Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- RM7.55 bil armoured carriers: DAP goes ballistic
- Southeast Asia Mints More Millionaires
- No action against ‘notorious’ military contractors
- 'Wrong to question those who fought communists'
- Malaysia on track for Digital Economy by 2020
- Soi Lek tells people to be ‘less hateful’, ‘less jealous’
- Nine ministries overspent RM3.73b, says government audit
- Auditor-General: Putrajaya risked lives in delaying Bukit Jalil stadium roof repair
- Holland bans Malaysian logs
- Thumbs up for good paymaster S’gor
- Govt agencies show better financial management, says Auditor-General
- Muhyiddin defends statement on Guan Eng’s son
- Motion against Khairy’s ‘breasts’ comment
- Hasan’s Himpun attendance not sign of tension within PAS
- Gutter politics or sordid politicians?
- ‘I don’t know what Anwar was talking about’
- Policy outcry as more asylum seekers arrive by boat
- Kit Siang: Cease acrimony against SAPP
- Najib: Aziz Bari case misunderstood
- PKR, DAP in seat tussle
- National debt in 2010 at RM407b, says government audit
- Food prices push September inflation rate up
- Muhyiddin: Police probe best way to clear air over Guan Eng’s son
- PAS readies new media troopers for next GE
- Perkasa says Himpun united PAS and Umno
- Opposition's double standards in Aziz Bari issue questioned
- Veterans flay Mat Sabu in newspaper ad
- PM: 1,600 Indians got citizenship
- Papers apologise to Kalimullah over secrets leak claim
- China-Malaysia trade to hit $100b in 3 yrs
- Holland Condemns Malaysia’s Timber Certification!
- Boosted by social media, activists reclaim space for causes
- Utusan: Let police probe claims surrounding Guan Eng’s son
- Bersih keeps momentum alive with overseas campaign
- Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam"
- DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues
- Gerakan shows support for DAP
- Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally
- PAS eyeing five Negri state seats
- OWC stirs controversy again
- Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus
- Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view
- Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops
- UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension
- Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism
- Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire
- PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE
| RM7.55 bil armoured carriers: DAP goes ballistic Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:09 PM PDT The government will pay RM7.55-billion for 257 APCs, four times more than an originally intended deal made earlier this year. (Free Malaysia Today) - Under a new agreement, the government will pay RM7.55 billion for 257 armored personnel carriers (APCs), four times more for the same deal made earlier this year. However, the government claims to have no knowledge of the February deal for 257 Turkish Pars 8×8 APCs, which at the time, cost US$559 million (RM1.749 billion). This irked DAP's PJ Utara MP Tony Pua, who launched an attack on the government. "Minister of Defence Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was there to witness the signing between (Turkish company) FNSS and (Malaysian company) Deftech," he said. Speaking to reporters in Parliament, he said the difference in price is so big that a responsible government must ask, "What are the differences that make up the gap (between the two prices)?" On Oct 18, Pua asked the defence minister in Parliament why the government was willing to spend RM7.8 billion for the 257 APCs. In a written response, Zahid replied: "The finalised price for the procurement of 257 APCs is RM7.55 billion for a period of seven years from 2011 to 2018, and not RM7.8 billion as said." "The Defence Ministry has no information over the 257 APCs by Deftech… with Turkey's FNSS for the price of US$559 million. Therefore, the question is out of the ministry's knowledge." According to a Jun 3 BAE Systems news release, military equipment manufacturer FNSS signed a US$559-million letter of offer and acceptance from Deftech Sdn Bhd for the design, development and building of the 257 APCs.
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| Southeast Asia Mints More Millionaires Posted: 23 Oct 2011 06:08 PM PDT By Eric Bellman, Wall Street Journal If you've been placed on another long waiting list to buy a Breitling or a BMW, it may be because Southeast Asia is spawning a growing number of the world's newest nouveau riche. The number of millionaires almost tripled in Singapore over the last year and a half while it came close to doubling in both Indonesia and Malaysia, according to a report this week from Credit Suisse Group. When compared to the numbers from the report released early last year, those three countries alone have given birth to close to 190,000 new millionaires since the beginning of last year according to the report, which did not give figures for the Philippines or Thailand. That total is short of the 212,000 new millionaires minted in China over the same period but well ahead of the other BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia and India) which had each added less than 100,000 new millionaires. So where is all the new money coming from? Much of the rise is just a reflection of the weakening dollar, which makes the Singapore dollar- and rupiah-denominated riches look more impressive when translated into U.S. dollars. Otherwise it can be attributed to growing savings, stock and property prices. Credit-Suisse defines wealth as a person's financial and real estate assets minus their debt. The number of people with wealth of more than $1 million shot up by 118,000 in Singapore during the period to 183,000, which means the small city state is one of the places you are most likely to randomly bump into a millionaire. Even the average Singaporean is wealthy compared to the rest of the world. Average household wealth was $285,000 in the middle of this year, the report said. That makes Singaporeans the fifth wealthiest in the world (after Switzerland, Australia, Norway and France.) Malaysia added 19,000 new millionaires over the 18 months, bringing its total to 39,000. Meanwhile the number of millionaires in Indonesia jumped by 52,000 people to 112,000. Interestingly, Indonesia had 12 billionaires by the middle of this year, according to Credit-Suisse's calculations, more than Singapore and Malaysia combined. Average wealth in Indonesia – which is Southeast Asia's largest economy but has a population of around 240 million – was lower than its neighbors at around $12,000. That's still a great improvement from the turn of the century when it was as lows as $2,000. "The rise in personal wealth in Indonesia has been stunning since the year 2000, with average wealth growing by a factor of five," the report said. Strong currencies, rising property prices, climbing commodity prices and healthy stock markets have helped the region but the real secret to Southeast Asia's success may be how stingy money makers are here. Average household debt which offsets much of savings and investments in Western countries is very low in the region. It's only 13% of total assets in Singapore and 2.5% of total assets in Indonesia. |
| No action against ‘notorious’ military contractors Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:57 PM PDT Defence Ministry keeps errant contractors despite reminders from Auditor-General's Office. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Defence Ministry refused to take stern action against 10 errant contractors who were awarded contracts worth RM76 million for work delays despite being notified by the Auditor-General's Office. Each of these companies recorded various levels of delay in repairing the air force's Aviation Ground Support Vehicles (AGSV). The 2010 AG's Report noted that instead of severely censoring them, the ministry extended their contracts. In its rebuke, the AG noted that the ministry did nothing more than issue these notorious contractors warning letters. "And their contracts were extended till Dec 6 last year although their contracts were supposed to expire on June 5," noted the report. It noted that the companies most notorious for their delay in delivery of repaired vehicles were Kobat Engineering Sdn Bhd, Sesama Auto Sdn Bhd, Aerospace Technology System Corporation Sdn Bhd and Aviasi Industri Sdn Bhd. Kobat Engineering had the worst track record, while another company Aviasi took more than a year to repair and return a towing truck to the ministry. "And the excuse they gave is lack of expertise, no spare parts and sometimes say they couldn't even find what's the problem with the vehicle," noted the AG's Report.
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| 'Wrong to question those who fought communists' Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:53 PM PDT By Rozanna Latif, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said questioning the sacrifices of police officers who fought against the communists is "an unforgivable sin" akin to an act of treason. He said the police officers who had given their lives to fight the communist threat had ensured that the country did not suffer the same fate as nations like Cambodia, which fell under a totalitarian communist regime. He said investigations had revealed that Muhammad Ahmad Indera (Mat Indera), who led the attack on a police station in Bukit Kepong in 1950, was a communist. In a recording of an interview with police officers, Mat Indera admitted to being a member of the Malayan Communist Party. "There is a book titled Dialogues with Chin Peng in which (MCP leader) Chin Peng himself claimed that Mat Indera was a member," said Najib, adding that plans were under way to enact a memorial in Bukit Kepong to commemorate the incident. Present at the gathering of more than 6,000 retired and former police officers and their families were Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop and former IGP Tun Hanif Omar. |
| Malaysia on track for Digital Economy by 2020 Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:47 PM PDT (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on the right path towards a digital economy by 2020 amid strong demand for new technology, says Nielsen, a leading global information and analytics provider. There is strong interest for new technology as Malaysians are ready for the changes as shown in the Malaysian Digital Consumer Report 2011, said Luca Griseri, Nielsen Malaysia director of customised research, client services. Griseri said the report revealed that the take-up rate for smartphones and tablet computers is gaining significant momentum in Malaysia, and therefore the industry must ensure easy access for these devices. "Smartphone ownership is expected to double in the next 12 months to reach 89 per cent from 48 per cent currently, while tablet computers is likely to reach 75 per cent from 18 per cent presently," he said. Griseri said Malaysia is still lagging behind Singapore and Thailand in terms of Internet penetration and usage of new technology due to lack of infrastructure and geographical issues such as Malaysia being surrounded by forests. Griseri said it is important for traditional media such as television and radio to integrate with online media to ensure a successful digital industry. |
| Soi Lek tells people to be ‘less hateful’, ‘less jealous’ Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:34 PM PDT By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Leaders will have less to worry if the rakyat can be less hateful, less jealous, more forgiving, Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said today. "We have to unshackle the grip on social discontentment and think positively ahead to create a Malaysian society that has great compassion, innovativeness and creativeness to move forward," the MCA president said in his Deepavali message. |
| Nine ministries overspent RM3.73b, says government audit Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:29 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Nine ministries and government departments overspent last year's overall operational allocation by a total of RM3.73 billion, according to the Auditor-General's Report released today. The ministries include the Education Ministry, Health Ministry, Home Ministry, Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry, Public Service Department, Attorney-General's Department, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Public Services Commission. The report stated that the overspending in several ministries was unavoidable due to additional activities and unscheduled payments. "According to financial rules, an expenditure can only be carried out if the approved financial allocation was enough. The audit checks found that this rule was not fully abided by several ministries who have overspent beyond what has been allocated.
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| Auditor-General: Putrajaya risked lives in delaying Bukit Jalil stadium roof repair Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:27 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Putrajaya risked public safety when it took four years to approve funds to repair the damaged roof at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, the Auditor-General said in his report released today. The report highlighted that the Merdeka Stadium Corporation (MSC), a federal statutory body responsible for the management of all national sports complexes, had applied to repair damage to the Bukit Jalil Stadium a total of four times since 2006. The government finally approved RM30 million to repair the damaged stadium (picture) in December last year, the report added. "The Auditor is of the view the delay in completing the roof repairs at Bukit Jalil National Stadium... was because the government did not approve the allocation applied for since 2006. "This could jeopardise the comfort of users who would be exposed to the rain and endanger their safety if the roof collapsed especially for international events," the report said. The report said the 90,000-capacity stadium had a 10-year warranty for the German-made membrane roof cover, which expired in 2008, but noted MSC could not get a replacement roof because it was damaged by fireworks. It noted too the stadium, which has hosted 2,100 events between 2008 and 2010, require other immediate repairs and pointed out rusty and loose cable screws holding up the roof.
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| Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:25 PM PDT (FMT) - KUCHING: Whilst Sarawak continues to turn its nose on international regulations over timber certifications, Netherlands has ruled that wood from Malaysia is not worthy of entry onto its shores. The country's Independent Appeals Board in Amsterdam recently ruled that Malaysia's regulations governing forestation was well below world standards. Ruling in favour of international NGO Greenpeace, the Board concurred with Greenpeace's complaint that Malaysia's wood certification scheme fell below the acceptable world standards and was not a badge of good practice. Greenpeace's complaint was based on 'solid evidence and international reports' which it had compiled and presented to the Board. According to the Appeals Board judgment, the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) had demonstrated: i) No respect for the rights of indigenous peoples, ii) Maps of MTCS certified forests are not adequately accessible to the public, iii) The EIAs used for environmental impact assessment in Malaysia are inadequate to assess sustainability and iv) No guarantee can be given that MTCS certified forests do not disappear for other land uses, such as plantations. The decision simply means that the Dutch will ban wood products certified under the MTCS from entering the country. Tighter laws The Dutch government policy on the import of raw materials must comply with general European Commission (EC) policy, and with respect to this product the guidelines set by the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO). The EC follows basic tenets in their Environmental Action Programme (EAP). The EAP states that wood can only be imported from tropical areas that are managed and practice sustainable wood harvesting practices. Netherlands along with a host of other countries are complying with European Union (EU) efforts to standardise basic trade regulations in the bloc. FMT learnt that certain locales within Netherland and in neighbouring countries within the EU bloc have already banned the use of tropical hard woods in construction projects especially those imported from Malaysia and to a lesser extent Indonesia. Stubborn Sarawak However this doesn't seem to bother Sarawak. Last week State Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Awang Tengah Ali Hassan stubbornly said Sarawak will not comply with international timber certification and trade regulations. He said the state "already has its own set of timber industry policies".
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| Thumbs up for good paymaster S’gor Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:23 PM PDT By Teoh El Sen, FMT PETALING JAYA: The Selangor state government has been lauded in the 2010 Auditor-General's Report for its "very good" performance in decreasing public debts. "Performance in payment of public debt in 2010 was very good because public debt dropped by RM58.91 million whereas loan repayment arrears were reduced by RM173.47 million," said the report. The report showed that in 2010, the Pakatan Rakyat-controlled state's debt to the federal government had decreased by 5.5% (RM58.91 million) – from RM1,004.64 million (2010) compared to RM1,063.55million (2009). The loan repayment arrears were reduced by 20.9% from RM829.86 million (2009) to RM656.39 million (2010). Among others, this achievement was due to a repayment of loans on lost-cost houses (RM52.42 million), forest farming project (RM6.49 million), an exemption from interest rates for all outstanding loans on a water supply project and a write-off of all arrears on the same loan from the federal government. "Consolidated state revenue recorded a surplus of RM124.24 million compared to the deficit of RM65.96 million in 2009," the report stated. Describing Selangor's financial position as "satisfactory", the report said the state's consolidated funds increased by RM266.91 million (20.2%) to RM1,586.88 million (2010) compared to RM1,319.97 million in 2009. However, the state's revenue dropped by 10.9%, a decrease of RM192.36 million to RM1,571.50 million (2010) from RM1,763.86 million in the previous year.
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| Govt agencies show better financial management, says Auditor-General Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Government agencies have shown better financial management performance for the year 2010 compared to the previous year. In a statement during the presentation of the 2010 Auditor General's Report at Dewan Rakyat, the National Audit Department said 357 government agencies were audited last year and 77 of them attained the "very good" rating compared to only 48 out 399 given the same ranking in 2009. "The significant improvement signifies that the implementation of the Accountability Index (AI) proved to be an incentive to heads of departments and agencies to pay more attention to financial management," the department said. The department implemented the AI-based audit rating system in 2007 divided into mandatory and rotational categories to assess the extent of government agencies' financial management compliance with statutory laws and regulations. The statement added that 368 out of 453 audited annual financial statements were given audit certificates without a reprimand in 2010, meaning they were completely satisfactory. Thirty-three financial statements were issued certificates with reprimand as the auditor was dissatisfied with certain aspects of the statements. In comparison, 357 financial statements were issued certificates without a reprimand and 25 with certificates with a reprimand in the year 2009, it said. BERNAMA |
| Muhyiddin defends statement on Guan Eng’s son Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:19 PM PDT The DPM blames the media for spinning the issue with the aim of sowing enmity between him and Lim. (Free Malaysia Today) - Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin today defended his statement urging Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to lodge a police report to clear his 16-year-old son from allegations of sexual assault. He also said his statement on the matter was "spun" by the alternative media like The Malaysian Insider. Muhyiddin, who is also the Education Minister, said his statement that a mere denial from Lim was insufficient to clear his son's name carried no malice and that it was made only as a response from reporters from the said online news portal. He suggested that the questions posed to him on the matter were sinister in nature and was aimed at sowing enmity between him and Lim. "I know what he (Lim) feels, I have children too and I am against dragging families into politics," he told Parliament during his ministry's winding up speech on the 2012 Budget debate. "The truth is I don't really care about the allegations. I just said it in response to questions by reporters from the likes of The Malaysian Insider. My statement was spun," he said, in response to queries made by Lim Kit Siang (DAP-Ipoh Timur). Kit Siang, the grandfather of the teen that was accused of molesting his female schoolmate, had asked Muhyiddin if he trusted his own staff including the principal of the school who denied there was any sexual assault case involving Lim's son. The Ipoh Timur had criticised the DPM for saying "denial alone is not enough" to absolve his grandson from the allegation, calling it a violation to children's rights to protection.
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| Motion against Khairy’s ‘breasts’ comment Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:17 PM PDT Karpal Singh says the motion is of urgent public importance as Khairy's words brought the House into disrepute. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP MP Karpal Singh wants the Dewan Rakyat to adjourn proceedings to discuss a motion regarding Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin's remarks against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and his son. Karpal (Bukit Gelugor) today submitted his notice for the motion to Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia at the latter's chambers this morning. "These baseless, unfounded, scurrilous and barbaric words directly refer to the 16-year-old son of Bagan MP (Lim), accused by bloggers of outraging the modesty of a woman," he said in a letter to Pandikar Amin. Karpal was referring to Rembau MP's Oct 17 tweet, where the latter said: "Mungkin dia roboh Kampung Buah Pala sebab nak ganti dengan Kampung Buah Dada." In English it means: "Maybe he demolished Kampung Buah Pala because he wanted to replace it with Kampung Breasts." At the time, Khairy was referring to allegations raised by pro-Umno bloggers that Lim's son had supposedly molested a female schoolmate. He was also referring to Kampung Buah Pala, a demolished Indian village in Penang. The blogs also claimed that Lim had paid off the victim's family RM200,000 to keep them quiet. Khairy's comments as well as these allegations caused an uproar within Pakatan Rakyat, which denounced them as lies. DAP later revealed that the alleged molest victim, as published in the pro-Umno blogs, was international chess champion Anya Corke, who said that she had not been to Malaysia in the past seven years. Corke also said that she neither met with Lim's son, nor was she molested in any way. Criminal defamation Karpal felt that Khairy is guilty of criminal defamation for his comments which have not been retracted. "Khairy has clearly committed an offence of criminal defamation against (Lim's son) under Section 500 of the Penal Code."
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| Hasan’s Himpun attendance not sign of tension within PAS Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:14 PM PDT PAS leaders defended their colleague Selangor executive councillor Hasan Ali's personal right to attend the Himpun gathering. (Free malaysia Today) - PAS Youth chief Nasruddin Hasan Tantawi, who was conspicuously missing from last Saturday's 'Himpunan Sejuta Umat' (Himpun) gathering, said today that he stayed away out of respect for the organisors who wished to keep the event apolitical. Nasruddin's absence was noticeable because he was among those who had openly supported the Himpun gathering against the wishes of party leaders. PAS central leadership had decided to stay away from the gathering but did not ban party members from attending in their personal capacity. "I didn't attend because the organisers had requested for the event to be apolitical. "My stand on the matter is not contradictory to the party's official stand. "There is not much difference (with the central party's stand). "We (PAS Youth) were merely expressing our support for Muslims to gather to strengthen their faith" he told FMT. Subdued rally Although organizers planned to gather one million Muslims to gauge the "unity" among them particularly against proselytising, only about 5,000 supporters turned up at the Shah Alam stadium on Saturday, Oct 22 in what was mostly a subdued rally. The event was organised hot on the heels of the Aug 3 controversial raid by Selangor religious authority, JAIS on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC). The raid followed a tip-off that proselytisation activity was happening at an event. Despite the PAS' ban on members attending Saturday's event, PAS Selangor executive councilor in charge of religious affairs, Hasan Ali attended it. Hasan who supported the raid on DUMC did not speak at the event but only recited a prayer at the end of it. He was one of the two notable political figures who attended Saturday's rally. The other was Perkasa chief, Ibrahim Ali.
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| Gutter politics or sordid politicians? Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:03 PM PDT By Soong Phui Jee, AsiaOne Some bloggers have made accusations against Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's son of sexual molestation and instead of condemning the acts, some politicians have taken the advantage to attack their political opponent. Even MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has admitted that such a phenomenon of which social values are greatly distorted is a practice of gutter politics. However, Chua also claimed that Malaysian politicians have started practising gutter politics since the 2008 general elections. He also said that the Pakatan Rakyat stands on moral high ground only when they are affected. There is neither condemnation nor action for righteousness. He just casually blames gutter politics. In reality, the practice of gutter politics to attack opponents can indeed be found everywhere. It is dirty and at the same time, harmful. Even more terribly, although some politicians knew that the rumour was groundless and the so-called victim was a foreign girl who has never been in Penang, they still took the advantage to stir up troubles or just watched with folded arms, letting the lies ferment and hurt those who are innocent. Is it necessary to make politics so horrible? When unscrupulousness becomes the last tool to fight the battle, when politicians who look prim and proper distort social values and even slander bully children of their opponents to fight for power and status, how many basic human norms are left in the society? When politicians set a bad example instead of a good one, what else wouldn't be done by villains in the society? Sadly, it seems like our politics is bending towards gutter politics, particularly in the Internet era when politicians can speak "freely" online. Abusive, libelous, discrediting and pornographic remarks, as well as various kinds of scandals might be exciting but they are also confusing, causing people unable to distinguish between right and wrong. As American author and humourist Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or better known by his pen name Mark Twain said: "A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes," the malicious objective would have been achieved while damages would have also been done before the truth is revealed. Politics is not dirty by nature and it is some politicians who are sordid. Politics must not abandon the principles of reasoning and facts and it must pursue rationality. Once politicians abandon the basic competition rules of righteousness and fairness, and resort to dirty and nasty political means to achieve their objectives, politics would then no longer be able to manage the crowd, but harm the public instead!
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| ‘I don’t know what Anwar was talking about’ Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:02 PM PDT (Borneo Post) - KUCHING: Deputy Works Minister Datuk Yong Khoon Seng said yesterday his ministry's records show that over 90 per cent of projects scheduled for every Malaysia Plan (MP) has been accomplished. |
| Policy outcry as more asylum seekers arrive by boat Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:01 PM PDT By Matt Johnston, Herald Sun MORE than 800 asylum seekers have arrived in boats since the Government signed its people swap deal with Malaysia in July. The plan, which has fallen over, would have resulted in up to 800 asylum seekers being sent to Malaysia in return for Australia settling 4000 confirmed refugees. Three boats sailed into Australian waters this weekend holding a total of almost 140 people. The Government has warned about 600 asylum seekers would come by boat every month while its Malaysia solution, which was scuttled by a High Court decision in August, remains off-limits. Since the High Court ruling, the Government has been unable to get enough support in Parliament to change migration laws and resurrect the policy. It blames Tony Abbott for the situation, saying the Opposition Leader should have backed law changes to allow offshore processing, including in Malaysia. Home Affairs Minister Brendan O'Connor yesterday said Mr Abbott "has sought to trash border protection in this country". He said the Government would work with countries in Asia to try to stamp out people smuggling while it was unable to implement its Malaysia policy. "Our effort to have the most effective deterrent is being frustrated by the Leader of the Opposition, who is the best friend that people smugglers have ever had," he said. Mr Abbott said the Government and Prime Minister Julia Gillard were desperate to blame others for the issue, and had lost control of Australia's borders. "It's interesting when Julia Gillard was in opposition she blamed the government for the boats. Now that she's in government she blames the Opposition," he said. "It is her responsibility. She needs to put policies in place that will actually stop the boats." The Government will stick to onshore processing of asylum seekers while its policy is shelved. More bridging visas will be used to allow asylum seekers to live in the community, like many who arrive by plane. Senior Labor Minister Anthony Albanese told Sky News this was appropriate and would enable the Government to discuss the asylum seeker issue without "some of the hysteria that has characterised this debate".
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| Kit Siang: Cease acrimony against SAPP Posted: 23 Oct 2011 05:01 PM PDT (Borneo Post) - PENAMPANG: DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang yesterday reminded party leaders in Sabah to cease their acrimonious war of words against Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP). Lim said they should instead focus on strengthening the party and the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition to gain victory over Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming general election. Speaking at the Sabah DAP annual delegates congress here yesterday, Lim pointed out that the next election will not be about DAP against SAPP, but DAP and PR against Umno and BN. "My advice to Sabah DAP leaders is that we have to end the acrimony and to focus on DAP/PR's fight against Umno/BN," he said. On the issue of the allocation of seats for the coming election, Lim expressed hope that PR in Sabah will be able to formulate a common policy on the matter. According to him, he was made to understand that there have been very advanced discussions and negotiations on seat allocations. "Because there was a change in the Sabah PKR leadership, we have to await for further communication. "What has been decided and negotiated within the Sabah PR was conducted when Datin Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was the chairperson and I therefore believe there will be a basis for us to reach a consensus. "And we hope that PR Sabah will be ready to take on BN on a one-to-one fight and to ensure we will capture at least one third of the parliamentary seats in Sabah to be on the way to Putrajaya to bring about changes not only in Malaysia but in Sabah as well," Lim said. Meanwhile, Sabah DAP chief Jimmy Wong said that they will abide by Lim's advice and will enforce a 'cease-fire' for the time being.
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| Najib: Aziz Bari case misunderstood Posted: 23 Oct 2011 04:59 PM PDT By Husna Yusop, The Sun KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 23, 2011): Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak has clarified that law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has not been suspended from his duties by the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). He said Abdul Aziz was instead suspended pending investigation by the university on the statements he made in relation to the Selangor Sultan's recent decree concerning the JAIS-Harapan Komuniti issue. "Whether he would be suspended from work or not, it depends on the reply or explanation he is going to give. We don't know about that yet. "This is a public misunderstanding. Disciplinary action has yet to be taken against him. The university is investigating now what he actually said (before). We must not pre-empt (their actions)," Najib said. Abdul Aziz has been issued with a show-cause letter on Oct 19 over allegedly seditious remarks he made about the Sultan regarding his decree on the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) inspection during a thanksgiving dinner by NGO Harapan Komuniti at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in Petaling Jaya on Aug 3. The Sultan had said there were attempts to proselytise Muslims but no group would be prosecuted over the incident. Abdul Aziz was quoted by a news portal calling the Sultan's action of intervening in the issue as uncommon. Najib said IIUM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin has told him Abdul Aziz was under investigation and being given a chance to explain himself. He has until Oct 25 to reply to the show-cause letter. On the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) rally at Stadium Shah Alam on Saturday, Najib congratulated those involved, saying they were "well-mannered and under-control." "That was my intention when the government offered a stadium to Bersih 2.0. Compared to the chaos during Bersih, it was way different. During Himpun, no one felt disturbed and pressured or unsafe," he said. He said it also reflected on the government's intention to amend Section 27 of the Police Act. "We will study what happened (during Himpun) and the norms in other countries. We will think of the best ways to balance between basic human rights, public interest and safety as a modern and progressive country," he said. On the demonstrators call for an Apostasy Act to be put into place, Najib said it is for the state government to take the proper action as religion is a state matter under the jurisdiction of the Malay Rulers. On Saturday, about 5,000 people gathered at the stadium for the event, organised by 25 non-governmental organisations, including the Malay right wing group Perkasa. On another matter, Najib was asked whether it was unethical for children of politicians to be exploited for political mileage. To this, he said it work both ways. "If you want to have certain ethics, to exclude the family, then everybody should adhere to it, including the opposition. That is the ideal in a modern democracy - you concentrate on policy matters. "You can debate about differences in policies, weaknesses in implementation, but you leave aside family, or exploiting family matters, for your own political gain," he added, in reference to Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who had complained that bloggers had unfairly targetted his teenage son and posted lies about him. |
| Posted: 23 Oct 2011 04:57 PM PDT (NST) - ALOR STAR: Seat allocation negotiations involving parties ruling Kedah appear to have stalled after DAP, now with a solitary state seat, demanded to contest two parliamentary and six state seats. State DAP chief Lee Guan Aik said he had referred the matter to party headquarters last month. The party, which contested two state seats in the 2008 general election, had asked to contest the Padang Serai and Alor Star parliamentary seats. Additionally, DAP wanted to retain its Kota Darulaman state seat, held by Lee, and also wished to contest in Bakar Bata, Lunas, Gurun, Bakar Arang and Derga, all of which would require Parti Keadilan Rakyat to make concessions. Lee told the New Straits Times that the party hoped to have a bigger role in the Pas-led state government if the loose grouping retained the state government in the next general election. Kedah PKR chief Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa could not be reached for comment. Lee won the Kota Darulaman seat with 5,145 votes in a straight fight with MCA's Datuk Chong Itt Chew. However, DAP lost the Derga seat in a three-cornered fight with Gerakan and PKR. State Gerakan chief Dr Cheah Soon Hai retained the seat for Barisan Nasional, obtaining 6,516 votes. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak sought to downplay the impasse when quizzed by reporters here yesterday. "Pas has no problems in terms of seat allocation as we have decided where to contest. All is well except for one or two seats, which are still being discussed between PKR and DAP. "This is not a big issue. The allocation of seats will be based on the wishes of the voters in the constituencies." Pas has 16 seats in the 36-seat state assembly while PKR has three seats after two of its assemblymen — Tan Wei Shu (Bakar Arang) and Mohd Radzi Salleh (Lunas) — quit the party to become independents. |
| National debt in 2010 at RM407b, says government audit Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:26 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Malaysia's national debt rose by 12.3 per cent to over RM407 billion last year, according to the Auditor-General's report released today. Although the economy grew by 7.2 per cent in 2010, last year's fiscal deficit maintained public debt at over 50 per cent of GDP for the second year running. The Auditor-General said in the report that the government owed 53.1 per cent of GDP, slightly down from 53.7 per cent last year. "The ratio of the federal government debt to GDP at the end of 2010 is 53.1 per cent, over 50 per cent for the second year running," Tan Sri Ambrin Buang (picture) wrote. The audit report stated public debt from domestic sources rose by RM41.76 billion to RM390.36 billion while loans from foreign sources rose to RM16.75 billion, up RM2.96 billion. The Loan (Local) and Government Investment Acts set a domestic debt ceiling of 55 per cent for the government while the External Loans Act 1963 limits foreign loan exposure to RM35 billion. Putrajaya's domestic debt level at the end of 2010 stands at 51 per cent of GDP, according to the audit figures.
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| Food prices push September inflation rate up Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:18 PM PDT By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Food prices in September jumped five per cent from the same period last year, driving the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to increase at a faster rate of 3.4 per cent compared with 3.3 per cent in August. The slight increase in inflation rate comes as the Najib administration struggles with the need to balance growth with accommodative interest rates while at the same time helping keep a lid on the cost of living. Figures released by the Statistics Department show that the index for Food and Non-Alcoholic Beverages and Non-Food for the month of September showed increases of 5.0 and 2.7 per cent respectively compared with the same month in 2010. RHB Research Institute said however that inflation will likely moderate but stay elevated at around 2.8 per cent in 2012 compared with 3.3 per cent estimated for 2011. "This is on account of a reduction in subsidies for fuel and power tariffs as well as industrial gas once every six months by the government that will lead to higher input costs and part of it will likely be passed on to consumers," said RHB. Inflation has been surging globally largely due to massive amounts of liquidity that have been released by governments to prop up economic growth following the 2008 financial crisis.
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| Muhyiddin: Police probe best way to clear air over Guan Eng’s son Posted: 23 Oct 2011 02:07 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today defended his remarks that Lim Guan Eng should ask the police to probe claims his son had molested a girl as the best way to put an end to the allegations. Muhyiddin said a statement from Lim on his son's innocence might not be good enough for the public and that a proper investigation would serve to end talk of the 16-year-old's alleged assault. "That's my intention, not that I want to interfere. Please get the intention. There's no ill-feeling," he said in reply to Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang in Parliament today. "I'm not saying he's guilty but other people make their own evaluation... It will be cleared very much easier (via a police probe). It's not a question of politics," Muhyiddin (picture) added.
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| PAS readies new media troopers for next GE Posted: 22 Oct 2011 08:01 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS is rallying its "cybertroopers" in preparation for an upcoming general election that it says is shaping up to be "an information war." "The world that we live in today is in a constant information war, news war. "If we fall behind in conveying our messages, we will lose out," PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang told The Malaysian Insider after closing the party's ICT and New Media Conference yesterday. About 500 of the party's "hardcore" ICT officers from all over the country attended the day-long event, which appeared to address rival Umno's growing army of cybertroopers. "We will use every means possible — Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, offline TV, online TV. We want ICT officers to have smartphones, no more outdated phones," the Marang MP said. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) controls or owns most of the mainstream print and broadcast media. BN had its nose bloodied at the 12th General Election in urban centres such as the Klang Valley and Penang, ceding its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament as the Opposition took a record 82 seats and, at the same time, five state governments. BN is said to have lost its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states in the historic March 2008 elections due to easy access to alternative information on the Internet. Umno Youth new media chief Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz has said that "80 to 90 per cent" of those online were anti-BN in the landmark election of 2008. "Our target by the next election is for all division youth chiefs to be on Twitter and for every state to have their own cyberwar team," he said in an interview with The Malaysian Insider.
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| Perkasa says Himpun united PAS and Umno Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:39 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Malay rights group Perkasa lauded the success of Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) saying it unified Muslims even from opposing political factions. "To me it is a success. One of the most successful part was that there were PAS and Umno leaders on the stage, and other individuals who are not affiliated with any parties are on the stage as well. "I believe Umno or PAS members and Malays in PKR, they all support (Himpun) but maybe they have to follow instructions from their leaders. I don't understand why are they not allowed to gather," secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali said today. He shrugged off the low turn out of about 5,000 as "the one million means one million who are with us in spirit. "To me, the ones who are with Himpun are almost every Muslim in this country. Only a small number of Muslims are liberal who are not really interested in this rally," he said. Himpun chairman Mohd Azmi Abdul Hamid has also said yesterday it is not concerned with the poor turnout at the rally, arguing that the spirit of the 5,000-strong crowd was more important. Azmi also said he considered the rally a great success as it proved that Muslims could come together to talk calmly about the issues affecting Islam, whatever their background or political affiliation.
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| Opposition's double standards in Aziz Bari issue questioned Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:30 PM PDT (Bernama) - Datuk Jaafar School Alumni president Datuk Syed Hussien Al-Habshee has asked the opposition to not practice double standards with regards to Universiti Islam Antarabangsa Malaysia (UIAM) constitutional law lecturer Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension. He said the management and rector of UIAM must be given a chance to resolve the matter and the opposition should refrain from making baseless allegations against the government. Syed Hussien, former Malaysian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates, also questioned the opposition's allegation that there was no academic freedom in the country, asking why did they not bring it up in the Unisel situation. Abdul Aziz was suspended for seven days from Oct 19 for allegedly contradicting the Sultan of Selangor's statement on the State Religious Department church raid in Damansara Utama on Aug 3. "He need not voice his opinions at PAS assemblies or other opposition meetings but should concentrate on being an academician and leave politics to the politicians of the country," he added. -
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| Veterans flay Mat Sabu in newspaper ad Posted: 22 Oct 2011 03:44 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Security forces veterans continued their attacks on PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu today, taking out two-page advertisements in Malay dailies slamming his remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident. The full-colour advertisement, carried in Mingguan Malaysia and Berita Minggu, was signed by 18 police and armed forces veterans associations.
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| PM: 1,600 Indians got citizenship Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:51 PM PDT By Masami Mustaza, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday urged Indians to put their nambikei trust) in the government to create change for Malaysians. In addition, 1,600 Indians have become citizens with the cooperation between MIC, the ministry, the National Registration Department and the police. |
| Papers apologise to Kalimullah over secrets leak claim Posted: 22 Oct 2011 01:42 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — The New Sunday Times, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia apologised to Datuk Seri Kalimullah Hassan today for alleging he leaked state secrets at a dinner with leaders of Singapore's ruling PAP party. All three acknowledged that the claim, made by Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kassim, was without any foundation or basis. The weekend papers also promised not to publish further allegations of this nature involving the ECM Libra Financial Group Bhd chairman without verification. On October 2, the New Sunday Times, Berita Minggu and Mingguan Malaysia, quoting Ruslan, alleged that Kalimullah had leaked national secrets during a dinner with senior leaders of the PAP in Singapore. Ruslan had also claimed that Kalimullah, former group editor-in-chief of New Straits Times Press (NSTP), had organised several dinners with senior PAP leaders. |
| China-Malaysia trade to hit $100b in 3 yrs Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:15 PM PDT By China Daily NANNING - Trade between China and Malaysia is set to reach a new high of $100 billion by2015. That's after the two countries agreed to deepen economic cooperation to reduce theimpact of the global economic slowdown, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on Friday. He made the remarks at a roundtable discussion with Chinese CEOs during the Eighth China-ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Expo, which is being held in the city ofNanning, the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and runs from Oct 21 to 26. |
| Holland Condemns Malaysia’s Timber Certification! Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:53 AM PDT By Sarawak Report Taib's foreign business partners are working hard to present a picture that all is well in Sarawak and to imply that there are no issues with the wood logged from the state or its plantation programmes. Indeed, last week Ta Ann Tasmania's Chief Executive David Ridley launched a barage of justifications defending his company against a report that has revealed that Ta Ann products are falsely promoted as 'eco-wood', thereby deceiving consumers. Still no answer to the charges of false eco-labelling! However, Ridley's repost carefully ignored the central allegation of the report, which is that the eco-labelling on Ta Ann's products is false, because Ta Ann Tasmania does not used plantation wood, as promised, but rather threatened old-growth forest. Rather than confronting this embarrassing matter, Ridley has chosen to focus instead on what he calls his 'observations' made during visits to his company's HQ in Sarawak. Ridley's fabulously rich boss, the Executive Chairman of Ta Ann, Hamed Sepawi, is of course the cousin of the corrupted Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud of Sarawak and has received numerous licences, grants of public lands and state contracts, all without proper tender. Such matters appear not to concernm Mr Ridley, instead his 'observations' are these:
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| Boosted by social media, activists reclaim space for causes Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:48 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Around 10pm last night at the DiGi headquarters in the Subang Hi-Tech Park, the Guinness Book of Records officially announced a new record for the number of "tweeps" at a "twtup". At least 2,615 users of micro-blogging site Twitter had turned up at the "OctTwtFest," a gathering that began as a giant birthday party last year to being an event to celebrate nothing more than "how influential social media can be" this year. It was influential enough for top politicians such as Pemandu CEO Datuk Seri Idris Jala, PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar and Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin to turn up while artistes such as rockers Hujan and rappers Altimet and Joe Flizzow performed for free. "This was a ground up event, reclaiming space and coming together to 'humanise' the interactivity of social media. This shows how influential social media can be and can become," said Zain HD, one of the OctTwtFest coordinators. But with the Klang Valley seeing several gatherings yesterday, three events organised by activists saw fortunes that correlated closely to the hype built on social media. For cancer awareness programme Passionately You and democratic reforms movement Occupy Dataran, the tweets with their respective "hashtags," #dontduckit and #occupydataran on Twitter dwarfed the actual turnout at their events. "You can host as many events as you want but with a social media presence, you can own a new space for discussion," said Christopher Tock, digital media consultant for Passionately You. While only a few hundred turning up at its day-long event, Passionately You saw about 5,000 pledges and donations made towards cervical and breast cancer awareness on its website. On the other hand, the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun), or Gathering of a Million Faithful, fell somewhat short of rallying its stated target to stand up to the threat of proselytising by Christians. Despite claiming the support of over 1,000 NGOs, only 5,000 Muslims turned up, inviting ridicule from influential "tweeps" such as Art Harun, who posted: "About 5,000 at Himpun. Hope the 995,000 people have not been proselytised while on the way there." Occupy Dataran, which has met every Saturday night at Dataran Merdeka since July, saw as usual just several dozen show up.
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| Utusan: Let police probe claims surrounding Guan Eng’s son Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:43 AM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Lim Guan Eng should ask police to investigate claims his son molested a girl as the Penang chief minister's denial is not good enough, Utusan Malaysia said today. The Umno-owned daily pointed out that DAP had "aggressively" demanded probes into issues of public concern before and should allow similar scrutiny of party leaders if it did not want to be seen as biased. "Since the issue has become a public concern, Guan Eng should ask the police to conduct a thorough investigation to dispel any doubt," said the paper's editors, writing under the Awang Selamat pseudonym. "A denial is not enough to clear his family's name. An investigation will also ensure justice for all parties. Dignity is the basic right of all people, whether the son of a leader or an ordinary citizen." Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin also called on Lim to let the police investigate the case. "If we want to clear this up, we ask the police to investigate. If it's true that it had never happened, what do you have to worry about?" the Umno deputy president said.
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| Bersih keeps momentum alive with overseas campaign Posted: 22 Oct 2011 11:11 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Bersih 2.0 will step up its fight for electoral reforms next week when chairman Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan goes on a back-to-back visit to four of the most renowned law universities in Australia where she will meet Malaysian students to highlight the various problems plaguing the country's electoral system. The Malaysian Insider understands that the respected lawyer has been scheduled to deliver a public lecture hosted by the Asian Law Centre at the University of Melbourne, followed by public appearances at the University of New South Wales and the University of Sydney (October 31) and the Law Faculty of the Australian National University in Canberra on November 1. It is understood the events will also allow overseas Malaysians who have yet to register as voters a chance to do so. "Campaigns to register Malaysians as voters have picked up steam in Australia. Bersih 2.0 and the ugly events that transpired in Kuala Lumpur on July 9 have inspired Malaysians living overseas in ways that we could only have imagined before. "Hundreds of Malaysians gathered in solidarity with Bersih 2.0 in 7 Australian cities with over 700 in Melbourne and 400 in Sydney," said David Teoh, national coordinator for both Bersih 2.0 Australia and the Australian chapter for Saya Anak Bangsa Malaysia Australia (SABMoz). Ambiga's (picture) appearance in Australia next week is expected to put pressure in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who will also be in the western Australia city of Perth on October 28 to attend the 2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). "This visit by Ambiga will serve to remind the Australian government and its citizens that a close regional neighbour and trading partner administers a system that willfully denies hundreds of thousands of Malaysians the right to vote from abroad," Teoh told The Malaysian Insider via email.
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| Harussani: "Malays are Special Because They are Related to Islam" Posted: 22 Oct 2011 06:01 AM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria said the Malays are special because they are related to Islam, unlike the Arabs even though Prophet Muhammad was descended among them, but they are not necessarily Muslims. "The Malay race is special from other races because they are related to Islam, where the Malays are Islam," he said during a speech at the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) gathering at Shah Alam stadium today.
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| DPM sees ‘big problem’ if infighting continues Posted: 22 Oct 2011 12:42 AM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider SERDANG, Oct 22 — Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stressed today that Barisan National (BN) component parties must cease their infightings immediately. "Yes I'm worried, to be frank, but of course the only consolation is that not every area has problems," he told reporters after the Premier Briefing Session of Selangor Barisan Nasional at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The Umno deputy president emphasised the importance of unity at every level. He said that he had met with division leaders to immediately fix problems at their levels as well as work on improving their relationships among themselves. "My worry is that if they take too long or they don't realise the urgency, to me that is a big problem for us. "But whatever it is we can manage. As long as we take action now, I have already intervened," he said. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has also repeatedly stressed during several BN functions for its members and division leaders to focus on winning the next general elections as a coalition and put aside personal ambitions. "As I've said, I have already begun the process of meeting component parties recently. "I have met with the six main parties and we had discuss about the infighting in their respective parties," Muhyiddin (picture) said. Although OSK Research has said that BN is likely to improve on its performance in the 2008 general election due to indications of a swing of support to the ruling coalition, he said BN leaders shouldn't be too comfortable with the positive news. The report said that the incumbent government was likely to increase its share of parliamentary seats and that most investors were expecting the general election to be held by March 2012.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:49 PM PDT
Technology misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks on Lim Guan Eng's son, says Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong. (Free Malaysia Today) - Gerakan has leapt to the defence of its political rival DAP over the issue of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's 16-year-old son been allegedly implicated in molesting a student. The alleged incident which was reported online is turning out to be a fake accusation. In a statement, Gerakan vice-president Mah Siew Keong urged netizens and bloggers to refrain from attacking Lim's underage son in the blogsphere, saying that such a move should not be tolerated. The online story has been the talking point of the public, causing an uproar among politicians from both sides of the divide. "Gerakan sympathises with… this young man," Mah said. He said that technology was misused by certain quarters to launch personal attacks and to undermine reputation, which is "irresponsible and unacceptable". This is also unfair and regretful, he said. "Gerakan appeals to the leaders of Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat to close ranks to stop the irresponsible and immoral act of launching personal attacks and smear campaign through the Internet. We should stop gutter politics." Mah also urged the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to step in and investigate the case. The incident went viral on the Internet last Sunday when a few bloggers posted an allegation that Lim's third eldest child had allegedly molested or groped a fellow female student at a school. As a result, it was speculated that the young boy was transferred to a missionary school and that the victim's family was allegedly paid off to keep quiet. Unethical beyond words
Lim initially waited to see if the mainstream media would print such allegations, indicating that he would file libel suits against media organisations linked to Umno. Then 24 hours later, Lim issued a statement hitting out at those who have allegedly victimised his son, urging his political deractors to attack him, but spare his son from such spurious attacks. Eventually, the school principal denied the allegations. Shortly, the "victim", a 21-year-old former world chess champion identified as Anya Corke, who was tracked down, also said she had never met Lim's son.
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| Low turnout dampens anti-apostasy rally Posted: 21 Oct 2011 06:47 PM PDT
Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,000-capacity stadium to mark the start of the assembly of a million believers. (Free Malaysia Today) - Over an hour into the Himpunan Sejuta Umat (Himpun) and it appears that the hype has exceeded reality. Barely 4,000 people have filled the 100,00-capacity Stadium Shah Alam and the past 90 minutes have been filled with performances by nasyid groups as the organisers wait for more seats to be filled. Two notable names have since graced the event: Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali, and PAS Selangor executive council member Hasan Ali. Himpun (gathering of one million believers) is being held to "defend Islam" and reject apostasy among Muslims and was mooted after the controversial raid on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) on Aug 3. It claims to have the backing of 200 NGOs representing four million Muslims nationwide. Himpun's co-organiser, Mohd Yusri Mohamed, last week insisted that the rally was not anti-Christians amid rumblings of uneasiness that it could spark further racial tensions. The organisers today kept to their word after learning that a group not associated with Himpun was distributing a booklet entitled "Siapa Bertanggungjawab Kristiankan Melayu Di Selangor" (Who Is Responsible for Christianising Muslims In Selangor?).
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| PAS eyeing five Negri state seats Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:51 PM PDT By Zehfry Dahalan, FMT SEREMBAN: Negri Sembilan PAS is eyeing at least five state seats for the coming general election. They are Labu, Serting, Klawang, Lenggeng, and Johol. PAS currently only has one state seat in Paroi out of the 15 seats controlled by Pakatan Rakyat. The state seat that the party thinks it has a great chance of winning is Labu, which is held by Umno state assemblymen Hasim Rusdi, who is also a state executive council member. PAS' confidence was boosted by recent developments in Labu where about 150 Umno members led by the Labu Residents Association president Aziz Samsudin, a former Umno member, crossed over to PAS last month. "We are confident of snatching the Labu seat from Umno this time around as Rasah Umno led by Hasim is facing an internal crisis. "Hasim is at loggerheads with Rasah Umno Youth and state Umno Youth chief, Helmi Din. Both Hasim and Helmi are not carrying out any activities in Labu because of the dispute between them. "Furthermore, the 150 Umno members who joined PAS are from Labu Hilir, which is Hasim's 'kampung' or fortress", said Rasah PAS chief, Anuar Azhari. Anuar is expected to contest the Labu seat this time as PKR is set to return it to PAS. In the 2008 general election, Mokhtar Ahmad from PKR lost to Hasim by 1,405 votes. The latest racial composition for Labu is Malay (65.7%), Indian (19.2%), Chinese (13.5%) and Orang Asli (1.08%). PAS is also mounting a serious challenge in Serting where the campaign will be led by Jempol PAS chief, Abdul Rahman Ramli. A recent court case involving 766 Felda Serting settlers who sued the Felda management over the issue of the extraction of low grade oil palm augers well for PAS in Serting. Two more court cases involving Felda Serting and Felda Raja Alias settlers against the Felda management also gave for PAS the chance to make inroads into Serting. "With all these developments we finally broke the ice in Felda settlement areas where in the past Felda is the strongest Umno fortress not only in Negri Sembilan but also in other states where Felda schemes are located. "We (PAS) together with PKR and Anak (National Felda Settlers' Children Association) are organising many awareness programmes in Felda schemes in Serting and Jempol on the rights of the settlers. "The response has been very encouraging where hundreds of the second and third generation of the Felda settlers joined either PAS or PKR in recent months," said Abdul Rahman.
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:47 PM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: The Obedient Wives Club (OWC) stirred up fresh controversy when its founder claimed that spiritually, a man can have sex with all his wives simultaneously. Club founder Hatijah Aam, who is also the author of the controversial book Seks Islam Perangi Yahudi Untuk Kembalikan Seks Islam Kepada Dunia (Sex in Islam Wage War Against Jews To Return Islamic Sex To The World), said that when a man reached the highest spiritual level, "he can appear in multiple apparitions and have sex with his wives even though they are in separate locations". "We never said that a man can have an orgy with all his wives on the same bed. "That is not allowed. "What we meant is when a man has reached the highest spiritual level, he will be granted the ability to have sex with his wives spiritually," she said. "This is how men who were at war in the past satisfied their needs," she said at a press conference here yesterday from Mecca, Saudi Arabia, via Skype. The club is going ahead with the global launch of the controversial sex guide despite protests from women's groups. Hatijah said the book would soon be launched globally in countries where OWCs have already been set up, including Singapore, Indonesia, Australia, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Britain and France. However, the club does not intend to launch the book in Malaysia. "The book was meant to be circulated among our members only. "We knew that the public's reaction to the book would be negative because they do not understand the concept," said Hatijah, who is also the wife of late Al-Arqam founder Ashaari Muhammad. Women's groups like Sisters in Islam, All Women's Action Society and the Women's Aid Organisation described the book as a cheap publicity stunt designed to raise the profile of the club. Hatijah defended the importance of the detailed sex guide on grounds that sex is God's gift to married couples and they should be educated on the ways to approach it. "Sex is the main reason people get married. And in a way, the climax is like heaven on earth," said Hatijah. She also explained that like praying, sex between married couples was also a pious act. "So, why can't we teach people how to do that in a pure way?" she asked. |
| Aziz Bari maintains UIA suspended, barred him from campus Posted: 21 Oct 2011 02:40 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 ― Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari has insisted that he has been suspended without pay and barred from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (UIAM) campus pending an internal inquiry despite a denial from the university administration. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the constitutional law expert was "free to enter the university and associate with the faculty" during his week-long suspension for his statement on the Selangor Sultan. Abdul Aziz said today in a clarification issued by his lawyer, Dr Zulqarnain Lukman, that the show-cause letter he received from UIAM on October 19 clearly stated he was not to enter the university's premises during the probe without written permission from the dean. "Kindly take note that pending the completion of the University's investigation into the above allegation and the outcome of any inquiry which the University may wish to conduct, you shall be suspended from service on full pay with immediate effect, until further notice," the letter read.
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| Sabah’s right: Jeffrey disputes historian’s view Posted: 21 Oct 2011 01:10 PM PDT By Michael Kaung, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Malaysian history professor DS Ranjit has come under fire in Sabah for declaring that the people of the state no longer have the fundamental right to self-determination as their legislators had surrendered that power a long time ago. The Universiti Malaya historian, whose talk entitled "Sabah prospects and retrospect: The aftermath of colonial rule" here on Thursday, put forward the argument that the British colony which had joined Sarawak, Singapore and Malaya to form Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, would never be able to legally withdraw from the union. The state's autonomy champion, maverick politician Jeffrey Kitingan, promptly disputed this fact, saying the argument put forward by Ranjit was guesswork and unsound. Jeffrey, the chairman of United Borneo Front (UBF), was imprisoned without trial under the infamous Internal Security Act (ISA) in 1991 for allegedly having secessionist views during the rule of Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) from 1986 to 1994. "The major issue, with regard to Sabah's right to secession, is the fact that the Malaysia Agreement is now viewed by the general opinion to be invalid from the moment Singapore left the federation," he said. "This is due to the fact that by normal understanding of law, if a signatory to an agreement withdraws from the agreement, the agreement automatically becomes invalid and no longer in effect." Sabah, Sarawak not consulted Jeffrey reminded Ranjit that when Kuala Lumpur decided on the expulsion of Singapore, it did so unilaterally without consulting Sabah and Sarawak though they were equal partners in the formation of Malaysia. "While this is another case of a condescending attitude of KL towards the Borneo states, it was also a contravention of the mutual agreement and mutual consultation as established during the signing of the Malaysia Agreement," he said. "As to the excuse that Sabah has no right to secede because the State Legislative Assembly passed a resolution that Sabah would not secede, we must remember that the same house could have made the opposite decision. "The resolution can even be reversed today if enough members of the house agree to do it." Replying to Ranjit's question that "…if the original agreement was null and void after Singapore's expulsion, then why did the state assembly pass this law?" Jeffrey said that the assembly must have made a resolution not to secede because of pressure from Kuala Lumpur, and there was fear that the agreement was actually null and void. "If the agreement was still in effect and valid, why the need to pass a law to validate the agreement?" he asked.
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| Najib bullish on China FDI despite deal flip-flops Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:47 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — Malaysia expects foreign direct investment from China to grow despite a slate of recent last-minute reversals on deals with Chinese firms. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today FDI from China in the first eight months of 2011 had already grown 62 per cent from last year's total of US$208 million (RM645 million) to US$337 million and that there was still room for expansion.
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| UIA justifies Aziz Bari’s suspension Posted: 21 Oct 2011 12:38 PM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 — The International Islamic University Malaysia (UIA) has said Prof Dr Abdul Aziz Bari's suspension is not a "punishment" as his salary has not been docked and he can still enter the campus. UIAM Rector Prof Datuk Dr Zaleha Kamaruddin told reporters yesterday the week-long suspension was to enable a detailed investigation to be carried out over allegations that the law professor criticised the Selangor Sultan.
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| Cinema censorship in Bangi continues to draw criticism Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:30 AM PDT By Wani Muttiah, The Star PETALING JAYA: The cinema ban in Bangi by PAS is continuing to draw flak, with many describing the move as arbitrary and ludicrous. Selangor Umno information chief Abdul Shukur Idrus said he failed to see the logic behind the ban. "What is their motive? Do they actually think that having a cinema would corrupt morality?" he asked, challenging the party to impose a state-wide ban. Selangor MCA secretary Wong Koon Mun said that instead of banning cinemas, PAS should look into the increase in immoral activities in the state after Pakatan Rakyat took over Selangor. "There has been an increase in vice dens and also massage parlours, pubs and karaoke outlets since 2008. "Why hasn't PAS said anything about this? "They are shooting at the wrong target by banning cinemas in Bangi," he said. MIC secretary-general S. Murugesan said PAS should "stop shoving its skewered values down people's throats". "Cinemas are a legitimate and wholesome platform for entertainment. "I don't know why PAS is viewing cinemas from a negative aspect," he added. Writer Colin Kuan, 31, said it was annoying that PAS had initiated such a ban. "It is ridiculous in this day and age that PAS is taking us back to the dark ages with its warped sense of morality," added Kuan, who writes for a magazine. Veterinarian Dr Devan Arumugam Lingam said PAS was nit-picking on issues that had little impact on the country's progress. "I also feel that a basic right is being taken away from me," said the 29-year-old. He said the move indicated that the Selangor Government and Pakatan Rakyat had failed to come up with policies that suited the people. |
| Groups: Don’t interfere with a person’s freedom to choose their attire Posted: 21 Oct 2011 11:14 AM PDT (The Star) - PETALING JAYA: Having regulations or snoop squads in Kelantan to check on how Muslim women dress is ridiculous, say women's groups. All Women's Action Society Malaysia (Awam) acting president Ho Yoke Lin said there was no need to snoop on or regulate a person's dressing. "This is absurd. Why interfere with a person's freedom and dictate how they should or should not dress? "What are they going to regulate next? Women know how to dress themselves," she said yesterday. Ho was commenting on the Kelantan state government's move to enact council by-laws dictating how Muslim women should dress as well as the suggestion by a state councillor that a snoop squad be set up to spy on their dressing. The state's local councils have issued 225 compounds for violation of dress code by-laws at business premises to date, it was reported. Women's rights group Empower Malaysia executive director Maria Chin Abdullah said women were entitled to choose their dressing. "The authorities should not be obsessed with how women dress. "We have to respect people regardless of whether they are women, men, Muslims or non-Muslims. Everyone has a right to dress the way they want. "Women do not need this form of intimidation or fear put in them," she said. Women's Aid Organisation president Mok Chuang Lian said the way a woman dresses is a personal choice and her right. "You cannot tell them what to wear. Why must one always dictate or form laws about what women should or should not wear?" She said the focus should not be on women's dressing but tackling issues like corruption, poverty and crime. "Dressing should be the least of their concerns. There are other pressing issues that need to be looked into," Chin said. |
| PKR touts newer, younger faces for GE Posted: 21 Oct 2011 10:54 AM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 22 — PKR will field fresher, young candidates for the next general election with a set criterion that aspiring lawmakers must have a solid educational background — they must be either qualified professionals or semi-professionals. PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution told The Malaysian Insider this was PKR's "new niche" or formula for the 13th general election where younger, qualified candidates will eventually replace some of the incumbent parliamentary and state representatives. "We will be putting up younger, skilful candidates with no political baggage," said the Machang MP. The Malaysian Insider understands that the PKR national leadership has begun talks with incumbent lawmakers with regards to allowing "new blood" to take over some seats. It is also learnt that some representatives have expressed "willingness" to allow the process to take place. "Party leaders have started talking to incumbents informally, it won't be that easy but the process will take place," Saifuddin (picture) said. He remained optimistic about PKR's survival and future in Malaysian politics despite the fact that the 12-year old Pakatan Rakyat (PR) coalition party has seen its fair share of controversies, with as many as five MP defections last year as well as a fractious attempt at direct party elections "Since this year, we have been recruiting, and have been receiving applications from young aspiring candidates, some already members and some new members, with as many as seven to eight interested candidates per constituency.
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