Sunday, December 27, 2009
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Friday, December 25, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Raja Petra Kamarudin
Raja Petra bin Raja Kamarudin is a controversial Malaysian editor. Born in 1950, on September 27, the editor of the famous Malaysia-Today website is a very much personal blog that publishes a trail of commentary references. Widely known in his initials as RPK or to some quarters Peter, Raja Petra’s articles predominantly encircle around the areas of the Malaysian politics. Raja Petra received his early education at the Alice Smith School and was born in England. He then went on to the Kuala Kangsar Malay college before finishing high school at Victoria Institution (VI). Raja Petra, as his name states, is a member of the royal family of the Selangor state. His uncle is the eleventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, and the seventh Selangor state’s Sultan, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. He is of mixed parentage as his mother Barbara Mable Parnell is Welsh and carries the name Che’Bariya Kamarudin.Raja Petra got married when he was 23 to the then 18 year old Marina Lee Abdullah who is a book publisher and together they have 5 children who are Raja Suraya, Raja Azman, Raja Shahril, Raja Azmir and Raja Sara.Raja Petra Kamarudin involvement in politics are nothing new in the scene. He was one of the leading members of the then Parti Keadilan Nasional which was set up in 1998. He and some 10 other activist were then held under the ISA (Internal Security Act) for allegedly trying to overthrow Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the Prime Minister then.Raja Petra then went on to cyberspace where he created the Malaysia Today.net portal where he writes about the happenings in the political scene, often providing some insights that are not reported in the mass media. This has brought him much trouble over the years as he advocates more transparency, accountability and equal rights in his blogs.While most of his entries in his blog are on the current happenings in the political arena, which he so often draws attention to his controversial statements and insights to what is happening, a few events stand out. One of them is his entry in his blog that prompted Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib, the Information Chief of Umno to lodge a police report against him for insulting, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, degrade Islam and was deemed seditious to create hatred among local ethnic groups. Raja Petra who would not be silenced slammed Taib for hypocrisy and corruption which prompted another report against him. He was then called in for questioning by police for 8 hours and stated that Taib made the report because the government wanted to silence the bloggers before the general elections to be held in March.Perhaps one of the most significant events that Raja Petra was involved in would be his claims on the involvement of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in the murder trial of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. For the claims, he has been charged under the Seditious Act which saw him held under the ISA again.In detention, he denied the bail of RM5,000 as it was reported by his wife that he could not afford to do so. She then tried to raise funds by asking for donations of RM1 from the public, in a few hours, the campaign raised over RM30,000 which prompted her to call off the event.Raja Petra later made a statutory declaration on his website, this time attacking the Deputy Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor as being involved in the murder trial. According to Raja Petra, there were 3 individuals present at the murder scene when the Mongolian was killed, and one of them is the DPM’s wife. He also claimed that the event was then compiled into a Military Intelligence report and has been submitted to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his son in law, Khairy Jamaluddin
Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim
Malaysia's former deputy prime Minister, Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, born in 1947 is one of the most controversial figure in Malaysian politics. He rose to prominence under Tun Dr Mahathir's administration which many regarded him as his protégé. Anwar Ibrahim would eventually grow out of that shell and become one of his nemesis, constantly becoming a thorn in his flesh, until Dr Mahathir eventually sacked him and charged him.
He has been through as high as nearly becoming the successor to the Prime Minister and as low as a convict for corruption and sexual misconduct which was eventually reversed. Anwar has been listed as Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world and is now the leader one of the opposition parties of Malaysia, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Born in Cherok Tok Kun in Penang to Ibrahim Abdul Rahman and Che Yan, Anwar Ibrahim took Malay Studies in the University of Malaya. He obtained his earlier education through the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar and held the President of the Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) from 1968 to 1971. Anwar Ibrahim was also the President of the Malaysian Youth Council (Majlis Belia Malaysia) and was arrested without trial under the Internal Security Act when he protested against hunger and poverty.
During his time at PKPIM, he was a popular figure for being one of the most prominent leaders during his time. He then joined Umno in 1982 and by 1983 took up the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports position. One year later Anwar Ibrahim took the Agriculture portfolio before becoming the minister of Education 2 years later.
During his term as the Minister of Education, which many believed that based on past records, who eventually rise up the ranks as the Deputy Prime Minister, he made some policy changes which included changing the name Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu, a move not favoured by many especially from the non-malays.
Anwar Ibrahim became the Finance Minister in 1991 and 2 years after that becomes the Deputy Prime Minister. in the next few years, speculations were brewing that he would eventually take over as the Prime Minister where many have often referred them as ‘son-father' relationship. This would eventually lead to Anwar being appointed by Dr M as the Acting Prime Minister while he took a 2 months break from office. Subsequently, that has led to a rise in power that eventually could have been his downfall.
Anwar Ibrahim attacked Umno for promoting nepotism and cronyism and those associated with them and this would have triggered his very own attempts to disintegrate the many efforts put up by Dr Mahathir which was more or less very protectionistic.
According to Anwar, Cronyism was the major cause of corruption and misappropriation of funds in the country. His views on this eventually caused a separation between himself and the party and would eventually cause his expulsion and accusations.
The financial crisis in 1997 saw his capacity as Finance Minister taking actions that were not very much welcomed by the then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir who eventually took over the portfolio after sacking Anwar from his office and all positions and then he was charged with corruption and sexual misconduct.
Anwar Ibrahim, in his usual self did not back down, denied all allegations and started his ˜reformasi' campaign, one held strongly and actively participated by his supporters spearheaded by his wife Dr Wan Azizah. She would eventually start the political party known as Keadilan, which she would be the sole voice of the party in Parliament Malaysia today. The party then grew stronger until Anwar's acquittal where all the charges were reversed and he took over the party leadership.
The recent general elections saw his party grew with a coalition with other opposition parties DAP and PAS to form the Pakatan Rakyat. pakatan Rakyat now collectively govern 5 states in Malaysia with a louder voice in Parliament. Anwar Ibrahim is now eligible to run for public office after his banned term ended in April 2008.
He has been through as high as nearly becoming the successor to the Prime Minister and as low as a convict for corruption and sexual misconduct which was eventually reversed. Anwar has been listed as Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world and is now the leader one of the opposition parties of Malaysia, the Parti Keadilan Rakyat.
Born in Cherok Tok Kun in Penang to Ibrahim Abdul Rahman and Che Yan, Anwar Ibrahim took Malay Studies in the University of Malaya. He obtained his earlier education through the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar and held the President of the Persatuan Kebangsaan Pelajar Islam Malaysia (PKPIM) from 1968 to 1971. Anwar Ibrahim was also the President of the Malaysian Youth Council (Majlis Belia Malaysia) and was arrested without trial under the Internal Security Act when he protested against hunger and poverty.
During his time at PKPIM, he was a popular figure for being one of the most prominent leaders during his time. He then joined Umno in 1982 and by 1983 took up the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports position. One year later Anwar Ibrahim took the Agriculture portfolio before becoming the minister of Education 2 years later.
During his term as the Minister of Education, which many believed that based on past records, who eventually rise up the ranks as the Deputy Prime Minister, he made some policy changes which included changing the name Bahasa Malaysia to Bahasa Melayu, a move not favoured by many especially from the non-malays.
Anwar Ibrahim became the Finance Minister in 1991 and 2 years after that becomes the Deputy Prime Minister. in the next few years, speculations were brewing that he would eventually take over as the Prime Minister where many have often referred them as ‘son-father' relationship. This would eventually lead to Anwar being appointed by Dr M as the Acting Prime Minister while he took a 2 months break from office. Subsequently, that has led to a rise in power that eventually could have been his downfall.
Anwar Ibrahim attacked Umno for promoting nepotism and cronyism and those associated with them and this would have triggered his very own attempts to disintegrate the many efforts put up by Dr Mahathir which was more or less very protectionistic.
According to Anwar, Cronyism was the major cause of corruption and misappropriation of funds in the country. His views on this eventually caused a separation between himself and the party and would eventually cause his expulsion and accusations.
The financial crisis in 1997 saw his capacity as Finance Minister taking actions that were not very much welcomed by the then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir who eventually took over the portfolio after sacking Anwar from his office and all positions and then he was charged with corruption and sexual misconduct.
Anwar Ibrahim, in his usual self did not back down, denied all allegations and started his ˜reformasi' campaign, one held strongly and actively participated by his supporters spearheaded by his wife Dr Wan Azizah. She would eventually start the political party known as Keadilan, which she would be the sole voice of the party in Parliament Malaysia today. The party then grew stronger until Anwar's acquittal where all the charges were reversed and he took over the party leadership.
The recent general elections saw his party grew with a coalition with other opposition parties DAP and PAS to form the Pakatan Rakyat. pakatan Rakyat now collectively govern 5 states in Malaysia with a louder voice in Parliament. Anwar Ibrahim is now eligible to run for public office after his banned term ended in April 2008.
Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamad
Tun Dr Mahathir bin Mohamed whose real name is Mahathir s/o Iskandar Kutty is a figure who needs no introduction. He is the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia which he held for 22 years. From 1981 to 2003, he is the country's longest serving Prime Minister as well as in the whole of Asia.
Tun Dr Mahathir, or in short Dr M has very much contributed, as the leader of the country the modernization of the country, promoting his ideology of Vision 2020 where he aimed to turn the country into an industrial one by then. He put forward plans that were supposed to be implemented in stages in order to achieve that, most of which was done during his term in office. This however has changed much ever since his retirement and the taking over of the office by his successor.
Dr M was also the first Prime Minister who came from a social background whereas all the Prime Ministers before him had royal or elite ties.
During his term as the PM, he was one who won the hearts of many for making his stand against the western values and culture and most prominently for seeing the country through during the economic crisis.
Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher. His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city. After that he was educated in Singapore at the King Edward VII Medical College. During that time, he wrote in his contributions under the name “Che Det†to the Straits Times, a name he uses in his blog today.
After graduation, he returned to Malaysia where he became a medical officer with the Malayan government. He then married his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, who was his colleague and classmate in 1956. Subsequently, he started his own medical practice. Together he had five children, three boys and two girls. Two of his sons went on to be involved in politics and corporate sectors while his daughter Marina Mahathir is known for her involvement as an AIDs activist as well as her NGO stance in the local media.
Dr Mahathir's political involvement is filled with events and significance where he started being active in 1945. He joined the Umno (United Malays National Organization) in 1946.
He was first elected into the Parliament in the 1964 general elections via the Kota Setar Selatan seat more than 60% majority votes. The following elections (1969)saw him losing the seat by 989 votes after declaring that he did not need to win through Chinese votes. After the riots that took place in 13 May 1969, Dr M publicly criticized the Prime Minister then Tunku Abdul Rahman, for favouring the Chinese in handling his government which led to the riots. For doing that, he was expelled from Umno.
At this time, he wrote a book 'The Malay Dilemma' which he explain the reasons of the May 13 riots but was banned by Tunku. Some of his rationale though eventually was used by the preceding Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak when he constructed the New Economic Policy (NEP). Dr M then rejoined Umno in 1972 and subsequently appointed Senator a year later. He then gave up that post to contest in the general elections, standing in the Kubang Pasu constituency. Through that winning ticket, he became the Minister of Education. He then went on to become the vice-president of Umno, a post he held with 2 others.
The Prime Minister then, Tun Hussein Onn subsequently appointed him as the Deputy Prime Minister before he was given the Minister of Trade and Industry portfolio as well in 1978.
In July 1981, Tun Hussein Onn resigned as the Prime Minister, subsequently handing the country's top post to Dr M.
Significant events.
Some of the more controversial happenings under Dr mahathir's leadership include removing of the veto power and the royal immunity from prosecution. Before he took on this action, passing of any bill of law required royal consent but with what he took on, royal assent is considered legal after a 30 days period.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also known to be responsible for the removal of Tun Salleh Abas, the Lord President of the Supreme Court together with 3 other supreme court justices prior to the investigation of misconduct hearing of Umno, the party that he is also the president.
Tun Dr Mahathir, or in short Dr M has very much contributed, as the leader of the country the modernization of the country, promoting his ideology of Vision 2020 where he aimed to turn the country into an industrial one by then. He put forward plans that were supposed to be implemented in stages in order to achieve that, most of which was done during his term in office. This however has changed much ever since his retirement and the taking over of the office by his successor.
Dr M was also the first Prime Minister who came from a social background whereas all the Prime Ministers before him had royal or elite ties.
During his term as the PM, he was one who won the hearts of many for making his stand against the western values and culture and most prominently for seeing the country through during the economic crisis.
Born in December 20, 1925, Dr Mahathir hailed from the state of Kedah, at the capital of Alor Star, whose father was a school teacher. His father was Indian who migrated from Kerala, who married a malay lady and sold banana fritters during the second world war. His early education was through vernacular school and at the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in the city. After that he was educated in Singapore at the King Edward VII Medical College. During that time, he wrote in his contributions under the name “Che Det†to the Straits Times, a name he uses in his blog today.
After graduation, he returned to Malaysia where he became a medical officer with the Malayan government. He then married his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, who was his colleague and classmate in 1956. Subsequently, he started his own medical practice. Together he had five children, three boys and two girls. Two of his sons went on to be involved in politics and corporate sectors while his daughter Marina Mahathir is known for her involvement as an AIDs activist as well as her NGO stance in the local media.
Dr Mahathir's political involvement is filled with events and significance where he started being active in 1945. He joined the Umno (United Malays National Organization) in 1946.
He was first elected into the Parliament in the 1964 general elections via the Kota Setar Selatan seat more than 60% majority votes. The following elections (1969)saw him losing the seat by 989 votes after declaring that he did not need to win through Chinese votes. After the riots that took place in 13 May 1969, Dr M publicly criticized the Prime Minister then Tunku Abdul Rahman, for favouring the Chinese in handling his government which led to the riots. For doing that, he was expelled from Umno.
At this time, he wrote a book 'The Malay Dilemma' which he explain the reasons of the May 13 riots but was banned by Tunku. Some of his rationale though eventually was used by the preceding Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak when he constructed the New Economic Policy (NEP). Dr M then rejoined Umno in 1972 and subsequently appointed Senator a year later. He then gave up that post to contest in the general elections, standing in the Kubang Pasu constituency. Through that winning ticket, he became the Minister of Education. He then went on to become the vice-president of Umno, a post he held with 2 others.
The Prime Minister then, Tun Hussein Onn subsequently appointed him as the Deputy Prime Minister before he was given the Minister of Trade and Industry portfolio as well in 1978.
In July 1981, Tun Hussein Onn resigned as the Prime Minister, subsequently handing the country's top post to Dr M.
Significant events.
Some of the more controversial happenings under Dr mahathir's leadership include removing of the veto power and the royal immunity from prosecution. Before he took on this action, passing of any bill of law required royal consent but with what he took on, royal assent is considered legal after a 30 days period.
Dr Mahathir Mohamad was also known to be responsible for the removal of Tun Salleh Abas, the Lord President of the Supreme Court together with 3 other supreme court justices prior to the investigation of misconduct hearing of Umno, the party that he is also the president.
MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress)
Known also as Kongres India Se-Malaysia, MIC is one of the founding members of Barisan Nasional (BN) and a political party. Established in 1946, it was first envisioned to fight for the India against the British colonial after the second World War for independence. After that, MIC was involved in the fighting for the independence of Malaysia. MIC is poised as the Indian community voice in the country's post-war development where they joined the earlier National Alliance, which eventually became the Barisan Nasional in 1973.
Headed by its president Dato' Seri S Samy Vellu, it was founded by John A Thivy, to contribute to the inter-racial harmony and cooperation among all component parties of the BN.
The most significant leader of MIC, Tun V T Sambanthan was one of the leaders who tirelessly helped to contribute to the country's independence, of which he was a signatory of the Merdeka Agreement but it was only the next president, Tan Sri V Manickavasagam was when MIC became a part of the BN. It then championed various programmes like The Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative, the MIC Unit trust and the MIC Education Fund which was fundamental to the development of the group.
Its longest serving president is also the current one, Dato' S Samy Vellu, who have held the post since 1979 has often been criticized and accused of various allegations of corruption and most recently been accused for being the reason of MIC's huge losses of the general elections.
It has been reported that for the past 20 years, MIC has been able to obtain loans and scholarships totaling RM60million and benefited 10,000 Indian students under the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) fund.
MIC also reported that among their efforts include prompting the government to step up their efforts to achieve the 3% equity for Indians by 2020 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
MIC owns an education project known as the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology University (AIMST), a move not welcomed by many as it is difficult to align education with politics.
One of the major downfalls of MIC is in the previous general elections where the party president S Samy Vellu lost his seat at Sg Siput his stronghold for the past 20 years. Along with him, the other main losers include 2 other VPs of MIC, the head of youth as well as the head of the women's wing.
Headed by its president Dato' Seri S Samy Vellu, it was founded by John A Thivy, to contribute to the inter-racial harmony and cooperation among all component parties of the BN.
The most significant leader of MIC, Tun V T Sambanthan was one of the leaders who tirelessly helped to contribute to the country's independence, of which he was a signatory of the Merdeka Agreement but it was only the next president, Tan Sri V Manickavasagam was when MIC became a part of the BN. It then championed various programmes like The Nesa Multipurpose Cooperative, the MIC Unit trust and the MIC Education Fund which was fundamental to the development of the group.
Its longest serving president is also the current one, Dato' S Samy Vellu, who have held the post since 1979 has often been criticized and accused of various allegations of corruption and most recently been accused for being the reason of MIC's huge losses of the general elections.
It has been reported that for the past 20 years, MIC has been able to obtain loans and scholarships totaling RM60million and benefited 10,000 Indian students under the Maju Institute of Education Development (MIED) fund.
MIC also reported that among their efforts include prompting the government to step up their efforts to achieve the 3% equity for Indians by 2020 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
MIC owns an education project known as the Asian Institute of Medicine, Science and Technology University (AIMST), a move not welcomed by many as it is difficult to align education with politics.
One of the major downfalls of MIC is in the previous general elections where the party president S Samy Vellu lost his seat at Sg Siput his stronghold for the past 20 years. Along with him, the other main losers include 2 other VPs of MIC, the head of youth as well as the head of the women's wing.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat
Known also as People's Justice Party, the part is led by former Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. It is a centrist political party formed in 2003 which was merged between the National Justice Party and the Malaysian People's Party.
The formation of the party was widely prompted after Anwar was sacked from his Deputy Prime Minister post and arrested. Many seen then that the PKR was created as a personal grudge held by Anwar against the government. PKR or Keadilan, which was led by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could only win one seat during the elections, which gave the party the sole voice in the parliament.
PKR, however over the past few years and with the release of Anwar has since garnered very strong support and the last elections saw them rising among the single digit to 31 seats. The fact that the people were more vocal in supporting the PKR perhaps have much to do with the fact that the party is actively seeking social injustice and anti-corruption agenda. They have even voiced a need to abolish the New Economic Policy and that it should be replaced with a more non-ethnic approach. This was welcomed by many and hence their landslide victory over the BN candidates.
Many believed that Anwar's downfall as the Finance Minister was his series of economic reforms and his controversial proposals to amend the Anti Corruption Act which was then did not coincide with the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This led to him being sacked and alleged charges of sexual misconduct as well as corruption.
He then moved onto his Reformasi movement, which was championed wholly by the Parti Keadilan Nasional, led by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, his wife. this effort was then taken on by other opposition parties like DAP, PAS and PRM which formed the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front) to prepare for the 1999 General Elections.
Disappointingly, the elections saw that the Barisan Alternatif losing out more seats than expected seeing that the BN government maintained their two-third majority to then form the federal government. One of the reasons why Keadilan lost badly in the 1999 general elections was as believed by many because the party's leaders like Vice-President Tian Chua, Youth leader Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Mohamed Azmin Ali , Fairus Izuddin and Dr Badrul Amin Baharun; were all under arrest and could not contest in the elections.
Later on, the Keadilan merged with the Parti Rakyat Malaysia and was then renamed as Parti Keadilan Rakyat in August 2003. In 2004, Anwar was freed and his charges were overturned and in 2005, the second national congress was held where they passed the New Economic Agenda which are created to replace the New Economic Policy.
PKR was later joined by Khalid Ibrahim, the former CEO of Guthrie and Permodalan Nasional Berhad where he assume the Treasurer Post, KS Nallakarupan and Jeffrey Kitingan.
PKR's breakthrough came in the 2008 elections where they won 31 seats together with DAP and PAS where together would hold 82 Parliamentary seats. This would be a strong voice as compared to BN's 140 seats. This would subsequently deny the BN government the two third majority in making any constitutional change.
The PKR too has been successful in the state level where they came away with victories that secured 5 states onto the loose coalition of DAP, PAS and Keadilan.
After the elections, Anwar returned to politics after his ban from public office expired. It is widely believed that the reason opposition won so well in the elections were largely contributed by the fact that Anwar was the leader of the party, and keeping in view that he will be returning soon, many put their faith in him, standing behind the party.
The formation of the party was widely prompted after Anwar was sacked from his Deputy Prime Minister post and arrested. Many seen then that the PKR was created as a personal grudge held by Anwar against the government. PKR or Keadilan, which was led by his wife Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could only win one seat during the elections, which gave the party the sole voice in the parliament.
PKR, however over the past few years and with the release of Anwar has since garnered very strong support and the last elections saw them rising among the single digit to 31 seats. The fact that the people were more vocal in supporting the PKR perhaps have much to do with the fact that the party is actively seeking social injustice and anti-corruption agenda. They have even voiced a need to abolish the New Economic Policy and that it should be replaced with a more non-ethnic approach. This was welcomed by many and hence their landslide victory over the BN candidates.
Many believed that Anwar's downfall as the Finance Minister was his series of economic reforms and his controversial proposals to amend the Anti Corruption Act which was then did not coincide with the then Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. This led to him being sacked and alleged charges of sexual misconduct as well as corruption.
He then moved onto his Reformasi movement, which was championed wholly by the Parti Keadilan Nasional, led by Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, his wife. this effort was then taken on by other opposition parties like DAP, PAS and PRM which formed the Barisan Alternatif (Alternative Front) to prepare for the 1999 General Elections.
Disappointingly, the elections saw that the Barisan Alternatif losing out more seats than expected seeing that the BN government maintained their two-third majority to then form the federal government. One of the reasons why Keadilan lost badly in the 1999 general elections was as believed by many because the party's leaders like Vice-President Tian Chua, Youth leader Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor, Mohamed Azmin Ali , Fairus Izuddin and Dr Badrul Amin Baharun; were all under arrest and could not contest in the elections.
Later on, the Keadilan merged with the Parti Rakyat Malaysia and was then renamed as Parti Keadilan Rakyat in August 2003. In 2004, Anwar was freed and his charges were overturned and in 2005, the second national congress was held where they passed the New Economic Agenda which are created to replace the New Economic Policy.
PKR was later joined by Khalid Ibrahim, the former CEO of Guthrie and Permodalan Nasional Berhad where he assume the Treasurer Post, KS Nallakarupan and Jeffrey Kitingan.
PKR's breakthrough came in the 2008 elections where they won 31 seats together with DAP and PAS where together would hold 82 Parliamentary seats. This would be a strong voice as compared to BN's 140 seats. This would subsequently deny the BN government the two third majority in making any constitutional change.
The PKR too has been successful in the state level where they came away with victories that secured 5 states onto the loose coalition of DAP, PAS and Keadilan.
After the elections, Anwar returned to politics after his ban from public office expired. It is widely believed that the reason opposition won so well in the elections were largely contributed by the fact that Anwar was the leader of the party, and keeping in view that he will be returning soon, many put their faith in him, standing behind the party.
HINDRAF – Significant events
The Hindu Rights Action Force or in short HINDRAF is a Malaysian group made up from 30 Hindu Non-Governmental organizations that are committed to the preservation of the Hindu community rights and heritage.
Late last year, there has been some arrests of a few prominent HINDRAF members after the very much spoken about rally in November, the members were charged with sedition which were latest dismissed. Ever since then, 5 members have been detained without trial under the ISA (Internal Security Act).
Some of the major events that involved the HINDRAF like in October 2007 when four Group fellows and human rights members M Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, P. Waytha Moorthy and S.Ganapathi Rao, K.Ulaganathan were arrested. They were detained for having been responsible for the demonstration which resulted in a Hindu Shrine being destroyed but was released after charges against them did not have sufficient evidence.
The HINDRAF also hold weekend forums which are peaceful. The objectives of the forums are to spread the awareness of the Hindu human rights but one of the recent forums were disrupted by the police and HINDRAF has since appealed to the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police to continue these forums.
In 23 November 2007, three members of the HINDRAF was arrested. They are P. Uthayakumar, Waytha Moorthy, and V.S. Ganapathi Rao. They were charged under the Sedition Act for inciting racial hatred. However, there has been subsequent releases and arrests as the courts are unable to prove the case. The three members were eventually released.
Anther notable event took place when HINDRAF held a march towards the British High Commission. A class action on behalf of Malaysian Indians sued the UK Government for US$4trillion. The charge was for bringing in Indians into Malaya before independence as indentured laborers thereby “exploiting them for 150 years†with which the UK Government had failed to protect the rights of the minority Indians in the Federal Constitution when they granted independence to Malaya.
While they could not afford the required legal fee, they circulated a petition consisting of 100,000 signatures for Queen Elizabeth to appoint a Queen's counsel on their behalf.
The petition was to be submitted to the British High Commission on 25 th November 2007 but permission was denied by the Malaysian Police. The police force then set up road-blocks all over the Klang Valley which leads to the rally while examining motorists entering the city in hope to catch any potential troublemakers while advising the public at large not to join the rally.
In fact, the road-blocks had started a few days before the scheduled rally, causing great difficulties and traffic jams for motorists. During the rally, riot police was deployed which then used water cannon and teargas to disrupt the march. The peaceful protest, which saw an estimated 20,000 people held life sized portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth as symbol of peace were generally unheeded by the riot police on standby who then used the anti-riot measures and subsequently arresting 136 people.
The rally and clashes caused some injuries but the Hindu temple in Batu Caves was untouched although there was some damages on the property. HINDRAF then reported that they have already sent the petition to the British High Commission by fax, an issue denied by the High Commission.
From the Government's standpoint, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued a warning that if absolutely needed, the Internal Security Act will be used where one can be detained without trial. He also mentioned that he will listen to everyone whether or not what they have say is pleasant or not.
Due to the lack of hard evidence, the HINDRAF leaders were acquitted on 11 th December 2007, but one month later, HINDRAF leaders were detained under the ISA for 2 years with claims that there is a link with certain international terrorist organizations. This was seen as a form of shutting the leaders up.
There has been various other arrests under the Emergency Act and the ISA which was widely compared to the Operasi Lalang that took place in 1987. At this time, the governmental MIC party escalated their efforts to win some trust from the HINDRAF movement but failed miserably.
The detention of the leaders was met with much criticism from both local and international parties. Some foreign media attacked the way the government was confronting the issue claiming that they were poor in doing so. Opposition parties like the DAP vowed to fight the injustice while some NGOs became more vocal in questioning democracy from various viewpoints. The struggle was seen as noble to many and began spreading to other countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Throughout the country, Hindu Temples had candlelight vigils seek to protest the detention, something that was widely opposed by the MIC President, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu.
The HINDRAF then ran The Rose to the PM campaign where Vwaishnavi Wathya Moorthy, aged 5 will present a rose to the Prime Minister as a symbol of love and compassion. The scheduled event was 16 th February but the Malaysian Lower House was dissolved 3 days before that for the Federal Elections.
Late last year, there has been some arrests of a few prominent HINDRAF members after the very much spoken about rally in November, the members were charged with sedition which were latest dismissed. Ever since then, 5 members have been detained without trial under the ISA (Internal Security Act).
Some of the major events that involved the HINDRAF like in October 2007 when four Group fellows and human rights members M Manoharan, P. Uthayakumar, P. Waytha Moorthy and S.Ganapathi Rao, K.Ulaganathan were arrested. They were detained for having been responsible for the demonstration which resulted in a Hindu Shrine being destroyed but was released after charges against them did not have sufficient evidence.
The HINDRAF also hold weekend forums which are peaceful. The objectives of the forums are to spread the awareness of the Hindu human rights but one of the recent forums were disrupted by the police and HINDRAF has since appealed to the Inspector General of the Royal Malaysian Police to continue these forums.
In 23 November 2007, three members of the HINDRAF was arrested. They are P. Uthayakumar, Waytha Moorthy, and V.S. Ganapathi Rao. They were charged under the Sedition Act for inciting racial hatred. However, there has been subsequent releases and arrests as the courts are unable to prove the case. The three members were eventually released.
Anther notable event took place when HINDRAF held a march towards the British High Commission. A class action on behalf of Malaysian Indians sued the UK Government for US$4trillion. The charge was for bringing in Indians into Malaya before independence as indentured laborers thereby “exploiting them for 150 years†with which the UK Government had failed to protect the rights of the minority Indians in the Federal Constitution when they granted independence to Malaya.
While they could not afford the required legal fee, they circulated a petition consisting of 100,000 signatures for Queen Elizabeth to appoint a Queen's counsel on their behalf.
The petition was to be submitted to the British High Commission on 25 th November 2007 but permission was denied by the Malaysian Police. The police force then set up road-blocks all over the Klang Valley which leads to the rally while examining motorists entering the city in hope to catch any potential troublemakers while advising the public at large not to join the rally.
In fact, the road-blocks had started a few days before the scheduled rally, causing great difficulties and traffic jams for motorists. During the rally, riot police was deployed which then used water cannon and teargas to disrupt the march. The peaceful protest, which saw an estimated 20,000 people held life sized portraits of Mahatma Gandhi and Queen Elizabeth as symbol of peace were generally unheeded by the riot police on standby who then used the anti-riot measures and subsequently arresting 136 people.
The rally and clashes caused some injuries but the Hindu temple in Batu Caves was untouched although there was some damages on the property. HINDRAF then reported that they have already sent the petition to the British High Commission by fax, an issue denied by the High Commission.
From the Government's standpoint, the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi issued a warning that if absolutely needed, the Internal Security Act will be used where one can be detained without trial. He also mentioned that he will listen to everyone whether or not what they have say is pleasant or not.
Due to the lack of hard evidence, the HINDRAF leaders were acquitted on 11 th December 2007, but one month later, HINDRAF leaders were detained under the ISA for 2 years with claims that there is a link with certain international terrorist organizations. This was seen as a form of shutting the leaders up.
There has been various other arrests under the Emergency Act and the ISA which was widely compared to the Operasi Lalang that took place in 1987. At this time, the governmental MIC party escalated their efforts to win some trust from the HINDRAF movement but failed miserably.
The detention of the leaders was met with much criticism from both local and international parties. Some foreign media attacked the way the government was confronting the issue claiming that they were poor in doing so. Opposition parties like the DAP vowed to fight the injustice while some NGOs became more vocal in questioning democracy from various viewpoints. The struggle was seen as noble to many and began spreading to other countries including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Throughout the country, Hindu Temples had candlelight vigils seek to protest the detention, something that was widely opposed by the MIC President, Datuk Seri S Samy Vellu.
The HINDRAF then ran The Rose to the PM campaign where Vwaishnavi Wathya Moorthy, aged 5 will present a rose to the Prime Minister as a symbol of love and compassion. The scheduled event was 16 th February but the Malaysian Lower House was dissolved 3 days before that for the Federal Elections.
DAP - Democratic Action Party
Founded in 1965, the Democratic Action Party is led by Karpal Singh who holds the National Chairperson post while Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng holds the Secretary-General post.
The DAP, although was pretty much independent by itself in the past, recently joined the Pakatan Rakyat alliance which is made up of various opposition parties. It is a multi-racial, secular and social democratic political party. The DAP has been traditionally been strong in around the Federal territory, Penang and Perak and rose to stardom through the “Malaysian Malaysia†ideology.
Its history is traced back to the former Singapore People's Action Party(PAP). DAP was formerly the Malaysian branch of the PAP. After the de-merger of Singapore, the Malaysian branch members stayed behind, including Devan Nair, the future Singapore President. There they continue to work on the party which then they declared "irrevocably committed to the ideal of a free, democratic and socialist Malaysia, based on the principles of racial and religious equality, social and economic justice, and founded on the institution of parliamentary democracy".
The Singapore Prime Minister then persuaded DAP's founder Devan Nair to return to Singapore, claiming that "the Cabinet decided that Singapore-Malaysia relations would always be bedevilled if Devan Nair remained a DAP leader. I persuaded him to come back."
The first time that DAP contested in the elections, in 1969, their manifesto included one that went against the Article 153, which gave the Bumiputras privileges not enjoyed by other races. This was first campaigned by Lee Kuan Yew when he spoke in Parliament that "Malaysia — to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian."
In the 1969 elections, the DAP won 13 Parliamentary seats and 31 state assembly seats while Gerakan, another opposition party then (Gerakan is now a component party with the BN) also won by huge majority. This would then make the 1969 elections as one where the opposition gained the most votes in any elections apart from the most recent 2008. The opposition however, held a march by DAP and Gerakan which eventually led to street violence and was black marked as the May 13 incident. Subsequently after that, Parliament was suspended for 2 years.
The DAP continued to remain as the dominant opposition party but would never be able to repeat their success for the next 38 years. Its manifesto has not changed where they are still actively seeking to abolish any racial inequality in the country. One of the major events which was significant under the DAP umbrella was the Operasi Lalang where various DAP leaders were accused of being a threat to national security. They were believed to be protesting against the expansion of the New Economic Policy.
In recent times, DAP performed poorly in the 1999 elections, where Lim Kit Siang, its leader and Karpal Singh both losing their Parliamentary seats and in all the 193 seats contested, they could only win 10.
In the next election in 2004, DAP captured 12 seats while the other opposition parties lost terribly and in 2008 was where DAP had the best results, winning 28 seats in parliament while capturing the Penang state. This would eventually see Lim Guan Eng chosen as the Chief Minister of the state.
There are various leaders in DAP who are popular and renowned among most if not all Malaysians. Lim Kit Siang, who was the parliamentary opposition leader in the 11 th Malaysian Parliament. Kit Siang who was the former secretary-general of the party remains as the chairman of the DAP Policy and Strategic Planning Commission as well as an advisory role to the party.
Karpal Singh
Took over the chairmanship in 2004, he is a well established lawyer as well as a strong spokesperson in parliament.
Lim Guan Eng, due to some mismanagement could not contest in the 2004 elections but came back strongly which saw him and his team sweep the Penang votes to their favour, therby forming the state government.
The DAP, although was pretty much independent by itself in the past, recently joined the Pakatan Rakyat alliance which is made up of various opposition parties. It is a multi-racial, secular and social democratic political party. The DAP has been traditionally been strong in around the Federal territory, Penang and Perak and rose to stardom through the “Malaysian Malaysia†ideology.
Its history is traced back to the former Singapore People's Action Party(PAP). DAP was formerly the Malaysian branch of the PAP. After the de-merger of Singapore, the Malaysian branch members stayed behind, including Devan Nair, the future Singapore President. There they continue to work on the party which then they declared "irrevocably committed to the ideal of a free, democratic and socialist Malaysia, based on the principles of racial and religious equality, social and economic justice, and founded on the institution of parliamentary democracy".
The Singapore Prime Minister then persuaded DAP's founder Devan Nair to return to Singapore, claiming that "the Cabinet decided that Singapore-Malaysia relations would always be bedevilled if Devan Nair remained a DAP leader. I persuaded him to come back."
The first time that DAP contested in the elections, in 1969, their manifesto included one that went against the Article 153, which gave the Bumiputras privileges not enjoyed by other races. This was first campaigned by Lee Kuan Yew when he spoke in Parliament that "Malaysia — to whom does it belong? To Malaysians. But who are Malaysians? I hope I am, Mr Speaker, Sir. But sometimes, sitting in this chamber, I doubt whether I am allowed to be a Malaysian."
In the 1969 elections, the DAP won 13 Parliamentary seats and 31 state assembly seats while Gerakan, another opposition party then (Gerakan is now a component party with the BN) also won by huge majority. This would then make the 1969 elections as one where the opposition gained the most votes in any elections apart from the most recent 2008. The opposition however, held a march by DAP and Gerakan which eventually led to street violence and was black marked as the May 13 incident. Subsequently after that, Parliament was suspended for 2 years.
The DAP continued to remain as the dominant opposition party but would never be able to repeat their success for the next 38 years. Its manifesto has not changed where they are still actively seeking to abolish any racial inequality in the country. One of the major events which was significant under the DAP umbrella was the Operasi Lalang where various DAP leaders were accused of being a threat to national security. They were believed to be protesting against the expansion of the New Economic Policy.
In recent times, DAP performed poorly in the 1999 elections, where Lim Kit Siang, its leader and Karpal Singh both losing their Parliamentary seats and in all the 193 seats contested, they could only win 10.
In the next election in 2004, DAP captured 12 seats while the other opposition parties lost terribly and in 2008 was where DAP had the best results, winning 28 seats in parliament while capturing the Penang state. This would eventually see Lim Guan Eng chosen as the Chief Minister of the state.
There are various leaders in DAP who are popular and renowned among most if not all Malaysians. Lim Kit Siang, who was the parliamentary opposition leader in the 11 th Malaysian Parliament. Kit Siang who was the former secretary-general of the party remains as the chairman of the DAP Policy and Strategic Planning Commission as well as an advisory role to the party.
Karpal Singh
Took over the chairmanship in 2004, he is a well established lawyer as well as a strong spokesperson in parliament.
Lim Guan Eng, due to some mismanagement could not contest in the 2004 elections but came back strongly which saw him and his team sweep the Penang votes to their favour, therby forming the state government.
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