Najib wrong about ‘Chinese tsunami’

PETALING JAYA: While acknowledging that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had done his best in the election, former MACC advisory council member Robert Phang disagreed with the former’s assessment that the election results were due to the “Chinese tsunami”.

“I feel that the prime minister had done his best, by managing to capture back Kedah and maintaining the other states. Also, had it not been for the serious campaigning done by him, the results could have been much worse for Barisan Nasional.

“However, I disagree when he said that the election results were due to the Chinese tsunami. When you look at the election results, 51% of the popularity votes went to Pakatan Rakyat and 48% was achieved by BN.

“So if it is 51% for Pakatan and the Chinese population is only 24%, the balance of 27% of votes must have been from the Malays and Indians,” said Phang.

Najib blamed the poor showing by BN on the Chinese tsunami, saying that the Chinese community had voted overwhelmingly for the opposition.

Ex-Umno man defends DAP against May 13 charge

JOHOR Ex-Umno strongman Mohd Tamrin Abdul Ghafar has become an unexpected ally in Pakatan Rakyat’s bid to counter the claim that DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang was behind the May 13 riots in 1969.


The former Batu Berendam MP, who is also the second son of former deputy premier Abdul Ghafar Baba, has claimed that the incident was the outcome of a “mini coup” orchestrated by Umno leaders including Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“What (then home minister Muhammad) Ghazali (Shafie, left) told (PKR de facto leader) Anwar (Ibrahim) and me, when we were in Umno Youth, was that the incident was a mini coup planned by Umno men, and that Mahathir was involved,” Tamrin said during two Pakatan ceramahs in Gelang Patah last night.

“(First prime minister) Tunku (Abdul Rahman) wrote in his column 'As I See It' in The Star two years before he passed away, that the incident was a deliberate seizure of power by Umno leaders, who then blamed it on DAP and the Chinese.”

Lim Kit Siang is running in Gelang Patah, against incumbent Johor Menteri Besar Abdul Ghani Othman, in the hope of extending Pakatan’s 2008 ‘political tsunami’ to Johor.

Tamrin’s disclosure supports the argument of academician Kua Kia Soong that the racial clash in 1969 was the result of a coup d'état by then deputy premier Abdul Razak Hussein against the Tunku, and that Mahathir supported it.

Tamrin recalled that the Tunku had expelled Mahathir from Umno after the latter wrote an open letter calling for the Tunku's resignation after the riots.

“After the Tunku stepped down and Razak took over the premiership, he took Mahathir back into Umno and appointed him as education minister.

Dropping Tee Keat shows there's no place for decent people in BN - Rafizi

Rafizi Ramli, the PKR candidate for Pandan, expressed disappointment at news that former MCA president Ong Tee Keat had been dropped from contesting in the coming general election in what appeared to be a "vengeful" move against him by arch rival Chua Soi Lek.

"It is unfortunate that a man of principle like OTK was dropped from BN. This signals the end of any hope for decency from BN. I was quite hopeful that we could have a healthy contest because it could have been a showcase of a new and matured brand of politics," Rafizi, who is also the PKR strategy director, told Malaysia Chronicle. 

"Alas, there is no place for decent people in BN. We will continue to work hard and galvanize the message of change in Pandan."

Pandan bellwether: Politics of policies & ideas or politics of personalities & revenge


Soi Lek, who wrested the MCA presidency from Tee Keat in 2010 after a bitter tussle, made the announcement on Monday afternoon after receiving confirmation from Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Soi Lek had weeks ago said Tee Keat would be dropped but Najib had intervened, saying Tee Keat could contest Pandan as a direct BN candidate.

Speculation was rife that Soi Lek had then threatened to quit the MCA if Najib overruled his wishes. This despite the general feeling among political pundits that within the MCA, Tee Keat probably had the best chance to win Pandan. The 56-year-old Tee Keat is a 6-term Member of Parliament, holding the Ampang Jaya seat for 4 terms and Pandan for 2 terms.

Earlier, Rafizi had expressed hope that he would face Tee Keat. The 35-year-old Rafizi was also confident that Pandan would stand out as a "bellwether" for new politics and how seats should be contested based on ideas and policies rather than on personalities and gutter politicking.