Khamis, 7 Julai 2011

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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News


Can M’sia reform and discriminate?

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 11:18 AM PDT

(FMT) - PUTRAJAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad sits at a vast desk cluttered with work, hands clasped before him and looking at his visitors with a slight smile.

Dr M, as he is popularly known, was prime minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003, the first commoner to ever hold the post in a land with nine sultans. His demeanour suggests the country physician he once was, ready with a frank diagnosis – and in his first interview with the foreign media in five years, he doles out prescriptions for what ails his nation.

The man who made Malaysia part of the "East Asia Miracle" with a massive inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) doesn't think much of it today. The former miracle economy, now a muddle, needs a new policy direction, he says in his office in Putrajaya, the administrative capital he built on old plantation land in the 1990s.

"We should not be too dependent on FDI anymore," says Mahathir. "We've come to the stage when locals can invest. They have now the capital. They have the technology. They know the market. And I think they can manage big industries."

His thinking is at odds with government policy. But it gets to the heart of a debate over the future of Malaysia, a former emerging market star now in danger of becoming an also-ran, stuck in the dreaded "middle income trap".

Foreign investment has been dwindling since the onset of the 1997-1998 Asian financial crisis. Capital outflows have even exceeded inflows in four of the past five years. This has been accompanied by an alarming "brain drain" of emigres voting with their feet against Malaysia's prospects.

Malaysia is counting on foreign investment to provide a quarter of the investments needed to fund projects under its "Economic Transformation Programme", which aims to turn the country of 28 million into a fully developed nation by 2020.

 

READ MORE HERE.

Global BERSIH 2.0 - updated list of BERSIH hotspots around the world

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:08 AM PDT

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhMD__kGbB2SI9-IhPVxkmamyi1ON97oUhkPqzaC6BbCUnMd0HObXFrDFKWS8MgKtxpFiaqEtzFY8CkLlHzOkIG_NQ1fI-98SmAjE0yjwX7dIjboXcis58w4rqenZWsU-ThqUgjxhiKM/s1600/tumblr_lnhqiirGV21qi1vsw.jpg

We, ordinary Malaysian citizens around the world, are supporting BERSIH 2.0 because we can and because we should. We believe that the future of Malaysia belongs to all our children and that together we can ensure that the legacy we leave them is a beautiful and just one.

By Global Bersih 2.0

The BERSIH 2.0 Global Solidarity Network strongly supports the BERSIH 2.0 rally for Clean and Fair Elections in Malaysia on the 9th of July 2011.

We urge all Malaysians abroad to unite in solidarity with our Malaysian brothers and sisters at home by joining BERSIH 2.0 walks and other events in cities across the world (see below for complete list).

Malaysians have the constitutional right to peaceful assembly and freedom of speech in keeping with international human rights norms.

As citizens, we demand free and fair elections, which provide the foundation a better, more democratic Malaysia. We support BERSIH 2.0's eight points of electoral reform and call in addition for a ninth: suffrage for Malaysians residing abroad.

We, ordinary Malaysian citizens around the world, are supporting BERSIH 2.0 because we can and because we should. We believe that the future of Malaysia belongs to all our children and that together we can ensure that the legacy we leave them is a beautiful and just one. We are speaking out because we live in open democracies where the freedoms of speech and of peaceful assembly and the right to demonstrate are the norm rather than the exception.

As is the case with the rally in Kuala Lumpur, we intend to gather peacefully and with dignity, and we shall do so without fear of water cannon, tear gas, police intimidation and brutality, or arbitrary arrest for dressing in yellow. Wherever we may be, we shall be wearing yellow T-shirts and carrying yellow banners, balloons and placards with peaceful slogans in support of clean and fair elections in Malaysia. We shall be bringing our family members both young and old.

Together with Malaysians all over the world, we urge the Najib government to support electoral reform. Clean and fair elections are essential to developing a mature and open democracy, and to safeguard the integrity of our nation for future generations.

We call on the Prime Minister to respect DYMM Seri Paduka Baginda Yang Di-Pertuan Agong's advice to His Majesty's government to 'show prudence and fairness in carrying out the duties entrusted to it by the Malaysian people'. We also urge the federal government and the Inspector-General of Police to follow this advice by releasing all those detained in connection with BERSIH 2.0, and stop the ongoing, systematic harassment of BERSIH 2.0 supporters.

It is not too late for the Prime Minister to fulfil his duties and responsibilities in a manner that becomes his office and to allow this gathering to proceed peacefully in recognition of the will of the people. With the proper cooperation of all government agencies, we are confident the gathering will be nothing more and nothing less than a peaceful expression of a just and legitimate cause.

The eyes of the world are now on the Prime Minister and his government, in this pivotal moment that will surely define his legacy in the eyes of Malaysians as well as citizens and governments the world over. We urge him to rise to the occasion.



Global BERSIH 2.0 events in support of the BERSIH 2.0 gathering in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

 

Country

Time

Location

Facebook URL

Contact Person

1 New Zealand 02:00PM Wellington – Malaysian High Commission http://on.fb.me/jMlCwc Danielle Ng Tallondanros20@gmail.com
2 Australia 12:30PM Canberra –Parliament Front Entrance http://on.fb.me/kBLI2H David Teohdavid.teoh@gmail.com
3 Australia 02:00PM Sydney – Sydney CBD Town Hall http://on.fb.me/j0RzYt David Teohdavid.teoh@gmail.com
4 Australia 01:30PM Melbourne –

Federation Square

http://on.fb.me/j0rDf1 David Teohdavid.teoh@gmail.com
5 Australia 01:30PM Hobart - Parliament House Lawns, Salamanca Place http://on.fb.me/jP0MWL Jason Lee

jasonleecj@gmail.com

6 Australia 01:30PM Perth – Malaysian Consulate-General, 252 Adelaide Terrace  http://on.fb.me/lihTnU David Teohdavid.teoh@gmail.com
7 Australia 02:00PM Adelaide – Victoria square, Adelaide http://on.fb.me/klaDdS Maverick Loh

maverickloh@hotmail.com

8 Australia 11:00AM Brisbane – Brisbane Square http://on.fb.me/imhKwv Calvyn Tan

http://facebook.com/calvyn.tan

9 Japan 03:00PM Osaka – Tower of the Sun http://on.fb.me/mUGxvB Satya Arjunansatya.arjunan@gmail.com
10 Korea 03:00PM Seoul - Gwanghwamun Subway Station, Exit 6 http://on.fb.me/lgB4oQ Alfian Tahiralfian_zohri@yahoo.com

Thency Gunasekaran

thency@gmail.com

11 Taiwan 02:00PM Taipei - The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Liberty Square,Taipei http://on.fb.me/mIEOGW KM Chan

qiminchan@hotmail.com

 

12 Hong Kong 03:00PM Malaysian Consulate

50 Gloucester Rd

http://on.fb.me/lxYT2E Sze Wei zweiang@hotmail.com
13 Malaysia 02:00PM Kota Kinabalu, Sabah http://tinyurl.com/5rvefz3 Dave McLaren

lmcmcwest69@gmail.com

14 Switzerland 02:00PM Zurich - Bahnhoffstrasse, Zurich, opposite Feldpausch http://on.fb.me/lQq8qB Bala Chelliah

bala.chelliah@bluewin.ch

 

15 Sweden 01:00PM Stockholm - Malaysian embassy, Stockholm Karlavägen 37 http://on.fb.me/kfrxAK  
16 France 02:00PM Paris – Parvis des Droits de l'Homme, Place du Trocadéro http://on.fb.me/joKlVQ Charis Quay

cquayhl@stanfordalumni.org

17  England (UK) 12:00PM London – Malaysian High Commission, Belgrave Square http://on.fb.me/kQ9fsQ Yolanda Augustin

yolanda_augustin04@yahoo.com

18 Scotland (UK) 12:00PM 10/7/11 Glasgow - George Square http://on.fb.me/kAefYr Mesoul Bin Safiemesoul@gmail.com
19 Ireland (UK and Republic) TBC 9/7/11 – Dublin, Belfast

10/7/11 – Cork, Limerick

http://tinyurl.com/68trlxm Bakhtiar Hasnawibakhtiar.hasnawi@yahoo.com
20 Canada 09:00AM Ottawa – Parliament Hill http://on.fb.me/kb5OY4 Angeline Woon

angeline.aubry@gmail.com

21 United States 10:00AM New York City –

Consulate General of Malaysia, 313 East 43rd Street

http://on.fb.me/lWrJ8l Leng Feng Lee

llee3@buffalo.edu

 

22 United States 02:00PM Washington DC –

Embassy of Malaysia, Washington ,3516 International Court Northwest

http://on.fb.me/l9XgH0 John Lee johnleemk@gmail.com
23 United States 09:30AM San Francisco –

Chrissy Field Picnic Area, Presidio

http://on.fb.me/jehClH Chong Pin Limhttp://facebook.com/chongpin
24 United States 12:00PM Los Angeles –

Pershing Square, Downtown LA  532 South Olive Street

http://on.fb.me/iBJgM3 James Chenghttp://facebook.com/chenglf
25 United States 12:00PM Chicago - Milennium Park (Cloud Gate / The Bean) http://on.fb.me/rjGpaq Andrew Loh

andrewlza@gmail.com

 

A delicate balance

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 10:03 AM PDT

http://img.thesundaily.my/sites/default/files/imagecache/photo_gallery//thesun/Catalogue/tan3_c70855_11_c70860_1177_239.jpg

By Maria J Dass, The Sun

Former Perak chief police officer and Special Branch commander Tan Sri Yuen Yuet Leng talks about managing mass gatherings and his experiences during the May 13 racial riots that he hopes never to see again.

As someone who was at the forefront of the fight against the communists during the Emergency, he shares with Maria J. Dass his thoughts on idolising communist leaders by some quarters and the threat that the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) still poses in present time.

How do you view recent developments in the country especially the turn of events that followed the plan to hold the Bersih 2.0 rally?

There is nothing wrong with the demands that are being made by the organisers of Bersih per se, but the problem is the interference from outside the organisation. Other parties with different intentions have joined in the fray and are exploiting the situation.

On top of that, the situation has been compounded by organisations coming out to make threats, and parties such as Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) whose members turned up to protest wearing t-shirts with pictures of communist leaders in the country emblazoned on them.

Why is this worrying?

The PSM does not seem to understand the parameters of the peace accord signed with CPM head Chin Peng in 1989.

Under the accord, the CPM was never dissolved, it was only a disbandment of the communist armed forces that allowed some of them to come back.
If you are going to sport a picture of Chin Peng on your t-shirt, you are only asking for trouble. How do you expect the police not to take action?

I agree with what the Special Branch had done. This problem has been thrown in the police's lap and involves national security and public order.
The Inspector-General of Police has to do what is best to prevent a clash of forces, until better heads prevail.
You must remember Malaysia was one of the countries where the communist ideology was spread through violence. The violence lasted for a long time and affected a lot of people and many lives were lost.

But for a lot of people, the Communist Party of Malaya is practically redundant.

I know the communists and how they operate. They won't dissolve the party until they really want to.
The CPM has the same ideology as (Chinese communist revolutionary) Mao Zedong who believed that the highest form of struggle is an armed struggle, and not a political struggle.
Chin Peng is smart and has said that he does not want to go back to an armed struggle, but this he said for himself. He did not say this on behalf of the party. It is all very subtle.

Malaysians are so trusting. I can be compassionate and trusting too, but I know when they are telling half-truths. So as long as they do not say they are dissolved, this group which espouses armed struggle is at liberty to pick up arms when the legal system fails.

It is different with communist parties in Australia, America and United Kingdom which espouse legal and not armed struggle. In these countries, they do not promote violence but only bear socialist objectives.

Is it cause for concern that remnants of the CPM are still around?

When they withdrew in 1953, a small group of them that survived made their way across the border where they recruited Thai Chinese and managed to continue propagating their ideology to Malaysians from across the border.

This is how the second wave of the Emergency got started.

The Special Branch, as an intelligence organisation, has to have the historical knowledge of the workings of the party, and note their ideology of armed struggle as the highest form of struggle.

But where PSM and some other organisations are concerned, many people question why the police seem to act against only certain parties, while others who make seditious comments and threats get away. Won't the public equate this with police persecution?

Yes and no. The police usually back the effort of the incumbent government of the day so long as it acts by the rule of law, but they need to be more courageous and brave to act when supporters of the incumbent government go too far.

When they are hesitant, they are bound to be accused of being unfair. Being balanced will earn the police some respect.

Also, the police will probably be doing a favour for leaders of political parties who find it hard to reprimand errant members. Let the police do that work for them.

The police have a pragmatic policy where sometimes they have to do what seems to be the wrong thing at the right time to avert an escalation of emotions.

You just have to do it, because if you do not do this wrong thing at the right time, the situation can blow up.

So the police have to act as fast as possible on information on both sides. Troublemakers from both sides have to be picked up.

But there is also a perception that politicians are interfering in police work.

I don't envy the position the police are in now.

During my time, the main problem they had to address was the communist insurgency. Once this was over, it seemed like Malaysians had won the war against the communists, but lost the peace among themselves.
I say this because they were united in the fight against the communists, but once this was over, each retreated into his own racial cocoon, leading to a lot of debate over matters and their rights as enshrined in the Constitution.

Is it necessary to bring in the army to assist the police (in keeping order) as is being proposed?

It is quite natural for the army to be brought in to support the police. This was done to stamp out the May 13, 1969 racial riots, but at that time the move to call in the army was to resolve a situation that had already blown out of proportion.

And this time around?

This time the police action is more pre-emptive.

They are putting in place measures to address the security risks that may arise. This is good as the problem is addressed before it happens.

They are thus better equipped and organised to address any problems that may arise, as compared to May 13.

I had seen the atrocities of May 13 and don't ever want it to happen again in my lifetime.

I will never ever forget the state of the bodies I saw and the heart-wrenching task of having to look for my missing men by searching at all hospital mortuaries in Kuala Lumpur.

But I will never forget the acts of my Malay colleagues who protected me when there were attempts to harm me, and likewise Chinese colleagues who protected their Malay friends.

People involved in the rallies planned this time around are those who do not know anything about what had happened and can never fathom the effects of it.

But aren't the people today more educated and perhaps more discerning and mature, and therefore less gullible and taken in with the rhetoric of rogue leaders?

People are better educated, but they still think along the same racial lines, and education makes them do things in a more sophisticated way – and this applies to both sides of the divide.

It is impossible for Malaysians to integrate when each is still stuck in his racial cocoon.

To compound this problem, we now have a problem with corruption which is again being looked at through racial eyes due to power being held by certain political parties.

The trouble is that the race-based political parties we have now are all looking after the needs of their own members, more than addressing the widening racial divide.

This is why I feel that the Malay leaders who are in control should make an effort to look after the needs of the minority Chinese and Indians instead of sidelining them, since the race-based parties are not doing their job.

But some say this is precisely why we need a strong opposition to keep things in check.

The Opposition we have is not that strong actually. They only appear to be strong because the incumbent government has weakened itself by allowing corruption and racial polarisation to fester. These problems need to be addressed and I think the present Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak) is trying very hard to make the changes.

Back to demands for free and fair elections – don't the people have a right to demand a stop to manipulation of the electoral process? They want the leaders that they choose to serve them. Why not address this once and for all?

Interference by outside forces aside, there is nothing wrong with Bersih 2.0's demands and the incumbent government must hear the genuine worries of the people.

They need to pry things apart and deal with people who are sincere with their concerns. Then legitimate complaints can be looked into.

People must see that the incumbent government is really trying to make a difference by addressing genuine concerns.

Both sides (government and opposition) must work together for the interest of the nation. The timing is such that there appears to be a united front against the government, and this frightens them.

Similarities have been drawn between the recent uprisings in the Middle East including that in Tahrir Square, Egypt, and the Bersih 2.0 rally. Do you think the situation is the same?

The situation here is different. There is still a lot of hope left here, but in those countries the situation is more acute. Except for demonstrations, there is no other avenue for the people there to speak up.

In your opinion and experience in the Special Branch, should the Bersih walk be allowed to go on so that the people can express their views?

People must be given an avenue for expression, so the police must be more liberal in issuing permits for gatherings.

I would rather it be allowed to go on but be held in a place where there will be better crowd control and security, like in a stadium. The police can be there to guide them along.

This is a process of growing up in a democracy. It is good that the organisers of Bersih 2.0 agreed to move their programme to a stadium.

With the intervention and edict of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, all parties involved should use the opportunity to climb down from where they are in a dignified manner. No one has lost face, and the only one who has won is the nation and its security.

Running Scared In Malaysia

Posted: 07 Jul 2011 02:19 AM PDT

The Malaysian government has pulled out all the stops to prevent an opposition rally this weekend. This week, army units conducted crowd control exercises with banners that said, "Disperse or we will shoot!"

By John Malott, The Wall Street Journal 

The police set up roadblocks and arrested Malaysians simply for wearing yellow T-shirts, the signature color of Bersih, a coalition of 62 nongovernmental organizations that demands changes in Malaysia's electoral system. To date, the police have arrested over 250 supporters of Bersih, claiming that they are "waging war against the king."

Then something unprecedented happened. Malaysia's King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, allegedly the target of Bersih's campaign, intervened. He called on both Prime Minister Najib Razak and Bersih to resolve their differences in a spirit of harmony and cooperation, for the good of the nation.

There was a collective sigh of relief in Malaysia. The leader of Bersih, Ambiga Sreenevasan, an attorney and former president of the Malaysian Bar Council, met with the king and announced that the "Walk for Democracy," as it was called, was cancelled. She said that she was ready to meet with the government to discuss Bersih's concerns about electoral fairness. Prime Minister Najib then offered an olive branch, saying, "We are willing to provide a stadium for them to rally in … from morning until night," an offer that Ms. Ambiga and Bersih immediately accepted.

Then Mr. Najib backed off. His government says that because Bersih is still illegal, it cannot apply for a permit. It also has banned Bersih's leadership from entering Kuala Lumpur on the day of the rally. On Thursday, he joined a gathering of martial artists who said that their 50,000 members will "wage war" against Bersih. Donning their militant uniform, Mr. Najib said, "If there are evil enemies who want to attack the country from within, you, my brothers, will rise to fight them."

Mr. Najib has undermined the authority of the king, who gave Bersih and its concerns credence by meeting with its leadership and calling for a negotiated solution. The political situation in Malaysia is a fast-moving target, and each day brings new developments. Ms. Ambiga and Bersih now say that because of Mr. Najib's actions, they will go ahead with their assembly, no matter what.

Nobody knows what will happen tomorrow. Bersih's main issue is not freedom of assembly but the fairness of Malaysia's democratic process. Bersih's backers ask how anyone can be opposed to free and fair elections.

It's an easy question to answer. The United Malays National Organization, of which Mr. Najib is president, is the longest continuing ruling party in the world, and it is running scared.

In the last general election in 2008, Malaysia's opposition took 47% of the popular vote. That year Parti Keadilan Rakyat, the party of Mr. Najib's nemesis Anwar Ibrahim, went from one seat to 31. The establishment parties in Malaysia's neighboring states are also in retreat. The opposition scored a major victory in Thailand last weekend, and in Singapore opposition candidates made surprising gains. No wonder Mr. Najib and company are worried.

Many observers of Malaysian politics believe that electoral reform will lead to the ruling party's defeat, and that is why UMNO is afraid of Bersih. In the last election in 2008, the party received only one-third of the nation's votes. UMNO rules only because of its coalition with other political parties, which it increasingly marginalizes, that represent the Chinese and Indian minorities.

Mr. Najib and his allies say that the opposition's gains in 2008 prove that Malaysia's elections are free and fair. Impartial observers disagree. Academic studies have enumerated how the Election Commission gerrymanders electoral districts to benefit the ruling party. The U.S. Department of State's human rights report bluntly states that opposition parties are unable to compete on equal terms with the governing coalition because of restrictions on campaigning and freedom of assembly and association. "News of the opposition," the U.S. says, is "tightly restricted and reported in a biased fashion."

In the recent state elections in Sarawak, the government announced $390 million in local projects during the run-up to the polls. Prime Minister Najib was caught on video tape telling one village gathering that the government would give them 5 million ringgit ($1.5 million) for a local project on Monday, but only if they elected his candidate on Sunday.

Who would win elections in Malaysia that truly are free and fair? The U.S. State Department reports that despite the many election irregularities during the 2008 elections, "most observers concluded they did not substantially alter the results." But unless the electoral reforms that Bersih is calling for are made, we will never know.

Despite the government's intimidation, thousands of Malaysian citizens of all races and religions are expected to exercise their constitutional right to assemble and call for free and fair elections. Tomorrow's protest represents a brave step in what not just Malaysians but also the international community should hope will begin the country's transition to full democracy. Mr. Najib should display his own courage and ensure that a peaceful rally that seeks the fundamental rights of democratic peoples everywhere does not turn into a bloody confrontation.

Mr. Malott was the United States ambassador to Malaysia from 1995-98.

 

Don't get arrested this Saturday: things you need to avoid

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 08:43 PM PDT

 

Christian response towards Bersih and E.O

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 04:37 PM PDT

 

 

Europe Crisis Clouds Malaysia Rate Call

Posted: 06 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Malaysia's inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than two years in May as consumer prices rose 3.3 percent. Bank Negara has raised the benchmark rate by a percentage point since the beginning of March 2010 to curb inflation, most recently a quarter-point increase at the last meeting in May. 

Bloomberg

Europe's debt crisis and signs of a slowdown in global growth are complicating Malaysia's decision on interest rates as a pickup in inflation coincides with dimming prospects for export gains.

Bank Negara Malaysia will raise its benchmark overnight policy rate to 3.25 percent from 3 percent at its fourth meeting of the year, according to 10 of 15 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. The rest expect no change. The central bank will release its policy decision at 6 p.m. in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.

The likely discussion tomorrow may echo debates across the Asia-Pacific region, which has led global growth and where policy makers have enacted the steepest increases in borrowing costs. While India, South Korea and Thailand opted to raise their key rates last month, China and the Philippines asked lenders to set aside more cash as reserves instead.

"The rates call is 50-50," said Matthew Circosta, an economist at Moody's Analytics in Sydney. "Bank Negara Malaysia will be mulling global worries against domestic inflation pressures."

European finance ministers have authorized an 8.7 billion- euro ($12.6 billion) loan payout to Greece by mid-July, pulling the country back from the brink of default and gaining time to hammer out a formula for ending the debt crisis. Economic growth in the U.S. slowed to a 1.9 percent annual pace in the first quarter from 3.1 percent in the previous three months and the unemployment rate has climbed back above 9 percent.

Over Adjustment?

Malaysia's inflation accelerated to the fastest pace in more than two years in May as consumer prices rose 3.3 percent. Bank Negara has raised the benchmark rate by a percentage point since the beginning of March 2010 to curb inflation, most recently a quarter-point increase at the last meeting in May.

Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz said last month central banks around the world should be wary of an "over adjustment" in their response to faster inflation. Malaysia has raised rates four times and doesn't want to overreact, she said in an interview with Reuters Insider.

Banks are charging each other 30 basis points more than the benchmark policy rate for three-month loans, according to the Kuala Lumpur Interbank Offered Rate, signaling expectations for higher interest rates and bank reserve requirements. Interest- rate swap forwards show traders are pricing in 43 basis points' increase in lending rates between September and June next year.

The Malaysian ringgit has jumped more than 6 percent against the dollar in the past year, and reached 2.9598 against the U.S. currency on May 2, the strongest level in 13 years. It traded at 3.0088 as of 6 p.m. local time yesterday.

Power Prices

Officials may also consider increasing the statutory reserve requirement level to 4 percent from 3 percent, nine of 14 economists predict. The central bank last raised the reserve requirement in May, saying it was a "pre-emptive" measure to manage a "significant" buildup of liquidity.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's government allowed national power distributor Tenaga Nasional Bhd. to raise electricity charges for the first time in almost three years in June, adding to price pressures for business and consumers.

"Inflationary pressures are expected to continue to climb," said Daniel Wilson, an analyst at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. in Singapore. "Demand-side pressures will be fuelled by a tightening labor market and positive consumer sentiment. We believe the proactive Bank Negara Malaysia will hike rates."

Consumer prices may climb 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent this year from 1.7 percent in 2010, the central bank said in March.

To contact the reporters on this story: Shamim Adam in Singapore at sadam2@bloomberg.net; Michael J. Munoz in Hong Kong at mjmunoz@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephanie Phang at sphang@bloomberg.net

 

Malaysia is human trafficking hotspot - WikiLeaks

Posted: 05 Jul 2011 01:00 AM PDT

Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN

Thousands of women from Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines, as well as China and India were trafficked to Malaysia for forced labor and prostitution, according to an unclassified 2006 cable from the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur released by WikiLeaks, the online whistle-blower.

In a memo to the US Department of State dated March 3, 2006, then US Ambassador to Malaysia Christopher LaFleur also reported that the Southeast Asian country was a "destination and -- to a lesser extent -- a transit country for men and women trafficked for forced labor."

"Some economic migrants from countries in the region who work as domestic servants and laborers in the construction and agricultural sectors face exploitative conditions in Malaysia that meet the definition of involuntary servitude," Lafleur disclosed.

Aside from the Washington-based State Department, the envoy also furnished the following US agencies copies of the embassy memo, titled "Malaysia's Sixth Annual Trafficking in Persons Report": Homeland Security Center, Department of Justice, Department of Labor, Department of Treasury, and American diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia.

In addition to women from the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, "smaller numbers" of women from Cambodia, Burma and Laos were also trafficked to Malaysia, said LaFleur.

All eight countries are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or Asean.

"Anectodal evidence indicates that numbers of victims coming from neighboring Asean countries have remained relatively constant over the last few years. The number and patterns of victims coming from source countries tend to reflect Malaysian government immigration and visa policies," the envoy pointed out.

According to LaFleur, China "has become the largest and fastest-growing source country for prostitutes in Malaysia. Many of these Chinese women and girls are likely trafficking victims."

"China has grown as a source country in recent years due to a more liberal Malaysian visa policy that reflects growing economic ties and Malaysian government efforts to encourage tourism and university enrollment from Chinese students," he explained.

LaFleur noted that "while there are no reliable statistics revealing the total number of women trafficked into (Malaysia), estimates can be made drawing from different sources."

"Foreign embassies and (non-government organizations') report that in 2005, at least 500 trafficking victims were rescued and repatriated," he said.

The US diplomat also revealed that "during the first nine months of 2005, 4,678 foreign women were arrested and detained for suspected involvement in prostitution, compared with 5,783 arrested during all of 2004."

"Chinese nationals accounted for 40 percent, the largest percentage of such arrests, followed by nationals of Indonesia (25 percent), Thailand (17 percent), and the Philippines (10 percent). According to the government-funded National Human Rights Commission, or Suhakam and involved NGOs, a significant number of these women were probable trafficking victims," said LaFleur.

The Royal Malaysia Police "compiles statistics on arrests of foreign women with suspected involvement in prostitution, broken down by nationality. The Immigration Department's enforcement division also collects data on trafficking cases."

However, "Malaysian authorities do not adequately distinguish illegal migrants from trafficking victims. Law enforcement officials assert that the great majority of the foreign women arrested for prostitution in Malaysia entered the country voluntarily and with valid travel documents."

On the other hand, "surveys by the Suhakam and interviews with Indonesian, Thai and Philippine embassy officials indicate that as many as 50 percent of foreign women arrested for prostitution are possible trafficking victims," said LaFleur.

The Malaysian government "encourages victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases, but reports says that most victims are unwilling to testify... One NGO reported that pimps and traffickers are often present in the courtroom during court proceedings to intimidate the victims."

In terms of prevention, "the Malaysian government took steps in 2002 and 2003 to toughen the criteria for young foreigners seeking student visas. It has also stepped up border detection for smuggling, illegal migration and people trafficking,"

LaFleur added "there is no evidence of widespread tolerance of complicity in trafficking-in-persons by government authorities, though accusations of more general corruption, particularly at the local police and immigration levels exist."

 

Bribe probe hits former Malaysian PM Abdullah Badawi

Posted: 04 Jul 2011 08:14 PM PDT

An AFP-led international corruption taskforce continues to work towards further arrests, having already charged seven former senior Securency and NPA executives with foreign bribery offences. Mr Abdullah is believed to have been involved in approving the contract won by the RBA firms to supply Malaysia with its polymer five Ringgit note, which began circulating in 2004.

Nick McKenzie and Richard Baker, The Age (Australia)

The Reserve Bank of Australia's banknote firms are suspected of attempting to bribe former Malaysian prime minister Abdullah Badawi in order to get his help to win a $31 million currency contract.

Mr Abdullah is one of a several highly influential Malaysian political figures whom anti-corruption authorities believe Securency and Note Printing Australia— firms respectively half and fully owned and overseen by Australia's reserve bank— allegedly sought to bribe using part of $4.2 million in commission payments made to two Malaysian middlemen.

Malaysian sources confirmed to The Age that the Australian Federal Police have gathered information about attempts to bribe Mr Abdullah by Securency and Note Printing Australia, which are respectively half and fully owned and overseen by the RBA.

The Age sought comment from Mr Abdullah last night.

Asked about the approach to Mr Abdullah yesterday, an AFP spokesman said: "Given that matters relating to investigations into Securency International and Note Printing Australia are currently before the court, the AFP is unable to make any further comment."

It is understood the attempt to bribe Mr Abdullah related to contract negotiations that occurred around 2003, the year he became prime minister and finance minister. He served as prime minister until 2009.

Before becoming prime minister, Mr Abdullah was deputy to long-serving Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad.

The alleged attempt to bribe of Mr Badawi, who remains a serving MP, adds to the list of high-profile Asian politicians and central bank officials targeted by the RBA firms.

The AFP last week alleged Securency bribed Vietnam's former central bank governor by paying his son's English university tuition fees. Authorities in Malaysia last Friday arrested a former Malaysian central bank assistant governor accused of receiving two bribes from NPA.

The revelations about the attempt to bribe Mr Abdullah come as the fallout from Australia's plastic note bribery scandal continues to spread, with The Age reporting yesterday about the intimate involvement of senior officials from the Australian government trade agency Austrade in Securency's allegedly corrupt Vietnam dealings.

An AFP-led international corruption taskforce continues to work towards further arrests, having already charged seven former senior Securency and NPA executives with foreign bribery offences.

Mr Abdullah is believed to have been involved in approving the contract won by the RBA firms to supply Malaysia with its polymer five Ringgit note, which began circulating in 2004.

Securency and NPA's agents for the 2004 were former state MP and senior figure in the country's ruling party, UMNO, Dato Abdullah Hasnan Kamaruddin and arms trader Abdul Kayum, who was arrested and charged on friday with two counts of bribery.

Mr Kayum, who pled not guilty to the charges, worked as NPA and Securency's main middleman in Malaysia and allegedly promised the firms that he was able to convince senior Malaysian officials to buy the plastic bank note technology.

Several senior Securency and NPA former executives are believed to have been aware that payments to Mr Kayum may have been used to pay bribes. He acted as their agent between 2000 and 2007, before being sacked after an internal audit raised probity fears.

His hiring and subsequent receipt of several million dollars from the RBA firms raises further questions about the adequacy of supervision provided by the RBA-appointed directors of Securency and NPA.

Mr Kayum also represented one of the Pakistan Government's main weapons making facilities, the Air Weapons Complex, which is believed to play a central role in the nation's nuclear weapons program.

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission yesterday refused to confirm or deny whether it was investigating the performance of the Securency and NPA boards after Greens leader Bob Brown and federal Labor backbencher Kelvin Thomson suggested last Friday that it should.

Former RBA deputy governor Graeme Thompson, who is also a former chief of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, chaired Securency and NPA during the 1999-2005 period the alleged bribes in Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia took place.


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