TQ to you all for the 70th birthday well-wishes

Rummaging through some old boxes, I came across this editorial which I wrote in the Form III class magazine “Light” (Vol. 2 – Nov. 1957) in Batu Pahat High School:

“During the past few years, the spirit of Malayan nationalism was aroused to such an extent that Malaya was granted Independence and a new nation was born.

“This grand and memorable achievement of Independence was only made possible through the united efforts of the various communities in the country.

Dr M undermined country’s institutions, says Kit Siang

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 18 — Charging Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad with “emasculating” all democratic institutions, Lim Kit Siang has claimed it was illogical that the former prime minister had to bow to the wishes of the police.

Dr Mahathir has recently claimed that he capitulated to then police chief Tun Hanif Omar, who insisted on the 1987 Internal Security Act (ISA) crackdown known as Ops Lalang and opposed the government’s plans to abolish the law that provides for detention without trial.

Would Opposition leaders have let off Mahathir for two decades if he had broken his assurance before Operation Lalang that they would not be arrested under the ISA?

Former Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has maintained what he said in Tom Plate’s new book “Doctor M: Operation Malaysia – Conversations with Mahathir Mohamad” that he had “actually met all of the opposition members (beforehand) and assured them that they would not be arrested”.

Following my rebuttal that I had never met Mahathir and that he never gave me any assurance that I would not be arrested before the launch of Operation Lalang on Oct. 27, 1987, Mahathir repeated yesterday: “I met Kit Siang and his friends as a group”.
He said he felt some of the political figures did not need to serve detention at that time.

“It was the police who took action against them and I accepted their decision.”

Gambar palsu Lim berketayap pula

Jika sebelum ini terdapat gambar palsu yang memaparkan Ketua Menteri Pulau Pinang, Lim Guan Eng menyembelih lembu ketika Aidil Adha, kali ini terdapat risalah yang diedarkan di Balik Pulau menunjukkan setiausaha agung DAP itu memakai ketayap.

Gambar itu menunjukkan Lim bersama ketua umum PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dan speaker dewan undangan negeri Pulau Pinang, Abdul Halim Hussein di sebuah surau di majlis rasmi di Komtar.

Guan Eng questions NKEA’s benefits to Penang

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 6 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng questioned today his predecessor Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon’s claim that the state would benefit greatly from the National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs).

Lim pointed out that none of the 19 entry point projects (EPP) under the NKEA was located in Penang.

“Penang’s failure to snare even one out of the 19 EPPs is unfair, discriminatory and unacceptable when there are only 13 states in Malaysia excluding the Federal Territory,” said Lim in a statement.

Krisis Mesir: Najib digesa tunjuk bukti, tidak dakwa ADUN Sri Muda

KUALA LUMPUR, 5 Feb — Datuk Seri Najib Razak sewajarnya tidak mengenakan tuduhan hasutan ke atas ADUN Sri Muda Shuhaimi Shafie Isnin ini jika pentadbirannya benar-benar mengutamakan kepentingan rakyat dan belajar daripada krisis Mesir, kata pemimpin veteran DAP Lim Kit Siang.

“Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib memberikan rakyat Malaysia jaminan bahawa pentadbirannya akan sentiasa meletakkan kepentingan rakyat terlebih dahulu, dengan merujuk kepada perkembangan di Mesir sebagai pengajaran.

“Beliau berkata dalam sistem demokrasi kita harus memberi keutamaan kepada rakyat, yang diperkayakan menerusi proses globalisasi dan ICT,” kata penasihat DAP ini dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan hari ini.

I wish I could come home for CNY

Tenang: Persoalan sukar DAP kepada MCA

Walaupun pedih dengan kekalahan calon PAS Normala Sudirman dalam pilihan raya kecil tenang, pemimpin popular DAP Lim Kit Siang berkata, terdapat persoalan yang sukar harus dijawab oleh Presiden MCA Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

"Adakah Chua mempunyai keberanian politik untuk memberitahu Umno bahawa pertambahan sokongan masyarakat Cina (kepada Pakatan Rakyat) bukan kerana hudud atau negara Islam tetapi dasar Pakatan untuk perubahan, keadilan, demokrasi dan kemajuan?