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Thumbing nose at Hisham, Khairy says march goes on
Bersih rally: Umno Youth will have to face consequences, says Hisham
Use ISA against Bersih rally organisers, says ex-elected reps
Assange says WikiLeaks works hampered
Malaysia’s ‘stupidity’ sizzles Internet
Sabah’s RM1b road maintenance deal raises dust
US 'sexting' lawmaker quits to cry of 'pervert!'
Apologise to Muslims over cartoon, Abim tells Utusan

Thumbing nose at Hisham, Khairy says march goes on

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 10:24 PM PDT

(The Malaysian Insider) - Khairy Jamaluddin said today that Umno Youth will still march on July 9, in defiance of Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein's warning that police will act against the illegal gathering.

The Umno Youth chief said that his predecessor "can warn us all he wants" but "Pemuda will continue come what may."

"My Pemuda and I are ready to face whatever consequences. This is a new Malaysia. We have a right to assembly guaranteed by the constitution. Umno Youth will be marching on 9 July. And that's that," he told The Malaysian Insider.

The Rembau MP said yesterday that the movement will join the fray on July 9 to "strengthen the democratic system", and rival electoral reform group Bersih 2.0's rally on the same day.

Perkasa has also claimed that 36 NGOSs will join the Malay rights group in an anti-Bersih march on the same day.

Hishammuddin, who relinquished the chairmanship of Umno Youth in 2009, said today that the Youth wing's decision did not represent Umno's stand.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm former Pemuda chief or not. They will have to face whatever consequences [for] their action. Nobody is above the law," the Umno vice president warned earlier today.

But Khairy said the rally will go ahead as it was a unanimous decision made by the entire Youth executive committee.

"It was not my unilateral decision. We feel strongly that we need to march to show that the voice of the people is not monopolised by the opposition," he said.

Bersih is an election watchdog group that is pushing for electoral reforms to provide for free and fair elections in Malaysia.

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.

PAS has promised to bring 300,000 protestors this year in hopes that it will galvanise support for the opposition in the general election expected within the year.

The 2007 rally was said to play a big role in bringing record gains for the opposition electoral pact in Election 2008, where it swept five state governments and won 82 parliamentary seats.

Umno-owned daily Utusan Malaysia has urged Malaysians to march against Bersih.

Bersih rally: Umno Youth will have to face consequences, says Hisham

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 09:57 PM PDT

(Bernama) - Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said Friday that Umno Youth will have to face the consequences of their action if they proceed with their intention to hold an illegal rally on July 9.

Hishammuddin, who is also former Umno Youth chief, said nobody was above the law and that they (Umno Youth) would have to deal with the police just like others.

"My advice is the same to everybody and, as I mentioned in Parliament, the police are looking at this as a security issue.

"I think when it comes to this, it doesn't matter if I am a former Umno Youth chief. Umno Youth will have to face whatever consequences of their action, as I had to when I was Umno Youth chief in my time," he told reporters after a meeting with an Australian delegation and representatives from United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organisation for Migration (IOM) here.

Hishammuddin was asked to comment on Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin's announcement that they would also be organise a rally this July 9 to hand in a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong supporting democracy and the role and reformation carried out by Election Commission (EC).

The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) is also organising a rally on that day.

Asked whether the stand taken by the Youth was Umno's stand, Hishammuddin said the decision to organise the rally was an executive committee decision.

Therefore, he said, it was purely the Youth's stand, not Umno's as a whole.

Use ISA against Bersih rally organisers, says ex-elected reps

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:33 PM PDT

(Bernama) - The Malaysian Council of Ex-Elected Representatives (Mubarak) wants the police to use the Internal Security Act (ISA) against the organisers of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) rally on July 9.

Its president Datuk Seri Aziz Abdul Rahman said on Friday, June 17 it was time for firmer action to be taken by the authorities against any form of activities that could jeopardise public interest and the country's security.

"Although we realise that in present circumstances, the authorities may be hesitant to use the ISA to avoid portraying a negatives image of the country at the international level, we opine that public order and the security of the country cannot be substituted with the need to portray a good image," he said in a statement.

Aziz said that no one could deny that the proposed rally, which would involve a huge crowd, could turn ugly and lead to a riot.

Hence, measures should be taken by the police to stop the rally, he added.

Assange says WikiLeaks works hampered

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 04:20 PM PDT

(AP) - After six months under virtual house arrest, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (pic) acknowledged that his detention is hampering the work of the secret-spilling site. His supporters accused Britain of subjecting him to "excessive and dehumanising" treatment.

The 39-year-old Australian is living at a supporter's rural estate as he fights extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over claims of rape and sexual molestation made by two women.

Assange's bail conditions require him to observe an overnight curfew, wear an electronic tag and report to police daily.

His supporters released a video to The Associated Press condemning the conditions. In it, WikiLeaks associate Sarah Harrison accuses authorities of treating Assange "like a caged animal."

British prosecutors, who initially opposed bail, say the strict conditions are necessary because the claims against Assange are serious and he is a flight risk.

The video also claims police have set up surveillance cameras near the house to record licence plates of visiting cars.

Vaughan Smith, who owns the 240-hectare property in eastern England, called it a "pretty intrusive regime" and said three cameras had appeared near the property since Assange came to stay.

Assange, who roamed the globe before his arrest in December, told the AP that he had become "a fixed target" for snoopers.

"It is easy to conduct surveillance against me and anyone I talk to," Assange said. "We take steps against this, but it is costly and time-consuming."

He said his house arrest had been "the single largest impediment to our work, with the possible exception of the illegal blockade being conducted by the major US financial institutions against us."

Some US-based banks and financial services have refused to handle payments to WikiLeaks.

US authorities are investigating whether Assange and WikiLeaks violated American laws by releasing tens of thousands of secret government documents, including daily logs from the Iraq war and classified diplomatic cables from US missions around the world.

Prosecutors have convened a grand jury near Washington to probe the WikiLeaks disclosures.

"A lot of our resources are tied up in dealing with the situation in the United States and the grand jury and this Swedish extradition case and the banking blockade placed on us by Visa, Mastercard, Bank of America and so on," Assange said.

"So, while we are still producing publications every day, a lot of those resources have been taken away to deal with these events."

On July 12, the High Court in London will hear Assange's appeal against a judge's order that he be extradited to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual molestation against two women. Assange denies the charges, which he claims are politically motivated.

He said that if he lost the appeal, he could go to Britain's Supreme Court or the European Court of Human Rights. He said he was confident he would be cleared.

"I feel that the Swedish authorities will drop the case," Assange said. When asked why, he replied only that "there are many players in the Swedish situation." Swedish prosecutors did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Malaysia’s ‘stupidity’ sizzles Internet

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 03:25 PM PDT

KRDS India, one of the Facebook-authorized app development firms in Asia, opines that spending RM1.8 million to develop six Facebook applications is 'impossible' and 'seriously unjustifed.'

(Free Malaysia Today) - Malaysia, it seems, is fast becoming the purveyor of laughs on the worldwide web.

On the heels of the Obedient Wives Club which aimed to turn 'good wives into first class whores', there's now the Malaysian government spending RM1.8 million (US$590,000) on six Facebook, which incidentally is free, applications.

The Internet application (app) developer world is abuzz with humour and bewildement at the 'stupidity' of the move.

The common view across the web is that the move to spend just over half a million US dollars is "seriously stupid" and an "utter waste of tax-payers' money.

Speaking in Penn Olson – The Asian Tech Catalogue site – Willis Wee said in an article headlined "Spending US$100,000 For a Facebook App is Just Plain Stupid" and many other experts in the business think so too.

Wee said he forwarded the news about the Malaysian government's largesse to Preetham Venkky, the Business Head at KRDS India, one of the Facebook authorized app development firms in Asia, to seek his opinion on the matter.

Preetham's reply was that spending RM1.8 million (USD$590,000) to develop six Facebook applications was 'impossible' and 'seriously unjustified'.

He said: "For an app like Citrawana (one of the six) to costs close to US$100,000, this is impossible since the app is pretty straight to the point.

"The money paid is seriously unjustified. It should cost anywhere between US$12,000 – US$15,000 inclusive of two iPads being given away as prizes.

He added that "these costs would include (to quote directly) – "creative works, concepts and ideas, design, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching of application, system server development and maintenance, and development of database from the contest."

Potentials not exploited

Earlier this week, the Tourism Ministry, through Deputy Minister James Dawos Mamit, set off a storm when it revealed it had paid that amount for the Facebook apps.

In his reply, Venkky said it was important to note that based on the minister's statement "cost did not include campaign management, monitoring, Facebook ads, or fan recruitment through Facebook and Google".

"In most cases, the costs can escalate quite rapidly if a key deliverable is fan count.

"If there's a target to acquire one million US fans for the page (this could be a realistic expectation since the client is a tourism client) where the CPC (cost per click) is US $1.10 (on average) then it might be a good deal.

"If I were to make a guess, I think it would make sense if $90,000 includes the development of six apps with the remaining money spent on media (buying ads) to propagate and rapidly increase engagement," he added.

Venkky was also shocked at the quality of the apps that were developed which, he said, did not fully utilise the full potential of the social network site and was not encouraging more 'fans' to 'like' the pages of the Tourism Ministry.

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 02:02 PM PDT

(FMT) KOTA KINABALU: Despite spending hundreds of millions of ringgit annually on road maintenances, Sabah has not 'one single decent road'. Knowing this, why has the government renewed the contracts of four contractors who performed 'poorly' in the past?

Posing this question, former Sabah minister Kong Hong Ming said there was no justification for the extension of the maintenance contracts.

"I understand the government has approved the extension of these monopolized contracts for another term.

"They have renewed their contracts for another 10 to 15 years starting this year even before the expiry of their existing ones.

"The total contract value will constitute RM800 million to RM1 billion a year of public spending in the future," said Kong, who is now PKR Tawau division chief.

Kong stressed that the government must justify to the public such a heavy financial commitment into the future, especially knowing that the contractors had under-performed and were ineffective in maintaining public roads.

"Judging from the series of recurring complaints highlighted in the media by community leaders, opposition parties and even Barisan Nasional party members on the deplorable conditions of public roads throughout the state, it is obvious that something has gone seriously wrong with the performance of these monopolized road maintenance contracts awarded by BN government," said Kong, who is a civil engineer turned lawyer.

He criticised the decision to commit the state to an RM1 billion a year expense to only four contractors as an unjustified debacle.

"Based on the existing contracts and huge spending per year, the people of Sabah should be enjoying reasonably good or at least well-maintained roads throughout the state.

"But there are obviously some discrepancies and irregularities between the big spending and actual work done on the ground.

"Despite frequent complaints, there is no obvious improvement on the poor road condition and network in the state.

"In Sabah, we have reached such a sorry state of affairs that even new roads are unfit, unsafe and unserviceable," he said.

US 'sexting' lawmaker quits to cry of 'pervert!'

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:51 PM PDT

(NST) NEW YORK: "Bye bye, pervert!" a heckler cried, as US Congressman Antony Weiner announced amid loud jeering Thursday that he was resigning because he got caught sending lewd electronic pictures of his bulging crotch.

Weiner endured insults and finger wagging — but was also cheered by a handful of loyalists — as he told the world he was quitting his job of more than 12 years in the House of Representatives.

In his nearly four-minute speech Weiner, 46, apologized for the "damage" the tawdry scandal caused his wife and fellow lawmakers.

The New York congressman chose an unusual venue for his political humiliation: a senior citizen's center, packed with grandparents who arrived on wheelchairs, walked with the aid of canes, or were assisted by helpers. They sat on the sides of the room, while reporters took over the center.

Weiner showed up some 20 minutes late for the press conference at the Council Center for Senior Citizens in Brooklyn, New York. Outside, police had blocked traffic on the street, full of TV broadcast trucks.

When Weiner finally showed up he was met by applause from supporters and a cascade of camera clicks from the pack of photographers.

"About 20 years I stood in this very same room here... and asked my neighbors for their help... in electing me to the City Council," Weiner began, speaking at a podium between two US flags.

Weiner talked about how it was "humbling" to represent the district, and how he had "never forgotten" his neighbors, "because they represent the same middle-class story as mine."

"I had hoped to be able to continue the work that the citizens of my district elected me to do," he said. "Unfortunately, the distraction that I have created has made that impossible."

The aged Weiner supporters gasped when the congressman announced his resignation. Some younger people in the crowd however cheered, and a voice cried out, "Bye bye, pervert!"

Weiner thanked his colleagues in the House of Representatives, ("They come from different places around the country, but fundamentally we all agree: They're all patriots"); his staff ("They are young people who are not paid very much. There are people that worked very hard and very long hours"); and "the many people" who have helped him.

Weiner continued speaking despite a crescendo of jeers. A man in the audience stood up from his wheelchair and yelled at Weiner, wagging his finger.
Another asked about his penis size.

Weiner, trying to maintain his dignity, expressed gratitude "to my family, to my mother and father, who instilled in me the values that carried me this far... and of course to my wife, Huma, who has stood with me in this entire difficult period."

However Weiner's wife Huma Abedin was not standing by him at the press conference. Abedin, a top aide to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is reportedly pregnant with the couple's first child.

Said Weiner: "I'll be looking for other ways to contribute my talents."

More heckling and jeers followed as Weiner exited.

"We don't want him to quit," said Ethel Winberg, 75, a Weiner supporter and a regular at the center. "Give him a break. He made a mistake, he needs a treatment."

Apologise to Muslims over cartoon, Abim tells Utusan

Posted: 16 Jun 2011 01:46 PM PDT

(TMI) The Malaysian Islamic Youth Movement (Abim) has demanded Utusan Malaysia apologise to Muslims nationwide over its comic strip titled "Kekeliruan kes rogol" ["Confusion in rape cases"], saying that it was an insult to Islam.

Abim president Dr Muhd Razak Idris charged that the cartoon had insulted Islamic laws, and gave the false impression that the religion did not defend rape victims.

"We want Utusan Malaysia to make a public apology to Muslims for the publishing of the cartoon, which we see shows ignorance towards Islamic laws and principles.

"This should not happen in our society and should not be carried by a media organisation which fights for Malays and Islam," he told The Malaysian Insider.

Muhd Razak said that the cartoonist who drew the comic strip appeared to be "ignorant" about Islam and urged him to repent and not repeat the mistake again.

"So I ask that after this any cartoons that want to be published should be checked by those who are knowledgeable in religion because we do not want Islamic laws to be seen as victimising rape victims, like this comic strip has," he added.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Jumaat, 17 Jun 2011

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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