| Utusan says Ku Li splitting Malays further Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:25 PM PDT  By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 3 — Utusan Malaysia said today Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's new non-governmental organisation would further divide Malay political power, turning the majority race into a minority force. The Umno-owned newspaper said that Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah), which was launched on July 22, would create a seventh bloc of Malays, citing as evidence the recent emergence of the Kelantan prince as a possible replacement for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as opposition leader. "It appears that Malays are dividing their power to even smaller parts. So the majority in Malaysia will now become the minority and the minority will become the majority in determining the political direction of the country. "Or maybe it is no longer relevant for Malays to lead the motherland's politics. If this is true and can be accepted by all, then let it be," Datuk Zaini Hassan, the newspaper's assistant chief editor wrote today. He listed Umno Malays, PAS Malays, PKR Malays, DAP Malays, Malays on the fence and liberal Malays as the existing six groups of the community that makes up 60 per cent of the population. According to him, Amanah would derive its members from these groups and cause a further split in power. In his "Cuit" column, he questioned the motive of political leaders who have suddenly banded together with Tengku Razaleigh, popularly referred to as Ku Li. "Do they want to compete with Perkasa? Or will Perkasa and Amanah merge and become a political party? READ MORE HERE. |
| PR - Form a Shadow Cabinet Please. Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:21 PM PDT 
By batsman There comes a time when old excuses cannot be accepted anymore. The situation has changed. We are now faced with an impending almighty battle for the hearts and minds and ultimately the votes of Malaysians. The PR shadow cabinet must be formed yesterday. When the barbarian tribes faced the legions of Rome, they often outnumbered Roman soldiers 2 to 1. Unfortunately, these tribes were alliances of small tribes headed by their own chieftains. The outcome of the battles were never much in doubt. The Roman army was disciplined and led by a professional general. It is only when the tribes are headed by someone as charismatic and tough as Hannibal that the Romans meet their match. Worse still, at the time of the worst crisis, the Romans made the mistake of dividing their army into 2 and headed by 2 pro-Consuls. They never made the same mistake again. If the PR is serious about forming the next government of Malaysia, they must give their troops united strength. The troops must not waver and look towards their own chieftains in times of confusion and indecision. The objective of forming the next government of Malaysia must overcome all sectarian loyalties. The rakyat is always ahead of the political parties. The rakyat took the political parties by surprise in the tsunami of 2008. They took the political parties by surprise in the Bersih 2.0 rally. But in all of this, the rakyat are essentially unorganized. The political parties step into the breech to fill this gap, but they also brought along their own heavy baggage. This heavy baggage is usually in the form of sectarian self-interest hiding a whole mass of individual self-interest. The leaders may either be selfless or selfish. Only selfless leaders can win the trust and respect of the rakyat. Along the line, the supporters, party members and activists also have their own heavy baggage to carry. This is also usually in the form of self-interest. In the coming decisive battle of the 13th GE, all these heavy baggage must be left behind. There is no room for self-interest. When we say that RCIs must be independent, it means that the judges must not have any interest in the outcome of the RCI. This means self-interest must not get in the way of a fair and honest result. Similarly when we say that the civil must be politically independent, it means the civil service must not have any interest in the outcomes of elections. This means that the people with the least self-interest should be listened to the most. Party leaders, party members and party supporters all have their own interests to weigh them down. The people with the least self interest should actually form the prime drivers in the impending electoral battles. The people with the least self-interest must be able to point the way ahead. Political parties as the organizers of the unorganized people must listen closely to the people with the least self-interest. With this in mind, when self-interest is cast aside, it makes huge sense to form the shadow cabinet as a matter of urgent priority. Sectarian loyalties and self-interests have to be cast aside for the impending battle. Saying that the PR cannot afford it is no longer an acceptable excuse. With self-interest cast aside, forming a shadow cabinet will not cost a single sen. It does not have to be a full cabinet even. The shadow cabinet must be in a position to take over the reins of government immediately the election results are known. It must be in a position to neutralize any dirty tricks the moment they surface. It must be able to throw off its virtual shadow existence, materialise and hit the ground running. For those politicians who like to make predictions about the outcome of the 13th GE, this is the what they must organize to back up their predictions, not just leave their predictions as a balloon of stinky foul hot air. If they really believe their own predictions, they must back it up by forming the shadow cabinet NOW! |
| Malaysia orders 7 floating facilities to leave port of Pasir Gudang Posted: 02 Aug 2011 06:20 AM PDT 
(Reuters) – Malaysia's government has ordered seven floating storage facilities with a capacity to hold about 1.9 million tonnes of crude or fuel oil anchored off the southeastern port of Pasir Gudang to leave by the end of this month, industry sources said on Monday. When contacted, a senior Malaysian government source confirmed the directive, but declined to give details or the reasons for the move. ''Yes, I can confirm that the directive has been issued, and it was decided last month,'' he said. These players must find alternative homes for their vessels either at nearby Tanjong Pelepas -- also a floating storage hub, Indonesia's Karimun island, or in international waters. Some could destock their inventories and exit the floating storage market, due to higher costs at the alternative locations, the industry sources said. ''There might be some short-term impact in the market if the destocking volumes are high, but it's too early to tell now,'' a fuel oil trader said. The reasons for the move are unclear but industry sources said it could be because Malaysian authorities want to improve access to several existing and planned oil terminals around Pasir Gudang, including the new proposed Petronas refinery. ''They have been talking about wanting to do some dredging works at the water-channel for a while , as the draft is quite shallow, and it can't even take a fully-laden aframax,'' a Singapore-based storage operator said. ''Right now, there are two shore terminals in the area, but more are coming up, including the site of Petronas' proposed refinery. But the new projects won't be ready for at least four years, so I don't understand why they are doing it now.'' Currently, there are two land terminals in the area -- Cosco Feoto's 200,000-cubic metre (cu m) facility in Pasir Gudang and the 500,000-cu m plant in Tanjong Langsat, occupied solely by Trafigura. Another new terminal, with a capacity of 1.3 million cu m, is being built further east in Pengerang, where the proposed 300,000 barrels-per-day Petronas refinery is also to be located. The Pasir Gudang area has been used by floating storages for the past 8-9 years at least, with the Malaysian government issuing licences to operators, such as Hong Kong-listed Titan Petrochemicals. Demand for the floating facilities has grown tremendously, with the Malaysian government opening up the south-western port of Tanjong Pelepas for the same purpose later. |
| What to make of EO6 as ‘prime movers’ of Bersih? Posted: 02 Aug 2011 06:07 AM PDT 
Written by Rani Rasiah, CPI In 1974, Malaysia and China established diplomatic ties. There is a famous picture of the second Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdul Razak Hussein, shaking hands with Chairman Mao Zedong, the Communist revolutionary and strategist who established the People's Republic of China in 1949. Chairman Mao and the Communist Party of China are widely known to be the inspiration and source of support for the Communist Party of Malaya.
In 2009, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak met with President Hu Jintao of the Communist Party of China on cooperation in trade and investment.
Every year, representatives of the Communist Party of Cuba are invited to and attend the Umno general assembly in Kuala Lumpur.
Mukhriz Mahathir is the president of the Friends of Cuba Association in Malaysia, which was set up to enhance bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and communist Cuba
A Vietnamese delegation headed by the secretary-general of the Communist Party of Vietnam was warmly welcomed at the Umno headquarters in January 2010.
Going by the irrationality and paranoia that has characterised the government's thinking and actions over the past one month, all the individuals in these situations should be charged with waging war against the Agong or, if that charge is untenable, then held without trial for 60 days, and later, for multiples of two years under the Emergency Ordinance (EO).
Their association with communist leaders or anything communist should be interpreted as trying to revive and 'deify' the communist ideology, without a thought, as de facto Law Minister Nazri laments, for 'Malaysia's security forces (who) had fought, died or were maimed by the guerrilla units (of the Communist Party of Malaya).'
And such action would be justified for, as Nazri moans, "... how to explain to soldiers and soldiers' families they died for nothing?"
Such has been the misfortune of the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia activists who were held in solitary confinement until the evening of last Friday – for having in their possession half a dozen T-shirts bearing the images of Che Guevara, Rashid Maidin, Chin Peng, Abdullah CD and Suriani Abdullah.
All of these people, except for Che Guevara, are members of the banned Communist party of Malaya (CPM) with which the government signed the Haadyai Peace Accord in 1989, which ended the armed struggle of the CPM.
These T-shirts became the 'weapons' used by the police to justify a seven-day remand, at the end of which the PSM 6 were released from the original charge, and rearrested on a new charge that exposed the true motive of the government in initially ordering the fantastic Section 122 Penal Code charge.
The EO notification paper revealed that the police considered the six to be the prime movers of Bersih 2.0, which was deemed a security threat, and thus had to be locked up. It was clear that the government was using the PSM 6 to warn and deter people from participating in the Bersih 2.0 rally.
Surely, police intelligence cannot be that stupid. Though we think it is a huge compliment to be seen as prime movers of Bersih 2.0, the truth is that the Bersih 2.0 organising committee is restricted to NGOs, and the PSM as a political party, is merely a supporter.
Anyhow, the now historical July 9 has come and gone. Despite the government terrorising the citizens, and creating an emergency situation in Kuala Lumpur, 50,000 brave and patriotic Malaysians made their way to the rally.
 What reason remained, then, for the continued denial of the six their freedom? If initially the government denied the PSM 6 their freedom with the use of taking illegal and criminal actions, holding them until July 29 and using them as scapegoats for its political ends proves their release proves it wrong.
To resort to the communist bogey to legitimise the illegal and inhuman detention of the six is an act of desperation by people who are willing to clutch at straws to justify their actions and remain in power.
Many times in the past the government has used the draconian ISA to put away loyal Malaysian citizens on charges of being 'subversives' and 'communist terrorists'
In reality these political prisoners have only been fearless critics of corruption, nepotism and overall bad governance, racist divide and rule policies, and the unfair distribution of the nation's wealth, all of which have become the dominant features of the BN government over their 54 years in power, and especially in the last 30 years. READ MORE HERE |
| MyOverseasVote clarifies Federal Constitution for Najib Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:26 AM PDT 
Article 119 of the Federal Constitution currently provides that every Malaysian citizen has the right to vote so long as he is at least 21 years old and registered either as a voter resident in a constituency or as an "Absent Voter". At the 5th Annual Malaysian Student Leaders Summit on 31 July 2011, the Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak was asked how Malaysians studying and working abroad could vote from overseas. In his answer, the Prime Minister said that he would look into the practicalities of allowing overseas voting and whether it was necessary to amend the Constitution in order to allow Malaysians overseas to vote(ref. 1).
We are disappointed that the Prime Minister appears to be in the dark about the whole issue of overseas voting. Article 119 of the Federal Constitution currently provides that every Malaysian citizen has the right to vote so long as he is at least 21 years old and registered either as a voter resident in a constituency or as an "Absent Voter". Pursuant to the Elections (Postal Voting) Regulations 2003, all absent voters are entitled to receive postal ballots when an election is called.
Unfortunately the regulations governing the registration of absent voters, which are made by the Election Commission and approved by the Government, currently discriminate between citizens on the grounds of their occupation and employment. The Elections (Registration of Voters) Regulations 2002 allows only three categories of Malaysian citizens to register as absent voters: a) serving members of a Malaysian, Commonwealth or foreign military and their spouses; b) government servants serving outside Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak and their spouses; and c) full-time students studying outside Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak and their spouses. The 2002 Regulations thereby exclude nearly a million Malaysians stationed overseas who work in the private sector or who are retired. The Prime Minister should explain why it is that a Malaysian who is serving with a foreign military is entitled to vote as an absent voter, yet a Malaysian who works overseas for a Malaysian or multinational company is deprived of the right to vote.
As far as student voters are concerned, we note that the 2002 Regulations entitle all students, whether publicly or privately-sponsored, to register as absent voters, so long as they are engaged in full-time tertiary study outside the boundaries of Peninsular Malaysia or Sabah or Sarawak. This would include students from Sabah or Sarawak who are studying in the Peninsula, and vice versa, as well as those studying overseas. We are unaware of any East Malaysian student who has successfully registered as an absent voter. And despite continued assurances from the Election Commission, MyOverseasVote has recently released a survey of Malaysian embassies, high commissions and consulates around the world that demonstrates that Malaysian students are still being regularly turned away on spurious and false grounds when they try to register to vote.
Passing the bug : Government's Electoral Reform without ownership
At the Student Leaders Summit, Prime Minister Najib emphasised that "1Malaysia is predicated on the Constitution of Malaysia, it does not depart from it". To a question pertaining to election reforms, the Prime Minister answered "Yes, the government is committed to electoral reform and Yes, we will undertake electoral reforms".
We remind the Prime Minister that the Federal Constitution already provides for "Absent voters", a category under which all overseas Malaysian are subsumed. Sub-laws contrary to the Constitution, such as the EC regulation that discriminates against overseas voters based on their profession, are liable to be struck out.
Upon our clarification of the overseas voting issue, the Prime Minister should take immediate action to rectify the overseas voting issue to demonstrate that he abides by the Constitution of Malaysia and that he is emphatically "committed to electoral reform" as he says he is.
Anifah Aman, Foreign Affairs Minister, met with concerned Malaysian citizens in Melbourne on Monday(1 Aug). While he wholeheartedly agreed that "every Malaysian overseas has the right to vote", he added "it is not easy to implement". We would like to remind the Minister that a system already exists to enable students, civil servants and the armed forces who are overseas to vote with a postal vote.
Anifah Aman was handed a memorandum on behalf of SABM and MyOverseasVote. The group also submitted a 24-question FAQ to the Minister about voter registration at Malaysian foreign missions and procedures surrounding postal voting. The FAQ came about after MyOverseasVote found that Malaysian foreign missions are not adequately briefed nor equipped to handle voter registrations(ref. 2).
Concerned Malaysian citizens in Melbourne asked Anifah Aman about the progress of appointing Assistant Registrars at overseas missions. In January 2011, The EC Chairman Aziz Yusof made a statement that from January 2011, there will be an Assistant Registrar appointed in every embassy to assist in registration of voters. Anifah Aman answered "Again, that may be his statement but the system has not been set up yet, so we have to wait for the EC to brief us on how the overseas voting works. Believe me, we are working on it but these things take time."
When asked about how we can improve our Postal voting system by learning from other countries, Anifah Aman replied "Not everything that works overseas can work in Malaysia. We cannot compare mature democracies to our situation in Malaysia. For those who want to vote, we must put in the effort to allow people to vote. I'll give you an example of an American missionary in Sabah who had to fly to Kuala Lumpur to vote. Perhaps a solution we can consider is to set up voting centres at the consulates for people to vote, but we can't set one up in remote areas".
It seems clear to us that the problem with overseas voting is not the lack of any provision in the Constitution or in any laws passed by Parliament, but rather the nonsensical and discriminatory regulations that have been drawn up by the Election Commission and the Government, coupled with the Government's failure even to comply with its own existing Regulations.
NOTE : Overseas Malaysians who want to vote from abroad, please sign the MyOverseasVote petition at :
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| The Last Tango Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:02 AM PDT 
By Masterwordsmith Can you hear it? The war drums are beating or, as the Malays say, gendang dipukul. The battle cry is resonating loudly. And the natives are getting extremely restless. The 13th General Elections is expected to be held in November after the new Budget is unveiled . But the 13th general election is not just the 13th general election. It is the final showdown between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. It is the Battle Royale, the final determination of the last man standing. This is the crucial test as to who will reign Putrajaya as the Emperor of Malaysia and who will sit out his final days in the Sungai Buloh Prison. But this is not about a turf war between two people who think they are God's gift to Malaysia and therefore should be Numero Uno in the administrative capital of Malaysia that used to be called Perang Besar before the name was changed to Putrajaya.
This is about who shall take the reins of leadership and guide Malaysia through the most critical period where the brain drain and capital flight over the last couple of years promises to relegate Malaysia to the level of a third world nation with third world mentality.
This is about what lays in store for the rakyat if the country is torn apart by battling giants who will lay waste to whatever little is left of this country. Is there not a Malaysian saying that when the elephants fight the grass gets trampled?
A few weeks ago, RPK already predicted that the 13th GE will be held after the Budget - which means the Budget is likely to be an 'election budget' with a lot of goodies to beguile the rakyat into voting for BN. He said:
The government realises how dangerous it is to allow the march to go on. To a certain extent the November 2007 march, BERSIH 1.0, had an affect on the March 2008 general election. They are worried that the BERSIH 2.0 march may also affect the next general election, whenever that may be held -- probably on 11 November 2011 or 11-11-11 according to some estimates.
Lim Kiang also spoke about it here.
RPK has planned for the MCLM AGM to be held outside Malaysia in December because he expects the BN to retain the Federal government which will mean all doors are closed for his return to the country. If not, he would have planned for the MCLM AGM to be held in KL. The AGM will be held outside Malaysia with a video link or SKYPE connection for those in Malaysia to participate.
The performance of Pakatan Rakyat thus far leaves much to be desired. There is a huge gap between what was promised and what has been delivered. Because of this, Pakatan Rakyat may fail to win the confidence of the voters. Najib is not about to twiddle his thumbs and let Pakatan take over and then spend a long time in the Sungai Buloh Prison for a variety of crimes, maybe even murder. Still, it is not too late for Pakatan Rakyat to get its act together.
This 'Last Tango' in the guise of the 13th GE will be a life-and-death struggle between Najib and Anwar. And only one man will be left standing at the end of it. It is winner takes all and loser lose all. One will "die" and the other will be "immortal'.
Obviously, the stakes are high and this is a fight to the death and could be brutal and bloody, figuratively speaking.
READ MORE HERE |
| WIKILEAKS: ANWAR SHIFTS GEARS, NOT GOALS, SAY AIDES Posted: 02 Aug 2011 01:00 AM PDT 
Talks with Razaleigh remain inconclusive because Razaleigh continues to insist on the prospective position of Prime Minister, while PKR estimates that Razaleigh could secure the crossover of only four or five UMNO MPs. Anwar is also maintaining contact with PM Abdullah at this stage, primarily through son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, Tian Chua said. Whether members of Abdullah's circle would consider crossing over to Anwar remained an open question. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 KUALA LUMPUR 000991 SIPDIS FOR EAP AND INR E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/16/2018 TAGS: PGOV, PINR, KDEM, MY SUBJECT: ANWAR SHIFTS GEARS, NOT GOALS, SAY AIDES REF: KUALA LUMPUR 979 - INITIAL REACTION TO U.S. ELECTION Classified By: Political Counselor Mark D. Clark for reasons 1.4 (b and d). Summary and Comment 1. (C) Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has shifted to a less aggressive posture for now, but his goal remains bringing down the UMNO-led government through parliamentary crossovers prior to Deputy Prime Minister Najib becoming the next UMNO party president and Prime Minister, according to top officials in Anwar's Peoples Justice Party (PKR). Part of Anwar's strategy entails reaching out to the "losers" in the transition from Prime Minister Abdullah to Najib, including UMNO veteran Tengku Razaleigh. The PKR officials acknowledged that the government's September arrests of three persons under the Internal Security Act (ISA) had sent an effective warning to those considering switching their support to Anwar. PKR officials and Anwar's lawyers assumed the sodomy prosecution against Anwar would move forward, with a trial phase likely beginning by January. The Opposition was unlikely to support "superficial" reforms that UMNO would try to rush through parliament as part of outgoing PM Abdullah's legacy. The Ambassador met on October 30 with Tengku Razaleigh, who complained about his inability to compete in the UMNO nomination process due to money politics and contended that the next UMNO president (Najib) would not necessarily become the next Prime Minister. 2. (C) Comment: We currently are witnessing a different tone and pace in the struggle between the Opposition and UMNO following Anwar's unrealized September deadline and the rapid consolidation of UMNO support behind Najib as the next Prime Minister. While PKR's rationale for wanting to head-off Najib remains in place, Anwar has lost political momentum for the moment and seems to face increasingly long odds in securing future crossovers. Anwar's ability to attract the "losers" from the Abdullah-Najib transition remains theoretical. End Summary and Comment. Anwar's Less Aggressive Posture 3. (C) Polcouns met separately with PKR Information Chief Tian Chua and PKR Vice President Sivarasa Rasiah on November 3 and 5, respectively. Both PKR officials acknowledged that Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has shifted to a lower key approach since the passage of Anwar's public September 16 deadline to bring down PM Abdullah's government through the crossover of 30 or more government MPs. Compared with September, Anwar is now more focused on consolidating the Opposition People's Alliance (Pakatan Rakyat), which encompasses three parties with often disparate political views: PKR, the Chinese-dominated Democratic Action Party (DAP), and the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS). As the formal Opposition leader in Parliament, Anwar is devoting attention to Pakatan's actions in parliament and guiding Opposition MPs, most of whom are sitting in the body for the first time. Crossover Goal Unchanged 4. (C) Despite his less aggressive public posture, Anwar's goal remains bringing down the UMNO-led government through parliamentary crossovers prior to Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak becoming the next UMNO party president and Prime Minister, Tian Chua and Sivarasa stated. The time horizon has shifted from December to March 2009, in line with the shift in the UMNO party elections, at which time Najib is set to become UMNO president uncontested. PKR officials reiterated that Anwar and PKR remain focused on preempting Najib's takeover if possible, because they believe Najib would invoke authoritarian measures to scuttle the Opposition before the next national elections. In the months ahead, PKR would look for opportunities to weaken support for Najib and the government, for example by criticizing GOM measures in the face of a possible dramatic downturn in the economy following the global financial crisis, or by using new information linking Najib to scandals, like the Altantuya case and the Eurocopter purchase. (Comment: Anwar and other Opposition leaders have taken up such issues in Parliament over the past few weeks. On November 4, Anwar led a walk-out of Opposition MPs to protest Najib's refusal to allow questions during his presentation of revised budget figures. End Comment.) Attracting the "Losers" 5. (C) Anwar does not have enough ethnic Malay MPs ready to join the Opposition, according to both Tian Chua and Sivarasa, without which the Opposition faces unacceptable risks of a harsh government backlash justified on the basis of Malay nationalism. Anwar reportedly hopes to attract disaffected UMNO leaders and MPs who are "losers" in the current transition from Abdullah to Najib; most prominent among these is veteran UMNO leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah. Talks with Razaleigh remain inconclusive because Razaleigh continues to insist on the prospective position of Prime Minister, while PKR estimates that Razaleigh could secure the crossover of only four or five UMNO MPs (see notes below from the Ambassador's recent meeting with Razaleigh). Anwar is also maintaining contact with PM Abdullah at this stage, primarily through son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, Tian Chua said. Whether members of Abdullah's circle would consider crossing over to Anwar remained an open question. ISA as Warning to MPs 6. (C) The two PKR officials acknowledged that the government's September arrests of three persons -- a journalist, an Opposition MP and blogger Raja Petra -- under the Internal Security Act (ISA) had sent an effective warning to those MPs considering switching support to Anwar. (let's mention Petra's release today) (Comment: In early October, UMNO MP Nur Jazlan told Polcouns that the ISA arrests had been "very successful" in achieving UMNO's objective of intimidating MPs who had considered joining with Anwar. End Comment.) Sodomy Trial Will Remain a Factor 7. (C) Sankara Nair, a prominent attorney for Anwar, told us on November 5 that, regardless of maneuvers in the current Sessions Court, it only a matter of time before the government shifted Anwar's sodomy case to the High Court, a more favorable venue for the prosecution. Sivarasa, who also serves as one of Anwar's lawyers, believed that the trial phase of the sodomy case would begin in earnest by January. Neither Sankara nor Sivarasa believed the government would drop the case. Opposition Unlikely to Support Abdullah's Reforms 8. (C) The Prime Minister's circle -- through Khairy -- has approached Anwar regarding support for judicial reform measures that would be presented in Parliament soon as part of Abdullah's parting legacy, according to Sivarasa and Tian Chua. The Opposition, however, was unlikely to support these measures because they did not represent meaningful changes. The Opposition believed, for example, the proposed changes to the Anti-Corruption Commission would leave the body under firm executive control. Following the resignation of legal reform Minister Zaid Ibrahim, Nazri Aziz, de facto Minister for parliamentary affairs, led the judicial reform discussions in Parliament, but he lacked credibility. Anwar and the U.S. Presidential Election 9. (U) Following his initial remarks of November 5 (reftel), Anwar has continued to comment generally positively on Senator Obama's victory in the U.S. presidential election. Time Magazine highlighted Anwar's remarks on President-elect Obama as the first among those of only 11 prominent world personalities. Anwar wrote that, "In Obama's victory are sown the seeds of great expectations that a truly new chapter will be written in the history of the world." Anwar publicly claimed he had been in contact with Senator Obama. Ambassador Calls on Razaleigh 10. (C) The Ambassador met on October 30 with Tengku Razaleigh, who, as the only challenger to DPM Najib for the UMNO presidency, had yet to garner a single UMNO division nomination (he now has one). Casting himself as a reformer, Razaleigh said that he wished to bring greater democracy and transparency to UMNO, but that he could not compete in the current nomination race in the face of engrained corruption and money-politics. Razaleigh said that Najib's coming to power would allow former Prime Minister Mahathir to regain substantial influence within the government. Razaleigh indicated his relations with Mahathir, his former political rival, remained strained. 11. (C) While Razaleigh conceded that Najib would win the UMNO contest, he stressed several times to the Ambassador that the next UMNO president would not necessarily become the next Prime Minister, but did not further explain this remark. Razaleigh speculated that there now existed grounds for PM Abdullah and Anwar Ibrahim to work together, for example on reform measures. Razaleigh thought that Khairy Jamaluddin currently acted as the go-between for Abdullah and Anwar. Razaleigh acknowledged, as he has publicly, that he continues contact with opposition politicians, but he did not otherwise signal he planned to leave UMNO. KEITH |
| Dr Rosti letak jawatan NC Unisel Posted: 01 Aug 2011 11:56 PM PDT 
(Bernama) - Datuk Dr Rosti Saruwono mengambil keputusan meletakkan jawatan selaku Naib Canselor Universiti Selangor (Unisel) dengan notis 24 jam berkuatkuasa esok. Beliau mengesahkan peletakan jawatannya menerusi khidmat pesanan ringkas sebagai membalas SMS yang dihantar oleh Bernama bagi mendapatkan pengesahan berita tindakannya itu.
"Ada keputusan yang saya tak sanggup laksanakan iaitu untuk melucutkan jawatan tiga pegawai Unisel tanpa proses sewajarnya," katanya ketika menjelaskan antara punca beliau meletakkan jawatan.
Berasal dari Klang, Selangor Rosti pernah berkhidmat sebagai Timbalan Presiden Bahagian Pendidikan Petronas dan rektor pertama Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) sebelum dilantik sebagai Naib Canselor Unisel pada 2 Mac, 2009.
Beliau menggantikan Prof Datuk Dr Mohd Razali Agus yang mengosongkan jawatan itu pada Julai 2008.
Semasa baru dilantik, Rosti berkata beliau tidak akan menjadi "Pak Turut" kepada mana-mana pihak dan ingin memastikan institusi pengajian tinggi swasta milik kerajaan negeri itu tidak dijadikan medan berpolitik.
Menurut sumber, Rosti telah diarahkan oleh kepimpinan Unisel untuk melucutkan jawatan tiga pegawai -- Pendaftar Rokmaa Mat, Dekan Fakulti Perniagaan Prof Dr Khalifah Othman dan Pengarah Pemasaran dan Komunikasi Korporat Halid Hasbullah. |
| Singapore Armed Forces Conducts Readiness Exercise Posted: 01 Aug 2011 09:20 PM PDT 
MINDEF SINGAPORE The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) conducted a readiness exercise on 2 August 2011. The exercise involved troops from 1st Guards Battalion conducting a battalion coastal hook, supported by elements from the Army, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). The exercise featured the recapture of an offshore island that had been occupied by an enemy force. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen was present to witness the exercise today at Pulau Sudong. This was the first time Dr Ng visited an SAF exercise since he took over the defence portfolio in May 2011. The exercise demonstrated the integration and operational readiness of the SAF. Dr Ng first observed SAF troops and M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers disembarking from the RSN fast crafts to secure the beach area with support from the RSAF F-16 fighter aircraft and Apache AH-64 helicopters. The troops then proceeded to advance inland supported by Light Strike Vehicles to capture the airstrip located in the centre of the island. After the airstrip had been secured, Dr Ng saw a Super Puma helicopter deliver additional logistics supplies to the troops and evacuated simulated casualties. After viewing the exercise, Dr Ng spoke about the SAF's readiness and capability to execute a complex exercise involving elements of the three services, as well as the confidence of our soldiers. He said, "They (the soldiers) must have confidence in the machines that we buy, the equipment that they have, their ability to execute these operations. I would say that at a professional level, it is not easy to do. It is tri-service which means that it involves elements of the Navy, the Air Force, and the Army. And your command and control systems need to be up to scratch. Your coordination and your ability to execute real time. It is complex." Dr Ng was accompanied by Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Neo Kian Hong and Chief of Army Major-General Ravinder Singh. READ MORE HERE |
| Ex-EO detainee: My 34 days of solitude Posted: 01 Aug 2011 07:21 PM PDT 
PSM's Choo Chon Kai shares his thoughts and feelings when he was detained under the Emergency Ordinance and placed under solitary confinement. "There were times, at night, when the loneliness was unbearable because there's not a single person to talk to. When I meet my interrogators in the morning, I was then able to assure myself of reality, that I'm still alive and conscious and not crazy," he said. Teoh El San, Free Malaysia Today He was kept in solitary confinement for 34 days, every detail of his life was brushed with a finetooth comb and he had to endure hours of daily interrogation. But Emergency Ordinance (EO) detainee Choo Chon Kai has not been cowed by his ordeal. Instead, it has strengthened his resolve to be a more dedicated social activist. The forced isolation has also brought out the humourous side of the 33-year-old Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member. "They were asking me so many details of my life, perhaps they want to help me write my autobiography," he said. Choo said he used his days and hours of solitude as a retreat and to reflect on life. He even said that he looked forward to meet his Special Branch interrogators. "There were times, at night, when the loneliness was unbearable because there's not a single person to talk to. When I meet my interrogators in the morning, I was then able to assure myself of reality, that I'm still alive and conscious and not crazy," he said. Choo was among the six PSM members who were re-arrested and detained under the Emergency Ordinance 1969 without trial when their 24 comrades were released on July 2. All 30 of them were first arrested in Penang on June 25 on suspicion of "waging war against the King". The police had justified the EO detention by saying the six were involved in "foreign elements" and "had subversive tendencies". The six EO detainees were released last Friday after languishing in solitary confinement for 34 days – six days in police remand when first arrested, followed by 28 days under the EO. "They gave me everything, except my freedom," said Choo when asked to summarise his experience. He said the cops were actually quite soft in their approach, adding that the police on the street should be more polite like that. War against the King? Initially he was worried when accused of "waging war against the King". "I was shocked when told of the first charge under Section 122. Then when they used the Emergency Ordinance, I told myself 'Okay, so they're finally using the EO now'. "Then after thinking to myself about how they don't have anything against us, I relaxed and kept calm all the time, I didn't fight back. Just cooperate, I thought," he said. Choo said he mentally prepared himself for the worst case scenario: two years in Kamunting; so he was pleasantly surprised when he was released last week. Choo was first held in Penang in a small confined cell which he described as "very warm" and said the rooms during EO detention were actually slightly better. He said during the detention in Penang, he was questioned by three or four officers from the special branch division as well as the criminal investigation department. "They kept asking about Bersih: are we going, how are we campaigning, what was our plan, and why were there communism t-shirts. But we were not really the Bersih organisers, they got the wrong people," he said. Choo said he had nothing to hide and even told the police that he fully supported Bersih and would be there if he wasn't detained. "They just kept saying 'Bersih is a threat to public order we cannot let people get in'," he said. Choo said there was drama when they were released and re-arrested on July 2 by plainclothes policemen but all he was worried about was the Bersih rally. "At that time, when they used the EO, I worried it was going to be a major crackdown on Bersih rally supporters and leaders. I was worried that it (Bersih rally) won't happen. But before I was re-arrested, I managed to tell my friends who saw me that they have to be there," he said. Choo said that he believed the police were simply using all sorts of "scare tactics" but these tactics didn't work on the PSM EO6, as they are now known. "We are not wrong. If you say that we are against BN government means we're against the King…then that's an insult against the King," he said. Choo, who only got to meet his detained PSM colleagues when they changed clothes or were brought out blindfolded, said the EO detention was much better than the police detention in Penang as they had soap and toothbrushes and two sets of lock-up clothes "During the first detention, I didn't brush my teeth for a week!" he said. Choo said a normal lunch consisted of rice with fried fish, curry chicken and vegetables. On the types of questions they asked , Choo said it covered almost every minute detail of his life. "At first it was very tense questioning. There was a team of interrogators, four of them, and they asked me about my involvement in my university days, my involvement in Suaram and PSM ideologies. At that point, they asked very little about Bersih," said Choo. Choo, who was born and raised in Penang, is a Universiti Sains Malaysia chemical science graduate and has been in student activism since his university days. A one-semester suspension from studies when he was found wearing and selling anti-ISA badges in 2001 spurred him to further his activism instead of deterring him from politics. The former Suaram Penang coordinator is also involved in helping local communities, especially plantation workers. He joined PSM in 2005 and worked for Dr Michael D Jeyakumar as his assistant in 2008. READ MORE HERE. |
| Dr Ahmad Zahid: Barisan will win big in general election Posted: 01 Aug 2011 06:56 PM PDT 
(The Star) - Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has dismissed the findings of a recent polls dry run which showed Barisan Nasional losing the Negri Sembilan and Perak state governments to the Opposition. He said Barisan would in fact win a bigger majority due to stronger support, not only from the Malays but from the other races as well. "This will be proven at the next general election," he told reporters at Mindef here, Tuesday. Dr Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Defence Minister, was responding to an online news portal report on Monday. He was confident Umno would perform better than it did at the 2008 general election "because voters have seen that Pakatan Rakyat is not a viable alternative". "Voters who voted for the Opposition at the 12th general election thought they will have a better government," said Zahid. "Now they realise it's actually not true." |
| Have things changed that much? Posted: 01 Aug 2011 05:58 PM PDT Well, this later proved true when DAP left the opposition coalition and the opposition got whacked good and proper in the 2004 general election. No doubt each party's interest was 'protected'. But then at what cost? At the cost of the opposition cause and by sacrificing the opposition coalition -- which performed its worst in history in the 2004 general election. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin At a dinner with some friends on Sunday evening, they said that I appear to have changed. Like many of you, they were not Malaysia Today readers back in 2004 when it was first launched. Many, I know, only started reading Malaysia Today around 2007-2008.
Actually, if you read what I wrote 12 years ago back in 1999, you will find that my views have not changed much. For example, even back in 1999 I would whack the opposition coalition, then called Barisan Alternatif. Note that in 1999, I was working for PKR (then called Parti Keadilan Nasional) in the media unit. Then, the DAP people were vilifying me in the late MGG Pillai's website, Sang Kancil, because I criticised DAP on its anti-Islamic State stand. It became so bad that I stopped contributing articles to Sang Kancil and decided to 'boycott' it. Anwar Ibrahim, who was then in the Sungai Buloh Prison, used to send me memos telling me how the party leadership was very unhappy with my anti-PAS commentaries. Their rationale was that since PAS is a member of Barisan Alternatif, I can't keep whacking them on the Islamic State issue. While the DAP people were angry that I whacked them on their anti-Islamic State stand, the PKR people were angry that I whacked PAS on their pro-Islamic State stand. Only PAS appeared unperturbed about my views -- which they probably regarded as inconsequential. Many viewed this as my 'inconsistency'. They thought that maybe I am a very confused person. I whacked DAP when they opposed the Islamic State and I whacked PAS when they proposed it. They did not understand that it is not because of my inconsistent stand on the Islamic State issue as much as my concern that we needed to look at the bigger picture or 'group interest' rather than the narrower 'own party interest'. In short, we should do things on consensus rather than focus on just party interest at the expense of coalition interest. If we had gone on like this, Barisan Alternatif would have broken up and the opposition would have lost the gains it made in 1999. Well, this later proved true when DAP left the opposition coalition and the opposition got whacked good and proper in the 2004 general election. No doubt each party's interest was 'protected'. But then at what cost? At the cost of the opposition cause and by sacrificing the opposition coalition -- which performed its worst in history in the 2004 general election. Anyway, I wrote the following article called 'Tengku Razaleigh: the last Malay gentleman' five years ago on 5th June 2006. Maybe this article can demonstrate what I mean. ************************************** Tengku Razaleigh: the last Malay gentleman Those aligned to Anwar Ibrahim feel I am very harsh towards him. Those aligned to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad also feel I am very harsh towards him. Those aligned to Najib Tun Razak feel I am very harsh towards him as well. And of course, when it comes to Khairy Jamaluddin, he himself feels I am just too brutal. Those from the Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) cringe whenever I write about their party. But they do not really make a big case out of it. They just whisper into my ear that maybe I am being a bit unfair in what I write. Some even tell me, "Fair comment and comments which our leaders should take note of!" Those from the Democratic Action (DAP) say they do not mind that I criticise their party. I do not know whether they are just being diplomatic and are trying to give an impression that they are truly democratic and respect freedom of speech, but I am inclined to take what they say at face value. The Peoples' Justice Party (keADILan) however does not hold its punches. Its Information Chief has issued a press statement 'disowning' me and distancing the party from Malaysia Today. And of course we need not even mention Umno or Barisan Nasional that have been the brunt of my attacks for many long years, long before Anwar was ousted from power and in the days when he was still being touted as the next Prime Minister of Malaysia -- though in my writings in Harakah back in 1996 and 1997 I did say that this would never happen, and also gave my reasons on why I said so. Some say I am not consistent. They do not know whether I am coming or going. One day I swing this way and, another, the other. They feel that maybe it is because I am a loose cannon -- and a loose cannon is called a loose cannon because it rolls all over the deck, shoots in all directions, and sometimes shoots its own ship as well. A loose cannon is loose only because it is not tied down and would roll in tandem with the roll of the ship. Nevertheless, whether I am viewed as inconsistent, or a loose cannon, one thing you can be sure of, I am consistently shooting and everyone sooner or later gets shot. That is my consistency. But then there are some who have been spared my attacks -- those I have great respect for and look up to, though many others may not share my view on them. And who are these people? There are many -- Fadzil Noor, Hadi Awang, Nik Aziz, Mustaffa Ali, Husam Musa, Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, Ibrahim Ali, Shahrir Samad, Lim Guan Eng, Ronnie Liu, Dr Siti Mariah, Dr Lo' Lo' Ghazali, Dr Hatta Ramli, and many, many more. This list is in fact endless. However, not necessarily in order of priority, today I would just like to talk about Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah. Tengku Razaleigh is one of the few remaining Malay gentlemen as far as I am concerned. And Tengku Razaleigh, as far as I am concerned, became Prime Minister in 1987 but was prevented from taking office due to a brilliant coup launched by the Dr Mahathir Team A camp. Many say that Tengku Razaleigh has no pendirian (principles). They say he left Umno to form the opposition Semangat 46, then closed down the party and rejoined Umno when he realised he was going nowhere as an opposition leader. He rejoined Umno because all he wanted was power and this can only be acquired in Umno, not in the opposition. Well, first of all, Tengku Razaleigh did not leave Umno. Umno left him. To be exact, Umno was deregistered or closed down and a new party was formed, also called Umno, or rather Umno Baru. It is just coincidental (or maybe intentional) that the new party was also called Umno. It could have been called anything, but the fact that it was called Umno confused many who thought that Umno Baru was still Umno. It is not. When the new party was formed, Tengku Razaleigh and his group were not 'invited' to join it. They were left out in the cold, so Tengku Razaleigh had no choice but to also form another party as a platform to continue with what he was trying to achieve. And he called this party Semangat 46 or 'the spirit of 1946' because he still maintained the spirit on Umno which was formed in 1946. If he could not retain the party, he would at least retain the reason or spirit behind why the party was formed in 1946. Tengku Razaleigh never intended to make it big in the opposition. But now that he was heading what was an opposition party meant he had to work with the other opposition parties. And he knew, as an opposition, he would never achieve what he set out to do. But the opposition was all he had at that moment in time so he had to make the best of it under the circumstances. Dr Mahathir did this too when he spent almost three years outside Umno soon after the 13 May 1969 race riots. And Anwar is doing this now as well. But whether it is Tengku Razaleigh, Dr Mahathir or Anwar, all their roots are in Umno and Umno would be eventually where they have to return. Tengku Razaleigh did. Dr Mahathir did. And, come a point of time, Anwar too will have to do the same. So Tengku Razaleigh, just like Dr Mahathir before him, after a stint in the opposition, rejoined Umno. That was what it was all about. The name 'Semangat 46' was a tell all. Semangat 46 was all about the spirit of Umno. In fact, 'Semangat 46' was not the first choice of name. This name was chosen only because the name 'Umno Malaysia' was rejected by the Registrar of Societies. And the Registrar rejected the name to allow 'Umno Baru' to use the name, which was submitted for registration later, after they rejected the 'Umno Malaysia' name. It would have been foolish of anyone to think that Tengku Razaleigh was committed to the opposition and had no aspirations to return to Umno. PAS knew this, and that is why they kept Tengku Razaleigh and Semangat 46 at arm's length. They knew that the PAS-Semangat 46 relationship was not a marriage but a mere flirtation and a temporary affair. And that is why the relationship was merely cordial at best, and suspicious at worse, and did not last. Did Tengku Razaleigh rejoin Umno because of the fallout with PAS? Did Tengku Razaleigh rejoin Umno because he saw he had no future in the opposition? And did Tengku Razaleigh rejoin Umno because all he wanted was power? If he did, then he could have negotiated better terms for his return to Umno. There were already murmurings that Anwar had started to make his move on Dr Mahathir and that the Prime Minister was going to make his countermove to thwart the attempt to oust him. In fact, many thought that Dr Mahathir brought Tengku Razaleigh back to Umno so that he could remove or neutralise Anwar and replace his deputy with Tengku Razaleigh. Tengku Razaleigh could have placed himself in the position to replace Anwar as the number two once Dr Mahathir makes his move. But Tengku Razaleigh did not and instead the job went to Abdullah Ahmad Badawi -- so all the assumptions about Tengku Razaleigh were misplaced. When Tengku Razaleigh decided to take on Abdullah for the Umno Presidency -- he in fact received enough support to qualify -- all the divisions were instructed to not give Tengku Razaleigh any nominations. Those that remained stubborn were nipped in the bud. For example, one Kelantan division chief who persisted in nominating Tengku Razaleigh for president received a bankruptcy notice at midnight on the eve of his division meeting. No court delivers a bankruptcy notice at midnight. But this time it did because there was going to be a division meeting the next morning and they wanted to disqualify the division chief from attending the meeting whereby he would nominate Tengku Razaleigh for president. Tengku Razaleigh was robbed of his nominations to contest the Umno presidency, as he was robbed of the presidency almost two decades before that. But he did not protest. He did not kick up a fuss. He did not go into a rage and tear Umno to pieces. He took it in his stride like a gentleman. Winning or losing is not important. How you play the game is. Others can play the dirty game. But he will not bring himself down to their same level by also playing dirty. And that is why today I wanted to talk about Tengku Tan Sri Razaleigh Hamzah, one of the few remaining Malay gentlemen, probably the most misunderstood Malaysian politician. Maybe another time I will talk about some of the others and why I place them on my list of people I respect. If you were to ask me today who I think should be the Prime Minister of Malaysia, I think you know what that answer will be. |
| Tribute to Aleesha (alias Ashraf) Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:48 PM PDT 
Zaid Ibrahim When the High Court rejected her application to change her name, Aleesha Farhana, who was born Mohd Ashraf Hafiz Abdul Aziz, was devastated. In recent weeks, she often spoke to her family about there being little time left for her to do much of anything, including celebrating the coming Hari Raya Puasa. That's when I realised how important gender recognition and acceptance was for her, and how without it, life was not worth living. I had this strange fear that she was going to take her own life. Of course, the hospital and doctors now tell us she died of a heart problem and low blood pressure. It would not be proper for me to think otherwise. We as a nation must not let her death go to waste, for we can learn something from this tragic loss of life. If we do nothing, then more lives will be wasted, and more families will be heartbroken or will suffer in silence. Questions about sexuality, gender, belief, faith and personal freedom are important matters to the individuals concerned. To many of us, they constitute the core of our existence. That's why the Government (and that includes the Ministers, the Registration Department, religious authorities and judges) should handle these issues with care and gentle consideration. I know it's difficult for this Government to be gentle and respectful of minorities, or anyone different. They have begun to believe their own spin: that they are the great protectors of the religion, race and general wellbeing of the Malays. They have taken it upon themselves to decide for the Malays (who are by law Muslims) everything under the sun, big and small. For example, if the Malays want to sell a piece of property, chances are the Menteri Besar and his Exco have to approve the transaction. I tried to sell a small shop lot after owning the property for four years,but my application was rejected. Maybe one day during a recession when prices have gone south, I will finally get the approval to sell from these great protectors of my race. It seems that as a Malay, I am not considered fit enough to decide when I can sell my own property. I am not fit to take advantage of the market situation. I must be really incapable and weak, like a walking handicap. My rights as a property owner are restricted, but the Government will say it's for my own good. I apologise for the digression, but this same lack of recognition of our right to choose is reflected in Aleesha's case. In future, if a Malay says she is a woman, whether by birth or by biological transformation in adult life (and scientifically or by hormonal testing one can easily establish that assertion to be largely correct), then I hope the Registration Department will just accept that fact. Why is the Department so interested in denying her proper identity? READ MORE HERE |
| End of the rope for Najib Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:09 PM PDT 
From Douglas Tan, via e-mail, Free Malaysia Today Over the past few months, we have all seen the steep decline of our Prime Minister. From calling on youth to "defend Putrajaya" as though the nation is expecting an invasion, to being unable to back up his own 1Malaysia policy when asked by a student at a recent Malaysian Student Leader's Summit. It truly seems that Najib is unable to do anything right at the moment. First he attacks the Opposition parties outright, claiming that they would destroy this nation and that Barisan Nasional is the shining light to guide the nation forward. To ask the youth to help defend Putrajaya against the Opposition is nothing short of pretentious, as though Umno/BN has the divine right to govern this country infinitum. This was quickly followed by Bersih 2.0, where he exposed himself as a lame duck leader. Instead of assuming a non-partisan role and showing true leadership, he aligned himself more as Umno president than the Prime Minister of Malaysia by demonising the coalition as an "illegal organisation" and stooping so low to the extent of roping in mosque ceramahs to spread their propaganda of the so-called "perhimpunan haram". His handling of Bersih 2.0 in itself was nothing short of despicable. If he truly recognised the event to be a national crisis, he himself should have been in Kuala Lumpur that day to defuse the situation. Instead, he found himself in Terengganu, with his tail between his legs, smiling at the co-op event, as though he found the hyped-up illegal rally in Kuala Lumpur to be a mere inconvenience to his schedule. In the lack of true leadership, he "tai-chied" all of the responsibility onto his cousin's shoulders. Hishammudin didn't fair much better, especially with his justification of the clampdown on civil liberties, to the extent that those who knew him declared him as sounding "mentally impaired"! As though this was not bad enough, the cover up of Tung Shin Hospital episode, the police violence and the subsequent spread of lies through the media had caused a self-inflicted international black eye. Ignoring all of this, he proceeded to meet the Queen of England in a stunning yellow dress, just in case he failed to get the message. Although he had managed to establish ties with the Vatican, his subsequent comments to the Christian community did little to them to endear him, especially when he implied that Christians were intolerant, when that clearly is not the case. His wife's extravagance would distance him further from the grassroots as allegations that she purchased a US$24 million ring had sent shock waves through the community, especially at a time that the Rakyat are told to tighten our belts in the midst of reduced subsidies and rising prices. READ MORE HERE |
| MACC slammed for 'dancing to UMNO's tune' Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:06 PM PDT  (Harakah Daily) - Kelantan has slammed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission for being UMNO's spokesman, over a statement on the recent conclusion by the Commission that the state government was free of corruption. Yesterday, it was reported that MACC's Kelantan branch announced the PAS-led government to be free of corruption.
This involved allegations by UMNO that there were corrupt practices involving state officials in the Ladang Rakyat and Bazar Tok Guru issues.
"There is no element of corruption in the Bazar Tok Guru issue and we reject the allegation that we did not any work on the case. If there had been corruption and abuse of power, we will go in, but to date nothing (substantive) is found," Kelantan MACC director Nasaruddin Mohd Noor told Malay daily Sinar Harian. L-R: Sutinah and Nasaruddin of MACC
"On the issue of Ladang Rakyat, there has yet to be any report lodged on it, but we have carried out investigation based on media reports and monitoring is still in progress," he added.
However, a senior MACC officer in Putrajaya countered Nasaruddin's statement, arguing that Kelantan was not free of corruption "because there was no report made".
Sutinah Sultan, MACC's deputy commissioner, said as there was no report made, Kelantan Menteri Besar Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat did not have right to declare his administration was clean.
The statement was immediately publicised by pro-UMNO media, with a special slot on television.
'Cheap publicity'
Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Ahmad Yakob (right) blasted the MACC for being "childish".
"The statement by them is so childish. It shows that the officer is dancing UMNO's tune. It is nothing more than a cheap publicity stunt," he said.
Ahmad Yakob said questioned why Sutinah jumped to dispute MACC Kelantan's conclusion. READ MORE HERE. |
| Taib Paid Out $5 Million To Attack Sarawak Report! – International Expose Posted: 01 Aug 2011 04:02 PM PDT  By Sarawak Report Taib is paying a crooked, British-based PR company $5 million (RM15 million) a year to conduct an illegal global media campaign against Sarawak Report. We can expose FBC Media, a TV production company which doubles as a "strategic communications" firm, for conducting an illicit scam over the past decade, secretly selling slots across a number of supposedly impartial TV news programmes to promote its international clients, including Najib Razak and Taib Mahmud. The practice, which is designed to deceive hundreds of millions of TV viewers, has netted the company tens of millions of dollars, providing characters like Taib Mahmud with positive publicity on prime international TV shows. It is all paid for, of course, by their own taxpayers, whom they are also seeking to dupe and impress. Our evidence further shows that FBC Media are also linked to the vicious online blogging campaigns in the US which have defamed both Anwar Ibrahim and Sarawak Report over the past months [see Sarawak Reports Dirty Tricks Coverage]. Top global TV stations in trouble Our in-depth investigation into the scandal implicates some of the world's most prestigious broadcasting networks, including CNBC, CNN and even BBC World, which is supported by the British government. All these stations have carried programmes made by FBC Media, containing items promoting their multi-million dollar PR clients. Allowing characters like Taib Mahmud to buy positive coverage on editorial news shows is rightly banned under broadcasting laws and it is those broadcasting companies themselves that hold ultimate legal responsibility for all the content they put out. READ MORE HERE |
| Evidence shows Sarbaini’s death was accidental, not suicidal, pathologist tells Coroner Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:52 PM PDT  By Lisa Goh, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed was found to have died because of severe head injuries and positional asphyxia, a forensic pathologist told the Coroner's court on Tuesday. Associate Prof Dr Faridah Mohd Noor, who is attached to the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), said that based on a post-mortem she carried out on Ahmad Sarbaini on April 6, this year, he was found to have a total of 42 external and internal injuries. "The pattern of injuries are consistent with a fall from height. "His death was caused by severe head injuries and positional asphyxia due to fall from height," she said when questioned by deputy public prosecutor Hanim Mohd Rashid Tuesday. She explained that "positional asphyxia" happened because Ahmad Sarbaini could not breathe because there was too much blood around his mouth and nose area after he fell. He was found face down in a pool of blood. She added that he had fallen on his out-stretched left arm (in an attempt to break his fall), which showed that he was still alive during the fall. Dr Faridah placed his time of death between 7am and 11am on April 6. She said that when she examined his body after she arrived at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) building on Jln Cochrane, she found his body still warm, but rigor mortis (stiffening of the joints and muscles of a body after death) had set in. She told the court that the post-mortem also found Ahmad Sarbaini had fractured both his arms and legs, and he had lacerations, abrasions and cuts on his face. The right side of his chin, as well as his skull, was fractured. She also said that based on the pattern of injuries, and circumstantial evidence, she found his death to be accidental, not suicidal or homicidal. However, when questioned by lawyer Awtar Singh, who is representing Ahmad Sarbaini's family, she said she could not conclude that his death was "accidental". "I can't say. That is for the court to decide. "But my findings were based on the fact that he did not have hesitation marks on his body (wound marks caused by persons who are suicidal), or defence wounds (wound marks caused by a person trying to fight off an attacker)," she said. Awtar: But it is possible he was thrown out? Dr Faridah: Possible, but it would not have been easy. There would surely be signs of struggle between the deceased and the attacker. Ahmad Sarbaini, 56, who was attached to the Port Klang Customs office, was found dead on the first floor of the MACC building on April 6. He was reported to have gone to the commission's office to meet the investigating officer assigned to corruption cases involving 62 customs officers. Hearing before Coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharani continues Wednesday. |
| Najib and Co spent millions for PR Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:50 PM PDT 
Why are Malaysians paying for Najib and BN leaders' global public relations campaign? Huge sums of money, RM57 million over the past two years, have been paid out to a UK media company FBC Media as fees for a "Global Strategic Communications" campaign. Clare Rewcastle Brown, Free Malaysia Today Some months ago we noticed that the once secretive Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud was suddenly being featured in international TV news programmes. Alongside this was also a number of positive reports about Sarawak's development and the benefits of palm oil. These reports were being featured in some of the major global news networks, without mentioning any of the state's dire environmental, human rights and economic problems. Our team at Sarawak Report decided to investigate what was going on and where the funding for all this lay. Following hard on the heels of the current revelations on phone and computer hacking by some UK newspapers, we have exposed a disgraceful scam selling slots on TV news shows to the highest bidder. We can also reveal that Barisan Nasional's top leaders in Malaysia have been at the heart of the corruption, using taxpayers' money to promote themselves on business shows and documentaries. The evidence for these expenses has been written into the Malaysian government's own budget records. Huge sums of money, RM57 million over the past two years, have been paid out to a UK media company FBC Media as fees for a "Global Strategic Communications" campaign. RM57 million for air slots PKR general-secretary Saifuddin Nasution had in fact queried the amount in Parliament last year. Well, in the absence of any answers from BN, we can now supply him with the reason. FBC Media is not only a public relations company offering image-building advice to anyone rich enough to afford them but they also double up as a TV production company. The company focuses on producing business and sports news programmes, as well as current affairs documentaries for some of the World's top TV companies such as CNBC, CNN and BBC World. Among its distinguished Malaysian clients are current Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak, his predecessor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Sime Darby chairman Musa Hitam. Taib has also now joined FBC Media's stable of clients. All these leaders have been corruptly buying, through FBC Media, airtime slots to promote themselves on these networks and channels. Several top TV executives in the UK and the US and their company bosses are now going to have to answer some highly embarrassing questions from their licencing authorities. How could these companies possibly commission such dodgy programmes from a PR company all these years? The reason, of course, has been the scramble for cheap programming. With too many competing TV channels chasing after diminishing advertising revenues, it is now a clients' market and slots go to the highest bidder. READ MORE HERE |
| Kua: France will unlock Scorpene truth Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:48 PM PDT 
PETALING JAYA: When Kua Kia Soong says he has been concerned about arms spending in Malaysia for "a long time" he means for about four decades. The years spent in keen observation of the government's defence spending culminated in 1994 when he blew the whistle on the "Arms-for-Aid scandal. The fiasco revolved around the funding of the Pergau hydroelectric dam which was linked to RM5 billion in arms sales to British overseas aid in the form of Aid and Trade Provision (ATP) funding. Kua, who was Petaling Jaya MP for DAP at the time, was disgusted that while the British media pounced on the scandal, its Malaysian counterparts chose to turn a blind eye. He has since then traded his parlimentarian seat for that of Suaram director but the swap has done nothing to abate his vigilance of the government's arms spending. It has instead propelled him into the heart of the country's most high profile arms deal – the purchase of two Scorpene submarines from France. The deal is mired in controversy with allegations of kickbacks and linked to the murder of Mongolian national, Altantuya Shaariibuu. "The Scorpene French provider, DCNS, is well-known to have given commissions in the Karachi case and also in its sale of frigates to Taiwan," Kua, 60, explained to FMT. (The Karachi car bomb in May 2002 was reported to be related to a case of retro-commissions and kickbacks involving the Pakistani state and French politicians for an arms deal.) Suaram's suspicions arose as it studied the scandals involving DCNS and it began enquiring about the possibility of pursuing the commissions involved in the Scorpene deal. "We discovered that (French human rights lawyer) William Bourdon was pursuing the cases in the French judicial system so we got in touch with him," Kua said. "Bourdon responded positively as he had been shadowing the Karachi and Taiwan cases which were linked to DCNS". Suaram applied through its French lawyers as a civil party for a judicial review in the French court in November 2009 to investigate the submarine deal. In April 2010, the French courts accepted the request to investigate Suaram's claim of corruption. The French investigative judge who will hear the case will be picked next month. Bourdon however was given the boot back to Paris by the Malaysian government during his visit here last month after he spoke at a Scorpene fundraising dinner in Penang. His deportation was decried by various quarters as an attempt by the government to muzzle the truth. Here are excerpts from the interview with Kua: READ MORE HERE. |
| ‘Tiada rundingan PKR-Kita’ Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:45 PM PDT 
Ketua PKR Temerloh Ahmad Nizam Abdul Hamid berkata keputusan itu dibuat oleh mesyuarat Pakatan Rakyat negeri dua minggu lalu. (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR Pahang tidak akan berunding dengan Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) dalam menentukan pembahagian kerusi di negeri itu dalam menghadapi pilihan raya umum (PRU) ke 13 nanti. Ketua PKR Temerloh Ahmad Nizam Abdul Hamid berkata keputusan itu dibuat pada mesyuarat Pakatan Rakyat negeri dua minggu lalu. "Keputusan kita jelas, Pakatan Rakyat tidak boleh berunding dengan Kita. PKR tidak boleh, PAS dan DAP pun tidak boleh. Asas penolakan rundingan dengan Kita ialah parti itu bukan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat," katanya ketika dihubungi hari ini. Beliau mengulas kenyataan bekas Timbalan Ketua PKR Pahang, Mohd Nor Jaafar yang juga Ketua Cabang PKR Jerantut yang mahu mengadakan rundingan pembahagian kerusi dengan Kita dalam PRU 13. Mohd Noor meninggalkan PKR dan menyertai Kita dan dilantik sebagai Penyelaras Kita negeri Pahang kerana parti itu belum ditubuhkan secara rasmi di negeri itu. Mengulas lanjut, Ahmad Nizam yang juga AJK PKR Pahang berkata, Mohd Nor memang mahu berunding dengan pimpinan PKR negeri kerana mahu menuntut beberapa kerusi untuk Kita. Bagaimanapun katanya, PKR tidak mahu dan tidak boleh berunding dengan Mohd Nor kerana parti beliau, Kita bukan gabungan Pakatan Rakyat. READ MORE HERE |
| PSM’s EO6 to be charged tomorrow Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:44 PM PDT  By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: Recently released six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leaders are expected to face fresh charges at the Butterworth Sessions Court tomorrow. While it is unclear what the charges would be, party leaders speculate that the case to be preferred against the six would be related to the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally and for allegedly being involved in subversive activities. "I believe that they would be charged for Bersih related charges – over their alleged association with an illegal association under the Societies Act and for leafleting Bersih agenda," PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan told FMT. The six – Sungai Siput MP Dr D Michael Jeyakumar, PSM deputy chairman M Sarasvathy, central committee members Choo Chon Kai and , M Sukumaran, youth chief R Saratbabu and Sungai Siput branch secretary A Letchumanan – were released from the Emergency Ordinance last Friday after being detained for 28 days. They were arrested in Kepala Batas on June 26 while embarking on a PSM campaign with 24 other PSM members. The authorities later accused them of waging war against the King. They were then released and re-arrested on July 2 under the Emergency Ordinance which allowed the police to detain suspects for up to 60 days without trial. It was later revealed that they were detained for allegedly being "movers" for the July 9 rally organised by Bersih 2.0. READ MORE HERE. |
| Mindef says RM 493.3m additional budget necessary to ‘maintain’ Scorpene subs Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:40 PM PDT  By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal The Defence Ministry received an additional RM493.3 million allocations this year, and said today the amount was needed to maintain the country's two Scorpene submarines. The additional amount raises the ministry's total budget to whopping total of RM11 billion. "The main purpose is to maintain our Scorpene submarines as that expense was not included in the budget," The Star quoted Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi (picture) as saying. The purchase of Malaysia's RM7 billion Scorpene submarines has been a subject of wide controversy, after authorities deported a French lawyer who has been pursuing judicial investigations into the matter in the French courts, the day after he spoke on the issue in Penang. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) MPs have accused the Najib administration of wanting to keep the facts hidden in the purchase of the submarines from French defence firm DCNS and up to RM16 billion in defence deals over the past three years. The purchase of two submarines from French defence company DCNS in 2002 was made when Datuk Seri Najib Razak was still defence minister and a company run by Abdul Razak Baginda, said to be a close aide of the then-deputy prime minister, was reported to have received commissions of over RM500 million from the deal. Human rights groups and opposition parties here also linked the episode to the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. READ MORE HERE. |
| Mi último adiós (My Last Farewell) by Jose Rizal Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:31 PM PDT 
"Mi último adiós" (Spanish for "My Last Farewell") is a poem written by Philippine national hero José Rizal on the eve of his execution on December 30, 1896. Although the poem was untitled, this title served as an artifice useful as a quick reference. This poem was one of the last notes he wrote before his execution. Another that he had written before his death was found in his shoe but because the text could not be read it remains a mystery. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin 
Mi último adiósFarewell, dear Fatherland, clime of the sun caress'd
Pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost!,
Gladly now I go to give thee this faded life's best,
And were it brighter, fresher, or more blest
Still would I give it thee, nor count the cost. On the field of battle, 'mid the frenzy of fight,
Others have given their lives, without doubt or heed;
The place matters not-cypress or laurel or lily white,
Scaffold or open plain, combat or martyrdom's plight,
T is ever the same, to serve our home and country's need. I die just when I see the dawn break,
Through the gloom of night, to herald the day;
And if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take,
Pour'd out at need for thy dear sake
To dye with its crimson the waking ray. My dreams, when life first opened to me,
My dreams, when the hopes of youth beat high,
Were to see thy lov'd face, O gem of the Orient sea
From gloom and grief, from care and sorrow free;
No blush on thy brow, no tear in thine eye. Dream of my life, my living and burning desire,
All hail ! cries the soul that is now to take flight;
All hail ! And sweet it is for thee to expire ;
To die for thy sake, that thou mayst aspire;
And sleep in thy bosom eternity's long night. If over my grave some day thou seest grow,
In the grassy sod, a humble flower,
Draw it to thy lips and kiss my soul so,
While I may feel on my brow in the cold tomb below
The touch of thy tenderness, thy breath's warm power. Let the moon beam over me soft and serene,
Let the dawn shed over me its radiant flashes,
Let the wind with sad lament over me keen ;
And if on my cross a bird should be seen,
Let it trill there its hymn of peace to my ashes.
Let the sun draw the vapors up to the sky,
And heavenward in purity bear my tardy protest
Let some kind soul o 'er my untimely fate sigh,
And in the still evening a prayer be lifted on high
From thee, 0 my country, that in God I may rest. Pray for all those that hapless have died,
For all who have suffered the unmeasur'd pain;
For our mothers that bitterly their woes have cried,
For widows and orphans, for captives by torture tried
And then for thyself that redemption thou mayst gain. And when the dark night wraps the graveyard around
With only the dead in their vigil to see
Break not my repose or the mystery profound
And perchance thou mayst hear a sad hymn resound
'T is I, O my country, raising a song unto thee. And even my grave is remembered no more
Unmark'd by never a cross nor a stone
Let the plow sweep through it, the spade turn it o'er
That my ashes may carpet earthly floor,
Before into nothingness at last they are blown. Then will oblivion bring to me no care
As over thy vales and plains I sweep;
Throbbing and cleansed in thy space and air
With color and light, with song and lament I fare,
Ever repeating the faith that I keep. My Fatherland ador'd, that sadness to my sorrow lends
Beloved Filipinas, hear now my last good-by!
I give thee all: parents and kindred and friends
For I go where no slave before the oppressor bends,
Where faith can never kill, and God reigns e'er on high! Farewell to you all, from my soul torn away,
Friends of my childhood in the home dispossessed !
Give thanks that I rest from the wearisome day !
Farewell to thee, too, sweet friend that lightened my way;
Beloved creatures all, farewell! In death there is rest !
Translated by Charles Derbyshire |
| Misteri gentar mempertahankan 1 Malaysia Posted: 01 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT The Ariff & Aspan Blog Hari ini kita membaca kenyataan bahawa PM kita gentar mempertahankan konsep 1 Malaysia. Sedangkan kita lihat, petanda dan symbol 1 Malaysia di serata tempat. Di lapel kot dan baju ada symbol 1 Malaysia. Si tukang buat badge jadi kaya kerana membekal badge dan lencana 1 Malaysia. Di corong TV, hasil kerja kuat Menteri Penerangan, kita di lambakkan dengan cenderamata 1 Malaysia. Maka, mana mungkin sesiapa gentar mempertahankan 1 Malaysia? Mungkin kita jadi gentar sebab orang UMNO , parti yang di ketuai oleh PM kita, mengalami tekanan kelam kabut serta tidak karuan fikiran mereka. Bayangkan, semenjak 1981 dan berkemuncak pula dari 1988 apabila UMNO baru di ujudkan, orang UMNO hanya ada satu sahaja paradigm- iaitu bercakap segala gala nya dari sudut kepentingan orang Melayu. Tiba tiba, tahun 2010, setelah lebh 30 tahun bercakap dari sudut Melayu sentrik, orang UMNO di suruh bercakap mengenai 1 Malaysia. Bagaimana mereka tidak bercelalru fikiran? Selama ini mereka hanya tahu bercakap serta beroperasi atas landasan pro- perkauman, Najib pula suruh mereka cakap tidak perkauman. Sebab itu, ketika selesai Perhimpunan Agung UMNO tahun lalu, saya melihat para perwakilan semua menolak idea idea besar Najib. Secara keseluruhan idea Najib mengenai 1 Malaysia, mengenai transformasi ekonomi, mengenai segala nya lah, di tolak. Namun, akhbar arus perdana tidak menghuraikan perkara ini. Maka elok pula saya mengingatkan nya. Bila Najib cakap mengenai 1 Malaysia, perwakilan bercakap mengenai ketuanan Melayu atau Melayu di dahulukan. Apakala Najib bercakap mengenai transformasi ekonomi, para perwakilan mendesak dasar ala DEB di kembalikan. Akhirnya, modal untuk Najib mempertahankan diri ialah mengistiharkan bahawa dia anak Tun Razak. Yang ini, tentulah tidak ada orang boleh nafikan. Tapi apakah penilaian kita apabila seseorang hanya boleh mempertahankan diri nya, dengan resort kepada mengingatkan perwakilan bahawa dia anak Tun Razak? Kepada saya itu sudah jelas menunjukkan Najib tidak terdaya mempertahankan idea idea besar nya atas dasar merit. Jadi deep down orang Melayu curiga dengan wawasan Najib. Setelah 30 tahun bercakap dan menghidupkan cita cita Melayu Raya dalam segala aspek kehidupan, kita di kehendaki mengubah haluan. Sampai bila bila pun, matlamat dan agenda orang Melayu tidak akan dapat di capai dan ianya akan di tunda untuk jangka waktu yang tidak dapat di tentukan. Keadaan yang melanda orang Melayu hari ini, terutama nya orang UMNO tidak ubah seperti orang yang baru hendak belajar solat dan puasa. Seorang ustaz bertanya pada sahabat nya, wok weh, mengapa kamu tidak berpuasa, maka sahabat nya menjawab, bagaimana mahu puasa sedangkan aku tidak sembahyang. Bukan kah ulamak mengingatkan kita, kalau kita puasa tapi tidak sembahyang, maka puasa kita jadi sia sia kerana yang kita dapat ialah berlapar. READ MORE HERE |
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