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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• MCA: Selangor land title offer illegal
• Mat Sabu, mangsa fitnah PapaGomo
• Selangor water assets worth RM12b, says MB
• Porn CDs: The buck stops here Mr Prime Minister
• Tough times for MAS
• Malaysia developing a gambling culture
• Ku Li calls for RCI on power deals
• ‘Check on club’ Mashitah: Obedient Wives’ Club’s links with Al-Arqam a cause for concern
• Al-Arqam still active under different guises
• MACC hit by red tape in Taib probe
• As poll looms, Anwar flogs Pakatan states to voters
• Now it’s a ‘Mat Sabu’ video
• ‘Forget inquest, just book them for murder’
• OMG, after Anwar, now UMNO trains it's cross hair on Mohamad Sabu of PAS
• Anwar tanked economy in bid to oust Dr M, says Najib
• Ex-cop claims AG concealed billion-ringgit scandals
• Soi Lek’s impossible dream
• Kit Siang wants parliament to debate Sarbaini
• Don't worry about 'power crazy' tag: Sabu to PAS
• MCMC censors websites, under request from the US government to stop Wikileaks network of file ...
• Nursery row taking a toll on a growing business
• Never be number one, second wives told
• Bersih 2.0 triggers early fever for UMNO
• Ministry: PM’s trip to Kazakhstan was reciprocal, not for leisure
• The PM's Kazakh debacle
• FLOM gets into the news yet again
• Obedient wives’ anger PBB women
• Malacca to boost security at historical sites, says CM
• Key resignation, resentment hits new national innovation initiative
• Wikileaks: Malaysian firm tried to buy China missile parts
• Umno a hypocrite for anti-PAS welfare state stand, says Muslim cleric
• 930 tonnes of food being thrown away every day
• Society’s conscience they are not
• Malaysia may get more boat people
• Can UN stop China from starting a war over the Spratly Islands dispute?
• Petronas tires of being piggy bank
• Anwar will be convicted – come what may!
• WIKILEAKS: Malaysia-based firm involved in guidance systems of ballistic missiles, cruise ...
• Still say that 60% of what Malaysia Today writes are lies?
• Sama Sama Kita Rayakan
• Longing For A Free Mind (Concluding piece)
• Women of class and taste: name the women contest
• Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 4)
• A political party is just like our car, a mere vehicle
• WIKILEAKS: Perak episode sets a dangerous precedent
• Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 3)
• Something that never happened and never can happen
• Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 2)
• Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1)
• Syed Hassan Ali’s education versus Andreas Panayiotou’s no education

MCA: Selangor land title offer illegal Posted: 10 Jun 2011 12:13 PM PDT Dear Datuk Theng Book, Thank you for making it clear. By Bernard I Thank you for your kind concern regarding leasehold house owners, your wisdom in highlighting the illegality of the present Selangor Government in permitting an extension of leases by just paying RM1000, truly makes me understand the controversy. If I correctly understand the Section 76 of the National Land Code it is :- Under Section 76 of the National Land Code Parliament has expressly given the powers to the State Authority whether to alienate State land for a term not exceeding 99 years or in perpetuity "where the State Authority is satisfied that there are special circumstances which render it appropriate to do so". There is no definition whatsoever on the meaning of "special circumstances" in the National Land Code. Obviously under Section 76 (aa)(iii) of the National Land Code Parliament has left it to the wisdom of the State Authority to determine what constitutes special circumstances and it is the satisfaction of the State Authority that matters. Once again Thank You for making it clear.

Mat Sabu, mangsa fitnah PapaGomo Posted: 10 Jun 2011 12:06 PM PDT Artikel ini telah disiarkan di blog Anak Sungai Derhaka tiga hari sebelum Video Seks Mat Sabu diedarkan.. Dalang yang terlibat telah membuat pengakuan akan kewujudan video ini.. By Anak Sungai Derhaka Menurut seorang sahabat, Ikon Fitnah 1Malaysia iaitu Papagomo yang telah selesai menjayakan penyebaran Video Lucah seorang lelaki mirip DSAI yang didakwanya sebagai DSAI, bakal meneruskan agenda fitnahnya lagi.. Kali ini beliau dikhabarkan akan menerbitkan satu lagi video lucah, yang didakwa oleh Ikon Fitnah 1Malaysia itu melalui laman tweeternya sebagai rakaman video lucah antara Mat Sabu yang telah memenangi jawatan Timbalan Presiden PAS dan seorang perempuan.. Seperti dengan penyiaran Video Lucah yang lalu, Ikon Fitnah 1Malaysia iaitu Papagomo dipercayai akan mendahului penyiaran rakaman tersebut dan kemudiannya akan diekori oleh blogger-blogger Pro-UMNO yang lain..   Read more at: http://darisungaiderhaka.blogspot.com/2011/06/mat-sabu-mangsa-fitnah-papagomo.html#more

Selangor water assets worth RM12b, says MB Posted: 10 Jun 2011 12:01 PM PDT By Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has revealed that the state's water assets is valued at RM12 billion, 12 times more than an evaluation provided by the federal government recently.  Khalid, who had initially valued the assets at over RM10 billion, had appointed independent auditors to publish a full report of all water assets in the state to ensure that Selangor's takeover of the state water industry from four water concessionaires is done in a "fair manner."  "Last night, I was told after spending RM760, 000 to review all of the water assets belonging to the state government, I would like to announce that the state's water assets is valued at RM12 billion.  "That is the problem with Umno, they don't know how to count," he said during a ceramah here last night.  Selangor's water assets were valued at only RM1 billion by the federal government's wholly-owned Water Asset Management Company (PAAB).  Both state and federal governments have been locked in a struggle over water assets in Selangor since Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took control of the state in 2008, with neither side wanting to give the other control over the critical industry.  The state government had made an offer of RM9 billion for the assets of the concessionaires but the group had rejected it, calling the offer "ambiguous."  The national water industry restructuring scheme has been delayed by a dispute over the price of the privatised assets in Selangor, which also provides water to the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.  Selangor made the RM9 billion combined offer to the four water concessionaires in Selangor — Puncak Niaga (M) Sdn Bhd (PNSB), Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd (ABASS) and Syarikat Pengeluar Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (SPLASH).  Selangor, which already owns 80 per cent of the state's water supply assets, is preparing to take over the remaining assets after Putrajaya said it did not object to direct negotiations between the state government and concessionaires.   READ MORE HERE.

Porn CDs: The buck stops here Mr Prime Minister Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:57 AM PDT The rakyat cannot sit back and take all these filth and allow their young to be corrupted. The buck has to stop here for we are far too inundated with sickening filth.  By J. D. Lovrenciear Truly the shameless and absolutely indecent and deceitful tactics being used to smear, tarnish and destroy leaders within the opposition camp has gone far too far. First it was a shocker to the entire nation when Sodomy I was hatched. The Prime Minister then even went on prime news slots to mimick the act of masturbation shamelessly. After all the beatings and attempts to finish off Anwar Ibrahim failed, Sodomy II was hatched and is still trenching its way with impunity. And to add salt to the open wound cut into the soul of the rakyat, a porn sex video is being peddled openly and incessantly. And now comes another cruel deed - that of a sex porn CD on Mat Sabu. What has the nation come to? Have we no more shame? Are our much bragged about police force totally incapable of fighting off these heinious and despicable acts of betrayal against humanity? Mr Prime Minister, you have to take total responsibility for this state of affairs as the head of the nation in government. The rakyat meanwhile cannot sit back and take all these filth and allow their young to be corrupted. The buck has to stop here for we are far too inundated with sickening filth. Perhaps the time has really come where the entire nation of honorable and principle centered citizens and leaders must convene, demand decency and nothing less before the nation loses all moral bearings and goes ballistic. The political masters are failing. The law enforcers are incapacitated. The rakyat cannot let this failure to overwhelm them any more. All Malaysians must rise to right what is grossly indecent, wrong, unjustified and shameful. Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists and even Atheists must convene and demand in unison that the PM stops these damning deceitful actions by irresponsible individuals with ulterior motives or he steps down like a gentleman.

Tough times for MAS Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:20 AM PDT By P Gunasegaram, The Star ALL is not well with Malaysia Airlines (MAS) (see our cover story this week). While the situation is dire, it is not impossible for the airline to recover its fortunes but it needs some nifty strategic changes and deft execution. While key officials say they want the airline to be Asia's top one by 2015, they don't say clearly in terms of what. MAS is already among the best in the world in terms of service but that does not spell profit with the airline slipping into an operating loss of RM267mil for the first quarter of this year. This airline has been through tough times, slipping into massive losses at several points during its history. With help it has come back from the brink of failure but it has not been able to show the kind of sustained profitability that other airlines such as Singapore Airlines have exhibited. MAS' fortunes have deteriorated so much that low-cost carrier AirAsia overtook it in terms of market value earlier this year (see chart) and seems set to widen its lead as it made a profit in the latest quarter while MAS reported a substantial loss. MAS has a good product going by the continuing rave reviews for its cabin services. That alone is not enough to make it profitable. As with any business, you arrive at a profit or loss after subtracting costs from revenue. For an airline, the revenue is dependent on capacity and how much it grows or reduces its routes, the load factor which is a measure of capacity utilisation, and the crucial pricing through which you maximise revenues. This is to be juxtaposed with costs, of which the major and most volatile one is oil prices on which the jet fuel price depends. Sometimes, your cost savings justify a cutback in routes but a prudent airline will also consider the long-term impact of such a move because you don't want to constrain future growth. Because airlines are so dependent on oil costs, they try to hedge their positions to cap their costs but when wrongly or improperly done, this can wipe out airlines. In fact in 2009 MAS had to provide a massive RM3.95bil in provisions for it's hedging which nearly oblitereated its shareholders' funds, requiring it to ask an exemption from de-listing procedures under Bursa Malaysia's Practice Note 17. In that episode, MAS had hedged at an oil price of US$100 per barrel but what it failed to do was to structure the hedge so as to benefit fully from any fall in the oil price below US$100. Paradoxically, as the oil price collapsed, MAS' profits collapsed too. For the subsequent quarters, MAS made enormous profits because the oil price rose again, reversing some of the earlier provisions but there were massive operational losses nevertheless. For the latest quarter, MAS again blames rising oil prices for the losses but there is no explanation as to how many other airlines still manage to make profits, albeit at lower levels. One has to suspect that this lies in revenue management. Perhaps it does not have enough business class or first class seats. Perhaps it has got its pricing wrong and is cannibalising some of its own market via cheap offerings and through its low-cost airline, Firefly. Perhaps it has given up too many routes to be able to grow rapidly. Perhaps, MAS has become so obsessed with cutting fares and offering value comparable to low-cost airlines that it is losing its own high yielding market by people who book earlier to take advantage of lower fares. Perhaps the airline is not very clear about where it should stand in terms of the kind of strategy it must adopt to maximise its revenue. You don't leverage great service by offering value (read low-cost) fares. In fact you do the exact opposite. Yes, one must agree that new airplanes are more cost efficient and that could make the difference between profit and loss, but does that imply that MAS has been negligent in its fleet planning? In terms of broad strategy, MAS should just focus on being an excellent full-service carrier, market it as such and leave low-cost operations to subsidiary Firefly. It should get the best people and systems to manage its fleet and price its fares. It should focus on continued cost reduction in other areas without seriously undermining its service standards, its promotional efforts and its brand reputation and positioning. And it should engage in prudent hedging policies which allow it to take advantage of falling oil prices instead of being locked into high-cost oil when the price of oil is falling. Once it has sorted all this out and is back on the firm path of profit, then it can talk about being Asia's number one airline in every respect, not just service.

Malaysia developing a gambling culture Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:15 AM PDT By Christopher Fernandez, FMT Towards late last month, Johor police squashed an illegal 4D syndicate that reportedly was raking in RM500,000 monthly, and also arrested 23 suspects in yet another of a growing list of raids conducted from time to time that bears testimony to the fact that a gambling culture has spawned in Malaysia. If we have become quite used to reading about these raids, not only are illegal 4D syndicates the target of police, also ubiquitous now are Internet casinos operating under the guise of cybercafés that are beginning to attract hordes of gamers. In quite a number of neighbourhoods, there is usually now a cybercafé operating an Internet casino. While it is anybody's guess how much the government is losing in revenue from this illegal activity, as calls to legalise Internet gaming have been made by certain quarters, the authorities are now caught between the devil and the deep blue sea. Legalising Internet gaming might seem a logical way to regulate and monitor the activities of cybercafé, but Malaysia is now inundated by large-scale gaming activities that can spell a danger and add to growing social ills. From waging bets on cock fighting to playing mahjong within the secrecy of a premises, Malaysians of all walks of life are taking to gambling not in a fun but serious way. A common saying of gamers at Internet casinos is that they want to "cari makan" (earn a living) from betting. Whether this is possible is debatable but often the "cari makan" evolves into bettors having to eventually "curi makan" (steal to earn a living) as alleged by those familiar with Internet gaming activities. What is worse, say these people, is that since Internet gaming is illegal, these cybercafés are usually the target of robbers and in a number of robberies, murder and grievous hurt have also been committed in the process of robbing, this despite cybercafé operators having strict security measures and CCTVs to monitor their surroundings. The scenario of gambling in Malaysia has taken a turn for the worse with bankruptcy cases owing to irresponsible and reckless betting on the rise. This is now very evident in betting on football games. While for a season it was thought that football gaming should be legalised, the idea fell apart as the scheme offered was considered unsuitable to be implemented effectively. Instead illegal football gaming continues to thrive much to the dismay of the authorities who are aware that billions of ringgit are being invested heavily by punters in illegal football betting. Cunning scheme While the vice kingpins laugh all the way to the bank, the Malaysian government is saddled with the dilemma of how to govern the gaming industry as it is explicitly aware that much revenue is being lost to the mobsters and triads that oversee these business not just in Malaysia but also all across Asia. In the case of illegal 4D gaming and football betting, these syndicates piggy-back on the infrastructure of the legitimate gaming companies to run their operations in a cunning scheme that often causes the legal operators to be up in arms over the losses they suffer as much of their revenue is siphoned off by the illegal operators. This is particularly true in the horse racing industry where illegal bookmakers have gone online to cause much loss to be suffered by the three Malaysian turf clubs at Ipoh, Sungai Besi and Batu Gantong, Penang. Race-goers are also to be blamed for patronising bookies at the three clubs on a day of racing instead of betting with the clubs. This has caused the quality and integrity of horse racing to drop considerably and descend in esteem as a sport of international repute unlike the horse racing industries of Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan. If this is not a cause for concern, legal 4D betting seemed to have gone overboard with the introduction of special draws on a selected Tuesday every month. Complaints abound that the current three draws a week held on every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday should suffice. But the introduction of the special draw, the revamping of the games you can bet on and the restructuring of prize money have all caused the number of bettors to swell and this can be gauged by the increase in revenue by the three 4D and digit game operators in the country including the Big Sweep lottery. While the popularity of gambling has witnessed a marked upswing in the proliferation of gamblers now, another bastion of gambling operated by Resorts World Bhd (RWB) – the Genting Highlands casino – continues also to show steady progress. While gaming by RWB is promoted as a fun and relaxing way to unwind and enjoy the facilities offered and the refreshingly cool mountain air up the highlands, the numbers of Genting patrons who have fallen by the wayside as a result of not having put in place an effective Responsible Gaming Policy is open to speculation. Problem gamblers This is where RWB should shoulder its part of the responsibility by screening the financial standing of patrons and not just creating awareness of RGP. It must see to it that RGP is effectively implemented to ensure patrons have an enjoyable time and not go overboard with their games at the casino. It is incumbent upon RWB to prevent patrons from getting into financial difficulties or even problems and eventually losing control of their lives. RWB casino personnel should be trained to keep a sharp lookout for problem or difficult gamblers and take suitable measures to deal with them. While the gambling industry as a whole – both legal and illegal – flourishes, it is timely to point out that the number of people who have ventured into gambling and become casualties have caused a new problem for households and also for the authorities. In many cases, persons with gambling problems have encountered bankruptcy, health problems, neglect or loss of interest in studies, work and business and have had had problems relating with their loved ones. In certain cases, chronic health conditions, marital problems and suicides have taken place. While most people see nothing wrong in waging a flutter at the race track or the casino, the subsequent hold and grip of the game has caused many to have an unpleasant and difficult time in managing their thoughts and feelings and have subsequently very little control over their lives. READ MORE HERE.

Ku Li calls for RCI on power deals Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:06 AM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Veteran politician Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah today called for a royal commission to probe Tenaga Nasional Berhad's (TNB) contracts with independent power producers (IPPs), saying the lopsided deals may be burdening consumers. "The commission must investigate and propose the best suitable measures to be taken by the government to ease the burden to be borne by the consumers following the inevitable increase in the electricity tariff after the IPPs charged higher rates to TNB," the Gua Musang MP was quoted by Bernama Online today. The Cabinet raised power tariffs by an average of 7.12 per cent effective June 1, in a bid to trim a growing subsidy bill and widening fiscal deficit. But the move has also thrown the spotlight on the purchasing power agreements that TNB is engaged in with the IPPs. Opposition lawmakers have rounded on the Najib administration for wielding the knife on consumer subsidies while leaving the gas subsidies to the power producers — to the tune of RM19 billion this year — largely untouched. The perception that the IPPs continue to enjoy the billion-ringgit subsidies courtesy of political patronage was reinforced when former TNB chief executive Tan Sri Ani Arope openly criticised the power purchasing deals as "economic plunder". Ani had caused a stir in 1996 when he chose to resign from his executive chairman post rather than sign the imbalanced deals, which saw the first generation of IPPs created. "TNB is the whipping boy. TNB has no control of the price it has to pay to the IPPs. Get to the source of the problem," said Ani.   READ MORE HERE.

‘Check on club’ Mashitah: Obedient Wives’ Club’s links with Al-Arqam a cause for concern Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:02 AM PDT By Nik Imran Abdullah, NST KOTA BARU: The basic principles and beliefs of the Obedient Wives' Club must be looked into given the club's link to Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd, an offshoot of the now defunct Islamic religious movement, Al-Arqam. Deputy Minister in Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim said the principles behind Al-Arqam might influence the thinking of the club's founders and that those subscribing to its ideals might be victimised by their husbands. "We have to establish the basic principles of the club and where it came from," she said after opening the Kota Baru Puteri Umno divisional meeting at SM Tanjung Chat yesterday. Mashitah's call for an investigation into the club came after sources from the police and the Selangor Religious Department (Jais) revealed last Sunday that intelligence gathered showed that the Al-Arqam group was still active and operating under different names. A Jais official told the New Sunday Times that the group was conducting its activities under the name of Rufaqa and Global Ikhwan, and was active in Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam.

Al-Arqam still active under different guises Posted: 10 Jun 2011 11:01 AM PDT By Hariz Mohd, NST KUALA LUMPUR: Al-Arqam, the banned religious movement, is still active, with more than 5,000 members throughout the country and operating under different names. Currently led by its late founder Ashaari Muhammad's wife, Khadijah Aam, authorities believe its members are still aggressive in spreading the movement's aurad muhammadiah doctrine. The doctrine was declared a deviant by the Federal Government in 1994, leading to the ban. Jakim director-general Othman Mustapha said its members and their activities were being monitored not only by Jakim but also the state religious departments and other enforcement agencies. "Although they are trying to evade detection by changing the name several times, we know for a fact that the movement is still very much alive. It is the same Al-Arqam." He said the group was first found trying to revive the movement under the name Rufaqa but later changed it after they were detected by the authorities. "When Al-Arqam was banned, they had about 10,000 members nationwide and we had to spent a substantial amount of money to bring them back to the true teachings of Islam. "We held continuous programmes for them, with the help of state religious departments," he told the New Straits Times yesterday. "However, there is still a large number of them who are still adamant and continue to practise its teachings. They have been found to be very active in recruiting new members and spreading the doctrine. "From information gathered, we found that they now have at least 5,000 active members nationwide and the latest, we found that they have registered the movement as Global Ikhwan Sdn Bhd. "Despite all the different names, they are still the very same Al-Arqam." Othman said initial investigations showed that its members were detected in almost all the states, including Selangor. "Since Al-Arqam's ban, religious authorities have been keeping surveillance on its ex-members' activities to ensure that the group is not revived. "Once we gather all the proof and confirmation, we will move in," he said. Al-Arqam was one of the biggest Islamic non-government organisations in the 1990s. Its members were active in spreading the doctrine through religious activities until they were declared a deviant group by the National Fatwa Council. Ashaari had claimed that he was a prophet and predicted that he would be the prime minister after former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

MACC hit by red tape in Taib probe Posted: 10 Jun 2011 10:56 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud is being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for alleged abuse of power in his position as Sarawak  chief minister. By Lee Shi-Lan, NST A source familiar with the case revealed that investigations began at the end of last year following several reports against Taib, including allegedly possessing properties in excess of his emolument and alleged abuse of power as the CM. Senior MACC officers declined to reveal the exact nature of investigations against Taib, saying it would be improper and would jeopardise their work. "Investigations are being hampered by the fact that many transactions were carried out abroad and there are problems obtaining the necessary documents and information from foreign agencies," one source said. The Sarawak MACC is conducting investigations into the properties owned by Taib in the state and elsewhere in the country. MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed had confirmed on Thursday that Taib was being probed over allegations of corruption. Taib was also being investigated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (Finma) after the President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey, passed the matter to them. Finma normally investigates cases of money laundering in Switzerland, with emphasis on fighting corruption and the restitution of embezzled funds to respective countries.

As poll looms, Anwar flogs Pakatan states to voters Posted: 10 Jun 2011 10:50 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh and Asrul Hadi Abdullah Sani, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — In two key frontline states last night, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim moved to convince voters to allow Pakatan Rakyat (PR) to govern them as a general election is expected within a year. With Barisan Nasional (BN) promising to take back Selangor and PR needing just four more seats to win Negri Sembilan, the opposition leader took to the stump to talk up the achievements of his coalition's state administrations. Speaking to about 500-strong crowd in Port Dickson, Negri Sembilan, Anwar said that good leaders are those focussed on making people's lives better. "We don't want to talk about personal scandals. We talk about the rakyat," the PKR de facto leader said, referring to sodomy and sex video allegations levelled against him recently. He claimed that Penang's surplus budget of RM2 billion last year as compared to the RM1 billion deficit when PR first took over in 2008 was an example of this. Anwar also cited the abolishment of the Sultan Mahmud bridge toll in Terengganu when PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang was mentri besar between 1999 and 2004. "BN says we don't know how to govern. What they mean is we don't know how to steal," the former deputy prime minister said. He said PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was a prime example of this after 21 years as Kelantan mentri besar saw him "take no timber, land or contracts." "What is the meaning of government and power? It is to reduce the people's burden," he said before attacking BN's recent hikes in electricity and fuel prices. Earlier in Sepang, Anwar also emphasised the importance of moving Selangor's development forward. "Selangor must aim to get more investment and fast track approvals for projects because only through this can the state government continue its programme for the people," he told a crowd of over 300 people.   READ MORE HERE.

Now it’s a ‘Mat Sabu’ video Posted: 10 Jun 2011 02:04 AM PDT (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR has urged the police to form a special unit to investigate the distribution of a sex DVD aimed at portraying Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim as an immoral person. Zuraida Kamaruddin, leader of the party's women's wing, made the call today after making a police report following the discovery in her residential mailbox of a DVD in a package that also had obscene literature with screenshots from the now famous video that shows a man resembling Anwar having sex with a prostitute. However, the DVD Zuraidah received had the title "Skandal Sex Mat Sabu" and bore a picture of the PAS deputy president. A video with the same title was clandestinely distributed in 1999. It featured only voices in sexually charged conversation. Zuraida said she believed many of her neighbours in Ampang had received similar packages. She criticised police for their failure to make headway in the case despite several reports in recent weeks. In a media statement released today, she also urged Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Women, Family and Community Development Minister, to state her stand on the matter. She said Shahrizat should be concerned because the obscene materials were making their way into households with women and children.

‘Forget inquest, just book them for murder’ Posted: 10 Jun 2011 02:01 AM PDT LFL and PKR officials note inconsistencies between the police version of the Glenmarie shooting and the post mortem report. (Free Malaysia Today) - Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) and two PKR officials have rejected the Selangor police chief's call for an inquest into the last year's fatal shooting of three young men in Glenmarie, saying the authorities should go ahead and charge the policemen involved. The Selangor top cop, Tun Hisan Tun Hamzah, in suggesting an inquest into the death of Mohd Shamil Hafiz, Hairul Nizam Tuah and Mohd Hanafi Omar last Nov 13, also dismissed allegations that they died in an execution-style killing by police. "There is absolutely no necessity for an inquest as there is clear and incontrovertible evidence that the three young victims were deliberately shot to death by the police," Fadiah Nadwa Fikri of LFL said in a press statement, which was also signed by PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar and N Surendran. The statement said there were inconsistencies between the police version of the incident and the post-mortem report of the deaths. "The police had claimed that the victims had been shot dead when they rushed at police with machetes. This is inconsistent with the post-mortem finding of 45 degree angle bullet trajectory, indicating the victims were taken into custody and were kneeling before being shot," it said. READ MORE HERE

OMG, after Anwar, now UMNO trains it's cross hair on Mohamad Sabu of PAS Posted: 10 Jun 2011 01:45 AM PDT Malaysian First, Malaysian Last It looks like UMNO leaders are now whipping up a sex scandal to hang onto newly-elected PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, with a CD entitled 'Skandal Seks Mat Sabu' (or Mat Sabu's Sex Scandal) being distributed in the mail, as Prime Minister Najib Razak's party goes on a last-ditch X-rated binge to discredit opposition politicians. So far, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim - regarded as the BN government's No. 1 enemy - has borne the brunt of the UMNO attacks. Then came Mat Sabu, who a week ago won the endorsement of party members to beat incumbent Nasharudin Mat Isa and former vice president Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man for the coveted PAS No. 2 post. Like Anwar, Mat Sabu is a gifted orator able to appeal across racial lines. His colleagues have placed great expectations on him to drive their party foward and adopt a more progressive and moderate mould, which would alow it to compete directly against UMNO for the Malay middle ground and fence sitters. That his arch enemies have chosen the same modus operandi to destroy his career as they have been trying to do to Anwar underscores how worried they are that he will succeed in shaking up PAS, and drag the Islamist party fully into the main stream of Malaysia's multiracial society. "This looks like blunder No. 2 for UMNO. By using sex against Mat Sabu, it will only convince those PAS members who still had doubts about Anwar. Now they see with their own eyes the same thing happening to one of their own. I think it will enrage the party and the community. Anwar can now say 'I told you so'," Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysia Chronicle. A legacy of sex and smut Apart from Zuraida, PKR vice president Tian Chua was also a victim of a recent sex email scam, with a chain letter distributed in his name carrying the message that he had watched the video closely and believed the man having sex with a prostitute was Anwar. "Najib is leaving behind the worst legacy of all the prime ministers," Tian told Malaysia Chronicle. Three UMNO members with links to the top leadership including Najib and former premier Mahathir Mohamad had 'discovered' the sex tape and screened it to a group of journalists. Select PKR leaders were also shown the tape in a bid to lure them to defect. Although it is a crime to publicly screen pornography, the police have not arrested or charged the men who called themselves the Datuk T trio despite their public confession. Zuraida, who is also the PKR women's chief, received the Mat Sabu sex CD in her mail box. She lodged a police report on Friday. According to her, she received the CD a day ago in her mailbox. Other neighbours were also victimized. The CD which carried the title 'Skandal Seks Mat Sabu' (Mat Sabu's Sex Scandal) came together with a letter printed on a forged PAS letterhead and a brochure containing pictures of Anwar. READ MORE HERE

Anwar tanked economy in bid to oust Dr M, says Najib Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:43 PM PDT   (The Malaysia Insider) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim deliberately mismanaged the economy as finance minister during the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and 1998 in order to hasten Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's exit, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. The prime minister told residents at a Selangor suburb that Anwar, who was also the then deputy prime minister, raised interest rates and cut public allocations in an attempt to force then-prime minister Dr Mahathir out of government and take his place. "I was in Cabinet, I know the story," Najib told Lembah AU5D residents here during a walkabout today. "He raised interest rates by 20 per cent and cut (public) allocations to ruin the economy all because he wanted to be prime minister, because he wanted to push Dr Mahathir out," he added. Anwar's PKR party and two allies, DAP and PAS, won Selangor from the Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2008 but Najib, who is Umno president and heads the party's Selangor chapter, is working the ground to win the country's wealthiest state in the next general elections. Taking another dig at Anwar's time in government, Najib pointed out it was useless to talk big but not live up to one's promises when in power. He added that Anwar's alleged failure to manage the economy then meant that voters now should not trust claims by Pakatan Rakyat (PR) that it can keep the price of fuel low if it wins federal power. The billions of ringgit needed to maintain fuel subsidies in the face of rising global crude oil prices would have to come from allocations meant for public goods, he said. READ MORE HERE

Ex-cop claims AG concealed billion-ringgit scandals Posted: 09 Jun 2011 08:18 PM PDT   (The Malaysian Insider) - A senior ex-cop has accused Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail of burying evidence of corruption by senior government leaders between 1994 and 1996, involving losses of at least RM12 billion in public funds. Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim said Abdul Gani, then a senior public prosecutor heading the prosecution division in 1994, was involved in covering up the roles of "ministers and chief ministers" in scandals such as the RM8 billion and RM4 billion losses incurred by Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and Perwaja Steel respectively. "Between 1994 and 1996, Gani Patail was busy playing his role in closing cases or burying information that linked ministers or chief ministers who could be proven to have abused power or were corrupt. This includes the Perwaja case and also the one related to Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli," the former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation chief said in an open letter to the prime minister today. Mat Zain was referring to MAS's claim that Tajuddin was responsible for RM8 billion in losses during his tenure as executive chairman of the national carrier from 1994 to 2001. In the letter, he added that Tajuddin, who he refers to as TRI, used a similar modus operandi of "signing long-term and lopsided contracts" similarly used by Perwaja Steel as well as Tenaga Nasional Berhad in its power deals with independent power producers (IPP) that is said to cost taxpayers RM20 billion a year. "There are similarities in the MO used by all three companies. A common factor may be found and we cannot ignore the possibility that the persons involved in all the agreements are the same," said Mat Zain, who headed the 1998 police probe into former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black-eye case. READ MORE HERE

Soi Lek’s impossible dream Posted: 09 Jun 2011 06:57 PM PDT Since the March 2008 general election, there has been a taxonomic group of very educated, progressive, professional and youthful politicians in the DAP, led by the relatively young but veteran political maverick Lim Guan Eng. The highly intellectual and articulate young elected representatives of the DAP are making waves in Parliament and at the various state assemblies, as well as in the public arena, where the battle for the hearts and minds of the people is taking place. Comment By Thomas Lee Seng Hock MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek has appealed to the Chinese to review their perception of the party and reevaluate its past and present contributions, especially on matters affecting the community. In an apparent desperate endeavour to try to redeem whatever remains of the party's credibility, integrity and authenticity among the Chinese, Chua claims indirectly that the community has never rejected the party, but just went uncontrollably overboard in voting for a strong opposition in the last general election. In an interview with Malaysiakini on Wednesday 8 June 2011, Chua claims that the Chinese want some representatives in the government to articulate their frustrations, and also want a strong opposition to keep a check on the government, but "sometimes, when they do this balancing act, they go haywire." Chua claims that, deep down, the Chinese still want to be represented in the Barisan Nasional government, but since the community could not coordinate among themselves, they had ended up with more elected representatives in the opposition. "In their heart, they said: 'Oh, we want to have a stronger opposition'. But in the end, everybody voted for the opposition, resulting in nobody in the government," he said. In other words, Chua thinks that the results of the last general election, when the MCA was totally wiped out in Penang and sent packing in Selangor, Perak and elsewhere, are merely a freak electoral caprice and do not reflect the actual sentiment of the Chinese community. During the last general election in March 2008, the MCA won only 15 of the 40 parliamentary seats it contested and succeeded in merely 31 of the 90 state seats, losing them mainly to the DAP. The MCA was totally wiped out in Penang, losing every seat it contested at both federal and state level. Chua, apparently still in a reverie, thinks that the MCA still has a soft spot in the heart of the community, and that the party would bounce back into favour with the Chinese community at the next general election. He cited various so-called achievements of the party, claiming credit for getting more federal funding for Chinese primary schools, getting better recognition for the United Examination Certificate of the Chinese independent schools, and helping to develop mutual recognition of university degrees between Malaysia and China. Chua may think that the Chinese are fools for buying his so-called achievements. Any person with a bit of common sense knows that had not the alternative coalition of the DAP, PAS and PKR caused a massive electoral cataclysm at the last general election, the Umno-controlled Barisan Nasional government would not have granted such concessions to allow the MCA a safe-face reprieve to claim credit for them. Anyway, the matters Chua claims that the MCA managed to "fight" for the Chinese are matters of essential rights which the community must be accorded without any need to ask or bargain for. To say to say that the community needs the MCA to negotiate for them is to admit the lack of power of the party within the ruling Barisan Nasional administration and its failure in being the true community representative in the government. Its position and relevance in the government are certainly suspect. And in order to project the MCA in good light, Chua resorted to a smear campaign against the state administrations controlled by the alternative coalition Pakatan Rakyat, especially Penang and Selangor. Chua cashed in on the current land disputes in Selangor involving the Sungai Buloh nursery and the Kampung Kerandang land, and alleged that the Pakatan Rakyat state government made a mess of the matters. He doesn't seem to really understand the logistic and long-term practical implications involved, but just wants to score political points by exploiting the disputes. Chua also claimed that the Pakatan Rakyat Selangor state government allowed "thousands" of reflexology and entertainment outlets to flourish in Klang, implying that the alternative coalition is causing moral decline in the royal town. He also alleges that the Pakatan Rakyat state administrations in Kedah and Penang have allowed the water tariff to increase by 20%. Chua has given a misrepresentation on the Penang water tariff, claiming that the tariff had increased by 20%. The fact is that the Guan Eng administration has not increased the heavily-subsidized rates for domestic consumers, but only imposed a water conservation charge to reduce water wastage. Actually, only water tariffs for business have been increased to meet the production cost. Penang, meanwhile, still has the lowest water tariffs in the country for both domestic and business users. To make a sweeping claim that the Guan Eng administration had increased the water tariff by 20% is to tell a very despicable lie, unbecoming of a national political leader. The most outrageous claim, however, is Chua's statement that Penang under Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of the DAP is now running on a deficit budget, which the MCA boss says would get worse next year. Chua is either shockingly nescient and ignoramus, or a deliberate liar. The facts and figures are out in the open for all and sundry to see. Since the Pakatan Rakyat took control of the Penang state government from the Barisan Nasional after the March 2008 general election, the state has recorded the biggest surpluses in the nation's history with RM88 million in 2008, RM77 million in 2009 and RM33 million in 2010, as certified by the Auditor-General in his report. The solid and sound financial management by the Guan Eng administration also resulted in the heavily deficit-ridden Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) being saved from bankruptcy within just a year of financial rejuvenation. The Guan Eng administration, guided by the principles of competency, accountability and transparency (CAT), managed to lead the MPSP to post RM41 million in budget surpluses since 2008 compared to the big deficits it recorded from 2000 to 2007 under the Barisan Nasional administration, which amounted to a whopping RM230 million. It should also be noted that the Guan Eng administration is the only government in Malaysia, whether state or federal, to be highly commended by Transparency International for its anti-corruption efforts. Chua Soi Lek's current attempt to woo the Chinese to support the MCA by attacking the Pakatan Rakyat, especially the DAP, is obviously and action in futility. The community in general has lost complete faith in the MCA, especially when its present set of leaders are found wanting. In a commentary on the MCA I wrote in March 2011 when I was still chief editor of mysinchew.com, I made several observations of the party which I believe are still relevant. I am repeating them here. Although Chua and the MCA are attempting to regain the middle ground lost en masse by the party in 2008, the party faces two big obstacles – one internal, and the other external. The internal obstacle is surely its current leadership, which is composed of out-dated and spent political players, some with very weird and bizarre ideas like the one who proposed setting up a "Chinese Perkasa" to challenge the Malay rights group Perkasa, and some whose public comments of vital issues show their height of folly. I think almost none of the current leaders will be able to do well if they are to contest in the next general election. The ground zero perception of them is generally negative. According to a Merdeka Center survey in 2010, only 9% of the Chinese voters have any respect for Chua, which is actually much better than that of Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon who received only 1%. The survey only listed these two Chinese leaders, but I believe it is a general reflection of the Chinese support for the MCA and Gerakan leaders. The external obstacle in their way is the rejuvenated, regenerated, and reformed DAP. Since the March 2008 general election, there has been a taxonomic group of very educated, progressive, professional and youthful politicians in the DAP, led by the relatively young but veteran political maverick Lim Guan Eng. The highly intellectual and articulate young elected representatives of the DAP are making waves in Parliament and at the various state assemblies, as well as in the public arena, where the battle for the hearts and minds of the people is taking place. The DAP can boast of an army of very bright, well-educated, well-trained, and morally upright young politicians to spearhead the thrust for the transformation of the nation into a new and better Malaysia. Among the young leaders are the likes of Teresa Kok, Chow Koon Yeow, Anthony Loke, Fong Po Kuan, Lim Lip Eng, Teo Nie Ching, Tony Pua, Jenice Lee, Gobind Singh, Boo Cheng Hua, Hannah Yeoh, Violent Yong, Liew Chin Tong, Jeff Ooi, Thomas Su, and many more. Can the MCA beat off such an impressive formidable challenge from its diehard political opponent DAP? To regain the trust and confidence of the Chinese community and to remain relevant, the MCA must undergo a total revamp of its leadership, getting rid of those who had overstayed their usefulness, and those who intelligence are found wanting. The practice of cronyism and nepotism must be eliminated. Otherwise, what Chua claims about regaining the confidence and support of the Chinese community is merely an illusion – an impossible dream. I rest my case. [Note: Thomas Lee has been a newspaper editor and socio-economic and political analyst for over 35 years. He is currently a media consultant.]

Kit Siang wants parliament to debate Sarbaini Posted: 09 Jun 2011 04:46 PM PDT   (The Malaysian Insider) - Lim Kit Siang wants Parliament to discuss the death of Customs officer Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, following allegations that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was trying to tarnish Sarbaini's name. Lim said today that he had given notice to Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin to move a motion next week during Parliament, and added that motion for the debate will focus on Raja Petra Kamarudin's claims of a conspiracy. Raja Petra, in a post on his Malaysia Today website yesterday, claimed the police had conducted a thorough check on Sarbaini's assets and found no unusual or extraordinary wealth. Raja Petra (picture) has also accused MACC of trying to tarnish Sarbaini's name following his death. "My motion for an urgent parliamentary debate will also focus on the revelation by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin that the police had conducted a thorough check on Ahmad Sarbaini's assets and found no "unusual or extraordinary" wealth," Lim said in a statement today. The DAP parliamentary leader said that the motion also demanded that the police comply to the requests  made by the late Sarbaini's family. "The police (should) reveal its probe into Sarbaini's unusual death at MACC premises and to allow Sarbaini's family to decide whether to have an inquest or a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the causes of Sarbaini's death," he added. READ MORE HERE

Don't worry about 'power crazy' tag: Sabu to PAS Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:43 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 10: PAS leaders have been told not to be defensive over the claim by UMNO that the Islamic party was "power crazy". Speaking during a pre-recording session for Harakahdaily's 'Persepsi' programme at its office, deputy president Mohamad Sabu (pic) said it was justified to be "power crazy" in the bid to drive out the present "power crazy" group in Putrajaya. Saying the BN's long rule should be immediately ended, Mat Sabu said the people had been made to pay for its follies, the latest being a spate of price hikes on necessary items. "At the same time, our crime rate continues to rise to the point that people have been living in fear," he added. As such, Mat Sabu said there was nothing wrong in wanting to wrest power from UMNO and BN in order to bring about reforms and better governance. "So if they accuse us of being power crazy, then indeed we are, because we want to overthrow those power crazy people who should not be allowed to continue ruling the country," said the outspoken Mat Sabu, whose election as the party's deputy president last week generated a spate of critical comments from UMNO leaders on PAS. Kazakhstan trip According to Mat Sabu, in realising Pakatan Rakyat's goal to assume power, PAS has pledged a 'benevolent state' in line with the Islamic call to defend the masses at all levels. "The people can judge for themselves our actions based on this pledge. Should we fail to uphold that pledge and Pakatan Rakyat is seen as no different than UMNO-BN, the people can throw out the PR government," added Mat Sabu. Mat Sabu also referred to a report that prime minister Najib Razak's official trip to Kazakhstan is to among others finalise matters pertaining to his daughter's marriage to a Kazakh. "They use the country's wealth for their self interests, including to arrange the engagement of (Najib's) daughter in Kazakhstan, when money for such trips should not have come from public funds," he said.     READ MORE HERE.

MCMC censors websites, under request from the US government to stop Wikileaks network of file ... Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:32 PM PDT By Yong Ming Hui If everyone's been reading news on the net lately, we all know that the MCMC has been directing ISPs to censor P2P and many many other file sharing and hosting websites. Malaysia, in general, has no interests to ban these sites. There're many other sites worth banning, especially those obvious porn web sites. But we're not here to talk about the obvious banning of porn web sites. This is global governance on the horizon, global dictatorship rearing it's ugly head soon. The Malaysian government is under the order/direction of the US government. If you've read recently, US government legislated new laws to ban P2P and other file sharing/hosting websites. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100920/12460811083/us-senators-propose-bill-to-censor-any-sites-the-justice-depatement-declares-pirate-sites-worldwide.shtml This is after the Wikileaks incident. Couple that with the memorandum of understanding between Malaysia-Today and Wikileaks, it would be no surprise the Malaysian government would also start to realize the importance of obeying the request by Barack Hussein Obama to censor these sites which has the potential to host explosive information that could be leaked by both Wikileaks and Malaysia-Today. This also means, censorhip of Malaysia-Today could soon be on the horizon. Global governance is declaring war on freedom. Raja Petra is also right when he posted information that Najib is a Freemason. http://www.malaysia-today.net/archives/archives-2008/13997-manifesto-dato-seri-mohd-najib-tun-razak As these people are all in the same elite circle of Luciferian worship, they will do things that help each other to achieve world governance and strip public freedom. The Malaysian government not only works with these war mongering evil cult of bankers and luciferian worshippers. It is a matter of time before the wealth of Malaysians get stripped away with USA style ponzi financial schemes. Najib Abdul Razak, the Ahli Kehormat Freemason, will sell out this country to the Zionist Freemason-run global government. Their handiwork now starts with MCMC banning P2P/torrent sites and soon to be targeting Wikileaks and Malaysia-Today. Connect the dots, and you will see there's a war against humanity going on... It is time everyone wakes up and see who are the traitors in this country. And the first task is to flush out the Freemasons.

Nursery row taking a toll on a growing business Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:32 PM PDT The Star Says Yes, these nurseries are sitting on a gold mine. Not surprisingly, the nursery operators are suspicious of this "land grab" by Yayasan Selangor and rejected the state's move to make the foundation their new landlord. Yayasan Selangor, after all, specialises in distributing and managing scholarships, not land. TO most people in the Klang Valley, Sungai Buloh is synonymous with flowers and potted plants because of the many nurseries that dot the road. Historically, many of these nurseries got their supply from the leper colony at the old Sungai Buloh Hos­pital. Over time, as leprosy became a curable disease, the inmates left and many of the nurseries started growing their own plants. When Pakatan Rakyat took over the Selangor Government after the March 2008 elections, the nursery operators applied for their own Temporary Occupation Licence (TOL) for the land they were occupying. From 1999 to 2008, the Selangor Agricultural Development Corpo­ration held the TOLs of the 72 lots, collecting a monthly rental that was progressively increased from RM400 to RM800 per lot. The operators were unhappy and insecure as they did not have any legal right to the land they had occupied for years. In previous years, various groups and individuals had fought evictions or the right to continue using state or reserved land under TOLs. The pomelo growers of Tambun, for example, faced the same problem in the 1990s. Because they were major contributors to the Perak economy, The Star campaigned successfully for them to be given the titles to the land. Under the National Land Code, a per­­son can only acquire an interest in a piece of land upon the land being alienated to him by the state, either on the basis of a grant in perpetuity or a lease or a sublease derived from it. An individual may be allowed to occupy state or reserved land under a TOL. However, such a licence is strictly to enable occupation, such as for living or agricultural purposes. This is for a specified period, which is usually on a year-to-year basis and always on the payment of a fee. However, there is no guarantee that renewals will be granted. Historically, land is a state matter and under the National Land Code, the Selangor government has the power to issue the TOL for the Sungai Buloh land to Yayasan Selangor. That cannot be disputed. But the manner in which it was done that is questionable. It is no secret that the Federal Government is planning to develop the 1,200ha Rubber Research Insti­tute and the land has already been given to the EPF for this purpose. Many of the nurseries are located just next to the fence of what will be the biggest property development project in the country. Yes, these nurseries are sitting on a gold mine. Not surprisingly, the nursery operators are suspicious of this "land grab" by Yayasan Selangor and rejected the state's move to make the foundation their new landlord. Yayasan Selangor, after all, specialises in distributing and managing scholarships, not land. Furthermore, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim did not allay suspicions by offering the explanation that the foundation was well-qualified to manage the land because its general manager was an engineer. In light of the Federal Government's development plans for the area, it makes financial sense for the foundation to take control of the land. The state government should take note of what happened with the Tambum pomelo farmerss. These people are looking for security in a business that requires long-term investments. Growing plants take time and the operators need to know for sure that their investments will indeed bear fruit. A simple TOL might just be the fertiliser the nurseries need to bloom.

Never be number one, second wives told Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT By Nurhidayah Rmli, The Star "When they are courting couples, they pay so much attention and are naughty with each other; why not spice up the marriage by still being naughty?" she asked. "When a wife does not fulfil the needs of her husband, including sex, the husband will be inclined to find a naughtier' one outside," she said. KUALA LUMPUR: Single mothers who re-marry as the second, third or fourth wife should not try to take the first wife's place, said Malaysian Council of Single Mothers Association (MPITM) president Nor Aini Juffrey. "Do not try to be number one," she said. Nor Aini noted that the first wife might have family demands which the second or third wife might not have like children. This being the case, she said the second or third wife should be willing to accommodate the husband's need to pay more attention to the first wife and her children. She felt that being considerate would help the wives respect and be in peace with each other. Nor Aini also commented about the Obedient Wives Club vice-president's statement where the wife had to be like a "first class prostitute" to keep the husband from straying. "When they are courting couples, they pay so much attention and are naughty with each other; why not spice up the marriage by still being naughty?" she asked. "When a wife does not fulfil the needs of her husband, including sex, the husband will be inclined to find a naughtier' one outside," she said. She also said a good marriage should not be confined to bedroom activities alone. "Couples should also look at outdoor activities like going for family picnics together."

Bersih 2.0 triggers early fever for UMNO Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:25 PM PDT Bersih 2.0 is asking for justice, fairness and transperancy in the execution of the elections. But UMNO is asking that its everyday business interests should not be disrupted. By J. D. Lovrenciear The planned Bersih 2.0 rally for July 9 has already set a running fever for UMNO. This is diagnosed from the numerous police reports being lodged by UMNO followers so early. The rational for those from UMNO is that the rally would 'disrupt businesses'. And that very telling rational is also not doing any favor for their leaders within UMNO. Why? Simply because what Bersih 2.0 stands for and what UMNO reps are asking for clearly indicates that the very fundamentals within UMNO are not rightly placed as has always been claimed by the opposition members and various NGOs as well as the rakyat. Bersih 2.0 is asking for justice, fairness and transperancy in the execution of the elections. But UMNO is asking that its everyday business interests should not be disrupted. Now which is a nobler intent – self interest and daily profiteering or long term fundamentals that are consistent with democracy and good for the whole nation? It would have earned UMNO millions of kudos if their reps maintained that the authorities must safeguard the peaceful protest march so that both protestors and business operators at the protest venue are not adversely affected. In maintaining so they would have actually helped their business people whom they claim to represent. Given the hundreds of thousands present, can you imagine how much and how many business operators would profit from the captive market? Unfortunately, the advisors of UMNO must be totally blinkered. Or they cannot help thinking inside the box. And so the Bersih 2.0 rally has set a fever running inside UMNO. In all likelihood, the other component members of UMNO within the BN fold would jump the plank too. And soon the PDRM will compound UMNO's vulnerability further by issuing a stern warning to the organizers and threaten to arrest those taking part in the rally. And like it or otherwise, there will be mammoth road blocks all over the country. It is the same old strategy hatched and re-hatched. And in the end, instead of helping BN and UMNO resusitate, the members themselves are only digging a deeper grave for their parties. It beats the daylight out of many thinking citizens who are asking why can't the leaders and followers of BN think strategically and spin the Bersih 2.0 rally to their advantage and thereby fortify the quicksand beneath their feet? In fact even PDRM can salvage its battered image by saying that they will ensure that the protest is held peacefully and any mischief maker at the scene will be nabbed by our world-class SB personnel. That would immediately absolve all their past sins and sins of omissions instantly. Just imagine what the world would be like if the Egyptians, Tunisians, and others talked like UMNO each time people wanted to hold a peaceful protest? Or where would India be if the 'Salt march' led by Gandhi was banned? Or what would Indonesia be if the public outcry was killed off in the bud? Sigh!

Ministry: PM’s trip to Kazakhstan was reciprocal, not for leisure Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:19 PM PDT (Bernama) KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister's trip to Kazakhstan was to fulfil a long-standing invitation from President Nursultan Nazarbayev to visit the country, the Foreign Ministry said. The ministry's Department of Information and Public Diplomacy in a statement to Bernama yesterday refuted a news portal report titled "PM's use of public funds for wedding trip morally wrong". The ministry said the claims by some quarters that the visit was for the wedding of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's daughter was unfounded. The statement clarified that Najib's visit to Kazakhstan on June 5 and 6 was the Prime Minister's first official visit to the country and reciprocated the visit by Nazarbayev to Malaysia in June 2006. Warm welcome: Najib shaking hands with members of the public at the Bunga Raya Complex, KL International Airport in Sepang. Najib returned to Malaysia Thursday after a four-day trip to Kazakhstan. With him is Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. The ministry said during the visit, Najib had paid a courtesy call on Nazarbayev and also held bilateral consultations with Kazakhstan Prime Minister Karim Massimov. "The visit did not just elevate bilateral relations between the two countries but also generated many opportunities for the Malaysian business community." The ministry added that Kazakhstan was also Malaysia's biggest trading partner among Central Asian countries. The statement also said the Prime Minister's visit coincided with the 7th World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF) from June 7 to 9 at Astana and that Najib had attended the forum in his capacity as a head of government, representing Malaysia and as patron of WIEF. The decision by Kazakhstan to host the 7th WIEF on these dates was reached more than a year ago, when Malaysia hosted the sixth series of the WIEF in May, 2010, the ministry statement added. "On the whole, the visit brought about a substantial development in Malaysia-Kazakhstan bilateral relations which is mutually rewarding," said the ministry. - Bernama

The PM's Kazakh debacle Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:16 PM PDT This exactly is the problem with Malaysian work culture. It permeates the entire government machinery and today even some private organizations are guilty of taking piggy-back rides on company / organizational expenditure and time.  By J. D. Lovrenciear The public is asking if the PM and his First Lady have abused their positions vis-a-vis attending their child's wedding while having gone to Kazakstan on official business. Meanwhile many have rushed to rescue the PM and his First Lady giving evasive and agitated explanations and even sneering at the very question that the rakyat are asking. What makes it all a debacle is the way the rebuttals are forthcoming from the defenders of the PM and his First Lady. The point of contention is very simple really. The logic is when you go to a foreign land on official business, the rakyat pay for the trip and expenses included. It is approved because you are doing your job given to you by the rakyat. You complete the assignment, come back and report on the success. And the rakyat will sing praises for you. But when you go on official business and along the loop also attend a family function - in this case your child's wedding, and then return on an all expenses paid for flight, it certainly raises ethical questions. The right thing to do is that you go on official business at national cost, return, then apply for leave and go off to do your private thing and return when the leave expires. And that you do at your private expense and in your private and personal capacity as Mr. Najib and Madam Rosmah. In fact, if you place a separation between official duties and personal matters you would not even have the wedding fixed to coincide with your business calender. That is the way how it works for all rakyat who are employed or conduct their official businesses. Business and personal matters do not mix! But when you sambung sambung sambil buat kerja, ahh that becomes an ethical issue. Got it? To make matters worse, the entire entourage who also happened to be on the band wagon of official business and happened to be also attending the wedding 'by the way' are also guilty of mixing duties with personal social obligations. This exactly is the problem with Malaysian work culture. It permeates the entire government machinery and today even some private organizations are guilty of taking piggy-back rides on company / organizational expenditure and time. They are guilty of flying to some destination for work related matters, extend their leave and continue to enjoy a seemingly 'well earned' holiday and then return on company paid return ticket. To some Malaysians this is smart thinking. They do not realize how unethical they have been. They bat not an eyelid at this compromised virtue. And so BN will accuse the rakyat of making a fuss about a 'simple' matter. But this is no simple matter. It involves the Number One of the nation. In fact if you study the nine challenges enshrined in Wawasan 2020, this 'tumpang' mindset and attitude runs foul of at least four of the nine challenges. Then how on earth are we going to be a world class citizen and nation? Should the PM and his First Lady not be setting the highest moral code of behavior and examplary ethical values so that the entire nation can emulate and transform its compromised values?

FLOM gets into the news yet again Posted: 09 Jun 2011 02:11 PM PDT By J. D. Lovrenciear Why does Prime Minister Najib's current wife always get into the news circuit for all the wrong reasons and all the time? Indeed it is mind boggling. Could it be that she was born under an unlucky star and the rakyat are absolutely wicked devils? If she carries out a task, there is a flaw. If she opens her mouth - be it in response to a global-scale disaster or at some local political rally, she fouls up easily. If she goes on an overseas trip she trips all the time. And now even her million-Ringgit handbag has riled up the struggling rakyat. When and where in the five-dacade history of Malaysia did we witness the Prime Minsiter's wife facing so much of criticism and ridicule? Yes, none. And so why is Rosmah seen to be saying and doing all the wrong things and on that account also not seen to be saying and doing all the right or widely accepted things? Take the branded handbag that Malaysia Today has made a leak on. The point is the rakyat never issued any edict that the PM's wife must only carry a Petaling Street fake bag. They never said that our officials' wives must dress like a pauper. In fact throughout our history, the rakyat had always praised a VVIP for his or her adorable dress sense and mannerisms. But why, when Rosmah walks the corridors of the wealthy, powerful and famous, the rakyat always cannot miss a pot shot at her? Well the First Lady and all her pretending loyalists can dismiss all these as 'oh just ignore the stupid Malaysians okay'. But surely one cannot ignore the truth, that is, none of our past Primie Ministers' wives were so despiced and mauled by the rakyat. None of them earned any brick brats whatsoever even when it came to the choice of dress, jewelry and accessories including handbags. But the same is not with the case of Najib's current wife. Sad. Very sad. Not sad for Najib. Not sad for Rosmah. But truly very sad for the nation. But you see there are and there always will be people like the Marcos'. Fortunately the Filipinos knew when to say enough is enough.

Obedient wives’ anger PBB women Posted: 09 Jun 2011 12:11 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: The controversy-ridden Obedient Wives' Club (OWC) appears to have already driven a wedge within the Barisan Nasional lead-party,Parti Pesaka Bumiputra (PBB). The club, which encourages women to be submissive and perform better in bed, has triggered a conflict among the Youth and Women wings of the party. PBB Youth chief Fadillah Yusof is not only supporting the club, but will also officiate at the setting up of a branch of OWC at MJC Batu Kawah. But PBB woman leader, Fatimah Abdullah, who is also the minister in the chief minister's office, is dead against the formation of OWC. National PKR vice-president, Voon Shiak Ni said that Sarawak PKR women were shocked and disappointed with the stance displayed by PBB leaders. "Their inconsistent stance is clearly calculated to mislead and confuse the people in the state," she said. Voon was commenting on a recent report disclosing that the OWC is to set up a branch in a new township in Kuching. The promoter of the club revealed that PBB Youth chief and science, technologies and innovation deputy minister Fadillah Yusof will be officiating at the launch of the OWC. Last week, OWC vice-president Dr Rohaya Mohamad shocked Malaysians when she reportedly said that the club would give sex lessons to women so that they could "serve" their husbands better and to ensure that they do not look for prostitutes. Like their counterparts in peninsular Malaysia, the Sarawak women are against the setting of such club. Confusing signals Voon said: "They are confusing the people. While Fadillah is said to be supportive of the OWC, Fatimah Abdullah is saying that the OWC should be scrapped." She said the state BN component parties must make clear their stance on the setting up of the OWC branch in Sarawak. "It is embarrassing for Fatimah to announce her objection to the setting up of OWC, but for her BN and PBB colleague to act otherwise. "While it is the OWC promoters and organisers' rights to freedom of association, they should also take heed that their announcement to set up the club has triggered objections and adverse comments from the men, women and the civil societies.   READ MORE HERE.

Malacca to boost security at historical sites, says CM Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:38 AM PDT By R.S.N. Murali, The Star MALACCA: The state government has initiated measures to protect its historical sites following the theft of wheels from ancient Portuguese cannons on top of St John's Hill at Bandar Hilir on Wednesday. Describing the theft as a threat to the state's artefacts, Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said he would immediately see to it that all historical sites in the state have CCTV facilities. "We have to seriously consider beefing up security at these sites after the recent theft including placing guards, especially at sites in the World Heritage Zone," he told reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony for Malacca's Hard Rock Cafe yesterday. Mohd Ali said he would direct the relevant authorities to secure outdoor artefacts with locks and chains to prevent thieves from carting away items like cannons. Lighting up: Workers conducting immediate remedial work to light up St John's Hill after Wednesday's theft. He said CCTVs should be installed inside museums and other enclosed historical sites to prevent such occurrence in the future. "This (thefts) should not have happened in the first place but I believe it's the work of drug addicts," he said. He said the state would work with the police to nab those responsible for the theft. "I hope scrap metal dealers will inform us or the police if they come across anyone attempting to dispose of these wheels," he said. Twenty solid cast iron wheels that supported five ancient Portuguese cannons on top of the hill went missing on Wednesday each cannon with four wheels weighs between 500kg and 600kg. Malacca has several historical sites, including the A Famosa, Stadhuys, St Paul's Church, Bukit Cina, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, Dol Said's Grave, Hang Li Poh and Hang Tuah wells. This is the second theft involving state artefacts. In March 2008, eight Malay keris and three Dutch-era pistols were stolen from the Malacca Ethnography Museum.

Key resignation, resentment hits new national innovation initiative Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:34 AM PDT By Lee Wei Lian, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Unik, the prime minister's initiative tasked with restructuring the country's public innovation ecosystem has hit a setback with the resignation of its technical advisor N Danaraj who was in charge of putting together the National Innovation Policy (NIP). His resignation earlier this week could come as a blow to Unik due to the loss of experience as Danaraj has a masters degree in public administration from Harvard, a doctorate from Oxford and was also technical advisor to the National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC), a senior fellow at Khazanah Nasional and a research fellow at the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research. His departure, which sources say was due to various disagreements with Unik CEO Dr Kamaljit Singh over the NIP, comes as several innovation agencies have been privately expressing concern over the Unik chief's leadership style. The innovation agencies are understood to be frustrated that their issues over proposed changes to the way federal grants are disbursed have not been adequately addressed and their growing resentment over the uncertainty could hamper Unik's efforts to implement initiatives. Their unhappiness came to a head when they learnt that Kamaljit had proposed a freeze on funding by innovation agencies by July at the Economic Council (EC) meeting earlier this month without consulting them. Sources say that a decision on the proposed freeze was postponed following objections from several other members of the  EC, which is chaired by the prime minister. Kamaljit is understood to be in favour of implementing a competitive bidding system where both government agencies and ministries that disburse technology related grants such as Biotech Corp, the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation (Mosti) and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) bid against each other for the funds which will be put in a common pool, but agencies say it is unfair for agencies under the ministry to bid against the ministry itself. One industry veteran familiar with the situation said that while some people might appear to "play ball" with Kamaljit because they believe he has the prime minister's ear, the opposition might get more serious if he doesn't get buy-in from the agencies. "If you push things through without getting agreement, do you think the agencies will help you?" said the industry veteran. One industry player said Unik is a good initiative but the main issue is lack of clarity from the top and claimed that the affected parties were being asked to trust Kamaljit without knowing all the details. "Nobody's afraid of competition," said the industry player when asked about competitive bidding. "If we don't perform, shut us down." "But you can't put parents and children in the same basket and ask them to compete (for grant money budget), that's not market forces," he added referring to the concept of agencies competing against their parent ministries. Some industry observers say however that Kamaljit may be trying to push things through because he feels that things will not get done otherwise. "Unik has an ambitious agenda and when you are short of time, you may be forced to step on the toes of those more used to a drawn out consultative process," said one observer. "That's why Unik is under the prime minister's department." When contacted, Danaraj confirmed the resignation but declined to comment further. Kamaljit also declined to comment for the story when contacted. Unik, which stands for Unit Inovasi Khas or Special Innovations Unit, was established by Datuk Seri Najib Razak to develop and implement strategies to stimulate and support innovation in Malaysia.  Its website states that it is a special-purpose body designed to focus on two core priorities - improving Malaysia's innovation eco-system and directly cultivating innovation.   READ MORE HERE.

Wikileaks: Malaysian firm tried to buy China missile parts Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:18 AM PDT   By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — A Malaysian company with links to Iran tried to buy gyroscopes used for guiding missiles from China, according to a leaked United States diplomatic cable. According to the cable released by whistleblower website Wikileaks, the US Department of State asked China in December 2009 to block the sale of TRS-500 gyroscopes from China firm VibTel Industrial to Electronics Component Limited (ECL). The cable, which was published today on news portal Malaysia Today, said that the US embassy in Beijing was ordered to share information with Chinese officials to assist "your ability to prevent the transfer of these gyroscopes by VibTel Industrial Co. to ECL." "ECL is associated with a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that procure sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern," said the document classified by the US State Department's director of missile threat reduction Pam Durham. According to the cable, China had agreed to look into the matter but asked for additional information on ECL's relationship to Iranian firms. The US said that ECL was linked to Iranian firms "Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which is Iran's primary developer of liquid propellant ballistic missiles, and Heavy Metal Industries, a front company for the tactical missile developer Ya Mahdi Industries." "Both SHIG and Ya Mahdi Industries are sanctioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737," the cable said, adding that the gyroscopes, used in ballistic and cruise missiles as well as unmanned aircraft, are prohibited for export to Iran under the same resolution. It also said that ECL had links with another Malaysia-based front company Skylife Worldwide Sdn Bhd. It is the second time in recent years that a Malaysian company has been linked to Iran's nuclear and missile ambitions.  READ MORE HERE

Umno a hypocrite for anti-PAS welfare state stand, says Muslim cleric Posted: 09 Jun 2011 11:15 AM PDT By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Former Perlis mufti Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has labelled Umno a hypocritical party for slamming its political foe's pro-welfare state stand raised at the PAS annual general assembly last week. The popular Muslim cleric said Umno, as the ruling Barisan Nasional's (BN) lynchpin which is also supposed to represent the Malay voice, should have supported the Islamist party's idea instead of slamming it as conservative and fanatical. "I don't know Umno's actual stand. Previously, Umno criticised PAS for being controlled by the ulamas, now with the professionals in charge they are still whacking the party. "I see Umno as a hypocrite... Previously, it (Umno) said PAS is jumud, so I don't think this attitude is right," he told The Malaysian Insider. The vocal Asri (picture) said Umno's attack on PAS was uncalled, noting it had transformed into a more open and inclusive party. "If before the non-Muslims were fearful of an Islamic state, now PAS is more open, more progressive than Umno," he said. Last Friday, PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had raised the concept of a welfare state in a developing country in his speech at the 57th muktamar. The party's spiritual adviser Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat had backed the idea yesterday, saying the welfare state as pushed for by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact, especially PAS, was in line with Islam. Nik Aziz explained the welfare concept did not mean it had to be material benefits and gave as an example the Kelantan government's action to shutter nightclubs to prevent social ills. The Kelantan mentri besar said welfare was something that can assure citizens of their safety in the material world and the hereafter.   READ MORE HERE.

930 tonnes of food being thrown away every day Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:46 AM PDT By P Aruna, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians can afford to eat less because they are either overeating or wasting food, throwing away up to 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily, say experts. This is equivalent to us throwing away 93,000 10kg bags of rice each day. The experts warn that people must change or adapt their eating habits in the light of rising prices and a looming food shortage, adding that the country was already experiencing a food crisis. Universiti Malaya Prof Dr P. Agamuthu said wastage was a growing trend, adding that almost 50% of the 31,000 tonnes of waste produced daily by Malaysians comprised organic kitchen waste such as leftover food. "Malaysians discard about 930 tonnes of unconsumed food daily. Wastage of unconsumed food alone in Malaysia has doubled over the past three years. This does not even include leftover food," he said, adding that the unconsumed waste mostly consisted of expired bread, eggs and old or rotten fruit. Dr Agamuthu, who specialises in solid and hazardous waste management, said Malaysia was close to developed country status in terms of waste generated compared to developing nations like India and Bangladesh, which had almost zero unconsumed food. He said food wastage was higher in urban areas due to the difference in income levels over rural areas. Nutrition Society of Malaysia president Dr Tee Ee Siong said many Malaysians tended to overeat, usually taking more food than they should. He said it was a common sight to see Malaysians pile too much food on their plates, especially during meals at restaurants and buffets. "It could be because they don't want the hassle of going back for a second helping or they are worried that the food will finish before they can return. "When we have too much food on our plates, we tend to overeat," he said, adding that overeating was also the main reason for obesity among Malaysians. According to Health Ministry statistics, 30% of Malaysians are obese while another 30% are overweight. Dr Tee said those preparing food in households should be more accurate in their estimations on how much they needed to cook to avoid wastage. "Parents need to be more sensitive about the wastage of food and teach their children by example," he said. Marditech Corporation Sdn Bhd group CEO Anas Ahmad Nasarudin said non-alcoholic foodstuff had registered an average of 4.7% increase in prices from last year. He said an investigation by the body showed that the price of meat had increased by 7.6%, milk and eggs by 7.9%, vegetables by 11.4%, jam and sweetened products by 10.9%, fruits by 6.8% and fish by 3.8%. Marditech consultant Ahmad Zamzam Mohamed said the country was already in a food crisis and Malaysians would have to change their eating habits to lessen its impact. "The Government has been shielding Malaysians from the real impact of the crisis with various subsidies," he said, adding that they would soon face reality as subsidies were slowly removed. "We should learn to eat accordingly and not over-indulge," he said during a press conference on the 7th Malaysia International Agro-Bio Business Conference here yesterday. The two-day conference, which will gather experts to discuss the challenges of the emerging global food crisis, begins on July 13.

Society’s conscience they are not Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:41 AM PDT By Terence Fernandez, The Sun THE do-gooders of society have always been on the receiving end of brickbats and the butt of jokes and cynicism for their passion, principles and causes. They are the conscience of society. The public and private sectors have recognised them as a "necessary nuisance" to keep public officials in check and private enterprise honest. The annual grants to many of these groups which have been elevated from street-fighters to respectable, structured organisations, is testament to their importance in society. Unfortunately, not all of them are there for noble reasons. Now that there is money to be made from setting up NGOs, there have been the mushrooming of many self-acclaimed campaigners and experts who are eyeing the generous coffers of the government and private sector which exceed RM100 million for civil society and NGOs. They issue press releases like a mill, churning out statement after statement. One individual is linked to at least a dozen organisations, hence his name appears in the papers almost daily. We had once approached some of these groups to open the books. Only Transparency International and the WWF obliged. The rest were protective of their earnings although some received government grants – concerned perhaps, as in one case, that the public would discover that the head of the organisation pays herself almost RM30,000 a month. Not a bad way to make a living. Don't get me wrong. If it is commensurate with the amount of work done and the results, then one would say she is most deserving of it. However, the government has become more discerning now. Ditto some private firms which have doled out millions of tax-exempt ringgit as CSR initiatives. Speaking about this to Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob some time back, he wondered what taxpayers got out of the millions spent on grants to some of these NGOs. "We want them to educate the public, but issuing press statements alone is insufficient. I also can issue statements all the time and it doesn't cost the public anything!" Ismail was concerned about the "return on investment" from a RM2 million annual grant that the ministry has been awarding a consumer group. "They must start accounting for what they have received," he said. I was reminded of Ismail's words from this conversation we had over a year ago, following the power tariff hikes which was reported on Tuesday. As usual, reporters are asked to call consumer groups for a response on a price hike and its effects on inflation and the pricing of consumer groups. One NGO – the same one mentioned by Ismail – was uncharacteristically silent. Moreover, the president of the organisation was evasive and non-committal when approached. He kept pushing the reporter to his other exco members and even other consumer groups. Our younger reporters were stumped, but those of us who had been in the newsroom longer were not surprised. "Of course lah that fellow won't talk. TNB (Tenaga Nasional Bhd) gave his organisation RM1.5 million two years ago," I said. Continued research also revealed that both TNB and this organisation had been partners in various campaigns – money from the former in return for awareness projects from the latter. Whether RM1.5 million is a lot to print posters and booklets on energy conservation is for the people privy to the books to answer. But this is a sad reflection of the state of consumer activism and NGOs. Granted that they need funding to keep afloat, but here is an example of how one's principles and cause can be compromised by the power of money. Likewise those who give out grants should also give them out freely without expectations if they are sincere – but to expect this would be naïve. In any case, the rise in tariffs must be looked at comprehensively. No one is asking anyone to solely blame TNB. The deals the government entered into with independent power producers (IPPs), the pricing of natural gas, which is heavily subsidised, and the disparity in demand and supply in power generation are issues that bona fide consumer groups have touched on. So too should have this consumer advocate and his organisation, but they chose to be coy, perhaps worried that their cash cow will stop doling out the dough if it were unhappy with statements and suggestions that this group makes. But what they fail to understand is that if we in the press feel there is no substance in what is said by these organisations or their leaders, or if there is vested interest involved, then their precious statements will most likely find their way into the waste bin!

Malaysia may get more boat people Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:34 AM PDT More than the proposed 800 boat people could be sent to Malaysia as the Gillard Government looks to nail down the last details of its asylum-seeker swap deal with Kuala Lumpur. Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has also signalled boat people sent to Malaysia will be issued special identity tags which it is hoped will safeguard them from caning and other harsh local punishments. By Nick Butterfly and Andrew Probyn, The West Australian Giving further details about the deal yesterday, Mr Bowen said while the current arrangement was for Australia to send only 800 asylum seekers to Kuala Lumpur in exchange for 4000 certified refugees, that swap could eventually be expanded. "The Malaysian Government have said themselves that if the arrangement works they would be happy to look at extending it further," Mr Bowen said. The Government announced its plan to swap boat people for certified refugees with Malaysia almost five weeks ago, however it is yet to officially sign off on the scheme or release details about how the exchange will work. The deal is expected to be finalised within days and the terms could be announced on Monday. Officials have spent weeks thrashing out the details of the agreement, with the Australian delegation seeking assurances that asylum seekers sent to Malaysia will be safeguarded from caning and other harsh punishments that asylum seekers are sometimes subjected to. The plan has sparked unrest among some Labor backbenchers, with a number of left-wing MPs warning unaccompanied asylum seeker children should not be sent to Malaysia. Under the yet-to-be-finalised deal, the asylum seekers will be housed in Australian taxpayer-funded accommodation for six weeks during which they will undergo security, identification and health checks. Once released into the community they will be required to wear special identity tags which will exempt them from Malaysia's draconian punishments meted out to illegal immigrants.   READ MORE HERE.

Can UN stop China from starting a war over the Spratly Islands dispute? Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:31 AM PDT After 43 years of territorial dispute over the ownership of Spratly Islands that is situated in the South China Sea, due to the rich oil and gas reserves discovered in 1968, things may start to take a turn for the worse. Six different countries had since laid claims to the ownership - China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Brunei, where all except Brunei had occupied some of the Islands. By Philip Ho, Klik4Malaysia.com Apart from a humongous oil and gas reserve of an estimated 17.7 billion tonnes, making it the fourth* largest reserve in the world, the Spratly Islands are strategically located in the pathways of commercial shipping and also fishing. *Kuwait, as an oil producing country, has an oil and gas reserve of 13 billion tonnes. Although the six nations had staked claims to the islands, China, Vietnam and the Philippines were the most aggressive, whereby they had physically occupied some of the islands in the archipelago. All claims to the islands were peaceful exchanges at first, until the China navy sank a Vietnamese armed transport ship over the possession of Johnson Reef in 1988. Since then, Vietnam and China had been at loggerheads with each other. Recently, China was also flexing its military muscles at the Philippines, forcefully taking over Mischief Reef several days ago on top of firing warning shots at fishing vessels from the Philippines in February this year.ChinaNavyMissileLaunch Philippines president Benigno Aquino III condemned China for the use of excessive force and warned that China could possibly start an Asian arms race if hostility continues. China and the Philippines had first clashed in 1995, and ASEAN stepped in to calm the tension by proposing a peaceful solution to the dispute by having China sign an accord with ASEAN countries in 2002 to exercise restraint and to stop occupying new areas.   READ MORE HERE.

Petronas tires of being piggy bank Posted: 09 Jun 2011 10:23 AM PDT Interesting signals from Malaysia that Petronas may be tiring of being used as a piggy bank by the government, which relies on the state owned national oil company for more than a third of its revenues. By Kevin Brown, beyondbrics Shamsul Azhar Abbas, chief executive, disclosed to local reporters in Kuala Lumpur that Petronas is in talks with ministers over proposals for a dramatic shift in the way it pays dividends to its sole owner. Up to now, the government has taken a flat M$30bn ($9.9bn) a year in dividends from Petronas, whatever its performance. That is a hefty contribution to federal government revenues, which last year amounted to M$199bn. However, it is only a fraction of the oil company's total bill. On top of the dividend, Petronas also pays petroleum income tax, corporate income tax, export duties and royalties. It's not clear how much all that will amount to this year. But Hassan Merican, Shamsul's predecessor, said in mid-2008 that the total for the 12 month to March of that year amounted to a staggering 44 per cent of government revenues. When you take account of the oil company's additional role in financing prestige projects such as the twin towers building in Kuala Lumpur and the new national administrative capital at Putrajaya, it's not hard to see that the government would be hard pressed to continue without its oil-generated revenues. Yet, according to Shamsul, ministers are discussing a switch from the flat divident payment to a system under which Petronas would hand over 30 per cent of its net profit. That would not be a small sum. The company's net profit soared 36 per cent to M$54.9bn for the year to March, which would have prompted a payment of $16.2bn to the government under the proposed system. But the question is, how would the government make up for M$13.bn in lost revenue?   READ MORE HERE.

Anwar will be convicted – come what may! Posted: 09 Jun 2011 01:43 AM PDT What is puzzling is the Anwar trial judge's refusal to recuse himself from the trial. As long as a bias is perceived by the accused that alone should disqualify him in the interest of justice, writes P Ramakrishnan.  Nobody is surprised by High Court Judge Zabidin Mohamed Diah's ruling refusing to recuse himself from hearing Anwar's case. He was right on the mark, as expected! The funny thing about Anwar's court trial is that the judgments are predictable. From Day One it was very apparent that the apparatus of the state would be used stringently to put away Anwar for good. A free Anwar, as perceived by many observers, would sound the death-knell for the BN. Every step and every action taken during the course of his trial – all point to the inevitable conclusion that Anwar will be convicted, come what may. He had to be arrested even though he had given his word that he would be reporting to the police station as required. He was waylaid and arrested like a common criminal and detained for the night – even though it was indicated earlier that he would be released that evening – because it is very apparent that his fresh DNA was urgently needed to implicate him. They had to create a situation so that the DNA could be obtained. That was exactly what happened. They extracted his DNA from the water bottle, towel and tooth brush which he had to use as he was detained overnight. Strict orders were given that these items should not be removed. He was tricked to leave behind his DNA. The pertinent question is: why couldn't they use his earlier DNA obtained in 1998? This clearly exposes the plot. Fresh DNA was required to implicate Anwar. If the 1998 DNA was used, the plot would have been exposed and therefore it could not be planted to implicate him, according to thinking Malaysians. Apart from the police, many believe that even the court conspired to deny him certain documents that were crucial to his defence. When a man claims that he was a victim of political intrigue in order to convict him, the court should have allowed him access to vital information to defend himself. Contrary to the dictates of justice, the court denied him this information. It is the duty of the court in any civil society to ensure that the accused is entitled to a fair trial. A fair trial would entail access to information that would help him in his defence. When the court does not assist in this respect, it becomes a sham trial and the court is guilty of contributing to this sham. According to the medical report in the possession of Malaysiakini, Saiful was never sodomised by anyone, least of all by Anwar Ibrahim. Dr Mohamed Osman Hamid from the Hospital Pusrawi had confirmed this fact after physically examining Saiful on 28 June 2008. Is this the evidence that is being suppressed because it would have helped Anwar to mount a vigorous defence? Why did the doctor who took the stand refuse to refer to his own notes? After all they are his observations and conclusions and he was there to give evidence based on those notes. But he refused to refer to those notes in spite of Karpal Singh prompting him several times. If he had referred to those notes, then the defence would have had a right to those notes. The doctor was aware of this technicality. He stubbornly refused to refer to his notes because he did not want to hand over his notes to the defence. How would it have affected the doctor and his profession if his notes were made available to the defence? What was his interest in cooperating with the prosecution to disallow this information to Anwar? Was he scared that his notes could clear Anwar? Was he fearful that the scrutiny of the notes by Anwar's experts would punch holes in his testimony? There are many other instances and examples to confirm the existence of a plot. All these have been highlighted but to no avail. Notwithstanding all this, what is puzzling is the judge's refusal to recuse himself from the trial. As long as a bias is perceived by the accused that alone should disqualify him in the interest of justice. You don't even have to prove bias, but the mere perception is reason enough to disqualify himself to ensure a fair trial. READ MORE HERE

WIKILEAKS: Malaysia-based firm involved in guidance systems of ballistic missiles, cruise ... Posted: 09 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT In December 2009, the United States shared with China information regarding attempts by the Malaysia-based firm Electronics Component Limited (ECL) to buy TRS-500 gyroscopes from the Chinese firm VibTel Industrial Co. Inc. (Ref A). These gyroscopes, which are controlled by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and China's missile-related export controls, would be suitable for use in the guidance systems of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin S E C R E T STATE 010900   SIPDIS   E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/03/2035 TAGS: MTCRE, PARM, PREL, MNUC, ETTC, KSCA, IR, CH, MY SUBJECT: (S) ADDITIONAL INFORMATION FOR CHINA ON THE MALAYSIA-BASED COMPANY ELECTRONICS COMPONENT LIMITED   REF: A. 09 STATE 130917      B. 09 BEIJING 003476   Classified By: ISN/MTR DIRECTOR PAM DURHAM, REASON: 1.4 (C).   1. (U) This is an action request.  Embassy Beijing, please see paragraph 4. 2.  (S) Background/Objective: In December 2009, the United States shared with China information regarding attempts by the Malaysia-based firm Electronics Component Limited (ECL) to buy TRS-500 gyroscopes from the Chinese firm VibTel Industrial Co. Inc. (Ref A).  These gyroscopes, which are controlled by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and China's missile-related export controls, would be suitable for use in the guidance systems of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.  We requested China investigate this information because ECL is associated with a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that procure sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern. 3.  (S) Chinese officials agreed to investigate this information, but asked for additional details on ECL's relationships with firms in Iran (Ref B).  To support their efforts in this case, we would like to inform them that ECL is part of a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that includes the Iranian firm Shahin Sefid Esta and the Malaysia-based front company Skylife Worldwide Sdn Bhd.  This network procures sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern, including the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737-designated entities Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG) and Ya Mahdi Industries.  We want to provide this information to Chinese officials and emphasize that we believe the transfer of this controlled equipment to a company linked to UNSCR-designated entities would be prohibited pursuant to UNSCR 1737. 4.  (S) Action Request:  Request Embassy Beijing approach appropriate host government officials to deliver talking points/non-paper in paragraph 5 below and report response. Talking points also may be provided as a non-paper. 5.  (S) Begin talking points/non-paper: (SECRET//REL CHINA) --In December 2009, we shared with you information regarding attempts by the Malaysia-based firm Electronics Component Limited (ECL) to buy TRS-500 gyroscopes from the Chinese firm VibTel Industrial Co. Inc. --TRS-500 gyroscopes are controlled by the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and China's missile-related export controls, and can be used in the guidance systems of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles. --We also noted that ECL is associated with a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that procure sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern. --In response to this information, you agreed to look into this matter, but asked if the United States could provide additional details on ECL's relationships with firms in Iran. --We now want to provide you with additional information indicating that ECL is part of a network of Iranian-controlled front companies that includes the Iranian firm Shahin Sefid Esta and the Malaysia-based front company Skylife Worldwide Sdn Bhd. --This network procures sensitive goods on behalf of a number of Iranian entities of proliferation concern, including the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group (SHIG), which is Iran's primary developer of liquid propellant ballistic missiles, and Heavy Metal Industries, a front company for the tactical missile developer Ya Mahdi Industries. --Both SHIG and Ya Mahdi Industries are sanctioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1737. --Additionally, the TRS-500 gyroscopes are controlled items that would be prohibited from being exported to Iran under UNSCR 1737. --We hope this information is useful in supporting your efforts in this case and assists your ability to prevent the transfer of these gyroscopes by VibTel Industrial Co. to ECL. --We look forward to future cooperation on nonproliferation issues and to hearing the results of your investigation into this activity at the earliest possible time. End talking points/non-paper 6.  (U) Washington POC is ISN/MTR John Paul Herrmann (Phone: 202-647-1430).  Please slug any reporting on this issue for ISN/MTR and EAP/CM. 7.  (U) A word version of this document will be posted at www.state.sgov.gov/demarche. CLINTON

Still say that 60% of what Malaysia Today writes are lies? Posted: 08 Jun 2011 08:55 PM PDT In a filings with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, Ho Hup said the High Court had found that the company's previous board of directors had acted in breach of their duties to Ho Hup by committing Bukit Jalil Development to the JDA, and that Pioneer Haven had knowingly assisted in those breaches. Ho Hup entered into the JDA (via Bukit Jalil Development) with Pioneer Haven on March 16 last year, when Ho Hup was still under the management of former deputy chairman Datuk Vincent Lye. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Only 40% of what Malaysia Today writes is true, said Mukhriz Mahathir, the future Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia when Muhyiddin Yassin goes up to become Prime Minister -- if they can successfully oust Najib Tun Razak. Yes, that's right, there is a move to oust Najib. And there are hidden hands in Umno who are trying to force Najib's hand to call for the next general election on 11 November 2011. That's 11-11-11, a very auspicious date indeed. But the intelligence agencies do not agree. They are trying to convince Najib that if he calls for the general election this year rather than 2012 or 2013, then Barisan Nasional will suffer what it did in March 2008 and Najib would suffer what Abdullah Ahmad Badawi suffered soon after that -- he would be ousted from office. But then it is not up to Najib. It is not even up to Malaysia's intelligence agencies. It is up to Rosmah Mansor. And she would like to stretch her term -- yes, that's right, her term -- a little longer in case they fall flat on their face and have to leave office. An ex-Prime Minister's wife would not be able to receive loads of Birkin bags as presents from Vincent Tan at USD120,000 a piece. And she does not have all the colours yet. Ask Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He can tell you how shabbily he is being treated as an ex-Prime Minister by people who control Berjaya, YTL, Ho Hup, etc. At one time these people were grovelling at Mahathir's feet. Now they won't give him the time of day. Such is the fate of ex-Prime Ministers and Rosmah is not about to suffer that same fate. The 3M team of Mahathir, Muhyiddin and Mukhriz can only kick out Najib -- like what happened to Abdullah Badawi -- if Barisan Nasional performs badly in the general election. But if there is no general election then there is no excuse to kick Najib out. That is the bottom line. Anyway, back to the 40% true and 60% lies that Mukhriz said about Malaysia Today. Let us recap on some of the 'lies' we have spun thus far involving the Attorney-General, Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail. When you are a friend of Gani Patail, you can buy yourself immunity from prosecution. That is why Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, former Chairman of Malaysia Airlines (MAS), is a free man despite having caused MAS to suffer losses to the tune of billions of ringgit. The national carrier almost went bankrupt if not for a government bailout. However, instead of charging Tajudin, Gani Patail charged the Police CCID Director, Dato' Ramli Yusuff, who had recommended that Tajuddin and his associates be prosecuted. When Malaysia Today revealed that Tajudin's proxy, Shahidan Shafie -- the ex-police inspector who was charged for bribery when he was OC Secret Societies in Johor Bharu -- is a close friend of Gani Patail, and that they went to Mecca together, the MACC quickly cleared the AG. And do you want to know why? This is because the usual 'you scratch my back, I scratch your back' deal has been struck between the MACC and the AG who will now make the Police tailor its investigations to show that Ahmad Sarbani had committed suicide. That will be the evidence presented to the Coroner at the Inquest to ensure a finding that the cause of death was suicide. Tabung Haji's documents show that Shahidan went to perform the Haj as Gani Patail's family When Malaysia Today exposed that Gani Patail dabbled not only in national politics but also in corporate politics -- to tilt the balance of power in a corporate tussle involving Ho Hup Bhd -- Gani Patail went to Ho Hup's office as a show of support for his friend, Datuk Vincent Lye, who was having a shareholders' fight with Datuk Low Tuck Choy, better known as Dato' TC Low. AG Gani Patail with Vincent Lye at Ho Hup's office Dato' TC had alleged that Gani Patail's friend, Vincent Lye, tried to fleece Ho Hup Bhd by defrauding the company to enter into a lopsided and disadvantageous contract with Malton Bhd. Vincent Lye had signed a deal to surrender Ho Hup's 60-acre freehold land in Bukit Jalil worth RM4.2 billion to Malton. After signing that contract, Vincent Lye was sacked by the company's shareholders in an EGM. However, instead of charging Vincent Lye for fraud, and to tilt thing things in Vincent Lye's favour, Gani Patail charged Dato' TC Low -- for a very minor technical offence -- in order to disqualify him from being a director in the company. Yesterday, the High Court confirmed that what Vincent Lye did was wrong and declared that the contract entered into by Vincent Lye was null and void. So there you are. Which 60% of this story is a lie? Anyway, read The Star news report below:    ***************************************** Ho Hup wins suit, court declares deal null and void, firm can revamp The Star, Wednesday, June 8, 2011 PETALING JAYA: After more than a year of litigation, the Kuala Lumpur High Court has finally ruled in favour of Ho Hup Construction Co Bhd by declaring null and void a joint development agreement (JDA) between the latter's 70%-owned subsidiary, Bukit Jalil Development Sdn Bhd, and Pioneer Haven Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned unit of Malton Bhd. The finalisation of the court decision would enable Ho Hup to proceed with its financial regularisation plan, which had been delayed pending the outcome of the suit. Ho Hup had been working to regularise its financial condition since being listed as a Practice Note 17 (PN17) company in July 2008. "With the JDA reversed, the full development rights of the valuable, prime piece of land would revert back to our subsidiary Bukit Jalil Development," Ho Hup executive director Derek Wong said in a statement yesterday. "This means we can fully leverage on this prized asset to restructure the company's debts and regularise our operations and financial condition," he said, adding that the company would now focus on finalising details of its PN17 regularisation plan and submission to the authorities. Ho Hup made a requisite announcement of its PN17 regularisation plan in early March 2011 involving the restructuring scheme for creditors for the company as well as that for Bukit Jalil Development. Ho Hup and Bukit Jalil Development reportedly had outstanding debts worth RM329.2mil in the form of secured and unsecured loans as to date. In a filings with Bursa Malaysia yesterday, Ho Hup said the High Court had found that the company's previous board of directors had acted in breach of their duties to Ho Hup by committing Bukit Jalil Development to the JDA, and that Pioneer Haven had knowingly assisted in those breaches. "Significantly, the High Court found that the JDA, was in substance, a disposal of Bukit Jalil Development's 60-acre land bank, and as such, required the approval of shareholders under section 132C of the Companies Act." "As no such approval was obtained, the joint development agreement and other associated instruments were null and void for contravening the law," it said, adding that the High Court had ordered the private caveat lodged by Pioneer Haven be expunged." Ho Hup entered into the JDA (via Bukit Jalil Development) with Pioneer Haven on March 16 last year, when Ho Hup was still under the management of former deputy chairman Datuk Vincent Lye. The deal was supposed to see the partners jointly develop the freehold land in Bukit Jalil into a mixed commercial and residential project. Substantial shareholder Datuk Low Tuck Choy, who was also a former managing director of Ho Hup, as well as several other shareholders, had objected to the deal, claiming that their approval was not sought. Shareholders who objected the deal also believed that it would be more profitable to Ho Hup if the company had opted to sell or develop the land on its own. Now that the JDA has been declared null and void, Ho Hup indeed would have the option to develop Bukit Jalil on its own. According to Wong, the masterplan to develop the Bukit Jalil site into a mixed commercial and residential project had been conditionally approved by City Hall. "The land is within a prime location and will be developed in six phases over 10 years with an estimated gross development value of RM4.2bil," he said in the statement. "We are looking at a sales launch, possibly in the fourth quarter."

Sama Sama Kita Rayakan Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:51 PM PDT DARI JELEBU Hishamuddin Rais  Menghantuk-hantukkan kepala sambil menjeritkan 'aku nak tubuh Negara Islam' atau tunggang terbalik menjerit-jerit untuk menubuhkan Negara Kristian terbukti bukan satu langkah politik yang bijak.   Bila saya melihat dan membaca keputusan pemilihan Pas yang baru maka saya yakin satu ledakan politik telah berlaku. Kemenangan Mat Sabu dan pucuk pimpian baru mengambarkan satu perubahan dasar telah juga berlaku. Mat Sabu dan pasokan yang baru ini hanyalah tanda dan makna manifestasi ledakan ini. Kemudian, saya membaca laporan Hadi Awang yang mengajukan Negara Kebajikan sebagai garis perjuangan Pas. Bila saya terbaca ini maka jelas telah berlaku satu anjakan dasar yang maha besar. Anjakan ini akan membawa makna politik yang dalam bukan sahaja di Malaysia malah di Asia Tenggara. Sebelum 'ledakan' ini berlalu kita selalu terbaca dan terdengar tentang Pas ke hulu ke hilir menjajakan apa yang mereka panggil Negara Islam sebagai agenda politik. Pelik tetapi benar – ajenda politik Negara Islam ini amat-amat dicintai dan disayangi juga oleh United Malays National Organisation. Tetapi cinta dan kaseh sayang United Malays National Organsiation terhadap Negara Islam bukan bermakna parti ini akan mengimplementasikan apa-apa dasar yang bersangkutan dengan Islam. Parti ini hanya mendorongkan Pas agar mengambil ajenda Negara Islam ini sebagai garis perjuangan. United Malays National Organsiation akan berjoget dan bertandak – berkenduri dan berkendara - jika Pas terus menerus berlabon dan bergebang tentang Negara Islam. Ini kerana ajenda Negara Islam ini adalah ajenda jalan mati. Justeru apabila keputusan pemilihan yang terbaru ini diumumkan – saya terbahak-bahak ketawa. Saya ketawa apabila melihat tangisan United Malays National Organisation yang terus merayu-rayu agar Pas tidak meninggalkan ajenda Negara Islam. United Malays National Organisation bermati-matian berusha mendorongkan Pas untuk terus mengambil jalan mati ini. United Malays National Organisation ini telah lupa bahawa telah berlaku satu kesedaran di kalangan ahli-ahli Pas. Mereka telah sedar bahawa ajenda Negara Islam yang diwar warkan selama ini tidak akan membawa mereka ke gedung kuasa. Mereka juga sedar selama ini mereka sengaja di perangkap dalam kejumudan fikrah yang mengajukan ajenda Negara Islam. Didalam sejarah politik moden bukan sesuatu yang mutahil untuk menubuhkan satu parti politk yang berasaskan agama. Di Pakistan dan India terdapat parti politik yang berasakan agama – ada yang berasaskan Islam dan ada yang berasaskan Hindu. Di Eropah juga kita akan bertemu dengan parti yang berasaskan agama Kristian. Memang bukan satu jenayah di Malaysia ini untuk mengajukan Negara Islam sebagai agenda politik. Juga bukan satu jenayah untuk mencadangkan agar Bahasa Melayu akan di gunakan oleh Nasa ketika Nasa menghantar roket ke Bintang Marikh pada tahun hadapan. Dalam konteks ini mengajukan sesuatu bukan salah. Yang dipersoalkan apakah pekara yang diajukan itu masuk akal atau tidak. Diterima umum atau ditolak oleh orang ramai. Hakiktnya : Islam ialah agama. Kristian ialah agama. Hindu ialah agama. Agama ialah kepercayaan. Agama bukan sistem ekonomi. Agama mengajukan dasar-dasar induk dan prinsip-prinsip besar agar umat dan penganutnya membuat kebajikan dan menegak keadilan. Maka, terpulangkan kepada si penganut untuk berfikir dan merencana satu sistem ekonomi yang terbaik untuk melahirkan masyarakat seperti yang dituntut oleh ajaran agama. Menghantuk-hantukkan kepala sambil menjeritkan 'aku nak tubuh Negara Islam' atau tunggang terbalik menjerit-jerit untuk menubuhkan Negara Kristian terbukti bukan satu langkah politik yang bijak. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/06/sama-sama-kita-rayakan.html?zx=9c61be0f1dd2824e

Longing For A Free Mind (Concluding piece) Posted: 08 Jun 2011 06:47 PM PDT I do not judge a leader by his lifestyle rather by how effective he or she is. Much as I admire Nik Aziz's piety and modest lifestyle, as a state leader he has failed miserably. By M. Bakri Musa [Presented at the Fifth Annual Alif Ba Ta Conference at Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ, organized by UMNO Club of New York-New Jersey, January 29, 2011.] Q&A (Cont'd) Contemporary Leaders Q13: We have leaders who surround themselves with opulence while millions of our citizens are mired in poverty. Should Nik Aziz (leader of the opposition PAS) who lives modestly be the more appropriate model? Further, should a leader sacrifice everything – his career, wealth and family life – for the sake of the nation? A13: Although I do not care for opulence, I have no problem with those who do, including our leaders. In fact I prefer that our leaders be rich. In that way when they assume power they would not look upon that as an opportunity to enrich themselves. Also, the world being what it is, wealth is often a measure of your success and talent, and I want successful and talented leaders. I am here assuming that the wealth is not inherited or acquired though illicit means. I am only against leaders using the public treasury to enrich or indulge themselves. If it is their money I could not care less if they have gold toilet faucets or travel in luxury jets, as with California Governor Schwarzenegger. Having said that, the constraint for a busy leader is time; for that reason I have no problem with and indeed encourage our leaders to travel in corporate jets rather than lining up and wasting time at the airport. Now there is a difference between a small corporate jet versus an Airbus of the type that Abdullah Badawi fancied. I do not judge a leader by his lifestyle rather by how effective he or she is. Much as I admire Nik Aziz's piety and modest lifestyle, as a state leader he has failed miserably. Unfortunately it is the people of Kelantan who are paying for that failure. He has been chief minister for decades yet cholera is still endemic in his state. The burden of his leadership failure far outweighs whatever pahla (religious brownie points) he may have accumulated through his piety and modest lifestyle. To the second part of your question, no, I do not believe that our leaders should unduly sacrifice everything just to serve us. I am suspicious of leaders who claim to do just that. On the contrary we should pay our leaders well, but not well enough that the monetary rewards become the only goal for serving. The Sudanese-born mobile phone entrepreneur Mo Ibrahim established the Ibrahim Prize to reward honest, competent and effective African leaders. The funny thing is that those leaders really do not need the extra generous financial rewards from the prize because their expertise would be widely sought and generously compensated after they retire. The gesture however, is worthy of praise. Unfortunately it would not persuade the likes of Robert Mugabe. I also believe in moderation, and I like my leaders to have other interests. It helps broaden their experience and perspective. That can only be good, quite apart from making them more human. Q14: You have given us examples of free minds from our legends and history. Can you give us some personal examples? A14: I have been fortunate to have lived in many cultures, had broad-based liberal education, and traveled widely. It would not surprise you to find me to be open-minded. The surprise would be if were to be insular. So my personal examples would not be particularly interesting. Instead I will give you examples from my father. Unlike me, he did not go to university, only to the Sultan Idris Teachers' Training College in Tanjong Malim. He never lived in or experienced a different culture, and had never traveled outside the state where he was born, Negri Sembilan, except for the trip to Tanjong Malim Yet he was remarkably free minded. I grew up in the 1950s, a period of intense nationalism, anticipating merdeka, and with that a resurgence of interest in Malay as it would be the national language of our new nation. Malay teachers in particular were at the vanguard of this movement. Tun Razak, the first Minister of Education, had expanded Malay schools to secondary level, with promises of further extension right up to the university level. I was enrolled in an English school in the period just before the resurgence of this intense nationalism. My father went through great effort and expense to secure for me a slot in an English school. Soon after, Malay leaders including Tun Razak were exhorting everyone to support our national language by removing their children from English schools and to enroll them into these newly established Malay schools. Being Malay school teachers, my parents were subjected to intense peer and community pressures to take my siblings and me out of English school. After all, if Malay teachers did not demonstrate their commitment, who would? As a Malay school teachers however, my parents were only too aware of the limitations of the Malay stream, in particular the lack of textbooks and teachers. So against all odds he resisted those intense social and professional pressures. What strengthened my father's conviction was not that he could tell the future or that he had any particular brilliant insight rather that while Tun Razak and the other leaders were urging Malay parents to send their children to Malay schools, they were quietly sending theirs to English schools. Tun Razak in particular went further; he sent his to schools in England! You could say that my father heard the braying of the donkey (Tun Razak's children attending schools in England), and ignored the words of the Mullah, including the top Mullah, Tun Razak. Many years ago I was visiting my old village and met one of my former kampong mates whose parents had followed our leaders' advice and taken my friend out of English school. On seeing where I am today, his only comment was that my father was wiser than his! Q15: If you were given an opportunity for a private meeting with Prime Minister Najib, what three pieces of advice would you give? A15: Najib has a short attention span so I will offer him only two. Even if I were to give him three, he would forget the third (or first) anyway! One is not an advice but merely to elicit from him his vision of Malaysia, and then to inquire what his greatest fear is, politically. The two are related. I think I know what his answer would be to the second part of my question but as to the first, I have no clue. This despite his much-ballyhooed 1Malaysia public relations exercise, and its attendant extravagantly expensive international consultants! The greatest fear of Barisan, and thus Najib as its leader, is that it would not regain its traditional two-third majority in the next general election. You know the fate of Najib's immediate predecessor, Abdullah Badawi, when he failed to deliver in the 2008 elections. If that were to be his greatest fear, then I would advice Najib that the most effective way to deal with a fear, as I indicated earlier, is to imagine the worst case possible and then prepare for that eventuality. If things were to turn out less worse, then you would be relieved and have more confidence in tackling the crisis. What could be worse than losing the supra-majority? Barisan failing to gain even a simple majority, and with that, the right to rule Malaysia. To add insult to an already unbearable injury, I would have him imagine UMNO winning fewer parliamentary seats than PAS. That would definitely and irreversibly shatter the myth that UMNO is Melayu, and Melayu, UMNO. If that scenario would not be scary enough, then I would add his losing his Pekan seat, as he nearly did in the 1999 elections. The next election is due no later than March 8, 2013, so Najib has exactly 768 days from today to prepare for that eventual political catastrophe. Add a day more if there were to be a leap year till then! There would be only two choices for Najib. One, knowing that he would lose everything come 2013, he should seize this short opportunity to enrich himself and his family. Then when he would be booted out he could charter a private jet to whisk him and his family out of the country. This unfortunately is the well trodden path followed by many Third World leaders, the latest being the Tunisian leader, soon to be joined by Egypt's Mubarak. If Najib were to pursue that course, he would of course deserve the wrath and curse of all Malaysians. Worse, that ill feeling would spill over and despoil the fond memories Malaysians have of his late father. The other would be to execute his grand vision of a clean, efficient and meritocratic nation, as encapsulated in his 1Malaysia aspiration, and to propel Malays onto the global arena, his so-called glokal Malay agenda. Many, including Najib, have already forgotten that slogan. He could do this by getting rid of all those tainted UMNO characters in his cabinet and party. So what if they were to rebel and plot against him; the result would not be any worse than the earlier scenario I painted. Then there are those juicy government contracts. Put them out to competitive bidding and invite international bidders. If an American company were to win it, so what? At least the roofs would not leak or collapse. Yes, those pseudo UMNO entrepreneurs would be ticked off, like a hungry bear whose honey jar is suddenly taken away. To demonstrate his commitment to meritocracy, visit the top universities of the world and invite those Malaysians there for a private dinner. They might not fall for his cajoling to return but they might just give him some useful advice and brilliant ideas. Who knows, one or two might return. It would be certainly be more productive than meeting a Petronas University flunkee lobbying for a scholarship. If Najib were to opt for this second course, he would literally transform Malaysia come 2013. Voters, seeing the tangible results, may well enthusiastically endorse his leadership. If not, then Najib would at least have the satisfaction knowing that he has given his best for Malaysia. My second advice to Najib is real one, not merely a question for him. It is also very short: Get rid of your wife from the public arena! [Spontaneous enthusiastic applause!] As you can see, I am not the only one who would like to throw him that advice! If Najib's wife has the itch to involve herself in the affairs of the state (she has certainly given every indication of her itchiness for that), then lobby her husband to nominate her as a candidate in the next election.

Women of class and taste: name the women contest Posted: 08 Jun 2011 05:37 PM PDT The Birkin bag is a handmade purse by Hermès and named after actress and singer Jane Birkin. The bag is a symbol of wealth due to its high price and elusiveness to the public. Its prices range from US$9,000 to US$150,000. Costs escalate according to the type of materials. The bags are distributed to Hermès boutiques on unpredictable schedules and in limited quantities, creating scarcity and, intended or unintended, exclusivity. It is highly coveted and, for several years, was reputed for having a waiting list of up to 6 years; the longest wait for any bag in history. (read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birkin_bag) NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin   AND THE PRESENTS FROM ROBIN TAN, VINCENT TAN'S SON, TO MALAYSIA'S FIRST LADY, AT USD120,000 PER BAG AND PAID FOR BY SPORTS TOTO

Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 4) Posted: 08 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT The MACC I.O.s have since been directed to get the 'cooperation' of the Customs officers who have not been able to explain the money in their bank accounts. They were told that if they point their fingers at the late Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, the MACC will ease up on them and will not prosecute them and may even turn them into 'prosecution witnesses'. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Police officers removing Ahmad Sarbani's body from MACC KL Office This is the final episode of the late Customs Deputy Director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed 'suicide' story. Note that what we have written in the four episodes of this story is based on the testimony of our Deep Throats in the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) and Malaysian Customs Department (Jabatan Kastam). The Police and Customs officers no longer trust their own government. They would rather trust Malaysia Today in seeing justice done. And that is why they have requested Malaysia Today to reveal what really happened to Ahmad Sarbani. To my friends in the Police Force who have taken great pains to keep me safe from harm, I thank you. Without you I would not have escaped…well, you know what. And to my friends in the Customs Department who are always in touch with me to ask about my health, I also thank you. I trust Malaysia Today has been of service to you by revealing the true story behind Ahmad Sarbani's death. A grief stricken Marziah, Ahmad Sarbani's wife Okay, let the story continue. So far what our Deep Throats in the Police Force and the Customs Department have revealed is that Ahmad Sarbani did not kill himself. He did not ride his bike all the way to MACC's office in Jalan Cockrane in Kuala Lumpur just to commit suicide by jumping out of the window like what they allege Teoh Beng Hock also did. It appears like the Police investigating officer (I.O.) has also come to the conclusion that Ahmad Sarbani is not a corrupt Customs officer who became scared and committed suicide. And the Attorney-General is not happy with this conclusion. That is why this slime-ball and scumbag of an AG sent the Police investigation report back to the Police THREE TIMES. The AG insists that by hook or by crook they must come out with a verdict of suicide. So, while the AG continues to bonk his Director, the Police have been instructed to 'bonk' the 'witnesses' and force them to implicate the deceased in corruption and conclude that he committed suicide because of it. What puzzled PDRM I.O. ASP Zuhairi Mohamed was that the CCTV conveniently did not show any of these incidents -- suggesting that the attempt at a cover-up involved the MACC's top leadership and that Dato' Mustafar Ali had lied in his press statement. What was more disturbing was that immediately after Wan Zainal gave his third and last statement to the police, Yusof Akope and Mohd Fauzi immediately directed S.I.O. Abdul Ghani to pick up Wan Zainal to be brought to the MACC's office for interrogation. The focus of the MACC interrogation was to find out what Wan Zainal had told ASP Zuhairi and what documents were given to the police. This showed an intention to circumvent the police investigation. Wan Zainal was interrogated from 3.00pm to 11.00pm. The MACC tried to intimidate Wan Zainal and two of his other colleagues, Maggie and Eddie, in marathon interrogation sessions in the weeks that followed. They were threatened that if they refuse to 'cooperate', the MACC will now target them and their companies in follow-up investigations on the corruption allegations. In other words, help the MACC fix up Ahmad Sarbani or else the MACC will fix them up instead. Having failed to get the cooperation of these freight forwarders, Yusof Akope and Mohd Fauzi changed tactics. The MACC I.O.s have since been directed to get the 'cooperation' of the Customs officers who have not been able to explain the money in their bank accounts. These Customs officers were told that if they point their fingers at the late Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed, the MACC will ease up on them and will not prosecute them and may even turn them into 'prosecution witnesses'. All they needed to do was to say that all the unexplained money in their bank accounts actually belongs to Ahmad Sarbani. Therefore, if they agree to fix up Ahmad Sarbani then the MACC will let them go free and may even allow them to keep the money in their bank accounts that they can't explain where it came from. Killing an innocent man is one thing, but putting the blame on a dead man who cannot defend himself is just a bit too much and even corrupted government officers draw the line on this one. So they refused to accept the 'deal'. That is how far the MACC top leadership is prepared to go to cover up their evil deeds. They need to explain how Ahmad Sarbani died and they want to convince us that he killed himself because he was corrupted and he was scared to face the music. The Malays call this kambing jaga sireh or, as the English say, the fox in charge of the hen house. The agency tasked with fighting corruption is rapidly turning into a most corrupt agency, prepared to commit murder even. Since the suicide story would be plausible only if Ahmad Sarbani owned unusual and extraordinary wealth, they wanted the other Customs officers to say that all their unexplained wealth actually belongs to the deceased. And the MACC is prepared to give immunity to corrupt Customs officers if they agree to do this. They need to nail Ahmad Sarbani real bad and they will go to great lengths in achieving this. And note that these are Muslims who pray five times a day, fast during the month of Ramadhan and go to Mekah, mind you! Yet they would not hesitate to do a deed most foul -- framing a dead man. But the Police and Customs officers are fighting back. They are not going to allow the MACC to frame Ahmad Sarbani. They want the world to know he is clean and that he did not commit suicide. And they want us to know how the MACC is tying to suggest otherwise. And to do that they have enlisted the help of Malaysia Today. In the next part, part 5, we will disclose who killed Ahmad Sarbani -- but only if we need to. We will hold back part 5 pending the official statement by the government as to how Ahmad Sarbani died. Since the AG has announced that there will be an Inquest, let us give the Police an opportunity to reveal the real evidence at this Inquest and let us hope that they get it right this time. If the MACC, AG Gani Patail and the Police repeat what they did in trying to cover up Teoh Beng Hock's death, then Malaysia Today will reveal the full investigation report on who killed Ahmad Sarbani. And if they want to call our bluff and play poker, thinking that we will not do it, then they do not know Malaysia Today well enough yet. We just love challenges and will rise to any challenge.  So don't force us to do this. But we will if we have to just to clear the name of an innocent dead man who did not commit suicide but was murdered. So, till next time, part 5, if circumstances force us to come out with a part 5, take care and keep the fight for change going. Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1)   Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 2)  Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 3)

A political party is just like our car, a mere vehicle Posted: 08 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT If it works, keep it. If it breaks down, change it. Make it work for us. Don't become a slave of our vehicle. And make sure that politicians understand that this is how we are going to play the game from hereon. We need to be ruthless and mercenaries. Then we will get a good deal. If not we will get a raw deal. And that will make us worse than prostitutes. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Many people do not understand what slavery and bondage mean. There are many forms of slavery and bondage. We have sex slaves. Economic slavery. Then we have mental bondage. Mental bondage in itself comes in many forms. Denying the people an education or a proper education is one form of mental bondage. Uneducated people can't think for themselves and their minds can be manipulated. Then we have another form of mental bondage perpetuated by religion. Much in religion is about reducing us to slaves. We are told what we are allowed to think and most times we are not allowed to think. And we are told we must not rationalise but accept the unproven based on 'faith'. Faith is the word used to explain the absence of evidence. Economic slavery is another very popular and effective form of slavery. If people are too economically independent then they become a political problem to the ruling elite. Better the people are poor and dependent on the government. Then they become compliant. (Does the NEP ring a bell?) Developed countries see changes in government every election or every few elections. Poor countries see the same government for decades, sometimes for 50 years without change. Then there is another form of bondage and slavery, which I want to talk about today. And this is political slavery. We are told that only Umno can look after Malay interests, or only PAS can safeguard Islam, or only PKR and DAP can guarantee us multiculturalism, or only MIC can protect the Indians, or only MCA can defend the Chinese, or whatever. Actually, the truth is, Umno, MCA, MIC, PKR, DAP, PAS, Gerakan, PPP, PBB, SNAP, SUPP, LDP, PRS, SPDP, UPKO, PBS, PBRS, KITA, PRM, PSM, MDP, SAPP, BERJASA, HAMIM, (all the two dozen or so political parties in Malaysia) have only one purpose in mind. And that purpose is to seek power. They are all political parties, nothing more and nothing less. And the job of political parties is to get into power. Let's not believe the bullshit that they are here to serve us. Political parties serve themselves. And they use us to get into power. Many working-class Malaysians suffer and struggle to pay for their motorcar. Sometimes half their salaries or more go towards paying and maintaining their car or cars. Why is this so? A car is merely a convenience. It is a vehicle to get us from point A to point B. It is a tool to enable us to go to work. So why are we working for our car instead of making our car work for us? It appears like we are tools of our cars instead of our car being a tool for us. We should not be emotional and sentimental about our car, a mere vehicle for our convenience. But that is not how most Malaysians view it. And that is why we work for our cars instead of making our car work for us. A political party is also a tool. It is a convenience. It is merely a vehicle to enable us to get from point A to point B. So we should not also be emotional and sentimental about political parties. Being a tool or vehicle, we should make the political parties work for us. We should not work for the political parties. A political party must serve us. It is there merely to fulfil a purpose. And this purpose is to run the country the way we want it to be run. It does not matter which political party we give that job to, just like it does not matter what car we drive. A political party, just like our car, is a convenience, a mere vehicle to help us achieve our objective. A political party, like our car, is not the objective. It is a means to an end. Let us not be emotional or sentimental about political parties, just like we should not be about our car. If our car can do the job we keep it. If it breaks down we repair it. From time to time we service it to prevent it from deteriorating or breaking down. If it becomes a problem we get rid of it and buy a new one. If a better model or make comes along we get rid of our old and problematic car and opt for the latest. That is how we should treat our cars. And you should not suffer by working long hours just to pay for your car. A car enables us to get to work. We should not work so that we can pay for the car. And we should not burn all our salary just to pay for the car. That is also how we should treat political parties. If it works, we keep it. If it breaks down, we get rid of it. If it can do the job, fine. If not, then why bother with it? We must use political parties. We should not allow political parties to use us. Political parties want only one thing, to get into power. And they will use us to get into power. So we must be smart enough to use them instead. We know what political parties want. That is fine with us. But we should make them work for it. We should turn them into our slaves. Make them crawl on the ground and beg and kiss our feet. We should not instead become their slaves. At least prostitutes know what to do. They know you want their pussy. So they open their legs and let you have what you want. But you have to pay for it because what they want is your money. And they make sure you pay dearly for it. Prostitutes do not open their legs and then pay you money as well. You pay. So why are we allowing political parties to screw us and then we pay them on top of that instead of making them pay? That makes us worse than prostitutes. And we have the cheek to look down on prostitutes when they are smarter than us? I am not emotional or sentimental about any political party. If they do the job I expect them to do then they get my support and vote. If not then I trade in this old and problematic 'car' for a new one. (Incidentally, since 1974 to 1994 I voted for PAS is Kampong Kolam in Terengganu and since 1999 till 2008 I voted for PKR in Subang USJ9). Anwar Ibrahim has changed 'cars' before when the old one broke down. So has Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. The first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman did the same thing, as did the third Prime Minister Hussein Onn, and his father before him, Onn Jaafar. Dr Mahathir Mohammad changed 'cars' many times. Rais Yatim, Shahrir Samad, and many cabinet ministers -- as did many PAS leaders, party presidents included -- went that same route. So you see, if it works, keep it. If it breaks down, change it. Make it work for us. Don't become a slave of our vehicle. And make sure that politicians understand that this is how we are going to play the game from hereon. We need to be ruthless and mercenaries. Then we will get a good deal. If not we will get a raw deal. And that will make us worse than prostitutes.

WIKILEAKS: Perak episode sets a dangerous precedent Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT A well-financed political coalition could persuade members of Parliament to support the other side, shifting power through undemocratic means, as many allege occurred in Perak. Before this Federal Court decision, the assembly would have instead been dissolved for fresh elections, but now the sultan can legitimize the takeover without voter input. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000092   SIPDIS   FOR EAP/MTS AND INR   E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/19/2019 TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KJUS, MY SUBJECT: COURT DECISION ON STATE POWER PLAY ENDS LEGAL BATTLE, BUT SETS WORRISOME PRECEDENT   REF: A. 09 KL 342 -- PANDEMONIUM IN PERAK STATE ASSEMBLY      B. 09 KL 78 -- NAJIB LEADS TAKEOVER IN PERAK      C. KL 20 -- WHAT IS GOING ON IN MALAYSIA?   Classified By: Political Counselor Brian D. McFeeters for reasons 1.4 b and d.   Summary and Comment 1. (SBU) Malaysia's Federal Court, the highest level in Malaysia's judicial system, announced on February 9 that the Sultan of Perak had the legal authority to appoint a new Chief Minister in his state, as he did in February 2009, after concluding that the ruling National Front (BN) coalition commanded the majority of seats in the Perak state assembly.  The case effectively ends the Perak constitutional crisis, which has been simmering since three opposition politicians declared themselves independents friendly toward BN, tipping the balance of seats in the state assembly toward BN (refs A and B).  The Sultan came under unprecedented scrutiny because replacing a Chief Minister is not specifically mentioned in the state constitution.  The opposition coalition People's Alliance (PR) announced that they would no longer contest the issue as they had vigorously done for the past year, and instead work alongside the BN for the benefit of the people of Perak, if certain conditions were met.  A recent independent poll confirmed that most Perakians believe that the only way to fairly resolve this crisis would be to hold snap elections in the state, which the BN has announced they will not do prematurely. 2. (C) Comment:  This Federal Court decision in the BN's favor raises renewed questions about the independence of the Malaysian judiciary, already in question in connection with the Anwar Ibrahim trial and other cases (ref C).  While the GOM argues that the decision is based on a sound interpretation of the Perak constitution, opposition figures disagree and argue the decision legitimizes political maneuvering to change the results of democratic elections, setting a dangerous precedent by implying that the King could remove the Prime Minister, without a no-confidence motion in Parliament.  A well-financed political coalition could persuade members of Parliament to support the other side, shifting power through undemocratic means, as many allege occurred in Perak.  Before this Federal Court decision, the assembly would have instead been dissolved for fresh elections, but now the sultan can legitimize the takeover without voter input.  End Summary and Comment. The February 9 Decision 3. (U) The Federal Court ruled on February 9 in a unanimous 5-0 vote that the Sultan of Perak, Azlan Shah, had the authority to appoint a new Chief Minister if he believed that a different political coalition commanded the allegiance of a majority of seats in the state assembly.  In announcing its decision, the Federal Court confirmed that the Sultan was correct in his February 6, 2009 decision to verify that veteran politician Zambry Abdul Kadir, a member of UMNO (the United Malays National Organization -- the dominant political party in the BN) had the support of a majority of the members of the state assembly, replacing Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin.  The switch in support came after three members of the People's Alliance simultaneously declared themselves to be independents friendly to the BN in early February 2009, a maneuver that is widely believed to have been driven by the BN.  Zambry's attorney Cecil Abraham went to great lengths to stress that "this decision is binding on the state government and the federal government." Predictions and Reactions 4. (C) Poloff and Pol Specialist visited Perak from February 1-3 (to be reported septel) and discussed the (then upcoming) February 9 Federal Court decision with politicians and attorneys familiar with the case.  Nizar's lead lawyer Chan Kok Keong told Poloff ahead of the February 9 decision that he was certain the judges would rule in favor of Zambry.  He opined that it would not be a "constitutional decision" but rather "a political decision."  Chan pointed out that when he and his legal team were making their submission at the Federal Court, all five judges "were extremely hostile" to them. Chan added that by ruling in Zambry's favor, the Federal Court "will be rewriting its own decisions and the constitution."  Former Chief Minister Nizar told Poloff that a ruling in favor of Zambry would result in "the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister holding office at the pleasure of the King or the Sultan."  Nizar added that this would set a "dangerous precedent."  DAP Vice President and Member of Parliament from Perak Kulasegaran also told Poloff ahead of the decision that the courts would favor Zambry because "the political stakes are too high for Prime Minister Najib." Poloff also spoke with Zambry's political secretary Abdul Rahman and the assembly speaker S. Ganeson; both expressed confidence that the court "will make the right decision" by ruling in favor of Zambry. 5. (U) After the February 9 decision, BN Chief Minister Zambry was quoted in the media on saying he was thankful for the court's decision, adding that "hopefully all parties can accept this decision and this political crisis in Perak can finally be put to rest."  Prime Minister Najib appealed for everyone to respect the court's decision, commenting "We have to accept the decision of the country's highest court.  The issue and saga of who is the right Chief Minister of Perak has been decided, and I hope they (the opposition People's Alliance) accept this decision."    National opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim slammed the decision, claiming UMNO "does not have the courage to face the people" in elections. Democratic Action Party leader Lim Kit Siang called the verdict "legalization of BN's coup d'etat."  Former de facto law minister Zaid Ibrahim called the decision "warped legal reasoning" done for "political expediency." Nizar: Will Work with UMNO in Perak, but with Conditions 6. (SBU) Former Chief Minister Nizar convened a special meeting of state PR leaders on the day of the Federal Court's ruling, announcing that the opposition would give its full cooperation to the BN government in Perak.  He said, "for the good of Perakians, we have decided to become a strong opposition in the state assembly and lend our services to the Barisan National government in implementing policies that are good for the people."  Nizar, however, caveated that the opposition would only give its full cooperation if Zambry's government agreed to four conditions.  First, they must allow opposition parties to use public premises for the purpose of hosting functions; second, they must give memberships to opposition assemblymen to special committees; third, they must provide all opposition assemblymen with allocations of RM 150,000-RM 200,000 (approximately $40,000 to $55,000 USD) per year; and fourth, the BN must base its administration "on the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency, justice, and welfare."  Chief Minister Zambry responded on February 10 by stating "we have never discriminated against them on the allocations, so no need for conditions.  We must help the public.  That's the yardstick."  (Note: The BN traditionally only grants "development funds" to constituencies held by BN representatives.  Just prior to the takeover last year, former Minister in the PM's department Ahmad Zahid Hamidi -- who is now the Minister of Defense -- announced that each BN assemblyman would receive RM 300,000, while the other constituencies would receive nothing.  End Note.) Poll: Decide Through an Election, not a Court Decision 7. (U) The independent Merdeka Center announced results of a poll taken of Perak voters on February 5, in conjunction with the one year anniversary of the BN's takeover of the state. Among the key findings of the poll: 74% of the respondents feel that fresh state elections are the best way to resolve the political crisis in Perak; 65% of respondents believe the Perak political crisis remains a relevant issue after one year; and 60% place a higher priority on having a democratically elected government than on improving the economy. Looking Ahead 8. (SBU) Although it appears that both sides want to move ahead, there are still two pending legal cases that could, theoretically, result in a shift in power.  The first case involves a lawsuit by former state assembly Speaker Sivakumar, who was not initially removed from his position until after the first state assembly session under Zambry was conducted.  As speaker, Sivakumar held the power to suspend people for contempt; during the first meeting in April 2009, he suspended Zambry and six others for assuming their new positions before the initial court decision (Nizar v. Zambry) was complete.  Although it is unlikely the courts will find in favor of Sivakumar, if they do it is possible that his authority to suspend Zambry and six others will stand, thereby giving Nizar the majority of seats again.  The second case concerns the alleged resignations of the three state assemblymen who defected from the PR.  Just prior to the defections, Nizar claimed that the three had resigned from the state assembly, and held undated letters of resignation from each as proof.  The Election Commission, however, did not accept these letters as legitimate and refused to call for elections to replace the three.  The PR filed a lawsuit for the letters to be recognized as legitimate, currently under judicial review at the Federal Court.  All legal decisions on this lawsuit thus far have rejected the PR's assertions. KEITH

Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 3) Posted: 07 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT The mention of the AG's name did not intimidate Wan Zainal who insisted to ASP Zuhairi that "saya takkan fitnahkan orang yang dah meninggal" (he would not defame a dead man) just for convenience. ASP Zuhairi also discovered that the background of Wan Zainal is not consistent with someone who would give bribes. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Ahmad Sarbani – maligned in his death We continue the story behind the mysterious death of Customs Deputy Director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed. Ahmad Sarbani was the second person to 'commit suicide' while under the custody and while being interrogated by the MACC, the first being Teoh Beng Hock. Although the government is trying to suggest that Beng Hock committed suicide, most Malaysians believe that this is not true and that Beng Hock was either murdered or was accidentally killed by the MACC officers who were forcibly trying to extract a confession from him. Ahmad Sarbani's death appears to meet this pattern and because of this Malaysians are even more convinced that he did not commit suicide. In fact, Ahmad Sarbani's death reinforces the belief even more that Beng Hock did not also commit suicide. Whatever the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry may be with regards to these two deaths, Malaysians have already decided that the two deaths are not suicides and that the government is trying to cover up this evil deed by fabricating reports and evidences. However you look at it, these two incidences are going to have a negative impact on the government come the next general election. Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) Investigating Officer (I.O.) ASP Zuhairi Mohamed did a thorough check on the late Customs Department Deputy Director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed's assets and found that there was no unusual or extraordinary wealth. He had only three modest cars -- a Perodua Kancil, a second-hand Honda CRV and a Proton Persona -- and a Modenas Kriss bike, which he rode to the MACC office on that unfortunate morning of 6th April, the day of his death. He owned an apartment in Bukit Tinggi, Klang (RM65,872), an apartment in Puncak Alam (RM68,988), a Semi-D cluster house in Saujana Impian in Sungai Buloh (RM230,000) and RM35,000 in savings in Amanah Saham Bumiputra. All these were duly accounted for. The only significant asset, which was the Semi-D house, was bought via a government loan drawn from his wife's savings with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), which she had withdrawn when she turned 50. ASP Zuhairi then interviewed Wan Zainal Abidin and found out something more perplexing. MACC Senior Investigating Officer (S.I.O.) Abdul Ghani had said that Ahmad Sarbani had implicated Wan Zainal and that he was the last person whom Ahmad Sarbani and Abdul Ghani had called just before his death. This meant that Ahmad Sarbani was already in MACC's custody when he died. And this shows that Dato' Mustafar Ali had lied in his press statement. In all, Wan Zainal gave three statements to ASP Zuhairi because AG Gani Patail was not satisfied when this man had steadfastly denied being involved in any bribery each and every time. The reason for these three statements is because AG Gani Patail and Abu Kassim wanted the police to 'wrap up' this 'suicide' case by pointing to Wan Zainal as the cause of the fear and the resulting death of Ahmad Sarbani. They were bent of coming out with a verdict of 'suicide' so they needed the 'cause' but failed. The mention of the AG's name did not intimidate Wan Zainal who insisted to ASP Zuhairi that "saya takkan fitnahkan orang yang dah meninggal" (I will not defame a dead man) just for convenience. ASP Zuhairi also discovered that the background of Wan Zainal is not consistent with someone who would give bribes. Wan Zainal is a God-fearing man and the Imam Jenazah of his surau. His salary and allowances are very modest. He voluntarily gave his last three years bank statements to DSP Shafie, which showed there was hardly any money for him to survive monthly, what more to bribe Ahmad Sarbani or any other Customs officer for that matter to the tune of billions of ringgit. Wan Zainal also told ASP Zuhairi that on the eve of 4th April, he had met Ahmad Sarbani who apologised to him because he was forced by S.I.O. Abdul Ghani to implicate Wan Zainal. Since Wan Zainal worked for one of the largest forwarding companies in the country as well as globally it would be believable that this company would pay the biggest bribes to clear goods. Upon realising that he had been tricked to implicate his innocent friends, Ahmad Sarbani told Wan Zainal that he would put things right. On the morning of 6th April at about 9.50 am, S.I.O. Abdul Ghani had asked Ahmad Sarbani to summon Wan Zainal to the MACC office. By the time Wan Zainal arrived at around noon, Ahmad Sarbani had been killed. At 2.00pm, S.I.O. Abdul Ghani met Wan Zainal and asked him to assist in giving a story to the police that would support the MACC's spin that Ahmad Sarbani committed suicide because he was under pressure. Wan Zainal was also asked to coordinate the timing of certain calls and events to corroborate the MACC's diary. To absolve himself, S.I.O. Abdul Ghani also told a close friend that on the morning of 6th April, another MACC I.O. by the name of Shaikh had tried to upstage his leadership of the investigation by reporting to Mohd Fauzi that Ahmad Sarbani would not agree to be 'cooperative'. This caused Mohd Fauzi to go ballistic who directed Shaikh and another officer, Kamal, to apply pressure on Ahmad Sarbani. S.I.O. Abdul Ghani felt slighted that Shaikh was trying to gain prominence over him in this 'big case'. Abdul Ghani also confided that he saw Ahmad Sarbani with Shaikh and Kamal who were applying 'pressure techniques' and was making Ahmad Sarbani sign the acknowledgement form for the seizure of his telephone when Ahmad Sarbani was killed. To pacify the Malaysian public, I.O. Shaikh and I.O. Kamal have been suspended indefinitely and this created a lot of enmity within the Selangor MACC, especially because S.I.O. Abdul Ghani was being protected by Yusof Akope and Mohd Fauzi. Part 4 will follow tomorrow where we will reveal a massive cover-up and lying exercise aimed at hiding the fact that Ahmad Sarbani did not commit suicide but was murdered. Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1)   Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 2)

Something that never happened and never can happen Posted: 06 Jun 2011 08:55 PM PDT This article is an imaginary situation. This incident never happened and never can happen in a country like Malaysia. Nevertheless, let us break away from the reality of our miserable lives and allow our imagination to run wild just for once and fantasize just like in a Hollywood movie. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Your Honour, Article 5(3) of the Federal Constitution of Malaysia says: Where a person is arrested he shall be informed as soon as may be of the grounds of his arrest and shall be allowed to consult and be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice. My client may be regarded as a Muslim, Your Honour, and I stress the word 'regarded', as we shall come to that again later, and I am a self-professed atheist, but as Your Honour can clearly see, the Constitution stipulates that my client is allowed to be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice. Your Honour can't forbid me from representing my client on the basis of my religion, or in this case my rejection of religion. To do so would be a violation of the Constitution and therefore a breach of my client's fundamental liberties and civil rights. This court cannot impose any other laws and rules on my client, religious or otherwise, as Article 4(1) of the Constitution says: This Constitution is the supreme law of the Federation and any law passed after Merdeka Day which is inconsistent with this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. This means, Your Honour, the Constitution reigns supreme and overrides all other laws, especially if those laws were passed after 31st August 1957 and are opposed to and inconsistent with the Constitution. In this case, Your Honour, this court cannot forbid me from acting for my client based on my religion or non-religion as the Constitution says that my client can be defended by a legal practitioner of his choice and there is no stipulation in the Constitution as to the religion of that practitioner. Your Honour, Article 5(1) of the Constitution says: No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty save in accordance with law. This means, Your Honour, the proper laws must be applied and these laws must be consistent with and in compliance to the Constitution and any laws passed after 31st August 1957 that are in violation of the Constitution are void. In other words, Your Honour, this court cannot move the goalposts, so to speak. Your Honour, Article 6(1) of the Constitution says: No person shall be held in slavery. Your Honour, we shall be calling expert witnesses who will testify that religion is a form of slavery and therefore to impose religion on my client is to subject my client to slavery. Our expert witnesses are renowned psychologists with no less than 40 years experience and who have lectured and written numerous books on the matter. They have also conducted intensive studies to determine that since time immemorial the ruling elite has been using religion to control and imprison the minds of the populace and subject them to mental slavery, which is more effective and dangerous than physical slavery. Your Honour, Article 8(1) of the Constitution says: All persons are equal before the law and entitled to the equal protection of the law. Now, my client is being denied this right, Your Honour. He is being brought before this court because he is regarded as a Muslim and has openly professed that he is an atheist who does not believe in the existence of God. However, if he were not regarded as a Muslim he would not have been subjected to this trial. This means, Your Honour, my client is being prosecuted because of his faith, or in this case his rejection of faith, which also means he is not being treated equal before the law or being given equal protection of the law. Would someone who is not regarded as a Muslim be subjected to what my client is being subjected to? Would a non-Muslim who rejects his faith be here today? The answer, Your Honour, is no! So this is a violation of Article 8(1) of the Constitution. If Your Honour were to look at Article 8(2) of the Constitution, it says: Except as expressly authorized by this Constitution, there shall be no discrimination against citizens on the ground only of religion, race, descent or place of birth in any law relating to the acquisition, holding or disposition of property or the establishing or carrying on of any trade, business, profession, vocation or employment. Your Honour, my client is being discriminated against because of his religion, or rejection of it, and this, again, is a violation of the Constitution. Your Honour, Article 11(1) of the Constitution says: Every person has the right to profess and practice his religion and, subject to Clause (4), to propagate it. This means, Your Honour, this court cannot take away the right of my client to believe in whatever he wants to believe in or not believe in whatever he chooses to not believe. This court may argue that Article 11(4) of the Constitution overrides Article 11(1). Article 11(4) says: State law and in respect of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, federal law may control or restrict the propagation of any religious doctrine or belief among persons professing the religion of Islam. This Article merely talks about propagation, not belief. My client is not propagating anything, especially to persons professing the religion of Islam. Now, Your Honour, let us go to the laws of Islam, in this case the Quran, the only true guidance for those who profess the religion of Islam. Chapter 2, verse 256 of the Quran says: Let there be no compulsion in religion. Your Honour, the Quranic passage, la ikraha fi d-dini, or there is no compulsion in religion, is generally understood to mean that no one should use compulsion against another in matters of faith. As it is understood here, Your Honour, this statement represents a principle of religious tolerance. Historically, the People of the Book, that is, the members of the older religions, particularly the Jews and the Christians, were in principle never compelled to accept Islam. They were obliged, while residing in any territory under Islamic domination, only to recognise the supremacy of Muslims and, at the same time, as an external indication of this recognition, to pay a separate tax. In all other matters they could maintain their inherited beliefs and perform their practices as usual. They were even allowed to establish their own internal administration. The situation, however, was different for members of the pre-Islamic pagan Arab society. After Islam became established and had extended its power over the whole of Arabia, the pagan Arabs were forcefully compelled to accept Islam. To state it more accurately, they had to choose either to accept Islam or face death in battle against the Muslims. This regulation was later sanctioned in Islamic law that came long after the death of the Prophet Muhammad. However, Your Honour, all this stands in open contradiction to the meaning of the Quranic statement: la ikraha fi d-dini. The non-Muslims at that time were clearly compelled to accept Islam unless they preferred to die. In view of these circumstances we must return to the real meaning of la ikraha fi d-dini. And this, Your Honour, becomes clearer in chapter 10, verse 100 of the Quran, which says: And if thy Lord willed, all who are in the earth would believe together. Wouldst thou compel men until they are believers? In other words, Your Honour, the Quran says that God could have made all people of the same faith had He wanted to but He purposely did not. And the Quran questions us: Wouldst thou compel men until they are believers? That means the Quran is asking us whether we are trying to do what God Himself does not do. Your Honour, in the contemporary world of Islam, the acknowledgement of religious tolerance is well established. And it is made clearer in the Quranic statement: la ikraha fi d-dini. Your Honour, we must always keep in mind that in many ways the circumstances governing early Islam differed from those of today and that the presuppositions for a general and complete religious tolerance were not given at that time. And that brings us to my client's case, Your Honour. Is this court empowered to try my client and impose upon him not only what the Constitution forbids but what the Quran also clearly does not propagate or allow? Is this court playing God and doing the job of God when the Quran clearly states that God could have made everyone of the same faith if He had wanted to but intentionally did not? This, Your Honour, will be what the Defence will be raising if this court persists in continuing with this trial and refuses to withdraw the charge of apostasy against my client.

Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 2) Posted: 06 Jun 2011 01:00 AM PDT The first thing that ASP Zuhairi did was to interview Ahmad Sarbani's colleagues and he discovered a totally different picture of this much-maligned dead man. ASP Zuhairi obtained witness statements that Ahmad Sarbani was a responsible and hardworking officer who was ever so helpful to everyone who dealt with the Export & Import Section of Port Klang Customs Dept. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Dato Seri Abu Kassim was the Deputy Chief Commissioner of the MACC when Teoh Beng Hock died in custody in 2009. When news first broke about what they are trying to mislead us and classify as 'suicide', the then Selangor MACC Director, Hishamudin Hashim, panicked and ran to Abu Kassim to get 'further instructions'. Teoh Beng Hock in happier times The Teoh Beng Hock Royal Commission of Inquiry (TBH RCI) has since found damning evidence of lies and manipulation of facts by the MACC to cover up what had transpired at that time -- including the revelation that MACC officers have the habit of watching pornography in the office. To divert public attention from this damning evidence, on 1st April 2011, Abu Kassim, who by now was the MACC Chief Commissioner, launched a nationwide blitz against the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Jabatan Kastam) by sensationalising the 'news' that Customs officers had colluded with hundreds of freight forwarders to fleece the government of RM108 billion in tax revenues. Things went terribly wrong for the MACC when, on 6th April at about 11.00am, Customs Deputy Director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed was found dead, thrown out of the third floor of the brand new MACC office building at Jalan Cochrane in Kuala Lumpur.  Police officers removing Ahmad Sarbani's body from MACC's KL Office The MACC Director of Investigations, Datuk Mustafar Ali, gave an immediate press statement that evening that Ahmad Sarbani had come to the MACC office voluntarily and without an appointment. MACC Investigations Director Dato' Mutafar Ali justifying the Customs officer's death at the MACC office Malaysia Today has now received a report from 'Deep Throats' within the MACC as well as within the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) that Datuk Mustafar's statement was a lie and calculated to deny the fact that Ahmad Sarbani died in MACC's custody, just like what happened to Teoh Beng Hock. This is what Malaysia Today's Deep Throat in the MACC said: "The MACC's leadership cannot be trusted. They lied and tried to cover up Teoh Beng Hock's death. And now they are doing the same again in Ahmad Sarbani's death." The MACC needed something sensational that can overshadow its battered reputation in the TBH RCI. They lied to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak by saying that widespread corruption by the Royal Malaysian Customs had caused the government to suffer tax losses of RM108 billion. That got Najib excited. You see, Malaysia is going broke and Najib needed that revenue very badly and he thought that this was one way for the country to 'earn money'. The Selangor part of the investigation is coordinated by its Director, Yusof Akope, and his deputy, Mohd Fauzi. The Senior Investigating Officer (S.I.O.) for this case is Abdul Ghani. However, instead of conducting fair and unbiased investigations and telling the truth, these three concocted unverified intelligence to support the MACC HQ's plan to make the allegations of the loss of RM108 billion believable. They must have learned this from the CIA, which had fabricated false intelligence reports on weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in order to support President Bush's plan to invade Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Now the whole world knows that Saddam never had any WMDs. But the end had justified the means -- Saddam has been hung dead. The Malaysian government-owned mainstream media was roped in to sensationalise the raids and arrests of 62 Customs officers in Penang, Johor, Selangor and Pahang by a special task force, which purportedly comprised the MACC, the Inland Revenue Board, Bank Negara and the Customs Department. The subsequent reaction of the Customs Department D-G, Dato' Mohamed Khalid Yusuf, who expressed shock and unhappiness over the exaggerated tax losses and the death is very telling. In fact, the top leadership of the Customs Department was actually in the dark over the MACC plans and did not know anything about what was going on -- contrary to what we were told. Customs D-G Dato' Khalid (centre) clarifying the MACC's erroneous allegations with FMM President Tan Sri Mustafa Mansur and FMM Customs Committee vice-chairman Datuk Tan Kwong Jin The targets did not require much intelligence to identify. Going by the theory that the revenue losses were from import and export activities, they simply zoomed in on the custom entry points and presumed that all the officers in these divisions were corrupted. That was how the MACC led these raids. There were no prior investigations. All the MACC had to work on are hunches. But they didn't care because the objective was to divert public attention from the TBH RCI. That was what the disbanded APCO Public Relations firm had taught them -- it is all about managing public perception. In the days that followed the sensational raids, the mainstream media kept playing up the story leaked by the MACC itself about one officer who purportedly had several million ringgit in his bank account while another had almost RM1 million. Two others were alleged to have more than RM500,000 each. Stories of the sweeping raids recovering gold bars and more than RM600,000 in cash stored in several bags were played up to the maximum. With such strong 'evidence', you would imagine that these officers would have been charged by now. It has been two months since the raids and arrests, yet not one officer has been charged! In the meantime, Yusof Akope, Mohd Fauzi and Abdul Ghani continued to smear the name of the dead Ahmad Sarbani as a very corrupted officer and painted him as the mastermind of the multi-billion ringgit Customs Department scam. They told the Police I.O., ASP Zuhairi Mohamed, that Ahmad Sarbani jumped off the MACC building and committed suicide because he was afraid that the MACC investigations would show the billions of cash that he had stashed away. They even dubbed the case as the 3B case (RM3 billion). See how fast it came down from RM108 billion to a mere RM3 billion! They also told ASP Zuhairi and DSP Shafie that Ahmad Sarbani had admitted that he received bribes from Ah Seng of Top Mark Freightforwarding and Wan Zainal Abidin of Schenker Logistics. The first thing that ASP Zuhairi did was to interview Ahmad Sarbani's colleagues and he discovered a totally different picture of this much-maligned dead man. ASP Zuhairi obtained witness statements that Ahmad Sarbani was a responsible and hardworking officer who was ever so helpful to everyone who dealt with the Export & Import Section of Port Klang Customs Department. ASP Zuhairi found out that stories of Ahmad Sarbani being stressed out were also untrue. On 4th April, during Zuhur prayers at the Customs surau in Port Klang, Ahmad Sarbani was seen hugging and consoling fellow officer Basharuddin who had just been released from MACC remand. According to Basharuddin, Ahmad Sarbani had told him to have faith in God and not to be afraid, as the truth will prevail. Apparently, Ahmad Sarbani was also an Imam Zuhur of that surau and was a pious Muslim. To ASP Zuhairi, all these are not consistent with the conduct of a stressed-out, corrupted officer who committed suicide.  And tomorrow we shall continue this story with part 3, so stay tuned. Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1)

Ahmad Sarbani’s death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC (part 1) Posted: 05 Jun 2011 07:11 PM PDT And so it is with regards to the MACC. Those in the Royal Malaysian Customs Department have no one to turn to. They don't trust the PDRM. They don't trust the MACC. But they trust Malaysia Today. So they have asked Malaysia Today to let truth be told. And that is what we are going to do. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin We from the civil society movements are extremely unhappy about the rampant corruption in Malaysia that threatens to reduce the country to the status of a failed state. But what can we do about it other than lament and reveal what we know? Not that anything is going to be done about what we reveal. Hey, we even revealed that the Attorney-General is bonking one of his Directors. And know what? Not only has nothing been done about it but he is still bonking her until today in spite of everyone knowing about it. "So why bother?" many may ask. Well, our job is just to reveal the truth whether anything is done about it or not. We even reveal the misconduct of the opposition although we get vilified and are called traitors and are accused of being bought off. It is what we do -- never mind how unpopular that makes us. And if you don't like it, tough! That's your problem, not mine. Talking about corruption, I still remember back in the 1980s when I spoke to the Deputy IGP, Tun Haniff Omar's number two, about corruption in the police force and he said that if they want to eradicate corruption they would have to sack 97% of the police force. I did not ask Tan Sri Amin whether he is in the 3% or the 97%. I also remember back in the 1990s when the Director of ACA Terengganu named Zainal launched corruption investigations against senior government officers and Umno leaders. It appeared like 100% of these people, Menteri Besar Wan Mokhtar Ahmad included, were going to be sent to jail. Wan Mokhtar called Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Zainal was transferred within 24 hours. So, yes, there are some good and dedicated Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA, now called MACC) officers. But then if they were to do the job they have been entrusted to do they would suffer persecution, 24-hour transfers, sent into 'cold storage' and whatnot. So it is not worth doing your job. Better, as one Member of Parliament said: you 'close one eye'. Closing two eyes plus your mouth and ears as well may be even better. Then you would go far. So whom do people turn to when they are unhappy and distrust the very institutions that are supposed to be the trustees of the public? To the police? Pleeeeeez! To the MACC? What? And get thrown out of the window? Luckily lawyer Rosli Dahlan was detained overnight in the MACC lockup in Putrajaya, which is underground. If not he would have also been found dead on the ground floor. Can you imagine the newspaper headlines the next day if Rosli had died? "Lawyer Rosli Dahlan was found dead on the ground floor of the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya. Rosli was suspected to have jumped out of MACC's underground lockup and landed on the ground floor." Yes, as in the movie 'Ghost Buster', whom do you call? The Police? MACC? No, you call the Ghost Busters! You contact Malaysia Today. You come to Malaysia Today to ask that the truth be told. And so it is with regards to the MACC. Those in the Royal Malaysian Customs Department have no one to turn to. They don't trust the PDRM. They don't trust the MACC. But they trust Malaysia Today. So they have asked Malaysia Today to let truth be told. And that is what we are going to do. So stay tuned and tomorrow we shall tell you part two of the story "Ahmad Sarbani's death: the lies and deceptions by the MACC", a story that will shock you. Just when you thought it is safe to go into the water, as they said in the movie 'Jaws'. That's right, there are many sharks in Malaysia. But not all sharks swim in the water. Many sharks walk on two feet. And many sharks wear uniforms. And many sharks are under the protection of Umno. In fact, many of these sharks are actually instruments of those who walk in the corridors of power. They are instruments to take down those critical of the government. They are tools used to silence dissent. And what worries those who walk in the corridors of power is that many who work for the government no longer trust the government but trust Malaysia Today more. And that is why they come to Malaysia Today to tell their story. And this is why they want Malaysia Today to reveal what they told us. Now, hold on for part two where we reveal what our Deep Throat in the Customs Department told us.

Syed Hassan Ali’s education versus Andreas Panayiotou’s no education Posted: 05 Jun 2011 01:15 AM PDT Syed Hassan Ali is educated. But he wants the government to continue giving the Malays handouts so that they can remain on crutches. Andreas Panayiotou is a school dropout. But he is worth more than RM3.5 billion and did not need to make it with government handouts. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali also criticised Mohamad Sabu's credibility, saying the newly-elected deputy was not fit for the office. "Mat Sabu only studied in ITM and did not even finish, he is not even a religious studies graduate from the Middle East. It is an embarrassment to the ulama faction in PAS because Mat Sabu has no academic qualifications while the Erdogans are disappointed because Mat Sabu does not support Anwar," said Syed Hassan through a text message. He added that Mat Sabu had once called the opposition leader as Anwar al-Juburi or Anwar the anus, referring to the latter's sodomy trials. Syed Hassan believed the new leadership will make it hard for Umno to have unity talks with PAS. He also regretted Hadi's attacks against Umno and the president's allegiance with the DAP and PKR. "There was not a single sentence in his speech yesterday that can pave the way for PAS to have a common understanding for the Malay race and Islam," he said. He added the Islamist party must be the first party to start the unification process because Islam invites its followers to forge unity for the religion. ********************************** Andreas Panayiotou is the son of a Cypriot immigrant. He was raised in the East End of London and became an amateur boxer at the tender age of seven. He wanted to turn professional but his parents were opposed and persuaded him to join the family dry cleaning business in Islington, North London. Panayiotou left school in East London at 15 without any qualifications and built his fortune by developing blocks of flats on the edge of an up-and-coming area and waiting for prices to rise. He has amassed an estimated £725 million fortune, putting him in 81st place on the Sunday Times Rich List. His chief UK company, Ability Development, has net assets of £190 million. He also owns a collection of yachts and jets and extensive property assets.

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