Bernama | KUALA LUMPUR, 10-July-2009 — Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said although he often criticised the government, it did not mean that he was not supporting the administration.
On the contrary, he said, the criticisms made were based on his personal observation and he had the right to have an opinion on certain issues.
“So far, (there are) so many things I do not agree with. That is my personal opinion, I am entitled to have my opinion, but it does not mean I do not support the government,” he said when asked for his opinion on the administration of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on his first 100 days in office.
Commenting on the matter, Dr Mahathir, when met after delivering his keynote address at the Discourse on the Institution of the Monarchy and the Malays in the Federal Constitution from the 1Malaysia Perspective, here on Friday, said, however, that he could not make an evaluation of the Najib administration yet.
“I haven’t made a study yet…not a scientific study,” he said.
Asked to comment on the positive aspects of Najib’s administration, Dr Mahathir said among the things that deserved praise was his approach in going to the ground and meeting the grassroots.
“There are (positive aspects), he (Najib) meets more people, he doesn’t sleep. These are all positive (aspects),” he said.
On the negative side, Dr Mahathir said these included the proposal on the third bridge to Singapore and the failure of the government to tackle corruption in the government when there were still individuals who were found guilty of corrupt practices still holding position in the cabinet.
Meanwhile, Dr Mahathir said the claim by certain groups that the New Economic Policy (NEP) posed an obstacle to the economic growth of the people was not right.
Dr Mahathir, who was also a former finance minister, said the policy which was introduced 38 years ago was not a reason for the slow economic growth.
On the other hand, the open policy adopted by certain countries on foreign direct investment (FDI) and the world economic recession had influenced the growth of the local economy.
Meanwhile on a separate issue, Dr Mahathir conceded that the controversy on the house of former Selangor menteri besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo could affect the position of Umno and the Barisan Nasional in terms of morality.
In this context, he urged Dr Mohamad Khir to explain the source of funds for his house which was said to be worth RM24 million.
“He has to explain where he got the money (from)…(he) can’t just say RM3 million. I too have a house. I spent RM1 million on my house at The Mines. His house is how many times bigger than mine,” he said.
Meanwhile the fourth Malaysian prime minister, who celebrates his 84th birthday on Friday, shared his wish with the people: “My wish is to see Malaysia where people think they are Malaysians and not linked to anywhere else”.
Meanwhile, former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, when commenting on Najib’s first 100 days as prime minister, said he was happy that Najib’s leadership was getting more acceptance from the people.
“Alhamdulillah, because the support given to him was growing from 42 per cent before he took the oath of office to 65 per cent (based on a survey by Merdeka Centre, a local research centre).
“This means that he had succeeded in leading the country with the policies announced by him from time to time.
“Consequently, these policies will receive public scrutiny in terms of their kimplementation. I hope they can be defended,” he said.
Reuters | KUALA LUMPUR, 09-July-2009 (Reuters) – The approval rating of Malaysia’s new prime minister has surged to 65 percent from from 42 percent in mid-May, according to a poll from the independent Merdeka Center published on Wednesday.
Najib, who was appointed prime minister in April, had initially struggled to establish his popularity but has in his first 100 days in office set out a raft of reforms to open up Malaysia’s economy to boost growth.
The new policies rolled back some of the decades-old economic privileges for ethnic Malays which have been criticised for stunting growth, although there had been a risk of a backlash from among Najib’s ruling party which represents the group.
The poll showed that 62 percent of the 1,062 respondents, questioned between June 19 and July 1, approved of the liberalisation measures and that 60 percent believed it would help Malays in the long term.
“Quite clearly, a growing number of Malaysians like some of the policy initiatives of the PM and his inclusive message,” said Ibrahim Suffian, head of the polling body.
“Some have begun to trust his leadership and some are giving him the benefit of doubt. This has translated into a higher approval rating,” he said.
Najib’s administration faces another major challenge starting on Wednesday with the trial for sodomy of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.
The trial is due to start at 9.30 am (0130GMT) and it could stoke tensions between the government and opposition supporters, although a repeat of the clashes seen in 1998 when Anwar was dismissed from government and charged with sodomy and corruption is seen as unlikely.
The Star Online | 09-July-2009 – More and more Malaysians are giving the thumbs-up to the Prime Minister and his moves.
IT’S a ringing endorsement for Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak ahead of his 100 days in office as Prime Minister.
A survey conducted by the Merdeka Centre revealed that Najib’s latest approval rating had gone up to 65%, from 46% in mid-May and 42% when he took over the country’s top post from Tun Abdullah Badawi on April 1.
The respondents were asked to give their input on the Prime Minister’s leadership, performance and their opinions on Najib’s implementation of the government’s policies.
The rating is expected because Najib has worked hard from day one. He is aware that he has come in at a difficult time – when the Barisan Nasional is still recovering from the massive losses of the March 8 polls and the global financial crisis.
One for all: Najib’s 1Malaysia concept may have yet to fire the imagination of Malaysians but public acceptance has definitely taken root.
With these political and economic burdens staring at him, Najib worked against time, well aware of the huge expectations on him.
The 100-day mark is used by the media as a benchmark and is arguably unfair as the period is too short.
But given the brief period, Najib has certainly done well as the approval ratings have proven.
Without doubt, the biggest score must be Najib’s move on economic liberalisations. His decision to scrap the 30% bumiputra equity requirement for companies seeking public listing showed his courage in making sound economic decisions even if they affect Umno politically.
Najib is surely aware that there would be criticism from the Malay voters who are used to affirmative action, but he must have weighed how the equity rule has affected the country’s economic competitiveness, particularly foreign direct investments.
With an economic slowdown, with jobs being lost and neighbours competing for investments, Najib decided to carry out what is right and responsible and not merely be popular among his Umno members.
Politics is no longer local, particularly on economic issues. His decision was reported in all newspapers in major financial capitals. In short, the nations that matter.
His 1Malaysia concept may have yet to fire the imagination of Malaysians but public acceptance has definitely taken root. No one with a sound mind can dispute the intention of this concept.
Through the Cabinet, he has also rightly decided that no child should be converted when one of the child’s parents has changed religion.
He has set things in motion and now, the various rulers and state religious councils are deliberating on the move.
Najib is aware of the need to win over the Chinese and Indian votes, which went to the Opposition on March 8.
The survey showed that 76% of Malays were satisfied with Najib’s performance while the level of support among Chinese and Indians was 48% and 74% respectively.
His walkabout to touch base with the people has also earned him brownie points. We just hope it would not be a photo opportunity for the 100 days but something he would continue.
So far, the media has found that these outings have been genuine surprise visits with only the national news agency Bernama invited to cover. Occasionally, editors found out about these visits on Najib’s Twitter.
On civil liberties, he has released detainees from the Internal Security Act with the Home Ministry now carrying out a review of the detention law.
He has expressed his readiness to face a critical press and editors have been invited to regular breakfast meetings with him, where they expressed their views on current developments.
The idea is to enable the Prime Minister to hear the news, however unpleasant it may be, and at the same time, let the editors know the rationale for the implementation of certain policies and decisions.
It is still very early days into Najib’s term but he has done remarkably well, given the economic challenges and political burdens he is carrying.
The state of the economy has remained the overriding concern of most Malaysians interviewed and the survey showed that they were fairly optimistic and confident of his ability to steer the country down the right path.
It’s a fair assessment and it shows that Malaysians, being better informed and more critical now, would be less generous of their compliments of politicians. The days of blind adulation are over.
But the bottom line is Malaysians have approved his leadership.
The New York Times | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-July-2009 — Malaysia will revert to using its national language, Bahasa Malaysia, to teach science and math starting in 2012, abandoning a six-year English policy that the government said had failed to improve student grades.
The long-awaited decision, announced Wednesday, came after months of lobbying by Malay nationalists and was largely viewed as a political decision by local commentators.
Malaysia has taught science and math in English since 2003, when former Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamad implemented the English-language policy in an attempt to help graduates improve their English and employability.
However, the government has found that academic grades in science and math have fallen since English was introduced.
Students in rural districts, who are mainly Malay, suffered the most because their English proficiency was low, The Associated Press quoted Education Minister Muhyiddin Yassin as saying. He said the government would recruit more teachers and increase English classes in an effort to improve English levels in schools.
Professor James Chin, head of the school of arts and social sciences at Monash University in Malaysia, said the decision had also become a political issue.
“They decided to buckle under the pressure from the Malay nationalists who argue that by teaching students in English you are neglecting the position of the national language,” said Mr. Chin, a political commentator.
“I think what it shows is that the Malay nationalists feel that U.M.N.O. is very weak so that they can force U.M.N.O. to do a lot of things,” he added, referring to the United Malays National Organization.
Many parents and employers had called for English to be retained as the language of instruction.
Concerns have risen in recent years that students’ English skills have declined, with employers citing this as a major weakness among graduates. A 2005 government survey found that there were almost 60,000 unemployed university graduates.
The government is also investigating whether students should have to pass English in order to obtain the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, the compulsory certificate of education for 16-year-olds.
A recent poll by the independent Merdeka Center showed that 58 percent of Malaysians wanted English to remain the language of instruction for science and math, the Malaysia Insider Web site reported this week.
Some 69 percent of respondents believed students should have to pass English in order to receive their Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia certificate.
The Malaysian Employers Federation had lobbied strongly for English to be retained as the medium of instruction.
“This is a setback for the efforts to enhance the command of English for the students,” said Shamsuddin Bardan, the federation’s executive director.
While Mr. Shamsuddin welcomed the government’s decision to improve students’ English proficiency by increasing the number of English teachers, he maintained that poor English skills remained a major weakness in the local workforce.
Mr. Chin said that English was the language used in Malaysia’s private sector.
“A lot of Malaysian parents are very worried about the standard of English,” he said. “A lot of parents realize that for their children, without English they can’t survive, not in the private sector.”
The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-July-2009 — Yes, his approval rating is up. Yes, the majority of Malaysians have confidence in his handling of the economy. Yes, nearly 50 per cent of Malaysians believe that he makes a better prime minister than Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
But before Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his comrades in Umno/Barisan Nasional start believing that the ruling coalition is back in the groove, and that Malaysians are once again firm believers in BN, they should pause and study some of the nuggets of information thrown up by the survey on 100 days of the Najib administration.
Malaysians are at best ambivalent whether the country’s sixth PM will be able to bring about reforms needed by the country. They also have not seen much evidence that institutions like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the judiciary will bloom under his leadership.
The poll of 1,060 registered voters in Peninsular Malaysia by Merdeka Center was carried out between June 19 and July 1. It shows that 65 per cent of those polled are satisfied with Najib’s performance since he became prime minister on April 3.
When the polling institute conducted a survey in mid-May, Najib only obtained an approval rating of 46 per cent. A significant segment of the respondents then were undecided, unwilling to give their stamp of approval until some of the flowery rhetoric which all new Malaysian leaders spout was matched with deeds and disturbed by the baggage which accompanied him into office.
In the recent survey, the percentage of undecided has dropped to 13 per cent. What this means is that some fence-sitters have decided to support Najib, persuaded perhaps by his firmer leadership and efforts to dismantle some affirmative action economic programmes.
And turned off by the seemingly endless disagreements and bickering among Pakatan Rakyat partners.
But the support for the Najib administration is not without qualifiers.
Only 43 per cent of Malaysians polled are confident that he will able to bring about reforms in the country, 26 per cent are not confident and 30 per cent are undecided. Broken down according to race, the most sceptical are the Chinese with 32 per cent saying that they are confident of his ability to bring reforms against 49 per cent Malays and 47 per cent Indians.
Drilled down, only 46 per cent of respondents are pleased with the police force under the Najib administration, with 45 per cent not confident and 9 per cent undecided.
The findings are even more dismal with regard to the MACC, judiciary and execution of government projects.
Only 41 per cent of respondents have confidence in the MACC, with 46 per cent having no confidence and 13 per cent undecided. Some 39 per cent have confidence in the judiciary under Najib, with 43 per cent not confident and 19 per cent undecided. These findings are hardly surprising given the low estimation in which both institutions are held by the public.
The general view is that the MACC is a tool of the administration and shows more enthusiasm going after opposition politicians while independence is not a word most Malaysians reach for to describe the judiciary. Respected jurists and legal experts have assailed the judiciary in recent months for not upholding the doctrine of separation of powers in the Perak crisis.
Still, in all likelihood Umno/BN supporters will choose to ignore the public sentiment on Najib’s ability to bring about reform and focus instead on the headline findings. It is hard to blame them for doing that. Across the planet, politicians do that — focus on the positives.
The danger in taking that approach is that sometimes you miss the nuances which suggest that all is not right, which suggest the support is conditional.
The Malaysia Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-July-2009 — Despite giving Datuk Seri Najib Razak a high approval rating as the country’s new prime minister, Malaysians appeared to view the continuing political tussle in Perak as a major black mark for the new administration.
The results from a survey by the independent Merdeka Center shows that 44 per cent of Malaysians polled backed the call for fresh elections as the way to resolve the crisis.
Those who feel the best resolution is to “persuade the people to accept the Barisan Nasional (BN) state government” accounted for just 18 per cent of those polled.
Another 18 per cent want fresh elections in the three seats belonging to the three Pakatan Rakyat (PR) defectors. The three defections had helped tip the balance in favour of BN and sparked an unprecedented political and constitutional crisis.
A striking result of the poll showed that a majority of Malay voters also backed fresh elections.
A total of 38 per cent of Malays agreed that the state assembly should be dissolved, with 15 per cent calling for polls in the three affected seats. Some 30 per cent of Malays backed the BN government.
Among the Chinese polled, 54 per cent wanted fresh elections, 20 per cent wanted polls in the three seats while just 8 per cent backed the BN government.
For the Indian community, 46 per cent wanted fresh elections, 24 per cent called for polls in the three seats, and only 15 per cent supported the BN government.
Ousted Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Nizar Jamaluddin from the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) said the poll vindicated his stand of fighting for the state assembly to be dissolved.
“They should call for fresh elections in Perak. Najib is behind the power grab and drama there and if he wants to save BN, he should dissolve the state assembly and I would believe that he would be encouraged to dissolve it to ride on the momentum of his popular support,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Some 1,060 selected registered voters were surveyed between June 19 and July 1.
They were asked a range of questions to gauge the PM’s performance, sentiment on the country and economy and measures to liberalise the economy.
The margin of error is about +/- 3 per cent. The survey was jointly commissioned by Merdeka Center and a research house. Najib’s approval rating was 65 per cent, a spike from the tepid 46 per cent in mid-May and 42 per cent just before he became the country’s sixth leader.
Twenty-two per cent are dissatisfied with his performance while 13 per cent were undecided.
“I would think that Najib should capitalise on the encouraging survey which shows that he is popular because of his policies and call for a state election in Perak.
Nizar said the poll vindicated his stand of fighting for the Perak state assembly to be dissolved. — File pic
“Najib is on the rising wave and he can ride it further on a sustained basis if responds to the aspiration of the people,” said Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam from the Centre for Public Policy Studies.
The survey appeared to show that there is broad appeal for Najib’s economic reforms.
But BN’s power-grab in Perak, which happened in February before Najib took office, is seen as an affair which has left a bad taste in the mouth for Malaysians.
The power grab, masterminded by Najib, has resulted in continuing political unstability with countless court battles and even two farcical state assembly sittings.
Nizar is still challenging the legitimacy of Datuk Dr Zambry Kadir’s appointment as mentri besar.
Tomorrow, the Federal Court in Putrajaya will hear Nizar’s final appeal.
The Malaysia Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-July-2009 — The majority of Malaysians want the teaching of mathematics and science in English to continue, the latest survey by an independent polling house shows.
The poll also showed that even more Malaysians backed the recent proposal by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin to make a pass in English compulsory in the SPM examination.
Despite the very vocal protest by some educationists and politicians, the poll by the Merdeka Center suggests many ordinary Malaysians did not agree with their nationalistic views and concerns that rural and Malay students would not be able to cope.
A whopping 69 per cent of Malaysians polled believed that a pass in English should be made compulsory.
Only 26 per cent of those polled disagreed, while five per cent were undecided.
Asked about the teaching of science and mathematics in English, 58 per cent of Malaysians polled wanted the policy to be maintained.
Only 32 per cent of those polled wanted the English policy to be reversed, while nine per cent were undecided.
The polling house also asked Malaysians their opinions on the move the limit the number of subjects in the SPM examinations to just ten, 58 per cent of Malaysians backed the proposal.
A total of 32 per cent of those polled did not agree on limiting subjects, while nine per cent were undecided.
Many people back Muhyiddin’s recent proposal to make a pass in English compulsory in the SPM examination.
Some 1,060 selected registered voters were surveyed between June 19 and July 1.
They were asked a range of questions to gauge the PM’s performance, sentiment on the country and economy and measures to liberalise the economy.
The margin of error is about +/- 3 per cent. The survey was jointly commissioned by Merdeka Centre and a research house.
But despite the evidence of the poll, those in the anti-English camps remained undeterred.
“I accept the survey outcome, but more details on the sample should be provided.
“ The results may be driven by the aggressive campaign by the government to promote the policy, and the 1060 participants do not represent the hundreds of thousands of students affected by the policy,” Abu Qassim Norazmi from Muslim students organisation PKPIM told The Malaysian Insider.
“The outcome will be different if the survey was focussed on rural areas. Such a sample composition will definitely produce such results,” Alinor Kadir, Secretary General of Malaysian Islamic Science Academy, Asasi, said when asked to comment on the poll results.
According to the methodology of the survey, 44 per cent of the respondents were classified in the rural demographic while 56 per cent were from urban areas.
The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 07-July-2009 – When he entered office in early April, he owned one of the lowest approval ratings of any incoming Malaysian Prime Minister.
One hundred days later and after a slew of measures to reform the economy, Malaysians appear to be warming up to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a latest survey by an independent polling house shows.
The poll by the Merdeka Centre shows that his approval rating is 65 per cent, a spike from the tepid 46 per cent in mid-May and 42 per cent just before he became the country’s sixth leader.
Twenty-two per cent are dissatisfied with his performance while 13 per cent were undecided.
The survey findings will present further evidence to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that the days of it contending with a weak and unsure leader in Putrajaya are over.
Ibrahim Suffian, head of the polling institute, said: “Quite clearly, a growing number of Malaysians like some of the policy initiatives of the PM and his inclusive message.
“Some have begun to trust his leadership and some are giving him the benefit of doubt. This has translated into a higher approval rating.”
Some 1,060 selected registered voters were surveyed between June 19 and July 1.
They were asked a range of questions to gauge the PM’s performance, sentiment on the country and economy and measures to liberalise the economy.
The margin of error is about +/- 3 per cent. The survey was jointly commissioned by Merdeka Centre and a research house.
Since becoming PM on April 3, Najib has tried to stake out his credentials as a reformer and architect of a new economic model for the country.
While he may have started on a low note, Najib can take heart that his approval rating has shot up. – Picture by Choo Choy May
He liberalised the financial services sector, allowing foreigners to own larger chunks of investments banks and insurance companies.
Last week, he dropped the 30 per cent Bumiputera equity requirement for Malaysian firms seeking listing and trimmed the role of the powerful Foreign Investment Committee (FIC).
In addition, he also announced that from next year, a new category of merit-based scholarships will be awarded to Malaysian students.
These changes and policy initiatives are aimed at making Malaysia an attractive destination for foreign investment, nurture the services sector and help the country retain its best brains.
There is also a political imperative.
The moves proposed by the Najib administration are also aimed at regaining some of the support Umno/Barisan Nasional lost in Election 2008, particularly among the non-Malays.
The Merdeka Centre survey shows that Najib’s support is strongest among the Malays.
Some 74 per cent of Malays polled are satisfied with his performance as PM, while the level of support among Chinese and Indians is 48 per cent and 74 per cent respectively.
This finding will provide comfort to the PM at a time when his critics in the Malay community are accusing him of being too eager to remove affirmative action quotas at the expense of the Malays.
Both former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) president Datuk Abdul Hadi Awang have disagreed with the decision to liberalise the economy, arguing that Malays still need special treatment from the government.
Najib has said that the move to open up the economy will benefit Malaysia and Malays in the long run.
Economists have hailed the measures, noting that Malaysia had to become more competitive to attract foreign direct investment at a time when FDI around the world is declining.
The survey suggests that the majority of Malaysians accept the need for economic liberalisation.
Some 62 per cent respondents believe that liberalisation will help Malaysia in the long run, with 21 per cent not confident that it will help the country and no response from 17 per cent of those polled to this question.
In addition, 60 per cent of those polled believed that liberalisation will help Malays in the long run.
The survey also showed that despite facing one of the steepest contractions of the economy since the Asian Financial Crisis, Malaysians are fairly optimistic about the state of the economy and the ability of the Najib administration to steer the country down the right path.
Six out of then Malaysians are confident of the PM’s ability to manage the economy and lead Malaysia out of the recession.
Generally, the findings of the survey indicate strong levels of support among Malays and Indians for the new PM but the Chinese remain ambivalent.
Ibrahim said: “The general sense is that the Chinese community likes what they have been hearing but want to see the policies and initiatives to be executed.
“If the PM ensures that his agenda is implemented quickly and effectively, his goodwill will only grow.’’
But as the Abdullah years showed, if there is a yawning gap between press statements and execution, Malaysians can be an unforgiving lot.
nutgraph.com | 03-July-2009: ON 25 Nov 2007, the Hindu Rights Action Force (Hindraf) burst into public consciousness through a mammoth street rally. Few doubt that Hindraf was pivotal in swinging Indian Malaysian votes away from the Barisan Nasional (BN) three months later in the March 2008 general election.
On 2 July 2009, Malaysiakini reported that Hindraf has submitted an application to the Registrar of Societies to found a new party known as Parti Hak Asasi Manusia (Paham).
But apart from Hindraf, the emergence of other Indian Malaysian political parties is a trend that warrants attention. All claim to want to represent and improve the lot of Indian Malaysians. What does this say about the community itself? And what impact do these divisions have on BN and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR)?
A few months before Hindraf, there was the Malaysian Indians United Party (MIUP) started by Datuk KS Nallakaruppan, a former Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) stalwart and close friend of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This year saw the birth of Hindraf splinter group, the Malaysian Makkal Sakthi Party (MMSP), and the Malaysian Indian Democratic Action Front (Mindraf) founded by former journalist Manuel Lopez.
And in PAS, the party’s supporters club has seen the Indian Malaysian faction, which outnumbers Chinese Malaysian members, demand that the club be split according to racial lines.
Developments in the community’s political scene will shape the battle for Indian Malaysian votes in the 13th general election due in 2013. Already, there are early and subtle signs that the ground is shifting.
Moving quickly
Consider a few things which have happened since 3 April 2009, when Datuk Seri Najib Razak became prime minister.
Hindraf protesters
The Tamil press play up criticisms of the PR by Hindraf leaders, though the organisation is banned. In Penang, Hindraf is butting heads with the DAP-led state government on behalf of Kampung Buah Pala residents whose land is to become the site of a luxury housing project.
Hindraf protesters
About two weeks after Najib took office, former Hindraf national coordinator RS Thanenthiran met with the premier to talk about the Indian Malaysian community’s grievances. By this time, two Hindraf leaders had already been released from Internal Security Act detention in one of Najib’s first moves as premier. Three other leaders would later be released on 9 May.
Thanenthiran confirms with The Nut Graph that he met Najib, remarking that his predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, did not once entertain Hindraf’s requests for a meeting or acknowledge their memorandums. A month after the meeting with Najib, Thanenthiran launched MMSP.
On the ground, BN has not wasted time wooing the community, according to reports in the Tamil press.
Take the Cameron Highlands constituency, for example. Its Member of Parliament Datuk SK Devamany says, in a phone interview, that since April, two Tamil schools have received RM500,000 and RM700,000 each. Indian Malaysians have also been promoted to head a primary school there, and the local Drainage and Irrigation Department.
Indian Malaysian sentiment towards the BN government also appears to be on the uptrend although it is still early days in Najib’s administration.
In the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research’s 2008 fourth quarter poll on Peninsula Malaysia sentiment, 56% of Indian Malaysians surveyed disagreed when asked if Najib would make a good prime minister.
In another poll in May 2009, the first survey since Najib became prime minister, 64% of Indian Malaysians said they were satisfied when asked about his performance as premier.
Divide and conquer?
Datuk Dr Denison Jayasooria, the former executive director of MIC’s Yayasan Strategik Sosial, says the emergence of different Indian Malaysian political parties indicates that the community still feels sidelined from the mainstream economy. This discontent gives room to individuals with the means and backing to start new parties.
Denison
Another cause is the lack of grassroots leaders who can identify with the rural and plantation communities in a way that western-trained leaders like PKR vice-president R Sivarasa or the DAP’s Charles Santiago cannot. Denison says these leaders are not seen as representatives of the Tamil grassroots, and believes this played a part in allowing Hindraf, and parties like MMSP to rise.
Najib’s tacit acceptance of MMSP by meeting them indicates his seriousness about winning back the non-Malay Malaysian vote. Denison observes that Najib knows BN cannot afford to be over-protective of MIC, which is embroiled in infighting and is no longer able to defend its position as the main representative of Indian Malaysians.
And while things appear quiet with MIUP and Mindraf, Najib only needs to engage the most attractive alternative to the illegal Hindraf.
As such, the speed at which MMSP’s registration was approved in May, three months after its application, gave rise to talk that the fledging party had the BN’s backing and funding.
Thanenthiran denies this and when asked again, said: “It is not important whether we support BN or PR but that we work with the party that is doing things to help the Indian [Malaysian] community.”
He claims that MMSP, which has over 30,000 members now, is self-funding.
The party has been given further legitimacy by BN, even though it is not part of the coalition, through a campaign launched in early June to find stateless Indian Malaysians—- those without birth certificates or MyKads. MMSP is tracking these cases through announcements in the Tamil press and through its grassroots network, and is forwarding the individuals’ details for the National Registration Department’s further action.
Structural change
The political divisions among Indian Malaysians may be beneficial to BN, but problematic for PR which is still learning the ropes of state administration and coalition politics.
Thiruvenggadam
Petaling Jaya City councilor A Thiruvenggadam, who is from PKR, feels that PR could be doing more to fill the void by introducing faster changes in certain policies.
He says the PR-led Selangor government still has not dismantled past BN policies on the procurement and awarding of contracts, which, he says, still favour Malay Malaysians. He has also angered his party leaders for going public with claims of political interference in certain council dealings, and knows he is likely to be dropped when the state government announces councilors for the new term in July.
“The Selangor PR government is still adopting all the BN policies of the past to favour one community. We are seeing BN giving aid to Tamil schools and temples but PR is doing nothing to change such policies. Indian [Malaysian] support for PR will reduce if PR doesn’t correct this,” he warns in an interview.
BN, being in federal power, has the resources to court the community. But structural change is also underway, promises Devamany
Devamany (Courtesy of MIC.org.my)
, who is Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and whose portfolio includes policies on Indian Malaysian community issues for the Economic Planning Unit.
“The government is aware that piecemeal handouts to Tamil schools and temples are insufficient,” he tells The Nut Graph.
Changes in education, civil service recruitment, poverty eradication, housing, and wages, among other areas, must take place with the results documented to give visibility to the government’s efforts.
Devamany, who sits on the cabinet’s sub-committee on Indian Malaysian affairs, says this must be done because people still believe “the government doesn’t help non-Malays”.
Personality vs community
Denison notes that the history of Indian Malaysian political parties has been fraught with splits and the formation of new parties. MIC has faced competition for Indian Malaysian membership even from parties in the BN fold or those friendly to BN, such as the People’s Progressive Party, Gerakan, the Indian Progressive Front, and the Malaysian Indian Muslim Congress (Kimma).
“It can be taken as a sign that the Indian [Malaysian] community is most active politically. They are in every party, whether pro-BN or pro-PR. Their common problem, however, is that these parties tend to be personality-based which explains the splits and emergence of new parties,” he notes.
Denison believes that Indian Malaysian parties have to change from being personality-driven to community based.
“The truth is, Indian political activism in Malaysia has not thrived unless there are other races to help it,” he says, noting that just as MIC cannot go it alone without the rest of the BN coalition, PKR too, needs a multiracial platform to survive.
“I don’t think Indian [Malaysian] unity is necessarily the way forward,” he says.
But who eventually wins over the Indian Malaysian vote in the coming elections is still left to be seen.
The Edge | KUALA LUMPUR, 01-July-2009: A survey carried out by public opinion pollster Merdeka Center found that Malaysian youths have become less confident that their vote can influence the government.
The National Youth Survey 2008, which polled 2,518 Malaysians aged 20 to 35 years old, found that while a higher percentage of youth — from 72% in 2007 to 77% in 2008 — are aware of the impact of government decisions in their daily lives, they are also less confident that their vote can affect change. When asked how much of a difference their vote makes in influencing the government, only 64% of respondents last year said their votes could make a difference, a 16% drop compared to 80% in 2007.
Political apathy was also prominent among the youth surveyed. Among those polled, 44% were not registered to vote, and when asked why they had not, half of them replied that they were busy or have other commitments, while just over a quarter replied that they were indifferent or negative towards national politics.
Distrusting of mainstream media
The survey also found that while most Malaysian youths were up to date with current news, almost half of respondents said that they do not trust the mainstream media when it comes to news on political and current affairs.
The survey found that about half of the respondents read newspapers or watched television news programmes at least four times a week, but 49% of them did not trust the reporting carried out by mainstream media, as they perceive the reports to show bias towards certain political parties.
Contrary to popular sentiment, however, only 44% of respondents said they relied on the Internet for their news, even though 70% of them had access to the Internet. Of those who surfed the Internet for news, only half of them said they access the news at least four days a week. Among the news sites, 39% said that mainstream Malay-language sites like Bernama and Berita Harian were their favourite sites, compared to only 9% who preferred alternative news sites like Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider.
The survey about the views, values, and consumption habits of the nation’s youth was carried out via telephone between November and December 2008.
The Malaysian Insider | KUALA LUMPUR, 08-July-2009 — Yes, his approval rating is up. Yes, the majority of Malaysians have confidence in his handling of the economy. Yes, nearly 50 per cent of Malaysians believe that he makes a better prime minister than Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
unwilling to give their stamp of approval until some of the flowery rhetoric which all new Malaysian leaders spout was matched with deeds and disturbed by the baggage which accompanied him into office.
The survey findings will present further evidence to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that the days of it contending with a weak and unsure leader in Putrajaya are over.
