Do not fall for racial opportunist

Downloaded from SAPP Blog

Briefing for SAPP members at SAPP HQ Operations Room, Bornion Centre, Kota Kinabalu on Sunday, July 6, 2008


1. SAPP and its leaders and members are advised not to fall into the trap of racialist opportunists who whip up racial tensions in order to divert attention from the real issues affecting the people which may possibly set the stage for emergency rule in the country.

Stick to the real issues affecting the people

2. This is because SAPP believes that the real issues affecting the people are the rising costs of living, stagnating economy, illegal immigrants, political autonomy of Sabah and local Malaysians heading federal departments, empowerment of the people, unfair laws and policies affecting the people and an equitable share of our own oil revenues of 20%. We should not allow racial politics to bury these real issues affecting the people nor will we do anything to give the authorities an excuse to declare emergency.

3. In the last 4 days, the national media has reported the prospects of an emergency rule that will lead to the suspension of Parliament. The deliberate disclosure of the 6-day joint exercises starting July 2 between the armed forces and the police in maintaining DOMESTIC public order can be seen as a type of “psychological preparation” and “psychology warfare” that is used by governments all over the world. This has caused anxiety among the people. The denials (of impending emergency rule) from the PM carry no weight among the people because of his previous flip flops such as “no dissolution of Parliament”, “no fuel price hikes”, “no fuel to foreign cars”, “paying salaries twice a month“ etc.

Racialists stirring racial sentiments

4. The blatant stirring of racial sentiments are proven beyond any doubt when on Wednesday July 2, the MP for Kota Belud who is also the UMNO Youth National Secretary, in Parliament warned of (tumpah darah) blood shed if SAPP MPs were to proceed with the no confidence motion on the PM. This kind of inflammatory talk is totally unwarranted and an affront to parliamentary democracy. SAPP hails the decision of the Speaker, himself from the Kota Belud district, for putting a stop to the incendiary remarks of the first term MP from UMNO Youth.

5. It is also worth noting that the weekend before the UMNO Tawau demonstration, that the UMNO Youth Deputy Leader, Khairy Jamaluddin, was in Tawau and later made wild accusations against the SAPP President.

6. All BN component parties, including UMNO, have admitted that the brandishing of the keris at previous UMNO Youth conventions was a major cause of the loss of BN. These youth leaders never learn.

7. Last week, an UMNO Vice President, who is also a Chief Minister, further displayed the arrogance of power by justifying the demonstrations of UMNO in Tawau and Sepanggar. Such instigation has re-created an atmosphere of intimidation and fear among sections of the people.

8. There has also been talk of a PAS-UMNO Youth alliance that they cannot allow a Malay leader such as the PM to be “humiliated” by a non-Malay MP.

9. Although our SAPP political culture is non-racial, we do not underestimate the risks of an UMNO-PAS battle cry of “Ketuanan Melayu”. SAPP President has been told personally by a senior UMNO leader that if SAPP proceeds with the motion against the PM, then it would be seen as a Chinese party versus the Malay leadership, reminding SAPP that the government media has deliberately portrayed SAPP as “Chinese”, even though in fact, SAPP is a non-racial party with multi-racial members and leaders.

10. SAPP’s move is based on the genuine grievances of the people and Sabah issues. Racial conflict is never a part of our agenda.


Loss of confidence still stands

11. The fundamental position of losing confidence in the PM still stands. Change is only a matter of time because the people have lost confidence on the PM. BN leaders too have lost confidence on the PM. Only the vested interests are cheering the PM like the story of Emperor’s clothes. SAPP nor its President has anything personal against the PM. We have not touched any thing personal about the PM such as family, son, son-in-law and businesses etc. unlike what many UMNO leaders have thrown at the PM and family.
12. When he first became PM, the PM did ask the people to tell him the truth and to work with him, not work for him. But what is happening now at the national level show that PM has lost the confidence of the people and also control over their own BN leaders.

13. For instance, even BN MPs defied government authority by “gangsters-style removal of barricade at Parliament lobby”, which was a glaring display of loss of authority on a scale unseen in Malaysia. Residents in Cheras physically removing the barricade at access to a highway, the panic in Sabah on June 24 among the public over rumours of petrol stations on strike, the fiasco of attacks and counter-attacks involving top leaders of the nation, different statutory declarations, police reports against the IGP and A-G, continuing rising costs of living affecting the people etc….etc…are more than enough to show that the people have lost confidence in the current leadership to sort out the mess that the country is in.

14. SAPP reaffirms the 8-point Declaration of June 20, 2008 (copy attached) and is forming specialized committees to look into the formulation and implementation of laws and policies towards the complete fulfillment of the struggle contained in the 8 points.

15. For instance, the issue of Petronas formed under the Petroleum Development Act 1974 allows for a National Petroleum Advisory Council (Section 5) to include those from oil producing states.. Is there member from Sabah in this NPAC? If yes, who? If no, why not? Section 7A allows the delegation of powers to the State Authority (say, the Chief Minister) under the Act over the oil and gas industry in Sabah. Is there such delegation of powers to the State authority? As for the increase in oil royalties, this can be reviewed under Section 4 of the Act which stipulated cash payment to the relevant State. SAPP will closely pursue this and other issues of interests to the people.

16. SAPP shall continue to play our role as a people-based party striving for the people. We will not do anything to give the authorities an excuse to declare emergency rule.

July 7, 2008 11:10 PM

SAPP will have to tread carefully: Yong

The New Sabah Times
7th July, 2008
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) President Datuk Yong Teck Lee has expressed concern over the rife talks of the possibility of ‘emergency rule’ taking place.

“SAPP will have to tread carefully in this era of political turbulence,” he told the reporters during a special interview with television channel NTV7, on issues relating to illegal immigrants and refugees in Sabah, at the bustling Sunday Gaya Street fair here yesterday.

He was especially responding to the talks over the possibility of the Government invoking the Emergency Act and the Internal Security Act if necessary, to curb any public unrest.

“This (emergency rule) could happen as those who raised the matter are not any ordinary people but government leaders, including the Inspector General of Police,” he said.

“And especially if the Prime Minister said it (emergency rule) won’t take place, we will have to be even more careful then,” he quipped, obviously referring to the Prime Minister’s flip-flop announcements in the past.

He also believed that whatever changes at the Federal level would inevitably affect Sabah, SAPP included.

Meanwhile, Yong also reiterated his great disappointment and frustration over the lackadaisical attitude of the Federal government in handling issues affecting Sabah including the illegal immigrants, refugees and street kids problems.

He then revealed something which he had not said previously.

He disclosed that to better reflect upon the seriousness of the illegal immigrants and street kids issues in Sabah, the Party had conducted a comprehensive study on the issues by interviewing the refugees and the street kids and had their photos taken.

Some of the interviewees can’t even speak Malay and had to be assisted by an interpreter, he disclosed.

And some of them, one of their parents (mothers) were locals but the other parent (fathers) was no longer with them, either have been deported back to their countries of origin or, have passed away.

The reports on the said study were later submitted to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi during the latter’s visit to Sabah in last April, to meet up with the State Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders.

Unfortunately, till to-date there was still no comprehensive and effective measure by the Federal government to address these issues.

Also present were SAPP deputy president Datuk Liew Teck Chan, its Vice President-cum-MP for Tawau, Datuk Dr Chua Soon Bui, its Women Chief cum Luyang State assemblywoman Melanie Chia and its deputy Information Chief, Chong Pit Fah.

Malaysia faces more unrest after meeting ban ignored


The Malaysian Insider

Australian Broadcasting Corporation transcript of the opposition-led rally at the Kelana Jaya Stadium on Sunday.
JULY 8 ─ Mark Colvin: Malaysians are bracing for more political turmoil after the country's Opposition ignored a government ban on public meetings.

Thousands of people gathered to protest against inflation and a recent fuel price hike. The meeting was organised by Anwar Ibrahim's loose coalition of Opposition parties.

Last week, Anwar was accused of sodomising an aide, a charge he dismissed as politically motivated.

In a signal that the Government was preparing to take the hard line, the country's Inspector-General of Police also announced plans to bring in the military to stop protests if necessary.

Edmond Roy: In the end, the police left them alone and Anwar Ibrahim's supporters got to hear their man rail against the Government one more time. And they were not disappointed.

(Sounds of protesters chanting)
Anwar Ibrahim (translated): You say, we cannot lower the price of petrol, I say it's possible. Okay, let's challenge. You say you have governed the country well, we say it is not good. Arrange it now. Let's challenge, through ways that will bring benefit to the people. Don't try to divert attention from the people, this is what I want to convey tonight. Friends, tomorrow we continue, we continue in Parliament, we continue with information. We might rise to save Malaysia.

(Sounds of protesters shouting and clapping)

Edmond Roy: Wearing red shirts with a slogan "Protest" written on them, the crowd, a mixture that reflected the coalition of parties that make up the Opposition, had come knowing that gathering was illegal.

A day before the nation's Inspector-General of Police had threatened to use the army to stop the protests.

It's a reflection of just how popular the Opposition leader has become. But popularity doesn't necessarily equate to power.

(Clive Kessler is professor sociology at the University of New South Wales and one of Australia's foremost Malaysia watchers.)
Clive Kessler: The situation in Malaysia at the moment is remarkable and that the brave hopes of independence have turned into an unbelievably sordid soap opera and the popular feeling among many people on the streets is precisely that. That in the sense they find the politics unbelievable, damaging and destructive and they see that more clearly than many of the political principles themselves.

Edmond Roy: He's got a point. Consider this: the Opposition leader of the country is accused of sodomy.

The country's Deputy Prime Minister is accused of conspiring to quash a murder investigation involving his private secretary and two of his bodyguards.

And last week, the Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak was accused of having sex with the murder victim, Mongolian translator Altantuya Sharribuu, whose body was blown up with weapons-grade explosives in a forest outside the capital.

Clive Kessler argues this political quagmire has its roots in the past.
Clive Kessler: In a sense, that Dr Mahathir's legacy was to create a very strong personalistic corporate state that was held together by his strength. Now that he's gone, there isn't his strength to hold it together. And the longer-term cost of the... creating that kind of state has to be paid, the bills are falling due and it's a question whether, whether that is sustainable.

Edmond Roy: If recent events are any guide, it is clearly not sustainable.

Since independence from Britain in 1957, Umno, the ruling party has been steadily losing support.

This despite such innovations as the Bumiputera or “sons of the soil” policy that enabled the majority Malays to take a strangle hold on the political and economic life of the country.

Today minority groups have successfully challenged the status quo and in March this year, three main opposition parties won a record number of seats and control of five states in the union.

But all of this doesn't necessarily mean that Malaysia's democratic institutions are safe from attack.

Clive Kessler: The likelihood of a coalition misunderstanding becoming a political understanding and political crisis becoming a public, public order crisis seems to be fairly high. And it's in that context that the police and army came out last week publicly to say well they've already got the contingency plans in place and they're doing the dry run, more or less, to have a polite authoritarian solution to the politicians and the chaos they've created. I think that is the prospect that seems to me to be in the offing, rather than continuing democratisation.

SAPP ups ante against PM, Umno

KOTA KINABALU, July 8 — Despite sticking to the Barisan Nasional and freezing its no-faith move against the prime minister, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) continues to criticise Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership while attacking his Umno for stoking racial sentiments.
The tiny SAPP, which has two MPs under the BN, said it will not allow racial politics to bury real issues affecting the people or give the authorities an excuse to declare an emergency, calling a recent army-police joint exercise "psychological warfare"

"The denials (of impending emergency rule) from the PM carry no weight among the people because of his previous flip flops such as ‘no dissolution of Parliament’, ‘no fuel price hikes’, ‘no fuel to foreign cars’, ‘paying salaries twice a month’, etc," SAPP said in a statement dated July 6 and made available on its website.

SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee announced on June 18 the party had lost confidence in Abdullah and would move or support a no-confidence vote against him when Parliament reconvened but it proved to be anti-climatic as both its lawmakers stayed away from Parliament, claiming threats to their lives. The plan is now on ice due to the current political climate, the party said yesterday.

But the SAPP is now turning its sights on the dominant Umno, accusing Umno Youth secretary and Kota Belud MP Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan of stirring racial sentiments for warning last week of bloodshed if SAPP lawmakers carried out their threat to vote against Abdullah.

"This kind of inflammatory talk is totally unwarranted and an affront to parliamentary democracy. SAPP hails the decision of the Speaker for putting a stop to the incendiary remarks of the first-term MP," it said, noting Umno leaders have yet to learn their mistakes that warning of bloodshed or brandishing the keris had cost the coalition massive losses in the March election.

The Chinese-based party also highlighted talk of a PAS-Umno Youth alliance that will prevent the prime minister from being humiliated by a non-Malay lawmaker, saying it will not underestimate the risk of an Umno-PAS battle cry of "Ketuanan Melayu" (Malay supremacy).

"SAPP president has been told personally by a senior Umno leader that if SAPP proceeds with the motion against the PM, then it would be seen as a Chinese party versus the Malay leadership, reminding SAPP that the government media has deliberately portrayed SAPP as ‘Chinese’, even though, in fact, SAPP is a non-racial party with multi-racial members and leaders."

The party claimed its move was based on genuine grievances of the people and Sabah issues, denying an agenda for racial conflict and reiterating it has lost confidence in Abdullah.

"BN leaders too have lost confidence in the PM. Only the vested interests are cheering the PM like the story of the Emperor's clothes. SAPP nor its president has anything personal against the PM," it said, adding it had not made personal attacks on Abdullah's family unlike other Umno leaders.

The party said it reaffirms its eight-point declaration and called for a Sabah member in the National Petroleum Advisory Council as allowed under the Petroleum Development Act 1974 that formed the national oil company Petronas.

"Is there member from Sabah in this NPAC? If yes, who? If no, why not? Section 7A allows the delegation of powers to the state authority (say, the chief minister) under the Act over the oil and gas industry in Sabah. Is there such delegation of powers to the state authority?"

The party said it will continue to push for a review of oil royalties in the interests of the people.

Political situation unsettling, claims SAPP chief


KOTA KINABALU, July 8 — Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee yesterday claimed that the ongoing political situation in the country was unsettling.
He said certain allegations raised recently had raised questions on the integrity of some people who were leading important government agencies.

Speaking to reporters here, Yong said he was unhappy with the government's decision to deploy the military to quell demonstrations.

"The armed forces are only used in times of war or national emergency. They are not supposed to be involved in domestic public order," he said in reference to the joint exercise between the police and the army in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Earlier, in a briefing to SAPP leaders, members and supporters, Yong urged the people of Sabah, particularly its leaders, to discard their inferiority complex when dealing with the Federal government.

He dismissed recent remarks by Barisan Nasional secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor who compared the relations between the federal and Sabah governments to that of “father and son”.

Yong lambasted the “carrot-and-stick” tactic used by the federal on Sabah state leaders who dared to question certain decisions made by federal leaders. — Bernama

Comment by a reader from SAPP Blog.

RIPLEYS CSI and many Malaysians were shocked to read another racist card been played by BN silly leaders on household income survey in Malaysia.

The strong “Authoritarian Solution” by BN leaders to find a better way to discriminate and marginalise other minority races when the household income survey is carried out based on inter-racial difference in income but choose the ignore the disparity of income among the riches and the hardcore poor people in Malaysia , Sabah and Sarawak today.

The inequality of household income in Malaysia has nothing to do with races but it is a comparison between the rich communities, medium communities and poor communities. Therefore, it is very wrong for BN Ministers and BN MPs to classify the household income based on inter-racial differences in the survey conducted recently.

Well, BN is well known as a “RACIST” party in the world. Their BN members and leaders were dirty brain washed for past 50 years to think one way ticket only and to hit on racist issue and like to play racist card to inflict conflicts among the rakyat.

Malaysians have “enough is enough” to listen, to be played out and to witness BN MP and BN ADUN were voicing out racist remarks again against another minority races in Parliament and Assembly. BN MPs are very proud about their Ketuanan subject to victimise another minority races branded like 3rd class citizen or migrants to Malaysia.

Yes, these BN MPs and ADUNs have 4th class mentality in their minds and dont want to accept new changes in the globalised world.

Now the world people are borderless regardless of races, creeds, religions and cultures are challenging at very stiff competitions to enhance the standard of living in their nations. The world leaders today are upgrading their people per-capital income as well as to enrich the value of their currencies today.

Sad to know that BN leaders have yet to learn their lessons and failed to wake up till today. They should knew their racist party had loss badly in the 12th GE becaususe of their greeds,corrupts, pride, abused power and arrogant mentality. Sad to say that BN leaders and their members still talk about ineaquality in inter-racial matter in term of economic and financial standings. Why dont BN leaders compared “SUPER RICH” Malays against majority medium and hardcore poor Malays - a comparison of apple vs apple? How can BN compared Chinese vs Malay ( like apple with orange)? Both races have different style of livings and budgeting their household income. Their mentality of earnings and spending their income are very much different.

For instance,

Chinese believed in working hard independently to earn more monies for a better living and develop good savings habits in their minds since childhood.

Malay believed in depending on “tongkat ali” from their Ketuanan leaders and pro-government to help them in loans, scholarships, contracts, employments and business assistances to earn more income for easy lifestyles and prefers to have lavish spending than savings in their mind since childhood.

Now majority Malays are educated and not easily deceived by BN leaders today. This is because many Malaysians regardless of race believed that BN leaders have failed badly in managing the wealth of the country. BN leaders should sit down and start listing their wrong doings for past 50 years and calculate the damages they have caused in the economy and financial well being in Malaysia.

A famous economist and a financial expert bravely said that our household income of RM1.00 earned in last year 2007 is almost equivalent to the purchasing power of RM0.30 in year 2008 because of great depreciation of ringgit currency against other forex currencies, huge prices hikes, huge inflation above 6% in half year 2008, devaluation of shares prices, stagflation in the economy, etc.

Lastly, Malaysians of all walks of life and regardless of races are becoming poorer each day and many corrupt politicians in BN are becoming richer laughing all the ways to the Banks.

Dont BN leaders felt ashamed to listen and see some Malaysians are selling their organs and blood soon to feed their families. Our BN leaders have failed the rakyat aspiration of Malaysia Boleh propaganda only.

We, Malaysians strongly opposed and against monitoring the inter-racial differences of income and it is irrelevant in Malaysia and should be removed from their BN crooked minds.

Now Sabahans know who is swimming with the Dolphins in Sabah, who is swimming with Sharks in Peninsular Malaysia ? BN is playing their inter racial differences in income is the most dirty tactic as an excuse to stir the rakyat feelings again.

(As I see, listen and read it. Write without FEAR and Favour, In GOD, We Trust )

by Ripleys CSI Malaysia today.

July 10, 2008 2:04 AM

Comment by a reader from SAPP Blog.


"蔡顺梅斥《星报》封面报道错误"
=================================
joe said:
声明更指一名巫统资深领袖告知杨德利，若进步党继续推动不信任动议，将被视为一个华人政党企图对抗马来领导，尽管进步党是一个多元种族政党。

Translation:
The clarification especially pointed out that one UMNO senior leader told Yong Tek Lee that if SAPP continued its no-confidence motion, then it will be regarded as a Chinese political party attempting to oppose the Malay leadership - even though SAPP is a multiracial party.
------------------------
The very fact that a senior UMNO leader dared to threaten YTL is a gross violation of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Where in UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights is it written that all races within any country must submit to the leadership of a single race? The truth is the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights specifically declared that all people are allowed to participate equally in the governance of a country.

Article 21(1), 2 and 7 state:

"Article 21.
(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives."

"Article 2.
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

"Article 7.
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination."

From the above three articles it is obvious that all peoples of Malaysia regardless of race or national origin or religion have the equal right to participate in the governance of Malaysia. Malaysia is not an empire of the Malays such that only the Malays have the right to decide what policies to implement. It is heinous and loathsome that the Malays have come to acquire the mentality that they are the sole owners of Malaysia and that they have the right to intimidate other races into submitting to their tyranny.

Such gross violation of the letter and spirit of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights are heinous and loathsome. The leaders of SAPP and other political parties such as DAP must immediately communicate this gross violation of the letter and spirit of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the UN Secretary General and ask for his condemnation of this unacceptable violation of human rights.

The non-Malay Malaysian peoples should not accept such intimidation as if though the Malays have the right to force the other races to accept their tyranny based on the threat of bloody massacres or the dogma of ketuanan Melayu. Ketuanan Melayu is itself a gross and loathsome violation of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and have no place in the civilized world.

Furthermore, the Malays are nothing more than a bunch of thugs who are only "brave" enough to terrorize defenceless peoples. Anybody who is willing to defend themselves can easily defeat them in an open war. The Malays had never fought the Japanese or the Brits. It was the Chinese who had fought them. And they fought with great courage and success. But the fruits of their fight were stolen by the Malays. Now it is time for the Chinese and the KDM to unite and fight a new war to liberate themselves from the Malay reign of terror for their own sake and for the sake of their children and grandchildren.

If the Malays are willing to share Malaysia equally with all other races according to UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, then there is still hope for Malaysia to be a harmonious place for all to live and prosper in. If not, then it is the rightful and courageous thing and the UN mandated thing for the Sabah peoples to take Sabah out of Malaysia and either be independent or join with Singapore for their own security and prosperity.

Below is an exerpt from the Preamble of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights:

"Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,"

It is obvious that UN upholds the right of all peoples to rebel against tyranny and oppression as a last resort.

July 10, 2008 8:06 AM

Comment by a reader in SAPP Blog.


And this is what the federal government has been doing all this while. It unilaterally changes the terms of the agreement and forces the states to agree to these changes. If also forces the states to sign contracts that are one-sided and a breach of the Federation Agreement or the 20-point Agreement.

THE CORRIDORS OF POWER

Kedah approves logging activities
By EMBUN MAJID, The Star

The Kedah Government has approved logging activities at the Pedu, Muda and Ahning dam catchment areas, a move that is expected to generate about RM16 billion in revenue for the state. Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak said the move was necessary to cover the high expenditure incurred by the state following the petrol price increase.

He added that the state would call for tenders soon and award the logging contract to the highest bidder. “We will discuss the logging method to be used with the Forestry Department,” he told newsmen after chairing the state executive council meeting yesterday.

He added that the Federal Government had promised to pay an annual compensation of RM100 million in 2003 following the state’s decision to cancel its proposed heli-harvesting project to log timber in catchment areas. “However, until now the payment has not been made. We have also asked the Federal Government for financial assistance for the water supply to Penang and Perlis and for the rice we are producing for the country. Since the Government cannot assist us financially, we will carry on with the logging activities,” Azizan added.

*************************************************

This is what happens when the federal government squeezes the opposition-led states and denies it the funding it requires. The federal government seems to forget that the granting of funds to the states should not be tied to which political party is running those states. The granting of funds to the states is a clause in the Federation Agreement.

At one time, the Malay states were independent and were known as the Straits Settlements, the Federated Malay States, or the Unfederated Malay States. Then they all agreed to merge into the Federation of Malaya. In doing so the states agreed to relinquish certain rights like national defence, security and foreign policy while they retained certain rights like land matters, natural resources and religion. Each state would then be given an annual grant plus loans for development, calculated based on the size of its population.

These were the terms agreed in the Federation Agreement and which was the basis for all the states to merge under the Federation of Malaya. And any first-year law student can tell you that an agreement made on the basis of mutual consent can no doubt be changed with the signing of a supplementary agreement, but must also be based on mutual consent. One party can’t unilaterally change the terms of the agreement without the consent of the other party. In the event one party violates the terms of the agreement, then the aggrieved party can either give notice for the termination of the agreement or sue for specific performance, with or without damages (unless there is a specific clause in the agreement that stipulates what happens when there is a breach -- like going for international arbitration, etc.).

Therefore, in this spirit, the federal government has no choice but to give the states grants and loans for development. If the federal government fails to do so then, for all intents and purposes, the federal government has violated the terms of the Federation. And the states will therefore also have no choice but to fend for themselves the best way they can -- which will include cutting down all the trees to turn them into much-needed cash with which to pay for the cost of running the states and to finance development.

Oil and gas is a state resource. Under the terms of the Federation Agreement, oil and gas, which is a state resource, belongs to the states, 100% (just like water, timber, tin, iron, gold, coal, etc.). However, in 1974, the federal government nationalised oil and gas and then forced all the 13 states to sign an agreement with Petronas -- whereby the newly created national oil company will become the owner of all the oil in gas and the states would just enjoy a 5% ‘commission’. Later, the states were forced to sign a supplementary agreement stating that the 5% ‘commission’ would be officially and legally called ‘royalty’.

The states really had no choice in the matter. This was not mutually agreed. What the federal government did was to pass a law in Parliament called the Petroleum Development Act 1974. By law, the states had to relinquish all rights over oil and gas and the federal government, through Petronas, took what belonged to the states ‘by force’. That not being enough, the federal government even violated the Petroleum Development Act plus also the agreement that the states were forced to sign with Petronas. In 2000, the federal government cancelled the 5% royalty due to Terengganu and handed it over to Umno to manage. And they also changed the name ‘royalty’ to ‘goodwill money’ -- which does not appear anywhere in the Petroleum Development Act or the agreement the states were forced to sign with Petronas.

Yes, the federal government has, time and time again, violated the terms of the Federation Agreement. And they violated it again in 1974 by nationalising a state resource -- oil and gas. And they violated it yet again in 2000 by cancelling the 5% royalty in spite of the 5% being morally wrong in the first place (but made legally right through an Act of Parliament). And now, after the 8 March 2008 general election, the federal government is up to its tricks again by denying the opposition-led states the funds it is legally obligated to give the states.

Sure, the states can’t send the federal government a notice of breach of agreement with 30 days notice to terminate the federation or to sue the federal government for specific performance and possibly for damages as well. But it can do the next best thing. The states still have land, water, timber, tin, gold, iron, coal, and much more. The jungles bordering Kedah, Perak and Kelantan are rich in resources, much of it explored but untouched since the beginning of time. The states can open up these lands and exploit whatever they can find there, timber included. The states have no choice but to do this. But what a great loss to the world when after some time not a single tree is left standing in this country and Malaysia eventually turns into a hot desert and Malaysia’s contribution to global warming will turn this world into a mess.

What will happen when there are no longer any trees in the catchment areas? Well, there will no longer be any rain and the dams will dry up. Then water will cost more than petrol like in Saudi Arabia. And this will happen because Umno wants to punish the opposition-led states by denying it funds although, when these states joined the Federation of Malaya in 1957, it was agreed that the states would receive funding and the agreement did not say that funding will be given only on condition that Umno rules these states.

Sabah too has been expressing its unhappiness all these many years but the grumblings of the Sabahans have fallen on deaf ears. But Sabahans no longer want to take any shit just like how the Sultan of Terengganu decided he too will no longer take any shit and he made this very clear by rejecting Umno’s choice of Menteri Besar. Now, Umno is going to return the 5% oil royalty it stole from Terengganu since 2000. But Terengganu does not want just the 2008 royalty. They want the royalty stolen since 2000, which comes to about RM7 billion, or RM8 billion with this year’s included.

Okay, if Umno does not want the eight Members of Parliament and 28 State Assemblymen from Terengganu to leave Barisan Nasional and become ‘independents’, then the federal government has to hand over RM8 billion this year. If not, then Terengganu Darul Ehsan will become the Independent Sultanate of Terengganu. The ball is at Umno’s feet.

Sabah too is pressing for the federal government to not only honour the Federation Agreement but the 20-point Agreement as well. Under the 20-point Agreement, Sabah is not one of the states of Malaysia equivalent to Kedah, Kelantan, Penang, Perak or Selangor. Sabah is equivalent to Malaya.

This is what Wikipedia has to say about the matter:

The 20-point Agreement was written for the main purpose of safeguarding the interests, rights, and the autonomy of the people of Sabah upon entering the Federation of Malaysia. It was originally envisaged that Sabah will be one of the four entities in the Federation, the others being Malaya, Singapore, and Sarawak. However, as times passed, Sabah and Sarawak ended up being merely one of the 13 states in the Federation.

Many do not understand this very important fact. Sabah is not a state as such. Sabah is of the same status as Malaya. Sabah lawyers can freely practice in Kuala Lumpur but Kuala Lumpur lawyers need permission to practice in Sabah. Sabahans can freely travel to West Malaysia but West Malaysians can be denied entry into Sabah (once upon a time West Malaysians needed to show their international passport before they could enter Sabah).

Is this unfair and smacks of double standards? This was what was agreed when Sabah teamed up with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia. Whether it is fair or not is not the issue. The issue is: this was what was agreed and if it is not fair then why agree to it? You can’t agree to something, fair or unfair, just to entice a state to join the Federation and then, after it has joined, you scream about the terms being unfair and unilaterally change the terms against the wishes of the other party.

And this is what the federal government has been doing all this while. It unilaterally changes the terms of the agreement and forces the states to agree to these changes. If also forces the states to sign contracts that are one-sided and a breach of the Federation Agreement or the 20-point Agreement. But now the states are fighting back. Now the states will no longer take any shit. And this is what is happening in the Terengganu, Kedah and Sabah situations. The aggrieved parties are fighting back as they rightfully should. And Terengganu wants back its RM7 billion. Kedah is going to cut down all its trees. Sabah will go for a new government that can increase its 5% royalty to 20% (which should be 100% in the first place) plus a government that can honour the 20-point Agreement, which was the basis for it to team up with Malaya to form Malaysia.
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With whom will the army stroll?
Saturday, 19 July 2008


Suharto, Idi Amin, Shah Reza Pahlavi, Somoza, Noriega, and Marcos were are all tyrants. Some fell from grace because of the greed of their women. Typical Marie Antoinette syndrome.

Azly Rahman dr.azly.rahman@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://azlyrahman-illuminations.blogspot.com/


We do not need an emergency rule unless we are still living in 1969. Those days are over. Majlis Gerakan Negara (MAGERAN) is history. This is a time for the natural state of things to unfold. A time to let a hundred flowers bloom. The semiotics of structural violence must not be paraded in front of Malaysians who now know how to protest peacefully.

They know what a totalitarian regime means. They now know what separation of powers means. They want to see an urgent evolution of this philosophy. Only those in danger of losing power want to maintain hegemony and will use the ideological state apparatuses to maintain power. Machiavellians included.

Emergency rules are for nations in desperation. For dictators facing an imminent and violent political death. For despots who refuse to detach themselves from power. For governments that allow prime ministers to rule for as long as they like. Ours is not. We do not have dictators. We have democracy yearning to break free.

Suharto, Idi Amin, Shah Reza Pahlavi, Somoza, Noriega, and Marcos were are all tyrants. Some fell from grace because of the greed of their women. Typical Marie Antoinette syndrome.

Police must maintain justice

We are evolving into a civil society in which civilians are beginning to speak up in the name of building our own civilisation from the possibilities of social and global justice, universal human rights, cosmopolitanism, and radical multiculturalism. A deployment of the army will kill this image of a civil society, right at its infancy.

Soldiers fight to protect external enemies of the people, not to protect corrupt politicians against their own people. The latter is philosophically wrong.

The police are supposed to be maintaining justice in a world of irrationalities and unjust behaviour. The police need no extra protection if they are true to their conscience and always available and reliable to protect the citizens, even against elected representatives who abuse power.

An image of the army on the streets will be a violent one - both in truth and perception. We need not go that route - the route of Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Uganda, or Burma. We are gentle people with gentle ways of dealing with conflicts. We are not a junta nation. We do not have Hutus and Tutsis.

A gentle people

Gently done, we know when to remove a regime that is no longer gentle to the people who voted it into power. Gently, the Internet will take its natural course in igniting mental revolutions first, and peaceful revolutions next. Gently done, we know how to protest loudly against the violent and sudden price hikes, massive corruption, death of the judiciary, and even unsolved murder mysteries.

We do not need the army on the streets. We need to instead arm ourselves with revolutionary ideals, to hold on fast to our dreams of a republic of virtue, and to use the Internet to voice our dissenting views and to engineer regime change.

We are already an army of intellectuals in our own way, patrolling the mindscapes of Malaysia, spreading the message of peace, policing against politicians that are corrupt to the core. We are an army and a police ourselves. We do not need the semiotics of violence to take root.

Malaysians are gentle people. Only the media is getting more and more violent, feeding our children with stories upon stories of sex, lies, murders, and political intrigues.

Forgotten, unheard stories

We have forgotten the more important news of the day: the rakyat suffering through the recession and possible depression, youth losing their moral compass, failing schools, sprawling urban poverty, continuing systematic spread of racist propaganda in schools and universities, breakdown of family values, siphoning of the nation's wealth out of the country, declining standards of our universities and a plethora of other issues we should be addressing and finding solutions to.

And many more. Stories of the rakyat. These are the masses whose stories must be heard. These are not the elite whose stories are pushed daily to the forefront, shoved into our consciousness ad nauseum.

No, the army must stay home and meditate or at best be deployed as peacekeeping forces for the United Nations. The people must be trusted to express themselves freely, peacefully.

Malaysian rallies are becoming huge family events. People come in all shape and sizes, from all walks of life, from a hard days' work to listen to music and their favourite revolutionary leaders, and to renew their commitment to regime change.

The people are armed with better knowledge of what will work for them as Malaysians and what has miserably failed. They want change because the only permanent thing in this world is change. No, we do not need the army patrolling the streets. The family members of the army and the police are also suffering from the recession and the astronomical increase in the price of everything. They too are armed with the knowledge of why the country is messed up as a result of the messing up of global and local politics.
For whom the bell tolls

In the end, the bell tolls for thee. When the time comes for the truth to surface, no army can stop it from violently appearing from the ground beneath. No police can guard truth from appearing in the eyes of the public.

No army can defeat revolutionary forces that install better regimes through peaceful, silent, ethical and intelligent means. No iron bars can imprison the conscience and the yearn for one to speak the truth to power. The goodness in men and women will be the best police and the best army.

Man is born free yet everywhere he is in chains.

No army on our streets, please. We are Malaysians. We must let justice take it natural course.