Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Air crash more than historical event
- Bill to redevelop Kampung Baru tabled in Dewan Negara
- MCLM chief barred from entering Sabah
- Respect elders, ‘newcomer’ Rama told
- Indelible ink: Scholars reject call for new fatwa
- Hospitals in Malacca out of medicine
- Pudu project must go to bumiputras
- Cleaning up not only about removing the dead, EC told
- EC, the ‘democracy killer’
- KL property investment ranking slips in new survey
- Act fast on Alstom bribery scandal probe, TI-M tells MACC
- With Selangor award, Utusan paints Hasan as PAS-Umno matchmaker
- New Causeway toll likely fodder for Pakatan in Johor
- Malaysia backsliding in graft war, says Kit Siang
- RCI for Sabah now, not after polls
- Heat over satellite dish crackdown in Sabah
- Court sets Dec 12 and 13 for sodomy trial submissions
- Export slump may hit Malaysia growth in 2012, says ADB
| Air crash more than historical event Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:31 PM PST (WikiSabah) - United Borneo Front (UBF) chairman Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan told the court that the air crash on June 6, 1976 that killed former Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and all 10 others on board a Nomad aircraft is more than a historical event. Jeffrey, 63, said it was a tragedy of huge proportions not only affecting the families of the crash victims but also affecting the State and the future of its people.
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| Bill to redevelop Kampung Baru tabled in Dewan Negara Posted: 06 Dec 2011 06:58 PM PST (Bernama) -- The Kampung Baru Development Corporation Bill 2011 will explain in detail the functions and roles of the corporation in the redevelopment of Kampung Baru in the capital, said Federal Territories and Urban Well-being Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin. He said the bill would encourage, stimulate, increase, facilitate and coordinate the redevelopment of Kampung Baru and provide relevant provisions associated with it. The government is transparent and open in drafting the bill by taking into accounts complaints, views and counter proposals made by landowners and heirs to the land in Kampung Baru, he said when tabling the bill for second reading at the Dewan Negara today. "The land ownership will not be compromised in the redevelopment of Kampung Baru as it would be a symbol of the Malay success and prosperity in the middle of Kuala Lumpur metropolitan," he said. Raja Nong Chik said the redevelopment of Kampung Baru would benefit all quarters while generating the Malays' economic prosperity in the capital, particularly among landowners and heirs to the land. The 92.2ha Kampung Baru, which was opened 110 years ago, has a population of 35,000.
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| MCLM chief barred from entering Sabah Posted: 06 Dec 2011 06:20 PM PST Haris Ibrahim has been barred from entering the state and was sent back to KL on the next available flight. (Free Malaysia Today) - Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) president Haris Ibrahim has been barred from entering Sabah and was sent back to Kuala Lumpur on the next available flight. Contacted by FMT prior to his departure, the lawyer said he had landed at the Kota Kinabalu airport at about 3.15pm. "I have just been told that 'atas arahan atasan' (orders from a higher authority), I have been denied entry. I am still at the immigration awaiting details," he said. He later added that the formal notice stated that he was detained under Section 65 (1) of the Immigration Act 1959/1963 and that he had been denied entry on the direction of state authority. Asked if he was there for MCLM-related activities, Haris said that the movement had some work with political parties and NGOs in Sabah. "I presume the order (to prevent entry to Sabah) is related (to the political activities in Sabah)," he added. Haris, who was previously attached to election watchdog Bersih 2.0, was also denied entry into Sarawak twice — in April during the state election and September this year. It is believed that he was stopped from entering Sarawak under the similar law. Under the Malaysia Agreement, Sarawak and Sabah have the power to bar anyone from entering the states, including persons from Peninsular Malaysia.
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| Respect elders, ‘newcomer’ Rama told Posted: 06 Dec 2011 02:43 PM PST A DAP division in Penang is peeved with the deputy chief minister for branding party veterans as godfathers and demands a clarification. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Bagan DAP division has launched a broadside against Penang Deputy Chief Minister II P Ramasamy for describing party elders as "godfathers". According to the division, this is a mark of disrespect and called on the academic-turned-politician to clarify who he was referring to. The division also urged the leadership to take stern disciplinary action against the "newcomer". "Never before has a DAP elected representative criticised party elders as godfathers. Its 'un-DAP-like'," said division deputy chairman and Bagan Dalam assemblyman A Tanasekharan. He said party elders, like national chairman Karpal Singh and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang, have been the pillars of strength for DAP over the years. "They have sacrificed so much and been the backbone of the party, we must respect them. As a newcomer, Ramasamy should not be disrespectful towards the party veterans. He should not act like a warlord," Tanasekharan told FMT in the presence of the division's liaison committee members. Ramasamy, the Penang DAP deputy chairman, told an online media that DAP should get rid of not only warlords but godfathers as well. He was responding to Karpal's warning to certain party leaders against becoming political warlords by circumventing the leadership to promise and announce seats for their cronies. Karpal also cautioned against using the term godfathers to describe veteran leaders, stating that the latter are also needed for the party's progress. The row was caused by Ramasamy's announcement in Tamil newspaper Makkal Osai on Nov 28 that the party will field three Indian women – D Kamachi, P Kasturi (daughter of the late DAP stalwart P Patto), and an unknown lawyer from Penang, K Mangaleswari. Ramasamy was also quoted as saying that parliamentarians M Kulasegaran (Ipoh Barat), Gobind Singh Deo (Puchong), Charles Santiago (Klang) and M Manogaran, and assemblymen A Sivanesan (Sungkai), A Sivasubramaniam (Buntong), V Sivakumar (Tronoh) and P Gunasekaren (Senawang) were certain of contesting in the coming general election. According to the article, Ramasamy also announced that he will re-contest both his Prai state and Batu Kawan federal seats, which is against the imminent party's "one man – one seat" policy. Although he denied stating it, the Makkal Osai article, sub-titled the report as Ramasamy's announcement. Why deny it now? Tanasekharan said the majority of division leaders and members backed Karpal on this matter. He also questioned why Ramasamy denied making such an announcement only after Karpal's outburst. "Instead of accusing the reporters and media of twisting (his remarks), he should have denied the report a week ago," he added. Bagan division head and Penang DAP vice-chairman Lim Hock Seng clarified that the CEC is the party's highest decision-making body to finalise and announce the candidatures.
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| Indelible ink: Scholars reject call for new fatwa Posted: 06 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST The EC may be looking for an excuse to delay its decision, according former mufti Mohd Asri. (Free Malaysia Today) - Several Islamic scholars have rejected the call for another fatwa on the use of indelible ink to mark those who vote in an election. They said the fatwa that the National Fatwa Council issued in 2007 made another one unnecessary. They were commenting on Election Commission (EC) secretary Kamaruddin Ahmad Baria's statement last Friday that the commission was awaiting approval from the National Fatwa Council. Kamaruddin was speaking to DAP representatives last Friday. Former Perlis Mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin said that the EC should not use Islam as an excuse to dilly dally over its decision on whether to impose the use of indelible ink as a measure against cheating in the coming general election. "Actually, I am amazed," Asri told FMT. "It is very interesting that the EC is now mentioning religion even when there is already a fatwa on this. "Don't use Islam as an excuse and an obstacle to implementing actions that will bring justice. That's a very bad attitude." The issue of whether the ink would be allowed in Islam was raised recently by Pasir Mas MP Ibrahim Ali. He said in Parliament that the ink might make ablutions invalid. The National Fatwa Council said in 2007 that the ink had been chemically tested and found to be free of substances considered impure in Islam, medically safe and porous enough to make ablutions valid. "The use of indelible ink is allowed," said Asri. "Otherwise in principle we can't use ordinary pens as well because the ink sticks everywhere. "The spirit of Islam is to seek justice. For me, where justice is concerned, even if there is no fatwa on the matter, Islam would accommodate it. "You have mechanics who deal with oils which cannot be washed off thoroughly or a policeman who has to work with dogs. If there are no other options and you absolutely have to work with it, then you may do so. "To me this is a simple issue which even a village religious teacher can answer. It is about justice."
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| Hospitals in Malacca out of medicine Posted: 06 Dec 2011 02:25 PM PST (The Star) - The state government has promised fresh supply of medicine at public hospitals following a shortage which caused misery to patients for nearly a month. State Health, Project Rehabilitation, Suburban Development and NGO committee chairman Datuk Seet Har Cheow assured the patients that the problem would be resolved by tomorrow. "The shortage of medicine has placed patients in a limbo. The state is addressing the situation," he said, adding that new supplies had been dispatched. "We expect things to normalise in a day or two." Seet blamed the shortage on "several inevitable factors" but said the state was in constant touch with the Health Ministry. "I can't divulge these factors. But I strongly dismiss allegations that medical personnel were hoarding the drugs and secretly supplying these to private pharmacies," he said, adding that the ministry was putting in place measures to prevent a recurrence. Asked if the quality of the medicine would be compromised in the rush to stock up, Seet said: "Health isn't something we gamble with." In Putrajaya, Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the shortage should be dealt with immediately by the respective administrators. He, however, was not aware of the situation in Malacca. "It was not reported to me, but it shouldn't have happened," he said, adding that he had reminded all hospital and clinic administrative staff members to ensure there was enough stock. "Although hospitals and clinics can sometimes run out of medicine at the end of the year, they should have a plan to prevent it from happening," he said. Malacca Pensioner Associations chairman J. Ram said its 2,000 members, who relied heavily on public hospital medicine, had been left in the lurch. "Even pharmaceutical products to treat high-blood pressure patients were unavailable for almost a month," he said. "Many of us are elderly patients who cannot afford to get supplies from private pharmacies."
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| Pudu project must go to bumiputras Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:42 PM PST By Andrew Nayagam, The Malay Mail KUALA LUMPUR: The government's bumiputra agenda must be followed at all cost — even if it means taxpayers do not get the best deal from development projects. This seems to be the conclusion to the testy Pudu Jail redevelopment issue as project owner, government linked company UDA Holdings Berhad (UDA), has been forced to return to the drawing board to select a bumiputra contractor. The Finance Ministry had mandated UDA to focus solely on bumiputra investors, inciting the ire of UDA chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohammed. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said the ministry and government want UDA to drop a foreign contractor hired for the project through a legitimate tender in favour of bumiputra companies. "This is where UDA's role is critical and the government's mandate must be followed," he said. "The government hopes for more bumiputras to be involved in redeveloping the city and we want to help them. Pudu Jail is one of the projects we are looking at. The bumiputra involvement in construction projects in the city is small. We want them to have more of an impact in this area," he said after launching UDA's 40 Years Corporate Stamp and opening the Ancasa Express Hotel in Pudu Sentral here, yesterday. Nur Jazlan told The Malay Mail UDA had been told to make a U-turn and look for bumiputra companies or individuals to breathe new life into the abandoned Pudu Jail and transform it into a commercial and transport hub. "This is despite receiving surefire profit-making proposal by four foreign companies," he said, taking a swipe at the ministry for rejecting an "excellent proposal" presented by a China-based company, Everbright Ltd, which had offered RM2.9 billion in building costs with projected annual returns of at least RM300 million to RM400 million. "Despite Everbright being backed by the Chinese government and with reserves of US$1.3b (RM4b), the offer was rejected and UDA was directed to look for bumiputra investors," he said. Nur Jazlan said bumiputra companies did not have the financial means of foreign companies. "Not many bumiputra companies are as big as UDA. There's a high chance those companies will be bailed out halfway," he said, adding UDA posted profits of RM40m this year with RM1b in assets. When asked if he felt his power as chairman had been undermined by the ministry, Nur Jazlan said: "My hands are tied. I cannot do anything about it. I'm forced to follow." It was learnt 15 companies had bid for the project on the 19.7 acre site. Of the five shortlisted, the sole bumiputra company was a construction company linked to an Umno politician. |
| Cleaning up not only about removing the dead, EC told Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST (Harakah Daily) - PAS's vocal Youth wing has reminded the Election Commission that electoral reforms were not limited to only removing names of deceased voters in the electoral rolls. The wing's head Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi stressed that a clean, fair and transparent election could only take place when there was a high sense of commitment from the ruling government for electoral reforms, including allowing the opposition and dissenting views airtime over national television."It starts with the freedom for political parties to campaign without being restricted by mind-boggling laws against the spirit of democracy such as being practised by UMNO," Nasrudin said in a statement to Harakahdaily, and cited the existence of draconian laws such as the newly passed Peaceful Assembly bill, Official Secret Acts, Universities and University Colleges Act and the Internal Security Act. Yesterday, EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (left) said the Commission was working with the National Registration Department to remove from the rolls the names of people who have died. In response to Wan Ahmad's guarantee that Malaysia would see the 'most up-to-date electoral rolls' for the 13th general election, Nasrudin called for more effort to clean up the electoral rolls besides working with the NRD. According to Nasrudin, the EC must also clean up overlapping voters with identical and suspicious names, as well as those with identical Mykad numbers, and other instances revealed by PAS Youth this year. "EC must also give guarantee that they will also clean up the election process so that it will not create doubts and suspicion to ensure transparency and fairness in election. Among others, the use of indelible ink and the abolishment of postal voting," he added. |
| Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:33 PM PST By Selena Tay, FMT Our vote is very important and there's no measure of its worth. To illustrate this point further, here is how in 1969 MCA's late Tan Siew Sin campaigned for votes in the parliamentary seat of Bangsar by saying that there was no point whatsoever in voting for the Opposition (DAP's Goh Hock Guan). "The ordinary voter should remember that while a bigger opposition is all right in theory, in practice it means that those voters represented by opposition members will suffer, and suffer hideously, merely to enjoy the luxury of having someone there in Parliament scolding the government on their behalf," he said. The above quotation is taken from the bestseller by Dr Kua Kia Soong entitled "May 13" which was published in 2007. Knowing how precious each vote is, it is therefore not surprising that in order to win every general election, Barisan Nasional goes about soliciting votes by fair means or foul. Thus, it is of utmost importance to ensure that all the 10 recommendations proposed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for electoral reform are implemented before the 13th general election takes place. Otherwise, the PSC is just a sham to con the public. However, these 10 proposals do not quite resemble Bersih 2.0′s demands except for the proposal to use indelible ink and the proposal to clean up the electoral rolls. As for the postal ballot, now it will be called "Advance Voting" but the essence is still the same, it is only the terminology that differs. Listed below are Bersih 2.0′s eight demands:
BN's greatest weapon What is more important is that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is silent on whether the polls will be held before the electoral reforms are implemented. This means that the polls can be called before the reforms take place. The prime minister is known to have lied before and he must not be allowed to dupe the public as he has so often done so in the past. The prime minister is one slippery character and those members of the public who have wised up to his tricks must watch him like a hawk to ensure that he does not employ any dubious tricks to pull the wool over the eyes of those who are gullible. DAP's Rasah MP Anthony Loke has highlighted cases of army voters in Negri Sembilan who have the same name and date of birth but using two different forms of identification (MyKad as well as the army registration number) in the voter roll. This will enable the said army man to vote twice in two different polling centres and thus he has two votes. Those undetected cases could be massive and this blatant abuse of the voting process by the armed forces personnel is tantamount to the destruction of democracy. Another suspicious account of hanky-panky in the Election Commission (EC) is in Lembah Pantai, the parliamentary seat of PKR's Nurul Izzah. On Sept 26, 2011, there were 149 registered postal voters but on Nov 2, 2011, the figure shot up to 2,180 postal voters (an increase of 1,363%)! Not only that but in Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum where all the residents have moved out and the kampung is no longer in existence, the number of voters have increased from 3,204 to 3,300. Amazing indeed! There are many names in Nurul's constituency without address and these no doubt are phantom voters. Who is creating the names and MyKad numbers out of the blue? What is going on? In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that at least 200,000 dubious voters have been added to the voter rolls (at least 70,000 in Selangor and more than 50,000 in Penang)! If so, then not only will Pakatan Rakyat lose badly, Pakatan will be wiped out for sure!
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| KL property investment ranking slips in new survey Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:32 PM PST By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider Kuala Lumpur's property outlook will continue to slide in 2012 while Singapore remains the most attractive Asia Pacific city for real estate investors, according to an Urban Land Institute (ULI) report. Kuala Lumpur's investment prospects slipped one spot to 16th out of 21 Asian cities tracked going into next year while development prospects dropped three places, also to 16th, the "Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific 2012" outlook released yesterday said. Singapore topped the list despite a less positive environment and falling yields this year, and was the only city besides Shanghai considered to have "generally good" development prospects. Buying sentiment was stronger in Kuala Lumpur for retail and industrial property than in Singapore while the reverse was true for office, apartment and hotel property. The largest group of experts polled for the report recommended a hold on all property sectors in Kuala Lumpur next year, while a "sizable minority" backed acquisitions in all areas. "Construction financing (for Kuala Lumpur) might remain more limited as global economic concerned continue to linger," the report added. "However, government plans are in place to improve infrastructure over the coming years — always a boost for commercial real estate." It also said that despite recent declines investors still saw Malaysia's capital as "an emerging city of interest", noting that properties in the city were valued at one-fifth that of comparable properties in Singapore. Investors also predicted bullish growth in Malaysia, with the report predicting that national GDP growth would remain at five per cent or above through to 2015.
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| Act fast on Alstom bribery scandal probe, TI-M tells MACC Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) today urged national anti-graft officials to work with Swiss authorities and to act quickly in the latest bribery scandal to arrest Malaysia's corruption perception slide. In a statement today, TI-M president Datuk Paul Low raised the questionable business dealings of French engineering giant Alstom in the country and called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) "to leave no stone unturned" in investigating if there were such corrupt practices as alleged. It noted Alstom was fined €31 million (RM 130 million) by the Swiss Attorney General for failing to implement proper controls to prevent bribery in Malaysia, Latvia and Tunisia relating to payments to middlemen to secure government contracts to build power plants. "Given the continued slide in Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index ranking and score as shown in the 2011 results released last week, it is crucial that all efforts are made to address any allegations of corrupt practices immediately," Low said. He added that the commission must be allowed to conduct their investigations without fear or favour, and said any party that breached the MACC Act must be dealt with transparently in accordance with the law. Yesterday, scandal-hit Alstom denied it bribed an Umno veteran for a power plant project in Perlis as alleged. The French firm also declined comment when asked to confirm if its Malaysian executives were being investigated by national anti-graft officials over its connections to Tenaga Perlis Consortium (TTPC), a local company partly controlled by Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Pawanteh. In responding to The Malaysian Insider, Alstom maintained its stand that reported financial improprieties in its business dealings here were one of three isolated cases and were not the result of a "systematic bribery" endorsed by the company. "As underlined in the Swiss Attorney's conclusions, Malaysia is one of the cases where the company has been a victim of the misconduct of its employees," Beverly Ho, Alstom Malaysia's communications manager said in an email reply yesterday. It stressed that the company was fined by Swiss authorities for "corporate negligence in the past, not for having organised a corruption scheme". Abdul Hamid, a former Perlis mentri besar and Dewan Negara president who was reported to be directly implicated in Alstom's indictment for bribery in securing foreign contracts, also denied accepting monies. "I wish to categorically state that the allegations contained in the above report are totally baseless and malicious," Abdul Hamid said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider two days ago. He stressed that the company's board of directors, including Ti Chee Liang who was named in the Swiss court papers, did not receive "7.5 million Swiss francs (RM25.5 million) to help Alstom Malaysia secure a contract to build a power plant in Perlis in late 1995". The politician also disclosed that he was unaware of ongoing investigations into Alstom Malaysia by the Swiss authorities. "To date, I have not been notified or called by them to make any statements or provide any details. I am shocked that the Swiss authorities have accused Ti and me of wrongdoings, financial or otherwise.
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| With Selangor award, Utusan paints Hasan as PAS-Umno matchmaker Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:28 PM PST By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia said today that former PAS state commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali's "Datuk Paduka" title award in conjunction with the Sultan Selangor's birthday this weekend will play a role in "marrying" Umno and PAS. Assistant Chief Editor Datuk Zaini Hassan, writing in his weekly column, said he was informed the Sultan recognises Hasan's role and saw him as a unifying factor for the Malays in Selangor. "In Selangor, the Dr Hasan factor is very important. His followers in PAS (who share the same views) are large in numbers. His influence among Malay civil servants in Selangor is also significant. "Both factors had given Dr Hasan advantages to bring about changes. Dr Hasan is able to make that marriage happen in order to uphold the sanctity of Islam and the wholeness of the Malays in Selangor. Selangor needs to be saved," Zaini said. He also pointed out that Hasan is the only Selangor executive councillor to receive the state medal from the Sultan, claiming he will be given the "Datuk Paduka Mahkota Selangor" title. This comes on the heels of the Umno general assembly last week pronouncing that PAS cannot supplant Umno as the political guardians of the Malay community. Then, Umno also took to accusing DAP leaders of marginalising Malays in Pakatan Rakyat states and challenging the sanctity of Islam as the country's "official religion". Hasan, who is in charge of the state's Islamic affairs portfolio, previously defended a raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in August, claiming there was proselytisation of Muslims on the premises. Widely seen as a religious conservative, Hasan has been at odds with the ruling PR state government's seemingly liberal policies on several occasions, most notably his push for a beer sale ban in the country's most developed state earlier this year.
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| New Causeway toll likely fodder for Pakatan in Johor Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:12 AM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider A new toll for the Causeway next year making it six times as expensive for roundtrips between Johor Baru and Singapore is set to be a major election issue in the Umno bastion and birthplace of Johor. The Malaysian Insider understands project owner Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) has proposed a RM9.10 toll in each direction for passenger vehicles using its RM1 billion Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) highway from the Causeway to the immigration post. However, the Umno-linked company is using an open toll system that charges the full fare at the new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) checkpoint regardless of where motorists exit or enter the highway — the latest facility for the ambitious Iskandar zone that celebrates its five-year anniversary this weekend. The rest of the 8.1km stretch leading to the Pandan interchange of the North-South Highway will be free to local motorists. With Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak set to call a general election soon, sources said Putrajaya may be forced to delay or subsidise the toll that could be up to six times the current charge for roundtrips across the one kilometre bridge spanning both countries. MRCB officials briefed the media and local stakeholders yesterday ahead of plans to launch the highway and tollbooths built at the CIQ complex in the first quarter of 2012. The Malaysian Insider also learnt that local business leaders were concerned that, with the new CIQ already taking Singaporean tourists away from downturn Johor Baru, the EDL will see them skip the more inland Tebrau area as well. Taxi drivers also called for an exemption as it would otherwise be unfeasible to ferry passengers across the Causeway. When contacted by The Malaysian Insider, an MRCB spokesman said "we cannot comment on the toll because that is up to the government." However, the spokesman confirmed that toll will be levied on vehicles heading in both directions across the Causeway but local motorists within Johor be able to use the EDL free of charge. "MRCB insists it won't be major election issue but they refuse to make any statement on pricing. It will be suicide for the government to introduce the toll before elections," a source close to the project told The Malaysian Insider. Over 50,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily, mostly Malaysians living in and around the state capital who commute to the island republic to work. Johor Baru's economy is also heavily reliant on Singaporeans who cross the Straits of Johor to enjoy cheaper prices there. Putrajaya set up the Iskandar zone five years ago to turn Johor Baru and its surrounding region into an economic growth area catering to the spillover from Singapore. Cars and lorries exiting Singapore and heading into Johor now pay RM2.90 and RM5.50 respectively to use the bridge while motorcycles, which make up more than half of traffic across the Causeway, are exempt from the toll. Singapore's Straits Times reported in 2008 that the toll charges for the EDL will range from RM6.20 for passenger vehicles to RM12.40 for lorries entering Malaysia. But with commuters being charged the combined fare in both directions, roundtrips on the 88-year-old bridge will cost five times more. The English-language daily reported that rates will be raised every three years of the 30-year concession and will peak at RM14.60 for passenger vehicles and RM29.20 for lorries.
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| Malaysia backsliding in graft war, says Kit Siang Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:11 AM PST By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider Malaysia is losing ground in the fight against graft and risks slipping behind China, infamous for its endemic corruption, DAP's Lim Kit Siang warned today. Lim was responding to a report released by Transparency International (TI), in which Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) dropped for the third year running — slipping to 4.3 this year — leaving it in 60th place out of 183 countries, compared with 37th when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in 2003. "Other countries which had been down on the list of the TI CPI ranking are fast catching up while Malaysia is fast falling down," Lim said today in a statement, citing China in particular. "At the annual average rate of China's improvement and Malaysia's regression... China will not only catch up but will leave Malaysia behind... In the matter of four years," he added. Lim said the 1 Malaysia Government Transformation Plan Roadmap under the ruling government released in January 2010 admitted that the perception of corrupt practices in Malaysia had risen in recent years, adding that the target was to increase "our CPI score from 4.5 to 4.9" by 2010. "The anti-corruption NKRA target was another colossal failure... Malaysia's CPI score for three years from 2009 to 2011 was 4.5, 4.4, 4.3 — all three the lowest scores ever registered in Malaysia," he said. "This is most deplorable... There must be change of federal government in the next general elections as only a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will have the political will to carry out a serious, committed and uncompromising anti-corruption programme," he added |
| RCI for Sabah now, not after polls Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:08 AM PST By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: An opposition MP has warned Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak not to delay setting up the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate claims that citizenship was given to foreigners in exchange for their votes. Sepanggar MP Eric Majimbun said Najib must resolve the long standing issue of the almost two million illegal immigrants in Sabah, their citizenship and Project IC scheme. The alleged scheme was set up to change the electoral composition of the state along communal lines. "Those culprits who are involved in Project IC should be brought to justice according to the existing laws, as these people are the traitors of the country and Sabah in particular," he said. He said to allow the next general election to be called without investigating the allegations would be perpetuating a fraud. "To go ahead and call for the 13th general election without investigating the issues would call into question the election itself,"added. Majimbun stressed that an impartial investigation was crucial to help clean the much-maligned electoral rolls, in line with Najib's pledge to push through electoral reforms. "If the government can allow the establishment of RCI to probe individual-related issues like that of Teoh Beng Hock's mysterious death and that of a lawyer like VK Linggam, why can't the same be done to resolve the perennial issue of the presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who have obtained the MyKad through dubious means like the Project IC, which is threatening the sovereignty of Sabah and affecting the well-being of its people?" he asked. Majimbun also challenged Umno and the Chief Minister Musa Aman as the chairman of Sabah Barisan Nasional and the State Security Council to take a stand on the call for the establishment of the RCI on the matter. Only Umno against RCI The outspoken MP denied Musa's allegations that the opposition were 'merely capitalizing' on the RCI to score political points. "We are not capitalizing on the RCI. This is not about scoring political points. Project IC is an irresponsible and unreasonable act. "It is the Umno leaders who are playing politics regardless of the outcome for Sabah and its people. "(Notice how) none of the Sabah delegates who spoke in the recent Umno annual general assembly had supported the calls for the setting up of the RCI. "Whereas almost all political parties in Sabah including several component parties of Barisan Nasional (except Umno) too have expressed their support demanding for the establishment of the RCI by the federal government, " said Majimbun who is also Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president.
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| Heat over satellite dish crackdown in Sabah Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST By Azman Habu, FMT TAWAU: The seizure of 193 satellite dishes around Sabah by the Customs Department has drawn into the spotlight the federal government's continued bias towards KL-based satellite service provider Astro and its victimizing of Sabahans. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai as well as several senior opposition leaders, in voicing their shock, have also branded the seizures as "ridiculous". "After all we are subscribing to the Prime Minister's 'People First Performance Now' dictum," he said after making known his unhappiness with federal government's continued policy of not allowing people to use parabolic satellite dishes. The state Customs Department announced over the weekend it had launched crackdown on the use of unapproved satellite dishes last month under Customs Act 1967. Those caught in possession are liable to a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the seized items or imprisonment of up to three years or both. A total of 64 dishes were confiscated from residences in the districts of Beaufort, Papar, Kota Kinabalu, 76 in Keningau and Tambunan and 48 in Tawau, department deputy director Hamzah Sundang said on Saturday. Each dish costs between RM300 to RM500 making the total seizures worth about RM200,000. Yee, who is also Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, said it was absurd that the use of such dishes was still banned in a borderless world. "We should accept the fact that the world is getting smaller. For a runner, for example, they cannot be asked to use only one type of shoes. We cannot allow a monopoly," he told the reporters here. Astro monopoly criticized He said preventing people from using any satellite dishes apart from those supplied by Astro did not make sense and was also a monopolistic exercise condoned by the government. Yee said that the rational for not allowing the public to use such dishes in the past was because the federal government wanted to control information. "But now people can access information from anywhere," he said, adding that disallowing the use of satellite dishes "is like the ostrich burying its head in the sand … it is not tenable and against the interests of the nation." Sabah DAP leader Jimmy Wong also slammed the seizures as an affront to freedom of information. He said there was nothing wrong in people buying parabolic dishes as they are doing what the government wants them to tap on more information to gain more knowledge and achieve the government's vision of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. "Parabolic dishes are cheap and can help people gather three to four times more information than is available. In China there are more than 100 stations. "The government should get rid of the policy prohibiting the people from using these dishes," he said. He also criticized the monopoly held by Astro. "At the moment we are only limited to Astro … there is no competition, a total monopoly. "If the government really means the words – 'People First' – the government should be open to other satellite channel providers, just like the many cellular phone companies.
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| Court sets Dec 12 and 13 for sodomy trial submissions Posted: 06 Dec 2011 09:31 AM PST (Bernama) -- The High Court here has set new dates, Dec 12 and 13, for submissions at the end of the defence case of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial. Justice Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah set the dates after meeting both the prosecution and defence teams in his chambers on Tuesday after Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh wrote to the court this morning requesting the matter be postponed to Monday.
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| Export slump may hit Malaysia growth in 2012, says ADB Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:47 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has forecast growth of 4.7 per cent for Malaysia next year, down slightly from 4.8 per cent in 2011, due to a potential slump in exports to the advanced economies of US and Europe. The bank said in its report on Asia macroeconomic development released today that while US economic growth could strengthen somewhat, the euro zone will likely fall into either a brief recession or a more severe long-term downturn. In its assessment of country vulnerabilities, the bank noted that Malaysia's fiscal deficit of over five per cent of GDP last year was higher than several other regional economies such as Thailand (two per cent), Singapore (0.1 per cent) and Indonesia (0.7 per cent). Only Cambodia (six per cent), Brunei (eight per cent) and Vietnam (eight per cent) had higher fiscal deficit ratios. Malaysian government officials have maintained GDP growth projections of between five and six per cent for next year thanks partly to the implementation of projects identified in the Economic Transformation Programme and strong commodity prices which will boost spending in rural areas. Most research houses, however, expect Malaysia to grow between three and five per cent. The World Bank said last month that Malaysia's economy is expected to slow further in the remainder of 2011 and into early 2012 mainly due to a deterioration in the outlook for external demand and expects a growth of 4.9 per cent next year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its September report had forecast a growth of 5.2 per cent this year and 5.1 per cent in 2012 for Malaysia. Malaysia's third quarter growth surpassed expectations to grow at 5.8 per cent thanks to robust domestic demand. A global economic slowdown may also hit oil prices, a commodity which Malaysia relies heavily on.
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