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(Bernama) -- Gua Musang Member of Parliament Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah has denied that he had praised the new Cabinet as neat and capable as reported by the media Saturday.

In a press conference at his office here, he said the capability of the new Cabinet had yet to be seen and it was not fair for him to judge them at this point of time.

"After all it's going to be performance oriented, that's good, but let us see after six months whether they are able to perform the way they are supposed to," he said.

Razaleigh said it is the hope of many including himself that the new Cabinet will be able to bring back the confidence of the people towards the country's leadership, without which, a lot of problems, namely corruption, racial disharmony and economic could not be tackled effectively.

He also said there was a need to reform the education policy and system, specifically the PPSMI (teaching of Science and Mathematics in English).

He said the PPSMI was not successful especially with rural students, who he said had become victims of the policy.

"We cannot continue this experiment and there must be readiness on the government's side to abandon it," he said.

Commenting on the early moves by Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak as the new Prime Minister, he said the release of the 13 ISA detainees was a good move but questioned why all the other detainees were not freed.

"Why are they so selective? Release only a few and did not release the rest?"

"People's lives and freedom cannot be used as a political ploy," he said.

Responding to a question by reporters, Razaleigh said he still believed in the forming of a Unity Government as it would help to bring in fresh ideas.

"It's not new (the concept of Unity Government), it was tried by Tun Razak from 1974 to 1978," he said.

He also said he hoped that the new prime minister would respond positively to the idea as PAS had also agreed to it.

"With Barisan Nasional losing five states in the last general election, with all this issues coming out, like racial and religious problems, I think it's best to put our heads together and map out the future of this country by bringing all the leaders from all sections and parties together," he said.

Comments (17)

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written by Proud_2b_Malaysian, April 12, 2009 02:55:14

Is the MSM trying to use Tengku Razaleigh to paint a goody picture of Najib's new cabinet? The worth of the new cabinet is in the results but since this is public office, it is also important to ensure confidence in public perception.

Wait and see? There is no confidence from the word Go so the cabinet has an uphill task of proving public perception wrong. Otherwise, we are really heading downwards in double time.

http://proud2bmalaysian.*********.com/

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written by Kaneeneh, April 12, 2009 02:58:49

OMG! And I thought Ku Li must have gone senile to come out and praise the shameless cabinet. Again, do not believe anything you read.

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written by Jollykatak, April 12, 2009 04:08:32

Phew!! I thought for a moment that Ku Li was also going senile like his contemporary - MAMAKUTTY. Thank God it is the usual Govt spin doctors at work only.

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written by NSTPravda, April 12, 2009 06:33:16

An untalented team lacking integrity?
Let it be known they are my very best cronies
They possess the best integrity that money can buy
And they each rank personal advancement very high
Now isn’t what this glorious nation is all about
To grow Tuns, Tan Sris and Datuk from common louts
UMNO is in the front line of this glorious reform
You are all encouraged to celebrate this UMNO norm
All Ku Li to do is to join in and sing my praise
! He'll find me generous with your money& he'll be semua-nya OK!

Rasuah saya sayand eh!
Dollar Akbar!

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written by educationist, April 12, 2009 06:37:03

Old habits die hard for the MSM - those servile editors will do anything to curry favour with their political masters!
Or is it a case of "cakap tak serupa bikin" of the Najib regime just after he went on record of wanting to promote a more vibrant media here!
Well, whatever, trust Ku Li to put the record straight!!
Talking of the PPSMI - "We cannot continue this experiment and there must be readiness on the government's side to abandon it," - I do wonder if that is his position. Of course, each of us is entitled to our own position. but since the country has implemented it for seven years now, will it not be better to bite the bullet and see how to improve its implementation.
Blame must be laid sqaurely at the feet of Mahathir for the unprofessional manner the PPSMI was implemented. I strongly believe this is the root cause of the problems faced by pupils now. He imagined teachers not conversant in English can teach the subjects well by jusr pushing buttons on the laptop and projecting the lesson via the LCD. The MOE deemed that giving such teachers schooled in the Bahasa Malaysia throughout their education a two weeks? course, they have become experts in teaching the subjects in English. The list...
Hmm.. I thought PAS only agreed with the unity government with UMNO? Won't it accentuate the racial and unity issues?

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written by Proarte, April 12, 2009 06:38:12

Has anybody asked what Ku Li is doing in UMNO Baru? He does not have the guts to stick to his principles. Remember how he gave up on Semangat 46 and went running back to Mahathir with his tail between his legs? UMNO has ignored him all this while and what makes him think they will take him more seriously especially with Mahathir now as the back seat driver in Najib's cabinet!

If Ku Li wants to remain a failed and compromised politician and be a 'suara dari kubur' then he should remain in UMNO Baru. If he wants to put his money where his mouth is, then he should get the hell out of UMNO Baru pretty pronto

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written by maisur, April 12, 2009 06:46:01

dear mr educationist, as per your nick name, i would expect you to be more well read and well versed about current political situation in this beloved country of ours

PAS has proposed a unity government between PR and BN, not between PAS and BN. read this again and read this loud and clear.... PAS HAS PROPOSED A UNITY GOVERNMENT BETWEEN PR AND BN, NOT BETWEEN PAS AND BN. do i need to make it any clearer?

and for your information, PAS president himself has reiterated many many many many many times that the unity government must involve all three PR components ie PAS, PKR and DAP...otherwise, it will not materialise

so mr educationist, please do more reading coz if you don't read, you will mislead those you profess. and please, don't read too much from the star, utusan, NST or malaysiakini.

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written by Jan, April 12, 2009 08:10:51

You must be out of your mind to praise a cabinet filled with rejects. This is what I thought of Ku Li when he was alleged to have praised this cabinet.

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written by volkswagen, April 12, 2009 08:15:44

If today Najib appoints Razaleigh as a Cabinet Minister, what do you think Razaleigh will say about he current cabinet line-up?

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written by ahmadneil, April 12, 2009 09:30:24

TRH is just barking for attention like Racist mahathir.He is just hoping that Najib will hear his bark and take him in.

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written by imanj, April 12, 2009 09:53:58

a very "HAPPY EASTER" to all.

Read your reply Ahmadneil and thank you just the same,express your feelings but don't go anywhere,i,ve said it before,some of us need a good laugh now and then,i would miss reading your comments if you were gone..

As for article above,its probably more of formality or not.Any new government is expected to do better and most people would just hope for it.

Only comment is Education,please at this moment the power in with the new cabinet,a new Minister,a new policy and so on..However the arguement,first acknowledge the standard of both BAHASA MALAYSIA and ENGLISH LANGUAGE is embarassing.

Emphasis should be made to speak original proper Bahasa Malaysia,minus all the awkward English words,unless so required,where a word is not available and if its a mathematical or a scientific term.The rural areas just need better abled educators affluent with English and Bahasa and you would see results.Instead of making excuses,one should strive to improve or else face the consequences of failure,and don't sideline the ones that are high achievers,who personally know the importance of doing better because they don't meet race quota.

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written by educationist, April 12, 2009 10:21:33

dear maisur,
I stand corrected if the situation is as per your input.
Well, I'm not in the habit of saving all the online articles i read but I had read that the said unity government comes with a promise of DPM to PAS, to pry it from the PR.
But it's academic really, do u seriously believe those UMNOputras wull share power??

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written by SCM, April 12, 2009 10:34:58

Ku Li,

How can you say that "it's going to be performance oriented"? Most of his cabinet members did not perform at all during the last regime. A very good example is Hishamuddin. He single-handedly took the education system back 10 years. And he is a full minister in Najib's cabinet. The list goes on for the other members of his cabinet too.

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written by onnetline, April 12, 2009 11:33:39

He said the PPSMI was not successful especially with rural students, who he said had become victims of the policy. why are the the failure of poor students be blamed on the successful ones? Bloody 'ketuanan' racist that's what you are!

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written by fireduck, April 12, 2009 11:56:48

Which PAS is Razaleigh talking about? Hadi's or Tok Guru Nik Aziz's? I go with Tok Guru anytime. And he is against working with UMNO ..... again! They got screwed once, and Tok Guru will not let PAS be screwed again.

Anyway, I think the PR should not work with UMNO/BN but prepare themselves strongly for the eventual and inevitable 2-party system, and be prepared to administer once the rakyat has given them the mandate come the next GE.

For now, Anwar would be best advised to show substance as a national leader, and not just focus on politicking. We have wasted one year on that, now lets show that the PR can be an effective alternative. Help MB Khalid stuff people like Toyo, help Guan Eng to prosper Penang, help Nik Aziz to bring investors into Kelantan, help MB Azizan to administer wisely and effectively, and help MB Nizar in his fight for the rakyat.

Anwar must show wisdom as the Opposition Leader in Parliament, and focus on issues and not just on political partisanship, which is the forte of BN but not what we rakyat want.

And Anwar must immediately focus on cleaning up the membership of PKR. They seem to be so many members taken in just on political whims. These are not the kind of 'friends' you want. The rakyat want technocrats and learned, committed leaders not self-serving off-the-street unproven Joes. No disrespect to YB Manikumar, but I honestly hope he can cope and do a good job.

As for Razaleigh, I don't know what to make of him. Cakap banyak, but who's listening? How effective is he standing on that current platform? All Najib needs to do is just to ignore him like they are doing so effectively now. If he is serious about bringing change to the equation for the benefit of the rakyat, use another platform. Go 'independent' and be out of UMNO in order to criticize UMNO .... like Zaid Ibrahim. You're much more respected that way.

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written by joeawk, April 12, 2009 22:22:39

Incorrigible media people. Just quite incapable of carrying the truth but continue to spin.

Hey, there are fewer and fewer fools left except you buggers. Stop the lie and stop carrying Najib's ball. It won't help.

The wind of change will continue to blow and the govt change is inevitable because it is long overdue.

Being critical of itself will set the BN up to be a more effective opposition in the next Parliament.

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written by educationist, April 13, 2009 04:22:07

"The contest, if it happens, will see two rising stars who used to be in the same camp fighting each other. It will also be a referendum of sorts on whether the party should cooperate with Umno in a unity pact." - from 'The winds of change in PAS' posting in Malaysia Today posting 13.4.09
So, maisur, don't shoot off your hips, get your facts right first!!

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