| Malaysia in the Era of Globalization #75 Posted: 25 Jul 2011 01:22 PM PDT 
M. Bakri Musa Muslims' preoccupation between secular and Islamic state is arbitrary and useless. The values of supposedly secular Western societies like gender equality, commitment to basic human rights, abhorrence of cruel and inhumane punishment, the brotherhood of mankind, and participatory democracy are also Islamic values and ideals. That the West has absorbed and claimed these virtues to be its core is no reason why Muslims should not also subscribe to them. Chapter 9: Islam in Malay Life Reform in Islam Confusing Examples For Principles My main criticism of the traditional ulama is that in their meticulous and detailed studies of the individual verses of the Qur'an and sunnah, they completely miss out on the underlying theme – missing the proverbial forest for the trees. To Taha, Muslims' preoccupation between secular and Islamic state is arbitrary and useless. The values of supposedly secular Western societies like gender equality, commitment to basic human rights, abhorrence of cruel and inhumane punishment, the brotherhood of mankind, and participatory democracy are also Islamic values and ideals. That the West has absorbed and claimed these virtues to be its core is no reason why Muslims should not also subscribe to them. If we follow Taha's message and make the Shari'a compatible with modern values and aspirations, which as we have seen are also Islamic, then the question of secular versus Islamic would not arise. The Syrian reformist Muhammad Syahrur argues along similar lines. In his book, al-Kitab wa al Qutan: Qira'a Mucasira (The Book and the Qur'an: A Contemporary Interpretation), he challenges Muslims to imagine: Had Allah revealed the Qur'an today, how would it be written? Apart from being an intellectually stimulating exercise, it would certainly help us understand the Holy Book better. Such an endeavor however, requires considerable mental effort, much more demanding intellectually than simply parroting the lessons of the past. In my book The Malay Dilemma Revisited, I posed a similar question. Had Allah chosen an Eskimo to be His Last Messenger instead of an Arab, would the imagery of Hell be a place of eternal fire or a cold frozen dungeon? The Qur'an and sunnah teach through parables and anecdotes, but we should not confuse these examples with the underlying principles. Let me illustrate this principle with, well, an example. If I were to explain the universal theory of gravity by stating that gravitational pull is directly proportional to the mass and inversely to the square of the distance, or more precisely and elegantly stated by the simple formula g=km/d2, only math jocks would get excited. Others would fall asleep. But if I were to illustrate this with the example of an apple falling to the ground, then the concept is readily grasped. But if one confuses this example with the underlying principle, then one's faith would be severely shattered on seeing an apple floating when in a spaceship. Indeed if you drop an apple while on one of those gut-wrenching roller coaster rides, it "falls" to the sky. If we truly understand the principle of gravity, then these apparent aberrations, far from shaking our faith, reaffirm it. Much of the disagreements over the interpretations of the Qur'an and the sunnah are attributable to this confusing of examples over principles. We interpret the Qur'an literally, often completely missing its essence. I am reminded of the Catholic priest who was sent to preach among the Eskimos. On his first sermon he was in his usual fire and brimstone form, exhorting the natives not to plunder, lie, or fornicate lest they would be sent to burning Hell. Imagine his horror the very next day to find his congregation enthusiastically doing all those damnable deeds. To his angry admonition, they jovially countered, "But Father, we want to go to that place where the fire burns all the time!" Confusing example with principle! It is instructive that many of the fresh insights into Islam are the result of the intellectual efforts of lay Muslim scholars rather than traditional ulama. Equally significant is that these scholars often are the product of Western liberal education, imbued with the capacity for critical thinking. Taha and Syahrur were professional engineers. Abdullahi An-Naim has a law degree from Cambridge and a doctorate from Edinburgh. As noted by Fazlur Rahman, himself an Oxford PhD, the level of scholarship of the traditional ulama is severely challenged. Their training is narrow, lacks scholarly rigor, and is singularly devoid of original thought. The state of the traditional Islamic educational institutions is no better. Al-Azhar University, Islam's Harvard, did not have disciplines outside the traditional theological field until the late 1960s. Thus its scholars did not have the opportunity for intellectual cross-fertilization with those in other fields. They remained insular intellectually and socially. The best hope for the future will be the new breed of scholars coming out of Western universities. It is gratifying that many leading American campuses now have chairs in Islamic Studies. These future scholars, trained under the liberal, broad-based education that is the hallmark of the American system, will lead Islam into its renaissance. According to Osman Bakar, the Malaysian Chair of the Institute of Islamic and Christian Understanding at Georgetown University, America will be the second Mecca. Islam flourishes only in an atmosphere of freedom. America amply provides that. Traditional ulama are dismissive of Western-trained scholars. To them you are not a "real" Islamic scholar if you do not have the overflowing robe (preferably green, the color of the prophet), oversized turban, and scruffy beard. The spiritual leader of PAS, Tok Guru Nik Aziz, in a Friday sermon contemptuously dismissed Western-trained scholars as having been brainwashed by "orientalists" out to ridicule Islam. When you cannot challenge the message, simply attack the messenger – an age-old trick, and a very cheap and ineffective one at that. Next: The Quest For Answers |
| Emergency Legislation and the Demonisation of Socialists in Malaysia Posted: 25 Jul 2011 01:14 PM PDT 
The Home Ministry has not been able to provide figures for the numbers arrested and detained since the EO's introduction in 1969 mainly because of the arbitrary manner in which such detentions have been made. Nevertheless, SUARAM has obtained a figure of EO detainees of 3701 for the period 2000 to 2009. And as at February 2010, there were 819 detainees in Simpang Rengam detention camp. By Dr Kua Kia Soong, Director of SUARAM The incarceration of the six leaders of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) under the Emergency Ordinance, yet another detention-without-trial law in Malaysia and the attempt by the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government to justify this using the age-old "communist bogey" has exposed its bankruptcy of ideas. In replaying the old gramophone, the ruling coalition has unwittingly laid bare their demonization of socialists since the early days of Independence when socialists were the main threat to their hold on political power. My new book entitled "Patriots & Pretenders: The Malayan Independence Struggle" (due in the next few months) attempts to give a Malaysian people's history of this period. It will show Malaysians who have thus far not have access to these facts about our history that the present regime has clung to power this long only through authoritarian laws allowing detention without trial and demonizing socialists through the state-controlled media. The Emergency, 1948-60 The Emergency was really a crackdown on the workers' movement which was well-organised and coordinated and the anti-colonial movement which had risen to oppose the colonial power's constitutional proposals. These two movements also happened to be truly multi-ethnic in composition and principles and opposed to the colonial government's attempt at divide-and-rule. They were led by socialists who threatened the economic interests of the western powers and their local comprador capitalists. Under the Emergency, the police were given wide powers of arrest and detention. It is worth noting that under these colonial Essential Regulations Proclamations, while detention for 12 months (and later two years) was imposed, at least trial procedures were maintained. (Short, A. 'The Communist Insurrection in Malaya 1948-60' 1975:45) Detention and registration proved to be the most important enactments for the colonial crackdown. By the end of 1948 alone, 5000 were held under detention orders. (Anne Munro-Kua, 'Authoritarian Populism in Malaysia', Macmillan London 1996:21) The second prong of the colonial strategy was of course the Resettlement Policy introduced in 1948 to round the rural Chinese up into "New Villages". In 1948, they numbered around 300,000 (ibid). It was the making of a police state in our country. According to a British official at the time, V. Purcell: "There was no human activity from the cradle to the grave that the police did not superintend…The real rulers of Malaya were not Gerald Templer or his troops but the Special Branch of the Malayan Police…What Gerald Templer had ordered was virtually a levy en masse, in which there were no longer any civilians and the entire population were either soldiers or bandits…the means had become superior to the end." (ibid, p.22) Deportation/banishment was another method to deal with socialists. The numbers involved can be seen in this dispatch from the Colonial office to the Foreign Office in London: "…propose to expel Chinese from Malaya at the rate of 2000 a month. In normal conditions in China we would certainly have expected very vigorous representation from the Chinese government about the regulations… However, the reactions of the Chinese Central Government, whose days are numbered, are not of great importance one way or another… I must say that I think that the absence of any check on the executive in this mass expulsion of residents of Malaya is unfortunate, and that in practice grave injustice is liable to be done to individuals. I should have thought it possible, by the exercise of ingenuity, to have provided for some sort of review of executive action in appropriate cases. Certainly, had such provision been made, the scope for propaganda against barbarous British injustices would have been less…The fact is that Whitehall has been presented with a fait accompli." (From Secretary of State, CO to foreign Secretary, 17 Jan 1949, FO 371/1011) Throughout the Emergency, the colonial government used all propaganda means to demonise socialists, portraying them as materialistic heathens and incompatible with Islam. The large numbers of Malays detained (more than 1000) soon after the Emergency was declared was not publicized for the same communalist consideration. (Cheah, BK, 'The Masked Comrades: A Study of the Communist United Front in Malaya, 1945-48, 1979:63) Among them were most of the Malay Nationalist Party (MNP) leaders including Ahmad Boestaman and Ishak Haji Mohammed. The Socialist Front The irony was lost on the ruling Alliance government that when we attained "Merdeka" in 1957, the colonial state of Emergency was still in existence. Consequently, the fundamental liberties enshrined in the Constitution were conveniently overridden by Article 149, giving Parliament special powers to deal with an emergency and Article 150, providing the Executive with special powers to deal with an emergency. There were certain safeguards in the two original Articles to restrict the possibility of Executive abuse but these were dispensed with in the amendments of 1959. (Hickling, R.H. 'Essays in Malaysian Law', 1991:134) The Emergency was only declared officially over in 1960 but it was immediately replaced by an equally repressive Internal Security Act (ISA). In the newly independent Malaya, the Socialist Front (SF) coalition was the main challenge to the Alliance. The SF was a truly multi-ethnic coalition which succeeded in organizing the working class of all the ethnic groups as well as the middle class progressives. It challenged the neo-colonial policies of the Alliance and the continued exploitation of Malayan workers and resources. It was especially successful at the municipal level and controlled local councils in many towns and cities such as Penang. At the national level, the SF provided articulate and dynamic leadership and they also succeeded in mobilizing grass roots support. The Opposition collectively obtained nearly half the total votes in the 1959 general elections. The SF won eight parliamentary seats, PMIP thirteen and PPP won four seats. The Alliance met this political challenge again through the use of detention without trial, initially through the Emergency Regulations but after 1960, through the ISA. The SF domination of local councils was dealt with by the suspension of local government elections in 1965. In the face of this political challenge by the SF, the Alliance government began to raise the 'communist bogey' in order to demonise the socialists and to justify detention without trial. In 1966, during the Bukit Asahan rubber estate dispute that was supported by the SF, 58 and 35 more were arrested under the ISA, including their lawyer MP Karam Singh. Later other SF leaders, Lim Joo and SN Rajah and union leaders including Lee Ban Chen were also arrested under the ISA. The growing strength of the SF was a factor in trade union revival since the activism of the 1940s. (Anne Munro-Kua, 1996:46) Tun Razak, then Home Minister claimed that the arrest of large numbers of SF leaders was actually "to help the opposition parties purge their organizations of communist elements." From 1960 onwards, there were frequent arrests. The first mass arrest was in November 1960, followed by others in late 1961 and 1962. The official figure in August 1961 was of 108 ISA cases, 67 detained under the Emergency Regulations. (ibid, p.46) The victims included SF people's representatives, trade unionists, students and teachers. The depletion of SF leaders was also accomplished by restrictions on their political activities after their release from detention. During 'Operation Coldstore' in February 2, 1963, more than 100 Opposition leaders including the Secretary-General of the Singapore SF, Lim Chin Siong, students and unionists were detained under the ISA. Ahmad Boestaman, leader of Parti Rakyat (part of SF) was the first MP to be detained under the ISA. A mass arrest of opposition leaders decimated the central executive committee of Parti Rakyat, leaving just two members. The official rationale for these detentions was "their communist activities". (ibid) Another Labour Party (part of SF) MP, Lim Chook Tong was deprived of his citizenship and banished from the country even though he was born and raised in this country. He had been detained for two previous years. More SF leaders were arrested and detained under the ISA before the 1964 general elections. (ibid) The 1969 Emergency Ordinance To protest against the detentions of so many SF leaders and the phony democracy, the SF decided to boycott the 1969 general elections. This political vacuum provided an opportunity for the Democratic Action Party to emerge in 1965 to champion the frustrations of the people. The results of the 1969 general elections and the pogrom that followed has been described and analysed in my 2007 title on 'May 13'. The Emergency Ordinance (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) 1969 (EO) – yet another law that enables detention without trial - was legislated "for securing public order, the suppression of violence and the prevention of crimes including violence." Since its introduction, the EO has been used to detain alleged criminals without charging them. The EO provides the police with powers to detain persons for up to 60 days for the purpose of "preventing any person from acting in a manner prejudicial to public order" and the "suppression of violence or the prevention of crimes." There is no necessity for a remand order from a magistrate. All that is required is for a deputy superintendent to report the circumstances of the arrest to the IGP. After the initial 60-day detention period, the Home Minister can make an order of detention without trial for a period of two years. As the majority of the victims of EO tend not to be political dissidents or well-known personalities, the public has been less aware of the existence of the EO compared to the ISA. Consequently, the police have been abusing their powers through the years by arresting thousands of individuals without ever bringing them to court. Although the authorities tend to characterize EO detainees as underworld kingpins and dangerous criminals, SUARAM has received numerous reports of individuals arrested under the EO for alleged petty crimes. The Home Ministry has not been able to provide figures for the numbers arrested and detained since the EO's introduction in 1969 mainly because of the arbitrary manner in which such detentions have been made. Nevertheless, SUARAM has obtained a figure of EO detainees of 3701 for the period 2000 to 2009. And as at February 2010, there were 819 detainees in Simpang Rengam detention camp. (SUARAM Human Rights Report 2010) The EO and the PSM 6 The arrest and detention of the six leaders of Parti Sosialis Malaysia under the EO just before the Bersih rally is thus a departure from the BN government's usual practice of using the ISA against political leaders and activists. And true to form, they have contradicted themselves over the reasons for their detention. First the police said that it was in relation to the Bersih rally but soon decided to use the old method of trying to demonise socialists by saying that these PSM leaders were carrying T-shirts glorifying communism. In any decent court of law, the judge would have awarded these six PSM leaders their habeas corpus applications after studying such flimsy and contradictory allegations by the police. Why the Continuing Demonisation of Socialists? As in the past, the fact that the government has chosen to detain without trial these six socialist leaders although Malaysians of all kinds participated in the Bersih rally of July 9, shows that the BN government sees socialists as a threat to their neo-liberal capitalist rule. The BN government knows that in contrast to the myriad parties in the Malaysian political arena, socialists are the real threat to their exploitation of Malaysia's workers and resources. In contrast to the tendency toward opportunism and careerism among politicians, socialists are unwavering and consistent in their commitment to a socialist road to development as opposed to neo-liberalism. Neo-liberal policies have allowed multi-national corporations and the big companies to plunder the country's resources, buying up privatized resources at rock bottom prices. We have seen the tendency for powerful capitalist interests to control resources and markets and cheap labour. This has been helped by a corrupt and non-transparent government. The price has been paid by workers and the poor whose living standards continue to be pushed downwards. But globalisation and neo-liberalism has also produced global resistance. This resistance to unrestrained neo-liberalism is led by socialists who try to empower oppressed people in the process of democratic participatory socialism. Under such a system, workers and the community make economic decisions that affect them. Popular democratic participation is not just in economic but also political institutions. There is a need for state intervention and nationalization of basic resources such as oil and gas, water, energy, health, education and social services. Unfettered capital transfers by speculators and finance capitalists must be checked. Socialists believe that real democracy will never be attained only through periodic general elections and relying on parliament alone. Only through direct action and mass movement will there be true grassroots democracy. Power will be based on the self-organisation of workers and other communities in their struggle against capital. Directly elected workplace and community councils take responsibility for their own affairs and link this to decisions for society at large. This is the basis of democratic planning in a socialist order. Is it any wonder that the guardians of global neo-liberalism will doggedly resist any attempts to stop them? But resist we must! And the immediate demand is for the forthwith release of the PSM6 and an end to the demonization of socialists! |
| Political Polarisation Posted: 25 Jul 2011 01:08 PM PDT The BN-PR political divide is polarising society. It has gone way beyond the usual loyalties associated with competing political parties in a democratic system. By Chandra Muzaffar There is a new, powerful divide that confronts 1Malaysia. It is a political divide that separates the Barisan Nasional, and its supporters, on the one hand, from the Pakatan Rakyat, and its followers, on the other. There are other divides in Malaysian society: economic, social, cultural, religious, geographical and territorial. A divide by itself is not a threat to a nation's unity or solidarity. It is when a divide causes serious polarisation that it becomes a matter of deep concern. The BN-PR political divide is polarising society. It has gone way beyond the usual loyalties associated with competing political parties in a democratic system. Among its obvious consequences are the following:-
1) A blind, almost fanatical attachment to the interests and views of one party or coalition which disregards or dismisses completely the position of the other party or coalition.
2) A total inability to see the wrongs committed by one's own side and a complete unwillingness to appreciate the positives on the other side.
3) A rapidly declining engagement in rational, balanced discourse on national issues on both sides of the divide.
4) The visible shrinking of the middle ground in national politics as rigid dogmatic partisan positions are adopted by individuals and groups in both camps.
5) A dramatic increase in vile, vulgar epithets and foul, filthy language on online newspapers, websites and blogs associated directly or indirectly with one side or the other which are employed against individuals who are perceived to be on the other
side of the divide. There are those who argue that the political polarisation that is happening, however adverse its consequences, is not a big problem because it does not have communal overtones. This is true but only to an extent. The undercurrents in this BN-PR polarisation are communal. Though the BN is an established inter-ethnic coalition, it has been portrayed as an UMNO dominant entity that has marginalised the non-Malay parties and communities. This crude portrayal of the BN and its predecessor, the Alliance, actually began in 1964 and was spearheaded by Lee Kuan Yew, then Secretary-General of the People's Action Party (PAP), the forerunner of the DAP. It has now reached a peak point which is one of the many reasons why parties like the MCA, Gerakan, MIC and PPP lost considerable support in the 2008 General Election. It also explains to a degree the current consolidation of the Chinese position on ethnic issues around the DAP. While the BN is perceived in some Chinese circles as Malay, there is a growing sentiment within a segment of the Malay community that PR, though drawn from different communities, is actually controlled by the DAP, the party with the most number of parliamentary seats within the PR. How PAS has yielded to the DAP on the question of an "Islamic State", its defining ideology, and related issues, and how PKR has tailored its politics to enhance its appeal among the Chinese electorate are offered as evidence of this alleged subservience. There is thus an ethnic dimension to popular perceptions of both the
BN and PR which makes political polarisation a graver challenge than it already is. What are the causes of this political polarisation? The intensification of the struggle for power at the federal level is undoubtedly the main factor. Because of its creditable performance in the 12th General Election in 2008, and its victories in 8 out of the 16 by-elections since then, the PR parties, each with its own agenda and goal, are convinced that they will capture Putrajaya in the 13th General Election. The BN is, of course, determined to remain in Putrajaya, hoping to regain its two-third majority in the Federal Parliament, and re-take some of the states it lost to the Opposition in the last election. Political polarisation arising from this intense, often aggressive contest has been exacerbated by the cyber media. With the advent of a variety of channels of expression from the website and blog to facebook and the tweet, millions of citizens are not only articulating their opinions on a whole range of social and political concerns --- which is a laudable development ---- but are also ventilating their communal biases, their religious prejudices and their personal frustrations as never before. Since cyber communication allows anonymity, quite a few are slanderous and vicious in their comments. When freedom is exercised in such an irresponsible manner, it is inevitable that political polarisation will increase. In this regard, elements within the mainstream print and electronic media are also culpable. There have been occasions when their stark or subtle biases have reinforced polarising tendencies in the larger society. The authorities have not checked these tendencies. The expanding NGO community which utilises the media to the hilt has also contributed to polarisation. Most politically oriented NGOs are aligned to one side or the other. Sometimes they adopt stances on political issues that are more communal than political parties. Even some professional bodies tend to incline towards this or that political party on certain controversies. It does not help that a number of intellectuals have also become blatantly partisan in outlook. Instead of fostering a balanced discourse through their writings some of them are rabidly biased to a point that they refuse to acknowledge the positive elements on the other side. They have tarnished their own intellectual credentials by presenting complex political challenges in stark black and white terms, often camouflaging their communal inclinations, and thus aggravating political polarisation. Can we overcome, or at least reduce, political polarisation? It is unlikely that appeals to both sides to dialogue and to reconcile will have any impact. It is perhaps the 13th General Election that will resolve the polarisation--- if it produces a decisive winner. Dr. Chandra Muzaffar is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Yayasan 1Malaysia and Professor of Global Studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia. |
| Salleh to walk on Aug 13, says Ramadan a ‘non-issue’ Posted: 25 Jul 2011 01:06 PM PDT KUCHING - Former PBB strongman Datuk Salleh Jafaruddin said today that he would participate in the MoCS 'Walk for Democracy and Reforms' slated for August 13 in Kuching. "I will be there with my supporters. I also urge Sarawakians to turn up in support of MoCS's agenda for change and urgent political reforms in the state," he said. Salleh, a cousin of Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud, contested in the April 16 state election in Balingian under the auspices of MoCS. A former deputy education minister, he was once tipped to succeed Taib but fell out with his cousin whom he recently described as a "semi-insane" leader who surrounded himself with bomohs and witchcraft. Salleh who was appointed MoCS adviser last week urged his fellow Muslims to come out in full force to participate in the Aug 13 event, saying that staging the walk during Ramadan was a 'non-issue'. He explained that "observing the holy Ramadan is a moral consideration while actually performing the ritual of fasting by Muslims is a religious obligation. "Since Islam forbids compulsion and at the same time allows its adherents to enjoy full freedom of belief and conscience, members of other religious denominations within our society must equally be granted freedom of choice which is the corner stone of collective responsibility and religious tolerance. "Having courage and steadfastness to convey the messages of love, justice and freedom through the sanctity of Ramadan is also a form of Jihad (striving in the way of God). "Helping fellow members of a community who may not be Muslims to gain freedom of information, to educate and convey the message of truth in an open, peaceful and free environment is also encouraged during Ramadan," he added. Salleh observed that "the strict observance of the holiness of Ramadan during the actual walk is in itself a constraint-inducement to create problems." "In fact, it is an act legitimately allowed under religious tenets and is morally encouraged to be carried out provided it is peaceful and does not include striving for individual or personal interests to enhance dominance, glory, wealth, prestige and pride," he said. Salleh said that MoCS's struggle was "in the interests of the community at large and it is striving for righteous deeds". "The walk is also a solemn event with prayers, singing of patriotic songs and honouring the heroes of Sarawak. Its theme 'We Love Sarawak' is also about care and compassion. There is nothing to suggest that the event is against the sanctity of Ramadan or insulting to Islam. "As a Muslim, I approve and support the MoCS walk and all right-thinking Muslims who love Sarawak should do likewise," he said. Salleh urged his fellow Muslims, especially the few in PBB, not to turn the peaceful event into a religious issue. "Instead, we should be proud and honoured that our non-Muslim brethren are walking with us for a good cause during the holy month of Ramadan," he said. Salleh revealed that another former deputy education minister, Datuk Bujang Ulis, has also confirmed his attendance at the Aug 13 walk. |
| Beng Hock travesty – “time" to act Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:59 PM PDT  Why would a brave father kill himself over a charge proven to be of no substance and no basis By Lee Wee Tak In property investment, they say location is everything. In share trading, they say timing is everything.
So is politics. After 2 years of stumbling around, finally it appears that a political compromise have been developed – admit the weaknesses or plain abuse of power by a statutory body while at the same time, careful not to antagonize a perceived segment carved out by perceived racial orientation of interpretation. If actual reforms and accountability is the order of the day, this matter would have been seriously, professionally and impartially dealt with from day 1 and not after some embarrassingly poor attempt to avoid accountability such as that lame excuse and even more pathetic demonstration of self-strangulation. The RIC developed its fancy theory about a weak Teoh Beng Hock succumbing to pressure and guilt. They failed to explain why a man would want to kill himself over an alleged crime which until today MACC has not uncover a single compelling evidence and who was getting married the next day with his first child due to be born soon. Calling him weak minded, as Nazri subsequently fumbled again, is an insult to Beng Hock. A young man giving up a better paid and more comfortable job, assuming a stressful, risky and at times unappreciated occupation while his peers are busy building up careers, network and having a good time, is hardly a weak character but a paragon of virtue, courage and self-sacrifice. For the past few days, the headlines suggest a serious intention for MACC to reform and the relevant officers to be charged. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/putrajaya-tells-macc-to-buck-up-agrees-teohs-death-avoidable/ Putrajaya tells MACC to buck up, agrees Teoh's death avoidable http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/macc-promises-reforms-suggested-by-teoh-rci/ MACC promises reforms suggested by Teoh RCI xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I question, as a tax payer, how on earth our money been wasted setting up the MACC ( a rushed job in Badawi's final day as the prime minister, if you could recall) which needs serious reform after barely 3 years coming into being? What quality level of legislation, execution and civil servants we are paying for via decades of deficit budgets? Are we going to see serious reform in MACC ? Isn't it a déjà vu of Badawi's proposed IPCMC reforms which was subsequently torpedoed? Now Utusan Malaysia is defending MACC despite UMNO's led BN administration is painting yet another picture of promises. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/utusan-defends-macc-holds-dap-responsible-for-teohs-death/ Utusan defends MACC, holds DAP responsible for Teoh's death xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Nazri called for the labeled trio (Abuser, Bully and Arrogant) to be charged in court if found guilty of penal code. Yet again there are internal dissenting voices. 
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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/7/24/nation/9164913&sec=nation
Ex-ACA chief: No reason for Nazri's 'charge' comment
By STEVEN DANIEL
PETALING JAYA: A former director of investigations of the then Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) disagrees with Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz that the three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers be taken to court for their role over Teoh Beng Hock's death.
Abdul Razak Idris said it was not right for the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department to make statements which were demoralising to the MACC in its efforts to fight corruption.
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What about Malaysians' moral and confidence about these MACC crackers still at large, Encik Abdul Razak?
Are we going to see more suspects with T shirts as faces been dragged in and out of court? Remember Kasitah? Indicted before the 2004 GE for corruption and released post GE? Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/07/beng-hock-travesty-time-to-act.html |
| PSM6 – police practicing “Arrest first, find the charges later” tactics Posted: 25 Jul 2011 10:20 AM PDT 
By Lim Kit Siang Let more and more Malaysians wear yellow on Saturdays to send a loud, clear and unmistakable message to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, the Barisan Nasional Cabinet and government of ever-rising crescendo of swelling public support not only for Bersih 2.0's eight demands for free and fair elections, but also for a Clean Malaysia where there is an end to the rampant corruption, abuses of power, injustices and gross human rights violations present today. The blemishes today why we do not have a Clean Malaysia include the gross abuses of power evident in the high-handed police actions against the peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 for free and fair elections; the unwarranted, unjustifiable and unprovoked firing of tear gas and chemically-laced water cannons against the peaceful public; arbitrary arrest of some 2,000 people; spewing of racist threats; attempt to create ethnic and religious tensions including the raising the May 13 spectre and the unjustifiable lock-down of Kuala Lumpur creating infernal traffic jams before and on the day of the rally.
Such high-handed and arbitrary police actions are still going on more than a forthnight after the 709 peaceful Bersih 2.0 rally – proven by the continued unjust, unjustified and unwarranted detention of the PSM6, including Sungei Siput MP Dr. Michael Jeyakumar. Jeyakumar and five others have been detained under the Emergency Ordinance since July 2 after initially being arrested on June 25 with two dozen other PSM members under Section 122 of the Penal Code for allegedly "waging war against the Agong" and trying to revive communism. Section 122 of the Penal Code states: "Whoever collects or attempts to collect men, arms or ammunition, or otherwise prepares to wage war with the intention of either waging or being prepared to wage war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong or any of the Rulers or the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or abets the waging or the preparation of such war, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years, and shall also be liable to fine." This is a heinous offence – waging war against the Yang di Pertuan Agong, liable on conviction to life imprisonment. But who would believe that Jeyakumar and the other 29 PSM activists originally arrested on June 25 had been guilty of the heinous crime of "waging war against the Agong"? The answer is none at all – not even the police and the home ministry which is why after the seven-day remand of the 30 PSM activists, no one whether from the Police or the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein breathed a word about the heinous crime of "waging war against the Agong" and "reviving communism" as the charges are so ridiculous and unbelievable as the raise serious questions about the right and sanity of a government capable of such fantasies to rule the country. Malaysians are entitled to ask who are the officers or politicians who had been so "creative" as to concoct the heinous charge of Section 122 of Penal Code of "waging war against the Agong" against the PSM activists in the first instance. These persons responsible for such ridiculous charges should be publicly exposed and punished for a most gross abuses of power. The PSM six headed by Jeyakumar have been detained under the EO for 22 days after the end of their seven-day remand on July 2 on the ridiculous charge of "waging war against the Agong". The 42-year EO is an obsolete law which violates democratic norms and fundamental human rights and should have been repealed five years ago if the Barisan Nasional Government had accepted the recommendations of the Dzaiddin-Hanif Police Royal Commission Report to create an efficient, incorruptible, professional world-class police service.
READ MORE HERE.
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| Mixed response to coins Posted: 25 Jul 2011 10:03 AM PDT  By Qishin Tariq, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Getting folks used to the new series of coins will not be an issue if enough time is given, Fomca CEO Datuk Paul Selvaraj said. "The six months meant to facilitate the change-over is sufficient if Bank Negara holds roadshows and makes repeated media announcements to raise public awareness," he said when commenting on the introduction of new series of coins early next year. He cautioned that not all coin machines might be recalibrated on time and might cause consumers great inconvenience. "There will be a confusion period. "I believe the most important thing is education to ensure the transition is smooth," Paul said. He also said the reason for the change must be properly explained. "If the new features do make the coins more convenient for consumers, perhaps it's a good move," he added. However, Organisation for Advancement of the Blind (PPOBM) was disappointed with the change. "I don't see how the changes in the new series will make it easier for the visually impaired. "The difference in colours are of little use to those who can't see well," organisation president Jaafar Md Isa, 40, said. "While adding features like patterns and indentations on the coin's edge and different colours for different denominations is appreciated, we question how it is really useful to us," he said. Jaafar said the primary method for the blind to differentiate the coins was through the size and thickness of the coin. "It would have been better if they had consulted us first. "We would have given some useful suggestions to make sure the coins can be easily used by the blind," he said. RELATED STORY: COIN MAKEOVER |
| Coin makeover Posted: 25 Jul 2011 09:57 AM PDT 
By Qishin Tariq, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: New user-friendly Malaysian coins that are smaller and lighter will be available for circulation from early next year. The coins, third in a series minted thus far, will replace the current series which is 20 years old. They will be issued in the denominations of five sen, 10 sen, 20 sen and 50 sen. Sparkling new: The newly-minted coin series that will be circulated starting next year. Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the yellow- and silver-coloured coins with designs along their edges would make it easier for the public and especially the visually impaired to differentiate between the different denominations. The new coins also have more security features like latent images and indentations to make counterfeiting more difficult, she said. Bank Negara yesterday launched commemorative coin sets to mark the new series of coins. A total of 500,000 sets of the commemorative coins comprising all the denominations in special packaging are available for RM10. "The new coins are legal tender and will co-circulate with the existing series. "The existing series will be gradually phased out," Dr Zeti said when launching the commemorative coins. Dr Zeti holding the commemorative coin set. She said although the new coins would only go into general circulation from next year, the bank would start selling the commemorative coins from today at its headquarters here and at all its branches in Penang, Johor Baru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The bank is also working with financial institutions, businesses and cash-handling vendors to ensure a smooth transition, she said. The six-month notice would also enable coin-machine operators to recalibrate their machines to accept both new and old coins. "To raise awareness about the new coins, we will also run nationwide education programmes together with the release of the commemorative coins," she said. She added that phasing out the old coins would start next year. She said the coins were designed by a Malaysian and wholly minted by Bank Negara's mint in Malaysia. "The coin's design draws inspiration from the distinct elements that define Malaysian heritage and culture. "The theme Distinctly Malaysia' features motifs like the jasmine and hibiscus flowers and weaving patterns of the indigenous people," Dr Zeti said. The motif for the five-sen, 10-sen and 20-sen denominations feature 14 dots representing the 13 states and the Federal Territory, while the motif for the 50-sen coin has five horizontal lines representing the five principles of the Rukun Negara. RELATED STORY: MIXED RESPONSE TO COINS |
| Phang Shares His Views On The MACC Revamp Posted: 25 Jul 2011 09:47 AM PDT 
By Tan Sri Robert Phang My comments on the measures taken by MACC are as follows:- 1. Suspension of the three (3) named officers as indicated by the RCI findings by the MACC for further interrogation by a newly appointed committee is absolutely necessary. 2. The new committee team members must be truly independent, whereby they have no direct or indirect interest in MACC or AG's chambers. They should not be consultants or advisors to MACC or AG's Department respectively. 3. There are plentiful suitable independent candidates who have been known to have the guts and the ability without fear or favor or any personal agenda to sit in this committee. 4. With this basis, the independent inquiry should be seen to be done with transparency. In order to avoid any unnecessary waste of time and to achieve a true picture of the conduct of these three (3) officers, this is mandatory. 5. It is undoubtedly also mandatory to improve the investigation method as highlighted and recommended by the RCI, which should also be governed by C.P.C. (Criminal Procedure Code) and also our supreme constitution. 6. The Rakyat is aware that the late Teoh Beng Hock was brought in as a live witness but was found dead the next day, within the MACC premises. It is also to note, that the findings of the RCI, that the late Teoh Beng Hock was never released. As such it is absolutely and
mandatory for MACC to enhance and explain in this respect to the Rakyat. 7. I call upon all sectors to be cool but to monitor on the comments, decisions and measures made by the MACC. My heartfelt sympathy be extended to the late Teoh Beng Hock's family. May God Bless His Soul To Rest In Peace. ROBERT PHANG is the Chairman of Social Care Foundation |
| False Reports - Face the Music Posted: 25 Jul 2011 09:28 AM PDT  (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR -- The authorities will not hesitate to charge anyone under Section 182 of the Penal Code for making a false report against police action during the July 9 illegal rally. Criminal Investigation Department deputy director Acryl Sani Abdullah Sani said they could be imprisoned for up to six months or fined a maximum of RM2,000 or both, upon conviction.
In a statement here on Monday, he said, to date, the police had received eight reports, adding that they would be investigated in a professional and transparent manner.
"We are in the process of completing our investigations.
Acryl also said the police were investigating the authenticity of an allegation by PAS vice-president Mohamad Sabu that he was hit by a police four-wheel drive vehicle -- although a recent screening of a police video showed the motorcycle skidded and collided with the vehicle.
The police were also looking into a claim that Anwar Ibrahim's bodyguard was injured while protecting the opposition leader on that day, he added.
On allegations that the police used Israeli-made tear gas during the illegal rally, Acryl said it was from the United States.
He said, the liquid used in the police water cannons which were deployed on that day were from Switzerland.
(Bernama) |
| Guna sistem biometrik tolak dakwaan pembangkang Posted: 25 Jul 2011 09:01 AM PDT  (Utusan Malaysia) - Penggunaan sistem pengimbas cap jari atau biometrik kini menjadi isu perbincangan masyarakat. Kepada kerajaan ia adalah salah satu usaha untuk memastikan pilihan raya di negara ini dijalankan secara telus dan adil. Tetapi kepada pakatan pembangkang, mereka melihat sudut negatif kerana bimbang sistem itu boleh disalahgunakan untuk warga asing turut menjadi pengundi. Pemikiran sebegini seolah-olah mahu menafikan apa sahaja pembaharuan untuk menambahbaik sistem pilihan raya negara kita. Sedangkan pihak pembangkang yang beria-ia mahu satu sistem yang lebih baik digunakan untuk pilihan raya akan datang. Mereka juga yang sering mendakwa wujudnya pengundi hantu pada pilihan raya di negara ini. Jadi, Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) mahu laksanakan sistem biometrik ini agar dapat mengatasi dakwaan-dakwaan berkenaan. Kepada kerajaan, teruskan usaha untuk menambahbaik SPR. Kerajaan pun sudah bersetuju memberi peruntukan kepada SPR bagi mewujudkan sistem biometrik dalam mengesahkan pengundi berdaftar pada pilihan raya nanti. Pun begitu, pembangkang tidak akan bersetuju dengan cadangan dan buah fikiran kerajaan dan SPR selagi ia bukan datang daripada idea mereka. Bagi mereka pilihan raya yang adil mesti memenuhi lapan perkara dalam tuntutan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2). Sebenarnya, tanpa demonstrasi atau perhimpunan Bersih pun kerajaan akan sentiasa berusaha menambahbaik sistem pilihan raya di negara ini dari semasa ke semasa. Oleh kerana sistem biometrik ini masih baru di negara kita, maka elok SPR memberi taklimat bagaimana proses operasi, apa tindakan pencegahan penipuan dan apa keberkesanannya kepada masyarakat. Lakukan kajian secara terperinci mengenai sistem biometrik. Antara perkara yang SPR perlu buat kajian ialah kecekapan infrastruktur jalur lebar dan talian internet ketika berlangsungnya hari pengundian. Mungkin di kawasan bandar tiada masalah tetapi bagaimana kawasan pedalaman Sabah dan Sarawak, malah kawasan luar bandar di Semenanjung pun ada yang masih belum menerima kemudahan jalur lebar. Perkara penting yang perlu dielakkan ialah jangan diulangi kegagalan penggunaan dakwat kekal di peringkat akhir pada pilihan raya umum lalu setelah dihebohkan pelaksanaannya. Penggunaan dakwat kekal nampaknya masih menjadi salah satu tuntutan Bersih 2. Kita harap sistem biometrik dapat membolehkan proses pengesahan pengundi dilakukan secara elektronik dan pantas. Sistem biometrik Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) yang akan digunakan oleh SPR dikatakan tidak boleh ditembusi kepada penyalahgunaan oleh pihak berkepentingan untuk menipu ketika pilihan raya. Namun begitu pakatan pembangkang awal-awal lagi berkeras menolak penggunaan sistem biometrik dalam pilihan raya umum akan datang. Kebimbangan pembangkang ialah bolehkah masalah isu pengundi hantu atau mengundi lebih daripada sekali dikesan. Dalam operasi pilihan raya, semua wakil parti politik yang bertanding turut menjadi pemerhati pilihan raya. Mungkin seseorang pengundi boleh memberi kad pengenalan palsu, atau bercukur janggutnya tetapi dia tidak boleh menukar maklumat dalam biometrik. Kita berharap pelaksanaan sistem biometrik ini dapat berjalan lancar. |
| Bersih suppression for public good, says Najib Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:56 AM PDT  (The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — Still training his sights on Bersih, Datuk Seri Najib Razak today justified his administration's response to the July 9 rally by saying it was the government's duty to safeguard public property and interests. Making specific reference to May 13, 1969, the prime minister wrote on his blog at 1malaysia.com.my that the country held on to a "delicate balance [that] needs to be protected and preserved at all times." "Recent events that unfolded in Kuala Lumpur put us through an important test. Our decision as government was to protect the interests and property of the larger community that depend on Kuala Lumpur for their livelihood," Najib continued. His administration's handling of the Bersih rally has left a blemish on Najib's image as a moderate Muslim leader, with global media delivering harsh criticism over the suppression of the electoral reform movement. Speaking after his return from an eight-day tour of Europe on Friday, Najib also claimed the Bersih movement was a veiled attempt to topple his administration through street demonstrations akin to those that are now claiming Middle Eastern despots. "It's not so much about electoral reform. They want to show us as though we're like the Arab Spring governments in the Middle East," he said. READ MORE HERE. |
| Is the MACC Exempt From KPI? Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:50 AM PDT By batsman After all the praise heaped on NTR for being Bapa Transformasi, one wonders what transformations he has achieved to deserve such a great title? After all the GTPs, ETPs, NKRAs, KPIs, etc, Malaysia is still the same old "sameold". Even after an expensive time consuming RCI (called by NTR, no less) looking into the death of an innocent witness under the care of MACC (apparently invited to tea with MACC officers), nothing seems to have been changed. So what transformation has NTR achieved? It is as if the MACC has been exempted from having a KPI. It would actually be good if the MACC's KPI is made public, but the RCI never bothered to look into it. Does this mean then that the MACC does not have a KPI or is the MACC free to design its own KPI? If the MACC does not have a KPI, shouldn't the head honcho of MACC be sacked by NTR if NTR were serious about his transformation exercise? I am actually curious to know how the MACC interrogators' behaviours were influenced by the need to meet MACC KPI standards. Very obviously the watching of internet pornography using government equipment inside government premises should not be part of the MACC KPI…. But is it? So also is the act of interrogating witnesses to their deaths part of MACC KPI? It would seem that they have succeeded in an excellent manner with 2 known deaths so far to their credit. Who were the people responsible for reporting MACC's KPI results to higher authorities? Who are these authorities responsible to monitor MACC's KPI results? All these are not made known to the public, so it would seem that the public is justified in assuming that there is no KPI for the MACC. So should the great title of Bapa Transformasi be given to NTR for transforming so little. It would seem that the whole KPI exercise is just part of an advertising campaign, no more. Perhaps all this can be changed by the new determination of MACC announced recently that it wants to transform itself. If this is so, what is the role of Bapa Transformasi in affecting such a great motivational need in the MACC to transform itself or is it just an initiative by the MACC for the MACC alone? Will the MACC's great transformation be in time to produce a just outcome for Ahmad Sarbani? Is this a reasonable standard and performance figure to be including in the great transformation effort by the MACC? For now, all I can see is that there is so much talk, so many TV advertisements and so many promises, but so little integrity and so little honesty. Hopefully Bapa Transformasi will be able to do some real transformations for a change and live up to his name. |
| Nazrin: Rulers must be told the real story Posted: 25 Jul 2011 08:08 AM PDT 
(Bernama) - The Raja Muda of Perak, Raja Nazrin Shah, said today rulers should not be shielded from the truth and must be told the real story. In addition, rulers should never be surrounded by people with personal interests who are willing to use them as tools.
"Rulers must have advisers who are sincere, sensitive to the people's needs and bold to state the truth," he said at 'Wacana Ilmu Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) on the theme 'The role of Malay rulers in nurturing unity' in Shah Alam.
Raja Nazrin said rulers should be willing to accept the fact, no matter how bitter, as justice could not be uphold without the truth.
"Rulers can't play a meaningful role if they are given a rosy picture. The false impression is unfair as they will be denied the right to conduct their responsibilities fairly."
Raja Nazrin expressed fears that shielding rulers from the truth would separate them from the people, making it difficult to address integrity, statehood, loyalty and unity.
"Exploiting sentiments is easy as the people easily fall for promises. The prescription can only heal if the syndrome is identified.
"It is unwise if the nation and people choose to reject reality, blurring the vision on the real reasons that affect unity."
Raja Nazrin said stiff political competition had exploited sensitive religious and racial issues and dissatisfactions of the people.
"In all conflicts, no one party is right all the time and no one party is wrong all the time.
"The methods to achieve total victory by beating foes have cast aside good manners, customs, morals and religious elements."
He also feared that the rising political temperature would turn dreams of unity into a nightmare, adding that there should be a neutral, credible and acceptable institution to lower this.
It was important for rulers to not only be above political polemics but also have the trust and responsibility of ensuring peace and harmony.
"Rulers must use wisdom to calm situations, but they do not have a 'magic lamp' to keep unity, especially when the situation has become chaotic."
Raja Nazrin said the role of rulers was to give advice privately, so that this was not misinterpreted as directly interfering with the administration.
"The credibility of some national instruments require a recovery of perception and need improvements in line with the current world dynamics to restore confidence in the people."
Raja Nazrin said unity would not be achieved in an unstable and immature political climate post the 12th general election, with calls for reality checks and demands for change.
"Unity requires a willingness to sacrifice, accept defeat willingly and celebrate victory with humility," he added. |
| Coming soon this September: Third person in Scorpene scandal Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:08 AM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - Details of a 'third commission' in the controversial purchase of Scorpene submarines, said to have been paid to a high-ranking Malaysian government officer, is set to be revealed when a corruption trial involving the French arms supplier begins in France this September. Cynthia Gabriel of rights group Suaram, who is spearhering efforts to compile facts and bring the matter to French courts under its "Ops Scorpene" project, recently revealed new evidence that a third commission, allegedly bigger than the first two commissions paid to Perimekar Sdn Bhd at RM540 million, PKR's online organ KeadilanDaily reported.
Perimekar is fully owned by Ombak Laut, a company owned by Abdul Razak Baginda, the aide to prime minister Najib Razak who was charged of abetting in the brutal murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shariibu.
Explosive details linking the murder to Najib had been given in a statutory declaration by Abdul Razak's private investigator P Balasubramaniam, saying the duo had both been romantically involved with Altantuya, who had assisted in the purchase negotiation of the submarines.
Cynthia said the identity of the third individual would be known in the trial.
The person was found to be with Abdul Razak and Altantuya on a flight in 2002 to Macau to attend a meeting related to the Scorpene purchase.
"Through courts, we will be allowed to access documents belonging to the company which had done the transaction," Cynthia told KeadilanDaily.
Cynthia said there had been increased public interest in the case following the Malaysia government's deportation of Suaram's lawyer William Bourdon, who was detained upon his return from Penang at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Friday.
Saying Suaram was pondering on its next course of action following the deportation, Cynthia said Bourdon's arrest showed the government was desperate to conceal some secrets.
Home minister Hishammuddin Hussein had explained that Bourdon had violated his visa conditions.
"People get deported every day," he was quoted as saying. |
| The Trouble With Malaysians Posted: 25 Jul 2011 12:02 AM PDT By batsman Malaysians are not perfect people. They suffer from weaknesses too like the rest of the world. To improve, it is necessary to understand our weaknesses and correct them, otherwise, we will just continue to be 3rd class people exploited by all and sundry and especially by UMNO. For example, we are a lazy people. We prefer to let others do the fighting for us and then piggy back on any benefits or gains arising there from. Lots of foreign friends have voiced sympathy for our struggle for democratic reforms. Unfortunately, there is a tendency for Malaysians to let them do the fighting for us. This phenomenon can be seen in daily Malaysian life. Foreigners are given much more respect than locals. In fact if you think Malays get all the privileges, you are sorely mistaken. It is the foreigners who comes first. Hotel staff especially kow-tow to them very submissively. If UMNOputras are the Tuans, with their fierce bodyguards pushing ordinary people out of the way and their police escorts stopping traffic to let their convoys pass through smoothly, then foreigners are by default, are honorary Tuans, even more respected than UMNO because most of them try to be friendly all the time. More importantly, they are in control of funds not controlled by UMNO, whereas UMNOputras only become friendly during electioneering and distribute goodies to their preferred supporters and cronies and prejudice against all others. The help of foreign friends are sorely needed, but they cannot take the fight on their own shoulders and lobby their governments to do something. This would have the effect of Malaysians giving up the fight and allowing foreigners to do all the work. When governments become involved, things tend to be taken out of the hands of ordinary people. Not only will Malaysians be bullied by their own government, they have to surrender the initiative to foreign governments. I fear this will prove too much. As indicated by RPK's latest blog (Najib has a point here), Malaysians tend to give up too easily and surrender the initiative to higher ups. For example, Ahmad Sarbani's family has asked for a RCI to investigate his death, but at the same time, RPK has questioned why is it necessary to do this if Malaysians have already decided what caused Sarbani's death? What will happen next is that Malaysians will only quarrel over the findings of the RCI because RCIs no longer have the trust of the people. This is the state of justice in Malaysia. This is the unfortunate situation facing people who seek justice. Justice is not only blindfolded like the Statue of Liberty, but bound and tied hand and foot with the ISA/EO shoved down its throat. At least the Statue of Liberty has a sword in her hands giving the message that justice is blind to wealth, status and contacts. Our justice is blindfolded like the way Bosnians are blindfolded by Serb executioners. For Malaysians to do their own fighting they have to develop new institutions and organizations of justice. Those that are able to keep the fight going even when all seems lost. If such organizations and institutions are stillborn when the fight is surrendered to foreigners to do the fighting for us, then Malaysians will never grow up and take their place among the proud and free of the world, in spite of all the advertising campaigns pushing Malaysia Boleh, 1Malaysia, Bapa Transformasi and the rest of that junk. |
| Is Jho Low a Trojan horse? Posted: 24 Jul 2011 11:24 PM PDT 
I sometimes wonder whether this is genuine stupidity or whether Jho Low is a Trojan horse who is doing all this very cleverly and intentionally to accelerate Najib's downfall. Why allow Najib's enemies easy access to ammunition? Jho Low seems to be offering Rosmah's and Najib's head to their enemies on a silver platter. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin "Jho Low pays record price for NY condo, nearby to Rosmah's favourite jeweller," said Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle on 21 July 2011. In that story she goes on to say: Remember Jho Low? Yes, apart from Paris Hilton, whizz-kid Jho is also very close to Prime Minister Najib Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor. In fact, the 29-year old Penang boy has just bought a super-luxury penthouse in New York at a sky-high price that has set tongues wagging amongst the property agents there. Incidentally, the condo is just a 10-minute walk from Rosmah's favourite jewellery retailer Jacob & Co, from whom she has been reported to have bought a RM24.4 million ($8 million) 'natural fancy blue-gray cushion-cut' diamond ring. And in case Rosmah, who is not known to be fond of exercise, prefers to be driven, Jacob & Co at 48, East 57th Street is just a 3-minute whizz away by stretch limousine. Business ties Jho is also connected in some way - directly or indirectly - with several very important investment and financial entities. These include Najib's prized RM15 billion 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the RM10 billion Terengganu Investment Authority, UBG which is the former banking arm of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's family business, as well as the oil-rich Mid-East firm PetroSaudi. No, this is not a business article to unravel the amount of filth contained within the dealings of this nest of firms. Malaysian Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said it best when he described 1MDB as Najib's political "slush fund" to prop up Taib and his cronies. Some in the financial circles even say the complex paper trail that surrounds the firms' inter-dealings would surely provide an ideal way to launder some of the possibly illicit money that may flow through the network. Read more here: http://www.malaysia-chronicle.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=16215:remember-jho-low?-this-is-what-he-has-been-doing-lately&Itemid=2 ************************************** What makes this revelation even more interesting are the four links Malaysia Chronicle added below that story under the sub-heading of 'Related Story': 1. Who is he? M'sian billionaire splashes RM14.5bil on super-yacht 2. The Rosmah ring: 24mil RM or US$, tupperware party or VVIP exhibition 3. Rosmah in hot soup over gargantuan RM24.4mil diamond ring 4. VIDEO Rosmah's RM24.4mil diamond ring Wong Choon Mei is known to be closely linked to PKR leader, Tian Chua. It seems as though Malaysia Chronicle is suggesting that Jho Low, who is in turn closely linked to 'First Lady' Rosmah Mansor, is not only the man behind the purchase of the most expensive yacht in history but is also the man who couriered that very controversial ring to Malaysia. According to the whispers in Putrajaya, Jho Low sent the ring to Malaysia for Rosmah to look at and whether it has now been sent back to New York, as alleged, or is still in Malaysia, is not known. And, if it has been sent back to New York, whether this is because Rosmah did not like it or whether it is because of the controversy surrounding this ring -- and therefore it is too hot to allow it to remain in Malaysia -- is also not known. Whatever it may be, Jho Low's name seems to be linked to not only the purchase of this very expensive super-luxury New York penthouse but also to the yacht and the ring. Anyway, that is what they say and we only go by what they say, whether this is true or not. But what we do know, and this is a fact, the 3M team of Mahathir-Muhyddin-Mukhriz are going to town on this issue. Jho Low is close to those who walk in the corridors of power, in particular the 'First Family of Malaysia'. And anything he does will always be linked back to the 'First Family'. There is no avoiding this. Is Jho Low just too stupid? Does he not know that he is under close scrutiny and anything he does will lead back to Rosmah's and Najib's door? And do Rosmah and Najib not know that the 3M team is gleefully awaiting his downfall so that a new 'First Family' can be installed in Putrajaya? When Najib cancelled his one-week holiday in Europe and rushed back to Malaysia after meeting the Pope in Rome (and which Najib publicly thanked Rosmah for her 'sacrifice') we already smelled a rat, a big smelly rat. Why would Najib cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia unless there was some sort of major emergency? And an emergency this serious can only mean his throne is under threat. And, lo and behold, when Malaysia Chronicle came out with this story of the super-luxury penthouse in New York and linked this story to the story of the yacht and Rosmah's ring, the whole thing became very clear. We are probably seeing history repeating itself here. Back in the days of Abdullah Ahmad Badawi they used Khairy Jamaluddin as the catalyst to bring Pak Lah down. Now, the catalyst is Rosmah Mansor. And Jho Low's stupidity is making this possible. Why are Jho Low and Rosmah making it so easy for the 3M team to make their move? I would have thought that since Jho Low is now so high profile and everything he does makes the front page he would not want to do anything that attracts so much attention. And buying the most expensive yacht in history and a super-luxury penthouse in New York, plus sending a very expensive ring to Rosmah by courier, is certainly the height of stupidity. I sometimes wonder whether this is genuine stupidity or whether Jho Low is a Trojan horse who is doing all this very cleverly and intentionally to accelerate Najib's downfall. Why allow Najib's enemies easy access to ammunition? Jho Low seems to be offering Rosmah's and Najib's head to their enemies on a silver platter. The Umno blogs are working overtime to dispel talk that Rosmah bought that ring. This is actually true and the Umno blogs are not lying. Rosmah did not buy the ring. Jho Low sent it to her. But why send the ring to Rosmah by courier? Surely a ring that expensive can be sent to Malaysia through other means and in secrecy. This is probably the most stupid thing Jho Low has ever done (if it was stupidity in the first place and not done on purpose). And with the story of that ring linked to the story of the record-breaking yacht and the super-luxury penthouse in New York, just doors away from the jewellers, the 3M team has everything it now needs to start working on an early retirement for Najib. No wonder Najib had to cancel his holiday and rush back to Malaysia. Najib probably thought it would be safer to reclaim his throne before he finds it in someone else's hands. And we do not need to be a Harvard graduate to figure out who this someone else is. |
| RCI findings flawed, says Teoh’s ex-boss Posted: 24 Jul 2011 05:23 PM PDT 
Report contains inconsistencies and contradicts evidence previously adduced at inquest, says Ean Yong Hian Wah. (Free Malaysia Today) - The DAP has found several inconsistencies in the Royal Commission of Inquiry's (RCI) report on Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying that a number of its findings contradicted what was produced as evidence in during proceedings. Selangor exco member Ean Yong Hian Wah, Teoh's former boss, asked: "Why the inconsistencies in the evidence adduced and what's contained the RCI report? "The RCI report is supposed to shed light on the cause of his (Teoh's) death but instead it raises more questions and uncertainties about his death," said Ean Yong. The Seri Kembangan state assemblyman said the RCI's "unconvincing attempt" to "spin" a result of suicide, shows that the BN government wanted to cover up the truth. "Why did the RCI question the involvement of DAP's Serdang Aman branch in giving contractors and suppliers advances for small projects and programmes?" asked Ean Yong. "We do not pay advances for projects such as the repair of drains and so on. The branch only foots bill for programmes which it is involved it as co-organiser," said Ean Yong. "We said many times that DAP does not pay advances for projects. DAP only foots bills for community programmes which it later claims from the Land Office. "The witness testimonies by contractors Wong Hong Chae and Lee Wye Wing and myself, during RCI proceedings attests to and supports this," he added. Ean Yong said he also did not understand why the RCI went so as far as to venture an opinion that political parties should not be involved in government projects. "What is wrong with that? Why can't a political party aide the government in their programmes when it is in service of the rakyat and community? "That is not the point, but the RCI went too far to give its opinion on such things," he said. The RCI found that none of the receipts for DAP's programmes had matched the amount reimbursed to DAP. However, Ean Yong said: "(Investigating officer Ahmad ) Shafik (Abdul Rahman), of the MACC told the RCI that his investigations showed reimbursements from the district land office and the receipts matched and that the projects were indeed carried out. READ MORE HERE |
| Persoalan kritikal untuk Tengku Razaleigh Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:58 PM PDT 
Ya, kita akui, kita harus bertindak berdasarkan Perlembagaan dan membuat teguran berdasarkan ruang yang dibenarkan oleh Perlembagaan. Namun apakah yang hendak Ku Li harapkan kepada kerajaan Umno-BN yang sudah terlalu banyak melanggar tata etika Perlembagaan? Mohd Rashidi Hassan, Harakah Daily SAYA menerima undangan dari pejabat Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, untuk menghadiri majlis pelancaran NGO baru, iaitu Amanah Warisan Merdeka (Amanah) yang diadakan pada 22 Julai 2011, di Memorial Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, Jalan Dato' Onn, Kuala Lumpur.
Sewaktu undangan dikemukakan, juga terbaca beberapa laporan sebelum ini, saya agak kabur dan tidak pasti NGO apakah yang hendak dilancarkan Ku Li. Apa matlamatnya, siapa keanggotaannya, semuanya bermain di benak kepala.
Saya bersama beberapa rakan dari Harakah tiba di Memorial Tunku kira-kira jam 9.30. Kami melihat tempat letak kenderaan sudah penuh. Ramai yang terpaksa parking berlapis dan ada yang terpaksa meletakkan kenderaan jauh dari dewan di mana majlis dijadual berlangsung.
Kami disambut Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir. Beliau agak gembira apabila kami memperkenalkan diri, dari Harakah.
Saya melihat ramai Tan Sri, Dato' Seri, Dato' dan orang-orang kenamaan. Mereka terdiri daripada bekas Menteri, bekas Ketua Menteri, bekas Timbalan Ketua Menteri, bekas Timbalan Menteri, bekas-bekas Ahli Parlimen. Kesemuanya bekas-bekas pemimpin Barisan Nasional.
Yang mewakili pembangkang hanya dua orang, iaitu Naib Presiden KeADILan, Nurul Izzah Anwar dan Presiden Kita, Dato' Zaid Ibrahim.
Dalam dewan memorial yang sederhana besarnya, sesak dengan tetamu yang hadir. Mereka jelas menunjukkan minat untuk mengetahui NGO baru yang hendak dilancarkan.
Diperkenalkan kepada hadirin pemimpin utama Amanah seorang demi seorang. Ada wakil (bekas pemimpin yang masih menjadi ahli parti) dari Umno, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, wakil Sabah dan Sarawak. Kesemua mereka dari pelbagai kaum dan agama.
Kelihatannya seolah-olah NGO Amanah ini mengamalkan prinsip sebenar 1Malaysia.
Mereka memilih majlis pelancaran diadakan sebagai simbolik untuk menghidupkan kembali seruan Bapa Kemerdekaan yang mahu rakyat Malaysia bersatu sebagai sebuah keluarga, jujur dan ikhlas dalam muafakat, mengelakkan persengketaan dan tolong menolong antara satu sama lain tanpa mengambil kira latar belakang, kaum mahupun agama.
Sebagai peneraju utama Amanah, Ku Li lantas menafikan ianya bukan gerakan protes terhadap kerajaan, bukan juga hendak bermain politik.
Tetapi menurut Ku Li, Amanah ditubuhkan untuk menyedarkan warga Malaysia supaya tidak berpeluk tubuh, tidak menyerah dan tidak pasif terhadap buruk laku, rasuah, kronisme dan krisis perkauman yang berlaku dalam negara.
Kata Ku Li, Amanah mahu menyampaikan kehendak hati mereka kepada pihak berkuasa dengan cara tertib dan demokratik sebagaimana yang dijamin dalam Perlembagaan negara.
Apa yang dipertegaskan Ku Li, pada saya, ianya saya hormati kerana itu cara beliau dalam menangani segala permasalahan dalam negara. Cara kita, cara Pakatan Rakyat sudah tentu berbeza.
Namun kita mempunyai hasrat yang sama, cuma pendekatan sahaja berbeza. Persoalannya apakah pendekatan yang diambil Ku Li dan rakan-rakannya, mampu memberikan impak?
Ya, kita akui, kita harus bertindak berdasarkan Perlembagaan dan membuat teguran berdasarkan ruang yang dibenarkan oleh Perlembagaan. Namun apakah yang hendak Ku Li harapkan kepada kerajaan Umno-BN yang sudah terlalu banyak melanggar tata etika Perlembagaan?
Ku Li dan rakan-rakannya harus ingat bahawa tidak ada siapa (khususnya Pakatan Rakyat) yang mahu melanggar Perlembagaan, yang kita tentang ialah kerajaan yang menyebabkan kedudukan Perlembagaan tunggang langgang.
Daripada pemerhatian saya, apa yang pasti, Amanah digerakkan majoritinya oleh bekas-bekas pemimpin yang masih menganggotai parti-parti komponen BN.
Mereka begitu kritis dengan kerajaan, tetapi mereka tidak berani bersuara seperti Pakatan Rakyat. Mereka hendakkan reform dalam negara, tetapi mereka adalah Bersih versi elit. Iaitu golongan yang tidak berani turun ke jalan raya.
Tidak dinafikan beberapa hasrat yang dinyatakan Ku Li dan Kadir dalam ucapan mereka berkisar kepada persoalan yang sama dibangkitkan Pakatan Rakyat.
Hasrat Amanah adalah hasrat yang murni. Pendekatan yang mahu diambil Amanah adalah pendekatan yang berhemah. Ya, ianya sesuatu yang noble.
Namun, harus ditanya Ku Li dan rakan-rakannya, golongan manakah yang akan menyokong NGO baru seperti Amanah yang dilancarkannya?
Amanah sudah tentu tidak akan se-agresif Perkasa. Amanah tidak se-rasis Perkasa. Perkasa tidak ramai penyokong. Hanya dua tiga kerat sahaja. Amanah barangkali akan mendapat penyokong yang lebih.
Persoalannya yang hendak dilontarkan kepada Ku Li dan rakan-rakan ialah, siapakah sasaran kempen mereka? Kepada siapakah mesej mereka hendak disampaikan.
Ku Li dan rakan-rakan tidak sesekali boleh mengharap media arus perdana yang senantiasa menjadi hamba kepada goverment of the day. Ku Li sendiri dan beberapa orang rakannya dalam Amanah, pernah 'dibakul sampahkan' kerana agak kritis dengan kerajaan.
Dengan lain bahasa, no way NGO tajaan Ku Li akan mendapat tempat di dada media arus perdana, kerana mereka tidak sealiran dengan BN.
Sasaran Amanah juga bukan pendukung Pakatan Rakyat. Bukan juga pendukung perjuangan Bersih. Pakatan Rakyat dan Bersih adalah penentang tegar kemungkaran Umno-BN. Tidak ada maknanya Amanah berkempen kepada rakyat yang mendukung perjuangan Pakatan Rakyat.
Justeru Ku Li dan rakan-rakannya tidak ada pilihan selain berkempen untuk menarik seramai mungkin anggota BN dan menyedarkan mereka tentang salah laku yang berlaku dalam negara.
Tidak dinafikan Ku Li seorang pemimpin yang jujur dan ikhlas, seorang anak Raja yang sanggup turun berjuang untuk kepentingan rakyat. Namun kejujuran dan keikhlasan tidak memberi apa-apa makna, jika perjuangannya tidak disokong.
Amanah tidak akan dilihat mempunyai kredibiliti jika ia gagal menarik sokongan dari dalam BN. Pada pandangan saya secara peribadi, Amanah akan lebih disokong rakyat, akan jadi lebih credible jika ia menggabungkan dirinya dengan Pakatan Rakyat.
Kita berganding bahu dalam menjalankan tugas. Pakatan Rakyat sudah mempunyai 48 peratus undi rakyat pada Pilihan Raya Umum 2008. Ku Li dan rakan-rakannya dalam Amanah, harus mencari antara tiga hingga lima peratus sahaja undi dari kalangan penyokong BN.
Moga dengan kerjasama kita menghapuskan kemungkaran politik dalam negara, akan mengembalikan negara ke landasan yang sebenar. Kepada Amanah, saya ucapkan selamat berjuang! |
| Air Asia beri tamparan kepada Najib? Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:56 PM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak, menerima tamparan hebat sekali lagi apabila syarikat tempatan paling terkemuka dan dikenali seluruh negara, Air Asia dilaporkan akan memindahkan pusat pengurusannya keluar daripada negara ke Indonesia. Selepas memalukan negara di persada antarabangsa dengan cara tidak cerdik pengendalian Bersih 2.0 sehinggalah penahanan peguam hak asasi Perancis William Bourdon, Asia Sentinel melaporkan bahawa Najib dan negara kini kena terpaksa berdepan pula dengan keputusan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Air Asia, Tony Fernandes yang mengesahkan keputusan untuk memindahkan pusatnya ke Jakarta Khamis lalu, di Tokyo.
Laporan itu memetik Tony sebagai berkata langkah itu adalah untuk menaikkan taraf imej Air Asia sebagai syarikat penerbangan Asia Tenggara dan bukan sekadar syarikat penerbangan Malaysia. Air Asia berkembang pesat ketika negara di bawah kepimpinan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri (kini Tun) Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dan dikaitkan juga dengan menantu beliau yang kini ketua pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaludin Abu Bakar.
"Saya tak tahu sama ada Najib diberitahu atau tidak. Tapi buat apa Tony harus peduli? Ada asas perniagaan yang cukup untuk berpindah ke Jakarta," kata seorang rakan perniagaan yang rapat dengan Tony.
Asia Sentinel turut menceritakan bahawa lawatan Najib ke tiga negara baru-baru ini hanya untuk memperbaiki imej negara selepas terjejas teruk akibat cara kerajaan pimpinannya mengendalikan perhimpunan awam Bersih 2.0 yang menuntut pilihanraya adil dan bersih.
"Seperti yang berlaku 1980-an, Malaysia turut meng'hitam'kan laporan mengenai perhimpunan tersebut dalam majalah The Economist," tulis laporan itu lagi.
Selepas itu, laporan itu berkata pada tanggal 23 Julai yang lalu, negara terpaksa berdepan dengan keputusan Suruhanjaya Diraja yang merumuskan bahawa 'seorang pembantu politik kepada seorang ahli politik pembangkang telah didesak sebegitu teruk dalam satu marathon soal-siasat kerana pembelanjaan pejabat sehingga beliau buang sendiri keluar daripada tingkap dan bunuh diri.'
Ini pula diikuti dengan penahanan Bourdon di KLIA yang akhirnya dihantar pulang ke Paris Jumaat lalu.
"Keputusan Air Asia untuk memindahkan ibu pejabatnya ialah satu propaganda negatif yang serius kepada pelan 1Malaysia Najib, yang merupakan satu usaha intensif untuk menarik pelaburan asing ke dalam negara.
Pada September 2010, kerajaan Malaysia telah mengumumkan satu pelan agresif untuk menggerakan beratus billion dalam pelaburan swasta untuk membawa negara keluar daripada perangkap golongan pendapatan sederhana, dan melipat gandakan pendapatkan untuk membawa Malaysia ke tahap negara membangun pada 2020," kata laporan tersebut.
Air Asia, kata Asia Sentinel mungkin merupakan syarikat kedua selepas Petronas yang mempunyai impak antarabangsa.
"Petronas telah melakukannya dengan mengiklankan dirinya semasa Formula 1 dan menaja sebuah kereta, di mana Tony juga melakukannya juga," tambah laporan itu lagi.
Air Asia yang dilancarkan pada tahun 2002 dengan hanya dua kapal terbang, kini memiliki 93 kapal terbang yang menakluki seluruh Asia. Selain itu, adanya juga Air AsiaX yang terbang ke Eropah, Jepun dan Korea. Sebelum ini, syarikat tersebut baru sahaja menempah 300 Airbus A30neos untuk mengembangkan penerbangannya ke luar Asia.
"Ini bukan sahaja merosakkan imej awam. Untuk 10 tahun yang lepas, berdasarkan report Reuters, syarikat swasta telah melabur sebanyak RM535 billion, berdasarkan data rasmi. Pelaburan swasta untuk Malaysia hanya 10 peratus daripada GDP, yang terendah di Asia dan satu pertiga daripada apa yang sebelum krisis kewangan Asean 1998. Kerajaan, menurut Reuters, menyumbangkan separuh daripada pelaburan di Malaysia," kata laporan tersebut.
Tambahnya lagi, Malaysia sudah lama dibelenggu pengeluaran modal dari negara, yang sering dilihat sebagai satu indikasi ketidakpercayaan para peniaga terhadap negara, walaupun dalam kes Malaysia mungkin sebahagian besar itu berpunca daripada kecurian balak yang keluar daripada negara melalui Sarawak dan Sabah.
"Walaupun begitu, laporan Global Financial yang berpusat di Amerika Syarikat telah menjangkau dalam satu laporan 2010 bahawa sebanyak RM888 billion telah keluar daripada negara antara tahun 2000 sehingga 2008.
Pengeluaran wang haram secara amnya melibatkan pemindahan wang yang diperolehi melalui aktiviti-aktiviti haram seperti rasuah, urus niaga yang melibatkan barang-barang seludup, kegiatan jenayah dan usaha untuk kekayaan tempat perlindungan daripada pihak berkuasa cukai.
Ketika ditanya mengapa beliau membuat keputusan untuk memindahkan ibu pejabat Air Asia ke Jakarta, ini jawapan Tony.
"Asean berpusat di Jakarta, dan Indonesia bakal menjadi ekonomi terbesar di Asean dalam masa yang akan datang… dan saya suka di sini," kata Tony dipetik Asia Sentinel.
Jawapan Tony, kata laporan itu sudah menunjukkan bahawa beliau telahpun membeli sebuah rumah yang baru di Jakarta. Namun yang lebih penting, adakah ini turut menunjukkan bahawa ekonomi negara semakin malap di bawah kepimpinan Najib? |
| ‘No political agenda in deporting French lawyer’ Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:49 PM PDT 
Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein says William Bourdon was deported due to visa violation like making a speech in Penang. (Free Malaysia Today) - Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that there was no political agenda in the deportation of French human rights lawyer William Bourdon. The minister said he was deported due to "visa non-compliance" and for making a speech in Penang. "It's due to a visa violation. There are certain things tourists cannot do. I don't know what it is, but one cannot give a speech," he told reporters today. French lawyer William Bourdon was deported on Friday upon landing in KLIA from Penang, where he had spoken about the controversial Scorpene submarines deal which allegedly involved millions of ringgit in kickbacks to Malaysian government officials. However, Hishammuddin denied that Bourdon's deportation had any political agenda behind it. "People get deported everyday, but people have selectively chosen this case to say that it is political," he said. According to Suaram director Cynthia Gabriel, immigration officials boarded the plane and detained Bourdon after his plane touched down at KLIA. Bourdon was served a deportation order for violating the terms of his social visit pass and left the country at about 11pm on Friday. The renowned human rights lawyer was due to speak at a fundraising dinner in Petaling Jaya on Friday night, and at another in Ipoh on Saturday. READ MORE HERE |
| The Amanah agenda - Part 2 Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:32 PM PDT 
SAKMONGKOL AK47 This is a gathering of concerned citizens. On the stage forming the committee members of Amanah were Kadir Sh Fadzir himself, Daniel Tajem, Subramaniam (a former MIC deputy President), Tengku Razaleigh as chairman, Ong Tee Keat, Bujang Ulis from Sarawak and a sitting MP from Sabah. The audience was made up of mainly concerned citizens of all races with Malays making the predominant number. I am sure not everyone in there in the hall that day will commit themselves to the rigors of field politics; but I was sure of one thing. Everyone were united in the revulsion and rejection of what is going on in the country - the politics, economy, the divisiveness in our society, the future of democracy, the future of this country. Being present there is already an indication that attendees cannot accept the things that are happening in the country. The feelings were adequately expressed by Kadir Sh Fadzir. What he said was exemplary; coming from a person who has had everything - wealth, power, service to the country, enjoyed the esteem and respect of his peers. He would rather be enjoying his leisure days. So too would the others- Daniel Tajem – a sincere looking fellow who is committed to uplift the Sarawak people out of misery, Subramaniam (he may be motivated by his own pursuits), BUjang Ulis, Ong Tee Keat - the MCA man who wanted to do the right thing with regards to the PKFZ. What the current UMNO is, MCA is that to the Chinese. MCA cannot be a den of thieves and plunderers irrespective of how many truckloads of class A durians the perpetrators of the PKFZ financial fiasco bring over to the bosses. A former MCA leader when he was a deputy minister would often treat his boss at TNB first class durians from Bentong!. What the country has got itself into is no longer tolerable. These 'has-beens' and veterans of Malaysian politics cannot endure the transgressions, the abuse, the bullying and the direction the country is traveling. It's made worse by a leadership who is more suited to become a poster boy, popular but incapable of managing this country properly. Amanah is really for now, a group of conscientious objectors. Our objection must therefore be well put. And what do we object to? Utusan Malaysia recently revealed the kind of warped thinking the leadership of this country has or even worse, they are unthinking at all. It writes that it's a common outcome of those subjected to interrogation to commit suicide. This kind of thinking is just another unfortunate and grossly stupid gloss of the general notion that the all ends justify all means. Hence the deaths of persons under the duty of care of the custodians are but collateral damages to the desired end of achieving the truth. Except the truth in this case, as Colonel Jessup says in 'A Few Good Men' can't be handled by the truth seekers. So, it will be used at a general explanation- that all transgressions- corruption, cronyism, are all justifiable means because of our desired end. What is the desired end then? This is the basic objection to these totalitarian tendencies. For that is what these transgressions amount to - not objected they will serve the interest of totalitarian tendencies. The government wants to govern and rule unchallenged. READ MORE HERE |
| Christian plot: What have police uncovered? Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:19 PM PDT 
DAP demands public disclosure of the outcome of investigations. (Free Malaysia Today) - DAP has demanded that police reveal the outcome of their investigation into an alleged conspiracy to make Christianity the official religion of Malaysia. Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said police wrapped up the investigation some time ago and should have informed the public what they had found out. The seriousness of the allegation and the uproar it caused warranted the public disclosure, he added. The allegation surfaced on the Internet early last May and went largely unnoticed until Utusan Malaysia reported it on its front page under the headline "Malaysia a Christian nation?" The Umno-owned daily alleged that Christians at a closed-door gathering in Penang had spoken about Christianity replacing Islam as the official religion and the possibility of Malaysia being led by a Christian prime minister. Christian leaders denied the allegation, but pro-Umno groups, including the far right Perkasa, lodged police reports demanding an investigation into what they alleged was a threat to Islam. Jelutong MP and DAP member Jeff Ooi, who said he was at the gathering, also lodged a police report, stating that the report was a fabrication. However, the controversy took a surprising turn when Mohamed Razali Abdul Rahman, another DAP member who said he too was at the meeting, lodged another report, claiming that there was some truth to the allegation. DAP subsequently expelled Razali for refusing to clarify his stand and for working against the party's interest. READ MORE HERE |
| ‘Anti-Islam bloggers in US on Najib/BN payroll’ Posted: 24 Jul 2011 04:15 PM PDT 
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, who sees himself as the 'great protector of Islam' in Malaysia must explain link to anti-Islam promoters. (Free Malaysia Today) - A team of American bloggers allegedly hired by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to improve their respective images, are in fact pro-Israel and known to publicly slander Islam. One member of the team, Caleb Howe, indulged in a sustained, childish rant on his public Twitter page on April 23 last year, in which he said: "I drew a picture of Mohammed today. I showed him marrying a pre-tween. Might as well be historically correct right?" Eighteen minutes later on the same twitter message, he posted: "Did I say marrying a pre-tween? Sorry.. that was my typo.I meant raping." Caleb's outburst against Islam is not an isolated incident (see image below). He and his team have indulged in a number of such anti-Islamic rants on Twitter that are clearly designed to give extreme offence to Muslims. Few would dream of engaging in such an unpleasant and offensive attack. It thus comes as a surprise that Najib and Taib would hire Howe and his colleagues who sustain other blogs such as Red State, New Ledger, Sarawak Report(s), Malaysia Matters as their professional promoters. 
It seems somewhat a misjudgement that Najib, who sees himself as the great protector of his own Muslim religion, continues to be associated with this team of Americans. Pro-Israeli views Howe [photo below] is closely linked to Josh Trevino, the right-wing blogger behind the American 'Red State' and 'New Ledger' blogs and also a PR company called Rogue Strategic Services. Rogue Services have been in employ with Barisan Nasional since the days of former Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Now their portfolio includes Najib and Taib. They have been allegedly hired to create 'positive publicity' on their behalf. READ MORE HERE |
| The search for justice and truth must continue Posted: 24 Jul 2011 03:49 PM PDT 
There are a number of key points on which the Malaysian Bar agrees with the report of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Death of Teoh Beng Hock ("RCI"). We concur with the following findings of the RCI: (1) That the RCI was unable to accept that the alleged suicide note had been written by Teoh Beng Hock, and that the undue delay by the authorities in tendering the alleged suicide note at the first available opportunity could not be taken as mere carelessness or neglect, and therefore the authenticity of the note could not be trusted;
(2) That Teoh Beng Hock was, at all material times until his untimely death, in the care, custody and control of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission ("MACC") officers;
(3) That Teoh Beng Hock was not released from the care, custody and control of the MACC officers after his statement had been recorded at approximately 3:30 am, and this failure "amounted to cruel conduct and punishment inflicted on purpose";
(4) That Teoh Beng Hock was subjected to "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" and that the recording of his statement was unlawful;
(5) That the majority of the MACC officers exhibited a "total lack of consideration for human sensitivities", and that the recruitment process of MACC officers should include a "psychological evaluation to assess their suitability for investigative work";
(6) That most of the MACC officers who were involved in the operations on 15 and 16 July 2009, and who gave evidence as witnesses, were neither truthful nor credible, as they "had the inevitable habit of lying";
(7) That massive operations launched by MACC Selangor – which were headed by then-Selangor MACC deputy director Hishamuddin Hashim – against the Pakatan Rakyat members of the Selangor state assembly were grounded on mere belief of information purportedly received over the telephone, and without proper ground work or verification;
(8) That Hishamuddin Hashim was "arrogant, given to falsehoods, untruthful and uncompromising", and that he was "just too stubborn [such trait was also displayed when he gave evidence before us] to retreat from his mistake in mounting such a massive operation";
(9) That not only was Hishamuddin Hashim involved but he also "unleashed his officers to do his bidding in order to get results within that night and morning come hell or high-water", and that Hishamuddin Hashim should be held responsible for the actions taken by him and his officers that led to Teoh Beng Hock's death; and
(10) That the Selangor MACC had shown an extreme lack of cooperation with the police in the latter's attempts to investigate complaints of assault and other offences previously made against its officers. The Malaysian Bar, however, does not concur with the finding by the RCI that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide. Such a finding, in our view, is unsupported by the facts and the evidence.
Contrary to the statement made by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, forensic psychiatrist Professor Paul Mullen did not testify that Teoh Beng Hock had a "weak character" that had led to him taking his own life. Professor Mullen also did not conclude that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide; rather, his testimony stated that "in [his] opinion, what we learned of Teoh Beng Hock's personality and behaviour do not suggest any increased risk of suicide". He further opined that the context of the events that had taken place was not one "which, in [his] experience, leads to suicide in custody", as he had not been made aware of anything "to explain panic and distress sufficient to drive [Teoh Beng Hock] to conclude his honor had been irreparably tarnished".
This is in stark contrast to what the Minister reportedly stated during the release of the RCI's report, namely that Teoh Beng Hock had "truly committed suicide based on his character that had changed from a low-risk group to a high-risk group for suicide after undergoing a continuous and aggressive questioning session". Professor Mullen's testimony does not provide the basis for the RCI's finding of suicide, such as that described in the section titled "conclusion on forensic psychiatric aspects" in the RCI's report.
It is noted that the RCI found the following: (1) That the time of death had been between 7:15 am and 11:15 am on 16 July 2009;
(2) That Teoh Beng Hock had not been released at 3:30 am and been left alone sitting on a sofa after his statement had been recorded, as Hishamuddin Hashim had issued a written circular the previous month that "witnesses and visitors in the Selangor MACC office should be accompanied at all times";
(3) That Teoh Beng Hock had been subjected to a fourth interrogation session after 3:30 am by Hishamuddin Hashim and his officers, which was aggressive and relentless. In addition, the RCI rejected the evidence of MACC officer Raymond Nion that he had seen Teoh Beng Hock lying down unattended on a sofa at approximately 6:00 am;
(4) That the fourth interrogation session was probably between 3:30 am and 7:00 am; and
(5) That the window from which Teoh Beng Hock is said to have fallen out was located conspicuously. In view of the above, and that there was no evidence whatsoever produced at the RCI hearing of Teoh Beng Hock's whereabouts or movements after 6:15 am, and the staff of the Selangor MACC office would have begun arriving by 8:00 am, to surmise that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide between 7:15 am and 11:15 am requires a leap in logic and an assumption of facts not in evidence.
The Malaysian Bar also notes that the joint expert psychiatric report of Dr Badiah Yahya and Dr Nor Hayati Ali – the experts engaged by MACC who were present during most of the court proceedings and had interviewed Teoh Beng Hock's family members, housemate and work colleagues – stated: We did not have any evidence on how the investigation was conducted as there were "no written questions posted to [Teoh Beng Hock]" or audio recording as to ascertain the amount of pressure that he experienced. It is not known whether he had experienced in his mind the effects of being possibly prosecuted on the allegations, whether it would have been devastating for him and/or his organisation. This should require more information on what was said and done in the period taken [sic] into custody until he was found dead. It is very clear to the Malaysian Bar that full responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock's death lies squarely and solely on the MACC, and that immediate action must be taken to hold the culpable officers accountable for their behaviour. In this regard, we welcome the reported statement by Dato' Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz, that "appropriate action would be taken against the officers through the process of law without delay". The authorities should investigate the relevant MACC officers for possible offences under sections 304 and 304A of the Penal Code, namely for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for causing the death of TBH by negligence, respectively.
The Malaysian Bar also calls on the Government of Malaysia and MACC to consider: The Malaysian Bar extends its heartfelt sympathy once again to Teoh Beng Hock's family and loved ones. Lim Chee Wee President Malaysian Bar |
| Biometric voting ‘foolproof’ Posted: 24 Jul 2011 03:14 PM PDT 
By Farah Naz Karim, NST PUTRAJAYA: The biometric system that the Election Commission proposes to use in the next general election is foolproof, said the National Registration Department. The department, the custodian of the data of about 27 million people, including 12million registered voters, also said it had other details of every Malaysian, including their family trees and thumbprints, in its database. "This cannot be altered," department director-general Datin Jariah Mohd Said told the New Straits Times last week. She refuted allegations that the department would be used to tamper with the data of Malaysians to give the ruling party an edge during the polls. The department stores and updates the profiles of citizens from the time of their birth, that is, when birth certificates are issued. It updates the data when citizens apply for identity cards at the age of 12. These forensic evidence, documents and history could not be forged, she said. "We are, however, resigned to the fact that no matter what we do to improve the system,we will still be accused of this and that." Under the biometric system, she said the department would extract the data of all voters for the commission to manage. Commission workers will ask voters at polling stations to place their thumb on a screen after a one-to-one matching. The process, which takes 20 seconds per voter, will be witnessed by agents appointed by political parties. Jariah said thumbprint scanning would also detect attempts by people to cast votes for others by using other forms of identification that could be tampered with. Election regulations allow voters to use documents that have their photograph and identification number, including work passes and a temporary identification letter issued by the department. Voters who are holders of the old identification card can vote using the document. Jariah refuted claims that tens of thousands of MyKad had been given to foreigners to give Barisan Nasional a new vote bank. She said the application for citizenship was stringent and protracted. The department had processed only about 70,000 applications for citizenship until this year, of which about 36,000 were from those received from 1996 to 2006. She said the department did not approve all applications, and a large number of them were below the voting age of 21. "(Some quarters) make accusations but never once did they come to us for an explanation." Although she said there were people selling fake MyKad, she added: "They can sell all the MyKad they want, but it will just be that, a fake document, as the chip will never match the details in the system." Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the approval of funds for the system to boost transparency and check allegations of phantom voters. On the removal of the names of the dead from the department's database, Jariah said it would soon have its system linked with the police. The police issue burial permits. However, the problem with past unreported death remains, and unless the department is told about them, the names will remain in the system. The commission will then use these names in drawing up the electoral roll. Jariah said she was ready to use her discretion as department chief to do away with fines if relatives of the deceased informed it of their family members' deaths. She said community leaders, village heads, as well as political party members, who knew their constituents well, could inform the authorities about voters' deaths. |
| The Gillard government backs down on boatpeople pledge as Malaysia deal is signed Posted: 24 Jul 2011 03:00 PM PDT 
By Ben Packham, The Australian The government had pledged to process all asylum-seekers arriving after May 7 in a third country. But Malaysia refused to make the agreement retrospective and a hoped-for deal with Papua New Guinea has stalled. A total of 568 asylum-seekers have arrived by boat since May 7. The Prime Minister said asylum-seekers sent to Malaysia would be treated humanely and would not be sent back to the country from which they had fled. "The arrangement reaffirms Malaysia's commitment that transferees will be treated with dignity and respect in accordance with human rights standards," she said in a statement. All refugees sent to Malaysia under the agreement will face pre-transfer fitness tests and biometric identity checks. They will considered "lawful" in Malaysia and moved into the community after initial accommodation in a Malaysian transit centre. Malaysia will have complete control over the asylum-seekers they accept onto their soil. Anyone "not provided consent" will be ineligible to be transferred. Asylum-seekers found not to be refugees will be returned to their country of origin at Australia's cost. Asylum-seekers sent to Malaysia will receive no preferential treatment over other asylum-seekers in Australia in terms of processing or resettlement. In a statement today the UNHCR said it was not a signatory to the agreement but "it appreciates that both governments have consulted with the office". The UNHCR said it would have preferred Australia to deal with its own asylum-seeker arrivals. "UNHCR's preference has always been an arrangement which would enable all asylum-seekers arriving by boat into Australian territory to be processed in Australia. This would be consistent with general practice," it said. It said the "critical test" would be in the agreement's implementation, particularly its protection and vulnerability assessment procedures. Ms Gillard confirmed the government would back down on its initial commitment that all new arrivals after May 7 would be processed in a third country. "Under the arrangement signed today, those who arrived in Australia before 25 July will not be transferred to Malaysia. "Consequently, the people who arrived prior to today's announcement, currently being detained on Christmas Island, will now be processed in Australia," she said. FULL TEXT OF ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT OF AUSTRALIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF MALAYSIA ON TRANSFER AND RESETTLEMENT (pdf) MALAYSIA DEAL OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES |
| 1Care medical scheme – a crony treatment? Posted: 24 Jul 2011 02:54 PM PDT  (FMT) - TAWAU: A proposed medical insurance scheme by the government has raised concern among private practioners here and across the peninsular. Suspicion has risen over the 1Care scheme which many believe will only benefit a few private companies at the expense of patients and doctors. The doctors fear that healthcare expenses will increase as 1Care will become a monopoly through a giant managed-care organisation (MCO). Although the government is yet to reveal the full details of the 1Care scheme, initial disclosures have raised concerns. According to doctors here, in theory the scheme appears to save money for the consumers but in reality it is otherwise. "It should save consumers from having to pay out of their pockets for their primary healthcare and thus protect them from excessive healthcare expenses, but in reality 1Care will come under a new company and thus a middleman.The middle man will profit from patients and their caregivers. "This will result in healthcare costs going up, the standard of treatment may drop and the public will be burdened with a new healthcare tax," said a private doctor who requested anonymity. The doctor said most fraternity members are worried that their ability as medical practioners to provide quality medical care will be compromised by the scheme which will collect fixed funds from all working adults and their employers. They are also preparing to face criticism from the establishment who may see their opposition to the plan as trying to protect their income first. Scheme may lead to 'undertreatment' Meanwhile in a letter obtained by FMT, a group of doctors from the peninsular have also listed their concerns and are urging the government to engage all parties, including patients and the public before deciding to introduce the scheme. They said it is important that dialogues be intiated and stakeholders respond to valid questions on the scheme. Spelling out their concerns and worries, former Penang Medical Practitioners' Society (PMS) presidents Dr Ong Hean Teik and Dr Haniffah Abdul Gafoor along with ex-Penang branch leader of the Malaysian Medical Association Dr SP Palaniappan, said the scheme is being promoted as having an immediate impact on improving the country's healthcare system while also addressing the poor government medical facilities in Sabah and Sarawak. "The experience worldwide is that a fixed capitation fee per patient will lead to inadequate and under-treatment since physicians tend to conserve resources to prevent financial loss. "Although patients do not directly pay for their treatment, they are still indirectly paying since a portion of their income will automatically be deducted and given to the insurance company running this programme. READ MORE HERE. |
| Wilting SUPP searching for unity within Posted: 24 Jul 2011 02:48 PM PDT 
By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: An ailing and deeply divided Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP) has made a desperate call to its party leaders to 'urgently' carry out the restructing process in the party and win back the people's support. "We must create a new image for the party based on the inspirations and needs of the people. We must rise again," said the party's deputy secretary-general Wong Soon Koh. "The restructuring must involve significant improvement in administration, including a complete system that could shape the party's organisation. "We must promptly pump in new blood to give the party a new look." Wong was speaking at a SUPP roadshow in Sibu on the weekend. Sibu is the first of a series of road shows to be carried in the state before the party's triennial delegates conference (TDC) in December this year. The TDC is expected to elect new leaders after the current leaders, who claimed responsibility for the party's poor performances in the April 16 state elections, step down. SUPP lost 13 of its 19 seats to opposition DAP in the polls. SUPP president George Chan, who was leading the road show, was however not very happy with the absence of three principal figures of the party. For some unknown reasons the three key leaders Sim Kheng Hui (secretary-general), David Teng (treasurer-general) and Alfred Yap (publicity and information secretary) did not turn up for the dialogue with Siburians. Angry Chan Asked by reporters why they were absent, Chan retorted: "Go and ask them yourself. I don't know why they did not come for the dialogue." Their absence has triggered speculation of an ever deepening dissent in the party. They are believed to be at logger-heads with Chan. It was learnt that Chan had earlier demanded that all the leaders whom he described as 'old guards' resign and give way to new blood and this included the trio. He said that they should leave together with him at the TDC. "Now we should leave the party to new and young people who can work together without thinking of racialism, regionalism and of being clannish," Chan said. But certain quarters including 28 branch chairmen do not agree with Chan. They have laid the blame for the party's poor performances in the state election solely on the president. "Chan, being the president, should have the courage to claim responsibility for the party's blunders. He cannot drag other leaders to step down with him. "Instead we want David Teng to take over the leadership," said a leader aligned to Teng. No big deal Meanwhile Sarawak DAP is unperturbed by SUPP's effort to redeem itself through the statewide roadshow. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia deal is people-trafficking: Rally organisers Posted: 24 Jul 2011 02:31 PM PDT  Sydney World Refugee Day march - Photograph: Peter Boyle By Aliran The proposed refugee swap with Malaysia should be abandoned immediately, said the organisers of a protest to mark World Refugee Day on 19 June outside Sydney Town Hall. Distinguished journalist and former ABC broadcaster John Highfield, one of the rally's MCs, has described the proposed deal as "people trafficking, pure and simple". "I never thought I'd see a Labour Government in my country turn its back on human rights and lose the direction of a moral compass," Highfield said. "Australia's leading politicians have abandoned principle to the craven demands of the tabloid news cycle." "Malaysian civil society has received numerous assurances from the government concerning refugees," said Renuka Balasubramaniam, Director of the Malaysian NGO Lawyers for Liberty. "However, when an affected refugee requires redress, no Malaysian court or government agency is willing to look beyond the letter of existing laws in order to deliver justice." Rally organisers say that any assurances the Australian government might give of better treatment in Malaysia for Australian-origin refugees are meaningless. "Do people really believe that Australian-origin refugees in Malaysia will be able to flash an official card to avoid harsh treatment like arrest and caning?" asked Ian Rintoul, from the WRD organising committee. "Australia and Malaysia can say whatever they like about refugees being properly treated. But Malaysia's human rights record speaks for itself. There is no guarantee whatsoever that any conditions in the deal will actually be enforced." "Australia should not be in the business of preventing refugees from coming here," Rintoul continued. "We should welcome refugees, not try to repel them. If the government was really serious about preventing people from undertaking dangerous sea-crossings, it would decriminalise people smuggling so that people could come here openly to have their asylum claims assessed." The rally, whose theme is 'It's time to end mandatory detention', was called to mark World Refugee Day, and endorsed by a wide range of organisations and individuals (see list below). CLICK HERE to see the list of endorsing organizations and individuals. |
| WWF accused of failing to regulate sustainable timber scheme Posted: 24 Jul 2011 02:23 PM PDT 
By John Vidal, The Guardian One is the Malaysian logging company Ta Ann Holdings Berhad, which has clear-felled rainforest in Borneo equivalent to nearly 20 football pitches a day while a member of the WWF scheme. Investigations by Global Witness show it working legally within the boundaries of a WWF conservation project that WWF bills as, "crucial to the survival of Borneo's endangered species including orangutans and clouded leopards". Conservation group WWF let timber companies use its panda brand logo while they were razing some of the world's most biologically rich rainforests or trading in potentially illegally sourced timber, according to the investigative group Global Witness. The WWF's flagship Global forest and trade network (Gftn), which is part-subsidised by the US government and EU, promotes sustainable timber, bringing together more than 70 international logging companies and large numbers of timber sellers. The WWF says the 20-year-old scheme is now responsible for nearly 19% of forest products bought or sold internationally, with members' combined annual sales approaching $70bn (£43bn). However, Global Witness's report, Pandering to the Loggers, claims Gftn's membership and participation rules are inadequate, allowing companies to systematically abuse the scheme. "There are few minimum standards required for companies joining Gftn," says the report. "Meaning even companies involved in highly destructive activities, such as clearing natural forests to make way for plantations or buying wood products from illegal sources can join and benefit." WWF rejects that. The report, which is billed as a "basic evaluation of the operation and effectiveness of the scheme", looks in detail at three case studies. One is the Malaysian logging company Ta Ann Holdings Berhad, which has clear-felled rainforest in Borneo equivalent to nearly 20 football pitches a day while a member of the WWF scheme. Investigations by Global Witness show it working legally within the boundaries of a WWF conservation project that WWF bills as, "crucial to the survival of Borneo's endangered species including orangutans and clouded leopards". Another member of the scheme, UK building supplier Jewson, failed to ensure all its timber came from legal sources for nearly 10 years after joining. WWF said Jewson had changed its timber sourcing practices after problems had been found. Global Witness also claims that a third timber company, the Swiss-German Danzer Group, has a subsidiary working in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which has been allegedly involved in conflicts with local communities. "Gftn rules are less stringent than US and EU laws prohibiting the import of illegal timber," said Tom Picken, a forest campaigner at Global Witness in a press release. "When a landmark scheme created in the name of conservation tolerates one of its member companies destroying orangutan habitat, something is going seriously wrong." WWF said many of the allegations were misleading. "Gftn has made a major contribution to conservation through its ability to engage with industry. Participants make clear commitments that demonstrate they reject illegal or suspicious timber. Trade participants report on an annual basis, and sites are inspected on an annual basis where appropriate." WWF said that only Ta Ann's processing facilities were included in the WWF scheme. "The first year of work with Ta Ann's mills has resulted in improvements in their sourcing profile. As with all participants, longer term compliance with the agreed action plan will be critical to their continued participation." hat only Ta Ann's processing facilities were included in the WWF scheme. "The first year of work with Ta Ann's mills has resulted in improvements in their sourcing profile. As with all participants, longer term compliance with the agreed action plan will be critical to their continued participation.". It added that it was investigating allegations of an incident involving a community associated with the Danzer subsidiary in Congo. "Whilst WWF-drc continues to investigate the case, no further engagement will be taken [with the subsidiary]." WWF, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, makes about $500m a year from donations and corporate endorsements but has been criticised by other environment groups and NGOs for its links to forestry, mining, tobacco, banks, palm oil, biofuel and other companies. Last month a German public broadcaster accused WWF of being too close to GM food companies working in Latin America. The charge was strongly denied by WWF, which argues that it seeks a "constructive dialogue" with industries. GM soybeans have been certified as "sustainable" by the Round Table on Responsible Soy Association (RTRS), an organisation instigated by the WWF. Global Witness has called on WWF to rigorously evaluate the scheme with a comprehensive independent audit. "Donor governments using public-sector funds to finance Gftn should make further support conditional on such an evaluation being carried out, along with the implementation of any resulting recommendations being realised," said Picken. |
| Using the Police to Solve Political Problems Posted: 24 Jul 2011 02:19 PM PDT By batsman Malaysia seems to be a land of contradictions. Not only are there so many different races and religions in this country, the people and especially the government behaves in very contradictory ways. Take Malaysian foreign policy for example. Wherever there are violent disputes anywhere in the world, Malaysia takes the holier-than-thou attitude of never using military force and violence to solve disputes. Violence is abhorred in Malaysia foreign policy and discussion and negotiations are the preferred path. Unfortunately the Home Minister and his boss the Prime Minister has no such "goodness" in them. On the contrary, the police have used force to solve political problems. The police even tried to ram a leading protestor with their land rovers, their lead vehicle missing a full frontal crash by inches as shown on video, but getting their man with the second vehicle (this event seems to have been blocked by the lead vehicle in a recently released video and there is no way for ordinary people to tell what happened. Perhaps experts can tell). The police used tear gas, water canons, baton charges and their boots against peaceful protestors calling for democratic electoral reforms. In addition, the police have abused the law to intimidate 6 protestors for trying to overthrow the Agong by waging war on him (a crime that carries the death sentence). Over 1600 people have been arrested and are awaiting charges. The demand for free, fair and clean elections is a political issue, not a criminal issue. The police have been violently used to try and solve political problems. The mask of "moderation" of the UMNO government will be stripped off to expose a vicious and brutal government if only the world were to look at UMNO's internal policies and practices. In fact many people don't think that UMNO is Islamic at all, let alone "moderately Islamic". It seems the people of Malaysia are being treated as serfs and servants fit only to be whacked, victimized, cheated and robbed while UMNO uses the proceeds to play the good guy to the rest of the world, buying expensive military hardware that others seem to be able to buy cheaply as well as being good customers of luxury items such as expensive jewelry and bags "to die for" (this last one using their own savings, of course). |
| The UMNO – Anders Breivik Link Posted: 24 Jul 2011 12:20 PM PDT By batsman To expose the UMNO- Anders Breivik link, one has to investigate the Norway massacre in relation to the complicity of western governments. In the 30's Germany, Hitler's Nazi Party went after communists and Jews in a big way. Everything was blamed on them including the burning of the Reichstag. The whole focus was placed on communists and Jews, but eventually the whole world paid a price too including the western liberals and moderates. Today, the western governments are going after Muslims in a big way. The whole focus is on Muslim terrorists. This covers up the activities of the far-right. The Anders Breivik phenomenon is just the tip of the iceberg. With recession raging in Europe and the US, it is almost guaranteed that the far right will gain a big influence together with the far left. So when the western governments go after communists and Jews, it will be the far right that gains. So far, extreme right wing madmen have killed more people in Europe and the US than terrorists linked to radicalized Muslims. This may be true for 911 as well. Judge for yourself… Immediately after the Oslo bombings, several terrorist organizations linked to radicalized Muslims claimed responsibility for it (see link). All these claims have since been downplayed. Could the same have happened after the 911 attack? Michael Moore seems to think that the 911 attack was a conspiracy and even made a documentary on this – the stupid radicalized Muslims, eager to claim credit, were just conveniently dragged into it. If we discount the deaths in the 911 attack as being uncertain whether they can be attributed to terrorists linked to radicalized Muslims or to conspirators, the Oklahoma bombings of home grown US far-right madmen would have killed a lot more people. With the US in danger of default, such obsessive focus on Muslims is really dangerous. Right wing madmen are capable of inflicting a lot more damage, especially if they get into power in the US. One lone mad gunman in Oslo was systematic and ruthlessly well organized enough to kill over 90 people compared to the hysterical and loud incompetent screaming and self-inflicted deaths in the Middle East. For one thing, the Zionists with their disciplined war machine kill a lot more Arabs than the hysterical Arabs are able to kill Israelis. To me the right-wing madmen are far more dangerous than fanatical incompetent terrorists linked to radicalized Muslims, but one covers up for the other. So how is UMNO linked to Anders Breivik? Judge for yourself – the UMNO controlled press is blaming Christians, communists, Jews and even Indonesians for all the trouble in Malaysia. In the meantime, they are courting 3 million silat exponents with inflammatory speeches. |
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