Contents iii !e March to Putrajaya Kim Quek Gerakbudaya Enterprise Petaling Jaya iv The March to Putrajaya Published by ORIENTGROUP SDN BHD (211571-M) 15, Jalan 6/118C, Desa Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603-9173 1434, +603-9173 1436 Fax: +603-9173 1412 Email: [email protected] Printed by POLAR VISTA SDN BHD (3178716-P) 15, Jalan 6/118C, Desa Tun Razak, Cheras, 56000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Tel: +603-9173 1434, +603-9173 1436 Fax: +603-9173 1412 Copyright © 2010 Kim Quek All rights reserved. ISBN 978-983-9048-73-5 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy- ing, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Responsibility for the facts and opinions in this publication rests exclusively with the author. Contents v Contents The Author x Preface xi Acronyms xiv Making the Right Political Decision 1 r &DPOPNZJOCBETIBQF r 'BMTFQSPNJTFTPGSFGPSNT r 6NOPDBOUDIBOHF r 'VMMSBOHFPGJOTUJUVUJPOBMSPU r 4UBUVTRVPNFBOTIPQFMFTTOFTT r "TTFTTJOH1BLBUBO3BLZBU r $BO1BLBUBOIFMNUIFOBUJPO r 1BLBUBOTJNBHFEBNBHFE r 1BLBUBOSFBDIFEDPOTFOTVTPOQPMJDJFT r 5IF$PNNPO1PMJDZ'SBNFXPSL $1' r #VJMEJOHVQUIF1BLBUBOJNBHFXJUI"OXBSJOUIFMFBE r "OXBSTPEPNZ**JTBQPJTPOFEDIBMJDF r &YUFOEJOHCBUUMFHSPVOEUP4BCBIBOE4BSBXBL r 4BSBXBLUIFQPPSSJDILJE r 4BCBIUIFQBSBEJTFMPTU r 3FGMFDUJOHBOEMPPLJOHGPSXBSE vi The March to Putrajaya The Perak Constitutional Crisis 45 An overview of the Perak Crisis 47 1. 8IZ/J[BSTSFNPWBMJTVODPOTUJUVUJPOBM 2. 13.05.2009 Nizar won, but judge Ramli ordered hold the next day 56 3. $PVSUPGBQQFBMPWFSUVSOT"[J[TKVEHNFOU without basis 59 4. 04.02.2009 EC over-rules speaker – no by-election! 63 5. /BKJCTGBMMBDJPVTANBKPSJUZJO1FSBL 6. 16.04.2009 Federal court favours EC, undermines separation of power 68 7. 17.06.2009 Federal court errs in favour EC 71 8. 1PMJDFASFQMBDFE1FSBLTQFBLFSCZCSVUFGPSDF 9. 09.09.2009 Speaker vs speaker: judge Azahar slapping his PXOGBDF 10. 30.10.2009 BN rule in Perak turned barbaric 80 11. 16.11.2009 MB vs MB: Federal Court of judicial pillars or QPMJUJDBMTUPPHFT The Altantuya Murder 87 12. 14.01.2007 Mongolian murder a potential time bomb 89 13. 5IF"MUBOUVZBNVSEFSKVTUJDFPOUSJBM 14. #BMBTBGGJEBWJUGJMMTWPJETJO"MUBOUVZBUSJBM 15. $PVSUSFKFDUT#BMBTBGGJEBWJU 16. 3B[BLTIFMQJOHIBOEUP/BKJCXBTOPUIFMQGVM 17. 8IPJTGSJWPMPVT1*#BMBPS1./BKJC Najib’s Ascension to Premiership 115 18. 13.03.2009 Why Najib must be stopped from becoming PM 117 19. 30.03.2009 Najib must be screened by a royal commission PGJORVJSZ 20. )JEEFOESBNBTIPVSTCFGPSF/BKJCTTXFBSJOHJO Contents vii 21. /BKJCTQSFNJFSTIJQTPVOEBOEGVSZ MJUUMF substance 129 22. /BKJCT.BMBZTJBBUXPGBDFETDBN 23. %PFT/BKJCSFBMMZVOEFSTUBOEFDPOPNJDT Election Mar 2008 – Pakatan Rises, BN Declines 139 24. 22.11.2007 King must act in election commission appointment 141 25. 03.03.2008 Main election issue: For or against 6NOPQVUSBJTN 26. 10.03.2008 An opportunity to treasure for opposition 149 27. %JTBTUFSMPPNTGPS.BMBZTJBTA5JUBOJD 28. "OXBSTUSJVNQIBOUSFUVSOUP1BSMJBNFOU 29. 07.10.2008 BN doomed by in-built contradictions 161 30. 1FOZBLJU5VB /P JUT"M[IFJNFST%JTFBTF 31. 06.12.2008 PKR Congress Signals Readiness for Rein of Government 169 32. )PXUPTPMWF*OEJBONBSHJOBMJ[BUJPO Anwar Sodomy II 177 33. .BIBUIJSBENJUUJOHTPEPNZBGSBNFVQ 34. 01.08.2008 Medical report exonerates Anwar, but police doggedly pursue him 181 35. 09.08.2008 Sodomy never took place 185 The Impaired Judiciary 189 36. 24.08.2006 Why judicial commission is a must 191 37. 25.09.2007 Rising in unison to force judicial reforms 193 38. /BKJCTQMPZUPEFMBZ.BMBZTJBO#BS 39. 3FKFDU/BKJCTNBOQBOFMOPX 40. 10.10.2007 Frantic search for whistle-blowers confirms clip is genuine 204 viii The March to Putrajaya 41. 21.10.2007 A Malaysian judge made history 209 42. +VEJDJBMSPUGSPNPOFOJHIUNBSFUPBOPUIFS 43. 22.04.2008 Najib not in sync with Pak Lah on reforms 217 44. 1BL-BITSFGPSNCJMMTNFSFIVNCVH The Perennially Troubling Police Force 227 45. 28.11.2005 Police atrocities bring forth the Malaysian dilemma 229 46. 30.03.2006 IPCMC: no compromise please! 232 47. 29.05.2006 Whom do the police serve: ruling party or the QFPQMF 48. 06.09.2009 Dark clouds over the IGP 240 Teoh Beng Hock’s Tragic Death 245 49. 5FPITEFBUINZTUFSJFTBCPVOE 3PZBM$PNNJTJPO without delay 247 50. 23.07.2009 Royal commission of deception 252 51. 1."(TKVTUJGJDBUJPOGPSJORVFTUMBVHIBCMF Race and Religion 259 52. 24.09.2006 Kuan Yew causes uproar over marginalised Chinese 261 53. 6OUBOHMJOHUIFLOPUUZ-JOB+PZDBTF 54. 17.01.2008 The Constitution and Malay rights 271 55. .BMBZTJBB+VSBTTJD1BSL 56. 06.11.2008 Zaid Ibrahim touches the heart of race relations 280 Abdullah’s Control-less Years 285 57. 08.02.2006 Sabah demographic implosion – Royal Commission needed 287 58. $BCJOFUDPNNJUUFFTBJNJOHGPSXPSMESFDPSET Contents ix 59. ;BLBSJBTAQBMBDFGJBTDPGPS6./0 60. &OEHBNFGPS6./0 61. 18.03.2007 Najib runaway train halts Pak Lah express 303 62. 29.04.2007 Ijok by-election: real losers and winners 308 63. 31.07.2007 Top law Enforcers exonerated in clouds of suspicion 314 64. 12.09.2007 RM6.75 billion naval vessels scandal: Najib must BOTXFSPSRVJU 65. 5PVSPG1BL-BITQPMJDFTUBUF 66. 19.12.2007 Double-tracking railway hustle 331 67. 1BL-BITTVOTFUJOCMB[JOHTLZPSEJNFDMJQTF Mahathir’s Last Hurray 341 68. 19.04.2006 Stop the half bridge nonsense 343 69. 27.04.2006 New scandal in half bridge saga 352 70. 18.08.2006 Mahathir eclipses but Mahathirism thrives 356 x The March to Putrajaya The Author Kim Quek is a Malaysian political commentator who has been keeping a very close watch on the fast moving political development in Malaysia. His GSFRVFOUXSJUJOHTPOUIFMPDBMTDFOFBQQFBSSFHVMBSMZJONBOZMPDBMXFCTJUFT including the popular Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today. His articles are typically factual and analytical and no-holds-barred when it comes to commenting on the incessant scandals of corruption and abuse of power involving the high hierarchy of the ruling Barisan Nasional that have increasingly dominated Malaysian politics. As such, his writings are a useful counter-balance to the notoriously one-sided narration of the Malaysian mainstream media which are hopelessly manipulated by the incumbent federal power. He hopes to offer readers, through his writings, a view of the other side of the coin, so to speak. *OBTFOTF UIJTCPPLJTBTFRVFMUP,JN2VFLTQSFWJPVTCFTUTFMMFSiWhere to, Malaysia?” which recorded the disastrous Mahathirist rule and the early auto-pilot reign of Abdullah Badawi. Preface xi Preface 5IJTJTBVOJRVFUJNFJOUIFIJTUPSZPG.BMBZTJB For the first time, the people have a real choice when they go to the polls. 6OMJLFJOUIFQBTUXIFOHPJOHUPUIFQPMMTNFBOUDIPPTJOHBTUSPOHFSPSB weaker opposition, this time around, people will vote with the understanding that they will be deciding which political alliance will rule this country. This option is made available thanks to the political tsunami that swept in during the 12th general elections held in March 2008. It is obvious that after garnering half of the popular votes in the last elections and after ruling five important states for two years in a manner that has earned the approval and respect of the people, the political alliance of PAS-PKR-DAP, known as Pakatan Rakyat, is well poised to challenge in the next general elections the incumbency of Barisan Nasional (BN), a DPBMJUJPOPGFTTFOUJBMMZSBDFCBTFEQBSUJFTMFECZ6NOP5IFJODVNCFOU power has ruled the country without interruption since Independence in 1957. This real option to the people has come at an opportune time indeed, for the development of the country has reached a critical point, both politically and economically. Politically, the racial and religious fault lines that have always existed in the past seem to have widened to an alarming expanse under the racial IFHFNPOZPG6NOP XIJMFQVCMJDJOTUJUVUJPOTIBWFEFDMJOFEUPBTUBUFUIBU they have ceased to command public trust and respect. Economically, the country has reached a dead end, unable to compete at the existing outdated economic model of low-cost, low-productivity, low value-added structure and yet incapable of transforming the economy to the high-value added chain of the fast- growing knowledge and information- based industries. xii The March to Putrajaya It is not an exaggeration to say that Malaysia has come to the edge of a precipice, and moving forward in the same direction may mean a fast EFTDFOU0CWJPVTMZ UIJTDBMMTGPSBDIBOHFPGEJSFDUJPOUPBWPJEJNQFOEJOH calamities. Barisan Nasional has vowed to make changes, but is it capable of veering UIFOBUJPOPGGUIBUBCZTT XJUI6NOPBCTPMVUFMZEPNJOBUJOHUIFDPBMJUJPO XJUIJUTSBDJTUJEFPMPHZJOUBDU 0OUIFPUIFSIBOE 1BLBUBO3BLZBUIBTQSPNJTFEUPJOTUJUVUFUIPSPVHI reforms to remove racism and restore democracy and good governance, thereby rejuvenating the economy. Can it be trusted to move the nation POUPUIFSJHIUQBUIPGJOUFHSBUJPOBOEHSPXUI 0STIPVMEXFBMTPQPOEFSUIFOFYUFRVBMMZJNQPSUBOURVFTUJPO%PXF TUJMMIBWFUIFDIPJDFPGOPUDIBOHJOHUIFJODVNCFOUSVMJOHQPXFS 5IFFMFDUPSBUFTBOTXFSTUPUIFTFRVFTUJPOTXJMMEFDJEFUIFPVUDPNFPGUIF next general elections which will in turn determine the fate of the nation for RVJUFTPNFUJNFUPDPNF I have written this book with the purpose of offering commentaries and insights that are otherwise hidden by the notoriously biased and sycophantic local press and television channels, but may be important for the making of balanced judgment. The book essentially consists of a currently written analysis of the present