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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Mat Sabu: Prevent S'gor falling into BN hands, show solidarity at Bersih rally
- PAS scared of the truth about the video: Muhyiddin
- ‘Non-Malays support us, Umno will end soon’
- Mat Sabu: Make Bersih rally a success
- PAS rubbishes claims of DAP-PKR influence in new line-up
- Lawyers for Malaysia's Anwar cry foul
- Utusan says Hadi, Nik Aziz forced PAS ulama out
- The knives are out in Sabah Umno
- PAS condemns use of sex video for slander
- PAS seeks to block ICs for foreigners, says BN election plot
- Utusan blames Anwar, DAP for PAS ulamas’ electoral defeat
- Ibrahim Ali calls new PAS leadership ‘Anwar’s voice’
| Mat Sabu: Prevent S'gor falling into BN hands, show solidarity at Bersih rally Posted: 04 Jun 2011 07:53 PM PDT
(Malaysia Chronicle) - Newly-elected PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu called on his party to throw its weight behind the Bersih 2.0 rally so that the BN federal government would think twice about using dirty tactics to wrest back states like Selangor. Quickly showing his mettle, Mat Sabu minced no words in warning the PAS 57th annual congress on Sunday that the Pakatan Rakyat-led state of Selangor was at risk in the next general election. Indeed, intelligence gathered by the coalition led by Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim showed that Prime Minister Najib Razak had pumped in hundreds of millions in a bid to regain control of the country's richest state. Not only have there been widespread police reports of citizenships being offered to foreign workers in exchange for their votes, Najib has deployed hundreds of thousands of volunteer paramilitary troops or RELA into the state. Many believe these RELA volunteers have been taught to act as phantom voters and should the Pakatan still win, they may even trigger street riots to pave the way for Najib to declare emergency or federal rule. "We have brought prosperity to the state, high wages for teachers and more, but if the general election is called, will Pakatan continue to rule Selangor? It is not yet certain," Mat Sabu told PAS delegates. He was tabling a motion for the PAS central committee to support the Bersih 2 rally. Endorsement would mean a massive turnout. A walk for democracy Both Mat Sabu and another PAS leader Hatta Ramli are part of the steering committee organising the rally, which will also highlight the public's unhappiness over a recent slew of price hikes. "We will mobilise 100,000 members and supporters from PAS alone," Mat Sabu had told a press conference last month. Dubbed 'A walk for Democracy' the Besrih 2.0 rally is due to be held on July 9 at 2 pm in Kuala Lumpur. Some pundits also see it as a means for the opposition to rally support and to motivate Malaysians ahead of general elections widely expected to be held within the next few months. Bersih is made up of more than 60 NGOs, and its aim to ensure free and fair elections in the country. In 2007, it urged the Election Commision to use indelible ink on ballot papers, to clean-up the electoral lists, abolish postal votes and grant access to the print and broadcast media to the opposition to air their messages. Currently, the opposition is denied access to the mainstream media which is controlled by the government. For the 2011 rally, Bersih will also demand that the Prime Minister Najib Razak's BN coalition be stopped from misusing government machinery and apparatus. It will also wants the EC to stop the BN from using oppressive laws such as the Official Secrets Act and Internal Security Act to stop dissent and gain the upperhand over its opponents.
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| PAS scared of the truth about the video: Muhyiddin Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:12 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has accused PAS of sacrificing Islamic principles for the sake of politics, saying today the party should have used its muktamar to seek the truth behind a sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The Umno deputy president also mocked PAS, which his party has repeatedly tried to woo into forming a unity government, claiming the Islamist party was likely afraid the "truth" behind the video would tarnish its religious image. "Perhaps they already know the background of this video issue... or who is the person in the video. "But it is brought to their muktamar... as a political party founded on Islamic principles, they should be seeking the truth instead," the deputy prime minister told a press conference after visiting the Dang Wangi district police station here today. PAS delegates had moved a motion at its 57th annual muktamar today, condemning state muftis and Islamic scholars for keeping silent over the controversial sex video caper. The 21-minute recording was first aired to reporters at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara hotel in April by a man who identified himself as "Datuk T". "Datuk T" was later identified as a group made up of businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Tamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim. The video has been distributed in disks and made available on various Internet sites this past month despite the "Datuk T" trio saying they have handed over the sole original copy to the police. Police said they are investigating the distribution of the video. Umno and its newspaper, Utusan Malaysia, have attacked PAS for defending Anwar in the sex video scandal, saying the opposition leader was morally unfit to lead the pact due to his sodomy charges and having been implicated in the sex clip. Anwar has denied the charge and allegations.
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| ‘Non-Malays support us, Umno will end soon’ Posted: 04 Jun 2011 06:04 PM PDT
Newly elected deputy president says that Chinese and Indians have accepted PAS' struggles and the new-line will try to expand its influence. (Free Malaysia Today) - Newly elected PAS deputy president, Mohamad Sabu said the Indian and Chinese communities have moved away from Umno and they have now accepted the struggles of PAS. He also said that the new-line up of the Islamic party's leadership will work harder in order to secure more non-Malay votes in the coming general election. "I remember (party spiritual leader) Nik Aziz Nik Mat once said that Umno is not strong on its own. Umno's strength comes from its (non-Malay) component parties, MCA and MIC. They are Umno's crutches," said Mohamad who is better known as Mat Sabu. "The Chinese and the Indians have accepted the message of PAS. Umno will end soon!" he told delegates in his winding-up speech on the last day of the party's 57th muktamar at Taman Melewar here. He added that votes from PAS members alone will not be sufficient to put the party in Putrajaya. Hence the new line will take efforts to attain votes from the others. "Party votes itself is not enough. We need the mandate and support of the public. This we will do. We will attain more (non-party member) votes from the Chinese, Indians, Kadazans and other communities," he stressed. The coming general election has been a top agenda in the debates and discussions of the delegates and also in the speeches of the top party leaders in this year's muktamar. Mat Sabu continued with this message by cracking a joke about how he frequents Putrajaya so often nowadays, "kerana kita mesti tau mana pintu masuk (just to find where the main entrance is)." Passive Malays "We must displace Umno from the hearts and minds of rakyat to go to Putrajaya. We must bring with us the mandate of people (when we get to Putrajaya). We cannot do that with our political power alone," he said in his short speech.
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| Mat Sabu: Make Bersih rally a success Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:37 PM PDT
The newly elected deputy president received a resounding thunder of approval when he asked if the delegates will march on July 9 to seek a clean and fair elections. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS today passed a motion urging all party members to join a rally planned by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) on July 9. The motion, passed during the Islamic party's muktamar, also urged all Pakatan Rakyat party machineries and NGOs to make the rally a success. "Our president in recent speeches said that he wants around 300,000 PAS members to attend the gathering. "PAS will work together with other political parties and NGOs in order to make this rally as success so that we can hold a clean and fair election," said newly elected deputy president Mohamad Sabu who proposed the motion. "We who love peace will make sure that the coming general election is conducted fairly. We will work to make the 'Walk for Democracy' a success. Do you agree?" asked Mohamad, who is better known as Mat Sabu. The delegates enthusiastically answered his call with an assuring, "Setuju!" (We agree!) Mat Sabu said that the previsous demands from Bersih were yet to be fufilled and that there were many concerns about the conduct of the coming general election. He added that a major concern was the alleged use of foreign workers as Barisan Nasional voters. To highlight the matter, Mat Sabu gave the example of Terengganu where there was an increase in voter registration by a whopping 17% from the period of 1999-2004. "If a political party is active in canvassing votes, it will only get an increase of voters between 4-7%. The whopping increase shows that the Election Commision and the police are working hand in glove with the Barisan government," he said. "Now this is happening in Selangor. If the registrations of foreigners continue, it is not sure if we can win back Selangor," he said, adding that it had to be prevented.
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| PAS rubbishes claims of DAP-PKR influence in new line-up Posted: 04 Jun 2011 05:26 PM PDT PAS leaders say that outsiders have no credibility to interpret the party's election results. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS leaders today brushed aside comments that the new progressive line up of leaders are more pro-Anwar Ibrahim and that the Islamic party had compromised on its Islamic principles. "Outsiders have no credibility to interpret what happens in the the party internally," said Youth wing chief Nasharudin Hasan Tantawi who retained his post in yesterday's polls. "These people have always made these kinds of allegations since a long time ago. Let PAS handle the party's domestic issues," he said in a press conference at the sideline of the party's muktamar. Umno leader Mukhriz Mahathir had yesterday sarcastically congratulated DAP and PKR for "managing to influence PAS to the extend that non-ulamaks were voted as the deputy and vice presidents". He added that this reflected that PAS was a party that was not free from influences that are contrary to the teachings of Islam. He was further quoted as saying in a Bernama report that the new party line-up did not have many ulamaks and this may jeopardise its plan to establish an Islamic state. Utusan senior editor Zulkiflee Bakar also shared Mukhriz's sentiments in his editorial in Mingguan Malaysia today. Nasharudin dismissed these claims by arguing that the partnership with DAP and PKR was a political partnership approved by the party's religious council, Majlis Syurah, adding that ulamaks were not being sidelined.
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| Lawyers for Malaysia's Anwar cry foul Posted: 04 Jun 2011 04:49 PM PDT
(AFP) - Lawyers representing Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim expressed doubts about his chances of receiving a fair hearing, a day before opening their defence in his sodomy trial. The 63-year-old father-of-six is on trial over allegations that he sodomised a 25-year-old former aide at an upmarket apartment in June 2008. Counsel Sankara Nair told AFP on Sunday that the prosecution had allowed Anwar's legal team to interview only five of the 25 witnesses that they had been promised. They had yet to interview Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, who had met Mohamad Saiful Bukhari, the man allegedly sodomised by Anwar, after the purported event. "Our hands are tied in trying to provide Anwar with a proper defence as the prosecution has refused to provide us with all the witnesses that they promised to produce," he said. "How can Anwar get a fair trial when we can't even interview the prosecution's witnesses in order to decide who to call?" he added. Last week, Anwar, a former deputy premier, filed a third attempt to remove High Court judge Zabidin Mohamed Diah from the trial, claiming that the judge was biased against him. His legal team said Zabidin had made "a conclusive finding" by stating that the prosecution had "proved their case beyond reasonable doubt" and in doing so "effectively convicted Anwar before he had given his defence". Last month, the high court ruled that Anwar had a case to answer after finding the prosecution's main witness "credible". Sodomy is illegal in Muslim-majority Malaysia, whether or not it is between consenting adults. Anwar insists the accusations are part of a long-running government plot to derail his political career, but authorities have denied any conspiracy. He was sacked as deputy premier by then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in 1998 and found guilty of corruption and sodomy, but was released from jail in 2004 after the sodomy conviction was overturned. He has since become an electoral threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, which has been in power for half a century. A win by pro-Anwar leaders this weekend in party polls for the conservative Islamic party PAS, a key member of Anwar's Pakatan Rakyat alliance, has also signalled a strengthening of Anwar's position in an opposition alliance riven by infighting, say analysts. Anwar could face up to 20 years in jail if convicted. The marathon trial began in January last year but has been punctuated by delays.
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| Utusan says Hadi, Nik Aziz forced PAS ulama out Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:24 PM PDT
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — The Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia has ironically blamed top PAS ulamas Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat for the ulama faction losing top posts in the party elections over the weekend. The Malay daily's weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia said today the president and spiritual leader respectively had caused delegates to vote for progressive leaders instead of the conservative ulama who favour cooperation with Umno. News editor Zulkiflee Bakar wrote that Abdul Hadi's policy speech which attacked the Umno-led Barisan Nasional (BN) and focused on taking over government with PAS allies in Pakatan Rakyat (PR) had encouraged delegates to vote for "pro professional" candidates. "Abdul Hadi was unaware that his speech would raise the spirits of the pro professionals to control the party. Talking about a welfare state gave the impression that ulama leaders were no longer needed as PAS has stopped fighting for an Islamic state," he wrote. The editorial added that the Marang MP's drive to ready PAS for a general election expected within the year had further influenced delegates to ensure that professionals took up this responsibility. "The ulama in PAS are perceived as weak and unable to face BN in the coming general election. This means the ulama will not have any power or role except to follow whatever strategies that are implemented by the professionals," it said. Mohamad Sabu won the party deputy presidency yesterday with 420 votes, leading a group of progressive leaders to counter conservatives who prefer to link up with Umno. The Penang-born Mohamad defeated incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa, who received only 224 votes, and vice-president Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who came second with 399 votes. A total of 1,100 delegates voted in this year's party elections. In the vice-presidential race, incumbent Salahuddin Ayub took top spot with 753 votes, Datuk Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes. The Umno newspaper also blamed spiritual leader Nik Aziz for ensuring that Nasharudin, part of the ulama faction, would fail to defend his No 2 post that has been held by ulama since 1981.
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| The knives are out in Sabah Umno Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:10 PM PDT By Charles Rudai, FMT KOTA KINABALU: As happens periodically, the Chief Minister's post, who gets what, and who is sabotaging whom, is taking on the mood of a pre-election campaign within Sabah Umno. At least two factions within the party are sorting themselves out on which side they stand – Chief Minister Musa Aman's or Umno vice president Shafie Apdal's. |
| PAS condemns use of sex video for slander Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:03 PM PDT By Sira Habibu and Mazwin Nik Anis, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: The Ulama council condemned the use of sex video for political slander. The ulama said the tactic of using video and new media as channels to spread slander in the interest of politics signified the fall of a civilisation. "It is a sin to slander, as it involves the dignity and integrity of an individual," said Ulama represnetative Fadhil Mohd Noor when tabling the motion atthe 57th PAS Muktamar on Sunday. The ulama were apparently referring to a sex video implicating Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. On March 21, trio Datuk T comprising businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim revealed the existence of a sex video showing a man resembling Anwar having sex with a woman believed to be a prostitute. Anwar lodged a police report claiming he was not the man in the video. The Ulama condemned the Barisan Nasional government for allowing the sex video to be aired on television and excerpts published in the print media. "(We) condemn the silent stance taken by the official government ulama," he said. The sex video was among six-point motion tabled and passed during the Muktamar. Other motions include the Bersih 2 gathering that would be held on July 9, about 10 days after Anwar's defence hearing over a sodomy case ends. The resolution pushed by the PAS central committee called for the mobilisation of all the party organs to make the gathering a success. Among the Bersih demands are for free and fair media coverage for all political parties in the mainstream media, the use of indelible ink during elections, abolishing of postal votes, and automatic registration for voters who turn 21. The PAS Tenggara, Johor brought up a resolution urging all Pakatan Rakyat states to set up a Malaysia Armed Forces and Veteran Welfare Secretariat (KERABAT). They called on the Mentri Besar and the Chief Minister in Pakatan Rakyat states to chair the secretariat aimed at ensuring that the welfare of the retired armed forces personnel were looked into. The PAS Pandan brought up a resolution objecting to subsidy reduction, as it posed a burden on the rakyat. The Youth wing brought up a resolution to push for the setting up of Royal Commission to investigate alleged MyKad fraud. The Muslimat wing pushed for a resolution to make Al-Quran recital examination compulsory for all Muslim students taking UPSR, PMR and SPM. They want the Islamic studies to be made compulsory for students at every level from primary to university. |
| PAS seeks to block ICs for foreigners, says BN election plot Posted: 04 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — PAS wants Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to legally stop the national registration department (JPN) from issuing identity cards to foreign nationals, saying it is a Barisan Nasional (BN) plot to win elections. PAS delegates approved a motion for PR to file the injunction against JPN, claiming BN was abusing its powers in the Election Commission (EC) and JPN to win the 13th general election. "It is no longer a secret that there was a planned conspiracy which was conducted in Sabah through Project IC during the 1980s and 1990s to overthrow the Sabah government led by Sabah United Party (PBS) which saw thousands illegal immigrants given permit registered as voters," said the motion. The motion also called for the setup up of a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the issue. "We will hold a peaceful walk for democracy and seek for a fair election. BN must restrain themselves and void chaos because we are peaceful people seeking justice," PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told the delegates at the general assembly here today. But Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had recently rejected a call by United Pasokmomogun Kadazan Dusun Murut Organisation (Upko) president Tan Sri Bernard Dompok's to set up a RCI on the same matter. The minister reportedly said last February that the RCI would not solve Sabah's immigration problem. PR Selangor backbenchers' chief Azmin Ali has also accused the BN federal government of issuing identity cards to illegal immigrants to boost their electoral votes. The Gombak MP did not substantiate his claims — citing "reliable sources" — and accused JPN of working with BN to issue identity cards in illegal immigrant squatter settlements in the state. |
| Utusan blames Anwar, DAP for PAS ulamas’ electoral defeat Posted: 04 Jun 2011 11:59 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, June 5 — Utusan Malaysia has blamed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and the DAP for the ulama group's losses in the PAS party elections over the weekend, saying today it showed the opposition leader was the real power in the Islamist party. Columnist Awang Selamat, a pseudonym for its editors, said both PKR and DAP have been working this past year to influence the PAS party polls where incumbent deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa lost to popular grassroots leader Mohamed Sabu. "The most satisfied and happy is Anwar and DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang. They can both smile widely in their sleep as their strategy has become a reality," Awang Selamat wrote in Mingguan Malaysia, the Umno newspaper's weekend edition today. Utusan had been at the forefront of a campaign this past week to support the ulamas or scholars group in the PAS elections but Mohamed led a group of professionals to sweep the party top posts and nearly half of the central working committee. It had also supported unity moves between Umno and PAS, which the Islamist party has again firmly rejected this year. Awang said he has written numerous times that the most powerful man in PAS is Anwar, followed by party spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat and then its president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, adding Hadi had long lost his grip in the party. "He is the weakest PAS president until outside elements can easily enter and manipulate the party. This has never happened in history that PAS has been polluted by foreign influence "Hadi, like Nik Aziz, acceded to Kit Siang and Anwar's strategy. Islam is no more the basis of struggle but now its ego and political desire," the columnist wrote. He pointed out the moral issue of Anwar as Opposition Leader was not even touched by Hadi in his policy speech, showing that PAS had compromised with repeated sexual offences in an allusion to Anwar's sodomy cases and alleged appearance in a sex clip. "Awang believes there are no other Islamist party in the world which takes a similar stand like PAS in this serious moral issue," he added. Awang also said Hadi had missed the opportunity to analyse issues on Islamic interest but distracted the delegates by criticising Umno, its political foe. "He has given the wrong signal to the entire Muslim ummah who are hoping for strategic thinking from PAS to ensure political Islam's strength. The reality is Hadi and Nik Aziz have allowed PAS to be manipulated by DAP which doesn't want a dominant Islam through its equality agenda. "This is an insult and sabotage to Islam itself," Awang said.
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| Ibrahim Ali calls new PAS leadership ‘Anwar’s voice’ Posted: 04 Jun 2011 11:30 AM PDT
By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Perkasa chief Datuk Ibrahim Ali mocked the new PAS leadership as merely Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's voice, saying today the internal elections have not changed the Islamist party's outlook. Ibrahim said Anwar's influence will still remain in the party if PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang continue to be at the helm. "Anwar's voice in PAS is determined by Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi who has become a stooge… the others are not relevant… True, there are the Erdogans, ulamas and others but all do not have any influence except for Datuk Nik Aziz and Hadi the stooge," he said in a statement. Ibrahim won the Pasir Mas federal seat on a PAS ticket in Election 2008 but repudiated the party and became an independent MP. He has aligned himself with Umno on most issues. Ibrahim's comments came after popular PAS leader Mohamad Sabu won the party deputy presidency today with 420 votes, leading a group of progressive leaders to counter conservatives who prefer to link up with Umno. Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, defeated incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa, who received only 224 votes, and vice-president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, who came second with 399 votes. A total of 1,100 delegates voted in this year's party elections. In the vice-presidential race, incumbent Salahuddin Ayub took top spot with 753 votes, Datuk Husam Musa was second with 660 votes while another incumbent Datuk Mahfuz Omar kept his post with 616 votes. The party poll was billed as a contest between the party's conservative ulama faction and the professionals (dubbed the Erdogans in a reference to progressive Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan). Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali also criticised Mohamad's credibility, saying the newly-elected deputy was not fit for the office. "Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar," said Syed Hassan through a text message. He added that Mat Sabu had once called the opposition leader as Anwar al-Juburi or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter's sodomy trials.
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