It was October 1962, and the United States and the Soviet Union were eyeball to eyeball. The Russians had just placed missiles in Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States. If they did not remove those missiles, there could have been a nuclear war between the world's two superpowers.
In the middle of the crisis, President John F Kennedy received two messages from the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev. One was positive and conciliatory. The other was harsh and belligerent.
What to do? Kennedy's advisors thought that perhaps there had been a coup d'etat in Moscow, and the right-wing was now telling Khrushchev what to do. That is why they received the second, negative message.
President Kennedy's brother Bobby gave some very interesting advice.
Reply to the message that you like.
Hold him to his word
And so it is in Malaysia today. Prime Minister Najib has suddenly announced that he is ready to establish a parliamentary committee to examine electoral reforms and ensure that Malaysia's next elections are free and fair. He says that he does not want to rule Malaysia if there are doubts about the fairness of Malaysia's elections.
The "other" Najib says that Malaysia's elections have always been free and fair, and that UMNO has never cheated. When Bersih 2.0 dared to call for electoral reforms, he unleashed a police crackdown against his own people that was far more excessive and violent than what Britain's police have used on the looting hooligans who are rampaging through London today.
The "other" Najib – the "bad" Najib – has even dared to compare Bersih's peaceful rally for electoral reform to the riotous mobs of London.
So which Najib are we talking about? The new "liberal" Najib, the "good" Najib — or the "bad Najib," the one who is afraid of right-wing ignoramuses like Ibrahim Ali?
Let's take Bobby Kennedy's advice.
Let's pick the Najib we like, and then hold him to his word.
Then let's insist that he follow through with his promise of an impartial parliamentary committee.
Let's insist that the credibility of Malaysia's electoral reforms will be enhanced if he invites Bersih 2.0 and other NGOs to participate in the process.
Let's insist that he invite international observers to Malaysia's next General Elections.
Let's insist that he "walk the talk."
And if he doesn't….
Well, you know the answer.
We will see his true colors. We will know which Najib we are dealing with.
- John Malott is the former US ambassador of Malaysia and currently president of the Japan-America Society of Washington DC
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Naib Presiden PAS Datuk Mahfuz Omar berkata, dakwaan Menteri Penerangan Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Rais Yatim bahawa peserta BERSIH 2.0 diupah RM50 adalah kenyataan yang “sangat dangkal”
Sambil menafikan PAS turut mengupah anggotanya, Mahfuz menyifatkan kenyataan Rais itu sebagai cuba “menyamakan semua orang macam Umno”.
“Umno nak meramaikan perhimpunan mereka, nak meramaikan perhimpunan yang dihadiri pimpinan mereka, mesti diberi duit, dibelanja dengan wang cukup besar, sediakan pengangkutan, kemudian diberi duit, beri makan dan sebagainya.
Jadi dia (Rais) menyamakan (dengan kita). Dia tidak boleh berfikir di luar kotak (pemikiran) Umno. Rais ini berpemikiran dalam kotak Umno. Dia tak keluar daripada kotak Umno,” katanya.
Semalam, Rais dilapor mendakwa ada peserta diupah RM50 seorang untuk memakai baju kuning dan menyertai perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 pada 9 Julai lalu.
Beliau berkata selain itu, mereka juga diberi makan dan perkara tersebut didedahkan dalam satu laporan yang dikeluarkan kementerian berkenaan. “Ini jelas membuktikan upah politik itu berlaku dalam tindakan dan tindak-tanduk pemakai baju kuning atau pemimpin-pemimpin mereka,” katanya.
Menurut Rais lagi, bukan semua peserta perhimpunan itu mempunyai matlamat yang jelas, kecuali sebahagian dengan matlamat politik sendiri.
Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala Lumpur, Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah hari ini menetapkan mahkamah bersambung semula Isnin depan kerana peguam bela Anwar belum dapat menemubual baki lima lagi saksi daripada senarai 25 orang yang ditawarkan pendakwa raya.
Beliau juga mengarahkan pendakwa raya menyediakan baki enam saksi yang belum dapat ditemubual peguambela Ketua Umum KEADILAN sebelum mahkamah bersambung minggu depan.
"Pendakwa raya perlu buat apa-apa sahaja untuk memastikan perbicaraan akan bermula Isnin nanti.
"Apa-apa sahaja hasil (daripada temubual) itu, Isnin awak (peguam bela) perlu mula," kata Hakim Zabidin.
Peguam Anwar, Sankara Nair memberitahu lima orang yang masih belum ditemubual itu adalah seorang bekas jururawat Pusat Rawatan Islam (Pusrawi), dua bekas pembantu rumah yang bekerja di kondominium Desa Damansara, bekas Ketua Polis Negara, Tan Sri Musa Hassan dan seorang bekas pembantu Anwar.
Seorang lagi saksi, ibu kepada bekas tunang Saiful, Sharehah Mat Salim telah ditemubual oleh peguam Anwar pagi tadi.
Menurut Sankara lagi, peguam bela Anwar bersedia untuk memulakan pembelaan Isnin depan.
"Kami bersedia untuk hari Isnin, dengan syarat pendakwa raya memberikan baki saksi yang dijanjikan," kata Sankara.
Seorang lagi peguam Anwar, Ram Karpal Singh pula menegaskan pendakwa raya bertanggungjawab menyediakan semua saksi yang diminta sebelum perbicaraan bersambung Isnin depan.
"Ia adalah tanggungjawab pendakwa raya untuk membawa semua saksi," kata Ram Karpal.
Anwar dijangka memberikan keterangan sebagai saksi pertama pembelaan Isnin depan.
Perbicaraan ini yang memasuki peringkat pembelaan sepatutnya sudah bermula Isnin lalu namun. Ia ditangguhkan atas permintaan pendakwa raya yang gagal menyediakan 25 saksi yang ditawarkan kepada peguam bela.
Kegagalan menyediakan saksi itu menyebabkan peguam Anwar terpaksa memohon perintah mahkamah untuk memanggil saksi-saksi berkenaan.
Di antaranya adalah Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Razak dan isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansur yang hadir secara bersembunyi ke mahkamah Jumaat lalu untuk ditemubual.
Kedua-dua mereka hadir tetapi enggan ditemubual dan memberitahu mereka juga enggan menjadi saksi perbicaraan kes Fitnah II.
Kedua-dua mereka adalah watak penting kes ini kerana Najib mengaku pernah menemui Saiful yang mengadu kononnya diliwat kepada beliau dan juga untuk mendapatkan biasiswa.
Pembantu Rosmah pula, Mumtaz Jaafar adalah ibu angkat kepada Saiful.
I read with great admiration the report card of BinaFikir Sdn Bhd with regards to the "Widespread Asset Bundling" (a.k.a. as "WAU") restructuring of MAS. Incidentally, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and Mohammed Rashdan Yusof were co-founders of BinaFikir Sdn Bhd. During the WAU exercise, Tan Sri Mokhtar was the Managing Director and Mohamamed Rashdan Yusof [...]
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