Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- RPK Sarbaini expose prompts new police report
- Bersih warns of rally for EO6
- PKR: Police tried to kill Anwar
- Malaysian 'teapot cult' woman loses Islam legal bid
- VC: Ibrahim Ali award not approved yet
- Utusan: Anwar working with Indons to topple Putrajaya
- No contact made by cops in brutality probe, say Bersih activists
- Prove you’re not a lame-duck minister, Pua tells Liow
- PSM: Police not probing EO6 for Red ties
- ‘Catholics won’t now suddenly change’
- Suhakam: Call it advance voting, not postal voting
- Umno Youth to meet EC next week over electoral reforms
- Behind bars, Jeyakumar says remains socialist
- Ku Li backs Bersih’s demands
- Home ministry: Only the false parts were blacked out in Economist article
| RPK Sarbaini expose prompts new police report Posted: 19 Jul 2011 07:15 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh and Syed Mu'az Syed Putra, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed's family will lodge a new police report on his death following claims that the Customs officer fell after being forced onto a window ledge by anti-graft investigators. Sarbaini family lawyer Awtar Singh said police must reinvestigate the case as it was "impossible" for Sarbaini to fall from the third-floor window of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office on Jalan Cochrane here on his own accord. "I am not saying he was killed but there might have been negligence," he told The Malaysian Insider today. "We suspected from early on that two suspects were involved." He added that the family might ask the inquest to return to the scene of Sarbaini's death to re-enact a likely scenario of what might have happened. Raja Petra Kamaruddin alleged on his website today that Sarbaini fell accidentally from the third-floor pantry window of the Kuala Lumpur MACC office after being forced onto the ledge by a senior MACC investigator. The popular blogger claimed the investigator was incensed that Sarbaini wanted to retract his earlier confession, allegedly obtained under duress, and wished to punish the assistant Customs director by making him stand on the ledge. "(The investigator) wanted Ahmad Sarbaini to ponder and reflect on his actions while standing on the edge as 'orang macam kau ni lebih baik mati dari hidup menyusahkan orang lain' (people like you are better off dead than alive and troubling others)," Raja Petra said. "Nervously, Ahmad Sarbaini climbed onto the windowsill as ordered (by the investigator) who continued taunting and abusing him with insults. (Another MACC assistant superintendent) merely looked on. In that split second, Ahmad Sarbaini's belt got stuck on the outer part of the window and he lost his balance and his life."
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| Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:26 PM PDT
By K Pragalath, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Bersih 2.0 today denied that the six detained Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) members were prime movers of its July 9 rally and raised the possibility of another rally to demand their release. "The allegation has no factual foundation," Haris Ibrahim of the Bersih steering committee said in reference to a police response to affidavits submitted by families of the detained. He called for their immediate release. The six, held without trial under the 1969 Emergency Ordinance, are Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sugumaran, Youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan. "They were never part of the steering committee," Haris said. "Neither were they involved in planning or mobilising the crowd" for the rally. "Don't force us to rally for the release of the six," he added. In attempting to justify the arrest and detention of the activists, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kamarul Zaman Mamat said police had to prevent the July 9 rally because a similar rally in 2007 had caused public disorder. The police are confused, according to Dr Subramaniam Pillay, another member of the Bersih 2.0 steering committee. He pointed out that the Bersih 2.0 steering committee had no members coming from any political party, unlike the committee for the 2007 rally.
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| PKR: Police tried to kill Anwar Posted: 19 Jul 2011 05:20 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — PKR has accused the police of attempting to murder Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim during the July 9 Bersih rally. Party leaders said today that light strike force personnel had fired tear gas canisters into the tunnel the opposition leader and other Bersih supporters were marching through. They claimed policemen had aimed to kill Anwar who was pulled back and protected by his bodyguard who took a canister directly to his face, shattering his cheekbone. "They aimed directly at Anwar's head and a direct hit from one of these canisters can kill. We want this case classified as attempted murder," said vice president N. Surendran who accompanied the opposition leader's bodyguard Fayyadh Afiq Albakqry to lodge a police report at the Dang Wangi headquarters today. Fayyadh, accompanied by Surendran, Subang MP R. Sivarasa and other PKR lawyers had lodged the report today as he was only discharged from hospital yesterday. He said he had five titanium plates inserted into his cheek after the incident where PKR says almost a dozen canisters were fired into the tunnel and three, including Fayyadh and PAS's Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad were hit directly in the head. "The amount of tear gas fired could also have caused the air in the tunnel to become lethal if those gathered were not able to get out," Surendran added. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have also accused the police of "waging war" on those who gathered to call for free and fair elections, citing a Bar Council report claiming that police "had "arbitrarily, indiscriminately and excessively" fired from water cannons and launched tear gas canisters at close range and at eye-level at demonstrators.
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| Malaysian 'teapot cult' woman loses Islam legal bid Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:35 PM PDT
Kamariah Ali has already been tried for apostasy in the Islamic courts (BBC) - Malaysia's civil court has refused a woman permission to leave Islam to avoid being jailed for apostasy. Kamariah Ali, 60, says she should not be tried under Islamic law because she is no longer a Muslim. She follows the Sky Kingdom sect, known as the teapot cult because it built a giant teapot to symbolise its belief in the healing purity of water. But judges ruled that only Malaysia's Islamic courts could decide on the case because Ms Kamariah was born a Muslim. Malaysia's Islamic courts have authority over only Muslims - the rest of the population are not bound by their rules. The BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur says Ms Kamariah's case is one of a growing number of legal challenges brought by those caught between the Islamic authorities and the civil courts. Ms Kamariah had asked the civil courts to declare her freedom to worship, as guaranteed by the constitution. But the judging panel said she had to go through the Islamic courts system in order to renounce her faith - something that is rarely granted, our correspondent says.  The group's buildings were attacked in 2005, but the teapot survived The dual-track system has created problems for people who want to convert to another religion from Islam, or in child-custody battles involving Muslims and non-Muslims. The most high-profile case involved a Muslim father who secretly converted his children to Islam. He gained custody through the Islamic courts while the mother, a Hindu, was granted guardianship under civil law. The Sky Kingdom sect, based in the strongly Muslim state of Terengganu, is regarded as heretical by the Islamic authorities. It claims to promote harmony between religious groups, and its leader Ayah Pin believes he is the saviour of the world. In 2005 many of its members - including Ms Kamariah - were prosecuted by the Islamic authorities. Ayah Pin is believed to have fled to Thailand.
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| VC: Ibrahim Ali award not approved yet Posted: 19 Jul 2011 04:03 PM PDT
The university's vice-chancellor has clarified that the award is still at its proposal stage. (Free Malaysia Today) - Two days ago UiTM announced that nominations were open for its newly introduced Ibrahim Ali award. Today its vice-chancellor, Professor Sahol Abdul Hamid, clarified that the award is only in the proposal stage. UiTM's Institut Pemikiran dan Kepimpinan Melayu (Impak) had put up detailed information on the award which was mooted by Ibrahim during a unity forum with Impak last October. According to Impak, the award would be granted to students who have displayed "clear and consistent" principles in upholding their race. They will receive a cash prize of RM5,000 sponsored by Ibrahim himself. The independent Pasir Mas MP had studied in UiTM from 1971 to 1974 during which he was involved in anti-government protests and detained for two years under the Internal Security Act (ISA). But Sahol explained via Facebook this morning that the award was solely Ibrahim's initiative and that the university had no hand in making the recommendation. He also said that the award proposal had to be brought to the senate for approval before being presented to the board of directors for endorsement. "This isn't an easy process and it will take time as every debate in the senate is an in-depth one," Sahol stated. "The senate comprises 60 professors, two deans and campus rectors. Each will make an individual decision." "There will be no lobbying or coercion. The senate is the strongest and highest body in UiTM. It knows what is best and will make appropriate suggestions as to the award's title. But before this could take place, a department's website had already begun promoting the award." A check on Impak's website this morning, however, revealed that the announcement of the award has since been removed.
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| Utusan: Anwar working with Indons to topple Putrajaya Posted: 19 Jul 2011 03:59 PM PDT
Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia claims that Anwar is strengthening links with his Indonesian counterparts to put pressure on the Malaysian government. (Free Malaysia Today) - Umno mouthpiece Utusan Malaysia is at it again. After the tirade against the Christians and Bersih, it was quiet for awhile. Now, the newspaper is back to its stirring best by claiming that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is working hand in glove with Indonesia. The paper claims that Anwar is strengthening links with Indonesia to put international pressure on Putrajaya. The article is among the many published by the Malay daily in an apparent attempt to paint the PKR de facto leader and the Pakatan Rakyat bloc as "foreign agents". In an article titled, "Anwar bina rangkaian di Indonesia? (Anwar establishing links in Indonesia?)", Utusan quoted an unnamed source who said that the former deputy prime minister had embarked on a series of dialogues with civil society groups there. "Anwar is believed to be active in strengthening his ties with the Indonesian Republic to put pressure on the Malaysian government," said the article which carried no byline. The source in the report said Anwar had targeted the lower income group, students, NGOs, the Indonesian media, ministers and former politicians for his dialogue sessions. "Anwar is active in spreading 'Anwarism' especially the political target group that is the 70% of the people who are from the middle to lower income group. "These groups are badly in need of attention by the Indonesian government but are made into targets for political exploitation and manipulation," the source was quoted as saying.
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| No contact made by cops in brutality probe, say Bersih activists Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:58 PM PDT
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Bersih 2.0 rally organisers and observers today confirmed that their accounts of police brutality have not been recorded by investigators, raising doubts if their complaints will be fairly assessed in the ongoing police probe on what transpired during the rally.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar had announced yesterday that the probe, conducted by six newly-formed committees, was nearly complete and that findings would be revealed in public "very soon". "As far as I know, I do not think that anyone has been called. If anyone is called up to speak to the cops, the steering committee members are usually kept informed on an email thread," said Dr Subramaniam Pillay, one of Bersih 2.0's steering committee members. "But on this matter... so far, nothing. We have not been asked to surrender videos or pictures, not that I know of." The Inspector-General of Police had told a press conference at the Bukit Aman headquarters yesterday that the probe would include a careful study of all videos and pictures of the rally and interviews with police officers on duty that day, the general public and rally participants or eyewitnesses. Bar Council vice-president Christopher Leong confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that none of the council's over 100 rally monitors had been called up to aid investigations although the probe commenced last week. "I have spoken to our CEO Rajen Devaraj and as far as we know, the police have not contacted the council or our monitoring team to get any input. We have not been asked to surrender videos or pictures," he said when contacted. The council's monitors have compiled their own observations in a special report released after the rally, concluding that the police had "arbitrarily, indiscriminately and excessively" used unnecessary force on Bersih 2.0 protestors. Apart from the Bar Council, human rights group Suhakam had two commissioners and more than 30 staff members on the ground during the protest, while PAS had deployed more than 5,000 unit amal members. "I am very sure that none of our people were called to offer our views. As far as I know, no one has told us anything about this," Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. PAS MP Dr Mohd Hatta Ramli, who was in the thick of the chaos on July 9, also confirmed with The Malaysian Insider that the police have yet to seek input from any party member.
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| Prove you’re not a lame-duck minister, Pua tells Liow Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:39 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — DAP's Tony Pua challenged Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today to divulge details of his ministry's probe into alleged police attacks on Tung Shin Hospital during the Bersih rally. Despite public pressure, the health minister has refused to specify a disclosure time-line, in fact he has not even confirmed if the said committee had been formed and its terms of reference. "It appears that Liow has been forced to rescind the set up of the investigation committee by the Ministry of Health under instructions from his political masters to cover up the incident, prevent an admission of guilt and to stop further embarrassment to the Barisan Nasional (BN) government for its clumsy, oppressive and incompetent handling of the Bersih rally, where the sanctity of hospital grounds was desecrated," said Pua in a statement today. "If true, then Liow is once again abdicating from his responsibility as the Health Minister by not proactively protecting the hospital and its patients under his care," added the Petaling Jaya Utara MP. Liow had ordered an investigation on July 14 after 11 medical specialists wrote to the media, refuting the hospital board and police's claims that no gas canisters or water cannon were fired directly into the hospital compound. He had initially agreed with the city hospital, but then ordered the probe stating that patient security and hospital safety was paramount.
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| PSM: Police not probing EO6 for Red ties Posted: 19 Jul 2011 02:37 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — The Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM) has challenged de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's claims that six party members are being detained for links to communism. PSM lawyer Edmund Bon said it was "very clear" from the 37 affidavits served to the party yesterday in reply to a habeas corpus application that the police were only investigating them for their role in the Bersih rally. They are being held under the Emergency Ordinance (EO). "Don't talk about socialism, communism, all that kind of nonsense," he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall (KLSCAH) here. "All these are lies because the police themselves have not mentioned a single word about socialism, have not mentioned a single word about communism, have not mentioned a single word about Chin Peng." Bon accused the government of trying to use the six detainees — which include Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar — as "scapegoats" to instil fear in the public so they would not join the Bersih rally, which went ahead without police permission. He also argued that, from a legal standpoint, the PSM six had no part in planning, organising or promoting the Bersih rally, as attested to by Bersih 2.0 steering committee members Haris Ibrahim and Dr Subramaniam Pillay, who were also present at the press conference. Bon urged the Najib administration to "have the good sense" to release the six before the habeas corpus hearing this Friday and not let the matter drag on. "If it goes to court, the government will be... dragging in another institution to be part of this whole fiasco that the government has created," he said. Dr Jeyakumar was among 30 PSM members arrested on June 25 for allegedly planning to "wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong" and revive communism in part of a dragnet leading up to the July 9 Bersih rally. Police found in their possession T-shirts bearing the likeness of former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leaders Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin. Police later dropped all charges but immediately rearrested Dr Jeyakumar and five others under the EO on July 2 and charged the remaining 24 for possession of Bersih material and involvement in an illegal organisation.
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| ‘Catholics won’t now suddenly change’ Posted: 19 Jul 2011 12:27 PM PDT (FMT) - LAHAD DATU: A former Sabah chief minister has scoffed at the idea that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's meeting with Pope Benedict XVI in the Vatican City this week would endear him to the Christian majority in Sabah and Sarawak.
Downplaying Najib's meeting with the Pope, Yong Teck Lee claimed it was "nothing out of the ordinary" and was purely a diplomatic event. He dismissed attempts to paint the visit as a fence-mending trip following last year's religious tension in the country between Muslims and Christians. He said the visit by Najib would in no way raise his profile among the Christians and Catholics in the country, especially in Sabah and Sarawak where Christians form a sizeable population. He said Najib's visit should not be seen as a damage control exercise by the federal government after what was seen as an attempt to curb religious freedom following a series of faux pas by the authorities pandering to demands by certain Islamic leaders. These were exposed at the time as bearing the hallmark of political manoeuvring. "The Catholics in this country will continue to do what they have always done. "Sabahans have always been very tolerant of other religions and they won't suddenly change," Yong said. Yong was responding to FMT on Najib's visit in the light of the government's ban on the use of the word "Allah" in the Bahasa Malaysia version of the Bible and the detention of thousands of copies of the holy book in Sarawak and in the peninsula earlier this year. Yong, who is Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, said that even the reported tension following the ban on the word "Allah" and the arson attacks on churches in the peninsula in January last year were not a true reflection of the feelings of the people in the country. He believes the whole issue was played up by political activists and was ignored by ordinary Christians in Sabah and Sarawak who continued to practise their faith as they had always done. "This (visit to the Vatican) was a government head-to-head exercise. People should not read too much into the visit as it was something that would have taken a lot of time to prepare. "I believe the visit must have been already planned far ahead of the the sudden flare-up of religious tension in Sarawak. "There would have been government-to-government preparations… what to say, what not to say… you know… the diplomatic needs," he said. On Catholic Archbishop Murphy Packiam's role in aiding Najib in his call on the Pope, he said: "Some people are saying Archbishop Pakiam should not have accompanied Najib as it would be seen as taking part in politics. |
| Suhakam: Call it advance voting, not postal voting Posted: 19 Jul 2011 12:21 PM PDT By Minderjeet Kaur, NST KUALA LUMPUR: A Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) commissioner yesterday suggested that the term "postal voting" be corrected and changed to "advance voting" as ballot papers were no longer mailed to the army or police personnel. The suggestion also received support from the Election Commission, which explained that although the the mailing of ballot papers to service personnel ended in 1990, the term postal votes remained until today. |
| Umno Youth to meet EC next week over electoral reforms Posted: 19 Jul 2011 11:39 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Umno Youth will meet the Election Commission (EC) next week to discuss how to improve the current electoral system. "Umno Youth will be meeting the EC next week over suggestions to improve the current electoral system," the wing's Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin told The Malaysian Insider. Khairy said that the government should not ignore improvement suggestions. Among the things which will be discussed are the eight electoral reform demands made by election watchdog Bersih. Bersih is pushing for a free and fair election system, and has listed eight demands which includes the need for automatic registration, use of indelible ink when voting, and the need for a longer campaigning period. "But this is not to say that all the eight demands are valid," said the Rembau MP. Umno Youth executive committee member Lokman Nor Adam said that some of the wing's proposals are already being utlilised by the EC. "Some of our proposals have already been suggested by the EC, like the biometric system. We are also going to co-operate with the EC to find ways to avoid dead people ending up on the voting list," he told The Malaysian Insider. |
| Behind bars, Jeyakumar says remains socialist Posted: 19 Jul 2011 11:33 AM PDT
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 20 — Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Devaraj Jeyakumar has insisted he will not waver from his socialist beliefs despite being held under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) for allegedly attempting to revive communism. In a statement released late yesterday, the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leader said that current economic practices both locally and globally were an unsustainable "race to the bottom." "This is not the world that I wish to bequeath my grandchildren. That is why I am a socialist and intend to remain so despite the EO arrest," he wrote after three weeks in detention. Dr Jeyakumar was among 30 PSM members arrested on June 25 for allegedly planning to "wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong" and attempting to revive communist in part of a dragnet leading up to the July 9 Bersih rally. Police found in their possession T-shirts bearing the likenesses of former Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) leaders Chin Peng and Rashid Maidin. Police later dropped all charges but immediately rearrested the lawmaker and five others under the EO on July 2 and charged the remaining 24 for possession of Bersih material and involvement in an illegal organisation. In the aftermath of the chaotic rally, Bersih and opposition leaders as well as human rights activists have pushed for the release of the six. This comes as the Najib administration has embarked on a damage control exercise due to the stinging tone taken by the international press over its handling of the demonstration calling for free and fair elections. In his statement yesterday, Dr Jeyakumar called for a "workable alternative to an economy driven by corporate greed." He maintained that despite the general opinion that socialism "has been assigned to the dustbin of history" and is only championed by "deluded people," it was still crucial in "averting a collosal economic-ecological disaster that will occur within the next 30-60 years." "The global owners of capital and technological expertise who control market access are a relatively small number of corporations – about 500 to 1000. They have become all powerful in the unipolar world of today and can "bargain hunt". Even the biggest governments can't control them," he wrote. He specifically pointed out that Malaysia's policies to attract investors, including lowering corporate tax, allowing contractualising of labour and weakening unions as well as privatisation of basic services such as healthcare and tertiary education, was piling pressure on the poorest 70 per cent of the population. The National Economic Advisory Council has said that 40 per cent of Malaysian households are still living on RM1,500 per month or less. |
| Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:51 AM PDT
By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT PETALING JAYA: Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah backed Bersih 2.0′s call for electoral reforms, describing them as "fair demands". This puts him on collision course with the party's official line, which deems the polls watchdog as illegal and insisting that the country's election system is clean. While many of his party members including Prime Minister Najib Razak are hellbent on demonising Bersih, the Kelantan prince said the demands made by the loose coalition of 62 NGOs should be heeded if the present administration genuinely advocates justice and fairness. "I don't know what their intentions are. I don't know them personally but as a democrat… given that Umno itself had vowed to protect democracy in this country, it is a must to consider all their demands," he told a press conference in Gua Musang on Sunday. "It is not like they are looking to topple the government," he added, referring to the repeated accusation by government leaders that Bersih's planned rally was a masked coup d'etat attempt. The Najib administration also accused Bersih 2.0 of being an opposition stooge while Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia had gone as far as accusing the NGO of being "foreign agent" in a Western conspiracy to wrest federal power. Razaleigh, affectionately known as Ku Li, suggested that it was normal for the opposition to support the group's demands. "They want to put in their candidates and contest too so let the voters decide. If they decide to vote for the opposition, what can we do? That is the democratic right of the voters." 'How are we developed?'
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| Home ministry: Only the false parts were blacked out in Economist article Posted: 19 Jul 2011 09:41 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - PUTRAJAYA, July 19 — Only the false and misleading parts of The Economist's article on the Bersih rally were blacked out, the home ministry said today.
Abdul Aziz Md Nor, publications control and Quranic text division secretary at the ministry said the identified parts may misinform readers, according to The Star. He said the instructions were passed to the publisher of the British based magazine after consultation with police.
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