The new Pakatan Rakyat candidate for Kuala Terengganu?

Update 1: 6/12/08: Nik Aziz picks Mat Sabu as his preferred candidate, stating that Mat Sabu's rhetoric and aggressiveness are to be admired. The recalcitrant PAS State Youth Assembly disagrees with the Mursyidul Am.

Zaid Ibrahim is not a happy camper.

• He has lost his bid for Ketua Bahagian in the recent UMNO Kota Bharu Division election. He was suspended as UMNO Kota Bharu Division chief 2 terms ago after being charged with money politics.
  
• He's annoyed that Tan Sri Muhyiddin is leading the pack in the nomination for Deputy President of UMNO (he had asked TSMY to step down if TSMY is not in agreement with the Prime Minister's transition plans).
• He made the proposal to allow foreign law firms to set up operations in Malaysia without having local partnership - on the basis that Malaysian law firms especially Malay firms need to learn to be competitive and not be dependent of the NEP.
  
• He has also failed to carry out his so-called 'judiciary reform'. The judiciary has lost its trump ever since the so called 'judicial crisis' 20 years which saw the departure of the then Chief Justice and 4 others, according to him. He made the suggestion that the Government should apologize to Tun Salleh. He was later shot down by the Cabinet for not referring to the Cabinet first before making an official statement.
• He had then proposed to the Cabinet for funds in the vicinity of RM10M to be disbursed to the former judges as ex-gratia payment (neglecting the fact that they have been enjoying pension as well due to the the Prime Minister's kind consideration. Normally pension is not given if sacked from a governmental post) and was upset when the figure was debated in Parliament. By the way, ex-gratia in Latin for 'as a favor'.
  
• He resigned as Minister in the Prime Minister's department in charge of law because of his conflicting views of the Internal Security Act, particularly with regards to the detention of Kok because of the azan issue. He was then pressured to give up his senatorship, which he held for quite some time before letting it go.
  
• He is likely to be playing devil's advocate by proposing that the concept of "Ketuanan Melayu" has failed (whatever Ketuanan Melayu may mean to different individuals or groups, call it Special Privileges or something else if you like - yes it is that constitutional provision which the non-Malays are not so bubbly about).
  
• He also suggested that as long as the out-spoken Tun Dr Mahathir is around, reform in UMNO and in the government is near impossible.

Good on him that he has moved on to other things in life. Expect him to be given a high post in the green Pakatan Rakyat as a true 'reformer' and 'Malaysian for Malaysia' hero. Maybe Pakatan would give him the candidacy for the KT by-election. Who knows.

ISA dan Pakatan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Sept (Hrkh) - Tindakan kerajaan menahan tiga individu di bawah ISA, baru-baru ini dilihat sebagai langkah terdesak BN apabila parti itu menghadapi masalah dalaman, mahupun perselisihan sesama mereka.

"Kami berharap tindakan kerajaan ini bukan merupakan percubaan awal untuk menangkap lebih ramai ahli politik pembangkang dengan tujuan menggagalkan usaha Pakatan Rakyat membentuk kerajaan dalam masa terdekat," kata kenyataan itu.

> Saya pasti dengan penahanan Teresa Kok yang dituduh menghina Islam tidak akan menggagalkan usaha PR membentuk kerajaan dua hari lagi. Bukankah 30 orang MP nak melompat dua hari lagi? PAS juga tak konsisten. Mula2 menggunakan orang bukan Islam untuk bertanding atas tiket PAS. Sekarang membangkang penahanan ISA ini atas sebab BN ingin menakutkan parti pembangkang tetapi tidak menyebut pula bahawa apa yang Teresa Kok buat itu wajar atau tidak (atau pun Tan Seng Giaw di dalam blognya, kononnya azan terlalu bising di Kepong). Selepas itu membuat mesyuarat secara senyap dengan UMNO demi perpaduan orang Melayu. Tambahan lagi dikelar oleh rakan DAP kerana ingin menubuhkan negeri Islam di Kedah! Yang hairannya juga, sejak ahli2 Parlimen PR di Parlimen untuk beberapa bulan lamanya, tidak ada yang membentangkan usul untuk menghapuskan ISA kerana nak tak nak, ianya satu akta yang diluluskan di Parlimen. Mungkin saya ketinggalan atau mungkin mereka nak pakai ISA untuk menangkap orang2 BN pula setelah membentuk kerajaan baru dua hari lagi!

Dulu, YB Salahudin dan Dewan Pemuda PAS menggesa agar konsert Avril dibatalkan. Sebelum ini konsert Inul juga didesak dari pelbagai pihak untuk dibatalkan. YB Salahudin, yang telah berjaya mengumpulkan kononnya satu juta orang ramai untuk demonstrasi memang pakar berdemonstrasi dan berkonsert. Jika ini dianggap elemen2 yang merosakkan, maka YB perlu memboikot saluran MTV dan sebagainya. YB juga perlu mendesak semua hotel2 membatalkan pertunjukan 'live band' yang menampilkan artis2 yang memakan pakaian yang terdedah dan sebagainya.

Senator Dato' Zaid pula menggesa Tan Sri Muhyiddin supaya meletakkan jawatan sekiranya beliau tidak setuju dengan tarikh peralihan kuasa. Kenapa beliau tidak memberi ulasan mengenai kenyataan Timbalan Perdana Menteri? Beliau pula nak letak jawatan kerana tidak setuju dengan penggunaan ISA. Bila nak letak jawatan? Katanya, beliau juga 'bosan' kerana di Bahagian pun tak dapat pencalonan.

Tentang azan ini, dah lama dipertikaikan. Orang2 di Kepong, Kg Tunku dan tempat2 lain telah membuat petisyen untuk menghapuskan azan di kawasan mereka. Petikan dari blog Tan Seng Giaw:

"As with all Muslim suraus, the prayer room at Taman Aman Putra, has five muezzin's calls for prayers a day, 365 days a year. In our multireligious society, all people must accept religious practices and traditions of various religions, including the calls for prayers. Those who do night shifts and young children would appreciate if the volume of the early morning calls can be turned down".

"DAP National Deputy Chairman and MP for Kepong Dr Tan Seng Giaw urges the Malaysian Department for the Advancement of Islam (Jakim), Prime Minister's Department, to interpret the meaning of azan (a Muslim call for prayer by a muezzin) in the Koran.

A religious issue is often very sensitive, more so in a multi-religious society such as Malaysia. Hence, we have to handle it with extreme care.

On 27 September, 2005, I spoke in the House on the complaints by non-Muslims of azan being too loud especially the call at dawn. Then, some newspapers carried the news with titles such as 'People should not raise the azan issue' (Bertita Harian)."


> Yang hairannya orang Islam sekarang takut bersuara. Mana taknya, sehinggakan di persatuan2 alumni pun tak pertikaikan apabila membuat bar untuk minuman keras di bangunan alumni. Mungkin sebab orang2 Islam sekarang lebih liberal. YB Zulkifli yang menegakkan agamanya dikeji oleh rakan2 seperjuangan apabila Majlis Peguam mengadakan forum terbuka mengenai memeluk agama Islam. Ramai sangatkah orang2 di Malaysia yang bermasalah tentang penganutan Islam?

Kalau berlaku lagi insiden May 13, bukan kerana kerajaan yang menghasut, tetapi sememangnya masyarakat Malaysia sudak tidak bertoleransi.

Full blown Minister

• So Senator Zaid Ibrahim will soon be made a full-fledged Law Minister.  What does "full blown minister" mean?  Will he have with own ministry?  How does this ensure a reform will be in order and how will this jive with the AG's chambers and judiciary branch?  Meanwhile, in KB, he has managed to garner 16 nominations and is in need of 8 more to qualify contesting for the Division Chief seat.  The acting Division Chief, Datuk Mohd Fatmi Che Salleh has 87 nominations.
  
• TDM will rejoin UMNO to back Ku Li for the presidency.  It will be interesting to observe how this would affect the upcoming UMNO election and whether people dare to embrace change, whatever that change entails.
• On teaching math and science in English:  there is indeed strong opposition to this policy.  We all want the best of our kids.  Of course there are flaws in the execution, i.e. incompetent teachers, lack of interest, rural boys struggling to cope, etc, etc.  Despite all its flaws and short comings, it is still a noble policy to get our kids up to speed.  If we are behind and we are crawling, how are we to catch up with the other race?  I'm happy to note that RMC has decided to adopt english as the teaching medium in the proposed International Baccalaureate program, set to commence in 2010.  
• I was on Federal Highway heading to Shah Alam yesterday when I noticed some of our Jalur Gemilang flags, supposedly decorative articles for National Day, were on the ground and the ones still hung on the poles were obviously stained from exhaust fumes and dust.  Back in the old days at RMC, we were always trained to care for our flags.  I've never seen one anywhere close to the ground.  I'm not sure how the general public feels about it but it's a shame.
• Puspakom will soon terminate 23 employees after the nation-wide blitz by ACA recently.  Shouldn't they be prosecuted in court instead?
• Anwar finally admits Sept 16 may not happen.  Perhaps he forgot to mention what year.