Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Secret files show British, US ties to Kadhafi regime: report
- WikiLeaks' media partners blast release of US cables
- WikiLeaks report incorrect: Sabah Speaker
- Najib is ‘politically finished’
- DAP won’t give up Jelapang state seat
- Bukit Kepong ‘battle’: NGOs back Mat Sabu
- Refusal to swear in court raises questions
- Utusan wants PAS snubbed over purported communism support
- DAP leader lodges report against TV station
- PAS veep questions Rosmah’s Raya TV slot
- Merdeka Center says Najib approval rating still at ‘comfortable’ level
| Secret files show British, US ties to Kadhafi regime: report Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:57 PM PDT (AFP) - British and US intelligence cooperated closely with Libya, with prisoners being offered to Moamer Kadhafi's regime under the rendition programme, a report said Saturday citing files found in Tripoli. British daily The Independent said the secret documents discovered in the office of former Libyan foreign minister Mussa Kussa also show that Britain passed details of exiled opponents to Kadhafi's spies. The cache further shows that it was the office of former British prime minister Tony Blair that requested that a 2004 meeting with Kadhafi in Tripoli should take place in a Bedouin tent, the daily said. There was no immediate reaction from British or US authorities to the report. The paper said the documents would raise questions about the ties that Britain, in particular, and the United States forged with Kussa and the regime as the western powers tried to bring Libya out of isolation. Kussa flew to Britain in March and defected, but despite being accused of rights violations was allowed to fly to Qatar the following month. The Independent said the papers include leters and faxes to Kussa headed "Greetings from MI6" (Britain's foreign intelligence service) and a personal Christmas greeting signed by a senior British spy with the epithet "Your friend". It also cites a US administration document, marked secret, saying that it was "in a position" to deliver a man named as Shaykh Musa, a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, "to your physical custody." "We respectfully request an expression of interest from your service regarding taking custody of Musa," it quotes the document as saying. Secret CIA rendition flights transported dozens of terror suspects around the world following the 9/11 attacks, often for interrogation in third countries. Meanwhile British intelligence in a letter dated April 16, 2004 informs a Libyan security agency that a Libyan opposition actvist had been freed from British detention, the Independent said. A further document purportedly from MI6 seeks information about a suspect travelling on a Libyan passport, adding that it is a "sensitive operation". The cache also shows that a statement given by Kadhafi announcing that his regime was giving up weapons of mass destruction in a bid to shed its pariah status was put together with the help of British officials. A letter addressed to a Libyan official from British intelligence attached a "tidied up version of the language we agreed...", it said. Meanwhile the Independent said a sizeable amount of the correspondence was devoted to preparations for Blair's landmark Tripoli visit, and showed that Kussa played a role as conduit with the premier's 10 Downing Street office. In one, it sad an MI6 officer wrote to Kussa saying: "No.10 are keen that the Prime Minister meet the leader in his tent. I don't know why the English are fascinated by tents. The plain fact is the journalists would love it." Blair was duly pictured shaking hands with Kadhafi in a Bedouin tent.
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| WikiLeaks' media partners blast release of US cables Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:51 PM PDT (AFP) - WikiLeaks' media partners on Friday blasted the anti-secrecy website's decision to publish unredacted its full cache of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, saying it was the decision of Julian Assange alone. "We deplore the decision of WikiLeaks to publish the unredacted State Department cables, which may put sources at risk," said a joint statement from the Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel and El Pais. The news organisations said: "Our previous dealings with WikiLeaks were on the clear basis that we would only publish cables which had been subjected to a thorough editing and clearance process." They said they would "continue to defend our collaborative publishing endeavour", but added: "We cannot defend the needless publication of the complete data -- indeed, we are united in condemning it. "Today's decision to publish by Julian Assange was his, and his alone." Assange, the Australian who founded WikiLeaks, is living under stringent bail conditions in Britain while he fights extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. WikiLeaks said on Friday it had published its full archive of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, accessible through an Internet link without a password. It said it took the action after claiming the Guardian had leaked the passwords to the full cache of cables. The British newspaper denies the claim. The Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel of Germany and Spain's El Pais as well as French newspaper Le Monde were WikiLeaks' original media partners and published selected cables, although with names of sources redacted. The Guardian broke off its cooperation with WikiLeaks in December over concerns about the security of sources. The United States and human rights groups have warned that releasing unredacted cables could endanger the lives of the people who had spoken in confidence to US diplomats.
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| WikiLeaks report incorrect: Sabah Speaker Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT (Bernama) -- Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said Keruak has dismissed as untrue a WikiLeaks report on his purported comment over the failed bid by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to take over the federal government on Sept 16, 2008. "I never confirmed or endorsed the purported defection of MPs to the opposition or Pakatan Rakyat. At that time, as far as I can recall, the opposition tried hard to win over MPs from Sabah but they failed to woo them. "What had happened was more of a "psy war" adopted by the opposition to destabilise the Barisan Nasional (BN) government," Salleh, a former Sabah chief minister, told Bernama after attending the Kota Belud Wanita Umno Aidilfitri open house in Kampung Siasai, here. Online portal Malaysiakini was quoted as reporting yesterday that a leaked US embassy cable had lent credence to Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim's claim that a group of Sabah and Sarawak politicians had planned to defect from the BN on Sept 16, 2008, over alleged marginalisation of the two states. An entry in the cable, posted by WikiLeaks, quoted Salleh as telling US embassy officials that potentially more than half of the 25 Sabah MPs were ready to abandon the BN. The cable claimed further that embassy officials found "no expressions of support" for then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership among the senior Sabah politicians they met in a series of meetings in the state from June 18 to 20 that year.
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| Najib is ‘politically finished’ Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:43 PM PDT According to a seasoned Umno politician, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin isn't as 'stupid as he looks' and that the '3M' threat is 'something the Najib camp is manufacturing'. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Many of us have fond memories of former Kedah menteri besar, Sanusi Junid, for 1,001 reasons. He can be comical at one time, deadpan serious at another. Sanusi, who joined Umno in 1963, used to regal many of us with his caustic remarks aimed at disarming Umno president Najib Tun Razak or discrediting Najib as it were. He related his many conversations with Najib' father, Tun Razak. One of these conversational bites was when Tun Razak was sighing about how Najib couldn't cut his teeth into politics. Sanusi would let out a half smile when he tells us of the moment when he cheekily asked: "Why Tun?" And Tun Razak replied: "Too much skirt chasing." According to the Oracle of Syed Putra, there is a growing divide between Najib, Umno and the Malays. (Incidentally, the Oracle is the alter ego of Daim Zainudin. You can almost say what the Oracle says is what Daim thinks.) According to him, the low estimation of Najib as prime minister and Umno president is no longer just confined to the man on the street whose opinions may be justifiably dismissed as idle talk. But the same opinions are being said and repeated by Umno luminaries, people of some significance, indicating a very serious perception problem. Umno leaders complaining So what is Najib doing now? Najib is seen as being busy finding ways to channel money to Chinese vernacular schools and that is alienating the Malay voters farther. He's seen as appeasing non-Malays more and more. It seems to me his way of solving problems is by paying his way through. Yet the Umno warlords from which Umno and its president depend for political power are not amused. They are NOT receiving projects for their areas. For example, the Umno leaders in Kedah are complaining. They have been asked to set the agenda to retake Kedah yet they have not been given resources to go into battle. Forget '3M' grouping Speaking of Kedah, I asked the Oracle what's his take on the 3M grouping of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyidin Yassin and Mukhriz (Mahathir's son)? "I wouldn't give much credence to the 3M thing. For what purpose? For Muhyidin to ascend to the PM post? "He can do that by other means at his disposal. He is enjoying better credibility with his Malay first, Malaysia second attitude with the Malay hoi poloi. "To prop up Mukhriz so that Mahathir will lend his weight to Muhyidin? That is possible. "But how long can Mukhriz survive in politics by hanging on the coat-tails of his father? "It's like you said about Najib being cornered to come out with his last resort defence when attacked on his policies. "All he could muster was – he is Tun Razak's son. How long can you sell that?. "So why should Muhydin be a party to declining forces?" said the Orcle.
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| DAP won’t give up Jelapang state seat Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:32 PM PDT Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham hopes PSM would not play the role of a spoiler in the coming 13th general election. Free Malaysia Today) - Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham today brushed off calls by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) that the Jelapang state seat be allocated to PSM, hence paving the way for a possible three-cornered contest. "How can PSM ask for a DAP winning seat? I hope PSM would not become spoilers (in the 13th coming general election) ," said Ngeh, who is also Bruas MP and Sitiawan state assemblyman. Yesterday, PSM central committee member Dr D Michael Jeyakumar said the Jelapang state seat in Perak should be allocated to PSM in the upcoming national polls. "We should get the seat. DAP got the seat and lost the (state)government," he said. PSM argued that it should get the seat since Jelapang state assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong quit the DAP in 2009 that led to the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak. Hee is now an independent aligned with the Barisan Nasional. Ngeh also casts doubts over PSM's loyalty towards Pakatan. "PSM declared it is Pakatan-friendly but it is not bound by the decisions made by Pakatan," Ngeh said.
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| Bukit Kepong ‘battle’: NGOs back Mat Sabu Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:13 PM PDT Deputy IGP criticised for practising double standard in carrying out police investigation of the PAS deputy president. (Free Malaysia Today) - Several NGOs today criticised Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar for practising "double standard" over the controversy surrounding PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident. Last week, Mohamad Sabu, also popularly known as Mat Sabu, criticised Utusan Malaysia over its report which suggested that he allegedly praised the communist insurgents who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the Emergency on Feb 23, 1950 as heroes. During a political rally in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21, Mat Sabu allegedly said that "nearing Merdeka, the Bukit Kepong clip will be aired". "In Bukit Kepong, the police were British policemen. Those who attacked Bukit Kepong were the true freedom fighters. Their leader was Mat Indera (Muhammad Indera)." Later, Khalid confirmed that police will investigate Mat Sabu after receiving 49 police reports nationwide regarding his alleged statement, and might charge him under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Angkatan Warga Aman Malaysia (WargaAMAN), representing 20 major Indian NGOs, came to the defence of Mat Sabu saying that people will lost their trust in the police for clearly discriminating against the Pakatan Rakyat leader. "We are not against the police decision, but why didn't the police take similar action against Utusan Malaysia, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor for their racial statements?" WargaAMAN secretary-general S Barathidasan asked. He said that WargaAMAN itself had lodged numerous reports against Utusan Malaysia and Ibrahim for stoking racial tension, but till today the police did not carry out a single investigation. He added that the reputation of the police will be damaged if they continued to show favoritism to the Barisan Nasional. Barathidasan also fully supports the views of Mat Sabu as "substantively correct".
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| Refusal to swear in court raises questions Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:08 PM PDT (NST) - Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim yesterday urged opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's family to step forward and explain the reason behind his refusal to swear under oath in mosque and court. Dr Mashitah said Anwar's wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah should provide an explanation on behalf of Anwar. This is because his refusal had received wide public interest. "If he (Anwar) is not guilty, he should swear under oath like what Saiful (Bukhari Azlan) had done, who had sworn under oath that Anwar had sodomised him. "The family should not defend him blindly, but instead should let the public know the reason behind it." |
| Utusan wants PAS snubbed over purported communism support Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:06 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Umno's Utusan Malaysia urged all parties today to reject PAS for purportedly glorifying communist guerrillas, saying it was "enough" that the Islamist party exploits religion to gain political mileage. Continuing its warfare against the opposition party, the Malay daily said in a column by its editors that PAS's top leaders were attempting to seek popularity by standing by deputy president Mohamad Sabu's referrence to Mat Indera as a "hero" and a freedom fighter. Mohamad, more popularly known as Mat Sabu, had reportedly described as heroes those who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the pre-independence communist insurgency in 1950. "The act of endorsing the struggles of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) by twisting historical facts is irresponsible and should be rejected by all parties who understand clearly the violence and cruelty of the guerrilla forces then," the Malay daily's editors wrote today under the pseudonym Awang Selamat. "As such, Awang would like to advise PAS, it is enough to try and exploit religion for political gains, to a point they even revere MCP for the sake of seeking power," Awang continued. Calling himself "sad", Awang said he could not fathom what was in the minds of PAS leaders when they chose to support Mat Sabu's statements. Utusan Malaysia had carried a report on his ceramah speech last Saturday and accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists. PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have since backed Mat Sabu, who himself has denied the report and threatened to sue the newspaper. He also pointed out yesterday that Mat Indera, one of the individuals he praised in his ceramah on August 21, had been recognised as a freedom fighter by Umno-controlled Berita Harian on August 13, 2010.
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| DAP leader lodges report against TV station Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT (The Star) - State opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau has lodged a police report, denying claims by a local television station that several DAP leaders, including himself, were supporters of a murtad or apostate Facebook group. Dr Boo, who is also the state DAP chairman, said he was shocked that his picture and those of other leaders were used during a two-minute report aired at the station's news slot at 8pm on Aug 27. "It was stated in that report that we were members of this Facebook page, called Murtads in Malaysia and Singapore. I would like to reiterate that I am not part of this group," he said, demanding an apology. Besides lodging a police report, Dr Boo said he had also forwarded a complaint to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on Thursday. A spokesman from the Commercial Crime Unit confirmed the police report, adding that the case had been referred to MCMC for further action.
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| PAS veep questions Rosmah’s Raya TV slot Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar has questioned Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's television slot for her Hari Raya message, pointing out that this was a first for a prime minister's wife. The Pokok Sena MP said Rosmah may have taken this unusual step to boost her husband Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's flagging popularity. "Rosmah is the first person in history to get her own special slot to give a Hari Raya speech besides the prime minister," Mahfuz was quoted as saying by party organ Harakah Daily. "Before this, no prime minister's wife has ever received her own slot to give a Hari Raya speech. Before this, only the prime minister had his own slot," he added. The PAS lawmaker said it was possible that Rosmah herself had demanded for the special television slot. "After all, she has huge powers as the prime minister's wife," he said, referring to allegations that Rosmah was more powerful than Najib. Mahfuz added that if Rosmah had indeed asked for the special slot, she could have done so to satisfy her aspirations, or to improve Najib's approval rating that recently fell to 59 per cent. "Maybe when Najib's and Rosmah's Hari Raya speeches are forced over and over again upon television viewers throughout Hari Raya, Najib's approval rating may jump to 95 per cent," said Mahfuz sarcastically. A survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center released last Monday found that 59 per cent of Malaysians approved of Najib's leadership, down six points in the past three months, and 13 points lower than his high of 72 per cent in May last year. Respondents said they were most troubled by the surge in inflation — which hit a two-year high of 3.5 per cent in June — and the government's heavily criticised handling of the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections.
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| Merdeka Center says Najib approval rating still at ‘comfortable’ level Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:05 PM PDT
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Independent pollster Merdeke Center today defended its latest survey on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval rating, saying 59 per cent is a "comfortable" figure considering the country's present economic condition. Its director Ibrahim Suffian said it would be "unreasonable" to expect a higher rating amid the surging inflation rate and incessant influx of socio-economic issues currently plaguing Malaysians. "In general, the survey results showing satisfaction towards the PM at 59 per cent is a position that is still considered positive and comfortable."This is because voter sentiment changes the most when a big incident occurs, one that earns wide media coverage," he said in an email statement here, likely referring to the tumultuous July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Merdeka Center's latest survey saw the prime minister's approval rating slide to its lowest point since last May's high of 79 per cent, fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and his government's handling of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers basked in the aftermath of the results, claiming it indicated a clear voter swing towards the federal opposition, while Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders chose to stay indignant, saying the poll may not have been an accurate reflection of voter sentiment. Ibrahim disputed criticisms of Merdeka Center's sampling methods and survey accuracy, pointing out that the same system had been employed last year when Najib's rating hit a high of 72 per cent in May. "We understand the political need in the statements made. But the survey results do not mirror anything else apart from the people's sentiment towards the subject matter while the survey is being carried out. "What should be taken away from this is what measures should be taken to ensure the situation changes ... such as, improving the quality of public service," he said. The survey, released last week, involved respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were selected through a random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state of residency. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and nine per cent Indians.
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