R Sivarasa - Ahli Parlimen Subang

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Soalan-soalan Parlimen daripada YB Sivarasa Posted: 08 Sep 2013 10:55 PM PDT Parlimen akan bersidang semula selama dua minggu bermula 23hb September. Berikut adalah soalan-soalan daripada Ahli Parlimen Subang Soalan Jawab Lisan 1. Tuan R. Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Perdana Menteri  menyatakan  berapa peratus ( dan jumlah barrel ) minyak mentah ( crude oil ) yang dikeluarkan di Malaysia oleh PETRONAS dan syarikat-syarikat lain ditapis ( refined ) di Malaysia dan untuk yang ditapis diluar Negara, peratusannya dan tempat-tempat penapisan. 2. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang ] meminta Menteri Dalam Negeri  menyatakan sebab tidak meluluskan cadangan pembentukan polis bantuan di negeri Selangor bagi membanteras jenayah yang semakin berleluasa, sedangkan bilangan anggota polis yang ditugaskan tidak cukup untuk memantau jenayah untuk menjamin keselamatan rakyat. 3. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang] meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan jumlah belanja untuk Talentcorp  dari penubuhannya dan berapa warga Malaysia Talentcorp telah berjaya  membawa balek daripada luar Negara sehingga sekarang. 4. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang ] meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan jumlah yuran yang telah dibayar oleh PEMANDU kepada syarikat perunding McKinsey daripada penubuhan PEMANDU hingga sekarang ( termasuk pecahan bayaran mengikut tahun ) 5. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Menteri Luar Negeri menyatakan langkah-langkah yang diambil oleh pihak kerajaan dan perkembangan terkini mengenai proses pengesahan (accession) Statute Rome Mahkamah Jenayah Antarabangsa (Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court).  6. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang ] meminta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan kenapa blogger bergelaran “Papagomo” atau  Wan Muhammad yang ditangkap pada 7hb Mei 2013 tidak didakwa sebab menghasut kebencian dan keganasan dengan penulisan beliau yang terang-terang menghasut kebenchian dan keganasan atas kaum lain dan juga individu-individu. 7. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang ] meminta Menteri Pendidikan menyatakan sama ada kerajaan akan meningkatkan peruntukan  kepada Perbadanan Tabung Pembangunan Kemahiran (PTPK) supaya mewujudkan 1.32 juta peluang pekerjaan di sektor teknikal dan vokasional menjelang tahun 2020. Peruntukan bagi PTPK dikatakan tidak seimbang jika dibanding dengan Perbadanan Tabung Pendidikan Tinggi Nasional (PTPTN) yang diberi sebanyak RM5billion setahun. 8. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Perdana Menteri menyatakan samada kerajaan setuju tidak menghadiri persidangan ketua-ketua negara Komanwel ( CHOGM) di Colombo tahun ini sebagai tanda bantahan kerajaan terhadap jenayah perang ( war crimes ) yang dilakukan di May 2009 oleh President Rajapakse dan tentera Sri Lanka bila membunuh 50,000-100,000 orang Tamil bukan tentera yang tidak bersenjata;  dan juga senaraikan Rajapakse sebagai seorang penjenayah perang. 9. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Menteri Industri dan Perdagangan Antarabangsa  menyatakan samada kerajaan sanggup, dalam rundingan Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), mendesak “carve-out “ atau pembatalan secara menyeluruh semua peruntukkan-peruntukkan yang akan menghalang pembuatan perubatan generic yang akan mengakibatkan pengingkatan kos ubat di dalam negara. 10. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan menyatakan kenapa kerajaan masih membiarkan pemaju-pemaju melaksanakan skim-skim  DIBS ( Developer Interest Bearing Scheme ) yang telah diharamkan di Singapore di 2009 meskipun skim-skim tersebut membawa akibat peningkatan harga hartanah di pasaran. Soalan Jawab Bertulis 11. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Menteri Pendidikan menyatakan jumlah mahasiswa yang diterima masuk dalam semua IPTA untuk tahun 2010, 2011 dan 2012 menurut pecahan kaum, dan juga jumlah yang diterima masuk untuk fakulti-fakulti  undang-undang, kejuruteraan, perubatan, dan pergigian meenurut pecahan kaum. 12. Tuan R. Sivarasa [ Subang] meminta Menteri Pendidikan  menyatakan jumlah penuntut yang diterimamasuk dalam semua maktab-maktab perguruan untuk tahun 2010, 2011 dan 2012 menurut pecahan kaum. 13. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang] meminta Menteri Pendidikan menyatakan senarai nama, no KP, alamat, jantina dan gred yang  didapati oleh 1500 penuntut dalam katergori India yang dikatakan telah menerima 1500 tempat-tempat matriculasi. 14. Tuan R.Sivarasa [ Subang] meminta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan jumlah peruntukan untuk empat buah balai polis di Parlimen Subang iaitu Balai-balai Kg Baru S dan Kota Damanasar ( IPD PJ ) dan Sg Plong dan Sg Buluh ( IPD Sg Buloh ) setiap tahun untuk tahun-tahun 2010, 2011 dan 2012. 15. Tuan R.Sivarasa [Subang] meminta Menteri Dalam Negeri menyatakan bilangan warganegara asing dan Malaysia yang dihukum gantung, yang masih menunggu hukuman gantung untuk dilaksanakan dan hukuman gantung yang telah dilaksanakan dari setiap tahun 2007 ke 2013 mengikut pecahan.

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Anwar Ibrahim

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• ‘Umno leaders afraid of debating with me’
• ‘EC’s constraints complaint is self-inflicted’
• The rise and fall of political Islam
• Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Speech: In Conjunction With Mr Douglas Thompson’s Book Launch

‘Umno leaders afraid of debating with me’ Posted: 08 Sep 2013 01:06 AM PDT Malaysiakini Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has slammed Umno leaders for rejecting his proposal for an open dialogue with the government to address key national issues. "These guys (Umno leaders) are afraid of debating with me," he said. He described dialogues between the government and the opposition as "normal" and "healthy". "In what kind of democratic country where the government is not allowed to engage with the opposition?" he asked. Anwar firmly denied that the dialogue was aimed at forming a unity government as feared by some Umno leaders. "This showed that they (Umno leaders) did not read my Merdeka message. I asked for a discussion in four crucial issues, including poor economic performance, increase in crime rate, corruption, and religious and racial tensions," he said. Tiger of Jelutong Anwar, who is also PKR de facto leader, had in his Merdeka message on Aug 30 mooted an open dialogue with BN. He said that although Pakatan Rakyat won on popular vote in the last general election, he was open to discussing with the government on key issues for the sake of the future of the country. Anwar was speaking to journalists after attending the launch of a new book on DAP national chairperson Karpal Singh, 'Karpal Singh: Tiger of Jelutong', in Kuala Lumpur today. The book is written by New Zealand journalist Tim Donoghue. When asked about Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin's urging for Pakatan to name its shadow cabinet, Anwar sidestepped the question. "I advise him (Khairy) to focus on his ministerial work," he said

‘EC’s constraints complaint is self-inflicted’ Posted: 08 Sep 2013 01:06 AM PDT Malaysiakini Despite the Election Commission (EC) complaining that it is tied by constraints in improving the electoral system, the obstacles are the commission's own doing, says former Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel) chief Abdul Malek Hussein. Abdul Malek said this was because the EC is responsible in making recommendations concerning the election and could have long before proposed the removal of any constraints it was facing. "We must understand the procedure, firstly it starts from the EC which makes the suggestion, and it will then be passed to the prime minister who will then submit it to Parliament. "Parliament will only debate the matter and pass them with a simple majority, but the idea and suggestions always starts from the EC," he told Malaysiakini when contacted. As such, he said former EC chief Abdul Rashid Abdul Rahman should not be evasive by blaming the system for EC's shortfall which has now been inherited by the existing EC leadership. This, Abdul Malek (right) said, also applies to the malapportionment in the 2002 re-delineation process during Abdul Rashid's term. The malapportionment saw Pakatan Rakyat only winning 40 percent of parliamentary seats despite garnering 51 percent of the popular vote in the May 5 general election. "You can't say that the EC is an independent body that made recommendations for the re-delineation of constituencies then later say we have nothing to do with it after it is passed by parliament despite the suggestions wholly coming from the EC," he said. 'EC in cahoots' While acknowledging that the EC does face pressure from the government, Abdul Malek said the EC, too, was not as innocent as it claims to be. He gave an example where it was the EC, and not the government, which initiated the botched amendment to the Election Offences Act 1954 last year that would dilute the role of counting agents. "I was involved in the meeting with (then-minister in the Prime Minister's Department) Nazri Abdul Aziz, in the presence of the EC secretary and legal adviser. "It was shocking when I came to know that it (amendment) was not the government's recommendation but was wholly from the EC. "When it was made known that the amendment's discrepancies and negative implication, the government agreed to withdraw it and the EC was unhappy about it," he said. In the same light, Abdul Malek said the EC, then under Abdul Rashid, was responsible for the damaging amendment of Section 9A to the Election Act 1958 that disallow for judicial review of the electoral roll. Abdul Malek lamented that the EC had 'nationalist' members who were more concerned about race and were political in their behaviour rather than administrative. 'Different commission should do re-delineation' Likewise, in the upcoming re-delineation process, whether it is gerrymandered or not lies on the EC's shoulders, he said. He pointed out that the mapping of the boundaries would only require a simple majority approval from Parliament while the two-thirds approval concerns exclusively on the increment of seats through constitutional amendment. Abdul Malek said that to ensure integrity, it would be best for the recommendations of the parliamentary select committee on electoral reforms to be fully implemented before the re-delineation exercise begins. Specifically, he said, was to allow the re-delineation exercise to be conducted by a new commission, while the management of electoral roll will also be delegated to another commission and the EC will be left only to conduct elections. "All three functions must be separated under three commissions. This practice is not alien and is done in many other Commonwealth countries. "For now we have a three-in-one shampoo commission and this allows for abuse," he said.

The rise and fall of political Islam Posted: 08 Sep 2013 01:01 AM PDT Hurriyet Daily News No, it is not true that political Islam only started to become radicalized with the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Before that there were two major moves. The first was the coup by General Zia ul-Haq against Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Butto in Pakistan in July 1977. With ul-Haq, Pakistan gradually moved towards being a nuclear power, and also turned a blind eye to radical Islamist armed groups. (Importantly, in the May 1977 elections in Israel, Likud dominated Labor for the first time, also endorsing a religious focus in regional politics.) The second was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in April 1978 following a pro-Soviet coup d'etat. The Mujaheed resistance, assisted mainly by U.S. and Saudi intelligence agencies, paved the way for organizations like the Taliban an al-Qaeda. Then we see Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returning from his exile in Paris to a restless Tehran on Feb. 1, 1979, which marked the start of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. That was the emergence of the Shiite pole in political Islam after hundreds of years, following the emergence of the Sunni one in Afghanistan. The next step in the ascending ladder of political Islam was the July 16, 1979 coup in Baghdad, in which Hasan al-Bakr was toppled by his deputy, Saddam Hussein. There is an interesting detail here. If al-Bakr had not been toppled, he was about to close a deal with Hafez al-Assad of Syria, who had taken power through a coup d'etat back in 1970, about the merging of the two countries. However, the Iranian revolution motivated al-Assad, he led the Shiite leaning Nusayri minority over a Sunni majority in Syria, while Hussein ruled over a Shiite majority based on Sunni tribes. The first result of that polarization was the Iraq-Iran war that started on Sept. 22, 1980, only 10 days after a military coup took place in Turkey. The Israeli announcement to declare Jerusalem as their capital in July 1980, the Syrian massacre of 1982 in Hama and Homs against supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood (originally founded in Egypt in 1928), and the Israeli military campaign against the Palestinians in Lebanon, all contributed to the further radicalization of political Islam. The 10 year adventure of the Soviets in Afghanistan resulted in a total defeat, which was one of the last nails in the Soviet coffin. As the Taliban and al-Qaeda turned their guns acquired from the West on the West, Iran started to adopt a revisionist policy: From the export of Islamic Revolution to a neo-Persian nationalism, sugar coated with Shiism. In Turkey, political Islam has further evolved into a vote-based movement by adopting Europe-focused economic and democratic standards, the model of the Justice and Development Party (AK Parti) that won the 2002 elections and is still ruling Turkey. The AK Parti positively influenced certain factions of Brotherhood movements in Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Syria, and the Arab Spring from 2010 on carried a pinch of that influence. That was the point where Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdo?an started to prioritize the Middle East and showed an interest in this new wave of political Islam. The misfortune of the Brotherhood movements in those countries was the lack of a democratic and secular experience that Turkey had had, despite a lot of pain. As neo-political Islam started to decline, al-Qaeda like movements started to gain support, especially among youngsters full of Western hatred. A good scenario is the hope of new political movements believing in the separation of religion and government, but which have respect for faith, in the near future. No one would really like to talk about the bad scenario.

Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Speech: In Conjunction With Mr Douglas Thompson’s Book Launch Posted: 08 Sep 2013 01:00 AM PDT What strikes me the most is that it is not so much a biography of Youssef Nada (YN) but an insightful perspective of the initiatives that he is part and parcel of. It leaves one with a clear impression that the Ikhwanul Muslimin (IM) and YN inseparable. And my own memory saves correctly here and of course after reading the book which has refreshed my recollections. Back in 1980, still fresh from the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Thanks to his foresight and initiatives, our privileges together with IM and Jamaat Islami Leaders to be received by Ebrahim Yazdi (Foreign Minster), Mehdi Bazargan (Prime Minister) and met with the Ayatollah Khomeini who was gracious enough to spend lengthy hours conferring with us. (Reference is made to this in the book) At a very personal level, I and my family remain eternally grateful for his moral support during my incarceration even to the point of personally meeting Tun Dr Mahathir. Another very significant event, was of course the increasing effort on behalf of the IM that YN made in relation to getting Saddam Hussein to hit the call of the international community to withdraw from Kuwait. At that time, he was earnestly worried, as reinforced by the IM believes, there would be an imminent attack from the US if Saddam did not immediately withdraw. This is in the book but I am relating this from my recollection of YN's own account to me. For reasons best known to himself, Saddam stood his ground and the US launched operation Desert Storm. The significance of the IM roles is not confined to Egypt or even the issue of opposing state oppression though that remains one of the foundational calling of their struggle. It goes beyond that and very much unknown to the world at large, is that the IM has played major roles in regional conflicts with a clear objective of restoring peace. Contrary to the false impression orchestrated by the west and autocrats of the Muslim World alike, that they are war mongers; prone to violence – this biography would throw more light on this. And most significant is the role of IM in spearheading political reform in the Muslim world. Of course, it came with a heavy price for their leaders. But that is precisely, what it makes more profound. In YM you have a living example of the sacrifices, and the trials and tribulations of what an Islam leader has to endure in order to be true to his cause. As you know after 9/11 he was even alleged to have links financially to Al-Qaeda and because of that had to suffer the consequences even though there was no truth in the allegations. In YN what finds a benign face of the IM. And that represents the mainstream as also reflected in the likes of prominent leaders after Imam Hasan Al-Bana such as Hasan Hudaiby. The late Hasan Hudaiby had the unenviable and most challenging task of soothing the high emotions that was generated by the assassination of Syed Qutb by the Nasser regime. I still remember that as ABIM leader the moving supplication by Hasan Hudaiby duat la qudat council and not judge. He was cautioning against extremism or any attempt to resort to violence to focus the radical call for change through peaceful means. ANWAR IBRAHIM

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Suara Sri Andalas

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Pemaju: Harga Minyak Naik, Harga Rumah Juga Naik Posted: 04 Sep 2013 11:29 PM PDT Peningkatan harga minyak sebanyak 20 sen yang diumumkan kerajaan pada hari Isnin lalu dijangka akan turut menyumbang kepada peningkatan harga rumah sehingga 10 peratus. Laporan The Star yang memetik kenyataan dari wakil pemaju perumahan menyebut, peningkatan harga minyak itu menyebabkan kos bahan binaan meningkat. Selain itu, peningkatan harga rumah berkenaan juga berpunca dari kekurangan jumlah tenaga kerja asing ekoran operasi besar-besaran yang dijalankan kerajaan untuk membasmi pendatang asing tanpa izin. Presiden Persatuan Pemaju Perumahan dan Hartanah Datuk Seri Michael Yam Kong Choy dalam laporan itu berkata, kontraktor akan memindahkan kos yang ditanggung akibat kelewatan projek berkenaan kepada pembeli. "Operasi ke atas tapak pembinaan juga menakutkan pekerja asing yang sah," katanya seperti dipetik dalam laporan itu. Beliau berkata golongan pekerja berkenaan akan ponteng kerja atau menangguhkan kepulangan mereka ke negara ini, sehinggalah operasi penguatkuasaan itu berakhir. Menurutnya, pemaju terpaksa menanggung kos lebih tinggi untuk tenaga kerja untuk mengelakkan daripada didenda kerana tidak mengikut perjanjian. Yam berkata pemaju berkenaan terpaksa membayar ganti rugi kepada pembeli rumah sekiranya projek tersebut lewat disiapkan. Tambahnya, peningkatan harga minyak tersebut akan menjejaskan rangkaian bekalan melibatkan lebih 100 jenis perniagaan. Sumber: Malaysiakini

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Anwar Ibrahim

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[PROGRAM] World Conference On Islamic Resurgence — Challenges, Prospects And The Way Forward Posted: 04 Sep 2013 09:22 PM PDT

Responsibility to Protect — Or to Punish Posted: 04 Sep 2013 09:19 PM PDT Foreign Affairs Morality and the Intervention in Syria There are two distinct conversations going on about the legitimacy of the West's expected military campaign against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. The first has to do with whether military action is an appropriate response to the wanton violation of a near-universally held norm — in this case, the taboo against the use of chemical weapons, which the Assad regime allegedly violated last week. The second centers on whether military action is an appropriate means for protecting civilian populations from atrocities (of whatever kind) committed by their governments. These conversations, although often conflated, have very little to do with one another, since each policy goal suggests a very different form of intervention. Despite diplomatic rhetoric, the goal of upholding the chemical weapons taboo is not the same thing as the goal of protecting civilians. It has more to do with protecting aset of shared international understandings about the proper conduct of warfare. If the goal were really to protect civilians, the West would have intervened long ago: bombs and guns have killed far more civilians, at least as horribly, as last week's gas attack. The Obama administration has already confirmed that its primary concern is with protecting the norm and punishing its violators. Given that goal, the appropriate course of action would be to, first, independently verify who violated it. The United States claims that it has "no doubt" that Syria was behind last week's chemical attack, but that remains an open question until the UN inspectors have completed their investigation. Second, the United States would have to consider a range of policy options for affirming, condemning, and lawfully punishing the perpetrator before resorting to force, particularly unlawful force. As Article36.org, a nongovernmental organization notes, these might include condemnation, an arms embargo, sanctions, or any of the other bilateral and multilateral measures that are typically used torespond to violations of weapons norms (and which might be at least as effective as air strikes, if not more so). Third, should the United States decide on military action, with or without a UN Security Council resolution, it would need to adhere to international norms regulating the use of specific weapons in combat. It is thus worrying that the proposed military strikes against Syria rely on Tomahawk missiles, which are capable of carrying cluster munitions and which have been decried on humanitarian grounds by numerous governments and civil society groups. Equally alarming is that the planned strikes would likely involve the use ofexplosives in populated areas, which is in violation of emerging international concerns about such behavior. Although there is historical precedent for the legitimacy of violating the UN Charter in order to enforce global humanitarian norms, it would be seen as hypocritical to violate those very norms in the service of their affirmation. Such strikes should not be confused with military action to protect civilians. Indeed, even a by-the-book strike meant to punish Syria for the use of WMD, although perhaps ethically justifiable as a way to affirm and promote politically important global norms, would look very different from a robust military intervention to protect Syrian civilians. In that case, R2P doctrine should come into play. Although the doctrine does sanction the otherwise unlawful use of force in certain grave circumstances — a threshold arguably met in Syria quite some time ago — it also treats military force as a last resort. And it requires states to consider both just cause in terms of civilians lost, not the type of weapon that killed them, and right authority. That means opting for multilateralism at minimum, which suggests that the United Kingdom's new statement in favor of unilateral intervention would not be consistent with R2P. Right intention also matters: the goal would have to be actually protecting civilians as far as possible within the bounds of international law, rather than maintaining credibility or protecting brute national interests. Most importantly, R2P requires policymakers and military planners to weigh just cause against the question of whether there is a reasonable prospect of success at reducing civilian bloodshed, given the available resources and constraints, and to select the best type of intervention to meet the goals, which generally means a much longer commitment of blood and treasure than punitive air strikes. (During the intervention in Kosovo, to which the expected Syria intervention has been compared, Western powers sought not just to cripple Milosevic from the air, but also to end combat, negotiate a settlement, and insert ground troops under the mandate of a robust multi-national peacekeeping operation.) In certain scenarios, military strikes simply wouldn't pass these various tests. In cases in which forceful action would risk more civilian lives than it could save, continued diplomacy and non-coercive measures are more consistent with R2P. It is a matter of argument whether that is the case here. Smart people have made the case for and against military intervention in Syria on humanitarian grounds. But the question of whether intervention — at this time, in this way, for this reason — will protect civilians in Syria is a very different question than whether punishment for violating the chemical weapons taboo is warranted. Since each policy goal suggests a different type of intervention, Western powers shouldn't try to have it both ways.

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Suara Sri Andalas

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Naik Minyak: Kerajaan Ulangi Janji Tidak Tertunai 7 Tahun Lalu Posted: 04 Sep 2013 02:30 AM PDT Tujuh tahun lalu, iaitu pada tahun 2006, ketika menaikkan harga minyak, kerajaan pernah membuat janji yang sama dengan apa yang dibuat oleh Timbalan Menteri Kewangan Datuk Ahmad Maslan hari ini. Ketika itu, kerajaan berjanji akan menggunakan penjimatan RM4.3 bilion dari kenaikan harga minyak untuk meningkatkan taraf pengangkutan awam di negara ini. Namun, ia tidak pernah dilaksanakan. Pengangkutan awam di negara ini tetap pada kadar yang sama di mana rakyat tidak boleh bergantung kepadanya. Jalan raya di Malaysia penuh dengan kenderaan persendirian dan kesesakan berlaku di mana-mana kerana jalan raya penuh dengan kenderaan. Hari ini, Putrajaya berjanji akan menggunakan sebahagian hasil daripada potongan subsidi minyak sebagai ganjaran kepada penduduk luar bandar yang membantu mengekalkan kuasa Barisan Nasional (BN) pada pilihan raya lalu, melalui pemberian Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M), kata Datuk Ahmad Maslan. Timbalan Menteri Kewangan itu berkata, kerajaan juga sedang melihat cara membangunkan kawasan berkenaan. "Lebihan itu akan diagihkan ke banyak kawasan. Kerajaan akan memfokuskan kepada pembangunan kawasan pedalaman," katanya di Kuala Lumpur hari ini. Datuk Seri Najib Razak Isnin lalu mengumumkan kerajaan akan menjimatkan sejumlah RM3.3 bilion setahun selepas menurangkan subsidi minyak. Perdana menteri membuat keputusan untuk menaikkan harga minyak RON95 dan diesel sebanyak 20 sen seliter, sebagai langkah bagi mengurangkan defisit fiskal. Pada tahun 2006, kerajaan naikkan harga minyak 30 sen. Hasilnya, kerajaan dapat RM4.3 bilion darinya. Apabila ditekan rakyat, kerajaan berjanji ia akan digunakan untuk pengangkutan awam. Dalam Debat Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek bertajuk "Hari Ini Membentuk Kerajaan, Esok Turun Harga Minyak" pada 15 Julai 2008 di Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka (DBP), Shabery ditanyakan soalan itu. Mengikut jawapan di Parlimen sebelum itu, kerajaan baru belanjakan RM834.75 juta untuk prasarana pengangkutan sejak dari tarikh itu. "Kenapa perkara ini berlaku? Dengan kenaikan kali ini pula, kerajaan boleh jimatkan RM13 bilion. Jika RM4.3 bilion kerajaan terkial-kial membelanjakannya, apa jaminan kerajaan dalam membelanjakan wang dari penjimatan RM13 bilion ini?" tanya penulis selaku wakil Anwar, dalam debat itu kepada Shabery. Soalan itu dibuat berdasarkan perbandingan yang dibuat dari janji kerajaan ketika menaikkan harga minyak pada tahun 2006 lalu. Penjimatan sebanyak RM4.3 bilion itu katanya untuk mempertingkatkan prestasi pengangkutan awam di negara ini. Namun, ketika itu Shabery tidak langsung menjawab soalan itu. Beliau mengambil sikap menyerang pihak yang bertanya soalan dengan kononnya wartawan itu tidak mengikuti isu semasa dengan baik. Sumber: TheMalaysianInsider

RON97 Naik 15 Sen Mulai Tengah Malam Ini Posted: 04 Sep 2013 02:00 AM PDT Harga jualan runcit petrol RON97 di seluruh negara naik 15 sen seliter kepada RM2.85 seliter berbanding RM2.70 seliter berkuatkuasa tengah malam ini. Perkara tersebut disahkan oleh presiden Persatuan Pengusaha Petroleum Perak, Lee Chee Seng, ketika dihubungi Malaysiakini sebentar tadi. Kenaikan itu lebih rendah berbanding peningkatan 20 sen untuk harga diesel dan petrol RON95 yang diumumkan kerajaan semalam. Harga pasaran RON97 pada kebiasaannya ditentukan secara "apungan terurus" yang melibatkan perubahan mengikut faktor pasaran dan tidak melibatkan subsidi kerajaan. Kerajaan menetapkan subsidi sebanyak 63 sen seliter untuk RON95 dan 80 sen seliter untuk diesel. Ini merupakan peningkatan harga pertama untuk petrol RON97 selepas harga runcitnya meningkat 20 sen pada Mac lalu. Harga runcit berkenaan turun 20 sen selepas pilihan raya 5 Mei. Harga RON97 mencatat paras tertinggi RM3 selitar pada September 2012. Sumber: MalaysiaKini

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Anwar Ibrahim

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[PROGRAM] Muslim Brotherhood: A Discourse Posted: 03 Sep 2013 08:03 PM PDT

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Anak Muda Kampung Nak Senang

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Tambang bas dijangka naik 30 peratus Posted: 04 Sep 2013 07:10 AM PDT 4 Sep 2013 - Kenaikan 20 sen bagi petrol RON 95 dan diesel dijangka menyebabkan pengguna perlu membayar tambang yang lebih tinggi kerana kos operasi pengangkutan awam dijangka turut mengalami peningkatan, menurut beberapa pengusaha pengangkutan awam di negara ini. Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Pan Malaysian, yang mempunyai 130 ahli di seluruh negara mengjangkakan tambang akan naik secara berperingkat dengan bus ekspres dijangka mencatatkan kenaikan sebanyak 5 peratus dan 30 peratus dalam masa terdekat. Sementara itu, Persatuan Pengusaha Lori Selangor dan Kuala Lumpur berkata kos diesel merupakan 30 hingga 40 peratus daripada perbelanjaan keseluruhan ahli-ahlinya. Justeru, kenaikan harga bahan api akan meningkatkan kos operasi mereka sebanyak 5 hingga 8 peratus, kata Setiausaha Agungnya, Alvin Choong. http://www.mstar.com.my/berita/cerita.asp?file=/2013/9/4/mstar_berita/20130904093905&sec=mstar_berita

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Suara Sri Andalas

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• Pakatan: Fuel Hike Only the Beginning
• MP: Lebih Banyak Kematian Jalan Raya Jika Harga Minyak Naik
• Jangan Kata Kenaikan Tidak Beban Pengguna - Fomca
• Kesatuan Pengangkutan Jangka Harga Barang Naik Mendadak Dalam Sebulan
• Surcaj Bahan Api Kargo Naik Ekoran Harga Minyak
• Pengendali Bas Mahu Tambang Naik
• Rugi RM1.05 Pada Setiap Pengisian Minyak RM10
• Kilang Buang Minyak Ke Sungai Selangor Dikenakan 14 Kompaun

Pakatan: Fuel Hike Only the Beginning Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:34 AM PDT PETALING JAYA: Last night's increase in price of RON 95 and diesel by 20 sen per litre is just the beginning of more to come, now that Barisan Nasional (BN) has secured its mandate, Pakatan Rakyat said today. Opposition leaders said Malaysians would feel an even harder pinch in the next few months as electricity tariff was expected to go up and the controversial Goods and Services Tax (GST) introduced. PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub said this would be on top of the expected rise in the price of goods, initiated by manufacturers forced to cushion the increase in fuel prices. "I'm worried that this may lead to escalating crime, as the lower class scramble to manage higher cost of living while their income remains stagnant," the former Kubang Kerian MP told FMT. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had vowed that the government would increase the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) payouts to ensure low-income families were not burdened by the fuel hike. DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming said even the cash aid was not enough to counter the increase in the price of goods, electricity tariff and GST. "BR1M will not cushion all the increases in price that we expect in the next three or four months. I doubt the BRIM payout will be RM1,000 as promised. "It will more likely be RM700, an increase of RM200 and that is not sufficient," he said. Salahuddin believed the government had raised the fuel price to compensate for the billions it lost and would continue to lose over the BR1M cash vouchers. Some 6.8 million households and unmarried individuals were beneficiaries of the BR1M 2.0 aid early this year, with up to RM2.9 billion disbursed by the government. Najib had said that by slashing the fuel subsidies to 63 sen per litre for RON95 and 80 sen per litre for diesel, the government will save at least RM1.1 billion. "The government may use the excuse that they want to reduce subsidies, which should not be the philosophy of a government that has the made the rakyat's welfare its priority," said Salahuddin. The PAS leader also believed the timing of the fuel hike – four months after the general election – was deliberate in order to avoid voter backlash at the ballot box. "I hope the rakyat can see clearly now that while Pakatan Rakyat offered to reduce petrol prices should it win the election, BN, in contrast, has hiked up the price," he said. Ong said BN could rely on other methods to manage the government's finances better, without burdening the rakyat. "They can reduce unnecessary expenditure in the budget, rather than increasing our cost of living," said the professor. "They can also raise revenue by having open tenders for major projects such as the Tun Razak exchange and the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) project. There are so many other alternatives but at this point, reducing subsidies is unnecessary." Source: FreeMalaysiaToday

MP: Lebih Banyak Kematian Jalan Raya Jika Harga Minyak Naik Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:29 AM PDT MP DAP Liew Chin Tong berkata kenaikan harga petrol sebanyak 20 sen melalui pengurangan subsidi akan menyebabkan lebih ramai pemandu kereta beralih untuk mengguna motosikal dan seterusnya menyumbang kepada lebih banyak kemalangan maut. petrol station queue price hike 020913 Beliau memberi alasan, jumlah kemalangan maut melibatkan motosikal adalah tiga kali lebih tinggi dari kemalangan melibatkan kereta, enam kali lebih tinggi berbanding pejalan kaki dan 50 kali lebih tinggi berbanding penumpang bas. Beliau memetik kajian yang dijalankan satu badan antarabangsa International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences yang menyebut rakyat Malaysia bertindak demikian ekoran kenaikan harga minyak antara Mac 2006 hingga 2008 – menyebabkan lebih banyak kematian pengguna motosikal. "Satu bencana kepada manusia dalam bentuk kematian pengguna motosikal bakal berlaku, ekoran kenaikan terbaru harga petrol," katanya dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. NONEMenurut Liew, kerajaan perlu memikul tanggungjawab sekiranya jumlah kemalangan jalan raya meningkat lebih tinggi susulan kenaikan harga bahan api berkenaan memandangkan rakyat Malaysia tiada alternatif lain. "Di negara lain di mana khidmat pengangkutan awam disediakan dengan memadai dan cekap, kenaikan harga petrol akan menggalakkan pemandu kenderaan persendirian beralih kepada pengangkutan awam/ "Bagaimanapun, dalam kes Malaysia, setiap kenaikan harga bermakna lebih banyak kematian di jalanan," katanya. Beliau mendakwa, keadaan di Malaysia tidak banyak berubah walau kerajaan memperuntukkan RM4.4 bilion pada Mac 2006 untuk menambahbaik perkhidmatan pengangkutan awam. Sumber: MalaysiaKini

Jangan Kata Kenaikan Tidak Beban Pengguna - Fomca Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:26 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Kesan berganda ekoran kenaikan harga petrol RON95 dan diesel, hari ini memang tidak dapat dielakkan apabila kebanyakan sektor perkhidmatan berhubung kait antara satu sama lain. Bukan sahaja perkhidmatan berkaitan petrol seperti tambang bas akan meningkat naik, segala perkhidmatan lain turut terkesan dengan kenaikan ini, tegas Timbalan Presiden Fomca, Muhammad Sha'ani Abdullah. Bercakap kepada Harakahdaily, hari ini Sha'ani berkata industri petroleum dan diesel merupakan satu sumber yang berkait rapat dengan setiap rangkaian perkhidmatan. "Tentunya kenaikan ini menyebabkan berlakunya rantaian limpahan berganda kepada setiap perkhidmatan apabila kosnya dinaikkan. Ia satu fenomena yang tidak dapat dielakkan," tegas beliau. Namun, katanya kerajaan tidak boleh menimbulkan kemarahan di kalangan pengguna dengan mengatakan kenaikan ini tidak memberi kesan dan tidak membebankan pengguna. Alasan tersebut, katanya ibarat memperbodohkan pengguna, sedangkan pengguna yang terpaksa menghadapi bebanan terhadap kos sara hidup yang meningkat. Sebaliknya, kata Sha'ani kerajaan boleh mewujudkan situasi menang-menang, sama ada kepada pengusaha dan pengguna. Kerajaan juga, katanya boleh memberi penjimatan yang berterusan dalam urusan tadbir negara, sebelum meminta rakyat melakukan penjimatan. "Apa guna kita bercakap tiada peruntukan mencukupi untuk biasiswa, tetapi dalam masa sama kita bermewah-mewah mengadakan rumah terbuka. Jika mahu rakyat berjimat, kerajaan perlu tunjukkan contoh terlebih dahulu," tegas beliau. Sumber: HarakahDaily

Kesatuan Pengangkutan Jangka Harga Barang Naik Mendadak Dalam Sebulan Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:23 AM PDT SHAH ALAM 3 SEPT: Kesatuan Kebangsaan Pekerja-pekerja Perusahaan Alat-alat Pengangkutan dan Sekutu menjangka kenaikan harga barang berleluasa dalam masa kurang sebulan berikutan peningkat kos pengangkutan. Setiausaha Eksekutif kesatuan itu, Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, berkata kenaikan itu berlaku apabila kos petroleum melibatkan banyak peringkat dalam pengeluaran sesuatu barang. "Rakyat kena bersedia, tak berapa lama sahaja lagi, mungkin kurang sebulan akan menyebabkan kenaikan harga barang lain sebab petroleum melibatkan banyak peringkat," katanya. Kenaikan harga petrol RON 95 dan diesel sebanyak 20 sen yang berkuat kuasa hari ini sudah dijangka Pakatan Rakyat. Hal ini tidak akan berlaku jika Pakatan yang menawarkan penurunan harga minyak dalam tempoh 24 jam sebaik sahaja membentuk kerajaan jika menang PRU 13. Bagaimanapun, BN yang pernah berjanji tidak akan menaikkan harga minyak jika menang, mungkir janji kurang lima bulan selepas mencatat kemenangan tipis. "Kita memang jangka minyak akan naik jika BN menang. Kita nasihati pengundi jangan tersalah pilih tetapi ada pengundi 'memilih' untuk (harga) minyak naik," kata Senator Dewan Negara itu kepada TV Selangor. Sumber: Selangorku

Surcaj Bahan Api Kargo Naik Ekoran Harga Minyak Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:21 AM PDT Syarikat pengangkutan kontena Taipanco Sdn Bhd akan menaikkan surcaj bahan api kargo daripada kadar tarif 16.19 peratus kepada 18.2 peratus, sebagai kesan daripada kenaikkan terbaru diesel sebanyak 20sen yang bermula tengah malam tadi. "Kadar pengangkutan berbeza mengikut kawasan. Tetapi secara umum,  kadarnya RM100, ini bermakna pelanggan harus membayar tambahan RM18.20 untuk Faktor Penyelarasan Bahan Api (FAF)," kata Naib Presiden Association of Malaysian Hauliers. "Ketika harga diesel sebanyak RM1.80 seliter, mereka membayar RM16.19. Kami akan maklumkan pelanggan kami tentang FAF baru hari ini." Ketika dihubungi, Nazari berkata, jadual FAF ditetapkan oleh industri itu semasa pentadbiran Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, yang membawa kepada turun naik harga minyak kerana pengurangan subsidi. Bagaimanapun, Nazari, yang syarikatnya mendepani perniagaan itu di Pelabuhan Klang menegaskan, terpulang kepada syarikat masing-masing untuk menentukan kadarnya kerana industri itu diselia oleh Akta Persaingan 2010. Harga diesel sekarang RM2 seliter manakala petrol RON95 2.10 untuk seliter. Sumber: MalaysiaKini

Pengendali Bas Mahu Tambang Naik Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:18 AM PDT Persatuan pengendali bas kini mahu harga tambang disemak semula ekoran tindakan kerajaan menaikkan harga minyak petrol RON95 dan diesel mulai tengah malam tadi. Presiden Persatuan Pengusaha Bas Seluruh Malaysia (PMBOA) Datuk Mohamad Ashfar Ali berkata, tambang itu mesti diselaraskan semula atau ia akan menjejaskan industri itu. Bagaimanapun, pengendali masih memerlukan kelulusan kerajaan sebelum ia dapat dinaikkan. 'Di Malaysia, harga bas dikawal oleh kerajaan. Kita tidak boleh sewenang-wenangnya menaikkan tambang bas....  "Kami sudah mohon peningkatan 30 peratus tambang bas pada Mei tetapi kerajaan belum meluluskannya," katanya. Kerajaan hanya meluluskan 10 peratus surcaj untuk bas ekspres semasa musim perayaan antara 8 Julai hingga 8 September. Mohamad Ashfar juga menggesa kerajaan menaikkan subsidi diesel antara 1,400 hingga 3,000 liter sebulan untuk bas henti-henti dan antara 2,800 hingg 5,000 liter untuk bas ekspres. Sumber: MalaysiaKini

Rugi RM1.05 Pada Setiap Pengisian Minyak RM10 Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:14 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Pada kadar baru petrol RM2.10 seliter, bermula hari ini pengguna hanya mendapat 4.762 liter bagi setiap pengisian RM10. Berbanding sebelum kenaikan iaitu pada kadar RM1.90 seliter, pengguna menikmati 5.263 liter petrol bagi pembelian kadar serupa. Ini bermakna, dengan pengisian RM10 bermula hari ini, pengguna kehilangan 0.501 liter berbanding semalam. Harga bagi 0.501 liter, jika pada kadar semalam adalah RM1.05. Ini bermakna bermula hari ini, pengguna kehilangan nilai ringgit yang dibelanja sebanyak RM1.05 bagi setiap RM10 pengisian petrol mereka. RM1.05, apabila didarab dengan 30 hari (sebulan), bersamaan RM31.05. RM31.05 didarab pula dengan 12 bulan (setahun), pengguna akan kerugian RM378 setahun. Itu jika mengandaikan pengguna mengisi petrol RM10 sehari. Jika pengguna mengisi lebih dari RM10, lebih banyak kerugian yang dialami. Sumber: HarakahDaily

Kilang Buang Minyak Ke Sungai Selangor Dikenakan 14 Kompaun Posted: 03 Sep 2013 05:10 AM PDT RAWANG, 3 SEPT : Kilang yang didakwa bertanggungjawab ke atas gangguan bekalan air di beberapa kawasan di Lembah Klang dikenakan 14 kompaun berjumlah RM34,000 kerana tidak mematuhi syarat pembuangan sisa pepejal. Selain itu juga, Kilang itu juga didapati bersalah kerana menjalankan perniagaan tanpa lesen selama 10 tahun. "Mereka mempermainkan kita dengan mengatakan kilang ini hanya berfungsi sebagai tempat penyimpanan lori, tetapi apabila kita buat serbuan, banyak aktiviti berlaku di sini. "Pemilik kilang juga adalah kontraktor persendirian di mana dia membawa sampah domestik ke sini untuk diasingkan sebelum dikitar semula," kata Penolong Pegawai Penguatkuasa MPS, Paramasivam Chelliah. Menurut beliau lagi, selain MPS, pihak kilang juga berhadapan tindakan daripada Lembaga Air Selangor (Luas), Pejabat Tanah dan Daerah serta Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) Selangor. Antara kesalahan yang juga dikenalpasti adalah struktur bangunan tidak menepati spesifikasi. Kilang terbabit pernah disaman sebelum ini atas kesalahan gangguan bau berdasarkan aduan daripada penduduk setempat. Pihak berkuasa tempatan bertindak pantas menyita kilang tersebut pada 31 Ogos lalu. Selain disita, 20 barangan turut dirampas seperti alatan kimpalan dan dua lori tangki yang mengandungi minyak hitam. Anggota penguatkuasa ditempatkan bagi memastikan tiada operasi berlangsung sehingga proses pemutihan dilakukan. "Kami haramkan segala aktiviti dan melarang keras lori daripada masuk ke kawasan ini berdasarkan arahan daripada Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri (SUK) sendiri," kata Paramasivam. "Kita akan terus menyita tempat ini sehingga arahan pelepasan dikeluarkan daripada Yang Dipertua MPS sendiri," tegas beliau. Sumber: Selangorku

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Anwar Ibrahim

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• First They Came For The Islamists
• No price cut when global oil prices slumped, so why increase now, PKR asks
• Anwar: Negara pengeksport minyak patut turun harga
• Jom debat isu minyak naik, cabar Rafizi pada Umno

First They Came For The Islamists Posted: 03 Sep 2013 08:14 AM PDT Foreign Affairs Egypt's Tunisian Future   Former Tunisian President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Argentina, 1997 (Courtesy Reuters) An Islamist political party does well at the polls, and an authoritarian regime goes after it with a vengeance, killing its activists and arresting its leaders. The party is driven underground while secularists and other political groups applaud the government's harsh measures, all taken in the name of eliminating a terrorist threat. Meanwhile, the regime and the non-Islamist parties assure the world that once the Islamists have been dealt with, the regular political process will resume again. So it has happened in Egypt, but it is also the story of Tunisia in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when hopes for a democratic transition were smashed after a campaign of repression that first targeted Islamists but eventually grew into a much wider effort to eliminate all political opposition. Tunisia's experience offers a glimpse of what may be yet to come in Egypt — and suggests that Egyptian secularists should think twice before supporting the army's efforts to eradicate the Muslim Brotherhood. After replacing President Habib Bourguiba in a bloodless coup in November 1987, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, a military officer, embarked on a program of liberalization and democratization that was at that point unprecedented in the region. His government released all political prisoners and gave them amnesty, revised the laws governing the press and political parties, and got every political bloc — including the Islamist Ennahda Party — to sign a national pact guaranteeing civil liberties and free elections. Those elections were held on April 2, 1989, and were at the time the most competitive in the country's history, if not in the entire Arab world. Although the winner-take-all system guaranteed that Ben Ali's party would carry the day, given its organizational advantages developed over decades of unopposed rule, the president and most observers assumed that the secular opposition parties would emerge as the dominant opposition. Instead, the Islamists received the highest share of the opposition vote, 14.5 percent, a figure that was likely deflated due to fraud. Once Ben Ali finished with the Islamists, he trained his sights on the rest of the opposition. Just after the election, The New York Times declared, "Tunisia is undergoing a transition from a one-man dictatorship to a much more open society with a sleight of hand that could furnish lessons for Mikhail S. Gorbachev, the Soviet leader." The article went on to quote the head of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights saying, "I am absolutely certain of Ben Ali's good will." As it turned out, though, the prospect of a strong Islamist opposition, and especially of an Islamist government at some point down the road, was too much for Ben Ali and the Tunisian state to bear. The government launched a brutal crackdown, killing 1,000 Islamists, jailing another 30,000, and forcing into exile the leader of Ennahda, Rachid al-Ghannouchi. The regime justified its actions by claiming that the Islamists were terrorists out to sow discord and tear Tunisia apart. Only because of the national security threat that they presented, Ben Ali argued, were the Islamists being targeted.Even as the government's campaign against Islamists turned violent and repressive, Tunisia's secular opposition parties cheered it on. Fearful of the possibility of Tunisia's Islamists emulating the Algerian intifada taking place next door, the secularists had no problem with the state neutralizing the threat of political Islam. Furthermore, given the country's history of secularism, most Tunisians did not want to see Islamists of any stripe coming to power, and so they watched quietly as Ennahda was driven underground. The twist is that once Ben Ali finished with the Islamists, he trained his sights on the rest of the opposition as well. Even if his crackdown initially stemmed from a legitimate ideological fear of Islamism, once he started down the authoritarian path, it was only a short skip and a jump to viewing all political opponents as enemies. In early 1992, the government shut down secular newspapers and magazines, imprisoned liberal journalists, and passed a new law of associations that curtailed the actions of human rights groups. A whole generation of secular opposition leaders, including Tunisia's current president, Moncef Marzouki, found themselves in jail. In the 1994 sham presidential election, Ben Ali ran unopposed after disallowing all other candidates from running, and in 1999, he was "reelected" with 99 percent of the vote. Egypt is now in the throes of a similar campaign to rid the country of its Islamists. The military rulers have charged Muslim Brotherhood members with terrorism and murder, and they are considering formally labeling the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization and banning it entirely. Although Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's erstwhile strongman, did not allow the Muslim Brotherhood to participate in politics formally, even he did not go so far as to ban the group, and the contemplation of such a move in conjunction with the unprecedented arrest of the Brotherhood's supreme guide demonstrates just how far the military is willing to go. To be sure, the Brotherhood-led government under former President Mohamed Morsi was hardly a paragon of democracy, and Brotherhood members have indeed resorted to violence since his ouster. But the terrorism charges represent a major escalation in anti-Islamist rhetoric since the military coup, and they allow the army to justify all its actions in the name of security. In addition, the Muslim Brotherhood's secular opponents, many of whom opposed the military when it last ruled the state following the toppling of Mubarak, are not only staying out of the streets but also actively supporting the anti-Brotherhood campaign. Much like their Tunisian counterparts two decades ago, Egyptian secularists have convinced themselves that the government is out to eradicate only the Islamists, rather than all political opposition. The enemy of their enemy, many of them figure, is their friend. This frame of mind is spreading among less stridently secular Egyptians as well, with former Morsi voters and Egyptians who were previously sympathetic to the Brotherhood lauding the military's moves. For the military, the support from secular parties and ordinary Egyptians is crucial. The army's removal of Morsi was made possible only by the presence of millions of protesters in the streets. Similarly, the widening crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood has been a much easier task, given the political and rhetorical support the army has received from Egyptian liberals. Were prominent liberal and secular voices to denounce the army's moves, it would not bring an end to the Muslim Brotherhood's troubles altogether, but it might constrain the military's range of actions, just as public outrage against the last military government led to an expedited election and transition process. Yet for now, Egypt's secularists seem to be backing the military to the hilt. This view is shortsighted. Looking at the bigger picture, Egypt's secular parties should realize that the authoritarian genie is extremely difficult to put back in the bottle once it has been released in the name of national security. Although the army is likely to return to the barracks at some point and resume ruling from behind the scenes — it has promised to hold elections by 2014 — it will not allow secular parties to construct a democratic system, let alone a liberal one. Egyptians are in for a rude awakening if they believe that just because the military has not yet put measures in place to repress all political opposition or begun to arrest secular figures, that it will not eventually do so. As Egyptians remember all too well, the allegedly temporary state of emergency put in place following President Anwar Sadat's assassination in 1981 lasted 31 years. Today, there is little reason to think that the current monthlong state of emergency will expire along with the Muslim Brotherhood's political fortunes. If history is any guide, authoritarian governments do not confine their repression to only one category of opponents, and coercive measures taken in the name of security always morph into something larger. The secularists should think twice before cheering on the regime's campaign against the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists, no matter what type of language the government is using to couch its antidemocratic actions. The lesson of Tunisia is that once the Islamists are gone, the secularist opposition is going to be next.

No price cut when global oil prices slumped, so why increase now, PKR asks Posted: 03 Sep 2013 12:08 AM PDT TMI With world oil prices on the downward trend since April 2011, PKR today slammed Putrajaya’s move to raise RON95 and diesel prices by 20 sen. “Before this, Barisan Nasional kept giving the excuse that they have no choice but to increase petrol and diesel prices due to escalating world crude oil prices. “But since April 2011, the world crude oil prices have been recording a decrease,” PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli said at a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.  Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced a 20-sen hike in RON95 petrol and diesel prices, pointing out that the new prices will save the government at least RM1.1 billion. To cushion the increase on the public, Najib said the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) payout would be increased this year. After the announcement, outraged Malaysians formed long queues at petrol stations to fill up and took to social media to express their views. However, economists hailed it as the right move to address the ever-increasing government debt, which currently stands at 53.5% as at the end of last year. Rafizi said Putrajaya never reduced the prices of petrol and diesel when crude oil prices slumped globally. “Even if they do not reduce the prices, the government should be prudent in its spending but this opportunity was wasted and instead, due to excessive spending, Najib has to announce the petrol and diesel price hike,” he said.

Anwar: Negara pengeksport minyak patut turun harga Posted: 02 Sep 2013 11:01 PM PDT Sinar Harian Ketua Umum PR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim berkata, Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara pengekspot sepatutnya mampu menurunkan harga minyak. Namun, beliau mendakwa amalan boros Kerajaan BN telah menyebabkan rakyat terbeban. “Hentikan pembaziran dan rasuah. “Malaysia ekspot minyak!,” tulisnya laman sosial mikro Twitternya malam tadi. Beliau berkata sedemikian sebagai respons terhadap pengumuman Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak bahawa harga minyak RON 95 serta diesel dinaikkan 20 sen seliter, berkuat kuasa tengah malam tadi. Menurut Najib, langkah yang diambil adalah sebagai sebahagian langkah penyusunan semula subsidi yang akan dilaksanakan secara berperingkat oleh kerajaan. Berikutan itu, RON 95 kini dijual pada harga RM2.10 seliter manakala diesel RM2 seliter. Langkah itu katanya, telah diputuskan pada mesyuarat Jawatankuasa Dasar Fiskal (FPC)semalam adalah antara inisiatif ke arah mengukuhkan kedudukan kewangan negara dalam berdepan persekitaran ekonomi dunia yang semakin mencabar.

Jom debat isu minyak naik, cabar Rafizi pada Umno Posted: 02 Sep 2013 10:27 PM PDT Malaysiakini Pengarah Strategi PKR Rafizi Ramli mencabar pemimpin Umno berdebat berhubung kenaikan harga minyak petrol dan diesel yang bermula tengah malam tadi. "Mungkin saya patut gesa debat dengan (Ketua Pemuda Umno) Khairy (Jamaluddin) mana-mana pemimpin Umno yang berani," katanya dalam pesanan di Twitter. Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak semalam mengumumkan diesel dan petrol RON95 naik 20sen seliter sebagai salah satu langkah rasionalisasi subsidi oleh kerajaan, Sehubungan itu, RON95 akan berharga RM2.10 seliter manakala diesel pula RM2.00 seliter.

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