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Media training for ministers Posted: 25 Jan 2014 09:41 PM PST Ah-ha! I like this! Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has directed mandatory media training for his ministers to prevent more missteps that have made his administration a laughing stock among Malaysians, sources said. A good move, Mr PM but who should 'guide' them? Utusan? Or Media Prima? The prime minister's second term has been marked by some 'foolish' remarks from several ministers that spawned Internet memes and jokes detrimental to Putrajaya's image. "The prime minister wants ministers to undergo media training to avoid repeatedly delivering foolish remarks," said a source on the condition of anonymity. "We do not want Putrajaya's image spoilt because of statements given by ministers like Ku Nan and Hasan Malek," the source added. The source was referring to Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Hasan Malek's reminder that people should be thankful for having "sincere" leaders who "prioritise people's needs" above all else, as quoted by Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia. This came on the heels of Putrajaya's move to cut subsidies to reduce its fiscal deficit and back-to-back hike in prices that left the rakyat feeling the pinch of the rise in cost of living. Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor had also come under fire for telling off property owners in Kuala Lumpur who complained about a hike in assessment rates. "You want me to revaluate your property at 0.1% for 21 years? It does not matter to me... up to you." He had admonished the media over the issue, telling them: "I don't know why people like to spin this issue out of control. You should tell the rakyat that this is good for them," he had said. Putrajaya's economic czar, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar is also remembered for his advice to the people a few months ago to stop eating chicken if the prices were too high and to use alternative roads if they did not want to pay toll on highways, when he spoke of impending hike in toll rates. The Malaysian Insider understands that Najib was unhappy that such statements by ministers had only served to portray Putrajaya in an unfavourable light. I thought Najib already has a few 'media advisers', including one from Media Prima. What happened to them? Are they still with him? Sending Cabinet members for media training is, of course a good idea but Mr PM too must apply the four walls to BN component party leaders who have been whacking each other in the open forum, much to public impression that he was losing control of the ruling party. We have seen how Umno, MCA, Gerakan and MIC chided and criticised each other over some government policies, which was not good for PM's image.

Will there be 'legitimate' peace? Posted: 25 Jan 2014 04:13 AM PST The Philippine government and the country's largest Muslim rebel group completed talks on Saturday on a deal to end four decades of fighting that has killed tens of thousands of people and helped foster Islamic extremism in Southeast Asia. The accord between Filipino negotiators and the rebel Moro Islamic Liberation Front calls for Muslim self-rule in parts of the southern Philippines in exchange for the deactivation of the rebel force. Military presence in the proposed autonomous region would be restricted.                                        Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, front left, chairperson of Philippine Government                                        Peace Panel, and Mohagher Iqbal, front right, chief negotiator for the Moro                                        National Liberation Front (MNLF), exchange signed documents as Malaysian                                        facilitator Abdul Ghafar Tengku Mohamed, front center, witnesses after the                                        43rd GPH-MILF Exploratory Talks in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jan. 25, 2014. However, the question whether the accord will be fully honored by both sides remains in question. MILF is not the only Muslim group in the south, there are others with different demands, objectives and principles. Disagreement still exists among them, and this is seen as the major obstacle that might jeopardise the peace agreement. Much now will depend on how the accord is enforced, in particular whether the 11,000-strong rebel forces are able to maintain security in areas that would come under their control. At least four other smaller Muslim rebel groups are still fighting Manila's rule in the southern Mindanao region, and could act as spoilers. Officials from both sides announced the conclusion of talks in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, which has brokered the years-long negotiations. The accord and three other pacts signed last year make up a final peace agreement that is to be signed in the Philippine capital, possibly next month, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. Saturday's accord marks the most significant progress during 13 years of on-and-off negotiations with the Moro fighters to tame a tenacious insurgency that has left more than 120,000 people dead and derailed development in Muslim-populated southern regions that are among the most destitute in the Philippines. The United States and other Western governments have supported the talks, worried that rebel strongholds could become breeding grounds for al-Qaeda-linked extremists who have sought sanctuary in the region in the past. Under the peace deal, the Moro insurgents agreed to end violence in exchange for broader autonomy. An existing five-province Muslim autonomous region is to be replaced by a more powerful, better-funded and potentially larger region to be called Bangsamoro. Despite the milestone, both the government and the rebels acknowledged that violence would not end overnight in a region that has long grappled with a volatile mix of crushing poverty, huge numbers of illegal firearms, clan wars and weak law enforcement. However, at least one rebel group vowed to keep fighting, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement, which broke off from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front three years ago. They want an Islamic state, an Islamic people and an Islamic constitution. Rebels from another group, the Moro National Liberation Front, took scores of hostages in September when they seized coastal communities in southern Zamboanga city after accusing the government of reneging on its commitments under a 1996 autonomy deal. Thousands of troops ended the 10-day uprising with a major offensive that killed more than 200 people, most of them insurgents.

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