Umno elections: Feedback from grassroots needed

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno should seek the views of its grassroots leaders before deciding whether to postpone party elections, said supreme council member Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo.
He said most of the time, decisions were made at the top without getting feedback from the ground.
He said the general election results showed how important it was to take into these opinions into account.
"We need to study this -- whether members want change. We want to know what exactly is happening on the ground. For me the best way is to go back to the branch chiefs and ask them what they think," he said when contacted on Wednesday.
Dr Khir said going to just the state liaison or divisions chiefs to get their views was not adequate as this might not reflect the exact sentiment on the ground.
"We must go back to the people and take it to them. Our weakness has often been our top-down approach. We need to get a broader perspective and seek the perception of the grassroots leaders on the ground who have been working really hard for the party.
"If their views are sought, then the people on the ground too will feel appreciated," he added.
On Tuesday, Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said all state liaison committees had met president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the weekend and agreed to call for the postponement of party elections until next year.

No need to defer Umno elections, says NS Mentri Besar


SEREMBAN: The Umno polls scheduled for August need not be deferred, said party supreme council member Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan.
Mohamad, who is also Negri Sembilan Mentri Besar, said it made no sense to postpone the party election as it would still need to be held later.
"Why defer the elections? If you defer it now, wouldn't you need to hold it at a later date?" he asked.
Stressing that it was his personal view, Mohamad said if the party was facing problems, there was no reason to run away from them.
"I am one who believes we should never run away from problems. If we really have problems, we should solve them in the true Umno spirit.
"The last thing we should do is sweep whatever problems there may be under the carpet," he told reporters after chairing the exco meeting at Wisma Negri near here.
Mohamad was commenting on a statement by party information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib on Tuesday that the party election may be postponed to next year.
Mohamad said if it was up to party members to decide if the party should remain relevant.
"Umno members must be rational and unite for the sake of the party. If you have personal agendas, then there are bound to be problems," he said.
Mohamad said if the polls were deferred, it could cause more unnecessary problems for the party

Puteri Umno supports party election postponement...then retracts it four hours later

Four hours after supporting calls for the Umno elections to be postponed to next year, Puteri Umno made a complete u-turn and called for party polls to be held as scheduled.
Reporters who covered the Malaysia Career and Training Fair Press conference in the morning had asked Puteri Umno chief Datuk Noraini Ahmad whether the movement agreed with calls within Umno for a postponement of the election.
“Yes, because Umno needs time to address both it’s internal and external problems first. These problems can be resolved but not necessarily through party elections,” the Deputy Minister of Human Resources said . “The party needs time to adjust, especially since the dust from general election had not really settled. There is no urgency. Once we are back to normal, then only we should hold the party elections.”
However, four hours later, Noraini not only retracted her statement but called for party elections to be held as scheduled.
“Although the party has until June next year to hold the elections, Puteri Umno is of the opinion that party elections should be held by this year,” she said in a faxed statement.
Noraini said if at all the elections could not be held by August as originally scheduled, then it should take place by December at the latest.
Throughout the afternoon, Noraini did not answer calls to her handphone but later sent a text message to a Berita Harian reporter explaining the sudden change of stand.
“No need to prolong. Better to hold the meeting early. Please look at the constitution,” the text message read.

tunku : that's the problem, everytime decision are made just by the top leaders without consulting the members.for the first time negri's mb talk with some sense.i wonder why the complete u-turn by noraini?anyway it was a good u-turn.

Zaid's apology to judges proposal rejected by Cabinet colleagues

The new cabinet, at its meeting yesterday, did not adopt Senator Datuk Zaid Ibrahim’s proposal that the government should apologise to the victims of the 1998 judicial crisis.
"I have presented my view that the government should apologise to Tun Salleh (Abbas) and the judges. Well, I am afraid the view has yet to be considered. There are many people who are more experienced and are wiser than me. So, we have to wait.
"I don't think I want to add anything more to this," Zaid the de facto Law Minister said after chairing his ministry's first post-cabinet meeting today. He did not go into details.
However, it is understood that his view had been rejected by the rest of his colleagues during the cabinet meeting yesterday.
Asked whether it was former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad or the present government under Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who should apologise to the judges, Zaid replied, "You can't expect (Dr) Mahathir to apologise. That government is gone. Karpal (Singh) is just being naughty."
Karpal, who is also DAP national chairman, had recently said it was Dr Mahathir who should apologise as it was during his tenure that the crisis occurred, which led to the sacking of the then lord president, Salleh and Supreme Court judges Tan Sri Wan Sulaiman Pawanteh and Datuk George Seah.
Zaid said the apology was something "we can do if we want to, but it is up to the leaders (to decide)."
He cited the case of the Australian Government under prime minister Kevin Rudd who had apologised to the Aborigines for racially discriminatory policies when Rudd won the election recently.
However, Rudd had ruled out compensation and lawyers said the apology passed by Parliament did not add anything to Aborigines' chances of successful legal claims.

tunku : not only karpal trying to be naughty but zaid too.maybe still fresh.

Poison pen letter campaign launched against Prime Minister, targets 3 million Umno members

KUALA LUMPUR, March 25 – All signs point to the Umno party elections being postponed till early next year but this is unlikely to blunt moves by Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s critics to force him out of office.
Leaning heavily on tactics which worked well for the Opposition in Election 2008, the critics are taking their case and campaign to discredit the President of Umno and Prime Minister directly to the rank-and-file of the party in a direct mail campaign.
They want the 3.2 million Umno party members to flood the PM’s office with letters and telegrams telling him they have lost confidence in him. This avalanche of correspondence, thehttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.photo.gif
Add Image critics hope, will persuade him to step down.
The Malaysian Insider has learnt that a 4-page anonymous letter in Malay has been posted to Umno members across the country. In it, the critics reach for the buttons which they believe will ignite hate against Abdullah, namely:
• The role played by his son-in-law Khairy Jamaludin and other members of his family in the administration of Umno.
• The role of the “fourth floor”, the moniker used to describe the PM’s aides, linked to Khairy, in the administration of the country.
• Abdullah’s alleged willingness to dance to the tune set by Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew.
• Rising crime in the country and the fact that many criminals managed to escape conviction because of poor morale among police personnel. The morale problem was caused by constant criticism by the government, said the letter writer.
Fact and fiction are intertwined neatly in the letter but the sting is evident in each sentence. The letter accuses Abdullah of lying to Umno members by covering up his weaknesses and deluding himself about Barisan Nasional’s prospects in Election 2008.
“Leaders and members of Umno who love our race, religion, country and party must accept the reality that what was rejected by the people was Abdullah and his family, and not Umno and BN,‘’ said the letter, adding that as long as Abdullah was in charge of the party, Umno would be on the road to ruin.
The letter urged members to write letters and send telegrams to Abdullah and also urged them to make known their feelings to supreme council members and the head of each state liaison committee. Umno members were also asked to make known the contents of the letter to Malays across the country and to boycott party events.
Abdullah’s critics know that the important politicians in the power structure from deputy president Datuk Seri Najib Razak to heads of all the wings are solidly behind Abdullah and will not want to cause more damage to a party still reeling from Election 2008.
They also suspect that the voice of dissent from the ground is being generated by several Umno veterans who may only be interested in sharing the spoils of victory.
As long as this group of warlords are on the same page with Abdullah, he is safe and should be able to survive attempts to pull him down. But if the groundswell causes any of them to break ranks, it could point to a long few months for the PM.
MalaysiaInsider


tunku : my personal view is that it's not worthwhile writing to pak lah as for sure he will not get the letter, if he gets,he will not read it.how many people protested during the election(result), still he's saying he got BIG mandate.the only way is the umno branch and division must be brave enough to demand it.

Cheras Umno wants open contest

The Cheras Umno division last night called for all top posts in the party, including those of president and deputy president, be contested in the coming party polls.
The division also said that it was time for the abolition of the quota system for nominations in order to contest the top posts.
This move by the Cheras division, the first division to do so in the run up to the party polls, comes at the back of an announcement by veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to contest for the president’s post.
However Cheras division head Syed Ali Al-Habshee quickly distanced himself and his division from backing Tengku Razaleigh.
"If the top two posts are not contested, we will not be able to know the actual strength of the president and deputy president in the party," he told reporters after the meeting last night.
He believed contests for the top two posts would not in any way weaken the party.
In all the division passed 12 resolutions at the special meeting, which also discussed Barisan Nasional's poor performance in the recent general election.
The division’s resolutions would be submitted to Umno's supreme council, which is meeting tomorrow.
On the resolution to abolish the quota system, Syed Ali said the party should revert to its original principles whereby a candidate only required two nominations in order to contest the top two posts.
Presently a candidate needs 35 and 20 nominations to contest for the post of president or deputy president respectively. This strict ruling has hampered many aspiring candidates to offer a successful challenge for the top posts.
In 2004, Tengku Razaleigh’s challenge against party president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi came to nought as a result of his failure to get the needed nominations. He got only one nomination then, from his own division of Gua Musang.
The Cheras division wants the party to amend its constitution to remove the nomination quota system for candidates wanting to contest the top posts.
While Syed Ali said that he was not backing Tengku Razaleigh for the top post, he nevertheless agreed with the Kelantan prince that the party should hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM).
Tengku Razaleigh has been calling for the EGM to be held on May 11 for the party to look into its failures in the general election.
He said that it was important for the party leadership to hear views of members of the performance of the BN in the general election.
The party’s annual general assembly - and party polls - is due to be held this June.
However party information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib said yesterday that many divisions had asked Abdullah to defer the party polls and the annual meeting to next year.
According to him, their reasoning for the postponement was to avoid “disaster to the party”.
The party leadership is expected to decide on the matter at its meeting tomorrow.

tunku : hope more umno divisions are brave enough like cheras division.this is not the time for 'apple polishing' game.

Umno polls should not be postponed, says Mukhriz

ALOR STAR: The Umno elections scheduled for this year should not be postponed, said Jerlun MP Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir.
He said the party elections was important and “a democratic process that it had to go through.”
“I appeal to Umno's leadership not to postpone it and do as the party president said last year that it will be carried out this year,” he said.
Mukhriz, who is an Umno Youth exco member, said he was confident that the party elections would not cause a split among members as they were wise enough to decide without being emotional.
He said Umno leaders must follow the party constitution and all members must decide wisely on whom to choose as their leaders.
Mukhriz also said that all Umno members must give priority to party harmony as the public was closely watching their actions. “More so because the president and deputy president lead the nation,” he said. – Bernama

tunku : the longer they postpone it the more hatred for them.why are they so scared?may be pak lah knows that his time has come and he's trying to buy more time now.

Abdullah: Big mistake to ignore cyber-campaign

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today said his "biggest mistake" in disastrous elections was to ignore cyber-campaigning on the Internet which was seized by the opposition.
The powerful Barisan Nasional coalition suffered its worst-ever results in March 8 polls that left five states and a third of parliamentary seats in opposition hands.
The opposition, which was largely ignored by government-linked mainstream media, instead waged an enormously successful online campaign using blogs, news websites and SMS text messages.
"We certainly lost the Internet war, the cyber-war," Abdullah said in in a speech to an investment conference.
"It was a serious misjudgement. We made the biggest mistake in thinking that it was not important," he said.
"We thought that the newspapers, the print media, the television was supposed to be important, but the young people were looking at SMS and blogs."
The comments are a major about-face for the government, which had vilified bloggers, calling them liars and threatening them with detention without trial under draconian internal security laws.
In line with promises to reform after the humiliating election results, Abdullah said the government would "respond effectively" and move to empower young Malaysians.
"It was painful ... but it came at the right time, not too late," he said.
Malaysia's mainstream media are mostly part-owned by parties in the ruling coalition, and what was seen as biased coverage in the run-up to last month's vote alienated voters and boosted demand for alternative news sources.
Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders ranks Malaysia 124 out of 169 on its worldwide press freedom index. It says mainstream media are "often compelled to ignore or to play down" opposition events.
(AFP)

tunku : BN's bad performance is not because of the cyber-campaigning, it's because of your bad and weak leadership.if you had done the cyber-campaigning, still you'll get the same result.

Pas Kedah Government sees Kelantan as role model but won't emulate everything

The new Pas-led Kedah Government will make Kelantan its role model but will not adopt everything from the State as it also has its own ways, said Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak.
Azizan said unlike Kelantan where 95 percent of the population were Malays, Kedah has a bigger non-Malay community, which has helped it to come to power, and that was why the Kedah Government won't be hasty in making changes.
"The non-Muslims are worried that we will ban the consumption of pork and liquor and gambling. We have no problem with them slaughtering and eating pork but liquor will be limited to non-Muslims while gambling is not a culture of any race in the country.
"We are not in a hurry to make decisions on these matters and will study them thoroughly as we do not want to make changes when we are not prepared. Anyway, these are not priorities as we have many other things to settle first," he told reporters at the Kelantan Menteri Besar's official residence.

tunku : so this means that pas is like chameleon too, in kelantan different colour,kedah different colour and perak different colour too.i wonder how many colours pas has???

'Thank you, point taken': Pak Lah to voters

The plunge in support for the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the recent general election was a strong reminder to the government that it had not fulfilled its reform pledges, conceded Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Abdullah pledged that in his second-term as prime minister, there will be a "bold agenda" to address the people’s concerns.
The premier touched on this issue when delivering his keynote address at the Invest Malaysia 2008 conference in Kuala Lumpur this morning.
It was his first major public address since the March 8 polls which saw the opposition taking 82 parliamentary seats and storming into power in four additional states apart from Kelantan.
"The result of the elections was a strong message that I have not moved fast enough in pushing through with the reforms that I promised to undertake.
"I thank the Malaysian people for this message. Point well made and point taken," said Abdullah who was reading through a seven-page prepared text.
'Reform cabinet'
The prime minister said that the new government was already in the process of "rejuvenation" with the formation of his "reform cabinet" last week.
"Half of the cabinet comprises new faces - a number of them are independent personalities appointed to key portfolios," he added.
With the new cabinet in place, Abdullah stated that his main priority now was to support lower income groups who are suffering from surging prices of consumer goods.
"Firstly, we aim to mitigate the impact of rising world prices for lower income households, and limit the wastage and losses caused by subsidies.
"Secondly, we will review the implementation of our economic plans to ensure that its benefits will touch the lives of those who need them the most.
"Thirdly, we will continue our work towards reducing income gaps between and within ethnic groups, while ensuring fairness for all Malaysians," he said.
New and renewed pledges
Abdullah also pledged to "drastically" reduce the crime rate, tackle corruption aggressively, support judicial reform and ensure "a fair number of places of worship for Malaysians of all religions."
"These were the major issues that resonated with voters regardless of ethnicity, background, gender or age," he said.
While anti-crime and anti-corruption campaigns were part of Abdullah’s election pledges in 2004, his pledges on judicial reform and places of worship are fresh.
Opposition parties have been nitpicking on Abdullah’s previous administration based on these issues during the general election campaign.
Meanwhile, Abdullah also pledged to continue federal-backed economic corridors and signaled that discussion with non-BN state governments were in the pipeline.
"I remain, as I have always been, the prime minister for all Malaysians. Our manifesto has clearly stated our commitment to reduce the gaps between regions.
"Therefore, we intend to have productive working relationships with all state governments to ensure that the corridor plans will be successful," he said.
Fuel prices to go up?
At a press conference later, Abdullah said details on his policy on low-income earners will be unveiled in due time.
To a question, Abdullah hinted that price control mechanisms may undergo drastic changes. This includes the possibility of scrapping subsidies for certain goods.
"There are limitations to price control (mechanisms). Of course the market would be the most important determinant," he said.
Abdullah was also non-committal when asked if his administration would maintain present fuel prices.
"We have to live with the present prices. When we make the announcement (on fuel prices), it is hoped that the situation would have change," he said without elaborating.
New Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Shahrir Samad had on Sunday called the current price controlling mechanism "a joke" and has signaled sweeping reforms to come.

tunku : not only you did not move fast enough , you were sleeping and going around with your wife(honeymoon).yes, the message is clear,STEP DOWN before it's too late for BN. what reformed cabinet are you talking about, where a person like muhd taib is a minister? enough pak lah, please retire and let us live a good life.

MCA elections to be held on Oct 18

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA's parent body elections will be held on Oct 18 and its annual general assembly will be conducted over two days until Oct 19, said party president Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.
The Youth and Wanita wings' election and assembly would be conducted a day before the parent body election, Ong said.
He said the branch assemblies and elections would be held on June 15 while its wings would conduct elections a day before.
"For the divisions' assemblies and elections, these will be conducted on July 27 and the divisions' wings will also have its elections a day before," he said Tuesday after chairing the presidential council meeting at Wisma MCA here.
Ong said the list of eligible members for the party election would be distributed to the branches on April 27 and the members could appeal before May 12.
"Anyone who became a member before Dec 31, 2007, has the right to vote or contest for any office," he said.

tunku : thank god MCA did not follow the footstep of UMNO which wanted to postpone it's election.Shame on UMNO and i as an umno member do not agree at any cost that the election be postponed till next year.may be someone should start a petition demanding umno's election to be held this year itself.

Keng Yaik plans to start blog, write book on 36 years in politics

It’s better late than never and that is why retired cabinet minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik plans to start blogging.
The former Gerakan president and ex-Energy, Water and Communications Minister hopes to join blogosphere and his will no doubt be a focal site for those familiar with his acerbic wit and outspoken views.
However, as to what his blog will contain, or what it’s called, or when it will be up, Dr Lim is keeping mum.
“It’s none of your business. You go and check the Internet. When it’s up, it’s up,” he said when reporters asked about his blog.
Dr Lim was speaking at a joint press conference with his successor, Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor, after a ceremony yesterday for Dr Lim to handover duties to his former deputy.
The veteran politician said he had full confidence in Shaziman to lead the ministry. “In the last two years after I decided to retire, Shaziman has been taking over the running of most of the ministry. I was helping him more than he was helping me.
“He knows the functions of this ministry very well and he will carry out all that has been planned, whether it’s implementation of water industry reforms, or broadband expansion for the communications industry.”
However, Dr Lim cautioned that Shaziman’s biggest challenge would be to manage price increases for oil and gas.
“This will be his trickiest challenge. How to manage the conflicting interests of Petronas, the independent power producers, Tenaga Nasional Berhad and the consumer. I admit it is a very big challenge, it was too big even for me,” Dr Lim said.
Asked to recall memorable experiences from his 36 years spent in government and politics, Dr Lim quipped: “I can’t tell you about 36 years in one press conference. Wait for my book to come out, and read it slowly.”

tunku : can't wait for dr lim's blog.

Periasamy plans to file petition to disqualify Nurul Izzah

Defeated Lembah Pantai independent candidate N. Periasamy plans to file a petition to disqualify Nurul Izzah Anwar as MP for the constituency.
The 48-year-old father of two said he is under discussions with his lawyers over seditious remarks made during ceramahs by Nurul and her father, Parti Keadilan Rakyat advisor Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
He said that the duo had been telling people that he is a Barisan Nasional proxy and a supporter of the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf).
“It was unfair what they did to me. I conducted press conferences to deny their allegations. If not for their al legations, I would have polled more than 10,000 votes,” he said.
First-timer Periasamy took on big guns Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil (BN) and Nurul who got 18,833 and 21,728 votes respectively. He only received 489.
Periasamy said he will be filing his petition with the Election Commission “anytime”. He hoped the commission will declare the results null and void, paving the way for a by-election.

tunku : now i really don't understand who is whose proxy.

Umno state committees want party elections postponed to 2009

PUTRAJAYA: All state liaison committees who have met with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi over the weekend have unanimously agreed to call for the postponement of party elections until next year.
Umno information chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said all the state liaison committees were unanimous in their proposal.
"They asked for party elections to be held next year because the period to postpone party polls will only run out by June 2009.
"So, there is still time. They feel that if elections are held now, it could prove disastrous for the party.
"However, the final decision will still have to be made by the Supreme Council, which will meet on Thursday," he told reporters Tuesday after accepting his duties at the Rural and Regional Development Ministry here.
Many of the state liaison committees, added Muhammad, also thought that efforts should be focused on reviving the party at the moment.
"However, the Umno general assembly will go on as planned this August," he said.
Muhammad, who is also the Selangor Umno liaison chief and the new Rural and Regional Development Minister, said Abdullah was also expected to go to Sabah soon to obtain the opinions of the state committees there.
"He wants to listen to their views himself," he said.

Umno polls to be postponed?
Umno may postpone its party elections to next year in order to avoid “havoc”. said its information chief Muhammad Muhd Taib.
Speaking at a press conference in his office at the Rural and Regional Development Ministry today, Muhammad said that there was a big possibility that this is happening.
“We have received feedbacks from the party leaders of all states and they asked that the party elections be postponed to next year,” he said.
He added that “almost all divisional and state leaders advised that the party elections be delayed for fear of creating havoc”.
When asked if it was because of Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah’s challenge to the party’s leadership post, the former Selangor menteri besar was evasive in his reply.
“Things are blur right now and people cannot see clearly. There is no space to make rational decision and when this happens, the outcome may be a regrettable one,” said Muhammad.
He said that the matter would be discussed at the party's supreme council meeting this Thursday.



tunku : muhammad2 taib said that umno members are blur and can't make good decision right now, is he moron? this is an act of COWARDS. everyone holding position especially the losers are so afraid that they will not be nominated or elected in the party polls.if umno postpone it's polls then it will be more disastrous.the future of umno is not in the hand of its supreme council, they should not decide on behalf of 3millions umno member.PAK LAH YOU AND YOUR TEAM ARE COWARD

Support gave me strength to soldier on, says Mahdzir

ALOR STAR: Former Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said he had thought of quitting politics after Barisan Nasional lost Kedah in the general election.
However, he decided against it out of respect for the support given by Barisan members while he was heading the state government and Pedu constituents who had voted him in for a second term.
“After Barisan lost the state, I did not leave my house for three days. I told my wife that since Kedah voters had rejected us, it is better for me to leave the political scene.
“Then I remembered the people who had supported me in Pedu. Their support had given me the strength to continue my political career,” he said in his speech during the Maulidur Rasul celebration in Felda Lubuk Merbau, about 60km from here yesterday.
Barisan won 14 state seats while the Opposition took the remaining 22 seats.
Mahdzir said as Pedu assemblyman and Kedah Barisan chairman he would work hard to strengthen the coalition so as to win back the state government.
He added that he would also make sure the state Barisan would become an effective Opposition.

tunku : you are a rejected person, majority of kedahan don't likes you. you have just became mb for 2 years and you lost kedah for the first time to the opposition.shame on you. you are right, the voters had rejected you and you should follow khir toyo's footstep.resign as kedah bn's chairman and concentrate in pedu only.if you are still the bn's chairman in kedah, i don't see that bn will win it back from pas comes the next election.

Kayveas was misquoted

KUALA LUMPUR: PPP president Datuk M. Kayveas has said a report on Sunday quoting him as saying that the Barisan Nasional chairman and deputy chairman should take responsibility for the coalition’s dismal performance in the March 8 general election was incorrect.
“What I meant was that the Barisan as a whole should take responsibility for the dismal performance and, therefore, Barisan had to study why four Barisan-held states fell into opposition hands and why Barisan failed to wrest Kelantan from PAS,” he said.
“I never blamed them (Abdullah and Najib) for the loss,” he said. In the statement, Kayveas also reiterated PPP’s support for Abdullah and Najib. – Bernama

tunku : i thought he was brave enough to put the blame on BN's chairman but after all kayveas is just like other chickens that chants the same thing "we support pak lah's leadership".

Terengganu MB (or not), he's going to work

KEMAMAN: Datuk Ahmad Said said he is the legitimate Mentri Besar of Terengganu and will go to his office at Wisma Darul Iman at 8am Tuesday to officially assume his role.
He said his appointment was in accordance with the state’s laws and that he did not need to be sworn in for the post.
The Kijal state assemblyman said that the appointment letter bestowed to him on Sunday by the Regency Advisory Council was testament to this.
At his family home at Kampung Teluk Kalung, Kijal, here on Monday, Ahmad told a packed press conference that his swearing-in would be decided at a later date.
He said he hoped state Umno members would not continue with the "kekecohan" (fracas) that has engulfed the state and would lend him their support.
“I understand the confusion that has arisen from my appointment, especially since many state assemblymen were against it.
“However, the Council has appointed me, and I will abide by its decision," he added. Ahmad said that not all assemblymen were against him, adding that he also had the support of the rakyat (citizens).
“Ask the people here if they agree with my appointment, and I’m sure you’ll find that a majority of them are behind me,” he said, receiving cheers from several hundred supporters who had gathered here since noon on Monday.
Banners and posters bearing his name as the new Mentri Besar were evident throughout Kijal as Ahmad returned home with a police escort. Hundreds of supporters had also gathered earlier in Chendor here to welcome his arrival, causing minor traffic congestion as several police and Light Strike Force officers monitored the area.

tunku : let see what pak lah and co will do about this.to me pak lah is a loser in this crisis and he should step down asap.

Ku Li slams PM for 'stunning ineptness'

Veteran Umno politican Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today fired his latest salvo against Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for his “stunning ineptness” in the appointment of the Terengganu mentri besar.
“Abdullah’s statement yesterday that ‘the appointment of anyone but Idris Jusoh as Terengganu menteri besar is unconstitutional’ is wrong,” said Razaleigh in a hard-hitting press release late this afternoon.
“As in the recent crisis in Perlis, the prime minister's actions suggest stunning ineptness in managing fundamental relationships and straightforward functions of government.”
According to Razaleigh, the situation in Terengganu is a “crisis of government, not of the constitution”.
“The sultan acted within his powers in appointing the person who, in his judgment, is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of the State Assembly.
“Ahmad Said's appointment is effective and he is now mentri besar of Terengganu. It is up to the properly convened State Assembly to test him with a vote of confidence in due course,” said Razaleigh, referring to Terengganu sultan’s choice.
He said that “petitions, threats, coercion and declarations of support” for the prime minister and his candidate, Idris - who was mentri besar in the previous state government - had no bearing on the legality of the sultan’s appointment.
“Perhaps we have forgotten what it is like to conduct ourselves with good manners and due respect for the constitution and the sovereignty of the ruler,” lamented Razaleigh, who himself is a Kelantan prince.
Last week, Razaleigh, who was former party vice-president, had offered himself as a candidate to challenge Abdullah in the upcoming Umno polls, due to be held in August.
He has also called for the entire ruling Barisan Nasional to step down to take responsibility for its worst electoral setback in history.
Razaleigh also expressed concerned that the crisis in Terengganu would affect Umno’s control of the oil-rich state.
“This storm in Terengganu is just the latest in a series of crises brought on by an apparent failure to understand how state powers work relative to federal ones.
“This is alarming because the Barisan government now has five opposition-controlled states to contend with out of the nine in Peninsular Malaysia. The mishandling of chief ministerial appointments in Perlis, and now in Terengganu, mean that our leadership in two other states is now in jeopardy.”
In the wake of March 8 general elections, Razaleigh - who is Kelantan’s Gua Musang Umno division chief - has sent a letter to all party leaders urging them to convene an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the electoral debacle.
However, he has received lukewarm support for the idea.

tunku : under pak lah's regime we can see lots of stupid things going on.he is not fit to be a successful prime minister.The trengganu and perlis crisis had shown his poor leadership and controlling of situation.STEP DOWN PAK LAH.

80 Umno's Branches In Muar wants Pak Lah to quit

MUAR: Eighty UMNO branch leaders in the Muar division have urged its leaders to hold an EGM for the division to call for party president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to step down.
The group, which also included those in the division committee, Wanita and Youth wings, gathered at the house of Datuk Kadar Shah Tun Sulaiman to seek his views before making their decision.
The leaders, disappointed when division chairman Datuk Mohd Ismail Mohd Shah lost the Maharani state seat in the recent general election, felt it was time for UMNO to be revamped.
Spokesman for the group, Zakariah Mahadi, said the party leadership should take responsibility for the polls results and step down.
Zakariah, a former Sungai Balang assemblyman, said many UMNO members in the division were also sad over the loss of Perak, Kedah, Penang and Selangor to the Opposition.
“We have also decided to give our support to Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in his bid to revive UMNO’s dignity,” he said after the gathering yesterday.
Zakariah said party members in the division were sad that the leadership had failed to notice the political winds of change hitting the country.
Meanwhile, Kadar, who is said to have close ties with Tengku Razaleigh, said Abdullah should listen to the grassroots now as many were calling for the president to step down.
He said one of the reasons the Malays rejected Barisan was due to the lack of jobs for their children, especially those who had obtained degrees and diplomas.
They were shocked when party leaders told them to take up skill training courses to find jobs.
If they wanted to become motor mechanics, electricians, or tailors, for example, they need not have studied hard and applied for educational loans to get diplomas or degrees, he said.
The people were also fed up with corruption, cronyism, nepotism and power abuse, he said.

tunku: Johor being a stronghold of UMNO should start the initiative and it's good to know that Muar had shown us that they are very brave. When are others going to do so?

Selangor exco sworn in

The Selangor executive council members were sworn in at Istana Bukit Kayangan in Klang this morning.
They were Teresa Kok (DAP), Dr Hassan Ali (PAS), Yaakob Sapari (PKR), Rodziah Ismail (PKR), Dr Xavier Jayakumar (PKR), Dr Halimah Ali (PAS), Iskandar Abdul Samad (PAS), Ronnie Liu (DAP), Elizabeth Wong (PKR) and Ean Yong Hian Wah (DAP).
Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim also revealed that no deputy menteri besar would be appointed for the moment.
Kok told journalists that she has been named senior exco - a new position created in lieu of a deputy mentri besar post.
She has been given the state cabinet profolio of investment, industry and trade.
One obvious absentee among the state assemblypersons today was DAP's veteran Teng Chang Khim, who has been left out of the exco list.
Teng, who is Sungai Pinang representative, was former state opposition leader.
According to Kok, Teng had informed Chinese newspapers yesterday that he did "receive any invitation" swearing-in ceremony.
However, this appeared to be a snub by Teng over the fact that three relatively junior DAP assemblypersons had been selected over him.
As a compromise, Teng is likely to be picked as a speaker for the state assembly.
When asked by journalists whether Teng's supporters would not be happy with his faction being sidelined, Kok said that it was all "up to Teng".
Among those present today at the palace were former mentri besar Mohd Khir Toyo and new state Barisan Nasional chief Muhammad Muhammad Taib.

Dr M: Malaysia benefited much from F1

SEPANG: Time has flashed by and the man behind the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix seems almost amazed that the race is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
“Time has passed by very quickly and I never thought it would be 10 years so soon,” said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad after visiting the Sepang F1 Circuit medical centre yesterday.
“But we have done very well and I think Malaysia has benefited much from F1 in terms of tourism.”
Dr Mahathir, the former prime minister, was key to bringing the Formula One race to Malaysian soil.
It started in 1996 when he met F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone at the Portuguese Grand Prix in Estoril and convinced him to bring the race to Malaysia.
The first Malaysian GP was held in 1999.
Dr Mahathir arrived at the circuit at 12.45pm and visited the medical centre, which is also the first medical service in the Formula One calendar to be accredited with the ISO9001:2000.
He was accompanied by his son Datuk Mokhzani Mahathir, who is also Sepang International Circuit chairman, and chief medical officer Brig-Jen Datuk Dr Mohd Zin Bidin.

Pak Lah and Idris Jusoh should meet the Sultan of Trengganu

Muhyiddin cadang PM, Idris menghadap sultan
MUAR 23 Mac – Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan UMNO Negeri Terengganu, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh disaran supaya menghadap pihak istana negeri itu bagi menyelesaikan isu pelantikan Menteri Besar Terengganu yang kian meruncing.
Naib Presiden UMNO, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin berkata, jika terdapat sebarang masalah antara Idris dengan pihak istana, ia perlu diselesaikan segera supaya tidak memberi kesan kepada rakyat.
Menurutnya, isu pelantikan Menteri Besar Terengganu harus ditangani dengan cara terbaik kerana yang penting adalah hati rakyat harus dijaga kerana mereka mungkin akan merajuk dan menyebabkan Barisan Nasional (BN) kehilangan negeri itu pada pilihan raya umum akan datang. – Utusan.



PM defends Idris' appointment as Terengganu MB

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has defended the appointment of Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as Terengganu Mentri Besar.
The Barisan Nasional chairman and Umno president said the majority of BN Terengganu elected representatives supported Idris as the MB.
"There will be no changes to this as the majority of them support Idris' re-appointment as MB. Therefore, other appointments made other than this is against the constitution and is not valid."
Abdullah was referring to the appointment of Kijal state assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said as MB. The office of the Sultan of Terengganu had announced Ahmad as the new MB despite objections by 22 assemblymen who unanimously wanted Idris to be re-appointed.
On Saturday, the assemblymen held a special meeting, voicing support for Idris. They also threatened to boycott the swearing-in ceremony of Ahmad which would be held on Wednesday.


tunku : i guess muhyiddin has more brain than pak lah.By right pak lah could resolved this problem by having an audience with tuanku and sort everything out but instead he only use media to sort it out. Pak Lah you has failed again and again.RESIGN NOW.

Gerakan blames arrogance for crushing polls defeat

Gerakan has blamed its own arrogance for its crushing defeat in the 12th General Election. “Perhaps, power had gone to our heads after leading Penang for 39 years. We have not done enough in our own approach and attitude,” said acting party president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. Speaking to the press after a closed-door meeting with 1,500 central delegates, Koh was merciless in analysing Gerakan’s whitewash in Penang, and similarly disastrous performance nationwide where it won only two parliamentary and four state seats. Koh blamed the party’s dismal performance to its leaders losing touch with the grassroots as well as arrogance of power in BN. He said due to their busy schedule as government officials, the needs of the rakyat were neglected. The general election results were also due to the peoples dissatisfaction of perceived arrogance of power within BN, especially over certain Umno leaders whom through their words or actions have resulted in resentment, he said, adding that BN also needed to change its way in order to survive. But Koh also described the results as a blessing in disguise. “It is a wake-up call. We have resolved to go back to our original ideals, people, politics and conscience. We are going back to the party’s non-racial approach, take care of the peoples need, make the party relevant to young people and look closely at what is right and wrong and act accordingly, he said. The meeting saw delegates calling for the leadership to be more vocal in voicing the needs of the people and for the party to renew itself. Although the party will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Gerakan will not throw a bash. Instead, it will be on soul searching mode as it looks at ways to consolidate the party to face a challenging future. “The next decade is going to be very challenging for the party and we hoped by our 50th anniversary, we can regain our place in politics,” Koh said. “There is a need for a new Gerakan to emerge to be a driver of constructive reforms within the Barisan Nasional coalition.”
Gerakan has blamed its own arrogance for its crushing defeat in the 12th General Election. “Perhaps, power had gone to our heads after leading Penang for 39 years. We have not done enough in our own approach and attitude,” said acting party president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon.
Speaking to the press after a closed-door meeting with 1,500 central delegates, Koh was merciless in analysing Gerakan’s whitewash in Penang, and similarly disastrous performance nationwide where it won only two parliamentary and four state seats.
Koh blamed the party’s dismal performance to its leaders losing touch with the grassroots as well as arrogance of power in BN.
He said due to their busy schedule as government officials, the needs of the rakyat were neglected.
The general election results were also due to the peoples dissatisfaction of perceived arrogance of power within BN, especially over certain Umno leaders whom through their words or actions have resulted in resentment, he said, adding that BN also needed to change its way in order to survive.
But Koh also described the results as a blessing in disguise. “It is a wake-up call. We have resolved to go back to our original ideals, people, politics and conscience. We are going back to the party’s non-racial approach, take care of the peoples need, make the party relevant to young people and look closely at what is right and wrong and act accordingly, he said.
The meeting saw delegates calling for the leadership to be more vocal in voicing the needs of the people and for the party to renew itself. Although the party will be celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, Gerakan will not throw a bash. Instead, it will be on soul searching mode as it looks at ways to consolidate the party to face a challenging future.
“The next decade is going to be very challenging for the party and we hoped by our 50th anniversary, we can regain our place in politics,” Koh said. “There is a need for a new Gerakan to emerge to be a driver of constructive reforms within the Barisan Nasional coalition.”

tunku : koh is a good example.All the bn leaders should admit their mistakes and work hard to overcome it and regain confidence back.this is actually blessing in disguise for bn.

Sultan's choice of MB stripped of Umno membership

KUALA TERENGGANU: Kijal assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said, who was supposed to have been sworn in as Terengganu Mentri Besar Sunday, has been stripped of his Umno membership for disobeying the party's leadership, a state Umno official confirmed Sunday morning.
The office of the Sultan of Terengganu announced Saturday that Ahmad Said would be the new Mentri Besar of Terengganu instead of Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh, ending 14 days of uncertainty.
The swearing-in ceremony was scheduled to have taken place at Istana Tamu at 10am today but was likely to have been boycotted by 22 state assemblymen who are supporting Idris, the former Mentri Besar. They were planning a protest walk from Seri Iman, the MB’s official residence, to Istana Tamu, about 500m away at 7.30am.

“In accordance with Clause 14 Paragraph (2) (a) of the Terengganu State Constitution (Chapter 2), the Regency Advisory Council, in undertaking the function on behalf of the Regent, hereby appoints Datuk Ahmad Said as the Mentri Besar of Terengganu to head the Terengganu State Executive Council,” said the palace statement released to Bernama at 3.30pm.
It is learnt that 51-year-old Ahmad, a former exco member in the Idris-led state government, had the support of seven of the eight Umno division leaders in the state who lobbied for his appointment at the last moment.
At 3pm Saturday, the state Umno Youth and Wanita wings held emergency meetings and unanimously pledged their support for Idris half an hour later.
All the assemblymen, except for Ahmad, gathered at Idris’ official residence here for a meeting at 5pm.

At 5.45pm, state Umno liaison secretary Datuk Rosol Wahid said the assemblymen who attended the meeting would boycott the swearing-in ceremony if Idris, who is also Terengganu Umno liaison chairman, was not appointed the Mentri Besar.
He said some of the elected representatives concerned were willing to resign if someone else was appointed Mentri Besar.
Rosol, who is the assemblyman for Ajil, also warned that the assemblymen concerned would pass a vote of no confidence at the State Legislative Assembly if Idris was not reappointed Mentri Besar.
He said the assemblymen concerned had signed a letter stating their support for Idris which would be forwarded to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the Terengganu Regency Advisory Council today.
Asked whether the move could be construed as an act of revolt, he said it was not because Idris had received the letter of appointment as Mentri Besar from the Prime Minister.
“We don’t believe it is an act of revolt because we unanimously represent the people and respect the decision of the (Umno) president. We were elected as the people’s representatives because we were appointed and given the mandate by the (Umno) president,” he said.
Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said in Putrajaya yesterday that Ahmad should obey the Umno president’s directive or face disciplinary action.
He said Ahmad should realise the consequences of his action should he go against the president’s decision.
On Friday, the 22 assemblymen sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister to retain Idris as the Mentri Besar after rumours spread that he may be dropped following the purported fallout between Idris and the palace.
State Umno Youth information chief Razali Idris said the wing hoped that there would be no change in the appointment of Mentri Besar.
“We have waited for a long time, 13 days is very long time in politics, Datuk Seri (Idris) has been patient all this while.
“If there are any changes, it should be done at a much earlier stage. Everyone waited for such a long time and we don’t want to hear any upsetting news now,” he said.
The standoff over the Mentri Besar’s post began soon after the last-minute postponement of the swearing-in ceremony scheduled for March 10.
Numerous meetings were held between the assemblymen and the Regency Advisory Council and the Prime Minister last week to find a solution to the problem.

tunku : come on UMNO, you're showing disrespectful to the royal institution.If the sultan had chosen someone,please respect it.Is pak lah and trengganu's umno trying to say that they are more superior than the royal institution?

Heed Party Rules, Ku Nan Tells Ahmad Said

PUTRAJAYA, March 22 (Bernama) -- Kijal Assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said has been warned that Umno will take stern disciplinary action against him if he accepts the post of Terengganu Menteri Besar and attends the swearing-in ceremony Sunday.
Barisan Nasional (BN) and Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said Saturday Ahmad should not put individual interest before party interest and "bear the consequences" if he went ahead with the swearing-in as the state Menteri Besar.
Speaking at a press conference here, he said Prime Minister and Umno president Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had issued an appoinment letter to Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh as the Menteri Besar and it was not right for Ahmad Said to take the oath for the position.
The Sultan of Terengganu, in a statement to Bernama Saturday, announced that Ahmad Said, 51, would be the next state Menteri Besar and that the swearing-in ceremony was to be held at Istana Tamu at 8am Sunday.
Following the announcement, all 23 BN Terengganu state assemblymen in another statement said that they would not attend the ceremony as the ruling party had picked Idris as Menteri Besar.
"We are all components of the BN and Umno. So there is a need for all members to abide by the decision taken by the top leadership. It does not matter what is the outcome but once a decision is made, it must be followed by all members," said Tengku Adnan.
However, he declined to reveal what disciplinary action would be taken by the BN top leadership against Ahmad Said, if the latter went ahead with the swearing-in ceremony Sunday.

tunku : is ku nan trying to say that sultan has no power and it's all what pak lah wants? thank to God that we still have sultans.umno is heading towards downfall if these jokers are still around.Wake up umno members, unseats them.i hope the sultan will give them a very good lesson.

BN Chairman, Deputy Chairman Responsible For BN's Dismal Performance - Kayveas

KOTA BAHARU, March 22 (Bernama) -- Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman and deputy chairman should take responsibility for the coalition's dismal performance in the March 8 general election, said PPP president Datuk M.Kayveas.
He said they had to study the reasons behind the downfall of four states which were previously held by BN and its failure to wrest Kelantan from the opposition.
Normally, the party leadership is responsible for its victory as well as its defeat, he told reporters at the wedding of a daughter of Kelantan PPP chairman Datuk Nik Sapeia Nik Yusoff here Saturday.
The marriage between Nik Sapeia's daughter, Nik Aidil Maria, 32, and Muzalman Shah Ismail Muzami, 34, was solemnised by Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.

tunku : at least one party president of BN's component dare to speak the truth

Khaled: Ku Li has right to contest

Higher Education Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin said today that Gua Musang MP Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has every right to offer himself for the post of Umno president and members have the same rights to reject him too.

"That is his right. If the members do not support him, that is also their right," said the Johor Umno liaison Committee deputy chairperson after attending a meeting with branch leaders of the Pasir Gudang division.
Khaled said that it is better for Umno members to focus on efforts to resolve their own problems.
"I feel it is better for us to remain united and face the problems together," he told Bernama.
Concentrate on Kelantan, please
Meanwhile, Umno supreme council member Noh Omar advised Razaleigh to help restore the unity and strength of Kelantan Umno before pursuing other matters.
"I don't see why Ku Li wants to contest for the president's post now. If he is good, he should help Kelantan Umno first," said Noh Omar.
"The government has poured more aid into Kelantan in recent years, but yet it suffered an even worse defeat this election," he added.
The Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development minister said Razaleigh should place more attention in Kelantan.
"It's better for us to play our respective roles. For me, I've to help stabilize Selangor Umno as strength does not come from position alone but arises from unity."

tunku : noh omar for your info, tengku razaleigh is not the kelantan bn/umno chairman.It's annuar musa who received the BIG budget.the defeat in kelantan is not because tengku razaleigh but because of annuar musa,pak lah and kj's factor.the defeats in other states because of the father/son in-law factor. and these people should resign and quit politics for good and by all means crossover to other party.

Mukhriz backs Tengku Razaleigh's EGM push

MP for Gua Musang Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has the right to offer himself to contest for the post of Umno president, MP for Jerlun Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir said today.
Speaking on his personal capacity, the youngest son of the former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also supported Tengku Razaleigh's move to call for an extraordinary general meeting on May 11 to discuss on BN poor performance in the recent election.
"I respect Tengku Razaleigh's decision to contest for the presidency as it is part of the party's democratic practise,” he said. "This is a positive thing for the party, as now members are entitle to options based on their own opinions, and not just receiving orders from their leaders.”
He was asked by reporters today to comment on Tengku Razaleigh’s move to also offer himself to contest for the Umno presidency. Mukhriz had earlier attended a 'kenduri' in Wisma Jerlun, here to celebrate his winning performance in the recent general election.
Mukhriz's support for Tengku Razaleigh is in contrast to the calls by senior Umno leaders that the Kelantan prince back down from his EGM bid.
Mukhriz cautioned that this was not the time for Umno to take things for granted as the spirit of party members were at the lowest level.
"We are not living in an era where members at the lowest level only wait and take direction from their leaders. And it is about time for us to listen to the members and for their voices to be heard," he said.
Tengku Razaleigh, who described Umno's March 8 performance as the most painful and horrible moment in his political career, has urged the party to call for an EGM on May 11 to discuss its dismal performance.
Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said it was unlikely for Tengku Razaleigh to win the Umno presidency as he needed “60 divisions brave enough to back and support him.”
Mukhriz himself had written a letter to Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, appealing to the Prime Minister to take responsibility for Umno's defeats by resigning.
Umno Youth decided that no action was to be taken against Mukhriz although he was heavily criticised.

Mohd Zaid: High time for 'anti-hopping' law

KOTA BARU, Sat: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Senator Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim said today he would propose to the Cabinet the formulation of an anti-hopping law to put a stop to party-hopping by politicians.

He said the act of switching political parties by politicians after winning the general election on their former parties’ tickets was immoral.
“We cannot allow people who contested on a particular party’s ticket, make all kinds of promises to convince the people and after winning, they switched over to another party.
“To me, these people have no integrity and I hope the government will formulate a special law. It’s high time that we have the 'Anti-Hopping Law' to stop such acts,” he told reporters at a press conference at his residence, here.
He said although switching political party was not against the federal constitution, it had negative impact on the country’s administration.
Mohd Zaid said he would propose that the matter be discussed at the Cabinet, adding that such a law had already been adopted in several countries including India.
He believed the formulation of the proposed law would be supported by the opposition too.
“The proposed law will benefit all parties. It’s an issue that is good for national stability, that respects the aspiration of the people, why won’t the opposition support it?” he said.
“I’m making the proposal to help overcome the crisis in the era of the new democracy in the country so that it will be more orderly.
“We have to accept the fact that after this, there probably will not be any more parties winning more than 200 seats (in Parliament), we have to learn to live together, the Barisan Nasional (BN), PAS and PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat),” he said.
On his new job as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, the former Kota Baru member of parliament said he would discharge his responsibility in the best manner possible to ensure that the country’s legal system was cleaner and that the judiciary would be more transparent.
“Many people question whether we are serious in restoring the image of our judiciary. I’m serious about bringing change.
“Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is also serious about making the changes. I would not have accepted the post if I was not convinced that the Prime Minister is serious on the matter,” he said.
Mohd Zaid, 57, who has a law degree from the University of London and a Barrister-at-Law, Inner Temple, is a senior partner at Zaid & Co, one of the biggest Bumiputera law firm in the country. - BERNAMA

Nik Aziz Supports Anti Hoping Law

Kelantan Menteri Besar Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat is all for an anti-party hopping law to be enacted, describing politicians who engaged in it as “shameless creatures”.

“They (such politicians) are not humans if they can be bought and sold like commodity,” he told reporters after attending a thanksgiving for Senator Datuk Mohd Zaid Ibrahim, who was just appointed as Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, at the latter’s residence here today.
He said this when asked to comment on a suggestion by Mohd Zaid that a law be enacted to curb the party-hopping.
“During Pas's previous term in Kelantan, when we just had a single seat majority in the state assembly, several of our assemblyman were offered up to RM7 million each to defect but could not be enticed because they were principled people,” Nik Abdul Aziz added. — BERNAMA

tunku : i support this call by zaid ibrahim and i think every party should agree on it. If the candidates wants to switch side, the candidate should resign as MP or Adun and seek fresh mandate from the public.

Datuk Ahmad Said Appointed New Terengganu MB

Kijal assemblyman Datuk Ahmad Said was appointed the new Menteri Besar of Terengganu, the office of the Sultan of Terengganu announced today. Ahmad is expected to take the oath of office in Kuala Terengganu tomorrow. However, news of the appointment was immediately met with a threat to boycott the swearing-in ceremony by 23 BN assemblymen aligned to former Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

“What we have now is a royal constitutional crisis,” constitutional law expert Prof Dr Shad Saleem Faruqi said in an immediate reaction in Kuala Lumpur.
BN had retained 24 of the 32 seats in the Terengganu assembly in the March 8 polls. Ahmad, 51, who has been the assemblyman for Kijal since 1990, succeeds Idris, also the Terengganu Umno chief and Jertih assemblyman who was menteri besar for one term from 2004.
Faruqi said the legal implications facing Terengganu following the boycott threat and the warning of no support for Ahmad is a “serious development”, he said.
“There was possibility that the new state government leader might face a vote of no confidence, when the state assembly is called in session,” he said. “However, the new Menteri Besar does not have to call the state assembly session for at least 90 days after the general election. The state assembly need be convened on May 13 at the earliest and does not have to face the elected state representative until such date.”
Until the situation is resolved, Idris could continue to play the role as the state government care-taker leader, Faruqi said.
The swearing-in is scheduled to take place at the Istana Tamu at 8am tomorrow, according to Bernama. In accordance with Clause 14 Paragraph (2) (a) of the Terengganu State Constitution (Chapter 2), the Regency Advisory Council, in undertaking the function on behalf of the Regent, hereby appoints Datuk Ahmad Said as the Menteri Besar of Terengganu to head the Terengganu State Executive Council, a palace statement said.
Ahmad, who was Housing and Local Government Committee chairman in the previous state administration, holds a bachelors degree in political science from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
In his political career, he has held the post of Terengganu Umno Youth chief and also has been an executive committee member of Umno Youth. In the March 8 election, Ahmad, who is also a member of the Terengganu Umno liaison committee, retained his Kijal seat by defeating Pas’ Hazri Jusoh with a 3,157-vote majority. He polled 8,169 votes against Hazris 5,012.
Before entering politics in 1990, Ahmad had been the assistant district officer of Setiu and Kemaman and also had served as the head Pusat Pupuk Semangat Terengganu (an outward bound school). In the election, the BN won 24 of the 32 state seats at stake in the Terengganu with rest going to Pas.

tunku : i hope no one will boycott this ceremony, this is the decision of tuanku.people were cursing dap which wanted to boycott the same ceremony in perak and now the same thing is happening in terengganu and umno terengganu should not boycott the ceremony.

Umno EGM: Dr M backs Ku Li

Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said he supported the call by veteran Umno leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah for an emergency general meeting for the party to discuss its electoral setback in the March 8 polls.
However, he denied endorsing Razaleigh in his bid for the Umno presidency.
When pressed if he would back Razaleigh for the post, he said: "If I endorse him for the president's position, others will want it too."
As for the EGM, Mahathir said: "I was told that Razaleigh has written letters to all the Umno divisions asking for an EGM to discuss problems affecting Malays. I support that suggestion.
"The issue of selecting the next president should only be discussed after we have thrashed out our problems.
"This is because there might be other people who are interested in the position," he told reporters after attending a book launch in Kuala Lumpur.
"Furthermore, to challenge for the Umno presidency he needs support from delegates from 60 divisions. I don't see 60 divisions brave enough to back him."
It was reported on Wednesday that Razaleigh wants to contest for presidency.
In 2004, he tried to challenge Prime Minister and Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi but failed to obtain the necessary nominations. He received only one from his Gua Musang division.
Razaleigh had also previously challenged and narrowly lost to Mahathir in the 1987 party elections. This subsequently caused a split within the party with Razaleigh forming a splinter group, Semangat 46.
He was later invited back into the Umno fold by Mahathir in 1996 when he dissolved Semangat 46 and brought back all its members into Umno.
Razaleigh today found support on his call for an EGM from another unlikely source - party vice-president Muhyiddin Yassin - who said that he does not foresee any problems in holding one.
However, he said that the meeting must be held in accordance to the party’s constitution.
"Please keep in mind that any action taken should not weaken the party, which will be an additional burden.
"If it is for the betterment of the party, we cannot stop it. Otherwise, rethink what the end result will be," he added.
Meanwhile, on the issue of whether another tussle for the presidency might split the party again as it did in 1987 and 1999, Mahathir said this was not the case now.
"During my time as president and PM, Umno split twice," he admitted.
"Through these split-ups, Semangat 46 and PKR were born. Despite the break-ups, Umno regrouped and during the 2004 elections, we were very solid. BN won 90 percent of the seats and that meant that the voters did not support PKR."
Although splits are not good, sometimes debate is important for the party, he explained.
"Unfortunately, the current climate does not tolerate dissent or discussion. Members are now afraid to voice out, for fear of losing their positions in the government, division and even branch."
This, he said, was not the Umno way.
"From the time of Tunku (Abdul Rahman), Umno has always had a culture of disagreement. When the first president Onn (Jaafar) wanted to make Umno multi-racial, the members disagreed.
"And he withdrew. And when I created problems for Tunku, he withdrew and Umno remained solid."
So for a lack of voice, many Umno members voted for the opposition as a sign of protest, he said.
"It's not that they supported the opposition, but it's because they are against the leadership," said Mahathir.
To halt this, Mahathir suggested the establishment of a presidential committee within Umno to govern the president.
Otherwise, there would be too much power in a single person, he argued.
The former leader was also receptive to the suggestion that Umno presidency should also be on a limited term.
But he said that doesn't mean that it can be passed on from father-in-law to son-in-law, in an obvious reference to Abdullah and Khairy Jamaluddin.
On the subject of buying over candidates by PKR, he said that this was a democratic country and both sides were at it.
"Both sides are trying to buy. That is very democratic. RM10 million is the going price," he said. "Just imagine, if you are a Yang Berhormat and you had RM10 million in the pocket. That's very democratic," he said with his trademark sarcasm.
Mahathir was at Sri Carcosa to launch Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd’s late chairman Basir Ismail's second book "Management - Astray".

Rafidah against Razaleigh's EGM call, citing 'this is not the time'

Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz has disagreed with the call by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah for an Umno EGM to discuss the party’s disastrous March 8 polls outing, saying that “this is not the time”.
“We have suffered some setbacks during the elections. Let us not worsen the situation by dissipating the energy,” she said. “This is a time for the leadership to galvanise the party and Umno, with the other BN component parties, must unite and work together.”
She was speaking to reporters after chairing a Wanita Umno Exco meeting, joined by her deputy Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil.
Rafidah said that galvanising the party was not a “one-man show” but steps are being taken to investigate and rectify what went wrong.
Shahrizat said that all the members are solidly behind Rafidah and there should not be any attempt of trying to divide the party.
“The party has lost. So what? Don’t underestimate us. We will rise again,” Shahrizat said.
Nevertheless, Rafidah, who maintains she is committed to strengthening and restoring public confidence in Wanita Umno, conceded it was also time for some soul-searching.
“Wanita Umno Exco, members and myself will go to the grassroots and strategise on how to win back voters,” she said.
“Our communication unit has already completed the first level analysis. We will conduct post-mortems on division and state levels, and compile the findings. The final report will be handed to the leaders of the party for them to take action. We will do what whatever needs doing for Wanita Umno to be effective in strengthening the party,” she said.
Rafidah said Wanita Umno will also call for a meeting with the component parties to strategise at the Wanita BN level.

Hisham: Time not right for Ku Li to go for No 1
It is “not a conducive time” for Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah to contest for the party top post in the upcoming Umno’s poll, Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein said today.
On Wednesday, Razaleigh offered himself as a candidate to challenge Umno president Abdullah Ahmad Badawi for the top post “to heal the party” after its worst electoral setback at the March 8 general elections.
Hishammuddin however poured cold water on the idea and said the Youth wing will not give support to Razaleigh, the Gua Musang division chief in Kelantan who is fondly known as Ku Li.
“I don’t agree with this at all ... we have voiced our support for the (current) leadership to rebuild the party.
“The time is not conducive on what he (Razaleigh) is trying to do because this raises questions whether he is sincere or trying to take advantage (of the current political crisis),” he told reporters in Putrajaya.
Hishammuddin, who is also education minister, was met at his ministry after chairing the first post-cabinet meeting.
His new deputies, Dr Wee Ka Siong and Razali Ismail, were also present.
Hishammuddin also said that it was “not appropriate” for Razaleigh to offer himself to run in the party polls at a time when the nomination process has not even started.
Asked whether he was of the view that Razaleigh’s move would divide the party, the Umno Youth chief retorted, “I don’t know, you have to ask him”.
Razaleigh’s offer was made in the wake of calls for Abdullah, who is also the premier, to step down after the ruling Barisan Nasional’s dismay electoral performance which shook the party.
A number of senior Umno officials have resigned to take responsibility for the debacle.
Razaleigh, 71, has argued that he was not too old to lead Umno if he could secure enough nominations for him to run in the party election to take place later this year.
Razaleigh had previously challenged and narrowly lost to then Umno president Dr Mahathir Mohamad in the 1987 party elections.
In 2004, he tried to challenge Abdullah for the presidency but failed to obtain the necessary nominations beyond the single one from his Gua Musang division. He needed about 60 nominations to clinch the right to challenge the Umno leader.

tunku : yes this is the time to galvanize umno by removing all the dirts and replacing them with fresh and clean faces.if this is not the right time, then when? When Umno and BN becomes the opposition in the parliament? I am sad to see that most of Umno members is still sleeping.at least Ku Li is very brave enough to challenge the president.

New Information Minister to engage bloggers, meeting set in few weeks

KUALA LUMPUR, Fri:

Newly-appointed Information Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek wants to meet bloggers. He wants to better understand their role in nation building.
Ahmad Shabery, speaking at his first press conference at the ministry yesterday, is making the meeting his agenda, ad requested by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
“In a few weeks, we will invite all the bloggers for a meeting, to better understand their sentiments and provide them an avenue to express themselves,” he said.
Ahmad Shabery said the government had come to recognise the role of alternate media like the Internet and blogs, which enjoyed uncensored freedom of expression and a large following.
“This was evident especially in the run-up to the recent general election where the public logged on to the Internet to gain real-time information, instead of relying on government-run, private and even foreign television news like CNN and Al-Jazeera,” he said. “Internet news from bloggers is popular and easily accessible from anywhere and anytime. The same is happening in the United States in the run-up to their presidential campaign,” he said, referring to the middle-class majority who appeared to have cast protest votes against the Barisan Nasional government.
Asked if his ministry would invite bloggers who appeared to be inclined with the Opposition, Ahmad Shabery said: “We have to be realistic and sincere. Their views may differ from us. They are not companies but individuals who have a new spectrum of ideals. If there is something newsworthy, I don’t see anything wrong in them publishing it.”
The ministry would also review the content of television news to better suit viewers, especially the vernacular following, he said. “While we will continue with the policies of the previous administration, we will be more transparent and are open for changes to improve on any weaknesses,” he said.

tunku : so the ministry had learnt the lesson at last.Before this you people labelled the bloggers as monkeys,liar etc but now you had realized.i hope that the ministry will change their obsolete style.People hates to see apple polishing news all the time.RTM should be the eyes and ears for the government by publishing/airing the truth not just "saya sokong".

Raja Nazrin tells leaders to learn from history

IPOH: Raja Dr Nazrin Shah advised leaders to heed the lessons of history and learn from the downfall of monarchs, nations and empires.
He said while many were given the opportunity to lead, only a few were successful in creating history and building civilisations.
"There were more failures than successes. The reason is those given the good fortune to lead had allowed power to lead them astray," said the Regent of Perak.
He said failed leaders became complacent, were misled by wrong advice or miscalculated their moves.
"These historical accounts should be used as points of reference in avoiding such pitfalls," he said in his address at the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration at the Perak State Secretariat here yesterday.
Present were Raja DiHilir Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa and his wife, Raja Puan Muda Raja Nor Mahani Raja Shahar Shah, Menteri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, state Islamic Religious Department head Datuk Jamry Sury and state legal adviser Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid, among others.
Raja Nazrin reminded leaders that they were responsible for setting the right direction for the people and they must be accountable for their stewardship.
"Leadership is a responsibility which must be carried out with trust. For Muslims, it is important to refer to the Quran and the hadith for guidance."
He said Islam cherished leaders who showed humility, sincerity, honesty, sacrifice, discipline and commitment in establishing trustworthy administrations.
Raja Nazrin later presented awards to recipients in the categories of exemplary family, preacher, mosque official and religious school teacher.
Share

tunku : pak lah listen to what Raja Nazrin has said.

Don’t cause trouble for Umno, Tengku Razaleigh advised

PUTRAJAYA: Umno veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. who has offered himself to contest the party’s top post. has been advised not to “create trouble” in the party.
Newly-appointed Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said: “I don’t understand Ku Li (Tengku Razaleigh) for wanting to go against the Prime Minister. Please don’t create any more trouble.
“Let’s focus more on strengthening our party from within to face our enemies outside and not cause break-ups among our ranks,” he told reporters after participating in a parade to celebrate Maulidur Rasul at the Putra Mosque here yesterday.
Tengku Adnan said this was particularly important when Barisan Nasional and Umno were facing the task of trying to reclaim the five states that had fallen to the Opposition in the recent general election.
On party elections, which must be held within this year, Tengku Adnan said a management committee meeting might be called next week to discuss the matter.
“The meeting must be called by the Umno deputy president and it will dwell on preparations for the party elections,” he said.

tunku : don't cause trouble for umno or for pak lah and kj? why can't anyone go against the president or anyone else?they are not holding demonstration or anything else.they want to contest.let umno members decide who they want.umno does not belongs to the leaders only,it belongs to 3.2 million of it's member.ku nan's call can be understood,because of his appointment.stop it ku nan or you will be history soon.