also said that the bodies of the six policemen killed had been taken to Semporna Hospital.

“Their identities will be revealed to their respective families before being posted on the official website of the Royal Malaysian Police,” he said.

At an earlier press conference Sunday, Ismail announced that five policemen and two armed intruders were killed in the incident. He had said that the five from the Semporna district police headquarters were tasked to carry out investigation in the village after police received information on the presence of a group of armed men in the village. He said the policemen were shot at while approaching a house in the village and they fired back to defend themselves. At tonight’s press conference, Ismail denied that policemen were held hostage in the incident and were decapitated by the intruders.

“This is just a rumour and I ask the public not to believe any rumour on the incident,” he said. He added that the situation in the village had returned to normal. — BERNAMA

He said the government had allocated a huge sum for study loans and scholarships in view of the rising cost of higher education which put pressure on parents, especially those paying for their children’s studies.

“Realising the need, the government introduces the SPP1M as additional funding with the loans limited to RM150,000 for a medical specialist course and RM100,000 for the critical courses chosen,” Najib told reporters at the launching ceremony, here, today.

The SPP1M loan acts as a top-up to the existing National Higher Education Corporation Fund loan for students pursuing their bachelor’s degree or master’s in certain fields.

The scheme will be implemented in two stages – during the second quarter of 2013 for entry into local universities and in June for twinning programmes and further studies abroad.

“Component parties have submitted their lists and in the list, especially by SUPP, my name is not there,” Chin who is also the Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister said during a press conference at the 15th Malaysia Strategic Outlook Conference 2013 here.

Chin, 67, has been the Member of Parliament for Miri since 1986 and in the 2008 general election won the seat by 5,216-vote majority against DAP candidate, Fong Pau Teck.

SUPP, which is the oldest political party in Sarawak, won six of the seven parliamentary constituencies in the 12th general election held in 2008.

Chin bergambar bersama para pelajar, guru dan ibu bapa pelajar selepas majlis penyampaian bantuan RM100 hari ini.

JLN DATO TEMENGGONG LAWAI JAU, 25 Januari – Pemberian bantuan khas awal persekolahan RM100 menzahirkan keprihatinan kerajaan untuk mengurangkan beban keluarga yang berpendapatan rendah dan sederhana.

“Saya tahu RM100, tidaklah banyak mana namun ia adalah sumbang ikhlas kerajaan untuk membantu ibu bapa yang bekerja keras untuk memberi pendidikan kepada anak-anak mereka,” kata Menteri Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air, Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui.

Berucap pada majlis penyampaian bantuan itu di SMK St. Joseph hari ini, Chin yang juga Ahli parlimen Miri menambah, selain bantuan itu, kerajaan menawarkan bantuan kepada golongan miskin selain peruntukan besar untuk membiayai projek pembinaan dan menaiktaraf sekolah di negeri ini.

“Matlamat kita ialah menjadi sebuah negara membangun, justeru kita perlu melipatgandakan usaha untuk memantapkan kualiti pendidikan dan sumber manusia.”

“Pendidikan sangat penting kepada negara, justeru kita mahu memastikan tiada sesiapa pun terpinggir. Hanya melalui pendidikan, kita berupaya mendapat kerjaya yang stabil dan masa depan terjamin.”

Katanya, kerajaan akan menyediakan pendidikan yang berkualiti bagi membantu negara melahirkan modal insan yang berdaya saing bagi mencapai status negara membangun.

Dalam perkembangan lain, kerajaan sudah menyiapkan Pelan Pembangunan Pendidikan yang dijadikan panduan sekolah mendapatkan peruntukan yang mencukupi yang mana akan diperkenalkan tidak lama lagi.

Sementara itu, seramai 786 pelajar menerima bantuan khas sebanyak RM100 seorang.