Malaysian ex-minister JUMPED SHIP JOINED ANWAR

[motormafia]

Lee Kuan Yew's nightmare, PAP minister jump ship against PAP.

Out of Gerakan, into PKR
Rahmah Ghazali | Sep 6, 08 6:11pm

Finally, Gerakan stalwart Dr Tan Kee Kwong made his move.
MCPX

He announced his intention to join Parti Keadilan Rakyat today, adding that he faxed his resignation letter from Gerakan to the party’s secretary-general Chia Kwang Chye yesterday morning.

Tan’s announcement did not come as a total surprise.

Gerakan had dropped him as a deputy minister after the 2004 general election when Tan, a former Segambut parliamentarian, was not selected as a candidate.

He was further sidelined in the party after he backed Kerk Choo Ting against then party president Dr Lim Keng Yaik in the Gerakan polls in 2006.

tan kee kwong pc tropicana 060908 smilingIn May this year, Tan accepted the appointment as co-chair of the Selangor Special Task Force on Land Issues from the PKR-led Selangor government.

By then, it became clear that he was searching for a new political platform.

At the press conference today, a jovial Tan said “there is no sadness in leaving Gerakan.”

“Instead, joining PKR gives me a bout of fresh air,” he told reporters in the presence of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Selangor menteri besar Khalid Ibrahim and PKR information chief Tian Chua.

Impossible to change from within

After 13 years of struggle with Gerakan and the BN, the former Federal Territory Gerakan chief, said he has lost faith in the BN government.

“I believe that race-based parties in BN like MIC, MCA and Umno are no longer relevant,” said Tan, adding that the political tsunami of March 8 has opened his eyes.

“I thought such a political tsunami would take another 50 years, but it happened overnight. This is a sign that Malaysians now want multi-racial politics, not the old race-based politics,” he said.

Tan, who was Segambut MP from 1995 to 2004, said he had been trying to change Gerakan from within but failed to do so.

“There are people who join BN and try to make a change. I can also say that I tried to make changes from within but I reached a point where it was almost impossible to do so,” he said.

Kee Kwong, 61, is the son of the highly respected former opposition leader Dr Tan Chee Khoon.

On Umno, the new PKR member claimed that the party no longer fights for the rights of ordinary people like it used to.

“Umno used to fight for fishermen, padi farmers and teachers but now it has become the towkay in BN and Umno leaders have turned arrogant,” Tan charged.

Taking another swipe at Umno, Tan said Umno was behaving like the ‘big brother’ expecting other BN components to ‘rubber-stamp’ all their decisions.

“We are just there to rubber stamp whatever they want to do. Enough is enough. Their corruption and mismanagement - the country is going to be broke if they are not stopped,” he lambasted.

Individual decision

Tan also explained that it was his individual decision to leave Gerakan and he did not expect others in the party to follow him.

“I am not advocating any mass movement, but as an individual. I have the right to leave the party for the betterment of the country,” he said.

toh kin woonTan is the third senior Gerakan leader to quit the party. Last month, former Penang state exco Dr Toh Kin Woon also resigned after endorsing opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim in the Permatang Pauh by-election.

In April, Lee Kah Choon left Gerakan after accepting the DAP-led state government’s offer to lead Invest Penang.

Malaysiakini has learnt that another former top leader of Gerakan will join PKR in the coming days.

 

[motormafia]

Anwar repeats 'on track' statement
Sep 6, 08 2:55pm

Ten days to go and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said today he is on track to meet the Sept 16 deadline to recruit enough members of parliament to topple the government.
MCPX

anwar pc permatang pauh 02 260808The opposition is confident it will secure the defection of at least 30 members from the ruling Barisan Nasional government - the number needed to unseat the government of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, Anwar said.

Anwar, speaking to reporters in Jakarta after meeting with a think tank, said he was "quite positive from the initial response from the members of parliament."

"We have seen some very positive signs, but we have also seen the desperate acts by the government, threats and using institutions to discourage them," he said.

Government attempts to compel members of parliament to travel overseas until after his pledged Sept 16 deadline to take power would not work, Anwar said.

Probably we'll meet on 17th

"The only issue now is that they are going to compel members of parliament to (travel to) China or overseas until after the 16th of September, so we'll have to deal with that.

"Probably we'll meet on the 17th because they'll come back on the 17th," he said.

The 61-year-old leader of the three-party Pakatan Rakyat coalition declined to name or give the number of lawmakers who have pledged to defect.

Asked if he had used his two-day trip to Jakarta to meet with potential government defectors, Anwar said: "I won't comment on that, but I will say it's a good visit."

Abdullah, who is facing calls from his party to quit amid plummeting popularity, has said Anwar's push to take power will fail.

The parties of Pakatan gained unprecedented ground against the Barisan Nasional coalition in the March general election, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states.

- AFP

 

[motormafia]

BN regime = 10 more days to GO!!

 

[motormafia]

Retreat timing not quite right, says S'wak MP
Sep 6, 08 4:18pm

The timing for the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BBC) ‘educational’ retreat overseas may not be right because of the current political scenario, according to a Sarawak member of parliament.
MCPX

Dr. Tiki LafeMas Gading MP Dr Tiki Lafe (BN-SPDP) said while the purpose of the retreat to gain knowledge was good, the timing would be subjected to wild speculation and ridicule.

“As the time is now considered ‘critical’, we have to be more practical. When the opposition is boasting of taking over the government everyday, there is more reason why we should be in our respective constituency,” he told The Borneo Post in Kuching yesterday.

“We should be with our people now to refute the allegations made by the opposition and prevent them from being brainwashed. By going away, we are only exposing our constituencies.”

Tiki, who is Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) vice-president, said the opposition could also make use of the BN trip to create all kinds of wild rumours.

He hoped that his criticism of the retreat would not be interpreted as an intention to defect to Pakatan Rakyat and that people should not question his loyalty to BN.

“Just that, the time is not right. I will be in Bau during the period of the supposed retreat,” he said confirming that he would not be on the trip slated for Sept 7-19.

Others will go if invited

Tiki also said it was hard to know if the threat or fear of crossover was real.

Tiki, a three-term MP, was one of those linked to the impending crossover to Pakatan in the much-touted claim of Anwar Ibrahim.

Soon after the March 8 election, Tiki went on long leave overseas after he was not re-appointed a deputy minister. His post, the only federal cabinet appointment for SPDP, was taken up by party colleague, Dr Jacob Sangan.

Meanwhile, Lubok Antu MP William Nyallau Badak said he had not received any invitation or call from the BBC yet on the trip.

Nyallau, from Parti Rakyat Sarawak, said he would still have to look at the terms of the trip “because if it is too expensive, I would have to say no.”

Batang Sadong MP Nancy Shukri of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu said she would be going for the trip if invited.

richard riotSerian MP Richard Riot of Supp also told The Borneo Post that he had not received any invitation but reiterated that he would join the trip if invited.

“Yes, of course I will go. I’m a BN man,” he said.

 

[chinkangkor]

The first domino has fallen ..... interesting times ahead.

 

[Alu862]

Let's see how the Malays react to no bumiputra.

 

[johnny333]

Lee Kuan Yew's nightmare, PAP minister jump ship against PAP.

[

LKY has carefully chosen his MPs. He knows what motivates these MPs , $$$$.

 

[chinkangkor]

LKY has carefully chosen his MPs. He knows what motivates these MPs , $$$$.

PAP as a political party is an empty shell.

 

[po2wq]

tis 1 ... no big deal ... opportunist oni ... :p

 

[The MilkMan]

like teochew's saying:
"where is more cooling,where to sit lor"
they are also trying to survive,see the "wind blowing direction" only.
they are also taking a gamble and put their politic's career on the line.
this type of thing happen everywhere,after all all are still human beings and survival instinct will kick in.

16th September 2008,the answer will be know,if his gamble is right.

 

[bigbossman]

I wonder if Anwar can pull it off ??

Congratulations to him, if he does

 

[one2unite]

Let's see how the Malays react to no bumiputra.

All that they, including the Malays, want is equal treatment. Don't use the Malay race card to benefit only the UMNO-putras.

It's good to see Malaysians from all walks of life are moving towards pluralistic political culture, away from the narrow race-based arrangement that benefits only a handful of cronies and hangers-on.

 

[one2unite]

PAP as a political party is an empty shell.

Yeah, what an excellent observation. PAP is not a political party in the usual sense. It's a one-man outfit, a convenient tool that comes in useful to justify and continue an authoritarian regime that is steeped in corruption, nepotism and cronyism.

 

[tokselehon]

16 sept 2008 is d-day for all malaysians and singaporeans.

It's an outcome day for all to see and hear that both bn and lky pap would go down the drain.

It's a day to be true if anwar ibrahim could get as many bn mps to cross-over.And a definite a warning call for lky pap(very unfortunate for lky's 85 birthday)

Be prepared, great singaporeans to support The Opposition come 2011 GE.Let's gat rid of lky pap at once and for all.

Malaysia boleh, singapore lagi boleh.

 

[BlueCat]

i do not think,tomorrow - 16th September 2008,will be the day.
he will lose the support of the Malay,if he wants to abolish the bumiputra.
as those big "gun" of politicians of both governing and opposition,datuks and rich malay businessmem are the real gainer of bumiputra.
so they will not support him.

let just wait and see,if he can pull it off tomorrow.
i do not see it happen,tomorrow - 16 Sept 2008,maybe the next 2 weeks,it will happen after all those "so call" switching party's MPs return from their vacation and paid trips.

just like Thailand,the longer it drags on,the longer the economic will take to recover.
who is the one that actually suffers ? those ordinary working people.