Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- ‘Nothing done to stop RM20b yearly losses’
- DAP lawmaker claims offered RM150,000 to run for BN in GE13
- Asri: PAS needs new political framework
- Next GE will be all-out ‘cyber war’, Liow warns MCA Youth
- Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Attorney Hopeful of Acquittal
- Club knows nothing about Kelantan’s latest move
- Hudud laws okay in Kelantan
- Wall Street protesters march on police
- Guan Eng wants Najib to apologise for Bumi quota flip-flop
- MCA ‘always’ relevant, say party leaders
- MCA challenges Opposition leaders to justify show-cause order issued to school
- MCA heading for irrelevance, says Tee Keat
| ‘Nothing done to stop RM20b yearly losses’ Posted: 30 Sep 2011 06:00 PM PDT
Alternative budget will propose drastic measures to cut on the colossal monetary wastage, says the opposition leader. (Free Malaysia Today) - Every year, the country suffers about RM20 billion in losses through monetary leakages via corruption, wastage and money laundering, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said. "But what is the government's action to address it (the losses)? Absolutely nothing," he added. Quoting international financial reports on the colossal losses, he said the Barisan Nasional government could have carried out various programmes and projects with the money to benefit the people. "But the government is not doing anything about it. Is the government pro-active in combating corruption? "Definitely not," Anwar, the PKR supremo, told a sizeable crowd during a forum on development themed "Interaksi Komuniti (Community Interaction) here here today. Also present were Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman, state executive councillor and Penang DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow, and Penang State Legislative Assembly speaker Abdul Halim Hussain, who is PKR state secretary chief and Balik Pulau division chief. Others were Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff , Senator Mustafa Kamal Mohd Yusoff and Pantai Jerejak assemblyman Sim Tze Tzin. As a constructive opposition coalition, Anwar said Pakatan Rakyat would prepare its own alternative people-oriented budget early next week to address the issue and deal with budget deficit. Pakatan is expected to table its budget to the press after Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who is also the Finance Minister, had tabled the national 2012 Budget at Parliament next Friday. Anwar indicated that Pakatan's budget would propose drastic measures to cut down on the colossal monetary wastage currently suffered by the country and the escalating budget for the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
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| DAP lawmaker claims offered RM150,000 to run for BN in GE13 Posted: 30 Sep 2011 05:22 PM PDT
Gwee said though he was upset after being suspended he would not accept the BN offer. (The Malaysian Insider) - A suspended Johor DAP assemblyman today revealed he had been offered RM150,000 and 50 acres of land to quit his party and stand as an independent candidate aligned to rival Barisan Nasional (BN) in the coming national polls. First-term Bentayan state lawmaker Gwee Tong Hiang said he was approached last Tuesday by a Chinese man claiming to be a representative from the Prime Minister's Department who caught him while he was feeling down over his six-month suspension for alleged power abuse. The allegation comes on the heels of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's latest charge to win back support from ethnic Chinese voters nationwide, following the dismal performance from the ruling coalition's Chinese parties, notably the MCA, which has been practically written off as irrelevant. The allegation also recalls the controversial takeover of Perak, which was won in the 2008 general election by the PAS-DAP-PKR pact. Jepalang MP and Perak state assembly Deputy Speaker Datuk Hee Yit Fong had quit the DAP to become a BN-friendly independent, tipping the balance in favour of the BN. Najib, who is also BN chairman, carried out a whirlwind tour into enemy territory in DAP-controlled Penang last weekend, but support towards the BN government in Umno-controlled Johor appears to be eroding as well if Gwee's claim is to be believed. Gwee told reporters the man, whom he named as Wee Pao Chin, had arranged for him to meet Najib in Putrajaya on Monday where the BN chairman would announce the news at a media conference. He said the RM150,000 would be provided by Putrajaya and would be paid to him in one lump sum through the Wee clan association in order to avoid detection. He also claimed that he was promised more than RM5,000 a month as extra funds and would be given an office and staff to take care of his constituents if he agreed to quit the DAP. "Their terms were 'you must stand as independent candidate in the next election to fight DAP candidate'," Gwee, 44, disclosed at the DAP headquarters here today. The Bentayan state seat is in the Bakri parliamentary constituency and was until 2008 an MCA stronghold. Gwee beat the MCA's Lee Chin Yong in the last general election with a comfortable 2,798-vote margin. Asked why the BN wanted him as a candidate there for the next polls, Gwee said he was told: "Top management kau-tim [has been fixed]. MCA will not put a candidate in Bentayan constituency."
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| Asri: PAS needs new political framework Posted: 30 Sep 2011 05:16 PM PDT
Asri said Umno is not the standard for PAS to make comparisons. (The Malaysian Insider) - PAS needs a new political framework where all of its leaders can be accepted by voters, Assoc Prof Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has said. The former Perlis mufti said the Islamist party needed to think beyond governing a state if it was serious in taking over federal power. He cautioned PAS leaders against getting involved in issues which can be resolved internally. "PAS needs a new political framework, PAS needs a bigger framework... Malaysia's framework is not Kelantan. "Umno is not the standard for PAS to make comparisons, PAS needs to be at a higher place," he said at a PAS forum here last night. PAS celebrates its 60th anniversary today. Asri stressed that the party needed to groom leaders which could be accepted by all layers of society if it wanted to remain relevant politically. "PAS needs to create or groom a leader who is acceptable by not just by the party but also by those outside PAS; if we look there are 60 per cent of voters who are undecided on who to vote for. "PAS needs a leader like Burhanuddin al-Helmy... great, everyone knows him, some even say he was worthy to become prime minister," he said.
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| Next GE will be all-out ‘cyber war’, Liow warns MCA Youth Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:30 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The battlefront for the next general election will be an all-out war in cyber space, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai warned MCA Youth leaders today. The MCA deputy president reminded the party's Youth wing that it needed to embark on a more aggressive online campaign, and that the party's dismissal of the influence of blogs and the Internet in the last general election had contributed to the MCA's loss of parliamentary and state seats. "To stop opposition parties to continue deceiving the people, efforts for an all-out war must begin now. I call on all Youth members to prepare for cyber war. "We understand that blogs were a mainpublicity media in the last general election while Facebook and Twitter are expected to become the primary media in the coming general election. MCA candidates cannot neglect the Internet war in the coming general election," he said at the MCA Youth annual general assembly.
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| Iranian Pastor Sentenced to Death: Attorney Hopeful of Acquittal Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:19 PM PDT
(Business and law) - The attorney for an Iranian Christian pastor who is facing the death penalty for the crime of apostasy said he is optimistic his client will be acquitted and freed. Youcef Naderkhani has refused to renounce his Christian faith in a case that has sparked global fury against Iran and appeals for clemency. According to a report in BBC, Naderkhani's lawyer, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, said there was a 95 percent chance he will be freed. U.S. House Speaker John Boehner also has already spoken out against Iran. "While Iran's government claims to promote tolerance, it continues to imprison many of its people because of their faith. This goes beyond the law to an issue of fundamental respect for human dignity. I urge Iran's leaders to abandon this dark path, spare [Nadarkhani's] life, and grant him a full and unconditional release," said Boehner. Naderkhani, 32, reportedly was born Muslim and converted to Christianity at the age of 19. He became a pastor of a 400-person Church of Iran congregation in the northern city of Rasht. He was arrested two years ago and sentenced to death in 2010 by a court of appeals. His crime was apostasy, or abandoning his Muslim faith. Iran's Supreme Court said Naderkhani could be freed if he renounced his Christian religion. The Right Reverend Michael Nazir-Ali, the former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, told BBC: "As a Christian I can't do that [refute my faith]. In a much lesser way I have faced these questions myself, and I would ask for myself for strength in this situation and courage, and that is what I would ask for him. But at the same time to ask that understanding and compassion and clemency be exercised by those who are in authority." Nazir-Ali sad Iranians are likely concerned about the growth of Christianity in the country and may want to make an example of Naderhkani. He added that the death penalty has not been imposed in Iran in such a case since 1990. Before his last hearing Wednesday, Nadarkhani had been given three previous chances to repent, and all three times he has refused. After his final refusal Wednesday, no verdict has been announced, but many expect that he could be put to death as soon as Friday. Even if the sentence were commuted, Nadarkhani could still face life in prison. And even if he were released, there would still be danger. "In Iran about 18 years ago, they had released a pastor, but then came and assassinated him and his bishop later. We cannot stop the pressure," Pastor Firouz Sadegh-Khandjani, a Member of the Council of Elders for the Church of Iran, told the American Center for Law and Justice. Between June 2010 and January 2011, more than 200 people in Iran were arrested for their religious beliefs, according to Elam Ministries, a United Kingdom-based church with ties to Iran. In August, a pastor named Haghnejad was arrested for the third time, according to Christian Solidarity. Police also confiscated 6,500 bibles, which Iran's social issues committee deemed were being used to deceive youths.
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| Club knows nothing about Kelantan’s latest move Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:10 PM PDT
(The Star) - PAS Supporters Club chairman Hu Pang Chow has claimed that he was "in the dark" over the Kelantan government's plan to implement hudud in the state. Hu said he had received hundreds of calls from club members asking about Kelantan's hudud plan. "As it is, even before hudud is implemented (in Kelantan), there are no investments here. Just imagine when hudud is actually put into practice here. "I would say it would be minus zero investment for Kelantan in the coming years until the general election. I received hundreds of calls from club members asking me about Kelantan's plan," said Hu yesterday. "The only answer I can give is that as club chairman, I was not consulted or invited to discuss the matter. I am also in the dark over this sudden move by the state government." Hu said the stalemate in Pakatan Rakyat's stand over the hudud issue also had far reaching consequences for non-Muslims in both the west and east coasts of peninsular Malay-sia. He said the inconclusive meeting among Pakatan members would affect non-Muslim support not only in religious terms but also the investment climate. Hu said although Kelantan had stressed that such laws would not affect non-Muslims, such a move, if implemented, would eventually impact them. "I cannot say much on the investment climate because non-Muslims are a minority in the east coast. "However, the Chinese would be alarmed by the move."
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| Posted: 30 Sep 2011 04:02 PM PDT
However, FMT readers are confident that it would not be implemented nationwide when Pakatan Rakyat comes to power. (Free Malaysia Today) - A majority of FMT readers are not seeing red over the implementation of hudud in Kelantan but, at the same time, do not expect hudud to be featured in a Pakatan Rakyat federal government. In a FMT poll conducted for the past two weeks, some 81 percent or 1,968 out of 2,417 readers, voted that hudud would not be Pakatan's national policy compared with 300 readers who voted "yes". Only seven percent or 149 voters were undecided on the issue. The controversy over the implementation of hudud was sparked a fortnight ago when Kelantan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat, who is also PAS spiritual adviser, announced that he wants to implement hudud in Kelantan. The DAP, a partner in the Pakatan Rakyat alliance, promptly opposed it on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim announced that hudud will not be implemented due to a lack of consensus after a meeting of Pakatan top brass to discuss the hot-button issue on Sept 29.
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| Wall Street protesters march on police Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:57 PM PDT
(Reuters) - Protesters who have camped out near Wall Street for two weeks marched on Friday on police headquarters in Manhattan over what they viewed as a heavy-handed police response to a previous demonstration. The Occupy Wall Street movement, whose members have vowed to stay through the winter, are protesting issues including the 2008 bank bailouts, foreclosures and high unemployment. More than 1,000 people marched past City Hall and arrived at a plaza outside police headquarters in the late afternoon. Some held banners criticizing police, while others chanted: "We are the 99 percent" and "The banks got bailed out, we got sold out." Workers from the financial district on their way home watched as the marchers passed, with some saying it was not obvious what outcome organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement wanted. Police observed the march and kept protesters on the sidewalk, but no clashes were reported. Police said no arrests were made before the protest dispersed peaceably by 8 p.m. after the march. "No to the NYPD crackdown on Wall St. protesters," organizers had said on their website, promoting the march. Other online flyers for the march read: "No to Stop-and-Frisk in Black & Latino neighborhoods" and "No to Spying and Harassment of Muslim Communities." The protest came less than a week after police arrested 80 people during a march to the bustling Union Square shopping district, the most arrests by New York police at a demonstration since hundreds were detained outside the Republican National Convention in 2004. A police commander used pepper spray on four women at last weekend's march and a video of the incident went viral on the Internet, angering many protesters who vowed to continue their protests indefinitely. Police have said pepper spray was a better alternative than night sticks to subdue those blocking traffic. RIGHT TO PROTEST Friday's crowd appeared to have been boosted by an announcement that the rock band Radiohead would perform at 4 p.m. Later, organizers said on their website, "Radiohead will not being playing. This was a hoax. Please accept our apologies." "We heard about Radiohead coming here on Facebook," said Alegra Felter, a 34-year-old teacher from Brooklyn who was among the disappointed rock fans. The protest encampment in Zuccotti Park in downtown Manhattan is festooned with placards and anti-Wall Street slogans. There is a makeshift kitchen and library, and celebrities from filmmaker Michael Moore to actress Susan Sarandon have stopped by to show solidarity. Asked on his weekly radio show on Friday whether the protesters could stay indefinitely at the private park they call their base, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said, "We'll see." Bloomberg added: "People have a right to protest. But we also have to make sure that people who don't want to protest can go down the street unmolested." While the protest has been made up mostly of young people, it also has recently attracted the support of a loose coalition of labor and community organizations. Marty Goodman, a unionized subway worker, said, "Last year we had 900 of our members laid off ... These are our issues too: Wall Street, the banks, layoffs, the struggle that these young people are spearheading is our struggle too." Among those pledging solidarity were the United Federation of Teachers and the Transport Workers Union Local 100, which has 38,000 members. The unions could provide important organizational and financial support for the largely leaderless movement. Similar but smaller protests have also sprouted in other cities in recent days, including Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. |
| Guan Eng wants Najib to apologise for Bumi quota flip-flop Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:47 PM PDT
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng wants the prime minister to apologise for another "flip-flop", this time over the scrapping of Bumiputera quotas. Datuk Seri Najib Razak said yesterday he had not promised to abolish the 30 per cent quota eventually despite media reports to the contrary. But Lim (picture)pointed out today it was hard to believe state news agency Bernama, which also carried the alleged misquote, would dare to misrepresent the prime minister. "As it is hard to imagine a government news department like Bernama daring to misquote or misrepresent what the prime minister said, will the prime minister be compelled to apologise for saying the wrong thing?" Lim said in a statement. Bernama, several online news portals and the Chinese media reported earlier this week that Najib had called for the eventual removal of Bumiputera quotas. "We want to do away from (with) quotas but we must support them (Bumiputera entrepreneurs) in a way that would allow them to grow," Najib told the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2011 here on Tuesday night. The prime minister, however, denied yesterday he had meant for such quotas to be scrapped and that he was merely trying to urge Bumiputera entrepreneurs to be more self-sufficient. "I did not say we want to abolish quotas, but I said we cannot be too reliant on them," he had said after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here.
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| MCA ‘always’ relevant, say party leaders Posted: 30 Sep 2011 01:36 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - MCA leaders today lambasted former party president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat for saying the party is becoming increasing irrelevant, claiming there is no basis for his remarks. They denied that the Chinese community had written the party off, claiming that the MCA was on its way to regaining Chinese support. Ong had told The Malaysian Insider in an interview that the MCA was on the path to irrelevance, and that the Barisan Nasional (BN) component has not heeded the push for reform that saw the party lose 25 of the 40 federal and 59 of the 90 state seats it contested in Election 2008. He had said the reforms he tried to implement in the MCA "all went down the drain" after he was ousted. "MCA is always relevant. Although we lost badly in 2008, we still have strong representation within the Chinese community. "He (Ong) can say what he likes, but he must not eat his own words," said MCA deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai. Liow said that when Ong was president, he had instructed MCA members to refrain from saying bad things about the party. "No (we are not irrelevant), MCA has been working hard to ensure support of Chinese," said Liow.
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| MCA challenges Opposition leaders to justify show-cause order issued to school Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:50 AM PDT (The Star) - MCA Youth has challenged Pakatan Rakyat leaders to justify a show-cause letter issued by the Pasir Puteh Land and District Office (PTJPP) in Kelantan to a Chinese school for celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival. MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong said the movement was angry that a festival, which is part of the Chinese community's culture, could be interpreted as "entertainment". "I want Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Lim Guan Eng to answer if what they are doing is fair to the Chinese community. "Since when is celebrating the lantern festival a crime under the entertainment enactment? "Is this what they mean when they claim respect for different cultures?" he asked during a press conference after the MCA Youth central committee meeting at Wisma MCA yesterday. Dr Wee, who is also Deputy Education Minister, showed a letter to the press from PTJPP, dated Sept 18, to SJK(C) Kai Chih in Pasir Puteh, Kelantan, informing the headmaster that it had held an entertainment event Sept 15 from 8pm to 11.30pm at the school's premises without obtaining a licence or approval. "In relation to that, the organiser can be punished if found guilty of violating Section 6 (2) of the Entertainment and Places of Entertainment Enactment 1998, which carries a maximum fine of RM20,000 or a five-year jail term, or both," Dr Wee quoted while reading out the letter. Dr Wee questioned whether PAS is sensitive to the beliefs and culture of the community. "If they were celebrating the festival, it should not be an issue. We consider this a violation of the rights of non-Muslims, especially the Chinese," he said. Meanwhile, Dr Wee defended the video clip Undilah and said he did not regard it as controversial despite Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim saying it offended certain segments of society. "We do not regard the message of the video as sparking a Reformasi and it does not contain any hidden message to bring down the Government," he said.
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| MCA heading for irrelevance, says Tee Keat Posted: 30 Sep 2011 08:34 AM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - The MCA is on the path to irrelevance, its former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat said this week ahead of the party's annual gathering this weekend. He told The Malaysian Insider in an interview that the Barisan Nasional (BN) component has not heeded the push for reform that saw the party lose 25 of the 40 federal and 59 of the 90 state seats it contested in Election 2008. "MCA is still stuck in the mindset of being gung-ho with statements instead of delivering good governance. It is parroting old polemic rather than delivering reforms asked for by voters. "If MCA continues on this same old path and psyche, then it is certainly headed for irrelevance. Some have bluntly said we are already irrelevant," said Ong, who was deposed as MCA boss by Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in a fractious power struggle 18 months ago. The Pandan MP cited, as examples of "empty platitudes," his successor's threats to quit BN if Umno implemented hudud and to resign from the Cabinet and other government posts if the party does not improve in a general election expected soon. "I don't see how his threats can lift the party from its doldrums," he said. The party holds what is likely to be its final general assembly this weekend before federal polls are called. But despite having three presidents in as many years, the MCA has seen Chinese support continue to shrink in by-elections. Some analyses state that the Tenang polls held earlier this year saw just 18 per cent of Chinese voting for BN. Datuk Seri Najib Razak has begun taking over the charge for Chinese votes, spending last weekend dishing out RM15 million to Chinese schools and exempting a Community Chest project headed by Chinese tycoons from tax to help it channel RM100 million a year into vernacular education. "Najib as BN chief is spearheading initiatives to win Chinese votes, triggering the question of 'where is MCA?' from the public," Ong said. He said the MCA could not shirk its responsibility as part of government despite Umno's seniority in the ruling coalition. "How are they justifying their position as minister? Chinese want a level playing field. Ministers must get rid of cronies and monopolies," he said. Ong cited his 26-month tenure as transport minister where he opened the probe on the RM12.5 billion Port Klang Free Zone scandal even though senior officers told him it was a closed case. "I put aside considerations of whether or not it would implicate Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik or Tan Sri Chan Kong Choy," he said of the former MCA president and deputy who were Ong's predecessors as transport minister. "I was more concerned about how the party had been linked to that debacle which was a key factor in the March 2008 tsunami," he added, referring to the BN's landmark loss of its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament and five state governments.
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