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Showing posts from February, 2026

To Pardon Or Not To Pardon Part 4: Conspiracy Theories From Outer Space

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There are many theories, or should we call them conspiracy theories, regarding Najib's pardon appeal. There are too many to list, but here are a few:- (1) If Najib is released, he could become a political threat to the unity government. (2) Once released, he would challenge the post of UMNO presidency, putting Zahid and ultimately the PH Unity Government at risk; (3) Or, he might join PN and strengthen PN's challenge for the crucial Malay votes in the next election; (4) The Yang di-Pertuan Agong wanted to give full royal pardon but was objected to by the Attoney General and the Federal Territory Minister. Let's analyze each of the above:- Najib as a political force. We should not forget, UMNO had been the ruling government since independence in 1957, a total of 61 years continuously. It went down in GE14 in 2018. Najib was UMNO's last prime minister proving he, or UMNO, was not invincible at all. Nonetheless, Najib star shone again during the state el...
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Anwar, Bumiputera Privileges And Article 153: A Short History Of Article 153

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Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said there is no need to review Article 153 of the Federal Constitution, which outlines “bumiputera” privileges. He said this in response to calls by a PKR lawmaker for the government to review whether Article 153 was working as intended . In July, 2005 he said, "Bumiputera privileges must end" He said it once again in 2023, "Being Malay should not be a reason to deny others their rights under the Federal Constitution" What is Article 153? Article 153 does not mention "bumiputera". In fact, there is not a single mention of "bumiputera" in the whole of the constitution. It is believed, the word "bumiputera" was first coined by the late Tun Razak around 1970 when he launched the New Economic Policy (NEP). The term is derived from the Sanskrit which was later absorbed into the classical Malay word bhumiputra . Bumi means soil, earth etc while putera means prince or son; Bumiputera translated into En...
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