'Sisters in Islam' to keep its name

The High Court today allowed an application by Sis Forum (Malaysia) to strike out an originating summons filed by Dewan Pemuda Masjid Malaysia (MAMY) to prohibit the organisation from using "Sisters in Islam" as the organisation's name and identity, Bernama reported.

Justice Zabariah Mohd Yusof made the decision in chambers in the presence of lawyers Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, who represented Sis Forum, and Mohd Ibrahim Mohd, who represented Dewan Pemuda Masjid Malaysia.

Malik Imtiaz told reporters later that Zabariah made the decision after hearing submissions from both parties.

The judge allowed the application on the grounds that the plaintiff, MAMY, had no locus standi, he added.

Meanwhile, Mohd Ibrahim said his client would appeal against the decision.

SIS issued a statement Friday has said: ""We believe the court’s decision today (Friday) clearly indicates that any dispute or differences of opinion should be addressed in a civil and rational dialogue, instead of through intimidation by resorting to police reports or filing suits."

On March 22 this year, MAMY filed an originating summons for a declaration that Sis Forum's legal name was not Sisters in Islam, it has breached the Company Act 1965 by "using an unregistered company name" and that the word "Islam" was controlled and limited by the Registrar of Companies.

MAMY sought an order prohibiting Sis Forum from using Sisters in Islam as its name and identity in any pamphlet, correspondence, publication and/or statement whether on the Internet or print or electronic media until it was legally allowed to do so.

The applicant also sought an order forcing the respondent to remove the name "Sisters in Islam" from the signboard on the respondent's website, printed materials and publications and prevent the respondent from distributing printed materials which used the name until the respondent was legally authorised to do so.

According to SIS, MAMY had also alleged that SIS made statements that contravened the basic teachings, principles and laws of Islam.

It further alleged that the use of “Sisters in Islam” had caused harm and confusion among Muslims in Malaysia and internationally, said SIS in a statement Friday.

Referring to MAMY allegations as "frivolous" and "scandalous", SIS said that MAMY did not have the requisite legal standing to seek such an order and it was an abuse of the court process.

Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) to boost nightlife and spa industry :)

The Najib administration wants to turn Malaysia into a major nightlife hub to boost its tourism industry under the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP).

This will see the establishment of several major nightclubs, the hosting more major concerts, relaxing of guidelines for performers and the "repackaging" of international events such as Formula 1 and MotoGP.

According to the ETP roadmap released yesterday, this is part of the government's 12 entry-point projects (EPP) to resolve the problem of having steadily increasing tourist arrivals, but being hampered by a relatively low yield.

One of the 12 EPPs involves the relaxing of stringent guidelines for concerts and international events, which currently keep many foreign performers away, but are yet panned by critics as being too lax.

From the last quarter of 2010, international performers who fulfill three minimum criteria are being exempted from the existing guidelines imposed by the Central Agency Committee for Application for Filming and Foreign Artists Presentation (Puspal).

The three criteria for exemptions are:

* A-rated, based on the Billboard top 100 in the past five years;

* Attract a minimum of 2,500 spectators per event; and,

* Have performed in at least three international venues.

Instead of the Puspal guidelines, events that fulfill all three criteria will be treated with "more flexible guidelines", tax exemptions and relaxed immigration requirements for performers and their crew to help develop Malaysia as a hub for international events.

Performances will also have to carry audience warnings (such as 'G: General' or '18+: 18 years old and above').

Under this EPP, RM467 million will be spent on the cumulative investment on attracting major international events and it will be completely borne by the government, with the overall gross national income (GNI) estimated at RM427 million and the creation of 8,000 jobs.

Five new 'party zones'

What is even more surprising is the EPP on the establishment of dedicated entertainment zones in Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley, Genting Highlands, Penang, Langkawi and Kota Kinabalu to triple Malaysia's nightlife earnings to RM1.8 billion by 2020.

The move will see six new nightclubs capable of coping with at least 900 visitors on weekends begin operation by early 2012, with two more opening in 2013 and 2014 respectively.

"By 2014, there will be at least 10 nightclubs in the new entertainment zones. The expected impact of this will be RM0.7 billion in GNI and approximately 5,614 new jobs by 2020," the report says.

These dedicated zones will also see the extension of operating hours for entertainment outlets, extension of working visas for foreign artistes and crews and the relaxing of the local to foreign artistes ratio specified in the current Puspal guidelines.

This EPP also states that there will be a clear demarcation of entertainment zones to minimise any adverse impact on local residents and ensure a buffer zone of 100m from residential and religious areas.

The announcement of the five new party-friendly zones is also likely to stir up conservatives who earlier this year forced the Najib administration to scuttle plans to legalise sports gambling.

Regulating and boosting spa industry

The ETP also seeks to boost and regulate Malaysia's spa industry, which is expected to reach RM830 million by 2020, driven mostly by tourists.

"However, skills requirement and service delivery remains the most pressing issues hindering potential growth," notes the report.

This is also hampered by immigration policies that severely restrict the hiring of foreign semi-skilled workers and the limited number of local spa therapists.

To resolve the human resource shortage, three centres of excellence (CoEs) are to be established to serve as training centres to produce local spa therapists.

The goal is to produce 1,500 therapists annually and bring the ratio of local to foreign therapists to 70:30.

The three centres of excellence will be located in the Greater Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley, Johor and Sabah due to their "proximity to spa establishments".

The ETP report also states that a Spa and Wellness National Council will be established by mid-2011 to regulate the industry. Its board members will comprise industry players and government officials.

Funding for this project is RM23 million, and will be borne by the three centres of excellence and the national council. The estimated GNI is RM0.4 billion, with the creation of 3,500 new jobs.

( From Malaysiakini )

Malaysia plunged 10 notches in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index.

Malaysia has plunged 10 notches to 141 in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index - the lowest in nine years - putting it firmly in the bottom quarter of 178 countries.

The country failed to capitalise on last year's improvement where it moved up one notch from 132 to 131.

The issues which have perhaps affected Malaysia's poor ranking include the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission's investigation into Malaysiakini's cow-head video, the arrests of bloggers and the ban on a number of books by cartoonist Zunar.

Interestingly, Singapore (136) outranked Malaysia for the first time since Paris-based press watchdog group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) began releasing its ranking in 2002.

Among the 10 Asean countries, Malaysia is ranked higher than two countries which are deemed to have freer press - Thailand (153) and Philippines (156).

RSF has attributed this to political violence.

“Thailand - where two journalists were killed and some 15 wounded while covering the army crackdown on the 'red shirts' movement in Bangkok – lost 23 places,” said RSF, which issued its ninth annual index today.

“The Philippines lost 34 places following the massacre of over 30 reporters by partisans of one of Mindanao island's governors.”

(Read more here)

Dr Mahathir:"Badawi was totally incompetent" !!

"Najib inherited a bad government. He is better than number five (Badawi) who was totally incompetent,"

- Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Speaking on the sidelines of an international forum at Kuala Lumpur today, Mahathir spared no mercy for Abdullah, who was his handpicked successor, saying that the latter had wasted the strong mandate he received in the 2004 general election.

"When you have two-thirds majority, it should be used for doing the right things. In the four years, 2004 to 2008 (Abdullah) did the wrong things (so) in 2008 he lost it," he said.

Prime Minister Najib Razak will have an uphill battle regaining two-thirds majority in Parliament in the next general election, no thanks to the lacklustre performance of his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, says Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The former prime minister said Najib was trying to put things right and having a difficult time to do that as he inherited a bad government .

"(You) see, sometimes he (Najib) fails, sometimes he succeeds. Sometimes he has good ideas and sometimes his ideas are not so good. That is to be expected," he told reporters after delivering the keynote address at the International Forum on The Creation of Global Citizens: Media Liberation and New Political Realities today.

Mahathir hoped Najib could garner the support from the people because "the alternative has somebody who is worse and will spoil things if he has power".

On the new political model mooted by Najib for Umno's continuity as the pillar of the government, Mahathir said what were crucial were not systems or consensus but individuals who could control the situation.

"Nothing good will happen if the individuals are bad, although the systems are good," he said.

On the National Union of Journalists' (NUJ) proposal that they should be allowed to regulate themselves using a media council as the mechanism instead of the Home Ministry having the say, he said they could do that but would not have the strength if people broke the regulations.

"That is why the government have a say in it. You can still control just like you a have a club, which has by-laws and you're supposed to regulate your club functions. But when you step beyond that, the government has to impose the rules," he said.

On the government's investigation on certain bloggers, Mahathir said while there was press freedom, the government was also free to investigate such cases and ultimately, an independent body would make the decision.

Dr Mahathir:"1 Malaysia has caused irreconcilable conflicts"

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today that Malays must continue to be given handicaps, while arguing that Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 1 Malaysia was a confusing concept which means different things to different people.

He also accused the Chinese and Indian communities of continuing to identify with their countries of origin, and argued that Malays would continue demanding special treatment as a result.

Writing in his blog today, Mahathir said the Malays interpreted 1 Malaysia to mean the abolition of Chinese and Tamil schools and a “fair” participation of Malays and Bumiputeras in the private sector.

The Chinese and Indians, he claimed, interpret 1 Malaysia to mean an end to special treatment for Malays, the removal of quotas and the end to NEP-style affirmative action policies favouring Malays.

“Without the government spelling out the precise meaning of 1 Malaysia, different people are giving their own interpretations which not only differ from each other but are in conflict with each other.

“These two interpretations of 1 Malaysia admittedly are by the more extreme groups. The more moderate ones from both sides are milder in their expectations but their minimum interpretations still provide irreconcilable conflicts. 1 Malaysia clearly means different things to the different races.”

Dr Mahathir also argued that the Bangsa Malaysia concept encapsulated in his Vision 2020 document was more appropriate for multiracial Malaysia.

“In Vision 2020 one of the objectives is to create a bangsa Malaysia.

“The belief at that time was that if Malaysia becomes a fully developed country, it would become very prosperous,” he said.

He repeated his old formula for managing race relations by making the economic argument that if prosperity was fairly shared between the races there would be less jealousy between them.

“Malaysians of all races would be so proud of their country and its great achievements that the desire to be linked with other countries would be much diminished if not disappear altogether (as happens in prosperous multi-racial countries like the US – where the German Eisenhower led the war against Germany. Eisenhower was American first and his country of origin was irrelevant to him).”

But he said it was clear that race still played an important role currently in Malaysia.

The former prime minister also accused the Chinese and Indian communities of preferring to be identified with their countries of origin, and this, he said, caused Malays to expect special treatment.

He said a change in the so-called social contract between the Malays and the non-Malays would take a long time to replace.

“This will take a long time. As the new contract will be between races, racial factors would be included. Unless both sides agree to give up their races’ own rights as spelt out in the first contract i.e. the preservation of own home languages and schools etc. the rights of the indigenous races to their special position, etc, must remain a part of the new social contract.

“It is not certain that each would not demand for more than what they got under the old contract. It is likely there would be no agreement and no contract. Ths would lead to perpetual conflicts.

Dr Mahathir also took aim at Malays who wanted affirmative action to be abolished, and repeated his stand that Malays were not ready yet to compete on an equal footing with the Chinese in particular.

“I am not ashamed to admit that I cannot compete with the Chinese and Indian students when studying medicine. They had much better results than me and the other six Malay students for entry into the Medical College. Even at that time the British promised to the Rulers to help educate the Malays. I had my chance because of the affirmative action then. On pure merit I would not be a doctor today, not because I was not qualified, but my qualification was lower than others.

“One has to remember that the Chinese civilisation is more than 4000 years old. No other civilisation has lasted that long. Naturally they have developed a culture better able to survive under all conditions. It is my belief that if the percentage of Chinese in the United Kingdom for example is the same as in Malaysia, UK would be better developed than it is now. It is not surprising that the Chinese excel in developing Malaysia (for which they are amply rewarded).”

He said that it was not shameful to lose out against the Chinese but to just catch up would require handicaps.

“To be given handicaps is to ensure fairness, not discrimination. That is why in golf you have handicaps. That is why in all contests there must be equality between the contestants. It is selfish if having benefited from the handicaps you want to deny others from having them.”

(From The Malaysian Insider)

Letter to Lee Kuan Yew for a change of heart

Mr Lee Kuan Yew
Minister Mentor

Dear Mr Lee,

As you grieve over the loss of Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, many Singaporeans grieve with you. Everytime someone dear to us passes away, the pain is deep. Losing a loved one is the cruelest act that life can inflict on humans.

Even as you mourn the loss of Mdm Kwa, I am certain that you think of the happier moments that the both of you shared and that you, of all the people in this world, were the one to have had the pleasure of spending a lifetime with her. That, at least, is to be celebrated.

But while you had Mdm Kwa on whom you cultivated your affection, there were others who were deprived of that very same joy. They were not separated from their loved ones by that surly grasp of death, but by political power with which you wielded, and wielded so ruthlessly and unjustly.

You had Mr Chia Thye Poh locked up for most of his adult life. He was incarcerated when he was only 25 and regained his freedom only when he turned 57. Even Nelson Mandela spent less years under detention. The best years of Mr Chia’s life was so inhumanely taken away. He had a girlfriend who could not wait for him and who left him when he was still in prison.

Dr Lim Hock Siew married Dr Beatrice Chia. When I met them recently, I saw the love – unspoken but abiding – that they had for each other despite the fact that you had kept them apart for 20 years.

Then there is Mr Said Zahari whom you also imprisoned for years, 17 years to be exact. He spoke lovingly of his late wife, Salamah, whom he adored. She faithfully and lovingly tended home while waiting for her soulmate to return and to hold her and to talk with her. She struggled with their four children, running a foodstall to eke out a living while Said languished in prison. Their children often had no money to go to school.

To this day, he asks for God’s forgiveness for breaking the oath he made with Salamah to be together when they married each other. When she died in 2004, his heart must have broken into a thousand pieces, just like yours is breaking into a thousand pieces.

While you loved your wife, they loved theirs too.

There are scores of others who cannot be reunited with their families because you have made it so. Ms Tang Fong Har, who was detained in 1987 and who subsequently fled to Hong Kong, has been wanting to return to Singapore to see her ailing mother. But she cannot because there is still the threat of her being re-arrested if she returns.

Others like Mr Tang Liang Hong are also separated from their families because they cannot return to Singapore without facing incarceration.

I, too, have family. My wife wishes for me to return to Taiwan with her to be with her family. I cannot fulfill that obligation because you have made it so. I did go to Taiwan last year, but only to attend my father-in-law’s funeral. He had asked about me before he died but by the time I got to his bedside after I managed to get the Official Assignee’s approval to leave the country, he had lost consciousness. I never got to say goodbye.

It pains me to think that the only time I can be with my wife and children in Taiwan is when someone in the family dies.

You have taken away much of what I have but despite all that you have done to me and mine, I bear you no ill-will. As I said to you during our trial in 2008, you are an intelligent man, I only hope that you will become a wise one. I meant it then and I mean it now. Love and the relationships we have with family and friends are what matter most. Riches and power mean little when those dearest to us leave us.

I extend to you my deepest sympathies on the demise of Mdm Kwa. I want to express my condolence in the sincerest manner I know how. While I commiserate with you on your loss, I would be remiss if I did not take this opportuinity to tell you, if you don’t already know, how much pain you have inflicted on your political opponents and whose families you have torn apart, the same kind of pain that you presently feel.

In the remaining time while you still walk this earth with us, turn from your ways. Free yourself from the prison of wealth and power that keeps you from cherishing that most precious of life’s qualities – humanity. It is still not too late.

Sincerely,

Chee Soon Juan

(from THE TEMASEK REVIEW)
Dr. Chee Soon Juan is the Secretary General of the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP).

Rahimi was 'coerced' to implicate Najib, Rosmah ?

Just as the Election Commission (EC) announced Nov 4 as polling day for the Galas by-election, and the nation witnesses its 12th by-election since the watershed March 2008 general elections.

A press conference believed to be linked to Anwar Ibrahim's ongoing sodomy trial by his former aide Rahimi Osman was cancelled following disruption by a rowdy group of six individuals.

Anwar Ibrahim's former aide Rahimi Osman has claimed that he was coerced to sign two statutory declarations in relation to accusations that the former had sodomised another aide, Saiful Bukhari Azlan.

Rahimi told reporters that he had lodged a police report at the Klang district police headquarters at 2pm today over two statutory declarations made in 2008.

“The police report is to say that the prior two statutory declarations are not accurate,” said Rahimi's lawyer S Ravi Chandran.

According to Rahimi's police report, the first statutory declaration was signed on June 28, 2008 at the Quality Hotel, Shah Alam.

The second was signed several days later in Petaling Jaya.

On June 28, Anwar and his followers had gathered at Quality Hotel, hours after Saiful lodged a police report alleging that he had been sodomised by Anwar.

Rahimi claimed that he second statutory declaration was to amend the content of the first document which had implicated Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor in an alleged conspiracy over Anwar's second sodomy trial.

"Both statutory declarations are totally untrue. I was forced to sign them. I was not given a copy of both documents.

“Because the statutory declarations were untrue, I want to tell what actually happened, thus, I have made a new statutory declaration today which has the true story,” read Rahimi's report.

Rahimi added that he had appended a copy of the latest statutory declaration with his police report.

According to the Klang police, Rahimi had lodged a report alleging that he was pressured by Anwar's men into making the two statutory declarations.

A former aide to Anwar in 2007 and 2008, Rahimi was said to be his closest assistant during the General Election campaign.

He was recruited into the staff in March 2007 to update Anwar's blog, after he dropped out of studies in the International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA).

Rahimi, who was then stationed at the Section 16 of Petaling Jaya office was part of the staff which also included now elected representatives, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Sim Tze Tzin and Anwar's daughter Nurul Izzah.

Also on staff was Nathaniel Tan who was running another office at Phileo Damansara.

"Rahimi joined as a volunteer at first. But he had somehow become Anwar's appointment keeper during the general election period when all of Anwar's aides were busy with their campaigns," said fellow staff Farhash Wafa Salvador.

Rahimi was schoolmates with Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, at SMK Damansara Utama.

Saiful was also an aide of Anwar's, and who is alleged to have been sodomised by the opposition leader.

It was Rahimi who introduced Saiful to his then boss.

According to Farhash, who was Anwar's political program coordinator then, Rahimi was dismissed from the staff on suspicion of questionable financial practices.

"Rahimi was paid about RM3000 but at that time had managed to buy a car and hire a chauffeur.".

He added that he was present at Quality Hotel when Rahimi signed the two statutory declarations which he claimed he was forced into signing.

"He came voluntarily and left on his own. We continued giving him a stipend of about RM3000 for several months after as he was still coming to the office on and off to do odd jobs. " he said.

The Anwar Ibrahim Club founder added that Anwar and "more than twenty people from Keadilan" attended Rahimi's wedding last year.

Others close to Rahimi during the same time, contacted by Malaysiakini but have chosen to remain anonymous, confirmed the information.

MACC claimed Raja Petra Kamarudin’s accusations are baseless

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has claimed that Raja Petra Kamarudin’s accusations are baseless — that the agency was not prosecuting prominent personalities.

Raja Petra’s Malaysia Today website has started to put out documents to support the allegations, details of complaints and evidence submitted which the MACC apparently had not followed up with prosecutions.

“The accusations made in a blog that said SPRM did not investigate and did not prosecute the suspects based on the investigation reports of three cases is absolutely baseless,” replied the MACC on its official blog, www.ourdifferentview.com today, while not naming Raja Petra directly.

On his Malaysia Today website, Raja Petra has published what he claims are copies of investigation reports against former Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) chief Datuk Seri Zulkifly Mat Noor, National Civics Bureau (BTN) director-general Datuk Shagul Hamid Abdullah, former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Khir Toyo, as well as a preliminary investigation report based on a report where Kulim assemblyman Lim Soo Nee claimed that he was offered a bribe to defect to Barisan Nasional (BN).

The anti-graft body also said that the cases against Zulkifly, Khir, and Lim were old cases, although it did not mention the case against Shagul.

“As a conclusion, all the cases cited are old cases,” said the blog post.

The anti-graft body added that news reports in 2007 had highlighted police investigations against the former ACA chief and pointed out that they could not have taken action against their own head.

“To ensure that investigations were done fairly and transparently, the police were given the responsibility to handle investigations,” said the MACC.

“Besides, the cases mentioned were not graft cases. So, don’t try to connect SPRM with this issue and slam them for purportedly not taking action to investigate and prosecute. It is not fair to hit out at SPRM and connect it to the issue of MACC’s frayed image for silencing action on this case,” it said, referring to the body’s Malay acronym.

The agency also pointed out that the report on the Kulim assemblyman did not contain enough evidence to prosecute the former Kedah mentri besar who allegedly offered Lim a RM5 million bribe to defect to the ruling coalition.

“If the investigation report is properly perused, it is merely a report that was given by the branch office to the headquarters for it to start the investigation process. In this case, the BPR (Badan Pencegah Rasuah) had already started investigations,” said the MACC, referring to the ACA’s Malay acronym.

The beleaguered anti-graft body further lashed out at PKR leaders for hampering their investigations by sparking massive media coverage which eventually affected the outcome of the case.

“The problem was the attitude of PKR’s highest leaders that were too quick to over-react until this case was blown up in the media,” said the MACC.

“It clearly affected the BPR’s investigation process. Investigations were disrupted as there was no longer an element of surprise and the perpetrators who were involved knew the future actions of the authorities. Eventually, the case that was supposed to happen did not happen. So, who should be blamed in this instance?” it asked.

The MACC stressed that they had tried to collect evidence in this case as the purported bribe had not yet occurred, but their efforts were allegedly blocked by over-reactive PKR leaders as mentioned by the former ACA chief, according to a February 2009 news report.

“In this case, the (graft) transaction had not yet happened and the process of collecting evidence was disrupted because of the over-reaction of other parties,” it said.

“Because of that, SPRM tightened laws by introducing section 29(4) of the SPRM Act 2009. It is aimed at preventing complainants from declaring their complaints in public until the investigation process is complete and the guilty party is brought to court,” said the anti-graft agency.

In the third case which involved Dr Khir, the MACC pointed out that they had no basis to prosecute him as statements from witnesses and documents favoured the accused.

“In the case of the former Selangor mentri besar, it clearly shows that both elements – which are statements and proof like documents — were on the side of the accused. So, on what basis can SPRM use to prosecute him?” asked the anti-graft body.

“SPRM has investigated and results showed that he did not commit any wrongdoing in his visit to Disneyland and Morocco,” it added.

The anti-graft body stressed that they had completed their duties in investigating Dr Khir and pointed out that an investigation process was not about pinpointing the blame on someone.

“This case clearly proves that SPRM has done its duty to investigate. The investigation process is not a process to look for someone to blame. Instead, it is a process to look for the truth,” said the anti-graft body.

“SPRM cannot accuse someone based merely on sentiment,” it added.

MACC is still struggling in a losing battle to regain public confidence.

In his campaign, Raja Petra has accused the MACC of being “a component member of the Barisan Nasional” by suggesting that the government agency did not take action against those with ties to the ruling coalition.

Raja Petra is expected to release more documents in the coming weeks.

(From: The Malaysian Insider)

Najib: 1999 general election was a case of "collateral damage".

Prime Minister Najib Razak today inadvertently blamed the dispute between fourth Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his then deputy Anwar Ibrahim for what many feel was the greatest setback in his 35-year political career.

While he did not mention names, Najib said that the severe drop from a majority to a mere 241 votes in the Pekan constituency during the 1999 general election was a case of "collateral damage".

"There were times when I felt very frustrated with the situation, (that was) not as a result of my own personal action.

"It's the circumstances that you find yourself in. You are collateral damage - I don't know if that's the right word - of the process," he said.

Najib had said this at the Asean 100 Leadership Forum dialogue when asked if he had ever felt like throwing in the towel, particularly following the outcome of the 1999 general election.

The prosecution of Anwar in 1998 sparked protests causing BN to suffer a major setback.

"In 1999 I believe the Pekan people made a mistake, and actually wanted me in their hearts.

"Privately I can give you a host of reasons (they voted the way they did), some not to do with me," he told the audience of 100 from across the region.

The Pekan MP added that it is party politics, and not winning the hearts of the rakyat, that had been the most challenging aspect of his long career

"Even though you are very competent, if you back the wrong horse, it can be quite tragic for you.”
The PM was quick to point out, however, that the 1999 personal electoral disaster had prompted him to work harder, earning him a significant majority of over 22,000 votes in 2004.

The 2004 general election saw the BN, led by fifth Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, winning big.

“In 2008 (when the coalition lost five states to the opposition), I bucked the trend,” Najib boasted, of his over 24,000 electoral majority....more here