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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Kit Siang offers to prove Ibrahim Ali’s Chinese threat (SEE VIDEO BELOW)
- PKR MPs question closure of PI Bala’s case
- Cops to quiz rally organisers, permits denied
- BN gives rival PKR a pat-on-back for ‘loyalty’
- ‘Umno outsourcing racism to Perkasa’
- Taib denies Swiss bank account claims
- Kit Siang: RM1.2b Sarawak pork barrel justifies Bersih march
- Be Ready Against Hackers Attacking PM's Website, Says Rais
- KL to help Africa launch economic reforms
- Taib: I’ve a surprise today
- Something fishy in RM466m building sale to Tabung Haji?
- Bersih 2.0 rally is still politics all the same
- Manipulation suspected in Bersih poll
- Putrajaya says RM1.18b worth of projects announced for Sarawak polls
- PKR pins hopes on working class votes
| Kit Siang offers to prove Ibrahim Ali’s Chinese threat (SEE VIDEO BELOW) Posted: 21 Jun 2011 09:39 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - DAP's Lim Kit Siang offered today to deliver a copy of Datuk Ibrahim Ali's speech on Sunday to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the Home Minister to prove that the Perkasa president had threatened the Chinese community. -njX6gHppc0 SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-njX6gHppc0 Describing him as "guilty as hell", Lim said he had watched a recording of Ibrahim's speech and confirmed that the fiery Malay rights leader had indeed warned the Chinese to stay home and stock up on food during the planned Bersih rally this July 9. This, he said, was tantamount to a threat against the community. "I have seen the video recording of the speech by the Perkasa President Ibrahim Ali at the launch of the Bersih 2.0 counter-protest in Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday and there can be no doubt that he is as guilty as hell in his incendiary, inciteful and treasonous 'Chinese should stock up food' tirade," he said in a statement today. Lim added that Ibrahim should not be detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for his statement but should be charged in court like a "lowly criminal" instead for raising the spectre of the bloody May 13 racial clashes. "If Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and the IGP Tan Sri Ismail Ismail Omar have not seen the video recording, I can send them a copy of the video," he said.
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| PKR MPs question closure of PI Bala’s case Posted: 21 Jun 2011 08:14 PM PDT
Two PKR leaders question the government's motives for closing the private investigator's case, regarding slain Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR leaders today questioned the government's motive in closing the case involving private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Batu MP Tian Chua and Subang MP R Sivarasa said the government's reasons for closing the case, as provided in a written parliamentary response yesterday, was unacceptable. Balasubramaniam had linked Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu in a statutory declaration (SD) made in October 2008. The next day, he retracted the SD by making another SD, which denied the contents of the first. In October 2009, Balasubramaniam emerged from hiding, and stood by his SD implicating Najib, claiming that he was offered money to retract the document. Chua had asked a question in Parliament on Monday regarding the failure of the deputy public prosecutor to act on Balasubramaniam's case. In a written response, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said the case against Balasubramaniam was closed because both his statuary declarations did not have "any impact on the Altantuya trial". However, Chua disagreed. "We don't know if either one of his statements would have had an impact on the trial. The minister cannot make his own conclusions on judicial matters," he said today. Chua also questioned the motive of the government in handling the matter, saying that if one of Balasubramaniam's contradictory statements were found to be false, then that should be used as a basis to file a case against the private investigator, regardless of the impact it had on the Altantuya case. 'Nazri wrong on Section 199′ The reasons provided by Nazri as to why Balasubramaniam cannot be prosecuted also drew criticism. Nazri had stated that according to Section 199 of the Penal Code, action can only be taken against providing false statements if they were made with the intention of using it for court proceedings. He added that the private investigator's statutory declarations were not made for any court proceedings, so action cannot be taken against him. Sivarasa took issue with this, arguing that Section 199 does not explicitly state that a statement must be made with the intention of using it in court.
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| Cops to quiz rally organisers, permits denied Posted: 21 Jun 2011 04:14 PM PDT
The home minister says Bersih, Perkasa and Umno Youth seem set on wanting to hold their respective rallies even without police permits. (Free Malaysia Today) - Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today said that the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters will contact Perkasa, Umno Youth and Bersih 2.0 regarding their July 9 rallies. Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he said the police will act because the groups seem set on holding their rallies despite permits not being issued. "They will be called today, but we do not know if they will come today," he said. "We will also speak with Bersih and ask them what is their actual purpose – justice in the context of democracy, or whether they will link it to other issues with political, racial or religious overtones," he added. The minister stressed that his priority was the safety of the people and the safeguarding of peace. "All three will not be granted permits to gather on that date. I am saying categorically that all three of them will not get it," he said. The July 9 Bersih rally is aimed at pushing for free and fair elections.
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| BN gives rival PKR a pat-on-back for ‘loyalty’ Posted: 21 Jun 2011 03:51 PM PDT
The 'songkok' which completes the official attire of the state assemblymen is not a religious symbol as perceived by DAP, says senior Sarawak Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition PKR earned itself some brownie points from the 'ruling' class when its three assemblymen attended the 10th Sarawak Legislative Assembly sitting in full uniform. Lauding their 'loyalty' to the August House and the Head of State, Sarawak Housing and Local Government Minister Abang Johari Tun Openg said it showed the opposition to be 'respectful' of the institution. "We are grateful that PKR assemblymen adhered to the regulation which calls for the use of proper uniform. "We can see this as being loyal opposition," he said much to the surprise of newsmen here PKR which won three seats in the April 16 state election is representated by assemblymen Baru Bian (Ba Kelalan), Ali Biju (Krian) and See Chee How (Batu Lintang). They together with DAP's 12 elected representatives form the 15-member strong Pakatan Rakyat coalition in the state assembly. Unlike in previous sittings, the large number of opposition had made them more visible. The is also a sole independent rep in the House. The donning of the uniform has been a side-line controversy following the DAP's refusal to wear the attire. Sarawak DAP chairman Wong Ho Leng said wearing the official uniform, estimated to cost about RM2,000 a piece, required the use of a headpiece or songkok. "In a past session the Speaker had already ruled that it is not necessary to wear the official uniform as long as we wear dark official suits. "Since it is not the rule of the day, all 12 of us will come in dark suits as we have done all these while, " Wong had said. Not a religious symbol Johari, who is Satok assemblyman, however found DAP's adamant stance somewhat 'strange'. He said that the songkok was not a symbol of religion, as perceived by the DAP. "I find strange the failure of DAP elected representatives to put on the DUN official uniform." "The songkok is not a symbol of any religion."
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| ‘Umno outsourcing racism to Perkasa’ Posted: 21 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT
By Humayun Kabir, FMT TAIPING: Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) alleged that Umno, after coming under pressure from its Barisan Nasional component parties, has outsourced its racist agenda to Perkasa. PSM leader and Sungai Siput MP Dr D Jeyakumar recalled how former Umno Youth chief Hishammuddin Hussein once held and kissed the keris, uttering seditious words against the Chinese community. Jeyakumar said this did not go down well with the non-Malays, and many turned their backs on BN. "Now Umno is outsourcing this kind of racist posturing to Parkasa which is totally outside the party to hoodwink the people into believing that Umno is a changed, moderate party," he told FMT. "Umno is being double-faced in using racism and religion on one hand through Parkasa to get the support of the Malay community while (Prime Minister) Najib (Tun Razak) on the other hand is singing the 1Malaysia unity song to the non-Malays to get their support. "The policy of using a balance of racism and religion and talks of unity is to make the people hostage to the status quo of power. But this will backfire on BN in the next polls," he added. Worried about Bersih rally Jeyakumar said Umno's claim to be the saviour of the Malay community for the past 50 years does not hold water after the 2008 general election as the race has woken up to the reality that they are not on equal economic footing like the Umno cronies. He said the Malay community no longer subscribes to Umno's political propaganda of divide and rule as the economic rift between the Umno cronies and the community continues to widen.
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| Taib denies Swiss bank account claims Posted: 21 Jun 2011 01:50 PM PDT
(The Star) - KUCHING: Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has denied allegations by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) that the Swiss government is investigating his assets held in Swiss banks. Taib said he had no secret Swiss bank account nor any assets or investments of any description in Switzerland. He said he wrote to Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Ray last month asking her to confirm if she had ordered an investigation by the Swiss Financial Marketing Supervisory Authority as alleged by BMF and to furnish him with a copy of the allegation so that he can seek appropriate legal redress. "I also pledged to render my fullest cooperation to the Swiss federation to swiftly bring the truth to light so as to nail all malicious reports," he told the Sarawak Legislative Assembly when making a personal explanation on the allegation Wednesday morning. The BMF had alleged on its website that the Swiss Financial Marketing Supervisory Authority agreed to investigate Taib's alleged assets in Swiss banks. Taib added that the allegations by BMF were "utterly false and evidently politically motivated". He said BMF had a track record of making "scurrilous and scandalous" allegations against the state government. "Therefore BMF's false allegations about assets held in Switzerland by me are a continuation of their malicious efforts to smear the state, the Government and the leaders," he said. |
| Kit Siang: RM1.2b Sarawak pork barrel justifies Bersih march Posted: 21 Jun 2011 01:37 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — Lim Kit Siang has accused Barisan Nasional (BN) of vote buying during the April 16 Sarawak election, stating that the RM1.2 billion spent on its campaign was reason enough for the July 9 Bersih rally calling for free and fair elections. The DAP parliamentary leader added that the entire federal Cabinet had campaigned in Sarawak, leaving no one to govern the country during the election period. "It was not just Sarawak BN but the entire federal government campaigning in the Sarawak elections — making a complete mockery of the principle of free and fair elections," said the Ipoh Timur MP of the RM1.18 billion spent by the Najib administration up to April 30 this year in Sarawak. He also cited reports that BN had spent over RM500 million in the state polls, far in excess of election laws limiting each state assembly candidate to RM100,000 or RM71 million for the combined 71-seat Sarawak legislative. "The rally needs to be held if Malaysia is to join the rank of developed democracies... unlike many failed African states where elections are used to give the fig-leaf of legality to illegitimate governments," he said, adding that BN would likely spend up to RM5 billion in a general election expected within the year. The Prime Minister's Department said in Parliament yesterday that RM1.18 billion was spent in the first four months of the year on 62 programmes and projects, 52 of which have already been implemented. Lim also said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak "cancelled the Cabinet meeting during the Sarawak election period, dragooning all federal ministers to campaign in Sarawak — leaving Putrajaya as an empty seat of federal power." Corruption watchdog Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) also threw its support behind Bersih, stating that political financing should be reformed and action taken against vote buying. "The fight against corruption in any country begins at the top in the political arena, starting with clean and fair elections where the democratic process of election is carried out in a manner where its integrity is safeguarded," said president Datuk Paul Low. He called on the Election Commission (EC) to define clearly what is illegal and what is not so that "swift and stern action to be taken against all allegations of corruption, including vote buying." Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties and activists are gearing up to march next month in the second such rally by Bersih, the first being in 2007 when up to 50,000 were reported to have gathered in the capital, with many being dispersed by water cannons and tear gas fired by the police.
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| Be Ready Against Hackers Attacking PM's Website, Says Rais Posted: 21 Jun 2011 11:11 AM PDT (Bernama) - SINGAPORE -- Minister of Information, Communication and Culture Dr Rais Yatim asked all involved in cyber security to be prepared to defend the website of the Prime Minister from being hacked. He said the Communication and Multimedia Commission and Cybersecurity, among others, must not treat lightly the possibility of the website of Najib Tun Razak being attacked. "We are not afraid of the threat because we are prepared," he told reporters after opening the Malaysian pavilion at the CommunicAsia Convention 2011 here on Tuesday. With the "layers and shields" created by government technical experts, it was not easy to hack government portals although some had been affected, Rais said. The hackers attacking government websites had a specific agenda and were not doing it for fun, he said. In KUALA LUMPUR, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dr Koh Tsu Koon told the Dewan Rakyat that the special task force set up by the National Security Council had successfully handled the threat from hackers. He said the task force was able to restore hacked websites within three hours on average.
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| KL to help Africa launch economic reforms Posted: 21 Jun 2011 11:04 AM PDT By Farrah Naz Karim and Sean Augustin, NST PUTRAJAYA: Kuala Lumpur is set to assist African nations in undertaking economic reforms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Malaysia believed that the continent, which has a population of about one billion, had shown a lot of promise. African leaders, he said, were also ready to chart new courses in pursuing development. "They have gone through some difficult times in the past but their leaders are now much more enlightened and determined to use their resources and strengths to pursue a higher degree of development. "Therefore, it is important for us to work closely with African countries for our mutual benefit. "This platform has allowed Malaysia and Malaysian companies to see how we could participate in the development of Africa through smart partnerships." The idea of sending Idris over was much welcomed by several leaders, including Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete, who said as much as they would need his assistance, Dar-Es-Salam wouldn't "kidnap" him. |
| Posted: 21 Jun 2011 11:00 AM PDT By Lian Cheng, NST KUCHING: Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud, the subject of a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigation, said he would spring a surprise today. Asked to comment on the probe after the opening of the 17th state legislative assembly yesterday, Taib said: "I will have an official statement tomorrow. They are barking up the wrong tree." With a big smile, he added: "You will have a surprise tomorrow." MACC is probing into Taib for alleged abuse of power in his position as chief minister. MACC commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed said last week that it was investigating Taib over allegations of timber corr uption. Taib did not offer clues on a possible state cabinet reshuffle, including the vacant post of deputy chief minister. At the state assembly yesterday, Parti Rakyat Sarawak president Tan Sri Dr James Masingwas seated next to Taib and Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Alfred Jabu. This sparked speculation that Masing, whose party won eight seats as opposed to Sarawak United Peoples' Par ty's six, might be made the new deputy chief minister. Taib said: "This is just speculation. I have not thought of all these things. Do we have one DCM or three or four DCMs? I don't know yet." He added: "I am a bit worried about how I can give the Chinese the chance to express themselves in a more natural way. "This is very important because I want Sarawak to always remain a multiracial state. "We are determined to keep it like that because there is no race in the state with a simple majority. "The only way to have a working democracy is to have consensus among all sections of the community." "This time, the appointment of a new cabinet is a bit difficult because SUPP didn't obtain more seats. " He said he would consult Barisan Nasional parties on whether SUPP should retain the DCM's post. |
| Something fishy in RM466m building sale to Tabung Haji? Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:44 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 21: PAS vice president and Pokok Sena member of parliament Mahfuz Omar has cast suspicion in the purchase of the 38-storey Platinum Park by Tabung Haji from TTDI Development, saying there was a conflict of interest. Speaking in parliament yesterday, Mahfuz pointed out that TTDI's director Johan Ariffin (right) also sits as director for Tabung Haji's two other subsidiaries Tabung Haji Properties Sdn Bhd and Tabung Haji Technology Sdn Bhd.
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| Bersih 2.0 rally is still politics all the same Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:37 AM PDT
(The Star) - IF the planned Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 at first seemed like an independent movement, there should be no such illusions now. Of course we should have free and fair elections, which sums up Bersih's populist nature. Rally organisers are thus assuming that the coming general election would not be free and fair. To insist on this before the election campaign has even begun is merely to assume the worst. It creates cynical distrust in the authorities to give rally organisers and their political ringleaders a psychological advantage. If Malaysian elections had not been credible, the Pakatan Rakyat would not have won its several unprecedented victories in 2008. And if there had been no need for such demonstrations before, why does anyone need them now other than to score political points? Both pro- and anti-rally groups are in need of coming clean themselves. Perkasa is a den of controversy and the remarks by its chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali smack of sedition, which is so typical of him. Umno Youth is accused of money politics in its polls, and PKR has still not resolved serious irregularities in its party elections. PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had reportedly said he would tell Bersih 2.0 chairperson Datuk S. Ambiga to call off the rally if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak would guarantee a free and fair general election. Ambiga has, however, said it was not Anwar's call while the Opposition Leader has claimed that he was misquoted. But since the brinkmanship roadshow is a political fling, no election campaign delivered by one side will be good enough for the other. And since no election anywhere is perfect, "free and fair" will become a very subjective label in any democracy. By all means let us all have as clean, free and fair elections as much as possible. This should apply to by-elections as well as general elections. It is also good for the Election Commission to opt for the biometric system to enable the verification of voters in the coming general election to be done electronically. And by all means let us also have people honest enough to own up to the partisan nature of the rally exercise. They might then also admit to the superfluous nature of it all. Even if an election were to be neither free nor fair, no rally prior to the election campaign is likely to change that. Therefore Bersih 2.0 and its counter-rallies are only politicking and posturing pretending to be righteous popular movements. What is not so subjective is the law as it stands, which requires a permit for staging such demonstrations. If rally organisers could channel as much energy and thought into constructive suggestions for better elections, they would serve the country better. |
| Manipulation suspected in Bersih poll Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:34 AM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: On Monday evening, The Star Online put up a poll on the proposed Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9. The poll asked respondents for their opinion: should it be cancelled, or should it be allowed to go on. In less than a day, it drew more than a million responses which caused the team to suspect that the results were being manipulated. The Star Online polls attract an average of not more than 30,000 responses over several days. Furthermore, the total number of unique visitors to The Star Online is about 400,000 per day, lending further credence to our suspicion that there was manipulation afoot. This could be done in several ways, for example through scripted routines or "bots" that come in to a site to perform the same task over multiple repetitions. Indeed, an initial examination of our site logs showed about one million submissions to the poll page from just one IP address. Therefore, acting upon the belief that the poll results were tainted, we made the decision to take it offline just before noon Tuesday. We regret that our effort to give the public a voice has been tainted by this act. |
| Putrajaya says RM1.18b worth of projects announced for Sarawak polls Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:05 AM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 21 — Putrajaya revealed today that it had announced projects worth a total of RM1.18 billion in Sarawak during the just-concluded state polls. In a written response to Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) yesterday, the Prime Minister's Department explained that until April 30 this year, a total of 62 programmes and projects were announced for the hornbill state. Of the total, it added, 52 projects were kicked off this year with the remainder to be carried out in the years to come. "The programme/projects announced were planned earlier," it said. The RM1.18 billion was divided between 10 ministries, namely the Prime Minister's Department; Rural and Regional Development Ministry; Natural Resources and Environment Ministry; Defence Ministry; Health Ministry; Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry; Education Ministry; Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry; Works Ministry; and Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry. The projects include upgrading work for suraus, mosques and other places of worship; community halls, schools and roads; longhouse repairs; electricity supply; the construction of jetties and bridges; the renovation of hospitals and clinics; flood mitigation work; and contributions and welfare aid, among others. In her question, Kok had asked the prime minister to reveal the number and value of development projects announced by all ministries in the two-month period before the polls and during the 10-day campaign period.
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| PKR pins hopes on working class votes Posted: 21 Jun 2011 10:02 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 22 — PKR's newly launched Demi Rakyat campaign seeks to tap into the frustrations of the urban and semi-urban working class seeking higher purchasing power, a demographic party leaders say forms over 60 per cent of the electorate in seats being contested. With real wages stagnating, the Barisan Nasional (BN) government has admitted that it needs to address a "middle-income trap" as it grapples with surging inflation that hit a two-year high in March, climbed to 3.3 per cent in May and looks set to rise further due to subsidy cuts used to rein in a record budget deficit. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will launch a no-frills grocery shop in Kelana Jaya this evening to reflect corporate Malaysia and his government's concern for the people, but PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli said the party's Demi Rakyat (For The People) campaign will be internet-driven and target those between the ages of 25 and 45 who are earning RM3,000 or less per month. "These are people who are pessimistic about the economy. They don't believe they will be able to buy a house like their parents did. "From Perlis to Johor, the message from the working class is the same, across racial lines — they want economic opportunities and social mobility," he told The Malaysian Insider. PKR believes it can tap into a growing online community, especially in urban and semi-urban areas where nearly all the 79 seats it contested in the last general election are located. With prices of laptops falling and an increasing prevalence of smartphones, the barrier to internet access and literacy has fallen swiftly, as evidenced by the 9.5 million Malaysian Facebook users registered at the beginning of the year — over a third of the country's population. "We want to be at the cutting edge. That is why Demi Rakyat is using YouTube to show videos now. This age group are trendsetters and opinion shapers," Rafizi said. He added that the party needed to move beyond its "Reformasi" image, where it is seen as confrontational and radical, to one that is also sophisticated and able to respond to voters' demands. "They know the situation is screwed up but they are asking if PKR is the answer," Rafizi said.
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