[Rencana ini MESTI DIBACA DAN DISEBAR kerana amat bernas. Mahathir kini berperang dengan tiga rakyat negeri. Kelantan dengan bekalan air, Terengganu dengan Royalti dan Selangor dengan Putrajaya Dia memijak perjanjian Petronas sesuka hati, sengaja memilih Khir Toyo supaya senang mencuri dan membiarkan rakyat Kelantan dinafikan bekalan air walaupun wabak taun boleh membawa maut kepada rakyat marhaen yang tidak bersalah, termasuk kanak-kanak yang belum boleh mengundi Sebaliknya dia bermurah hati pula membantu semua kroni - semalam dia mengumumkan Bakun akan dihidupkan kembali..... Rakyat dia apa perduli - Malah dia mencemuh orang melayu dalam wawancara dengan Financial Times baru-baru ini serta tidak mengizinkan undang-undang tuhan dengan pelbagai alasan. - Editor]

Selangor State Territory Annexed by Federal Government

First Mahathir denies the Kelantan people their water. Then Mahathir takes away the Terengganu people s oil royalty. Now Mahathir annexes Putra Jaya and declares it Federal Territory.

A few days ago the Federal Government announced that Putra Jaya is going to become Federal Territory. It caught everyone off guard. When was this agreed upon? Who gave the agreement for Putra Jaya to be handed over to the Federal Government?

I did some probing and this is what I came up with.

Prior to that, His Royal Highness the King summoned the Regent, who is the acting Sultan of Selangor, and the Royal Council for a meeting. At this meeting, the assembly was informed that Putra Jaya would be handed over to the Federal Government. The Regent and the Royal Council were also informed that they are not to question the decision nor oppose it. They can only ask about the quantum involved.

Putra Jaya would be "sold" for RM800 million plus an annual payment of RM7.5 million.

Having been told they could not question or oppose the move other than discuss the quantum, the Council discussed the amount offered by the Federal Government and said it was not sufficient. How could the Federal Government take Putra Jaya by force and dictate the amount to be paid?

This matter was brought back to the Federal Government. The Federal Government was told that the Council was not happy with the figure and that the Federal Government should revise the figure.

The Federal Government, however, rejected the Council s view. The figure would stand.

The Council is extremely unhappy with this whole affair. It is one thing to take part of Selangor territory by force. But to pay pittance on top of that!

According to sources in the Selangor State Government, the move to annex Putra Jaya started during the tenure of the previous Chief Minister, Abu Hassan Omar. He too was not in favour of this but was powerless to block Mahathir. The Chief Minister wanted no part of this so he resigned, stating rumours of his "sex scandal" as the excuse.

In truth, the so-called sex scandal was an old story more than a decade old. He did not need to resign because of it. But it was the most convenient excuse he could use to justify his resignation. He could not possibly cite the annexing of Putra Jaya as the reason for him wishing to resign.

UMNO Selangor then submitted a list of 11 names for Mahathir to choose from as Abu Hassan s successor. Mahathir refused to choose anyone from this list and chose his own candidate someone not on the list. Mahathir had to be sure the candidate he chose would not block the move to annex Putra Jaya.

Members of the Selangor Royal family are up in arms about this whole matter. They can see that the next territory to be annexed would be Cyber Jaya, another territory very important to Mahathir.

Selangor State is going through a crisis. Members of the Selangor Royal family feel that the Sultan has sold them out to Mahathir. Many are asking why the Royal Council is keeping mum on this whole matter.

No doubt they have been instructed by the Sultan not to ask any questions, says the family. But then why are they still sitting on the Council? Why have they not resigned out of protest?

They feel, if the Council Members still remain on the Council and do not resign, this would mean they endorse the move to hand over Putra Jaya to the Federal Government.

On 7th November 2000, the document to hand over Putra Jaya to the Federal Government will be signed. After that it would be a fait accompli. If the Council members wish to register their protest they would have to resign before that.

The Council members realise that the people are beginning to question the relevancy of the Sultanate. In the Constitutional Crisis a few years back, it was UMNO that asked for the Sultans to be removed. Mahathir, however, defended the Sultans though in a mocking manner.

Mahathir said, "We cannot remove the Sultans. We still need them to give out awards on birthdays. If there were no Sultans who would give out the awards?"

Later on, one or the previous Chief Ministers had a "family feud" with the Sultan when he married the Sultan s daughter without the Sultan s knowledge or consent. In retaliation, the Sultan declared he was rejecting the Chief Minister s list of awards to give out that coming birthday, and would come out with his own (Sultan s) list.

The Chief Minister informed the Sultan that he had no authority to decide who is to be given the birthday awards. It is UMNO that decides. The Sultan just dishes them out.

The Sultan was very sore at this statement, which made the front pages of the newspapers, and called off his birthday celebration that year. That way he need not give out any awards. If he could not choose whom to give the awards to, and had to comply with the UMNO list, he would rather not give any out.

So there was no birthday celebration that year and the Sultan said, tongue-in-cheek, at least it will help save the State some money.

Many members of the Selangor Royal family are worried that this latest move may spur the people to question the relevancy of the Sultanate. Mahathir had already started this trend some years back, but it has died down since then. But this does not mean the people now automatically accept the Sultans. It just means that there are laws, which makes it a crime to question the position of the Sultans.

People do not dare question the position of the Sultans because they can go to jail for asking such a question. But with what has been going on these last two years, people are already convinced the Sultans are not the last bastions for justice as has been touted by the royalists. It is Mahathir who has the last word.

On 5th November 2000, there will be a massive assembly in Shah Alam, the state capital of Selangor State. The assembly is called "The Gathering to Restore the Rights of the People". The Chief Minister of Selangor has asked the police to take action to stop this gathering. The organisers of the gathering, however, have declared the gathering will go on nevertheless.

The people are calling for the rights of the Kelantan people to their water to be restored. They want the rights of the Terengganu people to their oil royalty also restored. The rights of the Selangor people for their territory not to be annexed should also not be forgotten. Most importantly, the right of Anwar Ibrahim to a fair trial should be upheld.

Also not to be left out are the rights of the people to a fair trial, the abolishment of the Internal Security Act, the restoration of an independent judiciary, the rights of the people to free speech, the abolishment of the Publication and Printing Press Act, and the removal of the many more draconian laws aimed at denying the people their rights.

RAJA PETRA KAMARUDIN