Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Puteri Umno lodges police report against Anwar
- Malaysia activists outraged after 300 cats starved
- Jais charges Khalid Samad over unauthorised sermon
- The greater threat than communists according to Salahuddin
- Anwar reset button: SAPP
- Ex-senator agrees with US cable on Sabah situation
- Razali backs call for A-G to act against Anwar
- DAP claims Rasah postal voters using army spouses’ IC numbers
- Now PAS wants review of independence struggle
- Grabbing graft by the horns
- Malaysia under Scrutiny as Illegal Ivory Seizures Spike in August
- Bian: Sarawak govt wrongly advised on NCR
- Nazri says no to zero Chinese representation in government
- 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?’
| Puteri Umno lodges police report against Anwar Posted: 05 Sep 2011 11:54 PM PDT (BERNAMA) - The Puteri Umno movement today lodged a police report against Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is alleged to have made a false report on the sex video issue in March. The police report was lodged by Puteri Umno vice-head Shahanim Mohd Yusof at the Kuala Muda District Police Headquarters, here. She said Puteri Umno had requested the police to take action against Anwar, who is alleged to have abused the law by making a false report at the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on March 22. "We take a serious view on the false report made at the Dang Wangi District Police Headquarters in March concerning the sex video. This is because Anwar had never sued Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah for libel when he said the (sex) video was not true," she told reporters after lodging the report.
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| Malaysia activists outraged after 300 cats starved Posted: 05 Sep 2011 11:52 PM PDT (AP) - Malaysian pet owners and activists who found nearly 300 starving cats caged and soaked in excrement at pet care centers demanded sterner laws Tuesday against cruelty to animals. The felines had been left with a company that was supposed to take care of them in Malaysia's central Selangor state while their owners returned to their hometowns for a week to celebrate the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr. Many owners became worried when they were later unable to contact company representatives. Rescue volunteers broke into the company's two facilities Sunday and discovered the emaciated cats lying in their own feces and urine in cages stacked atop each other. Activists estimated at least 12 cats were dead and dozens more were missing. Police have questioned the company owner and an employee, but no arrests have been made. The case has energized activists to push for stronger prosecution against people who mistreat animals, said Christine Chin, who heads the Malaysian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "There is no deterrent in this country for animal cruelty, so the problem just spreads," Chin said. More than 7,500 people have joined a Facebook group created Monday demanding government action against the company that abandoned the cats. The animals' owners were also considering suing it for breach of contract, Chin said. Chin said her organization receives about 200 complaints of animal mistreatment each month, mostly involving dogs. However, it has recorded only about five prosecutions by authorities in the past decade. Malaysian laws provide for a 200 ringgit ($66) fine and a jail term of up to six months for people convicted of cruelty to animals. However, only one offender is known to have been jailed - for a day - after he kept his dog chained so tightly that it suffered a bloodied neck wound, Chin said. Government veterinarian resources are often focused on livestock and the prevention of disease outbreaks, with insufficient attention paid to animal cruelty, Chin added. Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin, head of Malaysia's Veterinary Services Department, told reporters Monday there were already plans to introduce a new law next year to raise the animal cruelty fine to 100,000 ringgit ($34,000). Chin said activists also want offenders to be forced to undergo psychiatric treatment and be banned from owning pets.
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| Jais charges Khalid Samad over unauthorised sermon Posted: 05 Sep 2011 10:28 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — Selangor's religious authorities have clamped down on the state's PAS leadership, charging deputy commissioner Khalid Samad over giving a sermon without permission and revoking state chief Rani Othman's religious credentials. According to Harakahdaily, Khalid was summoned to the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) today and notified of the charge in relation to a sermon he gave in Klang during the recent fasting month. The PAS party organ also said that Rani, whose credentials expired during Ramadan, had his renewal application rejected. "I received the credentials last year and applied to extend them but I received a letter from Jais informing me that my application has been rejected and my credentials revoked," the Meru assemblyman said of the license which allows a Muslim scholar to give sermons without prior permission. Khalid was charge under Section 119 of the Selangor Islamic Religious Administration Enactment for giving a sermon in a surau at Taman Seri Sementa, Kapar in Klang on August 16 without prior permission. The Shah Alam MP will face trial on November 24 in the Klang Syariah court. He told Harakahdaily today that the sermon had touched on the role of Muslims in the religious affairs of the state.
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| The greater threat than communists according to Salahuddin Posted: 05 Sep 2011 07:19 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Sep 6: The act of distributing instant Malaysian citizenship to foreigners for political reasons is greater threat to the country than communists, said PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub. "Giving citizenship to foreigners and have them registered as voters is more dangerous than militant communists," Salahuddin told Harakahdaily, in response to Mohamad Sabu's August 21 speech urging people to be wary of UMNO's twisting of the nation's history of independence.The PAS deputy president has been the target of an intense media campaign by UMNO for stating that those who launched the famous attack in Bukit Kepong in 1950, killing scores of colonial-era policemen, were the true freedom fighters, and not as being depicted by official propaganda including by UMNO-leaning film makers. The remark and the reactions which followed immediately resurrected a decades-old debate on the distortion of Malaysia's history of independence, with historians and politicians urging for a re-think of historical narrations as they could have been written to serve British colonialists who handed over power to a select group of leaders with whom they felt comfortable to deal.
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| Posted: 05 Sep 2011 05:22 PM PDT (Daily Express) - Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) on Monday welcomes Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement that SAPP need not join the Pakatan Rakyat in toppling the Barisan Nasional (BN). Its President, Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee, said Anwar has also given assurance that Pakatan can negotiate with the SAPP in going against the BN one-to-one in the next election. "As the de facto leader of PKR and Pakatan, Anwar has re-set the button on the relationship between SAPP and Pakatan to the same positive footing that SAPP had with Pakatan in 2008," he said in a statement. On the policy framework, he said SAPP has been supportive of the national opposition agenda for change, clean elections, an independent judiciary and an efficient economy. In fact, he said SAPP's two MPs, namely Datuk Eric Majimbun and Datuk Chua Soon Bui, have been consistent on this matter. He said SAPP's eight-point declaration in June 2008 stated that the Government shall be of the people based on good governance and civil society and non-racial politics based on a progressive, just and harmonious society. At the same time, Yong said the party also fights for Sabah autonomy, 20 per cent oil royalties, return of Labuan, review of unfair federal laws in Sabah, Borneonisation of the civil service, solution to the illegal immigrants issue and redressing the socio-economic imbalances affecting Sabah.
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| Ex-senator agrees with US cable on Sabah situation Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:56 PM PDT
A Sabah activist claims a 'reverse takeover' was happening in Peninsular Malaysia where names of non-citizens were begining to appear on electoral rolls. (Free Malaysia Today) - Former senator Dr Chong Eng Leong has endorsed a US embassy cable that revealed the federal government's alleged involvement in the recruitment of illegal immigrants for political support in Sabah. The practising surgeon who has been fighting a decade long battle to prevent the takeover of the state by illegal immigrants, alleged that government politicians had acted treasonously by ignoring immigration laws and would never allow an investigation into the matter. Chong, who is currently a Sabah PKR leader, said the same reverse takeover was happening in the peninsula where the names of non-citizens were beginning to appear on electoral rolls. "BN wants to regain political support in the peninsula through non-citizens' votes – by giving away our sovereign rights. "That's why one of Bersih 2.0 demands is calling for the electoral rolls to be rid of phantom voters. He reiterated that in the 90's, when peninsula-based Umno spread its wings to Sabah, an Umno Task Force was set up to look for foreigners who were then issued Malaysian ICs, registered as Umno members and as voters in Sabah electoral rolls. "The director of this task force was Musa Aman and the deputy was Yayha Hussin, current Sabah Chief Minister and deputy CM. "That is the reason why RCI on Sabah illegal immigrants and Project IC will never be set up as long as Umno and BN is still the federal government," he added. "Recipients (of Malaysian citizenship papers) stated openly that they got ICs through Project Mahathir – stated under oath by Election Commission registering officer during the 1999 Likas election petition trial (to prove presence of non-citizen names on the electoral roll)," he said. Unnatural population surge Chong also disputed the Statistics Department's 2010 numbers that they were 2.354 million Malaysians in Sabah. He contended that if Sabah's population growth rate since 1970 were the same as Sarawak's, then Sabah in 2010 should have 1.617 million Malaysians, instead of 2.354 million Malaysians.
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| Razali backs call for A-G to act against Anwar Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:45 PM PDT
(NST) - Deputy Umno Youth chief Datuk Razali Ibrahim has come out in support of the call by a senior lawyer for the Attorney-General to initiate fresh summons against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for contempt of court. He also said Anwar's passport should be compounded to stop him from going overseas and belittling the country with his comments. Razali, who is also deputy youth and sports minister, told a news conference here yesterday that he did not see Anwar defending himself at the trial. He said Anwar did not take the witness stand and neither did he take his oath. Razali said if the A-G did not take action against Anwar, others could also belittle the court and get away with it, and the people would lose respect for the law. However, Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh said the opposition leader had a "substantive right" to make a statement from the dock.
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| DAP claims Rasah postal voters using army spouses’ IC numbers Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:34 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — DAP has claimed that at least 21 postal voters are registered in Rasah with identification (IC) numbers belonging to their spouses who are army officers. Rasah MP Anthony Loke told reporters today that 19 wives and two husbands registered at the army camp in his constituency had IC numbers which corresponded to their spouses birthdates and also ended with digits denoting the wrong gender. (The National Registration Department (NRD) issues IC numbers ending with odd numbers for males and even numbers for females.) "We do not even know whether the spouses really exist," the DAP youth chief said. Loke said that he suspected that the IC numbers belonged to the army officers, who are themselves registered at the camp under their own military ICs, allowing someone to double vote. "These IC numbers do not belong to the spouse of the army personnel. So the spouse's own IC numbers can still be registered elsewhere and someone can vote twice. It doesn't matter who. The issue is an extra vote can be made," he added. He said that the Election Commission (EC) ruling last year that spouses can be registered as postal voters meant that all constituencies could potentially see postal votes doubling. "This is not confined to my constituency. We have evidence in Rasah but also know it happens in Rembau, (Umno Youth chief) Khairy Jamaluddin's constituency which we will scan through next," he added. In the second quarter of this year alone, Loke said that 269 spouses have been added in his constituency where there were over 2,000 army postal voters for Election 2008. Loke also found a Yuzina Nodin married to another female named Yuniza Nodin who both had the same birthdate. "I'm not sure whether the Malaysian army has allowed same sex marriage," he joked.
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| Now PAS wants review of independence struggle Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:20 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — PAS today urged Putrajaya to form a Cabinet committee to review the history of the nation's independence amid controversy surrounding the party's deputy president's remarks on Malaya's pre-independence freedom fighters. PAS No. 2 Mohamad Sabu, widely known as Mat Sabu, told a Bukit Gelugor ceramah recently that those who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station — which killed 25 — during the pre-independence communist insurgency in 1950 were freedom fighters, including Muhammad Indera. PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali said today that Umno had lied in calling Muhammad, better known as Mat Indera, a communist, highlighting a book endorsed by the Johor state government titled "Pengukir Nama Johor". "If he is sincere, (Prime Minister Datuk Seri) Najib (Razak) can set up a Cabinet committee to review the history of the country's independence," said PAS vice-president Salahuddin Ayub at a press conference today with Mohamad, Mustafa, party central committee member Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and party information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Mohamad has since been accused of being a communist sympathiser by Umno leaders and sniped at daily in Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia despite denying that he had used the word "communism" in his speech. Umno Youth said recently it would gather former soldiers, policemen and kinsmen of victims of the Bukit Kepong tragedy in a nationwide roadshow — called the Pentas Patriot or Patriot Stage — to counter Mohamad's view of the fire-fight. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has also accepted a challenge to debate Mohamad on the latter's remarks, although the PAS No. 2 said today that he would let the party's Youth wing debate instead. Mohamad has previously pointed out that Mat Indera was already recognised a freedom fighter by Umno-controlled daily Berita Harian on August 13, 2010. Mustafa said the nation's history needed to be reviewed as the official version only recognised Umno as Malaya's independence fighters. "The fight for independence didn't start with Umno... the ones who fought the British were the Malay Nationalist Party (PKMM)," he said.
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| Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:17 PM PDT By Karim Raslan, The Star Corruption is one of the biggest challenges facing Asia's rapidly maturing democracies. The regions' leaders must acknowledge that power cannot exist without responsibility. ACROSS the region, the failure to fight graft has made ordinary people lose confidence in the political process, the police and the courts of law. Popular frustration and anger is clear for all to see. Interestingly, India is witnessing the emergence of influential non-institutional players responding to the society-wide sense of revulsion. This comes at a time of galloping economic growth in India — some 7.7%. However, despite the good news, the world's largest democracy has also been beset by a stream of high-level scandals — ranging from the improper sale of 2G telecom licences to mismanagement and graft in the preparations for the recent 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
Indeed, its rising prosperity has made these scandals all the more unacceptable to its middle classes. Given the context, it's unsurprising therefore that a figure like Anna ("Big Brother" in Hindi) Hazare's anti-corruption campaign has found so much resonance in Indian public life. A 74-year-old civil society activist, Hazare has made the fight against corruption his life's work. A military man turned Gandhian, he spent many years promoting his brand of socio-economic and spiritual development in his home village of Ralegan Siddhi, in the booming state of Maharashtra. By the 1990s, however, Hazare had turned his attention to beyond his village. He started targeting corruption in his home state and employing the tactics of his icon Gandhi by using selective hunger strikes against politicians and policies he disapproved of. Matters came to a head this year when Hazare demanded that the Indian government adopt legislation his supporters had drafted for the appointment of an anti-corruption ombudsman. Hazare claimed the original Bill was ineffective and allowed for too much external political interference. Hazare's independently-constituted Jan Lokpal (Sanskrit for "People's Protector") ombudsman commission is set to have the power to investigate all levels of the government (including the Prime Minister), directly impose punishments on offenders and provide protection for whistleblowers. It would even have the power to obtain wire taps on suspects. When Premier Mamohan Singh rejected his demands, Hazare famously launched a "fast-unto-death", leading to his arrest in Delhi. This, in turn, led to a groundswell of support as well as nationwide demonstrations. While the Congress-led Indian government initially held firm, the outcry eventually forced them to back down. Hazare was released and Manmohan promised to draft the Bill according to the former's specifications. What's this got to do with Malaysia? First, it's a sign that desperate times call for desperate measures. Hazare's tactics reveal his almost complete disdain for parliamentary politics. Notwithstanding his hardline position, he's managed to capture the public imagination and much of this is due to his shrewd understanding and manipulation of popular grievances. Frankly, I think Malaysia needs its own Anna Hazare. We need a charismatic, morally irreproachable figure to inject some sense into our public discourse. Moreover, Hazare's Jan Lokpal certainly sounds more appealing than our MACC. If that's the case, who could become Malaysia's Hazare? Is it even possible for any public figure to develop appeal across ethnic lines these days? Would middle class Malaysians now flush with democratic consciousness be willing to imitate their Indian counterparts in dispensing with constitutional niceties to fight corruption? In short, how far would we be willing to go to clean up our system? What would we do if we had to absolutely choose between democracy and good government? Does democracy sometimes need to be rolled back to save it from itself? What happens when people want more freedom and democracy, but without the difficult process of strengthening the underlying institutions of state? Second, the Hazare affair ought to be a warning sign to Malaysian politicians. Leaders are not indispensible — if you fail to deliver you will be replaced sooner or later. India's elite failed to quell the rising tide of corruption. Indeed, they have been complicit in perpetuating it. This, in turn, permitted a figure like Hazare to step into the moral vacuum they vacated, imbuing him with the authority and political capital to dictate his terms. Power cannot exist without responsibility. If Malaysia's rulers think that they really know better and that it would be an unmitigated disaster if the country were led by anyone but themselves, then they best start bucking up, especially in the issue of corruption.
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| Malaysia under Scrutiny as Illegal Ivory Seizures Spike in August Posted: 05 Sep 2011 03:09 PM PDT By International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development Late August saw a surge in arrests related to the illicit trade of African ivory with the seizure of two major shipments destined for markets in Asia. Tanzanian officials on 24 August announced the discovery of more than 1,000 elephant tusks hidden in a shipment of dried fish bound for Malaysia. Five days later, Hong Kong authorities intercepted a further 794 tusks - weighing close to two tonnes - from Malaysia bound for Mainland China. The timing of the seizures coincides with a major illegal wildlife trade training session presented by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and Interpol in Gaborone, Botswana. Officials from IFAW said the Tanzanian shipment underscores the fact that more training is needed to help save elephants - particularly those in the Congo Basin, which are most threatened. "We need a global outcry to spur investment in creating the necessary wildlife law enforcement capacity to take on the international criminal syndicates who benefit from these massacres," said James Isiche, IFAW's East Africa director. Countries across sub-Saharan Africa have been struggling with how to effectively deal with poachers, who target elephants and rhinos for their tusks which are used for ornaments and in medicines, particularly in China. Illicit trade in African ivory has been on the increase since 2004, with many experts pointing to increased disposable income in China as a major factor in growing demand. According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), China is now the single biggest consumer of illegal ivory. But Malaysia - the common link in the late-August seizures - is increasingly under scrutiny for its role as a hub for illegal wildlife shipments northward. In the past decade, Hong Kong authorities have intercepted two other major shipments of African ivory from the Southeast Asian country also destined for Mainland China. In December 2009, Hong Kong customs officials seized a container shipped from Malaysia containing 186 pieces of Nigerian ivory. The container was erroneously labelled "white wood." Similarly, in 2003, police seized 275 tusks en route from Malaysia, weighing nearly 2 tonnes. The Tusks had originally been shipped from Tanzania. The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), an illegal ivory trade monitoring system operated by monitoring agency TRAFFIC on behalf of CITES, says Malaysia has progressively gained prominence as a transit country of choice for African ivory. "This latest Hong Kong seizure further underscores Malaysia's role as an intermediary country in the illicit flow of African ivory to Asia," said Tom Milliken, TRAFFIC's Elephant & Rhino Programme Coordinator. "It's time for Malaysia to get tough on international ivory smugglers, who are tarnishing the country's reputation." The shipment of Tanzanian elephant tusks concealed in sacks of dried sardines was also earmarked for export to Malaysia. Authorities in Zanzibar have arrested two suspects. |
| Bian: Sarawak govt wrongly advised on NCR Posted: 05 Sep 2011 10:45 AM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Is the Sarawak government being wrongly advised on the issue of native customary rights (NCR) over land? The opposition here believes that the Attorney-General's Chambers is not knowledgeable enough about the reach of the NCR issues and is ill-advising the state government. Said Sarawak PKR leader Baru Bian: "The advice given (to the state government) is that NCR land only covers temuda land, and it does not cover pulau galau (communal forest), pemakai menua (territorial domain), pendam (graves) and tembawai (old longhouse sites). "But we have proved to them that they are wrong. "The High Court, the Court of Appeal and the Federal Court have agreed with our interpretation and have ruled that the NCR land also covers pemakai menua, pulau galau, pendam and so on." Asked why the state government has been ignoring the court decisions, Bian said the government was afraid that recognising the court rulings would mean that the entire state could come under NCR ownership. "Accepting the ruling on pulau galau and pemakai menua means the whole of Sarawak belongs to the natives. That's why the state government is worried. "A lot of areas deemed to be state land may not be state land after all; it could be NCR land. "Those are not my words, but the words of a government officer," he said, citing remarks made by a government officer in the Nor Anak Nyawai case. Indiscriminate approvals According to the officer, if the government is to recognise pulau galau and pemakai menoa as part of NCR land, then it would have to survey all the NCR land. Bian said the state government has been indiscriminately approving licences, leases and provisional leases covering pemakai menua, pulau galau and temuda land to oil palm and timber companies. "Many native landowners have sued the government over its decision to take away their NCR land.
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| Nazri says no to zero Chinese representation in government Posted: 05 Sep 2011 09:06 AM PDT
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 6 — A senior Umno minister has declared that he would fight tooth and nail to ensure Chinese representation in a Barisan Nasional (BN) government even if the MCA or Gerakan fails to secure a single parliamentary seat in the coming polls. Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz told The Malaysian Insider that BN would not "punish" the Chinese voters by simply yanking their representatives from Cabinet posts if they refused to vote for the two Chinese-centric component parties. While admitting that the matter would not be his to decide, the minister in the Prime Minister's Department gave his word that he would champion this cause to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should such a situation arise when the coalition retains the government."I want to tell the Chinese voters that BN is a multi-racial government and regardless of the outcome of the elections, we will always have a Chinese representative in Cabinet. I want to say this with certainty even though I am a nobody in Umno... not even a vice-president. "But if it should come to that, I will do my very best to persuade the PM that we should not have a single communal government. The system allows us to appoint senators and we need to have representatives of the non-Malay community," he said. Nazri recalled that such a promise was made by the country's longest-serving prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad during his tenure in government. "I remember back when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was PM... he told Cabinet that even if we come to a stage where MCA or Gerakan loses in all parliamentary seats, we cannot form a Malay government. "We cannot be a single communal government as it simple goes against the spirit and policy of BN. We cannot punish and penalise a section of the community just because they do not support BN," he said. Nazri was recalling a pledge made by MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek several months ago when the former Cabinet minister said he would pull his party from the government if it performs worse than it did in Election 2008.
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| 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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