Mute Pas begs for Dr Mahathir’s voice
excerpts:
The Pas VP wants Tun Dr Mahathir to continue to champion the interest of the people of Johor i.e. The Iskandar region and issues surrounding the foreign direct interference via foreign direct investments facilitated by the royalties and a subservient state government.
I am actually glad that the Pas VP, Salahuddin Ayub had admitted that there is a serious problem in Johor and that Pas and its Pakatan allies are not capable of being the check and balance of the issue on their own.
The fact that the Johorean Pas leader had even acknowledged the importance of
Dr Mahathir's voice in the effort to save Johor shows that the crisis is already quite critical.
For me, the issue is beyond petty partisan politics as it affects the rakyat as a whole.
I had during the Pas elections a few months ago met a very high ranking national Pas leader from Johor and told him of my worries about the environmental impact of one of the reclamation projects currently carried out along the Tebrau Straits.
I had asked the Pas leader to voice out the problem as at that time I was desperate for someone to champion the cause to stop the excesses in my home state.
The Pas leader acknowledged the problem caused by the project but had only this to say to me,
"Yang you cakap tu betul, tapi kita nak tegur project tu susah sebab melibatkan istana."
He told me, that even DAP was cautious about their objection against the project.
He, however, just shrugged when I asked him whether DAP is actually happy with the reclamation projects as in the long run, they will benefit the Chinese-dominated party as the Malay population will be pushed further into the Johor hinterland by the unbridled development.
Maybe Salahuddin has seen the danger of those projects, especially to the Johorean Malay Muslims, thus his call for Dr Mahathir to voice out his objection against them.
I do not blame Salahuddin for doing so. Pas actually is with just a little voice in Johor being a junior partner of the Pakatan in the State.
Of the 18 Pakatan's State seats in Johor, Pas only have three as compared to DAP's 14. As for Parliament seats, DAP has four, PKR has one, while Pas has zero.
Maybe Johor Pas has by now realized that they were only used by DAP in the effort to break up the Malay vote banks in the State.
Actually, Pas too could benefit from the current situation in Johor as more Johoreans, in particular those in the urban areas may switch to their side or stopped supporting Umno after being repulsed by the ongoing excesses.
But I guess, their leaders such as Salahuddin sees no point in Pakatan winning the State if the Malay Muslims ended up living on the fringes of the rapid development which was actually not meant for them.
That's probably why Salahuddin went to the extent of calling for Dr Mahathir's help to save the ummah in Johor.
In that sense, maybe Salahuddin is not such a bad guy.
It would be nice if all Johorean leaders, notwithstanding their political affiliation could sincerely work together to save our home state.
This is the type of "asinine" comments that make me wonder if those who comment have any knowledge of current economic realities!
ReplyDeleteStart with the premise that Malay Muslims in Johor have been "marginalised" ("living on the fringes of the rapid development..... ").
We achieved independence in August 1957.
What have successive Johor state governments done from then now to position the state to benefit from the rapid economic and technological advancements that have come about in the last 10-20 years?
Were they so blind so as not to see the writing on the wall for a primarily agricultural and commodities-based economy like Johor's?
There was a case study just across the Causeway in how Singapore modernised and developed itself.
Alas, the more "radical" elements in Johor chose either to criticise Singapore or make fun of it's purported "kiasu" mentality.
Even Tun Dr Mahathir, in his heyday, was wont to indulge in bouts of "Singapore bashing". As did a coterie in Johor who came up with such "gems" as "potong ayer", the " crooked bridge" etc.
Did any of these benefit the Malay Muslims in Johor?
How many of them, in 2014, still have to "cari makan" in Singapore as unskilled and semi-skilled workers?
I am sure that Annie would be aware of the hundreds of Malaysians who commute daily across the Causeway by motor cycle.
Why hasn't she posted about their situation and whether they have been well-served by the Johor state governments and the Johor establishment?
Or is it too easy to take potshots at Singapore while deliberately ignoring the real problems and weaknesses in Johor?
Because, as all good demagogues know, it's easier to make excuses and find scapegoats or punching bags than rolling up their sleeves and doing the hard work!
At which point of my posting did I go on "Singapore bashing"? Please read carefully. This posting is about addressing "the real problems and weaknesses in Johor".
DeleteOh Straits Times View, demagogues should never venture to represent what they know nuts about. Singapore dah modernize but how well you know the real hardships of Singaporeans?
Delete***************
By now, it is clear that the CPF has been very badly managed, to put it the most simply. The government has created layers and layers of problems – the CPF Minimum Sum, the Medi-schemes and liberalisation policies as Tan Chuan-Jin had himself admitted that “Many (Singaporeans) have low CPF balances because of… more liberal withdrawal rules which… (have) depleted their CPF savings”.
It is perhaps also contradictory when the government claims that the CPF offers flexibility for Singaporeans for housing and healthcare, when Lim Swee Say at the same time counters that Singaporeans should “defer cash withdrawals”, which thus directly contradicts the idea of this flexibility, doesn’t it?
Yet, instead of admitting that these patchwork solutions do not work and admit that an overhaul is desperately needed for the CPF to function again, the government chose to go through a series of logical leaps and fanciful words, just so to mask the inherent flaws that is running Singaporeans’ CPF into the ground.
It is perhaps pitiful that where the government has such a perfect opportunity now to finally be transparent about how they are managing the CPF and to be honest but the government chose to go back into their tortoise shell, while continuing to dress up the already cluttered and broken CPF in new clothes.
The government needs to acknowledge that what Singaporeans want at this point is a clear admission by the government on the lack of transparency and clarity of the system and to reform the system by going back to the basics of what a pension fund is supposed to do for Singaporeans – which is to allow us to earn enough to retire. And to do so, the government needs to increase the wages of Singaporeans and the CPF interest rates – two of the only and most direct solutions which would immediately resolve the issue facing us today, and to give Singaporeans choice on how to invest and when to withdraw their monies.
http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/07/14/singaporeans-cpf-the-truth-and-nothing-but/
Annie - you are missing the point in JalanStraitsview's post. Whether that is accidental or deliberate is open to question.
DeleteJalanStaitsview raised some valid points. The role of Malay Muslims in the Johor economy has been debated from the time Malaysia became independent in 1957. We went through May 13, 1969.
From August 1957 to May 1969, and post- May 1969, what exactly have successive Johor state governments done to uplift Malay Muslims in Johor and get them ready to participate fully and meaningfully in a modern information and services-driven economy?
Why is it that, in 2014, hundreds of Johoreans are working in Singapore, many as unskilled and semi-skilled workers?
Hasn't the Johor economy reached a point where good and well-paying jobs in a variety of sectors are readily available in the state? If it hasn't, whose fault is it? The Opposition? Singapore? The shadowy powers-that-be?
Like it or not, Johor has been touted as a "fixed deposit" for Umno and the Alliance/BN coalition.
So, any failings in the Johor economy, and the consequent impact on Malay Muslims (and Chinese, Indians and others) in Johor has to be laid at the door of the Johor state governments, and by implication, the Federal governments.
Is that so difficult to understand?
Alamak, this anon 19:25 got his signals mixed! What's Singapore CPF got to do with the state of affairs in Johor? Or are you trying to create a diversion by raising extraneous and irrelevant issues?
DeleteAs Tun Dr M Said...Johoreans should be Proud to have many skyscrapers scraping the Johor Skyline whilst the Malays in the State is trying to Scrape a Living. Semua Takut nak tegur Sultan?
ReplyDeleteYah, lor - must cari makan in Singapore, some more.
DeleteStrange that Tun Dr M never opines about this, when he has prolific opinions about almost everything else.
Maybe it's because his bete noire Singapore is involved, and we all know how he feels about THAT city-state!
I am a Johorean Malaysian Chinese and I agree with Annie that Iskandar only benefitted few. The sadest part is when you drive from the start of Danga Bay till The Zone, almost all the land along the beach were sold to either China or Singapore company. Sad
ReplyDeleteWhy is that sad? The land was not taken away. It was sold willingly at great profit. The beneficiary is the Sultan. If the land had not been sold it will still be the Sultan's land. How does the common folk benefit?
DeleteAnon 22:38
DeleteThe land belong to the people.
Yes annie. Great lost indeed. Once sold - hancur ! They should have the plan economically and politically. The investor, do they bother ? Its not for the intetest of rakyat but solely profit making.
DeleteThen the social problem. Who can effort to buy ? Ordinary rakyat?
UDA and selected private developers must develop the remaining land(if any or to allocate any within the radius of new city) for the sake of Gomen's housing projects for the rakyat. Beside this area needs another modern full equip army camp / police and marin. The Johor State Gomen and The Istana already there.
Who is the ruling the State? BN or PR? Blame the voters lah. Stop complaining.
ReplyDeleteSalahuddin is playing politics to save a sinking Islamist PAS fraught with problems of credibility and its twisted alliance with Moaist DAP and the zionist Anwar
ReplyDeleteNow Syed Mokhtar also want to join the fray.
ReplyDeleteMOHAMED Ali Rasheed Alabbar, the chairman of Dubaibased Emaar Group, is helping Tradewinds Corp Bhd to embark on its first mega property project in Nusajaya, Johor, that will generate some RM18 billion in gross development value (GDV), sources said.
Tradewinds plans to kick-start the integrated township called “One nu” by December through wholly-owned Tradewinds International Sdn Bhd, the sources added.
The development covering about 202ha will see a freehold integrated mixed-use upscale township in Nusajaya, Iskandar, which will be benchmarked against global world-class developments.
This one sure nobody complain. After all, sama bangsa, leh...boleh excuse!
DeleteNever mind "One nu" will have 8,000 residential units on completion. Siapa nak beli lapan ribu rumah, eh? Orang Johor? Orang asing?
But this one sure can, mah. The stars are all in alignment!
Even in Singapore the high end properties were bought by foreigners form China and in one instance a feedlot corporation from overseas. The land was owned by the Singapore Government. When it was sold none of the common Singapore folks benefitted.
ReplyDeleteNothing serious la.
ReplyDeletePAS just trying to suck in Dr M deeper to provoke the Sultan Johor.
Sultan Johor has no liking at all for Dr M. Let's watch and see the showdown la...
A lot of Johoreans benefit from the economic growth, jobs and income during this development stage of the projects. When fully completed, the southern Johor economy will match that of Klang Valley or close to it...Exciting right!
Btw, most AJK cawangan2 Johor UMNO & MCA have lots of jobs in the boom in southern Johor now, whether as suppliers or sub-contractors for projects there. Even ex-MB Ghani also happy fiddling in his comfortable retirement in Sime Darby. MB Khaled and his men also happy what with so much opportunities there now.
So, the only unhappy folks are Dr M's camp sympathizers like Syed Mokhtar, his cronies and Annie the cybertrooper. If Sultan Johor can terminate Syed Mokhtar's hold in PTP, the Tuanku will! Only waiting for the right time after Dr M is out of the picture. Then the axe is out... Hehe
In the meantime, tell Dr M to fight harder la and raise the temperatures of Sultan Johor and his many royalist subjects in the state. Orang Kedah ni dah angkat anak sendiri jadi MB Kedah, sekarang nak masuk Johor control kerajaan Johor pulak! Kedah kering dan mundur, tapi Johor berlimpah kekayaan tanah dan sumbernya. Kekayaan Negeri Johor buat rakyat dan payungNya.
Orang luar ni jangan biadap...
~ Kluang girl
You ni MINDA REALPOLITIK lah!
DeleteAnnie
ReplyDeleteIt's about time PAS wakes up from hibernation.
Their likes are supposed to be afraid of God unlike Umno's, whose God is $$$ and fear the man in the palace.
But the fact that they have not spoken up on the environment along the straits, the casino and slot machines and security issue especially in the dewan negeri make them no different from the BN MPs such as Jazlan and Shahrir and most of the BN goons ...oops, Adun!
The rakyat will forever be shortchanged by their supposedly representatives in the state!
Temagi
Why can't these PAS reps step up to the plate and stand up to what's happening in Johor if they truly are there to serve the people who voted them in? Why do they need to ask TDM to take the lead when he is no longer in office? I recall a brave BN/UMNO state rep who stood up fearlessly to serve the people of Johor even when nobody else dared to. These PAS reps should feel inspired to be brave now that the BN rep has blazed the trail for the people of Johor to continue the fight for their beloved state of Johor!
ReplyDelete