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Is Taib Mahmud anti-Umno? Posted: 10 Feb 2014 04:36 PM PST I wonder if Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud really had said this to his Cabinet members: "Stop the racist Umno from coming to Sarawak!' A story published by the Malaysian Insider was a bit inconclusive and perhaps carried a bad agenda to stomp Umno and PM Najib's administration by giving an impression that the Malay party is racist, chauvinistic and 'could harm Sarawakians'. And if Taib had really said that, his retirement (expected later this month) will be filled with hideous hagiography about his tenancy as a state leader and a 'BN strongman who despised Umno'. Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is leaving his post as chief minister with one advice to his successor – that whoever succeeds him must strive to keep Umno and its brand of racially divisive politics out of the state. Taib's remarks to the Barisan Nasional (BN) supreme council meeting yesterday made it clear that his successor "should stand tough and be unflinching" when dealing with Putrajaya on issues concerning Sarawak's interests. Sarawak BN secretary-general Datuk Dr Stephen Rundi said Taib told yesterday's meeting that his successor has to vigorously protect the state's rights as spelled out in the Malaysia Agreement of 1963. "We must stick to the Malaysia Agreement in protecting the rights of the state," he said of Taib's message at the state BN supreme council meeting in Kuching which gave the chief minister the prerogative to choose his successor. Rundi said standing up to Putrajaya included stopping Umno from coming to the state, which is widely seen as undermining the 20-point agreement which protects the interests and rights of Sabah and its people when the territory agreed to form Malaysia with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore. Sabah has a 20-point agreement while Sarawak has a 18-point agreement for the formation of Malaysia. Umno vice president Mohd Shafie Apdal said yesterday that it was not Umno's agenda for Taib to retire so that the party could enter the state. "Umno's stand is consistent. We will not spread our wings to Sarawak as we do not want to disunite the people. "The situation in Sarawak is completely different from Sabah when UMNO entered it. Sarawak has a very stable state government, so why should we interfere? "We only enter into a system when there is the need to do so." Shafie also said what was of paramount importance was continuation of the state's development and progress. Some quarters were trying to politically lucre from Taib's resignation by pitting Umno and other Peninsular BN component parties with those in Sarawak. The impression given was that, Umno could stir Sarawak's 'tranquil politics'. Taib's statement could have been taken out of context, and he could have not single out Umno at all but some pundits were fast to prejudge it by pointing fingers at Umno. Over the years, some people had been trying hard to incite a rift between Kuala Lumpur and Kuching, especially in demanding the Federal Government to recognise Sarawak as a 'wilayah' (autonomous territory). Sarawakians were dodged into believing that only opposition parties from the Peninsular, namely DAP, PAS and PKR are allowed to have footings in the state because they are 'not racist and acceptable in Sarawak's context'. I wish to hear it from Taib himself. If he doesn't clarify the reports, means he is really anti-Umno but deep inside, I don't think he is! Some reports are really misleading...

'Barua!' Posted: 10 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali has lashed out at PAS' information chief Mahfuz Omar for his derogatory remarks against Ahmad Zahid Hamidi that the Home Minister was not acting like a minister but more of 'an agent' for the Malay NGO. PAS has urged Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to conduct himself in a manner befitting that of a home minister and ensure everyone in the country was protected by the police. Its Information chief Datuk Mahfuz Omar (pic) said Zahid should remember he is a minister and not a patron of right-wing Malay rights groups. "He should start talking like a home minister, and not as a patron of (Malay rights pressure group) Perkasa or other extreme and racist NGOs like that," he told reporters at a press conference today. He said this when commenting on Zahid's dismissal of a RM1,200 reward offered by a group of Muslim NGO's to slap DAP Seputeh MP Teresa Kok as a criminal act. Not able to hold back his anger, Ibrahim charged back by calling Mahfuz 'a barua' for acting like 'a boy trying to control the flow of traffic or aeroplane' for failing to consider the impact of making such an allegation. Presiden Perkasa, Datuk Ibrahim Ali mengatakan Ketua Penerangan PAS, Datuk Mahfuz Omar seperti barua kerana menuduh Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi sebagai ejen Perkasa. Ibrahim menyifatkan Mahfuz yang juga merupakan ahli Parlimen Pokok Sena itu sebagai "budak jaga trafik atau lalu lintas kapal terbang" kerana tidak pernah memikirkan kesan dan akibat atas kenyataannya itu. "Beliau cakap sememangnya seperti kenyataan orang yang tidak bersekolah. Patutlah kalah dalam jawatan naib presiden PAS," kata Ibrahim kepada The Malaysian Insider. Menurut Ibrahim, apa yang dibangkitkan oleh pemimpin PAS itu tidak ada kena mengena dengan Perkasa. "Menuduh Perkasa lalu mengaitkan kenyataan Zahid pada isu Terasa Kok langsung tidak masuk akal. Sudah lah muka hodoh, bercakap pun turut hodoh," katanya dengan nada marah. "Nasihat saya pada Mahfuz, lain kali kalau beliau ingin bercakap maka cuba bercakap sebagai orang Islam yang istiqamah, cerdik dan tidak emosi tanpa bersebab." I don't really understand what's the 'barua' actually meant for Ibrahim but one thing for sure, Mahfuz deserves it!

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