FINAL WEEK for BN REGIME

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Ahmad did it again, told Chinese not be American Jews

Demolished and torn ex-Chief-Minister's picture:

And Penang Gerakan severes ties with state Umno

BN ruling coalition broke apart!
Toh: Gerakan should consider merging with PKR

More Defections to join with Anwar is Expected! :p:p

Penang Umno leader Ahmad Ismail, the man at the centre of the ‘racial slur' controversy, warned Chinese Malaysians not to mimic American Jews who not only seek to control the country's economy but also its political power.
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ahmad ismail umno bukit bendera penang pc take down koh tsu koon photo stunt 080908 02In an explosive 50-minute press conference, Ahmad who claimed time and again that he was not a racist, vowed that he would not apologise for his remarks which sparked the controversy.

"While it is not difficult to say sorry - for the sake of my Malay dignity, I resolve not to apologise no matter what others may say. I am willing to take the risk (for not doing so)," he said in a 14-page statement.

ahmad ismail umno bukit bendera penang pc take down koh tsu koon photo stunt 080908 sequenceThe press conference, which was held at the Penang Umno headquarters this afternoon, ended with shouts of ‘Hidup Melayu' from about 50 local party leaders who were there.

Soon after the event, former Penang Umno committee member Zainol Abidin Hashim, with the help from his colleagues pulled down the photo of Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon which adorned one of the walls in the party headquarters.

Koh's picture frame, which sat next to the photos of the Penang governor and his wife, was subsequently smashed.

As the glass broke into pieces, Zainol removed Koh's photo from the frame and tore it into half.

Koh, who is former Penang chief minister, has been trading barbs with Ahmad, the Bukit Bendera Umno division chief, over the issue.

In a hastily-organised press conference at 10.30pm, Koh announced that Penang Gerakan had decided to cut all ties with its counterpart effective immediately.

Ahmad: Take this as a warning

Earlier, Ahmad told the minority Chinese not to go overboard in hurting the feelings of the Malays and Muslims.

pinang umno tear up koh tsu koon photo 080908 02"I want them to know, I want them to take this as a warning from the Malays. Malays and Muslims have been provoked many times. We have been patient because we want to maintain stability in the country," he said.

"Remember! The patience of Malays and Muslims has its limits. Do not push us to the wall, where we will be forced to reject the Chinese for the sake of our survival.

"If what I say sounds too strong for BN, take this as a warning from the Malays and Muslims as this has nothing to do with Umno. Do not pressure Umno leaders until they are caught in a dilemma."

He then sounded a dire warning to Koh and Gerakan.

"I want Koh Tsu Koon and Gerakan to take responsibility for whatever untoward incidents that could happen in this country of ours."

Ahmad also called upon BN leaders to "kick Gerakan out" from the ruling coalition.

‘PM asked me to hold this PC'

The Bukit Bendera Umno chief said that he was asked by Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to hold "another press conference".

Ahmad previously held a press conference last Friday in which he reiterated that he would not apologise for his remarks.

abdullah badawi penang pc 060908 01Abdullah (photo, right), who had earlier told the powerful local Umno leader to do so, was silent on the issue the next day when he met with Penang Umno leaders, including Ahmad.

Ahmad, who was backed by all 13 Umno divisions in Penang - Abdullah's home state - thanked the prime minister for his "understanding".

The controversy erupted after Ahmad had allegedly said that the "Chinese were immigrants squatting in this country" at a ceramah during the recent Permatang Pauh by-election campaign.

The speech caused Ahmad to come under heavy fire from Chinese-based political parties, particularly from Umno's allies MCA and Gerakan over the past two weeks. A spate of police reports were also lodged against the Umno division leader.

Ahmad nevertheless argued that his remark was taken out of context by Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily as he was referring to historical events.

PM, DPM to meet Ahmad

At the press conference, Ahmad also urged the different states to hold a gathering of the whole ummah (Muslim community).

"Let us not let it go to waste as the flames of anger among Malays and Muslims has reached new heights. Let us take embrace this anger and come together as Malays and Muslims throughout the land so that we can turn the voices of the Malays into one that will unite all Malays and Muslims into one single movement."

In an immediate reaction, both Abdullah and Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak are expected to meet Ahmad tomorrow. It is believed that action could be taken against the Umno le

 

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And Penang Gerakan severes ties with state Umno
Sep 8, 08 11:59pm
Penang Gerakan held an emergency meeting this evening in the wake of the unruly press conference by the state Umno earlier today where a
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party leader tore a photo of former chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

“At the emergency meeting of the Gerakan Penang state liaison committee tonight, it was resolved that Gerakan Penang will severe ties with Umno Penang,” said Koh, who is the party’s acting president and the state Barisan Nasional chief.

pinang umno tear up koh tsu koon photo 080908 zainol abidin hashimHe ticked off Ahmad Ismail, the Bukit Bendera Umno chief who had allegedly made disparaging remarks against Chinese Malaysians, of turning a “personal mistake into a conflict and crisis among BN component parties and worst still, amongst communities”.

“The action of his supporters to take down, tear and step on my photograph was seen and felt not only as an act of disrespect and humiliation to me personally, but also to the whole party and BN.”

pinang umno tear up koh tsu koon photo 080908 02Koh, in a hastily-organised press conference at 10.30pm tonight, said that Gerakan leaders and members “are all very shocked and angry”.

“We are also extremely disappointed and saddened by the fact that many Umno Penang state liaison committee leaders were present and condoned such irresponsible and insensitive statement and behaviour.”

Koh: Stay calm, don’t hold protests

Koh described Ahmad’s warning that the Chinese community not to behave like Jews in America in wanting to control both the economy and political power as “totally irresponsible and uncalled for”.

“Such words and behaviour have angered many right-thinking Malaysians. We also received feedback that members of the public, especially from the Chinese community, were feeling humiliated as well.”

However, the former chief minister urged the minority Chinese community not to organise protests over the matter.

“While people can express their views in words, we urge them to stay calm and refrain from any demonstration or physical act of expression. We must maintain peace and order at all times.”

He said that Gerakan will lodge further police reports against Ahmad.

“In view of such serious transgressions, Penang Gerakan will lodge police reports against Ahmad Ismail and his supporters. We urge the authorities, BN and Umno to take firm and harsh action (against Ahmad).”

As the row further escalated today, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - who is head of Penang Umno - and his deputy, Najib Razak, are expected to meet Ahmad tomorrow.

The BN will also be holding its supreme council meeting in the afternoon tomorrow in which the issue is expected to be hotly debated.

 

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Toh: Gerakan should consider merging with PKR
Praba Ganesan | Sep 8, 08 8:04pm
Prominent politician and academician Dr Toh Kin Woon threw his former party Gerakan a curved ball today, suggesting it might be better off leaving the Barisan Nasional coalition and merging with PKR instead.
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Toh, who left Gerakan last month after publicly supporting PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim during the Permatang Pauh by-election, said the idea might seem a little drastic but it was workable considering that both parties were committed to multi-cultural representation and had social democratic leanings.

cpi website launch 080908 toh kin woon"We have ideological principles in common, and if Gerakan was able to conceive a merger with MCA there is no reason why the same cannot be done with PKR," Toh told Malaysiakini prior to the launch of the Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI)'s website in Kuala Lumpur.

The former Penang executive council member said Gerakan could alternatively opt to stand alone and continue its fight for a multi-cultural Malaysia as envisioned by the party's founding leaders in 1969.

Toh said he could no longer gauge with accuracy the likelihood of Gerakan leaving the BN nor could he tell how party grassroots actually felt about the matter since he had already left the party. However, he believed the majority of Gerakan members wanted to stay with BN.
"Although the clamour to leave BN is loud, the larger part of the party wants to remain inside," Toh said.

Toh added that although Gerakan had only two parliamentary seats, it could bring to the PKR and its Pakatan Rakyat alliance a wealth of administrative experience.

Gerakan has been a BN coalition member since 1972, and administered Penang for almost 39 years before its dismal showing in the March general election.

Although other party seniors like Tan Kee Kwong have left to join the PKR, Toh is keeping his options open.
But if his description of PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali as his ‘guru' during the opening salutations to his speech is any indication to go by, then he could well end up in the PKR.

Repressive media laws

cpi website launch 080908 03Meanwhile, director of the CPI Dr Lim Teck Ghee (photo: centre) said the website launched today was an excellent resource site for Malaysians wanting to be better informed about policies that affected them.

Available in both English and Mandarin, the website was a reservoir of well-researched public policies for the betterment of the nation, he added.

The site presently holds more than 400 policy papers on diverse areas like local elections, academic freedom and civil liberties - and all of it is free for the public. It also has a strong support base from bloggers and civil groups.

In addition there will be resident and guest columnist writing about various issues affecting Malaysians, amongst them Dr Azly Rahman and young bloggers like John Lee.

Syed Husin, a key-note speaker, said that Malaysia has an unenviable surfeit of laws repressing freedom of information - about 30. The most insidious of these was the Printing Presses and Publications Act which gives the home minister great powers to curtail the media, he added.

But thanks to the incursion of alternative media and blogs, much of the government's control of information has been reduced.

"Even party papers like Harakah and Suara Keadilan are outselling mainstream newspapers - especially Suara Keadilan which averages 180,000 copies."

Toh agreed with Syed Husin in that freedom of information was a pre-requisite for a democracy.

"Even when I was in state government, I was not given all the information I asked for from the federal government," Toh said.

 

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So what did Abudullah do to save his BN regime?

He put frogs on plane to buy some time!

Even if this could buy some time, his BN regime will still have to fall apart soon after 916.

How to escape?


http://malaysiakini.com/news/89309

'Frogs' on the plane
Praba Ganesan & Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Sep 8, 08 6:35pm

There are apparently several defectors among the 41 Barisan Nasional parliamentarians who boarded a flight for Taiwan today for an agriculture study tour.
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pkr congress 2007 250507 syed husinPKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali revealed this at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

"(Opposition alliance) Pakatan (Rakyat) is not crying wolf with our claims of taking over. I can authoritatively state that we have the numbers," he stressed.

He was speaking to reporters at the Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall after the launch of think-tank Centre for Policy Initiatives website.

Earlier in the morning, Syed Husin attended a three-hour top-level Pakatan Rakyat meeting, which is believed to have focused on the takeover plan.

However, Syed Husin said the date for the proposed change of government is likely to be pushed backed from Sept 16 due to the Backbenchers Club sending their MPs on the eight-day trip.

Another eight BN MPs will be flying to Taiwan tomorrow to join their colleagues.

"Some of those who will crossover are in this trip, and we have to wait till they return before we can unveil all of them together," said the PKR leader.

"It will not happen on Sept 16. So the date might be 17 plus one or plus two or plus three but it will not be much longer than that," he added.

Target is 40 MPs

Syed Husin was clearly unruffled by what may transpire with the MPs while in Taiwan, even though he disclosed that attempts to tempt back potential defectors will happen.

He also shared that in order to have a more stable replacement government, they are likely to secure 40 legislators rather than just the bare minimum of 31.

kamaruddin jaafar kamaruddin jaffarAnother Pakatan Rakyat leader, PAS secretary-general Kamaruddin Jaffar also conceded that the takeover date has been altered because of the Taiwan trip.

"We have the numbers, but the numbers include those who are now currently on their way to Taiwan.

"This trip will have an effect on our plans for Sept 16, because we need the physical presence of those MPs to make it (the change of government) effective.

"Although Sept 16 is basically still on track, we view their absence as an obstacle to our plan. We are still discussing and planning on how to work around this problem," he said.

Kamaruddin said the hastily-planned trip indicated that after Pakatan Rakyat leaders themselves, those in BN were next in being the "strongest believers" that the crossovers would happen.

'They'll provoke unrest'

Meanwhile, Syed Husin related that the process of change will get drawn into a period of confirmation of allegiance.

"I believe the king is neutral in regards to political affiliations. His Majesty might want to meet the MPs in question personally to ascertain their support.

"Since those in BN now have signed support documents for their coalition. And we have them signed up to (support) us too," he said.

Syed Husin said once the king knows that Pakatan Rakyat has the numbers, he will consent to the new government.

Responding to a question, he noted that BN will not concede defeat and hand over the reins easily.

"Don’t think Ahmad Ismail is an isolated incident in Umno. He has the backing of all 13 divisions in the state, including the prime minister’s division.

"They will precipitate and provoke unrest, and hope that leads to the declaring of martial law. This will lead to mass arrests. But this is not 1969. People are more cautious now," he said.

Ahmad, the Bukit Bendera Umno division chief, courted controversy when he made derogatory remarks against the Chinese and refused to apologise.

 

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http://malaysiakini.com/news/89261

49 BN MPs off to Taiwan beginning today
S Pathmavathy | Sep 8, 08 12:13pm
A total of 49 Barisan Nasional members of parliament will take part in a study tour to Taiwan beginning today wit
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h 41 leaving at 1.45 this afternoon while another eight will join them tomorrow.

bung moktar radinBN Backbenchers Club (BBC) deputy chairperson Bung Mokhtar Radin - who left with the first group - confirmed this to Malaysiakini when contacted.

He said the whole group comprised 10 MPs from Sabah, 12 from Sarawak and the rest from Peninsular Malaysia.

The entourage is expected to carry out a detailed study of Taiwan's state-of-the-art agricultural programmes.

Bung said their schedule included visiting factories to study Taiwan's agricultural sector and derive knowledge from the methods used in enhancing local farming and cultivation techniques.

"Taiwan is an ideal location for the MPs to gain understanding on high-tech equipments and technologies, needed in improving Malaysia's agricultural industry," he said.

Bung, who is also the Kinabatangan MP, said their travel itinerary not only included factory tours but also dialogues and discussions with relevant Taiwanese authorities.

According to Bung, the MPs will be in Taiwan for eight days. It has been earlier reported that the excursion will be fully paid by the BBC - an organisation representing government MPs.

The timing of this study trip has come under question as it coincides with the Sept 16 deadline imposed by PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim for several BN MPs to crossover into Pakatan Rakyat.

Trip shows increasing panic

In a statement today, DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang hit out that the study excursion to Taiwan was intended to halt BN MPs from taking part in the upcoming "political changes".

raja petra court case 060508 lim kit siang"Despite maintaining a public stance of stoic indifference, there is no doubt that with the daily countdown to Sept 16, there is an increasing panic in Umno and BN leadership ranks over the degree of cohesion, solidarity and allegiance of the 75 BN backbenchers," he said.

"Some BN leaders are getting cold feet and more than a touch of panic," said Lim.

"All in all, it is a national shame that the MPs should be treated like delinquent children who have to be packed off overseas and secluded from mischief, treating the BN MPs as no better than chattel."

The Ipoh Timur MP also ticked off BBC chairperson Tiong King Sing for "hatching such a stupid idea".

"What makes Tiong and the leaders of Umno and BN think that by physically shipping two-thirds of the parliamentary backbenchers overseas and sequestering from any contact with Pakatan Rakyat until after Sept 16 the loyalty and allegiance of all the BN MPs are forever secured?" he asked.

"If there are BN MPs who are minded to leave BN ... nothing can stop them from proceeding with their fateful decisions any time after their return to Malaysia after Sept 16."

bung moktar tiong king sing 190408But Tiong (photo, right) defended the all-expenses paid holiday as an educational programme.

"It is not a forced trip. We are going to Taiwan to obtain some ideas on how to bolster our agriculture output. It has nothing to do with September 16. They can do what they want to do on that date," he told AFP.

The honourable option

According to Lim, the panic of BN leaders with the approach of '916' is also evident from the "increasingly intemperate and irrational" statements emanating from their ranks.

maximus johnity ongkiliAs an example, he cited the report in the New Sunday Times yesterday which quoted Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president and Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili (left) as condemning the move to overthrow the government through undemocratic means as ‘evil’.

Commenting on this, Lim said: "I have always known Ongkili as a level-headed politician but it is reflection of the extreme pressures he and other leaders, whether PBS, Umno or BN, have been subject to by the '916' dateline, to make him use intemperate language."

"Ongkili should have known that the language of abuse like "evil" ... could be so easily used back against him as he had led PBS from the opposition into the BN in highly controversial circumstances."

The veteran politician said he fully agrees that Malaysian politics must be kept clean and there must be no room for elected representatives to be 'frog legislators' to defect for monetary gain or other material inducements - or to use Ongkili's words "a pot of political porridge".

"This is why DAP and I had maintained since the 70s that elected representative should resign if they want to defect, return the mandate to the voters to seek their approval in a by-election on a question of principle...

"This honourable option for an MP to resign and cause a by-election to seek a new mandate from the electorate to endorse his resignation or defection was closed in 1990 when the constitution was amended to bar any MP who resigns from his seat from standing for election for five years," he lamented.

 

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http://malaysiakini.com/news/89325

'Sack Ahmad and detain him under ISA'
Sep 9, 08 10:46am

Gerakan Wanita today made a strong call for Bukit Bendera Umno division chief Ahmad Ismail to be sacked from his party for his spate of racist rants.
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The women's wing chief Tan Lian Hoe said Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi should have Ahmad detained under the Internal Security Act for playing up racial issues.

gerakan youth agm 2007 051007 tan lian hoeShe said that Ahmad's ongoing attacks against the Chinese community caused a threat to the national security and expressed fears that this could lead to racial riots as happened in May 13, 1969.

She also added that Gerakan members were disappointed and angry over actions of some Ahmad supporters yesterday in tearing a photo of Gerakan acting president Dr Koh Tsu Koon at the Penang Umno headquarters.

"How would Umno members nationwide react if a photo of their president was torn in that manner," she asked.

She said this in a hastily-arranged press conference this morning at Gerakan headquarters.

pinang umno tear up koh tsu koon photo 080908 zainol abidin hashimYesterday Ahmad continued his verbal assault against Koh by blaming him for playing up the issue, and calling for Barisan Nasional to kick Gerakan out of the ruling coalition.

Ahmad also issued a warning to the Chinese community against raising Malay issues.

In an immediate reaction, Abdullah had lashed out at Ahmad last night, summoning him for an urgent meeting today.

[Full report to follow]

 

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http://malaysiakini.com/news/89328

Najib: No link between Taiwan trip and defection deadline
Sep 9, 08 11:18am
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today rejected claims that 49 Barisan Nasional backbenchers have been whisked away for an educational to Taiwan to avert a potential defection to Pakatan Rakyat on Sept 16.
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"There is no link (between the trip and the defection deadline)", Najib told reporters today.

And he was quick to lash out at Pakatan's leader Anwar Ibrahim for setting the Sept 16 deadline to form a new government with the aid of defecting BN members of parliament.

najib and anwar ibrahim"It is immoral to buy them over. It goes against the democratic principles. These are elected BN representatives," he said.

Najib also denied that the government had funded the eight-day trip, ostensibly for the MPs to study the Taiwanese agricultural technology.

The first batch of 41 MPs left yesterday with another eight to follow today.

Najib said the tour was entirely funded by the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club.

"It's their money and they can do what they want as long as it is productive," he added.

The timing of the study tour has come under question as it coincides with the Sept 16 deadline set by Anwar.

[Full report to follow]