Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Petulant Khairy calls Mat Sabu a eunuch
- Court must ask Shafee to explain Sodomy II remarks, says Pakatan
- Singapore’s Lee denies calling Islam ‘venomous’
- Pak Lah’s fishing trip to the Caribbean
- Umno lawyer defends comments over Sodomy II
- Awang Adek taken to task over highway remark
- S’gor offers Sarawak Pakatan help
- Coup bid: ‘Five MPs were ready to defect’
- ‘What if govt cannot repay EPF?’
| Petulant Khairy calls Mat Sabu a eunuch Posted: 04 Sep 2011 07:07 PM PDT
Khairy sees red after PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu suggested that the debate on Bukit Kepong should be between the two Youth chiefs. (Free Malaysia Today) - Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has not even verified if PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu really made a social blunder over the Bukit Kepong incident but he has already started his character assassination. A petulant Khairy, upset that Mohamad Sabu or Mat Sabu has refused to have a debate with him over who were the true independence heroes, has started maligning him in his micro blogging Twitter site. Some of the names Khairy has called Mat Sabu in his Twitter site are "coward" and "eunuch". "One thing is sure: today I know that PAS chose a coward as a deputy president who doesn't have dignity. He is afraid because he is wrong. He is defeated before the war. "That is what they elected. A eunuch," wrote Khairy. The debate was suggested following controversy relating to Mat Sabu's speech in Penang on Aug 28 during which the PAS strongman is alleged to have said that the communists who attacked Bukit Kepong police station are the true independence heroes. Khairy explained that Mat Sabu wants him to debate with PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hasan Tantawi instead. "I have no issues with PAS Youth chief. Nice guy. But I debated with PAS Youth chief in Sinar Harian. Been there, done that," wrote Khairy in reference to a debate in July at Sinar Harian office on the issue of slander. Khairy heaped praises on PAS vice-president Husam Musa for brushing aside protocols to debate with him on hudud in 2008 in Kota Baru. "Even though Husam was vice-president and Kelantan senior exco, he agreed and we debated in the presence of more than 3,000 people. Husam wasn't concerned about protocols. "At least Husam dared to keep party protocols aside for the sake of political openness. He is daring. We met on an intellectual platform."
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| Court must ask Shafee to explain Sodomy II remarks, says Pakatan Posted: 04 Sep 2011 05:08 PM PDT
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has called on the High Court hearing Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial to haul up lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah over allegations that he conspired with the Najib administration to destroy the opposition leader's image. Opposition lawmakers told The Malaysian Insider that the court must find out if the prominent lawyer had met media chiefs along with staff from the Prime Minister's Office to subvert media coverage of the high-profile trial. "This raises doubt over the proceedings of the case and the court should call on Shafee to explain to ensure the credibility of the trial," said PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar (picture). This was echoed by Perak DAP chief Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, who said that as Shafee is frequently employed by and linked to backroom discussions with Barisan Nasional (BN) lynchpin Umno, he cannot be considered a neutral party. "Justice must be seen to be served. This was also the lawyer who said openly to the media that it was 99.9 per cent sure that Anwar was the man in a sex video," the Beruas MP said, referring to allegations earlier this year that the PKR de facto leader was the man recorded having sex with an unknown woman. With Anwar's ongoing sodomy trial winding to a close, the Permatang Pauh MP had given his statement from the dock, claiming that the accusation, which surfaced over three years ago, was a conspiracy by Datuk Seri Najib Razak to end his political career. Muhammad Shafee has come under scrutiny online purportedly for interfering with the news coverage of the controversial court case by issuing instructions to mainstream media editors and reporters over their reporting of Anwar's statement. The alleged conspiracy was given more flavour by a blogger calling himself Ahmat Gaza who claimed that a clandestine meeting on August 23 at the swanky Le Meridien Hotel in the city here included one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's media advisers, Abdul Jalil Hamid. But the lawyer scoffed at the allegations, stating that the meeting with various media such as Utusan Malaysia, TV3 and The Star was not a secret and he was there to talk about the law of contempt.
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| Singapore’s Lee denies calling Islam ‘venomous’ Posted: 04 Sep 2011 05:07 PM PDT
Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew has stirred a hornets' nest with his remarks about the religion as reported in leaked US diplomatic cables. (Free Malaysia Today) - Singapore's outspoken former leader Lee Kuan Yew today denied calling Islam a "venomous religion" after leaked US diplomatic cables set off a furore in the multiracial city-state. One of hundreds of cables from the US embassy in Singapore released last week by the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks had Lee as describing Islam as a "venomous religion" in a 2005 meeting with then senator Hillary Clinton. "This is false," the 87-year-old Lee, Singapore's founding prime minister and elder statesman, said in a statement. Lee said that he looked up a foreign ministry note of the meeting, and "nowhere does it record me describing Islam as 'venomous', nor did I say anything which could have given that impression". "I did talk about extremist terrorists like the (Southeast Asian) Jemaah Islamiyah group, and the jihadist preachers who brainwashed them. They are implacable in wanting to put down all who do not agree with them," he said. "So their Islam is a perverted version, which the overwhelming majority of Muslims in Singapore do not subscribe to." During the meeting, another US lawmaker in Clinton's party had asked Lee about "how organised terrorists were internationally", according to the leaked cable signed off by then US ambassador to Singapore Frank Lavin. It said Lee "responded that orthodox Islam was a powerful force capable of recruiting volunteers for terrorist groups". "He noted Singapore's experience in 2001 and 2002 in dealing with Jemaah Islamiyah's terrorist plots in Singapore and characterised Islam as a 'venomous religion'." Singapore has a predominantly Chinese population with minority races including Malays, who are mostly Muslim, making up 13.4 percent of its population of five million.
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| Pak Lah’s fishing trip to the Caribbean Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:54 PM PDT
While in St Vincent for a 'working visit', Abdullah spent most of his time vacationing in the Grenadine islands where high-end resorts are located, says a leaked US cable. (Free Malaysia Today) - Former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's four-day "working visit" to two Caribbean islands in 2006 was the subject of a confidential US cable which raised questions over the purpose and the potential achievements for the countries involved. The cable by US diplomats based in the Caribbean to the State Department in Washington DC came about two weeks after Abdullah completed his visit to St Vincent and the Grenadines from April 29 to May 2 in 2006. The cable noted that Abdullah's visit was more of a vacation rather than a working visit, in which the Malaysian premier had spend a day on a fishing trip with St Vincent Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves. "After meeting with PM Gonsalves, the Malaysian (Abdullah) vacationed for a few days on the Grenadine islands Mustique and Canuoan. "He spent one of these days on a fishing trip accompanied by Gonsalves. PM Abdullah returned to St Vincent proper on May 2 and addressed Parliament before departing for Jamaica," added the cable. The cable noted that Mustique was a private island containing over 75 private villas, many of which are owned by international celebrities. Canuoan meanwhile was the location of the high-end Raffles Resort and an opulent villa complex and golf course developed by Donald Trump. The cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and handed over to Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today website which published it today.
Red carpet welcome The US diplomats added in the cable that following Abdullah's departure from St Vincent, a joint statement by the two countries expressed further interest in "enhancing cooperation" in a number of areas. The cable also noted that the lack of a concrete agenda or results from Abdullah's trip to St Vincent did little to clear up the circumstances surrounding Gonsalves' earlier trip to Southeast Asia. "When first announced, the Malaysian leader's St Vincent trip appeared to suggest that PM Gonsalves had indeed accomplished something for his country by travelling to Southeast Asia earlier this year. "Considering, however, that the 'working visit' was really a vacation, it does not appear that St Vincent will necessarily benefit from its PM's previous globetrotting," stated the cable. "The lack of a concrete agenda or results from PM Abdullah's trip does little to clear up the circumstances surrounding Gonsalves's earlier trip to Southeast Asia, the purpose and financing of which remain unclear," stated the cable. The US cable also stated that the government of St Vincent "literally rolled out the red carpet for the Malaysian PM, who was greeted by the entire Cabinet and other dignitaries at St Vincent's small airport when he arrived on April 29".
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| Umno lawyer defends comments over Sodomy II Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:53 PM PDT
By Debra Chong, Malaysia Today KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 5 — As Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's ongoing sodomy trial winds to a close, Malaysia's best-paid lawyer has denied conspiring with staff in the Prime Minister's Office to subvert the media and end the political career of the man once deemed the biggest threat to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN). Prominent lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, frequently linked to the BN's powerful lynchpin Umno, has come under fire online after Anwar's unsworn statement of defence from the dock, purportedly for interfering with the news coverage of the controversial court case by issuing certain instructions to mainstream media editors and reporters. The alleged conspiracy was given more flavour by a blogger calling himself Ahmat Gaza who claimed that a clandestine meeting at the swanky Le Meridien Hotel in the city here included one of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's media advisers, Abdul Jalil Hamid. Muhammad Shafee broke his earlier vow of silence yesterday to denounce the allegations against him as an attempt to plunge the country's government institutions into chaos in order to enable a takeover of Putrajaya, but stopped short of attributing it to the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact, headed by Anwar. "His agenda is to create as much distrust as possible, against the institutions of government including the judiciary, to create chaos against the rule of law," Muhammad Shafee replied when asked the motive of the allegations against him, referring to the blogger Ahmat Gaza. "This Gaza is an idiot who does not know the true nature of this meeting," the pro-Umno lawyer said yesterday when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. He scoffed at the allegations of a conspiracy to do harm to Anwar, and put it down to the imagination of the unknown blogger Ahmat Gaza, whom he warned he would sue for defamation once the latter's real identity is revealed. The allegations have since gone viral and been replicated on other websites. Muhammad Shafee admitted that he had met with several media workers at Le Meridien on August 23, saying it was "not a secret". "It was organised by Utusan… someone called Fatiman, to explain to the media what is contemptuous law," he said, adding that there were between eight and 15 media representatives present that day from several mainstream news organisations and named the Umno-owned Malay-language daily, national private broadcaster TV3, English-language daily The Star, among them. He said he doubted Ahmat Gaza was a whistleblower among those present at that meeting because it was not a secret meeting as claimed in the blog. Asked if Abdul Jalil was also present at that meeting, Muhammad Shafee said: "If Jalil was there, I vaguely think he was there, I'm not surprised if Jalil was there because he was there as a media person." He said he knew of Jalil but was not on close terms with the PM's aide, adding that he only was aware of the latter's current position after being informed as such by The Malaysian Insider. A former senior journalist with international news agency Reuters, Abdul Jalil declined comment when contacted by The Malaysian Insider. Muhammad Shafee said he had also been approached by TV3 for a similar explanation after both media companies were hauled up in the Shah Alam court for contemptuous coverage of the murder of cosmetics tycoon Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya last month.
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| Awang Adek taken to task over highway remark Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:19 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - Kelantan PAS has slammed deputy Finance minister Awang Adek over his remark that the state government could never solve traffic congestion issue, describing it a vile and shallow attempt to discredit the PAS-led government. Kelantan PAS Youth chief Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman reminded Awang that Federal government was responsible for highway infrastructure across Malaysia.
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| S’gor offers Sarawak Pakatan help Posted: 04 Sep 2011 04:02 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Selangor has pledged to channel its resources, including manpower, to help Sarawak in the coming general election as it is one of the important states that can ensure the Pakatan Rakyat 'march' to Putrajaya is successful. Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, who was here on a visit together with de facto PKR leader Anwar Ibrahim, said people were begining to accept Pakatan. "As the people are now beginning to understand our policies and our struggle, the Pakatan Rakyat will mount a very serious challenge against the Barisan Nasional government. "It is possible for us to go to Putrajaya with strong support coming from Johor, Sarawak, Sabah and other states. "Sarawak is important to us. This is why we have to send our manpower and resources to Sarawak," he told a press conference yesterday. Khalid and Anwar were in Kuching for a meeting with state PKR leaders. Khalid called on Sarawak PKR leaders, members and supporters to work hard and to go to the ground and mix with the people. "You must explain our policies, our struggle and our pledge to the people. "The more they understand our struggle, the brighter the chance for us to win over their hearts and minds," he said. Not easy "Many people are scared of political backlash or that they are being threatened if they show open support for us. "Let me remind Sarawak leaders that if they continue to do this, we from Selangor can also do the same that is, banning them from entering the state or refusing them from using our facilities. "But Selangor will not do it. They can use our halls and other facilities because these facilities are built using people's money. "However, they must follow rules and regulations. "Tell Sarawak leaders not to be arrogant and give the people the opportunity to choose between BN and Pakatan. "I feel sad that Sarawak is so rich with natural resources, but the people have no chance to enjoy those benefits. "That is why I dare to say that we will work together with the people to plan a better future for the people of the state," he said. Later in the afternoon Khalid left for Miri to meet with party leaders and members, while Anwar met with members of the state leadership council. Later Anwar left for a Bidayuh village in the Mambong constituency, which is one of the 15 seats that PKR has expressed its interest to contest.
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| Coup bid: ‘Five MPs were ready to defect’ Posted: 04 Sep 2011 03:55 PM PDT
By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: A leader of a component party within the Sarawak Barisan Nasional (BN) today revealed that five MPs from Sarawak were prepared to defect to the opposition before or on Sept 16, 2008, in support of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's plan to take over the federal government. The leader, who requested anonymity, told FMT: "I was directed by an Umno leader to contact 10 MPs from PBB, SUPP, PRS and SPDP to defect to the opposition. "Five of the MPs agreed to jump ship on condition that an Umno leader would be appointed as the interim prime minister to replace (premier) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi." The leader was responding to a WikiLeaks report which said that Anwar's plan to take over Putrajaya, with the support of BN legislators, was real. "Five more were interested, but they wanted to wait and see before making any decision," the BN leader said, adding that there were several BN parliamentarians who had been unhappy with Abdullah. "I had a number of meetings with the Umno leader, who told me that Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah would be appointed as the interim prime minister in the unity government for the next two or three years. "Anwar would be appointed as deputy prime minister," he said. According to him, the Umno leader claimed that apart from Sarawak MPs, the plan had also received the support of MPs from Sabah and other states. 'My job to explain our policies' However, the plan failed to materialise as some Umno MPs who were considering defecting had leaked the plan to the then prime minister. Two weeks or so before the Sept 16 deadline set by the opposition to form the new government, about 40 MPs, mostly from Sabah and Sarawak, were sent by the BN backbenchers club to Taiwan to "study" agriculture. The move derailed Anwar's plan.
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| ‘What if govt cannot repay EPF?’ Posted: 04 Sep 2011 03:38 PM PDT By G Vinod, FMT PETALING JAYA: With a RM290 billion debt hanging over its head and with continued overspending, the government is on a reckless path to self-destruction which could well eat into the people's Employee Provident Fund (EPF) contributions. According to a research group although the country has been running on deficit since 1998, it has however not stopped the government from spending beyond its means. The group pointed out that the government has overspent by RM290 billion in the past 13 years. According to Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) executive director Teh Chi-Chang, the deficit could pave the way for more cuts in spending on other important areas such as education and healthcare. "The last time we had a surplus or savings, where we spent less than our income was in 1998. "By end of this year, our total over-spend would reach about RM290 billion. "It means all Malaysians would be in debt by an average of RM10,000 each," said Teh raising concerns over the impending content of the 2012 national budget. Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also Finance Minister, would be tabling Budget 2012 come Oct 7. Many quarters are expecting Najib to announce several goodies in the upcoming budget to cater for snap polls, rumoured to be held sometime late this year or in early 2012. Barisan Nasional is said to be facing its toughest ever battle in its political history going into the 13th general election. In the 2008 polls, the ruling coalition lost five states – Perak, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Selangor – to opposition Pakatan Rakyat. BN later wrested Perak in a reverse takeover. In the recent April Sarawak state elections which was seen as a litmus test of approval, BN lost an unprecedented 16 seats, a clear indication according to analysts of fast dwindling popularity. Going into the 13th GE, BN is expected to blow hundreds of millions to secure its grip on Putrajaya and such excess spending will mean more borrowings. EPF funds under threat Explaining the economic scenario, Teh said people should understand that when the government runs on deficit, it means having to borrow money to pay for the excess spending. "And the lenders are normally the EPF, banks and fund managers," said Teh. He also said that as long as the government continues to borrow to pay for its dues, interest rates in the country would eventually soar. Teh said with substantial amount of borrowing, there would come a time when lenders would be unwilling to lend anymore which would force government to cut its spending. "Lenders may be forced to take 'hair-cuts; that is accepting lesser payment than what is owned by the government. "Imagine if the government can't pay back its dues to EPF, the contributors will have lesser savings in their account," said Teh. The NGO then offered a solution to the government.
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