Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- REPRESENTATION IN GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY
- ‘Don’t Blame’, because he is not your son, Mr. Prime Minister
- Najib Should Admit Putera 1Malaysia Somalia Trip was Reckless
- WikiLeaks crowdsourcing tool / Alternative cablegate browser
- Tee Keat's fall - the inside story
- UMNO own's media confirm Mat Sabu is correct
- UMNO's Somalia Medical Mission: Genuine or Publicity Stunt?
| REPRESENTATION IN GOVERNMENT IS ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY Posted: 05 Sep 2011 06:46 PM PDT By Tan Sri Datuk Robert Phang Miow Sin 1. I am amused by the statement made by Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, the so-called de facto Minister for Law, who declared that he would fight tooth and nail to ensure Chinese representation in a Barisan Nasional (BN) government even if the Chinese component party, namely MCA fails to secure a single parliamentary seat in the coming polls. 2. That seems to be a truly "Jantan" statement in championing the Chinese cause. If that statement is supposed to elevate Nazri Aziz in the eyes of the Chinese community, then he is mistaken. That statement would in fact constitute an insult to the Chinese electorates. 3. Who is Nazri to make such offers if the Chinese voters have rejected this Chinese-centric component party? Who appointed Nazri to be the Chinese champion on this issue? Since it is a historical fact that the BN political parties are race-based parties, it is best that Nazri look into his own backyard. I am sure my Malay brothers and sisters would appreciate to have their welfare being continuously taken care of by a vocal Malay Minister like Nazri Aziz, and not only during elections time. 4. There is more than meets the eye to Nazri's statement. I have said it before that the statement by MCA President Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is nothing more than a cheap political gimmick. Soi Lek loses nothing by making that statement. He knew that his "pornographic" background makes him unsuitable to be a government Minister. Thus, Soi Lek is actually sacrificing the government posts of other MCA leaders who could pose a threat to his MCA Presidency. The Chinese community is not stupid to not see Soi Lek's objectives. |
| ‘Don’t Blame’, because he is not your son, Mr. Prime Minister Posted: 05 Sep 2011 01:09 PM PDT I am not saying that all parties involved in a particular incident should be jailed or penalized, but do we at least allow such matters to be debated openly or investigated with transparency? By Ng Ooi Cheng Journalist Noramfaizul Mohd Nor was one of the casualties in many 1Malaysia-tagged programmes. Last month and in June alone, nearly 200 primary students in different schools of Melaka and Johor experienced symptoms including stomachache and vomiting due to milk poisoning under the 1Malaysia School Milk programme, and they seemed to carry no weight in the UMNO-controlled newspapers. In 2010, more than 20 primary students fell into a river at night in Kuala Dipang, Perak at the 1Malaysia Camp, and three of them died. Definitely, no one would have wanted the above incidents to take place. However, had the organizers and parties involved taken enough consideration, precautions and measures to prevent the undesired incidents? (Read report below) I was upset when I saw the headline 'Don't Blame' in a local newspaper yesterday (5 September), alluding to a comment by Prime Minister Najib about what had happened to Noramfaizul. My spontaneous reaction from my heart was, "Don't blame? Of course, because he is not your son." It is this 'blameless' attitude that people are now facing hard times, mistakes are repeated, and many culprits escape. So, nobody is accountable for any faults, or all faults are denied as false. In Japan, Naoto Kan relinquished his prime minister post, kneeled down and apologized when admitting his government's responsibility for the HIV-tainted blood incident when he was the health minister. In Korea and Taiwan, former presidents got jail terms for corruption. In China, businessmen were sentenced to death for tainted milk powder that killed several babies. I am not saying that all parties involved in a particular incident should be jailed or penalized, but do we at least allow such matters to be debated openly or investigated with transparency? For instance, in the case of Noramfaizul, did those organizing the mission understand the modus operandi of journalists when in a battlefield or war zone? Did they provide the journalists with adequate protection? I have learnt from news reports that the Malaysian journalists did not even wear bullet-proof jackets. Did anyone have full understanding of what is happening in Somalia? It is basically a state of anarchy. People who follow the international news know that the Gulf of Aden offshore Somalia recorded piracy cases higher than any other region over the last few years, and they were mainly Somali pirates who were involved. Dozens of journalists were reported to have been killed in Somalia and foreign journalists have been fleeing the country. A local journalist was reported to have said that both insurgents as well as pro-government forces were targeting journalists as they did not want any record of their criminal acts. Everything is too late now as damage cannot be undone. Heroic titles and compensation can be given, but the beloved father, husband and son to family members cannot be returned. May he rest in peace and his family blessed.
Somalia: Will Anyone Be Left to Tell the Tale? Posted by Katherine Carson on Jun 12, 2009  It seems there may be a campaign underway to rid Mogadishu of its independent media. Recent reports highlight the increasing harassment and intimidation of journalists in Mogadishu. While dozens of journalists have been killed since late 2006, there has been a visible increase in the targeting of journalists this year. Thus far in 2009 , five journalists have already been killed – most recently Mukhtar Mohamed Hirabe, director of Radio Shabelle. Dozens more have fled Mogadishu after receiving death threats. According to Hamdi Kadiye, an executive member of the National Union of Somali Journalists, "We [journalists] are in a very difficult and dangerous situation. We are being forced to choose between reporting on what is happening and our lives."
But why are journalists being targeted? According to Hamdi Kadiye, it is because the groups fighting, both the insurgents and pro-government forces, want to ensure there are no records of the crimes they are committing. Over the past month, fighting has overtaken Mogadishu, resulting in the displacement of 117,000 people since early May. According to UNICEF's acting representative for Somalia Hannan Suleiman, it "is the most concentrated displacement of civilians the city has seen in years." Even more worrying are U.N. reports of ongoing war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the use of boys – some as young as nine – as fighters on the front lines, and increasing reports of rape and sexual violence against women. These are the stories the fighters want silenced due to fears that media reports could be used as evidence against them in the future. Silencing these reports would be a catastrophe for the Somali people. As fewer international journalists are able to travel to Somalia, it has fallen to the independent media within Mogadishu to continue reporting on the ongoing violence. Without their reporting, the world will know woefully little about the horrors facing the Somali people. Hamidi Kadiye put it best when he said, "If journalists left and the independent media ceased to exist, there would be no one to tell the story of those suffering."
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| Najib Should Admit Putera 1Malaysia Somalia Trip was Reckless Posted: 04 Sep 2011 12:56 AM PDT The media workers from Malaysia had no bullet proof vests, head gears and the 4-wheel they were traveling in was not marked "Media" to avoid sniper attacks. Charles Santiago Member of Parliament, Klang We all understand that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is thinking about the reputation of his party, UMNO, even as the wife and family members of BernamaTV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor grieve over his death. At a press conference this morning, Najib rebuked those who were trying to pin the blame for Noramfaizul's death on UMNO Youth and Putra 1Malaysia. The premier must understand that no one is playing a blame game. But UMNO division chief Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Putra 1Malaysia and Bernama must be held responsible for not providing Noramfaizul with adequate protection and training. The media workers from Malaysia had no bullet proof vests, head gears and the 4-wheel they were traveling in was not marked "Media" to avoid sniper attacks. Najib has gone on record to say that one could get killed even if he wears a bullet proof vest. He also dodged questions about whether journalists assigned to conflict zones must be given adequate training, saying such assignments come with its inherent risks. But his most irresponsible remark is this – "Even foreign journalists get killed…If you don't want to become a journalist, stay at home". I am shocked. Journalists do not have to go to conflict zones to bring back news reports and footage. But some opt to do so to tell the truth and disseminate accurate information to the people. This is an honorable job. As such, it is the duty of the media organizations to adequately train and protect their journalists. Noramfaizul has been described by Najib as a national hero. Let's try telling that to his wife, two young children and parents. The truth is that he died because of a reckless trip put together by Putra 1Malaysia and Abdul Azeez with the backing of the government and Bernama. It was nothing but a cheap publicity stunt for UMNO and Putra 1Malaysia when the aid could have been disbursed through existing aid agencies like the Medecins San Frontieres (MSF). The government has to stop repeating what it does best – sweeping pertinent issues under the carpet. Najib must admit that a gross mistake has been made by Putra 1Malaysia and Bernama. Following that the Ministry of Information must impose safety protocol requirements to media organizations in order to protect reporters going to hostile areas. This is because no story is worth dying for. I call upon the government to institute an investigation into the level of preparedness of this poorly planned and reckless mission to Somalia.
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| WikiLeaks crowdsourcing tool / Alternative cablegate browser Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:26 PM PDT By Addy Following the full release of unredacted WikiLeaks cables on Sept 2, 2011, we have made available an updated crowdsourcing tool for journalists and general public also at: The app allows you to easily browse, search and read all the released WikiLeaks cables in a sleek and simple interface. All 251,287 cables will be uploaded to the site soon. Stay tuned. I believe this will certainly interest quite a number of people as we have over 900 Malaysian cables. |
| Tee Keat's fall - the inside story Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:32 PM PDT What further alienated him from Umno was the opinion poll on whether MCA should pull out from BN in his blog after he assumed the MCA Presidency. This was said to have really irked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration. By Lee KeeACCORDING to MCA little birds, former MCA president Ong Tee Keat was known to have abhorred the arrogance of power perpetrated by Umno in Barisan Nasional (BN). He was labelled by Umno as anti-Malay through its mouth-pieces in the 2008 General Election. He created another wave shortly after the political tsunami when he openly expressed his strong disagreement over Ketuanan Melayu in his capacity as a minister. That earned him several brickbats from his What further alienated him from Umno was the opinion poll on whether MCA should pull out from BN in his blog after he assumed the MCA Presidency. This was said to have really irked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's administration. It was believed that Tee Keat's insistence on having "leaving BN" as an option had indeed precipitated the determination of Umno top brass to remove Ong in the long run. They grabbed the opportunity when the duly elected MCA leaders like Liow Tiong Lai, Wee Ka Siong (once aligned to Tee Keat) felt insecure when Tee Keat went on to spearhead the multi-billion-ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) financial scandal probe with gusto. Both were known to have strong links with Tiong King Sing (the key contractor implicated in the PKFZ probe who is known to have the confidence of the Umno top brass). Tiong has so far been holding the chairmanship of BN Backbenchers' Club unscathed despite the strong adverse publicity implicating his involvement in the PKFZ scandal. Whilst the then Wanita MCA chief Chew Mei Fun (known to have remained loyal to Ong Ka Ting and Ong Ka Chuan (Ka Ting's elder brother who was later dropped as a minister) had also placed their hope on the Umno top brass in view of Tee Keat's unpredictable move of contemplating to leave BN. Both the Liow and Ka Chuan cliques realised the latent danger that Chua Soi Lek (the then Deputy President of MCA) might ascend to the presidency should Tee Keat be toppled. They craftily designed a conspiracy to eliminate both Tee Keat and Chua through Chua's disciplinary case. According to MCA insiders, in all fairness, the case was instituted against Chua not by Tee Keat but by his The expulsion decision meted on Chua's disciplinary case (over the sex DVD scandal) triggered by the Presidential Council was indeed a masterstroke as the trio (Liow, Wee and Chew) managed to influence the decision of the Council while hiding behind the shield of Tee Keat. So, Tee Keat had to bear the full blame in the eyes of the Umno top brass who had earlier wanted Tee Keat to stop or to defer the disciplinary proceedings against Chua. Tee Keat was known to be overly gung-ho by giving an uncompromising "No". Both Najib and Umno vice president Hishammuddin Hussein, who were then engaging Tee Keat on the issue, were said to have hit the roof top over Tee Keat's recalcitrant stance. They dubbed him as unpredictable, uncompromising and unfriendly to Umno. What actually served as the last straw breaking the camel's back was Tee Keat's resistance to Najib''s demand for the Port Klang Authority (PKA) to pay Kuala Dimensi (the controversial turnkey contractor in the PKFZ scandal) the hefty bond interest due. Tee Keat was quoted as arguing that the disputable bond interest payment had to b held in abbeyance in the public's interest, whilst Najib was wary of the bond market confidence. When the various factions thirsty for Tee Keat's blood managed to oust him at the behest of Umno, Najib ultimately chose to oust him from his Cabinet on the rationale that the ministerial appointments are party-based. Since Chua made the recommendation to replace Tee Keat, Najib willingly obliged. But the mockery was Najib's action came on the heels of the assessment of his six National Key Result Areas (NKRAs) where the opinion poll rating in favour of the Tee Keat-led Public Transport revamp ranked top. That, the MCA insiders say, is the reward for performance or in terms of the next general election, a winnable candidate for BN? The moral of a politician's story in the BN is: "Don't be a smart ass! Just suck Umno's ass to remain relevant for the crumbs." |
| UMNO own's media confirm Mat Sabu is correct Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:27 PM PDT
I found an article in Berita Harian dated 13 Dec 2010 entitled, "Kopi Kecubung Tewaskan Mat Indera". "Kecubung' is amethyst, the purple semi-precious stone. It shows Mat Sabu is correct on Mat Indera as confirmed by UMNO own's media. By Arazak The article can be found at: http://www.bharian.com.my/articles/KopikecubungtewaskankekebalanMatIndera/Article/ Kopi kecubung tewaskan kekebalan Mat Indera NAMA Jawa Ponorogo pernah terkenal dengan berita penangkapan anggota komunis, Ahmad Indera atau dikenali sebagai Mat Indera, berdarah pahlawan daripada keturunan Datuk Bentara Husin Lela Pahlawan Siak Seri Inderapura yang menjadi panglima kanan Sultan Sharif di Siak. Ugutan Inggeris terus menjadi tekanan kepada penduduk Sri Medan termasuk untuk memindahkan mereka dan mengambil tindakan tegas kepada mereka yang membantu membekalkan makanan kepada Mat Indera. Penangkapan Mat Tukyo oleh Inggeris sebelum ditawarkan beberapa ganjaran selain hidup bebas di Sri Medan menjadi kemuncak tindakan nekad penduduk Jawa Ponorogo, namun perlu melalui kaedah terancang kerana semua mengetahui kesaktian Mat Indera. Pada 14 Oktober 1952, lima lelaki Jawa Ponorogo yang diketuai Md Sham dan dibantu Ismail Mustakim (Misban), Beladang, Mat Tukyo dan Bajuri menggunakan tipu helah untuk memberkas Mat Indera. Ia bermula dengan jemputan Mat Tukyo dan Misban untuk mengadakan perbincangan mengenai pelan bantuan orang kampung kepada Mat Indera. Dalam perbincangan itu, dia dijamu dengan tempe dan kopi yang dicampur kecubung. Akibat itu Mat Indera mabuk dan mengantuk. Kesempatan itu digunakan untuk menanggalkan semua tangkal serta mengikat tangannya dengan lalang. Dikatakan, kerana itulah ilmu ghaib dan kehebatan Mat Indera tidak lagi dapat digunakan. Bekas ketua kampung Parit Warijo, Malik Samuri menjadi saksi bagaimana Mat Indera dibawa dengan basikal sedang tangannya diikat daun lalang. Peristiwa itu sebenarnya menimbulkan pelbagai reaksi masyarakat Jawa Ponorogo. Ada yang gembira dan ada yang sebak. Mohd Abidin Ismail iaitu anak salah seorang yang menangkap Mat Indera, Misban, berkata meskipun terbabit secara langsung dalam tipu helah itu, sepanjang hidup ayahnya tidak pernah menyatakan kebanggaan atas kejayaan itu, malah tidak sesekali melabelkan Mat Indera sebagai petualang. "Cuma apa yang kerap diceritakannya ialah tindakan mereka ketika itu adalah disebabkan tekanan yang dihadapi akibat ugutan Inggeris. Mungkin ada melabelkannya sebagai petualang tetapi saya merasakan dia seorang pejuang tetapi memilih jalan yang salah. "Tidak adil terus melabel Mat Indera sebagai pengkhianat kerana dia juga berjuang untuk menuntut kemerdekaan. Cuma kumpulan yang disertainya itu tidak sesuai, itupun disebabkan tiada kumpulan lain ketika itu. Kumpulan Melayu lain terlalu lambat bertindak" katanya.
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| UMNO's Somalia Medical Mission: Genuine or Publicity Stunt? Posted: 02 Sep 2011 11:12 PM PDT A brief look at the Army's hospitals' websites indicate that almost all their hospitals have hardly any patients, which will then beg the question. What do our army docs and medics do with so much free time on their hands? Shouldn't they have gone instead of the UMNO club? By Blackhawk By the time this article is published, the body of 39-year-old Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, Bernama's late cameraman, who had apparently followed UMNO Putra club's humanitarian mission to Somalis would have arrived in Malaysia. It is tragic, that apart from the hundreds of lives lost during the Raya period on Malaysian roads due to the balik kampong mayhem, Faizul should meet his death in war torn Mogadishu, Somalia. Was this just an accident? Could it have been avoided? Did UMNO rush to Somalia to genuinely help Somalians? Or did UMNO throw caution to the wind and rush callously on the eve of Raya to Somalia just for a publicity stunt? If it was for a publicity stunt, then Faizul would have died in vain and this wouldn't have been the first time when our personnel, both medical and non-medical would have risked not only their lives but more importantly the people around them who may be completely oblivious to the dangers of this sort of missions.
In 2003, Mercy Malaysia similarly put medical personnel at risk. Its two doctors, Dr. Jamilah and Baba Deni were lucky to get away alive although both were shot in Baghdad. Not so lucky were their Syrian driver and the Iraqi medical personnel who were accompanying them. Both lost their lives in the shooting. Malaysians may mean well, but extending aid to war torn and disaster areas carries immense risks and requires specific training. It is not a boy scout outing. Apart from the safety aspect, questions have arose as to how these trips are being financed and who actually audits these ventures.
When the 2004 tsunami flattened Acheh, Malaysians were one of the first to reach Acheh. But they were hopelessly ill-equipped for the task ahead. In direct contrast, Singapore and Australia sent in their army and naval outfits to attend to the distribution of aid. Humanitarian aid carried out by trained forces tend to be more orderly, organized, triaged and focused to help. Malaysians out to help nuclear-disastered Sendai, Japan following this year's tsunami were not even allowed to leave Subang for Japan by Japanese authorities, as the Japanese politely refused knowing well they could not guarantee the safety of their own people let alone foreign volunteers untrained in handling nuclear fall-outs.
From the images shown on local TV, the UMNO Putra Team appeared to be untrained personnel doing their rounds on unfriendly and sometimes hostile terrain. How would giving adhoc cholera/typhoid vaccinations and holding impromptu outpatient clinics at refugee camps help civilians there in the long-term? And why would you want to do a job you are not trained to handle especially on terrain you are not familiar with and unfriendly at that too. Shouldn't it have been a job for our army boys. We are in peace time anyway and this would have been a good mission to keep them on their toes. There is no imminent danger of our submarines sinking as they apparently cannot dive, or our air force jets with no engines crashing and there are certainly no communists to look out for who may be waiting to create another Bukit Kepong situation.
A brief look at the Army's hospitals' websites indicate that almost all their hospitals have hardly any patients, which will then beg the question. What do our army docs and medics do with so much free time on their hands? Shouldn't they have gone instead of the UMNO club? Unless of course the help UMNO wanted to deliver was a sideshow, the main menu being publicity for UMNO or its leaders judging from the daily reporting in the MSM and TV images during prime time. Is this GE-13 election campaigning using the Somalians misery and our journalists' lives to brainwash our kampong folk?
UMNO must now be ready to answer some difficult questions. The Mission arrived in Somalia on 30th August at one of the world's most dangerous destinations and to a country that is home to pirates that can put to shame even the mightiest of navies in the Indian Ocean, including the US Navy. Apparently it was timed to provide Hari Raya aid and according to a statement issued by its chief, Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim to even have Hari Raya prayers there! If the Health Ministry was involved and had sent some of their personnel, Liow Tiong Lai better have some answers ready! With our own Malaysians getting literally war conditions treatment in many of our government hospitals, it would be interesting to listen to Liow's excuses, in his own Tung Shin way.
Aid was supposed to be distributed to five areas, with Mogadishu being the first stop. Others included Badbadur, about 25km from Mogadishu, where about 250,000 people are taking refuge, Al Shabeb in Merka where 300,000 people are affected by the famine and in the Balet Veni camps which house 100,000 people. Both areas are located 100km from Mogadishu. Even the Operations chief Lt-Col Zahani Zainal Abdin had warned saying it would be risky to even fly into Mogadishu at night. In total there were a total of 55 volunteers and members of the media who formed part of the mission to cover a radius of almost 200 km in a country where there was no law except for a 9000 strong UN backed force - the only law in a country of 10 million. Make no mistake, in this country even 12 year olds carry AK-47s. UMNO club members had no business being in this country and in their pursuit of cheap publicity endangering the lives of other civilians both Malaysians and Somalians. Any mission that carries with it civilians and journalists are a handicap to any military personnel exposing even the most well-trained military commando to being nothing more then a sitting duck. Al- Fatihah to Noramfaizul Mohd Nor's family. Let's hope Bernama and Utusan don't spin his untimely and unnecessary death into a "mati syahid" affair. |
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