Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Snap to compile evidence of phantom voters
- Utusan demonises Ambiga ahead of Bersih rally
- Pakatan Rakyat’s 3 state targets in next general elections
- Don’t question judge’s decision on sex video, Bar council told
- Big test for Chinese voters
- Anwar should do the honourable thing and resign from office
- The View From a Public Gallery
- The Rise of the Officials and Cronies
- 300 peguam sertai himpunan Bersih 2.0
- Jeyakumar, 30 PSM members arrested over Bersih rally
- Malays should know who Ambiga is, say analysts
- New game in town: court of public opinion
- Have cops work with Bersih, Lim tells Hisham
- Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security
- Boycott Utusan, PAS tells Muslims
- The 2-Party Political System Re-Visited
- The saga of economic (s)hitman 2
- Pakai T-shirt Bersih ditangkap - KDN belilah mesin pengimbas, periksa seluar dalam sekali
- Why Is The Bersih Rally Pronounced 'Illegal'?
- 152,000 lose study loans due to poor results
- The souring of a mega deal
- Despite open day, public still find GLCs a mystery
- Fight against Interlok goes global
- ‘Clear proof of conspiracy to destroy Anwar’
| Snap to compile evidence of phantom voters Posted: 25 Jun 2011 12:00 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Sarawak National Party (Snap) has set up a committee to collect information from voters and members on phantom voters who were said to be very rampant in the recently concluded state election. Speaking to FMT, its president Edwin Dundang said: "Snap is very concerned with these new phenomena of phantom voters because they make a mockery of democratic process. "We have set up a committee to collect information and details and then will submit a report to the Election Commission for its attention and necessary action. "The committee will be headed by Paul Kadang," Dundang said, adding that he knew that there were various ways on how phantom voters had been registered in the electoral rolls. "We have noticed this, and in most cases the registration of phantom voters was carried out without the knowledge of the Election Commission. "However, there are certain cases in which the registration cannot be made without the conniving of the Election Commission. "And in every case, it is always to the disadvantage of the opposition," he said. On the possible use of biometric system as proposed by the EC, Dundang questioned how the system will really improve the efficiency of the EC and at the same time to eliminate double voting, especially in many polling stations in the rural areas where there were no electricity and internet services. "I am at a loss how the commission is going to do it," he said, pointing out that Snap prefered the use of indelible ink. Before the March 2008 general election, the Election Commission had been talking about the use of indelible ink to prevent double voting and had, in fact, ordered about RM2 million worth of the ink. It was, however, scrapped in the eleventh hour of the election, citing security as the reason. Snap's future "We have many young and capable leaders who can take over the party," he added. Dundang believed that Snap would return to its past glory one day and play a dominant role after re-organising of its structure and branches throughout the state. "I know Snap, being a local party, will one day play an important role in Sarawak politics once again with the support of young and dedicated people," he said. On its process of recruiting members, Dundang reminded them that community leaders and councillors should not be recruited as it is against the law. Quoting the 'Community Chiefs and Headmen Ordinance 2004', Dundang said under Section 8 it prohibited a person who is appointed a chief or headman to hold any post in a political party; or be appointed a councillor in a local authority.
|
| Utusan demonises Ambiga ahead of Bersih rally Posted: 25 Jun 2011 11:49 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 26 — Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia continued its attacks against Bersih 2.0 chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan today with its weekend edition portraying her as anti-Malay and anti-Islam. The Mingguan Malaysia lead story today read "Siapa sebenarnya Ambiga? (Who is the real Ambiga?" and featured pro-Umno political analysts like Perkasa member Datuk Paduka Prof Dr Ramlah Adam and Prof Datuk Dr Zainal Kling. The article quoted the analysts as warning Malays against supporting the Bersih rally, and accused Ambiga of having a track record of "angering Muslims and Malays." The Malay paper pointed out that the former Bar Council president had defended apostate Lina Joy and opposed Syariah laws banning apostasy among Muslims. Utusan also said that as Bar Council president Ambiga had accepted a memorandum on the formation of an inter-faith commission, which made 14 demands which "questioned" the position of Islam. "As a lawyer, Ambiga knows better than most that an assembly without a permit is illegal. I don't understand why she is planning to go ahead with it despite protests from various groups," Ramlah was quoted as saying. UPSI academic Zainal Kling charged that the Bersih rally was political in nature, and that the organisers were pro-Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "They (Bersih organisers) should demonstrate as a political party rather than an NGO. Then people will know what their real objectives are," he said. A death threat has been issued against Ambiga earlier this week for planning the July 9 rally to fight for free and fair elections. She has stressed however that the rally will carry on as planned.
|
| Pakatan Rakyat’s 3 state targets in next general elections Posted: 25 Jun 2011 10:57 AM PDT By Lim Kit Siang
Pakatan Rakyat has three targets for the states in the next general elections, viz: The forthcoming 13th General Election will be the battle of the century as at stake will not only be the state governments of all the 11 states in Peninsular Malaysia but federal power in Putrajaya as well. The Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is fully aware of the highest stakes involved in the next general elections, which is why he is so indecisive on the dates for the national polls, setting off repeated speculations as to when the next general elections would be held. I think we can rule out the possibility of general elections in the third quarter of this year. The next general elections will be either at the end of this year or next year. The 13th General Elections will be unprecedented, as it will be the first general election in the nation's history where the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional under UMNO hegemony, will be facing a life-and-death battle. In the last 12 general elections from 1959 to 2008, UMNO and the ruling coalition had gone into the hustings with supreme confidence, not only about retaining power but doing so with a great margin of victory. In fact, there was not a single general election in the past five decades where UMNO had not contested with supreme confidence that it would be able to win power with comfortable two-thirds parliamentary majority. Until the 308 "political tsunami" of the 2008 general elections when UMNO and Barisan Nasional suffered their worst electoral debacle, losing two-thirds parliamentary majority and clinging precariously to power thanks to the two "fixed deposit" states of Sabah and Sarawak. Umno and BN will be fighting a "life-and-death" battle in the 13th General Election, not just about whether they can regain two-thirds parliamentary majority lost in 2008, but whether they could be returned to power or would have to occupy the Opposition benches for the first time in their experience. READ MORE HERE.
|
| Don’t question judge’s decision on sex video, Bar council told Posted: 25 Jun 2011 10:16 AM PDT (The STar) - KUALA LUMPUR: The Bar Council should not question the judge's decision to screen the sex video implicating Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in court. Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said he was surprised by the Bar Council's reaction towards the judge's decision. "I don't know why they are so interested. There seems to be a political motive behind it," he told a press conference at the government-linked companies (GLC) open day here yesterday. An online portal had quoted Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee as describing the magistrate court's decision to screen the video in court as "shocking" and "extraordinary" as those accused of screening the video had already pleaded guilty to the crime. Muhyiddin said it was up to the public to decide whether to accept the findings of experts on the sex video or otherwise. It was reported yesterday that US experts from Dartmouth College had confirmed that the sex video was authentic and there was a 99.99% possibility the man in the video was the Opposition Leader. In Jitra, Anwar said he was attacked in the sex video case without being given the chance to defend himself. "This is a criminal case where the three individuals were sentenced for a crime but both the prosecution and the defence counsel joined forces to attack me," he claimed after opening the Kubang Pasu PKR office in Napoh near here yesterday. Several Independent MPs had also called on Anwar to step down to preserve Parliament's sanctity in light of the testimonies by the foreign experts. |
| Posted: 25 Jun 2011 09:50 AM PDT By Wong Chun Wai, The Star The Chinese are the ones who will chart their future since Malay and Indian votes have shifted back to Barisan. It is now a choice of whether they want to follow their heart or rule with their head. PROMINENT businessman Tan Sri William Cheng is highly regarded in the Chinese business community and his comments and advice are often given good play-up in the Chinese media. On Friday, the Associated Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCIM) president spoke about the sharp decline in the Chinese population. The country's demographic change has many political, economic and social implications and the big boss of the Lion Group conglomerate certainly knows how the trend will affect the community. Being a businessman, Cheng chose to dwell on the economic aspect. The owner of the Parkson department store chain said the Chinese community would have a chance to play a leading role in the country's economy even though the population was low. Speaking at the ACCIM Youth conference, Cheng did not want to ruin the upbeat mood, telling his listeners not to be pessimistic. Being the shrewd businessman that he is, he cleverly stayed away from talking about the political effects. But he can certainly calculate what is ahead. The continuing drop in the Chinese population would correspond with a drop in political clout. In a plural society, racial numbers do matter. It is the same in the United States where election candidates play along racial voter numbers to win their votes. In 2009, journalist researcher Helen Ang highlighted in her report that the country's Chinese population will decline to a mere 18.6% of the population in 25 years. While the bumiputra population for this decade (2011-2021) will see at least 1.98% annual growth, the Chinese population growth over this period will only be 0.73% annually. Citing a study by researcher Saw Swee Hock, Ang wrote that by 2035, Malaysia will have 41 million people, with bumiputras making up 72.1% of the population. Even Penang is now officially a Malay majority state. The latest statistics from the Department of Statistics indicate that Malays are increasing and have now outnumbered the Chinese by 0.7% in the once Chinese dominant state. In 2009, the Penang Malay population stood at 654,300, just ahead of 651,600 Chinese by 0.1%. Last year, it widened to 0.7%. Of the estimated 1.6 million population in Penang, 670,100 were Malays (41.6%) while 658,700 were Chinese (40.9%). There were 9.7% Indians (155,600), 7% non-Malaysians (112,200), 0.8% others and other bumiputras (13,300). In Selangor, another state with a big Chinese population, they now make up 29% of the state's population of over five million. We all know the reasons for the drop in Chinese population, which range from late marriages, preference for small families to migration. But there is less talk about the political effects, particularly the community's diminishing political importance. Chinese voters generally get angry and offended if they hear, even in the most subtle way, that their votes could be foregone. After all, in any election, every vote is crucial. In a close fight between two Malay candidates, for instance, the minority Chinese voters can be the deciding factor. In fact, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has always reminded his listeners that it was the Chinese voters who saved many Umno candidates in the 1999 general election following the sacking of his deputy Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Indeed, the Chinese can be kingmaker by voting strategically. Or they can vote to vent their frustrations and end up outside the government. The big test will come in the next general election. Of the 222 parliamentary seats, only 40-odd seats are in Chinese majority areas. The others are Malay majority or racially mixed seats. There is no Indian majority parliamentary seat. It is obvious at this point there is still much resentment in urban Chinese areas, with the voting pattern aligning towards the opposition. There is even a misconception that the Chinese, if they voted for the opposition entirely, would see their position strengthened based on the belief that PKR-PAS can deliver the Malay seats. But it is a big gamble as the Chinese voters may just find themselves the only one outside the government, as in the case of Sarawak where the community was led by PKR-PAS to believe that the other races would join in to topple Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud. In the end, the DAP ended up with 12 state seats while the SUPP was almost wiped out. The urban Malays-Dayaks, it turned out, voted solidly for Barisan Nasional, with PBB winning all 35 seats it contested. The SUPP lost its deputy chief ministership and is left with only two state assemblymen. The question now is whether the Chinese voters would be happy with the 40-odd parliamentary seats for the DAP come the next election and see the community representation completely out of the government as they increase the number of PAS Members of Parliament. The Chinese are the ones who will chart their future since Malay and Indian votes have shifted back to Barisan. It is now a choice of whether they want to follow their heart or rule with their head. |
| Anwar should do the honourable thing and resign from office Posted: 25 Jun 2011 09:46 AM PDT (The Star) - MULTIPLE expert analyses have now identified Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as the man in the sex video. But his unlikely resignation from public office will remain unlikely, since public interest here is easily shunted aside. Earlier, a local video professional and a Korean expert had also pronounced the video as genuine and undoctored. Now Prof Hany Farid and Asst Prof Lorenzo Torresani of Dartmouth College in New Hampshire concur with those findings. Dartmouth is a top-notch Ivy League institution and among the most distinguished educational establishments in the world. Prof Farid himself, a leading researcher and chair of Dartmouth's Neukom Institute for Computational Science, had even developed some of the latest techniques of video analysis. All the available evidence and all the best forensic science now point overwhelmingly to Anwar. Farid and Torresani's findings are said to be of "99.99%" certainty because to be 100% certain, a witness would have to be in the room at the time. That person is Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, who never had any doubts who was with him in the room. But none of this will suffice for those who would insist on argument by denial. A familiar combination of denial, spin and protestation would junk key witness testimony and top forensic analyses. Reasonable people now know the truth, however much those with desperate political ambitions may deny and distort it. PKR's partners in DAP and PAS must also know what they are unable to bring themselves to acknowledge publicly. Adultery or even patronising a prostitute may not seem such a great crime. However, the stakes multiply for a Muslim leader, particularly one with an Islamist background who is aiming for the highest public office in the land. PAS had earlier said it might have to review its Pakatan partnership with PKR if Anwar is the man in the video. Since there is no longer any reasonable doubt that he is, PAS now has to do the honourable thing as a reputedly forthright party with vaunted moral values. But if nothing changes within PKR or Pakatan, that should also be no surprise. In politics, doing what is honourable can often be difficult, especially for those who like to accuse their opponents of all kinds of intrigue and plots. |
| The View From a Public Gallery Posted: 25 Jun 2011 09:42 AM PDT By A Civic Minded Citizen Last week I exercised my duty as a concerned public citizen and went to watch sittings of the DUN. I managed to observe how the Government Bench and most of the Opposition Bench carried themselves. It was disgraceful and appalling, to say the least. The BN back-benchers, and even some front-benchers (Ministers included), were heckling the Opposition and calling them names. I am not surprised because many BN back-benchers are not highly educated. We would be hard-pressed to expect them to understand the dignity of their office. However, to see Ministers shouting across the room is an eye-opener. These men and women are supposed to run the state and yet they indulge in shouting matches like school children? Now I understand why our state-run ministries are sub-standard. As for the Opposition Bench, it was no better. Now I know why James Masing calls them 'monkeys'. I am disappointed that my representative in DUN is behaving like one. My ADUN was trying to bring up a good and pertinent point about the bloated salaries of a certain GLC and how it charges the public exorbitant amounts in bills. However, he was shouting it out loud! Seriously,do we need to behave like rough, crude and boisterous people in order to put a point across? My ADUN's antagonistic manner was a turn-off. Now I understand why the BN back-benchers heckled him. I felt cheated, not by BN but by my Pakatan Rakyat ADUN. The point he was trying to make was a crucial one, but the manner in which he delivered it only invited scorn and resulted in the matter falling on deaf ears. In the end, my ADUN did not serve his constituents by putting the matter across effectively. He was only serving his ego and engaging in a shouting match. My observation was that, except for veteran Chiew Chin Sing from Kidurong and new-comer Christina Liew from Batu Kawa, the entire DAP Bench adopted this antagonistic, high-octane approach of deliberately 'opposing for the sake of opposing only'. I also noted that in press statements, their leader Wong Ho Leng from Bukit Assek defended this approach, saying it was DAP's style. Well, if they continue in this style,then they cannot blame the public for thinking of them as self-centred 'monkeys' and they certainly can forget getting their points across in a civilised manner. In the end, they would not have served the interest of the Rakyat at all. The only times the entire DUN was silent was when the PKR ADUNs spoke. You could hear a pin drop when Baru Bian stood up to speak. Now why is that? The PKR reps did not shout, they did not antagonise and they certainly did not bang tables or point their fingers or engage in a back-and-forth with the Speaker. In fact, there was no need as the Speaker never interrupted them nor did anyone from the BN side, on points of order. Instead, these well prepared PKR reps stood with dignity while calmly and resolutely delivering their speeches. Everyone listened to them. I even noticed the Speaker nodding his head several times, agreeing with Baru Bian from Ba' Kelalan as he delivered his maiden speech. James Masing, who called the Opposition 'monkeys' in an earlier press statement, was quick to point out that PKR reps were different and took a more softer but effective approach in getting their points across. This, he said, was constructive and meant that the government would listen to what PKR reps had to say. While DAP reps engage in banging tables and shouting at the top of their voices, it seems PKR reps are taking their duties with serious pride, dignity and a very promising gentlemanly approach of quiet but firm criticism. This is what we, the Rakyat, want. We want to be heard, not shouted down or told to stand down by the Speaker. Perhaps the PKR reps are new and therefore still learning the tangled ropes of the House, and hence, are not as vocal. But it is this courteous manner that will serve them well in discharging their duties as representatives of the Rakyat. I am not alone in saying that the PKR reps have earned themselves much approval and respect from many within both sides of the House this past week. We can clearly observe who are serving the Rakyat and who are serving their own bloated egos. All statesmen are politicians but not all politicians are statesmen.
|
| The Rise of the Officials and Cronies Posted: 25 Jun 2011 09:35 AM PDT By batsman Empires rise and fall. Governments also rise and fall. In a healthy 2 party political system, the fall of governments cause not a ripple. Those governments that have fallen are even assured of rising again under more dynamic leadership and new programmes that appeal to the rakyat. Such systems have much greater stability compared to empires which must maintain their stability by violence and force. Why is this so? One of the reasons is that empires inevitably give rise to a official class. The official class protects the threads of power within the empire since such power is their means of livelihood – their bread and butter. (It is not the empire these officials protect, but the power that flows from it). Usually when empires decay, the emperor himself is already cut-off from the administration of the empire. He is usually seen as given to the pleasures of life such as having fun with beautiful Mongolians and/or lets his wife take over the reins of control. Officials in the form of eunuchs and minions organise and tend to his every pleasure and kiss up to his wife (although in our modern days of liberalism, professional eunuchs are not openly seen anymore and it is hard to say whether any obedient wives still remain). It is not the emperor who gets angry and exacts brutal tribulation against subjects who criticise corruption in the fabric of the empire but the officials. The emperor being cut off from administration of the empire probably does not even know what is happening. Those who exact brutal and cruel tribulation are the officials who see any criticism of the administration of the empire as criticism against themselves. The situation deteriorates and becomes worse each year until sin, corruption and cruelty like a cancer has eaten away the fabric and strength of the empire and the empire dies. But how does it come to be this way? How did the officials gain so much power? One of the main reasons is that no emperor has the ability to handle all problems in the empire on his own. He has to appoint ministers and bureaucrats. Unfortunately in this system, there is very little checks and balances. When bureaucrats gang up into cabals and cliques, the emperor loses a little of his power with each crisis or problem. Eventually bureaucrats are able to cover up their own mistakes and crimes. The emperor has no choice but to follow their advice and protect them even when they have made mistakes and committed crimes. This is because there are no checks and balances. The emperor becomes reliant on them to support his own power. In Malaysia's case, UMNO has appointed minions and cronies in every position of influence and power. UMNO while being the benefactor in the first place has over time become reliant on them to support its own power. The servants have as a group become more powerful than their master. UMNO therefore has to protect them even when they have made mistakes and committed crimes. This is already evident in the gross abuses of power and the grand arrogance of bureaucrats in positions of influence and power. They take the attitude that nothing can touch them and they are immune from prosecution. This is true in almost all cases. Such situations usually have a tendency to turn fascistic. Some 3rd class bureaucrat can even be rude to an opposition Chief Minister and get away with it when other officials who stick to their principles of honesty and doing their job in the best and fairest way possible get punished by being sent into cold storage, get charged with ridiculous imaginary crimes and sent to jail, get the sack or even fall off tall buildings. There are very few checks and balances left in UMNO's empire. What throws them into a panic is when they think they will lose elections. Then even the president himself starts to recover and introduces programmes that he thinks will satisfy the anger and disappointment of the rakyat. He tries to placate them with goodies and promises as well as try to show that he has their best interest at heart with advertising campaigns, face book websites and such. Unfortunately in such a system, what is missing is still institutional checks and balances. The president looks all powerful, but is he? He is still reliant on his ministers and bureaucrats to support his power. He therefore cannot help but go along when his officials make mistakes or commit crimes. The appetite for corruption has not reduced one bit. The officials need to compete amongst themselves to help themselves to the proceeds of corruption and sin otherwise they lose out. Corruption remains unabated except among the lower rank officials who are more prone to be used as scapegoats in any scandal or problem cases such as missing jet engines. Life actually improves temporarily for the rakyat. Unfortunately the basic problems have not changed. This is because institutional checks and balances have been corrupted and have not been repaired. With each cycle of improvements and deterioration, the situation spirals downwards because the downward pressures of sin, corruption and abuse of power is stronger whenever institutional checks and balances are not working and have not been repaired. One of the institutions that ensure stability of our government is our system of democratic elections. Unfortunately this institution has been abused and corrupted and is in dire need of repair. The UMNO government has been unresponsive and purposefully neglecting repair and reforms in this area. Bersih 2.0 is calling for clean elections and electoral reforms. Bersih 2.0 is therefore a force for good. It is a democratic and patriotic NGO that seeks to repair years of neglect and abuse in our democratic institutions. What more is there to be said? The NGOs that attack Bersih 2.0 are part of the official class that sees its vital interests in the continued corruption and abuse of our best institutions. If our country is to survive all patriotic Malaysians from all walks of life must offer their support to Bersih 2.0 in the best ways that they think they can. Otherwise the gains of freedom and democracy made by painful sacrifice and strenuous effort will be lost and the future looks bleak indeed under the supreme all powerful rule of a corrupt and sinful official class and an emperor forced to go along and protect them even when they have committed crimes. |
| 300 peguam sertai himpunan Bersih 2.0 Posted: 25 Jun 2011 12:43 AM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Rakyat tidak bimbang untuk hadir dalam Himpunan Bersih 2.0 kerana lebih 300 peguam sedia membantu mereka jika berlaku sebarang tangkapan. Untuk tujuan itu, Dewan Pemuda PAS Malaysia telah menggerakkan bilangan peguam yang ramai kali ini memandangkan sambutan terhadap Bersih amat menggalakkan.
|
| Jeyakumar, 30 PSM members arrested over Bersih rally Posted: 25 Jun 2011 12:38 AM PDT (The Malaysian Insder) - KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj was among 31 Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members who were arrested today in relation to the July 9 Bersih rally. The group, which had been travelling on a bus from Kedah for a planned Bersih roadshow in Penang, were intercepted by police at the Sungai Dua toll plaza near Kepala Batas this afternoon. The 17 men and 14 women are presently being held at the Seberang Perai Utara police station, on suspicion of attempting to distribute "inflammatory" material such as T-shirts and flyers. Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on July 9 to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly.
|
| Malays should know who Ambiga is, say analysts Posted: 24 Jun 2011 07:45 PM PDT
Ambiga declared an enemy of Islam (Bernama) - Analysts are asking Malays to know who it is that is asking them to take part in an illegal assembly on July 9. They said that Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan, the former Bar Council president planning to lead the demonstration, has a history of provoking Muslims.
|
| New game in town: court of public opinion Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:46 PM PDT
The internet is a powerful weapon. 2008 showed us that. Developments in North Africa and the Middle East showed us that. And since 1998 the opposition has been king of the internet. So why do we not want to provide free state-wide wireless internet to the rakyat in the Pakatan Rakyat states when the internet is the best weapon against Barisan Nasional? THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Clear proof of conspiracy to destroy Anwar, said N Surendran of PKR. The Bar Council says it is shocked with the screening of the sex video in court. It is up to the rakyat to decide if it is Anwar in the video, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. You can read all three news items below. Aiyah, why are we grumbling, moaning, complaining, whining and bitching? Of course it is a conspiracy to destroy Anwar. And why should it NOT be a conspiracy to destroy Anwar? First of all, is that not what politics is all about, to destroy your enemy? Secondly, are we not also trying tooth and nail to bring Najib, Umno and Barisan Nasional down -- to destroy them? Everything is fair in love and war, as they say. And this is love for our country and war against those who are slowly and systematically destroying our country. So there is no such thing as fair or unfair. It is about destroying the enemy of our country to save our country. Sure they will fight dirty. They have been fighting dirty for more than 50 years. Why should they not fight dirty now? It is what they do. It is the nature of the beast to fight dirty. Let us get one thing very clear here. Najib appears to be better-advised than the two prime ministers before him, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. And I know one of those people who are advising him and I know how good he is (no, I will not mention who he is). Of course, as I said in an earlier article, Najib also has many idiots surrounding him. But he is beginning to understand whom he should listen to and who not to listen to. And when it comes to playing the perception game there is one man who is advising him what to do and what not to do and Najib is taking that advise. And this is the man I have to out-think and out-fox in this game of perception and psy-war. The rest of the idiots surrounding Najib are not significant. In fact, they help the cause because most times they shoot themselves in their own feet. Najib has learned how we used the court of public opinion 13 years ago back in 1998. We knew we would never win in a court of law. Anwar is certainly going to be found guilty in the Sodomy 1 trial. So, we are going to lose in the court of law and will have to win our case in the court of public opinion. And that was when the Free Anwar Campaign was launched. It was to make sure that while we may have lost the case in the court of law we will nevertheless win in the court of public opinion. We had to make sure that even if 20 judges pronounce Anwar guilty of sodomy the Malaysian public would still insist he is innocent. That was the game plan. It was all about the perception game and psy-war. And we won in spite of what the court said. I have said this many times before: politics is about perception. Most Malaysians no longer trust the government or Malaysia's judiciary. So it is not important any longer what the court says. Even if they can produce a smoking gun the people will still not trust the court. So you need to win in other ways. The British realised this during the Malayan Emergency. The government cannot beat Communism with guns alone. Guns and violence only makes the resistance stronger. They need to win the hearts and minds of the people to beat Communism. To the government, Anwar Ibrahim, today, is what Chin Peng was 50 or 60 years ago (minus the bombings and killings, of course). And to beat Anwar, today, you will have to use the same tactics you used to beat Chin Peng 50 or 60 years ago. And that would be to win the hearts and minds of the people. Umno thinks (and I stress the word 'thinks' because this may or may not be true) that to bring down Pakatan Rakyat you must first bring down Anwar Ibrahim. Destroy Anwar then Pakatan Rakyat is destroyed. And that is why, as N Surendran of PKR said, they want to destroy Anwar. And would not you and I do the same if our objective were to destroy Pakatan Rakyat? Would we say it is not fair when the objective is to destroy our enemy at all costs? What is so unfair about wanting to destroy our enemy through any means possible? Did not America drop two atom bombs on civilians just to end the war and save American lives? Is it fair and just to kill non-combatants in your enemy's country to save your own citizens? I did not hear anyone condemn America for that. No, grumbling, moaning, complaining, whining and bitching are not the solution. What they did yesterday is typical of Umno. It is the nature of the beast. If you want to fight Umno then expect such tactics to be used against you (or else don't try to fight Umno). After all, many now in PKR, who were once in Umno, also used these same tactics before to destroy their enemies. Only now those same tactics you used to use are being used against you. So accept that. Instead of grumbling, moaning, complaining, whining and bitching, think how to counter them and beat them at their own game. Pre-2008 we used to be very good at the perception game and psy-war. We used to run rings around Dr Mahathir and Pak Lah. We attacked from all sides and they never knew what hit them. Why do you think the opposition did so well in March 2008? But post-March 2008 the opposition became complacent. Three years ago we told Pakatan Rakyat to provide free state-wide wireless internet to the rakyat in all the states under their control. So far only Penang has done this -- and even then only in some parts of Penang, not yet the whole of Penang. What happened to Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan? Selangor talked about it (yes, just talked about it) three years ago. But nothing has happened so far because of some hanky-panky a la Khir Toyo. Yes, that's right, someone in the Selangor state government is trying to pull off a scam. So the free state-wide wireless internet has not taken off yet. If I know all this why not I talk to Pakatan Rakyat? Why expose this publicly and shame Pakatan Rakyat? Why not talk to Pakatan Rakyat behind closed doors instead of washing dirty linen in public? Well, for your information, I have talked to Pakatan Rakyat many times. YB Ronnie Liu can testify to this. I even spoke personally to Anwar Ibrahim some time back when I met him in London for breakfast. But still nothing has happened. And now it may be too late because we may be facing the 13th General Election very soon. You want to know why I am so angry with Anwar Ibrahim? You want to know why I decided to whack him on TV3? Well, the free state-wide wireless internet which never happened because of one corrupt person from PKR in the Selangor state government is one of the many reasons. I will not embarrass Anwar be revealing my entire list of grievances. Suffice that I just talk about the free state-wide wireless internet that never happened because someone from PKR who is in the state government is corrupt. We grumble, moan, complain, whine and bitch about how unfair the government is and how they use the mainstream media and police and judiciary and AG Chambers and whatnot against the opposition. But what are we doing about it other than grumble, moan, complain, whine and bitch? The internet is a powerful weapon. 2008 showed us that. Developments in North Africa and the Middle East showed us that. And since 1998 the opposition has been king of the internet. So why do we not want to provide free state-wide wireless internet to the rakyat in the Pakatan Rakyat states when the internet is the best weapon against Barisan Nasional? I spoke to a Chinese friend yesterday who knows the story of this free wireless internet debacle and he too is puzzled as to why Pakatan Rakyat is dragging its feet on this matter. It is not that the state does not have the money to do it. In fact, they don't need money because the company providing the service is prepared to do it free-of-charge but with advertising rights. I gave my theory. I told my Chinese friend that I suspect it is because Anwar has made a deal with Najib to give Selangor back to Barisan Nasional. Maybe that is one way the court is going to squash his Sodomy 2 trial. My Chinese friend does not think so. He said he does not suspect there is anything dubious but only that Anwar is an incompetent administrator. Anwar is a good speaker but a poor administrator, said my Chinese friend. His poor performance in government, especially as Education Minister, has proven this, explained my friend. I hope my friend is right. I hope it is just incompetence and not because Anwar is a Trojan Horse that the Pakatan Rakyat states, in particular Selangor, are refusing to implement its free state-wide wireless internet after more than three years. But I reserve judgement until I see the results of the next general election and it is proven that Selangor will remain under Pakatan Rakyat. Until then I shall continue to whack Anwar Ibrahim if need be just to light a fire under his arse and get him to wake up DEMI UNTUK KEPENTINGAN RAKYAT. ************************************** 'Clear proof of conspiracy to destroy Anwar' (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR claimed that the court proceeding of the 'Datuk T' trio yesterday was proof that there is high-level conspiracy to destroy Anwar Ibrahim's political career. Yesterday, the trio, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, former Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim and businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah pleaded guilty at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate court to screening a sex video to the public. The trio screened a video allegedly showing the opposition leader engaged in illicit sex with a prostitute to several journalists at Carcosa Seri Negara in March. In the proceeding yesterday, one of their defense attorney, Muhamad Shafee Abdullah told the court that forensic analysts from the US confirmed the man in the video was likely to be Anwar. In a statement today, PKR vice president N Surendran said the alleged identity of the person in the video and it authenticity was completely irrelevant to the case yesterday. "And by not being a party to the proceedings, Anwar had no opportunity to defend himself against the allegation," said Surendran. ************************************** Bar Council Says 'Shocked' With Sex Video Screening In Court (The Malaysian Insider) - The magistrate's court should not have screened the sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday because the "Datuk T" trio had already pleaded guilty to the crime, says the Bar Council. Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee described that the court's decision in allowing the video to be shown as "shocking" and "extraordinary." He stressed that there was no reason to do since those accused of screening the video had readily admitted to the crime. "There is no need to because they have already pleaded guilty; I am surprised why the sex video was shown in court. "This is an extraordinary procedure, I am shocked as to why it happened… if a person has already pleaded guilty there is no need to (reveal the evidence)," Lim told The Malaysian Insider. The lawyer said the court's action was inconsistent with standard procedures in such cases, where evidence is only revealed during the course of a full trial and when the accused maintains his or her innocence. "I have no problem with the punishment, it is just the sex video screening which is an issue," he added. ************************************** Najib: Up to rakyat to decide if it's Anwar in video (Malaysiakini) - Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today said that the rakyat will have to decide whether the person in the sex video produced in court today is opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. "This is something on which the rakyat will have to make a judgment." "The most important thing is to find the authenticity and truth. We leave it to the rakyat to determine," he said after chairing the BN supreme council meeting tonight in Kuala Lumpur. Although the BN chairperson chose not to rub salt into the wound of Anwar, he pointed out that two foreign experts had verified the authenticity of the video. Shafee Abdullah, the counsel for Rahim Thamby Chik, one of the Datuk T trio, had said that according to the June 4 report by professors Hany Farid and Lorenzo Torresani from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, there is a 99.99 percent match of the male in the video clip to a known photo of Anwar based on facial recognition analysis. |
| Have cops work with Bersih, Lim tells Hisham Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:15 PM PDT
By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein should direct the police to end its "hostile" stance towards the Bersih rally and work with its organisers instead, Lim Kit Siang said today. The DAP parliamentary leader said mutual co-operation between the two would ensure a peaceful assembly on June 9. "Hishammuddin should direct the police to end its hostile, combative, confrontational and repressive stance against the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 and to undergo a sea-change for the police to co-operate with the Bersih 2.0 organisers to ensure that the peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally is held successfully," said Lim in a statement today. The veteran politician pointed out that the police have begun arresting people for simply wearing the yellow Bersih t-shirts, reportedly the reason for deputy PKR Youth chief Khairul Anuar Ahmad Zainuddin's arrest last night. Police have, however, denied arresting him, saying they merely wanted to take down his statement. Lim also called on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to embrace the July 9 rally to show that Malaysia was mature enough to handle mass public gatherings. "The Malaysian prime minister at the time and other Umno leaders had praised these worldwide anti-war peaceful protests. "Why, then, are the Umno and [Barisan Nasional] leaders in the year 2011 so silent and not prepared to help to ensure the successful holding of a peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally for free, fair and clean elections, especially if it is to set a new record in Malaysia for crowd turnout?" Lim asked.
|
| Muhyiddin insists Bersih political, threat to security Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:10 PM PDT
By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has deemed the July 9 Bersih rally as politically-motivated and a threat to national security as well as the country's reputation. Apart from calling in the organisers for questioning next week, police also insist they will not issue permits for at least three rallies planned on the day. "As far as the government is concerned, we have made a decision and we think that the assembly is illegal and if the purpose is to send out a message that there are disagreements, that there are suggestions that they want to make about the rules of elections to the SPR (Election Commission), there are process and procedures for that. "Because of that, we think the rationale given by Bersih to have the rally is not relevant. That's why we say this rally is politically-motivated," the deputy prime minister told reporters after touring the booths at the GLC Open Day here at the KL Convention Centre. Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on the day in Kuala Lumpur to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly.Umno Youth and right-wing group Perkasa have also promised to carry out separate rallies to rival Bersih's. Today, Muhyiddin defended the counter rallies and said it was "normal" to have counter groups to any movement. "Whether it is right or wrong, that is up to our interpretations, but we see this as something that can erupt situations that will not benefit the country, that will ruin the country's image internationally, in the context of our hard work to develop the nation, attract investors, build our image globally as a peaceful and developed country," he said. Muhyiddin acknowledged Umno Youth's pledge to rally but reiterated the prime minister's remarks that the authorities have the right to take actions against anyone who participates in the assembly that is deemed illegal. Police have repeatedly warned they will treat the rallies as illegal assemblies. "So we leave it to the wisdom of the Umno Youth and Barisan Nasional leaders to decide on whether that is the right move or what is the right action they should take," he said.Muhyiddin then claimed news coverage of the rally, if it proceeds, will be used to falsely depict Malaysia as being in a state of unrest. "We in Malaysia know that after decades, that is not our culture. So I know their trick. We are not stupid, we are also experts in politics and understand their bad intentions. "So this has bad intentions. They did it on purpose so the people will be in fear and there will be eruption of unwanted incidents and internationally, Malaysia will be seen as a country that is unsafe, tourists will stop coming, investors will not invest because of the unrest, that is their intention," he said. The first Bersih rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the streets of Kuala Lumpur before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons.
|
| Boycott Utusan, PAS tells Muslims Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:09 PM PDT
By Humayun Kabir, FMT IPOH Perak PAS held a demonstration against Umno Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for allegedly insulting Islam in two caricatures in its June 15 edition and called for a boycott of the paper. In one of the caricatures, a religious officer tells a rape victim that she must produce four witnesses as proof of the incident, while the other shows a police officer telling the same victim that she can lodge a police report without any conditions. About 200 PAS supporters, after attending Friday prayers at Masjid Negeri, gathered outside the mosque amidst heavy police presence to protest against Utusan's slight against Islam. State PAS chief Abu Bakar Hussain, information chief Mohd Akmal Kamarudin and party assistant secretary Safarizal Saleh took part in the demonstration which lasted 20 minutes. Safarizal said that there was no need to produce four witnesses under Islam in the case of a rape as witnesses were only required for zina (illicit intercourse). "It shows Utusan's lack of knowledge of Islamic law. It has insulted the religion," said Safarizal. Amidst shouts of 'Hancur Utusan! (destroy Utusan) and 'Boikot Utusan' (Boycott Utusan )', the protesters demanded Utusan apologise to Muslims. The crowd also set alight copies of the June 15 edition of Utusan.
|
| The 2-Party Political System Re-Visited Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:02 PM PDT By batsman Many activists, bloggers and commenters believe very strongly that it is sufficient to have a 2-party political system as the target or objectives of the reform movement. Bersih 2.0's struggle proves beyond the shadow of the doubt that this is still insufficient. UMNO knows this is insufficient. This is one of the reasons why UMNO is fighting with might and main as well as with dirty tricks to prevent Bersih 2.0 from getting a serious hearing. If Malaysians and Malaysian public opinion start to think that Bersih has a case, UMNO knows there is a very high likelihood that it will lose everything. This is why it will use dirty tricks and everything in its arsenal of legal and illegal tricks as well as it's cronies in the public service, religious institutions, NGOs and GLCs to prevent Bersih 2.0 from getting a serious hearing. Why do I say this? Let me explain by using a very simple everyday example. Take a football match. Each side represents the 2-party political system. If this is all it takes then there is no need for a referee. Unfortunately football is no longer football without a referee. Some people say that it is sufficient to have the voters as the referee. This is like saying the registered adult spectators of the football match can become the referee. At the end of the match, they can take a vote on which side won the match. This is as ridiculous as a football match without a referee. In all likelihood, even the end of the match will be in dispute and no one is sure when the match ended. The only equivalent of a referee in terms of the 2-party political system is just, fair and uncorrupted laws and professionals who are neutral and without any bias who carry out such a set of just and fair laws honestly and with integrity. Spectators cannot be the referee unless they are football professionals or retired professionals. Most of them have not been adequately trained on the rules of the game and have no experience in being referees. Only an adequately trained and competent professional who has no interest in the outcome of the game is properly equipped for the job of being the referee. If the referee has an interest in the outcome of the match, he is said to be biased. There are many ways to create this bias in a referee. One of the ways is with money, status and position. So those people with money, status and position are in a position to influence the referee. In the west, this is what happens in their 2-party political systems. The law, the media and public opinion is heavily biased towards those who have money, property and position. The other way to influence a referee is to influence his values. If a referee can be turned into a racist, then in any match where one side comprise mainly black players and the other side is mainly white (say), the racist tendencies of the referee will ultimately manifest itself in the way he referees the game and calls his decisions. In Malaysia both money and racism have corrupted our democratic institutions. This makes a 2-party system unworkable in the interests of democracy and in the long term interests of the country and the people. It has to be repaired and reformed to make sure it function properly to ensure the utmost freedom, fairness and democracy for as many Malaysians as possible. Bersih 2.0 believes very strongly that the electoral system in Malaysia is broken and unable to function with honesty and integrity anymore. It has called for reforms. This is all it is asking for – the repair of a corrupted and dysfunctional electoral system and its institutions. It deserves a chance, don't you think? |
| The saga of economic (s)hitman 2 Posted: 24 Jun 2011 04:41 PM PDT
SAKMONGKOL AK47 I was saying to some friends the other day - you have to tip your hat to Ibrahim Ali. Sure I hantam him here and there. But there is no one like Ibrahim Ali in this world. Only Ibrahim Ali can secure a permit and get people riled up shouting profanities of all kind, burnt portraits of comrade Ambiga and all that - as a counter demo to another demo that has not taken place! How can you demonstrate against something that has not taken place and yet the Malaysian police gave him a permit? We have been watching too many ghost stories including our men and women in blue! My friends were gawking at the photos of the beauties displaying cardboards condemning Ambiga. And my friend Jali who is a permanent fixture at Cengkih restaurant in Taman Tun says he wants to get to know the photogenic beauties cornered by Ibrahim Ali. He reckons if Ibrahim Ali can get these girls to demo, he has a chance to score. This Ibrahim Ali is a tireless operator. He went through a heart bypass a few months ago. Today he is up and about directing street demos. He hasn't lost it since the ITM days. Perhaps he has received a blood transfusion with super-budu formulations. He hasn't lost his flair of mobilizing crowds to any cause he chose- laughable or not. On a serious note, the stand taken by our police is puzzling. It's not consistent at all. Demonstrations carried out by organizations supporting the government were and are often given permission. Condoleezza Rice visited Malaysia the last time, was given a loud reception by the UMNO ketua Pemuda. Demonstrations in support of anti-Israel and pro Palestine causes are easily allowed. Other organizers not supporting the government get arrested. Either you give everyone permission or you don't give at all. If demonstrations are not allowed, and the law also works retrospectively arrest all those involved a few days ago, who protested aggressively against Bersih and Ambiga. Otherwise, give permission for all to hold demonstrations in big stadiums. Then we term that as guided demonstrasi.
|
| Pakai T-shirt Bersih ditangkap - KDN belilah mesin pengimbas, periksa seluar dalam sekali Posted: 24 Jun 2011 04:24 PM PDT
Aspan Alias Beberapa jam yang lepas saya mendapat panggilan talipon memberitahu saya yang Khairul Anwar Ahmad Zainudin, dari AMK PKR telah ditahan oleh Polis kerana memakai baju-Bersih dan nampaknya rally yang dirancang Bersih ini memang memberi kesan kepada rakyat kali ini. Jikalah benar rakyat tidak bersetuju dengan tuntutan Bersih untuk mengadakan pilihanraya secara adil dan saksama tidak mungkin Polis mengambil tindakan terhadap sesiapa yang memakai baju-T Bersih. Ini merupakan satu tindakan yang agak keterlaluan dan ini membuatkan orang ramai merasakan tidak lagi merasakan hidup secara bebas yang lazim diamalkan oleh rakyat negara yang bebas dan demokratik. Jika tekanan terhadap rakyat dilakukan sampai sedemikian rupa ini menunjukan secara terang yang pihak yang sedang memegang kuasa itu sudah tidak berkeyakinan lagi akan diberi mandat oleh yang yang memilih.
|
| Why Is The Bersih Rally Pronounced 'Illegal'? Posted: 24 Jun 2011 03:20 PM PDT
By democracy4now The mainstream press and the ruling politicians are sticking to the description of the Bersih march as `illegal' - but why `illegal'? This question is very important as it may be where rationality/argument/public choice-based democracy depart from arbitrary/capricious/discretionary/haphazard dictatorial rule! So let us examine the likely `reasons' for making the Bersih `illegal'! Does it affect the traffic? Many official functions involved closing of roads eg National Day procession. Traffics are diverted in pre-announced orderly way. There are some inconveniences-but few people will complain about it beyond a short period. So why can't the police re-direct traffic for Bersih march? It will reduce business of the shops along the way? Affected they will be -some positively as there are more people dropping their cafe, restaurants, convenient shops etc. Surely some few shops may lose some business-just like what a rain may have caused. This may not be a really likely reason-of all reasons! Then you have the `threat to national security' excuse which had been invoked often enough. Does it mean that there will be weapons used by the marchers? Does it mean that there are marchers who have proven tendency to use violence? The first Bersih march in 2007 disproved these suspicions. De-facto Minister Nazri's reported remark that there is no `peaceful' gathering in the Malaysian laws speak for itself. If we go by that interpretation surely all government gatherings should also be stopped-including the National Day procession! A derivative of that reason is: the official functions have police permit. But this is a circular argument-which does not excuse the giver of `permit' viz the police, from giving the reasons why a gathering is considered `illegal' while others are `legal'. When a police said that a gathering is `illegal' simply on account of lacking a police permit, it just means that the police had not provided the reason why they don't approve the permit for the gathering. If they had a good reason they should come out with it to sound more credible and convincing! In addition there is also another smart sounding argument: demonstrations scare away foreign investors! The facts are: without so many demonstrations foreign investors are leaving Malaysia to other countries! Another fact: foreign investors come from democracies where peaceful protests are daily occurrences and they are going to other countries where there are also common occurrences of peaceful demonstrations! Freedom seems to attract FDI-not lack of it! Obviously some of those chambers of commerce people who regurgitate such arguments against public assembly are from the ruling parties who feel pressured by the issues brought up by the protestors! Then the un-tendered reasons: is it because it is organised by the civil society and not endorsed by the ruling party? Apart from being discriminatory on political ground this excuse basically disrobe all the `reasons' above as mere naked excuses to suppress the citizens' rights to hold a gathering! The related reason that Opposition parties will be involved fall under the same excuse as there is no laws saying that Opposition parties cannot hang around a gathering organised by themselves or others. When the police hide behind their discretionary power to deny the public any credible reasons for them to exercise their power they actually degrade their credibility and professionalism because they open themselves to suspicion of pushing political agenda on behalf of the political bosses! If Bersih is disapproved simply on political ground then the people are entitled to march without regards as their right to march is then similar to their right to vote freely. It is the people's rights to make their political choice freely-even though they may suffer the violence from the politicians who abuse their power over the police to get the police to attack their political challengers/opponents. The planned attacks on the marchers certainly is an abuse because the police will not be addressing violence from the people -who are peaceful, but create violence under the order of the ruling politicians! From the keeper of law and order the police would have been mis-directed to become a political lap-dog of the ruling politicians! The PDRM are also part of the civil/public servants. As such they should act to serve the people-not the ruling politicians especially not as their political attack dogs. The voters didn't vote them to act this way. The ruling parties lack a legitimate basis to abuse the police who are also paid for by tax payers from all political persuasions. Only dictatorial regimes abuse the state security apparatus to attack its people and to protect not the national security but the security of the regime! Compare to if you hire a security guard: if the guard start to beat you up for failing to heed his orders to you would you still want the security guards or their supervisor? While the ruling party could be used to assuming the role of the `supervisor' of the security guards of the nation their abuse is not something the people are ready to put up for too long! At the end of the day the people do want the police to exercise their power on a rational transparent way. They should act on clearly spelt-out, non-discriminatory set of rules that are free of political manipulations. This is the kind of police force a democratic country would provide. Based on the performance of the police so far it is sad to say that we have a`regime protecting' police force than a people protecting security force. Their lack of transparency on their refusal to protect peacefully assembled citizens lose them respect. They deserved to be fired at the nearest opportune time-which could be when a more people friendly party take over from the dictatorial regime now!
|
| 152,000 lose study loans due to poor results Posted: 24 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT (Bernama) - TEMERLOH: The National Higher Education Fund Corporation has withheld loans to 152,000 students for scoring a Semester Grade Point Average (SGPA) of 2.0 and below. The corporation's chairman, Datuk Ismail Mohamed Said, said students with poor results received loans totalling RM632mil. "But if they are able to get a SGPA above 2.0 in the next examination, the loans will be released," he told reporters after presenting loans to 100 public and private university students from the Kuala Krau parliamentary constituency in Jengka yesterday. Of the 132,180 blacklisted students who defaulted on their loan repayments, he said 12,400 had repaid the loans amounting to RM113.9mil. — Bernama |
| Posted: 24 Jun 2011 02:01 PM PDT By Anita Gabriel, The Star AN ignominous flop. That may sound harsh but it befits a deal that was trumpeted would create the most valuable Malaysian bank in South-East Asia, steered by the unwaveringly powerful Bank Negara and executed by no less than the country's top influential bankers Datuk Seri Nazir Razak and Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar. As it turned out, Malayan Banking Bhd and CIMB Group Holdings Bhd's battle to take over RHB Capital Bhd, led respectively by Wahid and Nazir, which had a three-month deadline for completion took merely three weeks to go belly up. On Thursday, just one week before both banking giants' competing offers were scheduled to land on the table of RHB Cap directors, the banks revealed that they had scrapped talks and were bowing out of the merger plan. Their carefully-crafted statements to the stock exchange, this time around, did little to mask the disenchantment. Based on the expectations of key stakeholders "we do not believe that we will be able to arrive at a value creating merger ... we prefer not to prolong our discussions unnecessarily," said Nazir. Maybank's note, as terse as it was, was unusually revelatory; it said it was calling off the talks "in the light of recent developments." Little guessing was needed to figure out what that was. Wahid elaborates on the "recent developments" to StarBizWeek: "... the recent transaction has set an expectation among certain shareholders on the valuation of RHB. We believe that a transaction that will benefit all stakeholders, including our own shareholders, may be challenging to achieve based on the price expectations that have been created." On hindsight wisdom, it's near impossible to have two deals a sale of a strategic block and a wholesale acquisition involving the same entity, taking place almost concurrently without jeopardising someone's interest. Therein lay the writing on the wall. From the glass half-full perspective, an astute corporate observer appears relieved: "I'm pleased that the parties have the discipline not to push ahead when good sense dictates they should stand down. What would be bad is inspite of all these (high) expectations, they went ahead. That would show indiscipline and lack of maturity and would have done injustice to Maybank or CIMB." "What would have been ideal is to exchange the shares at realistic prices and reap the gains in the uplift of share price after the merger," he adds. The strong arm of the regulator Bank Negara's regulatory hand, guided by the overriding compass for industry consolidation, in the entire saga is hard to miss right from the start. Without the central bank's blessings (or was it cajoling?), the two banking juggernauts may not have stepped up to the plate as fast as they did to start merger talks with RHB Cap. Their almost mirrored and closely-timed statements on receiving the regulator's nod to talk to RHB Cap board and its substantial shareholders somewhat reflect this. Cementing this notion is the twin step late this week by both to bow out of the merger plans. "If one had walked out of submitting an offer while the other stayed, it would be easier to believe that the central bank had little to do with this. They were competing with each other for RHB Cap. But instead, both pulled out together, which is telling," says an observer. The merger idea was largely dictated by a single denominator the race for scale. Whichever way it swung (Maybank-RHB Cap or CIMB-RHB Cap), it could have created the largest banking group in the region in terms of market value, a clear market leader in Malaysia and bolster their overseas operations. The merged entity would have also cosied up even closer to three of Singapore's banking heavyweights, which have held the near-indomitable top three spots based on the assets in the region. Now, wouldn't that have been something to cheer about? Even so, the potential grandeur was somewhat muffled by the murky synergistic benefits and potential substantial duplication issues which could arise from the merger with either one. Credit Suisse in an earlier report had cited "substantial overlap resulting in excess staff and branches" as a key challenge in the potential merger. Given the upcoming general elections, which it said is likely in 2012, "we doubt authorities would agree to allow either bank to shed excess staff." In other words, not many were convinced by the cost synergies to be extracted from the union. It is for this very reason that OSK Research wasted no time (one day after Maybank and CIMB nixed the deal to be exact) to echo a rumour of AMMB entering the RHB Cap merger fray, given it's a better fit, hence a "marriage of equals." The local research house also expressed that it was not surprised by the turn of events: "This piece of news did not entirely come as a surprise given the fact that the proposed merger with RHB Capital was rumored to have been at the invitation of the central bank rather than initiated by CIMB or Maybank. As such, pricing and the rationale for a synergistic merger were key stumbling blocks from the start." While the central bank had steered the banking stalwarts towards a merger with RHB Cap, it was too late to stop Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank from divesting its 25% stake in the country's fifth largest bank, despite the potential red flags. Such concerns turned into grim reality over the week. The harbinger The cracks in the merger plans emerged following the RHB Cap stake sale by ADCB to another sovereign-owned agency Aabar Investment Agency PJSC on June 17. The harbinger of a doomed merger was the all-important determinant in the sale, as in any transaction the price tag. At RM10.80 a piece, the strategic block would change hands, from left to right that is, at 2.25 times the book value of RHB Capital. "It wasn't so much about the price. Remember, this is a merger involving a share swap. CIMB could have been willing to pay RM10.80 per share for RHB Cap on a fully-valued basis. In return, it would also fully value its own shares at say, RM12. Why would it undervalue its own shares while fully valuing that of RHB Cap? This in turn, would determine the swap ratio. The problem is that RHB Cap shareholders were not warmed up to such a plan as their shareholding would be significantly diluted in the enlarged entity," says an observer. Still, determined not to allow the exercise to derail the consolidation agenda, Bank Negara slapped two conditions on the deal. Firstly, Aabar must support a merger with another Malaysian bank. But it was the other condition - that the sale price be adjusted accordingly if the merger offer price came in below - which had peeved not just the Middle Easteners but also the keeper of 12 million Malaysians' retirement savings and 45% owner of RHB Cap, the Employees Provident Fund (EPF). "How can the central bank force non-market conditions on the market? If I were the regulator, I would have allowed Maybank and CIMB to submit their proposals and the RHB Cap board and shareholders to evaluate them. If good, let's merge and if bad, it will be rejected. Free market forces should reign. Not this ..." says an irate source who is close to the deal. Was the central bank right? Opinions are mixed depending on who you talk to on whether the central bank did the right thing. "You can appreciate the central bank's concern. If the transaction is done at an unrealistic price, it would jeopardise the entire merger process. That's a legitimate concern. If it really wanted to interfere, it could have disallowed the sale (of 25% in RHB Cap). Bank Negara has authority to approve all major transactions in respect of banks. This sale involved a related party transaction. It had the right to conclude that the sale, done at a higher price, was impairing the merger possibility, hence it imposed those conditions," says an astute observer. In fact, he says, there was no compelling reason to allow a financial investor like Aabar to engage in a strategic stake in a bank, drawing a parallel with buyout firm Primus Pacific Partners' purchase of a 20% stake in EON Cap in 2008. "It's a strategic block. EPF needs a strategic partner not a financial investor. ADCB was at the least, ostensibly, a strategic investor. "So, in the absence of a strategic partner, EPF needs a strategic merger ...," he says. But opponents of the central bank's "encroaching style" say it was unreasonable to set such conditions, especially as ADCB was a public-listed company (it is listed on Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange). Significant pressure and criticism was piling on the central bank due to the unpopular decision. That was the beginning of the end. And as feared, the transaction posed an insurmountable psychological barrier for the merger plans to move ahead. "Nazir's a fighter. But things were getting complicated and the truth was getting lost amidst all the spinning. Our best guess was the deal was not doable," said a source close to the deal. One meeting, two calls Those involved, particularly the regulator and bankers, were beginning to feel uneasy. Against this highly-charged backdrop, it is believed that EPF chairman Tan Sri Azlan Zainol met up with central bank governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz and deputy governor Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus on Monday (June 20). According to a source, EPF felt as if it did not have enough say in the merger process. The issue of pricing was also discussed as understandably, the Fund was eager to fetch the best valuation for a bank it controlled and successfully strengthened over the years. (EPF also has a 10.4% and 12% interest in Maybank and CIMB respectively. If the deal had happened and involved largely stock, EPF could have ended up with between 17% and 20% in the enlarged entity.) According to sources, while Maybank had indicated a better offer price for RHB Cap, it was CIMB Group which was deemed a better fit with a stronger management to lead the charge for the merged entities. "Maybank was willing to bid higher. But CIMB's management made it a more compelling partner," says the source. At one point of the impasse, it is believed that an idea was floated for EPF instead to acquire CIMB although it cannot be ascertained how far this is true. "There was a counter proposal. If CIMB deemed 2.25 book for RHB Cap too expensive, then EPF could acquire CIMB for 2.65 times. It would mean a tidy exit for Khazanah and in line with EPF's investment focus on dividend and capital appreciation," says a source in the loop. The pitch failed to pique interest but it drove home the point that EPF was keen to remain on the driver's seat of a banking group. By late Monday, the deal became wobbly. "There was a risk of the merger, which was meant to enhance value, suddenly turning into a value destructive exercise. The regulator was not pleased with the direction of the whole process and had a change of heart after the meeting with EPF," said a source. The very next day, on Tuesday, sources said the central bank made two calls - one to Nazir and the other, to Wahid which would be the game changer. The regulator asked both men to pull the plug on the deal with the possibility of revisiting it some other time when normalcy resumed. On late Wednesday, sources said the Finance Ministry had finally given the consent for the deal to be called off. Merger still on the cards Even so, all may not be lost yet. Market wags expect the parties to resume talks again down the road. "It could take a further 3 months, maybe six months ... That may happen," says a source. Maybank's statement to Bursa that it has called off the talks "at this juncture" has further fanned such expectations. "Ultimately, there will be a merger but one that is fair and transparent and mutually agreed by all parties and that is value enhancing for both groups," says a source. RHB Cap's counter has had a wild ride this June. Just days after the banking giants announced their merger plans on May 30, the shares surged to an all-time high of RM9.98. In contrast and as testament that the counter's sugar rush in recent weeks was largely on the back of the potential merger, it sufferred a massive smack down this week, losing some 9% of its value or 85 sen to finish the week at RM8.75 on news that the deal has fallen out. At the current share price of RHB Cap or what one would say pre-merger talk levels, it could be a lot easier to return to the drawing board with RHB Cap's board and shareholders to discuss again merger plans. It's hard to resist the nagging suspicion could this have been part of the plan? Sadly, even as RHB Cap echoes the cliche that things are very much business as usual, it may be the most impacted from this entire debacle. The auction conducted for ADCB's stake sale earlier had drawn a bid by Japan's largest lender Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group. But the strategic block landed on Aabar's lap instead as the ongoing merger plans with Maybank and CIMB had created some uncertainty for the prospective shareholders. Lest you forget, this could also inadvertently disadvantage EPF, whose deadline to pare down its stake in RHB Cap to 30% is looming closer. Let this episode serve as a lesson on the indelible power of a strategic block, if the "Primus case" hadn't already, especially for a sector as pivotal and ironically as highly regulated as banking. |
| Despite open day, public still find GLCs a mystery Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:54 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider But perhaps the biggest question is still whether GLCs are working in the interests of the public, or Barisan Nasional (BN).KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Stand in Maybank's bright yellow booth in the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in the city, and it will probably take all of ten seconds before someone notices you milling about. You'll be offered an Apple iPad if you open an account, asked if you would like a new credit card or some other banking product. However, if you were hoping to find out more about how Maybank functions as a government-linked company (GLC) at the GLC Open Day, you'll probably be disappointed. The event billed itself as "a showcase of five Government-linked Investment Companies (GLICs) and 18 GLCs which will share how they have contributed towards the development of the Malaysian economy, and in doing so, touched the lives of every Malaysian." But visitors who spoke to The Malaysian Insider found that aside from exhibits set up by the government to showcase its Economic and Government Transformation Plans, most other exhibitors seemed to think it was a trade fair to sell their products, rather than showcase their role according to the theme of "nation-building, touching lives." "They have a lot of props to show their good points, but none of the staff could really explain to me the things I was interested in," said Nor Alyshia Daud, a 20-year-old law student looking for scholarships. She came with Wan Nazrin Wan Anuar, 20, a recently trained pilot who said outright, "they're not doing a good job of meeting the event's objective." When launching the event, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had said that the real beneficiaries of GLCs are the people of Malaysia who are given "the opportunity to share in the wealth of the country." Besides two bankers who were pleased to have made possible business contacts - but still said that the open day was not really supportive of business-to-business linkups - others did not find out about their slice of the pie. "I see a lot of projects around Brickfields where I live, but I have no idea what they are and what they are for. Instead of open days, why not spend more time in public consultation?" said Rowena Ramachandran, who works in a legal firm in the city.
|
| Fight against Interlok goes global Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:48 PM PDT By B Nantha Kumar, FMT PETALING JAYA: After being mired in controversy, the Interlok novel issue is expected to go global, with a PKR leader declaring that he would be meeting an Indian and Canadian member of Parliament with the hope that they would highlight the plight of the Indian community in the country in their respective parliaments. The local opposition party has also decided to handover a memorandum to the Indian and Canadian governments wanting them to pressure the Malaysian government to withdraw the novel from schools. "I will make a trip to India mid-next month to send the memorandum to one of the central ministers. We are presently trying to get an appointment to see him," PKR Malacca vice president G Rajendran told FMT. "Our motive is not to tarnish the name of Malaysia but to expose how the Barisan Nasional led government is practising blatant racism," he added. The Bahasa Malaysia novel Interlok kicked-up a storm after the Education Ministry decided to introduce it as a text book for Form Five. The book contains derogatory words, deemed as an insult to the Malaysian Indian community. Despite repeated calls by the community for the removal of the book from the school syllabus, the government, especially the Education Ministry, has refused to budge. The community wanted corrections to about 46 pages of factual errors in the book before it is used in schools. However, the Ministry only amended nine such mistakes. Rajendran said he had also prepared another memorandum to be sent to the Canadian parliament. "We have a Tamil parliamentarian (Rathika Sitsabaiesan) in Canada and hope she can press our government to remove the novel," he said. He said Pakatan Rakyat, the opposition coalition, would remove the book from the school syllabus if it came to power at the next general election.
|
| ‘Clear proof of conspiracy to destroy Anwar’ Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:44 PM PDT
By G Vinod, FMT PETALING JAYA: PKR claimed that the court proceeding of the "Datuk T" trio yesterday was proof that there is high-level conspiracy to destroy Anwar Ibrahim's political career. Yesterday, the trio, former Malacca chief minister Rahim Thamby Chik, former Perkasa treasurer Shuib Lazim and businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah pleaded guilty at the Kuala Lumpur magistrate court to screening a sex video to the public. The trio screened a video allegedly showing the opposition leader engaged in illicit sex with a prostitute to several journalists at Carcosa Seri Negara in March. In the proceeding yesterday, one of their defense attorney, Muhamad Shafee Abdullah told the court that forensic analysts from the US confirmed the man in the video was likely to be Anwar. In a statement today, PKR vice president N Surendran said the alleged identity of the person in the video and it authenticity was completely irrelevant to the case yesterday. "And by not being a party to the proceedings, Anwar had no opportunity to defend himself against the allegation," said Surendran. The PKR leader then lashed out at the prosecution team for not reprimanding the trio's defense lawyer when the latter was smearing Anwar. Surendran added that it was also worrying that the courts have allowed itself to be used by certain quarters for unlawful and unjust purposes.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan