Sabtu, 6 Ogos 2011

The Spirit of Lubok Kawah/Semangat Lubok Kawah

The Spirit of Lubok Kawah/Semangat Lubok Kawah


Orang Asal Kg Bongkok, Bera Mahukan Perubahan

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 06:04 AM PDT

Bob Manolan, Timbalan Pengerusi Biro Masyarakat Felda dan Orang Asal PKR dan saya sampai ke Kg Bongkok, Bera hampir tepat jam 4.30 petang. Sdr Romani Mohamad, abang kepada Bob Manolan, dan En Mohamad, bapa kepada Bob Manolan, telah sedia ada di Balai Raya kampong tersebut menunggu kedatangan kami.

Kehadiran memenuhi Dewan Kg Bongkok itu turut dihadiri oleh Batin kampong tersebut; dan tanpa membuang masa, Sdr Romani memulakan Majlis Penerangan itu dengan menjemput Tok Batin memberikan ucapan alu-aluan.

Ucapan saya selepas Batin menyentuh isu tanah Orang Asal dan penerangan mengenai kedudukan Orang Asal seperti penduduk kelas kedua yang tidak diberikan perhatian melainkan semata-mata untuk umpanan pilihanraya.

Saya menceritakan lawatan saya bersama-sama Sdr Yusri Ahon dan Shafei Deris dari JOAS (Jaring Orang Asal Semenanjung) ke beberapa buah perkampongan Orang Asal di Pekan dan Rompin. Kampong Ganu di Rompin tidak ada jalan raya yang sempurna, tidak ada bekalan air bersih dan elektrik dengan penduduk hanya menggunakan air paya yang keruh di tempat kerbau pun turut berendam untuk mandi, membasuh kain baju, untuk air minuman dan memasak.

Sebuah kampong lagi di Rompin iaitu Kg Kemomoi terdapat penduduk-penduduk yang hanya makan nasi 5 tahun sekali semasa pilihanraya apakala UMNO merayu untuk mendapatkan undi mereka. Pendapatan orang Asal di kampong itu hanyalah sekadar RM10.00 maksima sebulan, dan makanan harian mereka adalah ubi kayu. Anak-anak mereka tidak bersekolah kerana sekolah yang paling dekat adalah lebih kurang 40 km dari kampong itu, dan lagi pun mereka tidak mempunyai sebarang kenderaan untuk menghantar anak-anak ke sekolah.

Sebuah kampong lagi adalah Kg Bakar Sampah. Memang kampong itu tempat membakar sampah dari Bandar Muadzam Shah. Setiap kali lori sampah mencurahkan sampah di kampong itu maka anak-anak Orang Asal serta Ibu Bapa mereka berlari-lari ke tempat curahan itu untuk mendapatkan kalau-kalau masih ada makanan yang boleh dimakan atau kain-baju yang masih boleh dipakai.

Di kampong Batu Gong di Daerah Pekan pula, tanah-tanah Orang Asal yang sudah ditanam dengan getah dan kelapa sawit, disodok licin untuk memberikan jalan kepada pembangunan oleh anak syarikat kerajaan Negeri Pahang, walhal pengundi di kampong inilah yang membantu Najib memenangi kawasan Parlimen Pekan semasa beliau hanya menang sekadar lebihkurang 200 undi.

Saya juga ceritakan pencerobohan tanah Orang Asal di Kampong Tanam, Rompin, di Paya Mengkuang, Temerloh, di Paya Pelong dan di Paya Rekoh, Kuala Krau. Pembalakan dijalankan di Kg Pasu dengan towkay-towkay menempah kekayaan dan Orang Asal hanya mendapat habuk.

Tanah-Rezab Orang Asal yang diwartakan semasa pemerintahan Inggeris semua sudah ditarik balik oleh Kerajaan UMNO/BN; dan tanah Orang Asal di Lembah Klau diambil alih oleh Kerajaan dengan pampasan yang begitu kecil.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat akan menjadikan tuntutan Orang Asal mendapatkan tanah mereka samada dengan cara Warta atau digerankan dan akan melaksanakan dasar ini dalam tempoh 100 hari Pakatan Rakyat memerintah Negeri Pahang.

Diakhir ucapan saya, saya meminta pandangan Orang Asal Kg Bongkok samada mereka mahu mengekalkan pemerintahan UMNO/BN yang merugikan masa depan mereka serta anak-cucu mereka atau mahu merubah kepada pemerintahan PR yang baru mendapat jawapan bahawa mereka mahukan perubahan.

Untuk itu mereka membuat perjanjian untuk perubahan dengan semua yang hadir berdiri, menggenggam tangan dengan meghayun keatas dan melaungkan REFORMASI sebanyak 3 kali.

Saya terus meninggalkan Dewan Kg Bongkok setelah bersalam dengan semua para hadirin untuk saya sempat berbuka puasa di rumah saya di Kg Batu 4, Jalan Maran, Temerloh dan saya sampai di rumah tepat jam 7.10 petang.

Anwar Ibrahim

Anwar Ibrahim


Guna Sahaja Dakwat Kekal, Batalkan Biometrik

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 12:17 AM PDT

Harakah

Pakatan Rakyat hari ini mendesak kerajaan membatalkan sahaja hasrat menggunakan sistem biometrik pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-13 akan datang kerana dilihat banyak mengundang masalah berbanding manfaat yang diperoleh.

Bercakap pada sidang media di pejabat pakatan rakyat hari ini, ahli parlimen Pakatan Rakyat berkata sejak sistem itu digunakan untuk program pemutihan pendatang asing tanpa izin, pelbagai laporan tentang kepincangan sistem itu dikemukakan.

Bukan itu sahaja, beberapa pendedahan terbaru juga jelas mereka menunjukkan sistem itu tidak mampu menyelesaikan masalah yang dibangkitkan berhubung undian berganda pada pilihan raya.

Ahli Parlimen Batu, Tian Chua berkata, sewajarnya kerajaan kembali semula kepada tuntutan Bersih iaitu menggunakan dakwat kekal yang setakat ini diyakini penyelesaian terbaik untuk mengatasi pengundian berganda.

“Sementara tidak ada teknologi canggih selesaikan masalah ini, maka kembalilah kepada tuntutan Bersih untuk guna dakwat kekal.

“Kita dah buat eksperimen di Pulau Ketam untuk pilih ketua kampung. Pegawai Daerah guna inai sahaja. Semua berjalan lancar dan tiada sebarang kekeliruan berlaku,” katanya.

Turut serta pada sidang media itu, Ahli Parlimen Kuala Selangor Dr. Dzulkefly Ahmad, Nurul Izzah Anwar (Lembah Pantai), Liew Chin Tong (Bukit Bendera).

Selain itu, turut dipersoalkan kos yang terlalu tinggi dibelanjakan untuk sistem biometrik yang manfaatnya masih ‘meragukan’ itu.

“Kita nak tahu siapa dapat projek pemutihan warga asing tanpa izin ini.

“Kita harap kerajaan telus dalam hal ini,” kata Tian lagi.

Mengulas lanjut isu pengundian berganda, Tian berkata sistem biometrik hanya boleh mengesahkan pengundi itu mempunyai kad pengenalan sah namun tidak mampu mengesan mereka yang mempunyai lebih dari satu kad pengenalan.

Sehubungan itu beliau berkata, kerajaan seharusnya bersedia sepenuhnya terlebih dahulu dan tidak “over confident” dengan sistem baru yang mahu digunakan.

Ia bukan sahaja mengundang keraguan, malah turut membazirkan wang rakyat.

Maka ujarnya, kerajaan wajar mempertimbangkan untuk menggunakan dakwat kekal sahaja seperti yang dituntut rakyat.

Sementara itu Liew Chin Tong turut mengingatkan Datuk Seri Najib bahawa perdana menteri itu masih ada tiga hari lagi untuk memanggil sidang tergempar parlimen dari tempoh seminggu yang diberikan pakatan rakyat.

Sidang itu khas bagi membincangkan pendedahan banyak pihak berhubung isu pertukaran status penduduk tetap PR kepada warganegara dalam masa beberapa jam sahaja dan didaftar sebagai pengundi.

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Pakatan Mulakan Belanjawan Alternatif

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 12:07 AM PDT

Malaysiakini

Jawatankuasa kerja Pakatan Rakyat hari ini mengadakan mesyuarat pertamanya bagi membincangkan belanjawan alternatif, sekali gus mendepani pengumuman Belanjawan 2012 pada Oktober.

Anggota jawatankuasanya Dzulkefly Ahmad (kanan) berkata hasil perbincangannya akan dikeluarkan sebelum kerajaan pusat mengumumkan belanjawannya.

Bagaimanapun, anggota parlimen Kuala Selangor itu menegaskan, ia bukan belanjawan bayangan sepenuhnya tetapi lebih kepada pendekatan strategik, seperti dikeluarkan Pakatan pada 2008.

Bercakap dalam sidang media di pejabat Pakatan di Petaling Jaya hari ini, Dzulkefly berkata, gabungan itu akan menagmbil pendekatan strategik, di mana semua parameter sektor akan diambil kira.

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Jose Rizal And Ninoy Aquino And Their Impact On ASEAN Leadership

Posted: 05 Aug 2011 11:50 PM PDT

Lecture by Anwar Ibrahim at the University of the Philippines-Diliman, Manila Aug 5, 2011

If I may begin with Indonesia's poet laureate, the late Chairil Anwar:

"Sometimes within these dank prison walls
A warm fragrance fills the air
And I forget the drudgery of my being
Floating instead, higher and higher
Above the present, totally unaware…"

They say that art imitates life, and that it true most of the time but sometimes as captured in this short stanza, life seems to imitate art. I say this of course from personal experience, as I myself have many a time come face to face with such a situation – as I'm sure those who have had the privilege of being incarcerated for an extended period would have experienced it too.

So, while in solitary confinement when these reveries were rudely broken by the uncompromising sting of the mosquitoes, I found myself grabbing hold of Rizal's Noli Me Tangere, indeed a worthy companion particularly for political prisoners. Or Rizal's other master piece, El Filibusterismo. Speaking of leadership, who, for example, cannot but be moved by the profound sentiments articulated in just this short passage, one which I'm sure all of us are familiar with, but bears repeating:

"Within a few centuries, when humanity has become redeemed and enlightened, when there are no races, when all peoples are free, when they are neither tyrants nor slaves, colonies nor mother countries, when justice rules and man is a citizen of the world…."

Freedom and justice and an end to tyranny, these are the recurrent themes which no leader worth his salt should ever lose sight of. Above all, the courage of conviction to pursue one's ideals to the very end. And so it was to such a cause that Jose Rizal was steadfastly committed.

Not unlike Rizal, Ninoy Aquino too had that unflinching courage of conviction. And both paid the ultimate price for it. One by firing squad, the other by firing assassins. Both sacrificed their lives on the altar of the greater good, for the people and above all for humanity. Both their martyrdoms ignited the fire that would galvanize the people to fight against tyranny and oppression for freedom and justice.

This may well be a tall order but the moral to the story of these two heroes whose humanity transcends their race even nationality, is that great leaders should be able, willing, and ready to seek justice for the people at the expense of their own lives.

Many can have intellectual prowess and many too can be great orators; but without the capacity to say "I am prepared to meet my Maker, if that is what it takes to take my people from oppression and suffering" most of us will remain leaders only in name. For where is that courage of conviction that is able to separate ourselves from our egotistical designs? By what measure can we use to tell ourselves that yes, we are true leaders and not leaders merely by default?

Again, justice, freedom and the war against tyranny, these are themes that would resonate with all civilized societies. Now more than ever before, when the winds of change are sweeping across the deserts of the Middle East and stirring up thunderstorms in various parts of Southeast Asia, these themes must remind us that power cannot and must not be used for personal gain. And this lesson is totally in sync with the bigger picture when we talk about the influences of Rizal and Ninoy.

To my mind, our leaders could do well to remember that the idea of the dignity of man which indeed was a major theme in Rizal's writings is an idea which translated into the language of today, is a theme which has now been enshrined in the concept of fundamental human rights. Ninoy too in his journalistic essays made it clear that tyranny of men over his fellow men was an affront to our dignity. Regardless of race, creed, or culture, or even wealth, this theme is certainly something that all those who cherish freedom and justice can relate to.

Then there is the school of thought particularly current in ASEAN member nations that says that political stability is something that ought to be protected even more than human rights. To this we say that political stability by itself is meaningless if it is not utilized to widen the practice of democracy and to enhance the institutions of civil society. If political stability is touted purely on the platform of economic prosperity, then autocrats and dictators can get away with murder.

This is the tyrant's refrain, a time-honoured tool to be employed every time the people clamour for greater freedom. But as we are beginning to witness, the extended warranties on these tools have expired and the rising tide for freedom and democracy cannot be stopped.

While in the past, the blame was rightly on the colonizers, having attained independence, we have only ourselves to blame for the tyranny we have imposed on ourselves – the despotism, the autocracy and even the dictatorship that we have witnessed in the past three decades in almost all the ASEAN countries.

The use of the word revolution may cause some leaders sleepless nights no doubt but revolutions may come about without a shot being fired. For example, the People Power Revolution is clear testimony that effective regime change can be carried out through non-violent means. No doubt it is usually preceded by violence committed by the powers that be – leaders clinging on to power and the violence they unleash on the people but why blame it on the people?

Though it is true that not all such regimes resort to violence in dealing with the people's grievances, strong arm methods continue to be deployed in an attempt to silence dissent. The Asian values mantra of societal stability and paternalism remain the convenient excuse to drive home the argument that authoritarian systems were better suited towards achieving economic objectives.

Western notions of human rights and freedom were a stumbling block in the eradication of poverty and the path to modernization and global competitiveness. This ideology of a strong paternalistic government being the better alternative to liberal democracy however has received a severe blow in the recent elections.

The numbers trumpeting enhanced GDP growth, standards of living and competitiveness have lost their dazzle. Because what use are these numbers if social inequities continue to divide the voices of dissent are not allowed to be heard? Hence, in the last elections in Singapore, the theme of social justice ran deep in the campaigns by the opposition parties.

We have seen how Thailand has had her democracy come under siege many times. Thanks to the ASEAN creed of non-interference in the domestic affairs of its members, the question of legitimacy of the just voted out administration had never been raised. If only that administration had learnt the basic lessons of Rizal and Ninoy, they would have known that pretending that you're regime is legitimate doesn't make it so.

Why go so far, some may ask. Yes, it is true that even after People Power, the forces of reaction threatened to turn back the clock. A few years ago, we saw the possibility of democracy being allowed to vanish by a stroke of the pen. Of course, the people did not let it happen because you take your freedom and democracy very seriously. Indeed, the struggles of Rizal and Ninoy, and if I might add, of Cory too, have not been in vain.

And just more than a decade after the EDSA Revolution, the people of Indonesia rose against the tyranny of Suharto's dictatorship. Blood was spilt and shots were fired but by and large apart from the atrocities committed prior to the revolution, this was again non-violent. In any event, it was not some kind of revolutionary mob – as the powers that be are wont to tell us – that caused the violence. It was once again those hell bent on clinging on to power that had wanted to strike fear in the people in order to stem the tide of Reformasi.

Today, Indonesia's democracy rests on a sound footing where the checks and balance on governance are getting institutionalized. Rule of law generally prevails while institutions of power are held to account as can be seen in the increasing number of corruption cases. Yet, it suffers from the same ASEAN malaise – the so-called policy of non-intervention based on the principle: "I'll stay out of your backyard, if you stay out of mine".

Coming closer home, we find democracy being used as a façade for the aggrandizement of power and wealth. It is a strangle-hold on all the institutions of power – the police, the prosecution, the anti-corruption agency and the judiciary.

Safeguards placed in the constitution are treated as inconsequential as judges interpret the law not according to well established principles but directives issued from up high. So here again, the lessons of Rizal and Ninoy are lost. We know that democracy crumbles when the judiciary caves in under the pressure of the executive and the legislative branches of government. But the writing on the wall is clear – the highest judicial position has been given to someone who used to be a senior member of the ruling party. How then can we expect judges to be independent of political authority when appointments to high judicial office are conducted in such audacious fashion in blatant disregard of basic principles of governance?

Good governance remains illusory where the judiciary is unable to function with impartiality and courage of conviction. When the judiciary continues to display signs of perversity in their judgments in cases between the state and the people, in matters which affect their fundamental liberties, good governance flies out the window.

Addressing the multicultural texture of our societies, issues of freedom of religion and conscience loom large. There is the question of the legitimate expectations of minorities to have their rights and liberties safeguarded against encroachment. The balancing of minority interests with the majority requires ingenuous commitment from both sides as represented by their respective community leaders. The empowerment of one cultural group at the expense of another in any society would only lead to a clash of interests. These are not academic issues that can be solved merely through intellectual cogitation. They are pressing issues that have serious consequences if left unchecked.

Here, another enduring lesson from our heroes is the need to transcend cultural specificity. Just last week, someone holding high office in government, twittered some very offensive words to attack my character, something I must confess it is not so out of the ordinary. But unfortunately in doing so, she also sullied the good name of Rizal calling him names which should not see the light of day. In one fell swoop that personal attack on me has exposed her bigotry and cultural jingoism.

The source of the attack – on me – was apparently my so-called track record of participating in forums such as these and in particular my penchant for paying tribute to Jose Rizal. This is very sad and most unbecoming. It is indeed shocking that in this day and age, there is still this sense of cultural superiority among people which makes them feel that they are more civilized than others.

Now if there is yet another lesson for the powers that be in ASEAN, it is that a vibrant opposition is essential as the bulwark against the tyranny of absolute power. They must allow the Opposition to flourish as the people's conscience, because they hold them to account when they go astray and to remind them that power is trust, not might. I see it happening here, and also in Indonesia, even Thailand. But alas, I can't say the same about the situation back home.

The persecution against Opposition leaders is unprecedented in the history of ASEAN. Character assassination continues unabated even as they are being dragged to kangaroo courts to face completely unsubstantiated charges. Some are incarcerated without trial, some are incarcerated after a sham trial and some are incarcerated after having been released from incarceration.

To the perpetrators of such tyranny we call on them to search within themselves and as Rousseau once said, "listen to the voice of our conscience in the silence of the passions."

Some may listen but there are others yet who will not heed the call for reform in governance, or the electoral process, or for freedom and democracy. And there are some who make a show of it by engineering ingenious public relations programs, and spending millions of dollars of the taxpayers' money to gain access to international media to make themselves look good. Well, they can spend all they want, but truth is not a commodity that can be bought or sold. As they say, you can't fool all of the people all the time.

So, at the end of the day, when we set them against the freedom calculus of Rizal and Ninoy, these leaders come off as far below expectations, if not altogether unmitigated disasters. As governments that come to power not by free and fair elections but from foul and unscrupulous means, they fail miserably by any measure. But as ASEAN moves on and more and more of its member nations embrace freedom and democracy not just in name but in practice, the prospects are more than likely that these errant states will find themselves increasingly isolated and one day will succumb to the tide of reform. Let us hope that that day will come sooner rather than later.

Thank you.

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PKR DUN 19 Kepayan P174 Penampang, Sabah.

PKR DUN 19 Kepayan P174 Penampang, Sabah.


Increasing Mortality Death in Sabah is WORRYING

Posted: 06 Aug 2011 10:43 AM PDT

Dr Roland Chia

PKR Supreme Council Member cum PKR SABAH State Secretary Dr. Roland Chia Ming Shen is very concern with the high mortality rate deaths involving children under five years of age in Sabah for two years in a row. Instead of a decreasing trend, it is increasing instead. There must be a flaw in the system in addressing this problem.

In 2010,The mortality rate for children under five years of age in Sabah was 9.8 per 1,000 live births, or 525 deaths last year. 1% higher than 2009.

In 2009 , Sabah recorded infant mortality rate of 8.8 per 1,000 live births last year, equivalent to 471 infant deaths. An increase of from 2009 to 2010.

To add salt into injuries, this is still higher than the national average of 6.2 per cent per 1,000 live births in 2008.

In 2000, the Millennium Summit in New York had brought together 189 nations to deliberate on how to improve the future humanity.

The result was the United Nations Millennium Declaration, which established the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDG) to be achieved by the year 2015.

Out of the eight MDGs, MDG 4 is aimed at reducing the mortality rate of children under five by two-thirds by the year 2015 compared to 1990.

"To achieve the MDG target by 2015, we must achieve a (infant mortality) rate of 4.4 per 1,000 live births," as reported by the Director General of Health, Malaysia.

Dr Roland Chia wishes to know what are the immediate steps that will be taken by the Ministry of Health concern to address this acute problem. This problem should not arise since Sabah has the 1st Womens' and Child Hospital in the country in Likas and a medical school in UMS to conduct in depth research and immediate remedial efforts to solve this problem.

The Rakyat wants answers and solutions and not problems and grim statistics like this. The Core business of the government is to administer the state for the betterment of the welfare of the rakyat.