‘It is shocking that the ACA did not find any misappropriation involving land and public funds under the previous state administration.’
Teoh: Dear YB Lim, I would to congratulate you and your team for exposing this dubious land deal in Penang. It is now the duty of the new government to investigate, bring the crooks to task and return the land to Penangites. More importantly:
- Explain to Penangites how it happened, when it happened and who is involved.
- Plug the holes to ensure similar cases do not happen again. Set up checks and balances to make sure neither the Barisan Rakyat government nor the Barisan Nasional government is able breach the procedures. I'm looking forward to see closure soon. Keep it up.
Peter Ooi: Hardly a month in office and the new Penang state government has uncovered corrupt dealings in the previous government. It is shocking that the ACA did not find any misappropriation involving land and public funds under the previous state administration. This brings us to the question of their reliability and credibility.
CW Kam: A historical moment when the key to Pandora’s Box is finally found? A beginning for all the 'skeletons in the closets of all states' to be tsunami -ed again? Careful planning should be needed in Penang, Terengganu (by the Palace), Kedah, Selangor and Perak and which should involve all BR parties. Whack the corrupt at one go. The nation is in for its Biggest Shock in Malaysian history.
On PKR: Put us in power, get 20% oil royalties
Malaysian: It would be interesting for the BR front to propose 30% oil royalties in the coming parliament sitting. Make this offer to Sarawak, Sabah and Terengganu, the oil producing states. It would be very interesting to see whether the loyalty of the BN parliamentarians is to the state or to BN. The increase in oil royalties in long overdue.
The 20% increase as suggested by Dominic Ng is still too low for Sarawakians. We have been exploited for the last 45 years. PKR should get strong and credible Dayak and Malay leaders and work closely with DAP which enjoys strong support from the urban Chinese in Sarawak. The credibility of PKR’s Chinese leaders certainly leave a lot to be desired as the recent election results showed.
On Ahmad Said finally sworn in as T'ganu MB
Leo Seagull: To some, this is the case of the constitutional monarch overpowering the largest political party of the country in that the MB finally sworn in was not the choice of the majority of the elected assembly persons, but the choice of the Sultan.
I, for one, do not think so. From what we hear in the coffee shops, there are good reasons why the Sultan chose Ahmad Said. And the reasons are most probably true. Therefore, we see a division of opinion - the assembly persons choose Idris perhaps due to political alignment, whereas the people choose Ahmad Said perhaps from what they know about the background of the two candidates.
The constitution of the state allows room for the sultan to intervene in such a situation this is actually good. This provides a check and balance between the political parties and the Istana. This is quite welcome because in politics, check and balance is a safety valve against hegemony.
But the Istana must play it right. If their stand is on the side of the people, they will get applause from the population. On the other hand, if they are on the wrong side, then they will find the people giving their applause to the other side.
On Mahathir backs Ku Li to challenge PM
Om Prakash: Imagine him now talking about the 30% quota for the Umno polls and that it was it was relevant during his time but not now. And that it was imposed by him to ensure that only those serious about contesting would qualify but not now. And that it was easy to meet the 30% quota then but not now.
He advocates boycotts, openly instigates Umno members to challenge the current PM, calls on Muslim nations to unite for the sake of fighting a war against the Western world and started the divide of nation during his term of office. What does all this tell you about this person?
Yet, he wants to head the Perdana Foundation to advocate world leadership and peace. He has become a good side-show when a good laugh is needed after all the depressing news we read.
On Mydin supermarket: Don't go Dutch!
C Mullai: If the Mydin chain of supermarkets is sincere in their intention of boycotting Dutch products, then they should withdraw those products from their shelves altogether. It is pure mockery that they want to boycott Dutch products but display them in their stores.
This clearly shows that no matter how sensitive this issue is, their main objective is to make money. Payment for these products have already been made and they do not want to incur losses for the sake of religion. Anyway they are getting free publicity. A very strategic move by Mydin.
Remco Koster: As a Dutch businessperson working for a Dutch company with an office in Malaysia, I would like to make the following comment on Mydin’s silly posters and banners.
Just like Muslims do not want to be seen as dangerous just because of a small extremist minority involved in terrorist acts, I (as well as the vast majority of the Dutch) don’t want to be seen as anti-Islam because of the views of one far-right wing extremist Dutch politician.
The Dutch embrace all religions (almost one million Muslim people live in Holland, out of sixteen and a half million) and boycotting our products is a very simplistic and stupid reaction to a stupid movie. This is just what this politician wants!
Scarlet Pimple: Malaysia doesn’t ever change. True to form, because of one man's action, we will punish the entire Dutch people. Isn’t this the same as what Israel is doing to the Palestinians? It’s called collective punishment. ‘All of you will be held responsible and punished accordingly because of a minority's action’.
Imagine if other countries do the same thing to us when Malaysia banned Jewish members of an orchestra that came to Malaysia in the ‘80s. ‘Boycott Malaysian products’?
On Mahathir: Muslims 'annoyed' by Dutch film
Thanneermalai L: When I read about our former PM’s comments on boycotting Dutch products so that they will have to close down their businesses, I actually laughed at how silly the idea sounds. So, if implemented, we are in effect going to boycott Shell Oil, ABN Amro, the ING Group, Philips, Unilever (Lux, Lipton, Wall’s, Cornetto, Dove, Elizabeth Arden, Knorr’s, Lifebuoy and 400 other brands), Arcelor Mittal Steel, TNT and numerous other brands. Well, good luck!
A better solution, as always, will be to have constructive dialogue and other non-confrontational methods that have worked in the past.
Confused: The UN Secretary-General, Tun Dr Mahathir and government spokespersons and Muslims around the world have expressed outrage, annoyance and offence at the ‘Fitna’ film condemning it as an insult to Islam, without explaining why it is so wrong. If the film is but a pack of lies then this must be exposed through rational arguments.
On Can Singapore replicate our political tsunami?
GS: I think Cherian George's article did a great job in dissecting the differences between Singapore and Malaysia from the cyberspace angle. However, that should not be the focus (just like how Abdullah missed the point by admitting losing the cyber-war). The point should be that a political tsunami so close to Singapore provides courage and ammunition to the political momentum there.
In fact another significant factor is the many Malaysians who are Singapore residents and who contributed strongly to March 8 tsunami. They are not allowed to participate in politics of Singapore and they normally do not. But their presence and sharing of their experiences and joy with Singaporeans will certainly help spread the message of democracy in Singapore.
