'Too early to determine effects, say political analysts'@The Star, 3 July 2019

 

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PETALING JAYA: It’s too early to determine the effects of lowering the voting age from 21 to 18 in the country, say political analysts.
While some say that these are uncharted waters, there are those who believe that Pakatan Harapan parties would benefit most from any changes.

But Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia believed that these were still early days to determine who would gain advantage from the lower voting age.
Political parties, he said, would only benefit if they addressed the issues of the targeted groups.

Prof Sivamurugan believed the biggest challenge was raising political literacy among the young future voters.
“They must understand the political system – how we choose an MP or an assemblyman. The government must address the issue of political literacy so that youngsters don’t come out to vote just for the sake of voting,” he said, adding that if the next elections were held in 2023, those currently in schools would have to be targeted.
Merdeka Centre programme director Ibrahim Suffian said the voting pattern of the younger voter was hard to tell as there was no data on it.
“Overall, the demographics are slightly overweighted in favour of Malay voters but how they will vote is dependent on prevailing conditions,” he said.
Dr James Chin, who is the director of the Asia Institute Tasmania, University of Tasmania, however said the proposal to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 would likely benefit Pakatan parties especially PKR and DAP.
Chin said that the youths viewed Umno as a corrupt old party while PAS was a party that restricted personal behaviour.
“Generally speaking in every constituency, 80% of young people will support Pakatan,” he said, adding that Opposition parties were likely to block any move to lower the voting age.
In the 14th General Election, more than 40% of the eligible voters were aged between 21 and 39, with a majority of them believed to have voted for the then Opposition.
Chin said that if a system was to be supposedly more democratic, the overriding principle was that more people are given the chance to participate in elections.

 

 

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/07/03/too-early-to-determine-effects-say-political-analysts/#zPqT3vd4wY4bzoFf.99

'Penganalisis lihat UMNO bakal berdepan dilema'@Sinar Harian, 1 Julai 2019

 

WARTAWAN SINAR HARIAN | | 1 Julai 2019

 

 

SHAH ALAM - UMNO bakal berdepan dengan dilema apabila Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi mengumumkan untuk meneruskan tugas sebagai Presiden parti itu semula kata penganalisis politik, Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.

Pensyarah Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) itu berpendapat, Ahmad Zahid tidak seharusnya kembali sebaliknya menumpukan kepada kes mahkamah yang sedang dihadapinya.
"Sewajarnya Ahmad Zahid perlu serahkan tugas kepada Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan kerana berdasarkan beberapa Pilihan Raya Kecil telah menyaksikan penerimaan kepada beliau sangat besar," katanya kepada Sinar Harian.

Menurut Sivamurugan, Mohamad telah terbukti berjaya mengembalikan kewibawaan UMNO semula sebagai sebuah parti yang pernah memerintah sebelum ini.
"Tetapi berdasarkan perkembangan semasa ini telah menimbulkan keresahan dalam parti tentang hala tuju dan persoalan mengenai nasib Ahmad Zahid yang sedang berhadapan kes mahkamah.
"Timbul juga persoalan sama ada akan wujud gerakan untuk memastikan Mohamad terus menerajui UMNO," ujar beliau.
Dalam pada itu, Sivamurugan berkata, semua pihak perlu melihat sama ada mereka ingin melihat masa parti atau memilih personaliti untuk memulihkan semula UMNO.
"Bagi saya Ahmad Zahid seharusnya membersihkan diri daripada tuduhan-tuduhan yang dihadapkan kepadanya terlebih dahulu dan tidak mengganggu urusan parti," ujarnya.

'Budaya Ketaksuban Politik', Pena Dr. Siva@Utusan Malaysia, 28 Jun 2019

 

 

28 Jun 2019  

 

KEBELAKANGAN ini kita melihat dunia politik menjadi lebih sensasi. Yang terbaharu adalah penularan video seks yang disyaki membabitkan individu berprofil tinggi negara. Ramai yang memberikan pandangan dan menganalisis berdasarkan kepada peredaran semasa. Ada yang berhati-hati untuk menerimanya; ada pula yang menolak dengan andaian ini adalah 'wayang politik' atau 'drama minggu ini'.

Tidak ketinggalan, ramai juga menjadi ‘artificial intelligence’ dinobat sebagai penyunting video profesional. Sejarah menunjukkan bahawa pembunuhan karakter merupakan alat yang signifikan terutama dalam sasaran ke atas kehidupan peribadi, tingkah laku, nilai dan identiti diri. Pemasaran negatif atau yang juga dikenali sebagai ‘Black PR’ bertujuan untuk memalukan, taktik jijik dan boleh berada di luar kawalan dalam perang saraf maklumat sebagaimana di Rusia dikenali sebagai kompromat.

Pembunuhan karakter adalah ‘alat strategik’ yang telah wujud berabad lamanya diguna oleh parti, ahli atau penyokong politik. Ia adalah fenomena sosial, budaya dan politik. Semakin tinggi literasi politik, hipotesisnya adalah bahawa kematangan untuk melihat perbezaan politik yang lebih sivil, dan berhemah ke arah pembentukan masyarakat madani tetapi apa yang berlaku adalah di sebaliknya. Ini termasuk golongan terpelajar yang turut diselubungi sifat ketaksuban keterlaluan walaupun sebahagiannya tidak teruja seperti tahun 1998 mahupun 2008.

Budaya ketaksuban politik mempunyai tahap yang berbeza-beza sehingga ada yang radikal dan ekstrem kerana percaya ia penting dalam pertembungan ideologi mahupun perbezaan hala tuju baik dalam satu parti ataupun berhadapan dengan parti lawan. Ia menjadi lebih bahaya apabila membabitkan persaingan pemimpin dan barisan saf yang sama kerana akan menyebabkan penyokong parti tidak ada pilihan tetapi untuk memilih kartel masing-masing. Siapakah yang beruntung dalam perpecahan politik kepuakan parti sendiri?

Adakah yang muncul ini pendekatan baru bermotifkan politik lama atau sesuatu yang tidak mengejutkan dalam gelanggang politik tanah air. Dulu kita disogok dengan surat layang dan kenyataan-kenyataan bersifat pembunuhan karakter peribadi seseorang pemimpin; kemudian ia berubah kepada pita rakaman dan pengambilan video yang kemudiannya tersebar luas akibat kealpaan sendiri. Selepas itu muncul pelbagai gajet yang terus berubah sehingga kepada capaian yang pantas dan pintar. Maka, kita segera menerima penyebaran video tersebut.

Nilai emosional, agama, keabsahan moral dan ikatan kepartian menjadi taruhan. Ilustrasi watak tidak layak menjadi pemimpin di manifestasi melalui pembunuhan karakter, kempen hasutan dan fitnah, keganasan informasi yang sebahagiannya boleh dipersoal agar dapat mezahirkan krisis ke atas legitimasi moral. Kepercayaan dan keyakinan berada di hujung tanduk walaupun sebahagiannya tidak kisah kerana mengandaikan ia adalah permainan pedang aktor dan strategis politik yang kian resah dengan perkembangan semasa.

Kempen pembunuhan karakter pemimpin secara tersusun dan rapi dengan perdekatan teknologi mempercepatkan proses mendekati kumpulan sasar terancang. Siapakah yang paling untung dan bakal rugi dalam saga ini atau akan muncul pihak ketiga yang meraikan pertembungan dalaman kepimpinan sehingga parti sendiri terlerai kepada kartel dan politik kepuakan. Reaksi penyokong masing-masing membawa rekahan hubungan dalaman parti bilamana ada pula ambil sikap ‘tunggu dan lihat’.

Budaya ketaksuban politik bukan baharu. Ia sudah wujud lama dan akan terus kekal. Walaupun ada yang mengandaikan bahawa literasi politik dan kematangan berpolitik akan berubah selari dengan amalan pendemokrasian tanah air pasca-5 Mei 2018; ramai yang tidak sedar bahawa nilai kesederhanaan sukar wujud bilamasa kumpulan berpartisan politik semakin membesar dan kumpulan yang setia pada ideologi politik semakin mengecil. Di negara barat, ia jelas iaitu sama ada menyokong Parti A atau B tetapi di sini kita melihat masyarakat sedang melalui ‘proses transisi’ secara evolusi kerana perubahan tidak berlaku sebagaimana di negara lain. Apabila kumpulan setia kepada parti dan pemimpin semakin mengecil, pertembungan menjadi sengit dan boleh melencong bersifat peribadi; dalam gelanggang yang penuh kerakusan dan adakalanya menjadi liar serta ganas sukar dikawal.

Yang penting dalam ledakan komunikasi dan mekanisme perhubungan adalah mencari punca mengapakah ia berlaku. Tujuan dan matlamat serta justifikasi periu dicari melangkaui ciri emosional. Adakah pertembungan ini bertujuan untuk meraih kuasa, kedudukan dan pangkat sehingga menjadikan ia terlalu bersifat peribadi dan keazaman untuk membunuh karakter pemimpin walau apa cara sekalipun. Fitnah lebihbesar binasanya dari dibunuh kata yang pernah merasai peritnya.

Mengapakah pembunuhan karakter dilakukan dengan ‘politik ganas’ ini? Masyarakat umum paling mudah dipengaruhi dengan elemen emosional apatah lagi jika ia adalah sesuatu yang ditolak oleh kepercayaan majoriti atau dilabel sebagai songsang. Adegan atau kenyataan yang berbau kemarahan, keresahan dan kekecewaan seringkali diguna untuk mendekati pemerhati atau golongan penonton. Yang jelas, politik lama berterusan dalam eko-sistem yang berubah mengikut zaman. Adakah teknologi sedang mengawal gerak-geri insan atau nilai kemanusiaan dipertaruhkan kerana teknologi diberi keutamaan.

Lazimnya, golongan populis menggunakan metodologi ini yakni rayuan emosional dari debatan rasional. Secara strategik, pembunuhan karakter dilakukan sebagai kejutan ke atas penonton dan menarik liputan media serta cakapan orang ramai. Naratif ini yang dilakukan seperti pujukan persuasif agar budaya ketaksuban politik dapat mengenepikan amalan demokratik tanah air. Sama ada benar atau tidak, seringkali isu yang dihadapi oleh beberapa bekas pemimpin parti politik dijadikan nota kaki dimana elemen-elemen memanipulasi apa yang bersifat peribadi untuk paparan umum dan bagaimana secara rahsia ada yang dirakam dan ada pula yang ditokok-tambah dengan perubahan peralatan dan prasarana teknologi. Dimanakah politik akhlak dan akidah bilamana golongan pesaing politik menggunakan kaedah ini?

Yang jelas, ‘tiada lawan dan kawan tetap cuma kepentingan’ dalam politik. Budaya ketaksuban politik menyumbang kepada sama ada kita mampu meraikan kematangan berpolitik dan bergerak ke arah politik berhemah atau di sebaliknya. Ingat, pemimpin juga ada keluarga dan sanak-saudara, mereka juga manusia yang ada perasaan. Ia boleh juge berlaku kepada anda dan saya.

Wajar dibuat satu garis pemisah batasan ke atas tingkah-laku songsang agar kita tidak dilihat masih berada di takuk yang sama walau mau menjelma sebagai kuasa demokrasi Asia Tenggara baharu. Faham, hormat dan terima boleh menjadi nilai asas untuk meraikan perbezaan dalam politik dan beradu dalam gelanggang dengan penuh keadilan pada pentas yang sama rata agar aib, hina, dusta dan memalukan seseorang dapat dihentikan. Kalaulah keazaman politik dipamer dalam sektor yang lebih mahu dirasai oleh masyarakat, rasanya perkara asas membebani rakyat boleh diatasi. Idealnya sebegitu, realisnya bagaimana?

PROFESOR DR. P. SIVAMURUGAN ialah Pusat Pengajian Sains Kemasyarakatan, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).

'Malaysia sex video scandal fuels Mahathir succession rumor mill'@Asian Nikkei Review, 26 June 2019

 

 

P PREM KUMAR, Nikkei staff writer June 26, 2019 13:42 JST

 

                                                

 

KUALA LUMPUR -- A year after sweeping into power, Malaysia's ruling coalition is embroiled in a sex scandal that has echoes of one that landed former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in jail two decades ago.
The controversy erupted on June 11, when sex videos involving two men were shared with journalists on WhatsApp. The caption alleged that one of the men was Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali, a close aide to Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.
Though Mahathir pledged before last year's election that he would ultimately hand the reins of government to Anwar, now the leader of the Pakatan Harapan coalition, the prime minister has avoided committing to a time frame and Azmin is rumored to be his preferred successor. The scandal has touched off a firestorm of speculation about the authenticity of the videos and the possible political motives for releasing them.

The day after the journalists received the footage, Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz, a deputy prime minister's aide, released a video on his Facebook page and claimed he is in the footage with Azmin.
Azmin has categorically denied any involvement with the videos and rebuffed calls to step aside. He filed a complaint with the police against Haziq and urged the authorities to look into who was responsible for spreading the clips. Haziq was arrested on June 14 as he was about to board a flight to Manila from Kuala Lumpur.
But the succession plan for the 93-year-old Mahathir, which had already drawn skepticism, now looks even more uncertain.
The general consensus within Pakatan Harapan is that Mahathir will keep his promise and let Anwar take over. Yet, many observers still harbor doubts due to the bitter history between the two men, coupled with Azmin's rise to prominence.
Mahathir, during his first premiership from 1981 to 2003, groomed Anwar as his successor. In 1998, however, the prime minister sacked his protege over allegations of corruption and sodomy, which is a crime in Malaysia. Anwar then spent about six years in prison, before the sodomy conviction was overturned in 2004.
Anwar led a campaign against Mahathir from jail and founded the People's Justice Party (PKR), which was headed by his wife and current Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ibrahim. The party is now the leading force in Pakatan Harapan, or the Alliance of Hope; Anwar and Mahathir buried the hatchet before last year's election to oust incumbent Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Azmin has suggested the scandal is an attempt at character assassination by some individuals within the PKR. "I am sure that this has a political agenda, done by certain people who intend to halt my progression in the government as well as in politics," he said.
Mahathir -- despite sacking Anwar over similar allegations -- has argued Azmin is a victim of "gutter politics." The prime minister has vouched for his aide's innocence and said there is no need for him to take a leave of absence.
Azmin and Anwar, too, were once close: The former was the latter's private secretary during his stint as deputy prime minister. But after his former boss was jailed, Azmin rose through the ranks. Today he commands strong grassroots support within the PKR -- of which he was been deputy president since 2010 -- and is said to have a frosty relationship with Anwar due to their clashing political aspirations.
The talk that Azmin might get the nod to succeed Mahathir has only underscored the apparent rift.
Anwar has expressed sympathy for Azmin over the scandal but has not directly addressed the claims of PKR sabotage. "I stress that this issue has political elements, therefore it is not appropriate to baselessly accuse anyone of spreading the videos," Anwar said.
Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow with the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, said the Azmin scandal is unlikely to impact support for Pakatan Harapan, as its supporters tend to be open-minded about private matters. But he sees the affair as a clear sign of PKR infighting.
"We can only say this is obviously the work of those who don't want to see Azmin become prime minister," he said. "PKR's internal struggle has been plain for all to see since almost immediately after the last general election, and which intensified during the party elections" earlier this year.
Sivamurugan Pandian, a political analyst at Malaysia's University of Science, suggested the scandal holds weight precisely because of the ruling coalition's focus on political and moral integrity, among other reform initiatives.
"If it's an outsider job, he or she will have to work closely with someone within [the party] as well," he said, calling on the police to verify the true origin of the videos.
"Sex misconduct is the easiest [way] to destroy the moral legitimacy of a politician who is seen having good relations with top leaders of the government," the analyst said. "It could also be a conspiracy to discredit someone's reputation and credibility in order to end his political career."

'Ke mana hala tuju PAS selepas ini?'@Berita Harian, 21 Jun 2019

 

Oleh Veena Rusli

veena@bh.com.my

Menjelang Muktamar PAS ke-65: Apa yang dianggap asing dalam lingkaran tafsiran PAS satu ketika dahulu, semakin menjadi kebiasaan tanpa ada lagi kening terangkat atau dahi berkerut penuh skeptikal. PAS sudah lama dan jauh meninggalkan imej ‘parti Pak Lebai’ yang dikaitkan sekitar dekad awal penubuhannya, seiring pendekatan agresif menerusi tutur kata dan perlakuan pemimpin serta ahlinya waktu itu.
Perubahan PAS dilihat berlaku atas dua faktor - kitaran perkembangan politik tanah air dan evolusi status latar belakang pendidikan ahlinya, sekali gus mengubah imej itu dalam pelbagai aspek. Apakah ia turut mempengaruhi dasar perjuangan PAS yang meletakkan Islam sebagai asas dalam setiap keputusan dan tindakan?
Apakah kerjasama dengan UMNO tidak lebih daripada percaturan politik memanjangkan ‘talian hayat’?

Penganalisis Politik Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof Sivamurugan Pandian, berpendapat PAS mulai menyedari kepentingan meraikan persamaan dengan UMNO dalam usaha memenuhi aspirasi politik untuk jangka panjang.

“Bertahun lamanya PAS dan UMNO meletakkan perbezaan yang lebih banyak mencetus perbalahan, selain kedudukan UMNO sebagai parti pemerintah pada waktu itu. Perubahan iklim politik tanah air mengubah pendekatan mereka dan masing-masing kelihatan bersungguh meneroka kerjasama secara dua hala walaupun masih banyak rintangan perlu dihadapi.
“Kerjasama ini tidak wajar mempunyai kerangka masa tertentu. Masing-masing masih mempunyai krisis kepercayaan dan ia mengambil masa, namun keperluan untuk mengukuhkan ikatan lebih mendesak berbanding berjuang sendiri,” katanya.

Cari titik tengah pacu hala tuju
Bekas Mursyidul Am PAS, Allahyarham Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat, pernah melabel UMNO sebagai sekular kerana hanya menjuarai agenda Melayu, sedangkan Islam tidak membataskan ruang lingkup perjuangannya kepada kaum atau bangsa.
Atas keperluan dan persekitaran berbeza, nada seperti itu tidak lagi kedengaran dalam kalangan kedua-dua pihak, malah kedudukan PAS dan UMNO sebagai pembangkang mendorong mereka mencari titik tengah untuk memacu hala tuju.
Di sebalik hasrat menzahirkan perpaduan ummah yang kerap diperkatakan Presiden PAS, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, tetap wujud ruang prasangka dalam kalangan akar umbi parti itu, terutama yang melalui pahit getir diperlekeh UMNO.
Dilema itu, tegas Sivamurugan, perlu dirungkai secara tuntas oleh Hadi di hadapan perwakilan muktamar kali ini, dalam usaha mengaut sokongan penuh dalam membentuk persefahaman.
“Tugasnya sama berat buat kedua-dua parti. PAS perlu meyakinkan banyak pihak bahawa nada ekstrem yang pernah menjadi lumrahnya sudah lapuk ditelan zaman, selain mengakui perlunya kepentingan Melayu dipertahankan.
“UMNO yang mulai memahami peranan sebagai pembangkang, mesti menerangkan kepada penyokong setianya bahawa Islam tidak harus dikesampingkan daripada agenda Melayu,” katanya.
Jika Hadi memilih pentas ucapan dasarnya hari ini untuk meyakinkan 1,200 perwakilan mengenai kerjasama PAS-UMNO, ia harus berpaksikan hala tuju perjuangan melangkaui pilihan raya umum akan datang.
PAS pernah menarik ahlinya untuk memangkah DAP di kertas undi - penanda aras agak tinggi berdasarkan asas perjuangan siasah masing-masing yang berhak diibaratkan langit dengan bumi. Hadi berdepan tiga lapisan ahli dalam PAS - penyokong totok yang hidup matinya bersama PAS sejak ditubuhkan pada 1951; golongan pertengahan yang terikat dengan sejarah, tetapi terbuka kepada perubahan dan penyokong muda berpendidikan yang mementingkan survival PAS untuk jangka panjang.
Untuk itu, Hadi perlu merencana sekurang-kurangnya tiga pendekatan berbeza supaya mereka memahami gelombang perubahan dihadapi tidak bermakna prinsip al-Quran dan hadis yang dipegang sejak hari pertama akan dikorbankan.
Muktamar PAS yang julung kalinya menjejak bumi Pahang kali ini harus dijadikan penanda aras untuk meruntuhkan keegoan peribadi jika parti itu benar-benar ikhlas meletakkan permuafakatan ummah mengatasi kepentingan politik.

‘Everything points to an inside job’@The Star, 15 June 2019

PETALING JAYA: All elementary facts show that the sex video saga involving a man allegedly resembling Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali is an inside job from within the party itself to character-assassinate him, say analysts.Umno leaders, on the other hand, said they had nothing to gain and everything to lose if they had
the tenacity to concoct a dirty political campaign against a top-ranking federal minister at this point in time, when Umno is at its lowest morale.
Universiti Sains Malaysia political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian said it was quite common for political contestants to use incivility tools and vilification to character-assassinate individuals from within the same party.
He pointed out that the release of the recent sex videos was likely an inside job as the details on how it was done and the statements from various parties, as well as the alleged source of the videos, showed that it was an attack from within the party.
In the past week, clips of a sex video featuring two men have been circulating on social media, initially sent out to PKR leaders and selected media personnel through Whats­App groups.
The issue was heightened when PKR member Haziq Abdullah Abdul Aziz confessed in a video that it was indeed him with the federal minister in the videos.

Azmin had cried that it was a “nefarious plot” to kill off his political career, while Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the video was fake.
PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had also condemned it as “gutter politics”.
Sivamurugan said the fact that the video saga had details only PKR people would know was proof that it was all a plot by people in the party.
“Who would know the detailed schedule of the person (Azmin), including the room number? Also, look at the confession by Haziq as well as the statement from PKR leaders,” said Sivamurugan.
He said the statements given out by PKR leaders seemed to defend their own factions.
PKR vice-president Zuraida Kam­aruddin had said it was a plot to undermine the rise of Azmin’s political career.
Ibrahim Suffian of Merdeka Centre said the sex video saga was a team effort.
“It certainly doesn’t look like the handiwork of just one person as the production of the confession, the sex video and the purported financial documents point towards some form of team effort (albeit a cliched one with plot holes, as well as easily spotted fake documents).
“In situations like this, the perpetrators are those who would likely gain from killing Azmin’s political career.
“Azmin’s high stature in politics has made him the target of enmity from within his own party as well as those from the opposition.
“With no direct evidence available at present, it’s hard to pinpoint any quarter as being responsible for this despicable attempt at political character assassination,” said Ibrahim.
Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hassan of PKR said the sex videos were created to “merely destroy Azmin’s political career as he is now in top form”.
“God willing, I am confident that these groups will find a dead end. At the same time, Azmin has to be careful as these groups will continue to pile on the pressure as they have nothing to lose,” said Khai­ruddin, who was Pakatan’s candidate in the last general election.
Khairuddin also criticised Haziq for shamelessly coming forward and making an open confession, and accused him of being proud to do so in the name of character assassination.
“Here, it is already proven that this group has no dignity and such people can do anything to persecute others.
“At the same time I find it funny, seeing the hypocrites who have expressed their sympathy and disappointment towards this planned malicious agenda towards the minister,” said Khairuddin.
Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hassan said Umno would only lose its moral compass if it were to resort to such dirty tactics.
“We will never resort to such a political culture. This is Malaysia of the 21st century. We need to construct and advocate a mature, principled and inclusive political narrative, like what we have been doing all this while.
“This is not something new. It is not a matter of Umno today or Umno tomorrow.
“Umno must be a party driven by values and character. It is not just about power and influence. It’s about being moral and righteous,” Mohamad said.
“We are committed to constructing and charting a more vibrant and progressive politics in Malaysia and oppose any form of ‘gutter politics’, especially after the last general election.
“We take the politics of principles, integrity and moral very seriously or else Umno will lose its moral compass and fail to lead the Malay Muslim society to be a more educated, Islamic and progressive segment of modern Malaysia,” said Mohamad.
He added that making sex videos to slander a top minister would only negate all efforts the party had put in to rise again after its blistering defeat in the last general elections.
Umno Youth chief Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said Umno, as the opposition, did not have “the luxury of time and resources to waste in this sick and twisted political game among political animals”.
“The people are watching us. They want to see whether Umno has changed and returned to its reason of establishment, whether Umno is mature and wiser than before,” said Asyraf.
He was referring to the fact that Umno lost the last general election because it was perceived to have lost its moral standing.

'Will the latest sex scandal surrounding PKR see support for Pakatan waver? Yes and no, say analysts', The Malay Mail, 13 June 2019

 

BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID

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While political analysts tend to disagree about whether or not character defamation can sway public opinion, there is consensus that sex scandals can still inflict some degree of damage even if the electorate appears to have matured politically. — Picture by Shafwan Zaidon

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — The latest sex video scandal engulfing Pakatan Harapan (PH) may not shake the ruling coalition’s moderate base but will definitely put a spanner in its efforts to court more conservative Malay votes, analysts said.

Set against the background of growing public frustration with PH’s flip-flopping on key election pledges, a sex scandal — manufactured or not — could have adverse political consequences for the four-party bloc in the long run.

“Today, when political literacy is higher than before, we have higher expectations that the public is more rational when evaluating news,” Sivamurugan Pandian, political analyst at Universiti Sains Malaysia, told Malay Mail.

“But at the same time, there are some who will be emotional as we are a nation strongly bound by religious values.”

Several videos of roughly 90 seconds each began circulating on social media early Tuesday morning, just days after the Hari Raya break, that showed two men having sex. One of the men allegedly bore a resemblance to a senior Cabinet minister.

Then in the early hours of Wednesday morning, a Haziq Aziz posted a video on Facebook, confessing to being the man having sex with the minister.

At the same time, he accused the minister of corruption and urged the MACC to investigate the latter.

Immediately after, politicians from both sides of the divide came out to condemn those responsible for the video clip, calling it “vile”, “filth” and an attempt at character assassination.

They urged the public not to share or spread it on the internet, although in just two days the short clips, initially spread through WhatsApp, had already gone viral.

Sivamurugan said the country is long familiar with gutter politics, noting that many similar scandals had surfaced in the past.

But while sex scandals involving high profile politicians appear to draw less interest through the years, it is difficult to gauge its influence on voting attitudes.

“In politics, negative advertising or black PR has existed for a long time,” he said.

“I don’t know to what extent public awareness is to draw a line in accepting personalised politics or focus on credibility to lead.”

One of the most notable sex videos that implicated another PKR leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, was released during his second sodomy trial in 2011.

At the time, a survey held by influential pollster Merdeka Center found half of respondents admitting that the clip affected their confidence towards the party even as the same number said they were unsure of the clip’s authenticity.

PKR went into the 13th general election losing nearly half the seats it won in the preceding polls, although it is unclear if the sex clip or sodomy allegations that hovered over the former deputy prime minister had any bearing on the outcome.

But while political analysts tend to disagree about whether or not character defamation can sway public opinion, there is consensus that sex scandals can still inflict some degree of damage even if the electorate appears to have matured politically.

“It will definitely ignite the feeling of disgust towards (the minister),” Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia political analyst Kartini Aboo Talib said, citing public response to the video on social media that called PKR “Parti Kunyit Rakyat.”

Kunyit is the derogatory Malay street term used to describe homosexuals or transgenders similar to the English word “fag.”

“The moment the person... made a confession, nobody can claim it’s an accusation or hoax video.”

But other analysts like Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, felt that the video or confession would have little impact other than reinforce the prejudices of the warring political factions.

“The recalcitrant conservative elements in Malaysia would anyway never be persuaded unless they get their way in leading Malaysia along a theocratic path,” Oh said.

“PH core supporters who are more open-minded I think can separate the public deeds of politicians from their private lives.”

Since Haziq Aziz’s confession video, Datuk Seri Azmin Ali has made a statement denying he is the other man in the video and called the whole thing an attempt to destroy his political career.

A second wave of sex video and photographs were released last night even as PKR leaders met to discuss the scandal.

'What A Crowded Playing Field'@The Edge, 10 June 2019

'PKR Berpecah Kerana Isu Latheefa Koya'@Sinar Harian, 11 Jun 2019

Ramadan Yang Istimewa@Sinar Harian, 4 June 2019

'Kit Siang’s warning to PH should be heeded'@Sun Daily, 270519

Kit Siang’s warning to PH should be heeded

Amar Shah Mohsen /

26 May 2019 / 22:19 H.

Lim Kit Siang.

PETALING JAYA: Last week, albeit surprisingly, Lim Kit Siang warned Pakatan Harapan (PH) leaders of the threat of Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak against them and how the latter remains the most potent opposition figure.
Having had a go at the former premier on countless occasions previously, the DAP supremo’s open acknowledgment of Najib’s influence in the political arena was one that may have raised a few eyebrows.
This is more so as the Pekan MP seemed to have fallen from grace following Barisan Nasional’s (BN) shocking defeat at the hands of PH in the 14th General Election (GE14) and no longer holds any position in his party.
One can be forgiven to perceive Lim’s action as mere political mind games, but it seems more of a genuine worry, and rightly so.
Since the fateful May 9 election, Najib — and Umno-BN for that matter — has been slowly-but-surely gaining the support of social media netizens.
The hate for Najib and Umno-BN and the criticism and rebukes that were ever so prominent on social media in the lead up to the general election is now slowly waning, and more seems to be turning against the PH government.
So how exactly has the tide changed? Apart from PH’s own shortcomings, the perception war on social media will be the simple answer.
Political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian pointed out that since GE14, PH leaders and cyber troopers have been slacking on the social media front, a platform it has put to great use prior to the polls.
“They have to manage BN’s perception game and at the same time create an ecosystem within social media by providing information of what they have done and their success stories. They have somewhat failed at both.
“This is why I think they didn’t gain popularity after the elections. The euphoria of last year is gone, the communications with the masses is also not as active as before,“ he told theSun.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) academician and political researcher Dr Zaini Othman pointed out that being in the opposition now and lacking the sort of control it used to have on mainstream media, BN is forced to take advantage of social media and be on the offensive.
“PH is now just holding the ‘gate post’ and must be at its wisdom best to handle the missiles launched by BN cyber troopers. The government must be wise enough and equip themselves with the knowledge to manage social media,“ he said.
Look no further than the flak Education Minister Maszlee Malik has been receiving and how he is fast becoming one of the most unpopular personalities in the Cabinet despite his rather huge popularity prior, no thanks to perceptions and the online attacks by BN leaders and cyber troopers.
They have been quick to pounce on various controversial statements and decisions by Maszlee, be it on student loans or more recently the matriculation quota, and going by comments online, many seem to favour the former.
The brouhaha surrounding the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and Rome Statute is another evidence of BN successfully exploiting PH’s weaknesses in the perception war online, even forcing the government to withdraw its ratification of the treaties.
It has become increasingly evident that one way the opposition is seeking to garner support is by utilising social media and creating perceptions that PH has been performing ever so badly at the expense of the voters.
All said, the bigger question remains whether this perception war on social media will benefit BN come the biggest stage, the general election.
Sivamurugan believes this would be the case if PH does not buck up, while Zaini said it would all depend on the political literacy among voters in Malaysia.
But going by the past year, it is BN who is now beating the ruling coalition at its own game — banking on social media for support — and at the front of that line is none other than Najib.
And it would be foolish of anyone to think that the perception war would not have any impact on the outcome of GE15.

'Najib gaining ground in the perception game on social media'@Sun Daily 270519

Najib gaining ground in the perception game on social media

Amar Shah Mohsen /

27 May 2019 / 11:15 H.

PETALING JAYA: Cyberspace is now the battleground in the perception war, and former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak seems to be gaining the upper hand.
Despite his ignominious downfall on May 9 last year, he has been slowly but surely gaining support on social media.
And none other than DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang has, perhaps grudgingly, acknowledged that the former Umno president is now a force to reckoned with.
Pakatan Harapan (PH), which so skilfully exploited the electronic medium to win the 14th general election (GE14), seems to have lost its lead.
By conceding that Najib has now become the most potent force in the Opposition, Lim has more than raised a few eyebrows. He has openly shown that he is genuinely worried, and rightly so.
The hatred for Najib and Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) was evident in the slew of criticisms against the coalition in the lead-up to GE14, mostly engineered by PH. But this resentment for Najib and all things Barisan has waned in the 12 months since the biggest ever political upheaval in modern Malaysian history.
How has the tide changed so fast? Truth be told, it has a lot to do with PH’s shortcomings. Promises made yet unfulfilled and the rising cost of living to name but two factors.
But the slide would not have come so fast if the ruling coalition had made an effort to stay in the game.
“They have been slackening off on the social media front, a platform they had put to great use prior to the polls,” said political analyst Prof Dr Sivamurugan Pandian.
But PH still has a chance to turn things around. “They can manage the perception game by creating an ecosystem to highlight their successes. This is where they have failed,” he said.
He said the failure of PH to gain popularity after the elections could be attributed to this shortcoming. “The euphoria is gone and communication with the masses is not as active as before,” he told theSun.
But it would be a fallacy to believe that BN, particularly Najib, had made so much headway chiefly on the failures of PH.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) academician and political researcher Dr Zaini Othman pointed out that having lost control of the mainstream media now that it is in the opposition, BN has taken advantage of social media to be on the offensive.
“PH is now just holding the ‘gate post’ and must be at its best to handle the missiles launched by BN cybertroopers. The government must be wise enough and equip itself with the knowledge to manage social media,” he said.
Look no further than the flak Education Minister Dr Maszlee Malik has been receiving and how he is fast becoming one of the most unpopular personalities in the Cabinet despite his rather huge prior popularity, no thanks to perceptions and the online attacks by BN leaders and cyber troopers.
They have been quick to pounce on various controversial statements and decisions by Maszlee, be it on student loans or more recently the matriculation quota, and going by comments online, many seemed to agree with BN.
The brouhaha surrounding the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) and the Rome Statute on the International Criminal Court is another piece of evidence that BN is successfully exploiting PH’s weaknesses in the perception war online, even forcing the government to withdraw its planned ratification of the treaties.
It has become increasingly evident that one way the Opposition is seeking to garner support is by utilising social media and creating perceptions that PH has been performing ever so badly at the expense of the voters.
All said, the bigger question remains whether this perception war on social media will benefit BN come the biggest stage, the next general election, due in four years.
Sivamurugan believes this would be the case if PH does not buck up, while Zaini said it would all depend on the political literacy among voters in Malaysia.
But going by what we have seen in the past year, it is BN that is now beating the ruling coalition at its own game – banking on social media for support – and at the front of that line is none other than Najib.
And it would be foolish of anyone to think that the perception war would not have any impact on the outcome of GE15.

'Politicians 'like' to fight on', The Star, 26 May 2019

 

---

 

Razak Ahmad, The Star, 26 May 2019

PETALING JAYA: It's been a year since the general election, but many of our politicians are still in full swing fighting foes and attracting supporters not just personally but online on social media channels including Facebook.
The Star's analysis shows that 86% or 191 of the 222 Members of Parliament have active official Facebook pages maintained with regular updates, statements and other information.

Two stand out among them - Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
The former and current Prime Minister rank first and second among the 222 MPs in terms of the number of "likes" their pages received from Facebook users.

image: https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2019/01/01/01/59/star-exclusive-metro-200.ashx?la=en

Najib has some 3.8 million "likes" followed by Dr Mahathir with 3.6 million. PKR president Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim comes in third with 1.8 million, followed by Umno president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (1.7 million ) and former Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaludin (1.2 million).
For uniformity, the analysis only looked at data from the official Facebook pages of the country's MPs.
The Internet Archive Website, used to gather earlier snapshots of the politicians' Facebook pages, offers only a rough image of the growth in "likes" for each of the politicians.
However, the picture does show that Najib and Dr Mahathir have been in the lead since 2009, the year Facebook introduced the "like" button on its website.

 

image: https://public.flourish.rocks/resources/bosh.svg
A Flourish data visualisation

"Our politics has always been personality driven, centred on leaders including Dr Mahathir, Najib, Anwar and others such as Khairy, who was an early adopter of social media to reach out to younger Malaysians," said Merdeka Center's programme director Ibrahim Suffian.
Najib and Dr Mahathir have the two most "liked" official Facebook pages, but they are not the most prolific in terms of the number of postings.
That record goes to Anwar, whose official Facebook page contains a total of 6,274 postings since the page was set up on May 5, 2008 - three days before the country's 12th general election.
According to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's 2018 Internet Users Survey, 23.94 million social networking users in Malaysia have a Facebook account, more than Instagram (14 million) and Twitter (5.4 million) combined.
"For voters who can't have face to face communication with politicians, social media channels - such as Facebook - offers a direct channel of engagement," said Prof Sivamurugan Pandian of Universiti Sains Malaysia. A case in point was Dr Mahathir's May 8 speech last year in Langkawi - on the night before polling began for GE14. The live broadcast drew a staggering 3.4 million viewers on Dr Mahathir's Facebook page.
Najib's "Malu Apa Bossku" campaign, its rapid growth in popularity driven by the former prime minister's social media channels including his Facebook page, is another example.

image: https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/online/2019/05/25/23/48/facebook-rank.ashx?la=en

However, being popular on Facebook may not tell the whole story.
"The number of likes is one indicator (of support), but it is not necessarily a good one as it might be possible to manipulate this," said Dr Cassey Lee, Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Regional Economic Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.
In the run-up to GE14, Reuters reported how automated accounts, known as bots, flooded Twitter with tens of thousands of pro-government and anti-opposition messages, raising questions whether some of our politicians were buying fake support on social media.
On Thursday, Facebook announced that it had removed more than three billion fake accounts from October last year to March.
Lee, who wrote a paper in 2017 - which studied the social media presence of Malaysian politicians - reckoned that it's possible that fake support would be a problem in the run-up to GE15.
"That is why we should go beyond just number of followers or likes. My preference is to look at the number of comments and shares as additional data," Lee said.
Despite his number one position, in terms of likes, Najib's "Bossku" charm did not work in the Sandakan parliamentary by-election despite his visit to the constituency to indirectly help PBS. The party ended up losing to Pakatan Harapan.
In addition, while Dr Mahathir is the second most "liked" politician on Facebook, his popularity as tracked by polling firm Merdeka Centre via a series of surveys has dropped from 83% shortly after GE14 to 46% nearly a year later.
"Voter support is not static, so the number of likes a politician gets on Facebook should be considered as a snapshot, not the whole picture," said Ibrahim.
For the data set used for the analysis, click on the following link: https://bit.ly/2Hz5kr4

Tags / Keywords:Facebook , social media , politicians

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/05/26/politicians-like-to-fight-on/#PGZXpdjC3qV0PSqr.99

Politics and Policy: The Zahid–Tok Mat saga, The Edge, 16 May 2919

 

Mohsin Abdullah

/

The Edge Malaysia

May 16, 2019 17:00 pm +08

     

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on May 6, 2019 - May 12, 2019.

^-A ⁺A

SOMETHING is not right in Umno. I know I will be accused of stating the obvious but I am not talking about the mess the party is in since losing power one year ago. Neither am I referring to the latest rumour of yet another exodus by its members.
I am talking about the goings-on — short of describing it as a power struggle — in the current leadership.
A loyalist of Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has lambasted some party members on Facebook. Describing them as “so-called popular members”, he accused them of acting as instigators in pitting certain leaders against each other.

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Their actions, he said, have created a “widening stage for infighting in Umno”.
According to him, they are now openly calling for Zahid to be replaced by one who is more capable, and for Tok Mat (as Umno deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan is popularly known) to lead the party.
For the record, Zahid passed on the powers of party president to Mohamad in December last year. It was said that he was pressured to do so as his leadership was seen as lacking in direction by some Umno top guns. But his supporters deny he was coerced into doing so.
A few months ago, the same loyalist had posted a warning on Facebook: “We know who are using and taking money to bring down Zahid. #watchout.”
I asked a close aide of Zahid who the loyalist was referring to. He did not name names but said that “these people exist and many know of their existence”.
Nobody in the Zahid camp wanted to reveal openly what was being done to check such people.
Weeks earlier, the aide had reminded me that Mohamad was carrying out the duties of the president and that he was not the acting president. He sent me excerpts of the Umno constitution to show that there are no provisions or clauses with regard to the president, or other office-bearers for that matter, going on leave.
Zahid had also pointed out that he was not on leave and described himself as an “Umno president not carrying out the duties of president” — for the time being.
He is also on record as saying on several occasions that he will return as party president at the right time, or when Mohamad no longer wants to carry on.
Last month, Zahid was quoted as saying that he was prepared to end his “leave” if he is needed to strengthen Umno, adding that there was no timeline for him to get back to active politics and that he was “ready to serve”.
Two weeks before the Rantau by-election, Mohamad was reported to have said he would continue to lead Umno even if he lost.
But he did win the April 13 by-election. To political analyst Dr Agus Yusoff, the three successive by-election wins — including Cameron Highlands and Semenyih — under his stewardship “shows Tok Mat’s leadership is well received by Umno and PAS, and has entrenched his position in Umno”.
All three by-elections saw the Umno-PAS cooperation shift to a more upbeat tempo. Incidentally, Umno folks aligned to Zahid and Mohamad claim it was their “boss” who made the Umno–PAS pact a success.
Political analyst Dr Sivamurugan Pandian says Mohamad has now earned his legitimacy and strengthened his grip on the party to become the next president.
Things are definitely looking up for him. Some analysts and even Umno grassroots members believe it will be tough for Zahid to make a comeback and lead Umno/BN, judging by the 47 criminal charges he is facing.
He has been charged with criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering from the time he served in the BN government, and the court cases will take a long time before they can be settled.
Umno supreme council member Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman does not want party members to spark a leadership crisis by asking Zahid to step down.
The Malaysian Insight quoted him as saying, “Let Zahid stay on until the end of his term (the current leadership’s term expires in 2021). What is the benefit of putting a vote of no-confidence against him?” Tajuddin could perhaps have heard of such an attempt by certain quarters in the party.
But Zahid’s supporters, despite the bleak outlook, are holding on to the adage that nothing is impossible in politics. They sincerely believe their man will still be the president.
 

Sinar Harian@10 Mei 2019

Sinar Harian@9 Mei 2019

NST@9 May 2019

GuangMing Daily@8 May 2019

Wacana Sinar Harian@9 Mei 2019

 

 

 

'DISCORD DUE TO ATTEMPTS TO ASSERT RULE OF LAW’, New Straits Times, 7 May 2019

New Straits Times

• 7 May 2019
• AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN AND SYED UMAR ARIFF KUALA LUMPUR cnews@nstp.com.my

THE ongoing discord between Putrajaya and the Johor royal household, with the latest friction stemming from the land ownership dispute in Bukit Chagar, is due to attempts to assert the rule of law, say experts.

Verbal jousting between Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim appear subsidiary, but their recent controversy involving the 4.5ha Bukit Chagar plot of land and Rapid Transit System (RTS) suggested a bigger picture at play relating to the feud.

Several quarters, for instance, have raised questions on how the land ended up under the ruler’s name, despite being said to be originally owned by the federal government prior to the RTS project realignment back in 2017.

National Human Rights Society (Hakam) president and former Universiti Malaya law lecturer Dr Gurdial Singh Nijar said the issue stemmed from a dispute that could be easily resolved if the rule of law was upheld.

“It’s a very straightforward issue of what is right and what is wrong with the alienation of the plot of land.

“Find out when the land was alienated. We need to get the facts right.

“The rule of law stands whether or not it was federal land, and regardless if it was rightly or wrongly given to the Sultan of Johor (Sultan Ibrahim Sultan

Iskandar). If it was wrongly given to the sultan, then the land needs to be reverted to its owner.”

Gurdial said the ownership of the disputed land could also be resolved through legal redress, if a need for it arises.

“Normally, a person could go to court and this person, if he is in the right, can have the other party’s stake over the land be declared void.

“They can look at records of whom the land belongs to and who is entitled to it. This will mean that the alienation of land was wrong,” said Gurdial.

He said despite the latest round of animosity between Dr Mahathir and Tunku Ismail, such public feuds had no legal bearing on the ownership of the disputed plot of land.

“It does seem that there is bickering between the two sides. These are the kind of things that arise because people are claiming their right in a situation, which is quite easy to clarify.

“This is not about Tun Dr Mahathir or the sultan of Johor saying what is right or wrong. Even if there were different circumstances in the past on how the land allegedly changed ownership, that is extraneous in this matter.”

Dr Mahathir yesterday described Tunku Ismail’s recent outburst over his father’s unpublicised contributions to the people as something coming from a “little boy” who “did not know what was happening”.

The prince’s remarks followed the federal government’s claim to the plot of federal land in Bukit Chagar, the ownership of which was said to have been transferred to Sultan Ibrahim.

The disputed land was previously earmarked for the development of the RTS linking Johor Baru and Singapore.

Meanwhile, analyst Professor Sivamurugan Pandian said it would be beneficial for both Dr Mahathir and members of Johor’s royal family to iron out disagreements with each other privately. He said this should be done to respect both sides’ opinions, and to effectively resolve the matter as it involved many legal implications.

“The prime minister has always been consistent on applying the rule of law and he also mentioned several times that he will uphold the Federal Constitution for all.

“However, the discord between Putrajaya and Johor has been there for months and a closeddoor discussion should be held soon to avoid further misunderstanding as it will not benefit both, federal and the state governments, in the process to apply the rule of law,” said Sivamurugan.