23rd November Malaysiaparty 's [NOW] News of Week Malaysiakini list up this =>
(picked from straitstimes.com) : http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/SE+Asia/Story/STIStory_303628.html
Opp state chiefs under fire
Pakatan dogged by weak governance and internal bickering
By Carolyn Hong, Malaysia Bureau Chief Nov 18, 2008
(Penang's government has been embarrassed by the cancellation of a touted tennis exhibition. Eight months after the election, leaders of opposition states have come under critical media scrutiny.)
KUALA LUMPUR: The Penang government must have winced each time the local newspapers splashed photographs of bleachers being dismantled along its Esplanade last week.
The stands were being taken down after a much-trumpeted tennis exhibition that was to have featured big names like Pete Sampras flopped as the organisers could not raise the funds.
The state government was embarrassed as it had promised to forgo the RM200,000 (S$84,600) rental fee if the event was successful, and had waived a RM2 million damage deposit.
But Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was defensive.
'We were neither the organiser nor co-organiser of the event. So why blame the state government?' he said on Sunday.
His critics say that the government could have collected the RM200,000 fee earlier.
Mr Lim, who used to be a harsh critic of the former government, has suddenly found himself in the unfamiliar position of having to defend official decisions.
He is not alone in his predicament. Leaders of the four states won by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat in the March general election have also taken flak in the media recently.
The sudden spate of bad news sits in stark contrast with the more forgiving reports of the early months following the election.
And while some of the 'controversies' are petty, others highlight the real problems facing Pakatan.
The problems appear to be twofold - issues of governance due to inexperience, and issues of negotiations within the Pakatan coalition.
Penang's tennis exhibition fiasco is clearly one of a misstep in governance, exacerbated by poor damage control when the government attempted to shift blame to the local council.
There will be more such fiascos but these are less serious than the fundamental problem of Pakatan cohesion. It is evident that eight months after the election, it has yet to work out a cooperation mechanism, especially for resolving sticky issues arising from its promised multiracial platform.
'Pakatan still does not have any mechanism to resolve high-level disputes,' said political analyst Ong Kian Ming.
Malaysiakini list up => Malaysiaparty 's =>
This has left the three component parties - each with its own communal interests - squabbling openly over new policies of the Kedah and Selangor governments in recent weeks.
Selangor Chief Minister Khalid Ibrahim, from Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), was criticised by his Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) colleagues for promoting a Chinese woman to head the state economic development board.
Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak, of PAS, drew anger from his Democratic Action Party (DAP) and PKR partners after his government reserved 50 per cent of new houses in the state for Malays.
These squabbles go to the heart of Pakatan's promise of racial justice, and are of greater public concern. Open quarrelling does not inspire confidence, especially when it takes on a belligerent tone.
Mr Azizan has chided his opposition colleagues and even his party's supporters club president Hu Pang Chaw for giving their views on the Malay housing quota.
'I know who he (Mr Hu) is...If he is really concerned about the policy and is a true PAS supporter, he should voice his opinion or suggestion properly,' Mr Azizan said yesterday.
He clarified that the ruling applied only to new developments on Malay reserve land converted to freehold status.
It is clear from these episodes that Pakatan has a rough road ahead. Mr Ong believes the onus is on opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to build a more concrete coalition, but notes that the former deputy premier has shown little interest in this.
He points out that Datuk Seri Anwar has not set up a shadow Cabinet for the same reason that it would quickly reveal the rifts within Pakatan.
An opposition MP told The Straits Times that he, too, felt there should be more focus on building up the coalition's cohesion.
'I think there's a loss of focus after the first few months,' he said.
Mr Anwar has expended much energy on wooing lawmakers from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition to defect, in a bid to topple the federal government.
He had earlier claimed to have the support of enough defectors, but, after missing several self-declared deadlines, he has dropped the issue. ? ? ? Malaysiakini list up =>
(exclusive by JP - the 3rd PARTY a Barisan Rakyat 's non-bias blogger said:
for I don't think Anwar is dropping the issue to topple the federal government !
Some people might just think that he failed but actually he is (too cunning) in forming up a new strength (mainly on his monetery part) and re-structure his plan to woo over BN 's MP.
He won't just keep himself satisfy with his Permatang Pauh 's parliamentary seat but making himself quiet (out of the topple issue) for this moment would certainly make people like you and me (expecially foe-BN) to think that he is dropping his plan.
He just like a "sleeping tiger" !)
Some observers point out that the Perak government helmed by PAS' Nizar Jamaluddin is the only one to have escaped serious controversies, apart from the petty issue of his demand that a photographer delete pictures of him being served a lawsuit.
Credit, analysts say, must be given to Mr Nizar, who seems to have managed coalition politics effectively with the DAP, which holds the majority of the seats in the state.
carolynh@sph.com.sg
(part of the above picked from http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/SE+Asia/Story/STIStory_303628.html)
Malaysiakini => llisted this
Police Must Take Action On The Slap Offer
-
I refer to the incident yesterday where a group of NGO offered RM1200 to
any person who would slap DAP’s MP YB Teresa Kok and record it in a video.
This is...
10 years ago
马华党争不断上演，从最早期的林苍佑与陈祯禄之争、林敬益与陈修信的决裂，李三春与曾永森的对决，又或是最激烈的梁陈党争，到近年的李金狮与林良实之争，和A、B队党争，处处可见派系激斗的斑斑血迹。
在马华党内外仍密切关注翁蔡的互动之际，熟悉马华的资深媒体人陈利良（左图）一针见血地点出，与其说马华将掀起一场翁蔡的恩怨之争，倒不如说这可能是一场历来党争的总算帐，20年恩怨一朝了。
该讲座会由隆雪华青和《东方日报》所联办，共有4名主讲人。除了陈利良外，尚包括已宣告解散的“马华救党委员会”发起人汤木、韩江学院名誉院长谢诗坚，以及为《当今大马》撰写《马华公会的哀歌》系列评论文章的时评员迦玛鲁丁。
陈利良也形容，该份容纳了各大派系人马的要职名单，是一个“怪阵”。有鉴于此，他认为，这或将加深翁诗杰整合团队的难度。
对于翁诗杰的“怪阵”，谢诗坚（左图）则表示，翁诗杰如今是一下子得罪了4派人马，即林良实、黄家定、蔡细历和元老派。
另一名主讲人迦玛鲁丁（左图）则直接表示，马华的人事纠葛如今已不是关键，更应关注的是能否成功转型，走出巫统的种族政治阴影。
国内贸易与消费部长沙里尔（左图）本周一（17日）宣布燃油价格再度调降7%，到每公升两令吉。另外，本地中级白米的价格也调低了5至10%。最后，部分大道公司也宣布提供10%折扣予半夜12点与早上7点之间的高速公路使用者。
首相阿都拉在6月4日宣布调整燃油价格，
另一方面，农业及农基工业部长慕斯达法（左图）在本月1日宣布，本地白米的价格下跌20仙；掺杂5%碎米的超级白米的价格从原来的每公斤2令吉80仙，下跌至2令吉60仙，而掺杂10%碎米的超级白米的价格则从2令吉70仙，跌至2令吉50仙。
在
翁诗杰本身早前承认，在马华中委会新阵容公布后，党内确实流传许多具“恐吓性”和“谎言”的手机短讯。
