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• NFC issue not over yet, says Hishammuddin
• Pornography, prostitution will surge if women drive: Saudi clerics
• RCI: Is Umno ready to ‘harakiri’?
• India could be China if it was less democratic: Dr Mahathir
• New initiatives to raise Bumi equity, says Shafie
• A GLC director’s ‘politics of hatred’ in ‘Airport Spring’
• Indonesia elects lawyer as new anti-corruption leader
• Game changer, PRU 13 dan masa depan Umno
• Concept must be translated in Sabah also, says LDP
• “I back Najib, he is a better man,” says Dr Mahathir
• Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz apologises for leeches comment
• MAHB chairman backs Bashir as MD
• Until Hindu Temple demolishments stop there is no freedom and there is no equality
• Umno can ‘overcome’ PKR and PAS but not DAP, says minister
• Najib thinks twice on reform
• Hisham: Winnable candidate has good track record, work ethics, people’s support
• Pua: Ministry admits some Kedai Rakyat items not up to the mark
• Tony Fernandes’ car is ground zero in airport tax hike spat
• Opposition leaders are liars, only focus on achieving personal agendas - Umno debaters
• Why DAP?
• Stupid of DAP to call Indians stupid
• Bersih: Just meeting one demand not enough
• Give Malay majority seats ‘back’ to Umno
• Pilih pemimpin GLC, GLIC berjiwa Umno
• An undercurrent in Umno grows against Shahrizat over cattle scandal
• Keeping It In The Family! – How Taib ‘The Godfather’ Corruptly Controls CMS
• Umno is never wrong, others are
• Umno’s Cow Dung, No wonder fall in graft index
• Najib: Umno more democractic than opposition
• Under Pakatan, DAP will appoint non-Malay PM, claims Umno leader
• Two thumbs up from Dr M
• DAP yet to confirm attendance at hudud forum
• AirAsia: Stop harassing our staff
• Cops say no CBT element found in NFC probe so far
• UMNO is definitely NOT Racist!
• Shamala hilang hak penjagaan anak
• Mukhriz: Pakatan conspiring with foreigners to invoke ‘Malaysia Spring’
• The Battle Royale
• Mahathir And His 3M Team Are Worried And Here’s Why
• Umno Youth won’t support tainted candidates
• PKR’s reforms under fire
• Pembangkang 100 kali lebih rasis
• Gobala thrown out of Dewan
• Najib hints 13th GE around the corner
• Umno veeps ready for sacrifice
• DPM: Umno could have ruled on its own before independence
• Police ‘whitewash’ of NFC scandal ‘damage control’ for Umno, says PKR
• Umno MP accuses DAP of starting May 13 riots
• #OCCUPYPARLIMEN: Memorial service for death of Malaysian Parliament
• KJ: Opposition's 'repulsive' politics will bring down the country

NFC issue not over yet, says Hishammuddin Posted: 02 Dec 2011 08:03 AM PST (The Star) - The National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) issue should not be considered closed yet just because preliminary police findings found no element of criminal breach of trust, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said. He said police investigations were still ongoing. "Just because no element of CBT has been found, it does not mean the case is over. The matter (NFC case) will still continue. At the end of the day all of us have our responsibilities to carry out," Hishammuddin said after meeting members of the Umno Overseas Club on the sidelines of the Umno general assembly. Hishammuddin added that it would be "irresponsible" to comment further on the issue because the probe was still incomplete. The Umno vice-president also said that it was up to the rakyat to decide whether Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was considered a liability due to her family's involvement in the NFC case. Asked to comment on growing concerns among some delegates that Shahrizat could be a liability to the party because of the case, he said: "It is not those people who speak at the assembly who will decide whether she is a liability. "At the end of the day, it is the rakyat who will decide and we will know in the next general election," Hisham­muddin said.

Pornography, prostitution will surge if women drive: Saudi clerics Posted: 02 Dec 2011 07:08 AM PST (International Business Times) - A "scientific" report published in Saudi Arabia has claimed that lifting the ban on women drivers would result in "no more virgins". The report also warned that such a move would also make more Saudis, both men and women, turn to homosexuality and pornography. The study also predicted a surge in prostitution and divorce. Such startling conclusions were drawn by Muslim scholars at the Majlis al-Ifta' al-A'ala, Saudi Arabia's highest religious council, working in conjunction with Kamal Subhi, a former professor at the King Fahd University, according to the Daily Mail. The study was made to assess the possible impact of repealing the ban in Saudi Arabia. The country is the only place in the world where women are not allowed to drive a vehicle. The report was submitted to all 150 members of the Shura Council, the legislative body. Within 10 years of the ban being lifted, the scholars said, there would be "no more virgins" in the Islamic kingdom. The religious group pointed to is visible "moral decline" in other Muslim countries where women are allowed to drive. "All the women were looking at me," Subhi writes of how women behave in other Arab countries, while he sat at a coffee shop in an unnamed state. "One made a gesture that made it clear she was available. ... This is what happens when women are allowed to drive." The study was undertaken after Shaima Jastaniya, a 34-year-old Saudi woman, was sentenced to 10 lashes with a whip after she was caught driving in Jeddah. Despite strong protests in the country about the sentence and the law in general, there has been little hope for any reforms among conservative royals and clerics.

RCI: Is Umno ready to ‘harakiri’? Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:41 AM PST Setting up an RCI in Sabah is empty talk because to do so would be to expose the 'biggest and gravest ever case of treason in this country's 48 years'. "This PSC thing is just a smokescreen to dupe the people of Sabah into believing that Prime Minister Najib Razak is finally listening to the genuine natives of Sabah who are now under the threat of being sidelined in every aspect of life in their own country," he told FMT when contacted yesterday. Luke Rintod, Free Malaysia Today A cross-section of Sabahans are doubtful that the federal government will ever admit to putting into motion a covert operation in the 1980s to re-engineer the demographics of the state in favour of Umno. Most observers feel the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) recommendation by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms is all hype. They opined that the Umno-led coalition government, with an eye on the coming general election, is hoping to mollify various sections of the community with the RCI plan. Project IC or Project M (for former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) is allegedly a covert scheme that was instituted in the 1980s and 1990s to grant identity cards to foreigners on the condition that they voted for Umno and its Barisan Nasional coalition partners. True to form, during the two-day PSC hearing in Kota Kinabalu beginning Nov 25, save for Umno, all BN and opposition party representatives pressed their case for an RCI into the claim. The PSC in its preliminary report released on Wednesday adopted the inquiry idea after it was met with a united voice of political leaders, activists and NGOs leaders in Kota Kinabalu last week, where almost everybody, except Umno, raised support for the RCI 'PSC a smokescreen' Well-known Sabah consumerism activist, Patrick Sindu, brushed aside talk that the federal government would finally do something to solve the problem of the illegal immigrants population in Sabah, who have been the back-bone of Umno here in the last few general elections. He sees it as a case of Umno and the BN government shooting itself in the foot if it ever turned its back on the monster they created. "This PSC thing is just a smokescreen to dupe the people of Sabah into believing that Prime Minister Najib Razak is finally listening to the genuine natives of Sabah who are now under the threat of being sidelined in every aspect of life in their own country," he told FMT when contacted yesterday. "If they (BN leaders) are serious about solving this perennial issue, they should have done it long time before as this matter concerned national security … foreigners were issued with Malaysian MyKads and drafted into our electoral rolls by none other than Umno itself. "This was established by court investigations and very credible witnesses. There are even books that detailed what we call as 'Projek IC Mahathir'," he said, repeating allegation that the former Prime Minister was directly involved in the scheme together with then deputy Home Minister Megat Junid Ayub. "How could they not know?" he added. RCI is 'window dressing' Activist lawyer Peter Marajin also downplayed talk of a RCI as "window dressing by Umno" who he believes is fast losing support around the country. "They (Umno/BN leaders) will never do it. It is like getting a sharp knife and stabbing it through (their) own heart … a political suicide for Umno. The illegals are their lifeline. Do you think Umno wants to get rid of them? "Even the PSC itself is a farce … they will not carry out what the public want them to do because again it is not in their interests the PSC's recommendations are served," said Marajin, a senior leader in the Sabah Progressive Party, the state's homegrown opposition. "When they do (set up and allow an independent inquiry), they will open a pandora box … it will point straight to the root-cause why federal government allowed Sabah to be flooded by illegal immigrants from the southern Philippines and Indonesia, and (why they) gave them MyKads and recruited them into supporting Umno, an alien party to Sabah," he added. Dr Chong Eng Leong, a former PBS stalwart but now with PKR and who has written a book on the issue is also skeptical about the PSC. "Do you think BN will allow an independent inquiry by RCI to investigate their "pengundi hantu" (phantom voters)? They will not act," he said. He reminded that thus far no action had been taken against former Umno operatives like Jabar Khan Napi and few others had made statutory declarations about Umno's involvement in recruiting voters from among the illegal immigrants population in Sabah. "No action was taken … they could sue if not true but they would not do it. Why?" Chong asked. READ MORE HERE

India could be China if it was less democratic: Dr Mahathir Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:36 AM PST (Bernama) - India could have achieved as much as China in terms of development had it been less democratic, former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said here Friday. Dr Mahathir, who ruled Malaysia for 22 years, said though democracy was the best form of government, it was not the easiest way to govern, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. If India is not too democratic it will be like China in terms of development," PTI quoted him as saying in an interactive session at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi. Minister of state for commerce and industry Jyotiraditya Scindia and BJD MP Jay Panda, however, disagreed with Mahathir's contention arguing that India looked towards development as a marathon and not a sprint. Panda said the Indian democratic system was evolving and there were plenty of countries in the world which do not have democracy and have not developed. "As far as whether democracy is more of a hindrance to India, it is certainly more difficult. Our system is evolving, our trajectory of growth is certainly better than it was in earlier decades. We do need to tweak our system, but we do not need to change our system," Panda said. Dr Mahathir said though India has been a democracy for a long time but its socialist leaning had come in the path of growth. Suggesting a model of a strong Centre and less powerful provinces for India, he said such an approach would help promote development. "You need a much stronger central government and less powers to the provincial governments, because there will never be an agreement between the Centre and the provinces. This makes it difficult for the government to promote any policy," Mahathir said. The Hindustan Times Leadership Summit is an annual event hosted under the auspices of India's HT group of newspapers. Prominent national and international personalities are invited to take part in the summit.

New initiatives to raise Bumi equity, says Shafie Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:34 AM PST (Bernama) - The Bumiputera Agenda Development Council headed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak plans to introduce new initiatives to increase Bumiputera equity in the economy, said Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal. He said the government was also looking at the quality of entrepreneurs rather than quantity to ensure viable and diverse Bumiputera businesses could stay competitive in the economy. "We want them to grow big and make a breakthrough globally, especially in the petroleum exploration, plantation and property development sectors," he told reporters after launching the Puteri Umno's Entrepreneurs and Economic Enhancement Bureau portal at the Putra World Trade Centre here on Friday. He was commenting on worries raised by Puteri Umno at the Umno General Assembly here that the Bumiputera corporate equity ownership was marginal. On Puteri Umno proposal for the setting up of the First Bumiputera Entrepreneurs Scheme for entrepreneurs below 40 years by capitalising on funds for Mara and Tekun, he said it was a good idea and the government would study it.

A GLC director’s ‘politics of hatred’ in ‘Airport Spring’ Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:27 AM PST Big Dog AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes behaviour and arrogance is getting very uncouth and overbearing.  His incessant morbid and rabid gnarls against Ministry of Transport and Malaysia Airports (MAHB) is getting too far fetched. His blatant gross disregard against civil servants are becoming exactly like the Opposition. Earlier last week, he lambasted the Chief Secretary of MOT Dato' Loong See Wool in social media. Unbecoming of a director of GLC rubbishing KSU of MOT in social media Then, in a campaign against MAHB's increase of airport tax, Fernandes did the sticker thing at AirAsia's home for the past six year, the low cost carrier terminal (LCCT). READ MORE HERE

Indonesia elects lawyer as new anti-corruption leader Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:24 AM PST (Asia One) - JAKARTA - Indonesia revamped its corruption-fighting agency Friday with the election of a progressive lawyer as leader, amid widespread anger over government inaction on graft. "What I'd like to do is focus on completing the big cases that the public have been waiting to see prosecuted," Abraham Samad, the new chair of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), told Metro TV. "We will try our best to collect enough evidence for each case to prosecute in the fairest way according to the law." The 45-year-old was named the new chair by a special House of Representatives team which also elected Bambang Widjojanto, a human rights activist and lawyer, as one of four commissioners. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's popularity has steadily fallen throughout his second term as the public loses faith in his fight against graft. The KPK was the centrepiece of his 2009 election campaign, having achieved a 100 percent prosecution rate, putting some of the country's most senior officials and business tycoons behind bars. Samad will head the KPK until 2015 and replaces Busyro Muqoddas, a former prominent judge, who will be kept on as a commissioner. Muqoddas was elected in 2010 to replace Antasari Azhar, who is serving an 18-year jail term for orchestrating the murder of a businessman in a scandal involving a love triangle with a young female golf caddie. A Gallup poll released in October found that 91 percent of Indonesians believe corruption in government is widespread, compared to 84 percent in 2006. On Thursday, Transparency International gave Indonesia a dismal score of three out of 10 for transparency among public officials and politicians, although its ranking improved from 110 last year to 100 out of 183 countries.

Game changer, PRU 13 dan masa depan Umno Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:19 AM PST Peringatan bersedia menghadapi elemen yang mencetus perubahan dramatik permainan politik (game changer) yang diucapkan Najib mendedahkan kebimbangan parti pemerintah itu terhadap realiti semasa seperti bahasa baharu politik dan peranan media sosial yang semakin berpengaruh. Siasah Presiden Umno Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak telah memberikan isyarat paling jelas untuk parti utama pemerintah pusat itu bersedia hadapi Pilihan Raya Umum ke-13. Ucapan Najib dalam perhimpunan agung Umno itu mengandungi banyak peringatan dan dorongan, yang berkait rapat dengan penerusan hidup Umno selepas menghadapi pilihan raya umum nanti. Selepas Mac 2008, Umno menjadi parti yang paling banyak berada dalam keadaan defensif ekoran serangan agresif dan konsisten pakatan pembangkang, walaupun masih menjadi parti pemerintah. Ideologi dan segala pegangan serta amalan Umno dikecam hebat sebagai perkara yang paling rosak dan buruk. Umno disinonimkan dengan korupsi, rasisme dan segala elemen jahat. Menjelang 16 September, 2008, Umno kelihatan tergugat dan cemas berdepan ancaman pembangkang mengambil alih pemerintahan negara. Ucapan dasar Najib sebagai presiden Umno menampakkan kesedaran terhadap ancaman-ancaman dihadapi Umno sejak 2008, yang berterusan hingga Umno kelihatan tidak sempat mencari ruang bernafas. Peringatan bersedia menghadapi elemen yang mencetus perubahan dramatik permainan politik (game changer) yang diucapkan Najib mendedahkan kebimbangan parti pemerintah itu terhadap realiti semasa seperti bahasa baharu politik dan peranan media sosial yang semakin berpengaruh. Setakat ini Umno nampaknya masih mampu menangani serangan media internet (walaupun dengan belanja yang besar) dan usaha Najib memulihkan imej dirinya dan parti kelihatan menampakkan hasil positif. Walau bagaimanapun, pemulihan itu hanya satu aspek daripada banyak hal yang menyentuh pengundi, dan menjadi faktor diambil kira dalam memberikan undi. Perubahan melibatkan penyebaran maklumat dan sentimen terhadap pemerintah sememangnya menjadi faktor yang mengubah permainan politik negara. Pembangkang dan segala elemen penentang establishment di negara ini berjaya membawa dan menyebarkan bahasa baharu yang menjejaskan Umno dengan teruk, ketika Umno sebahagian besarnya masih bercakap dalam bahasa lama dan kurang sedar dengan realiti pasaran bebas ide. Ucapan Najib menampakkan kesedaran itu, dan peringatan yang diberikan (yang bukan pertama kali ditujukan kepada "orang Umno") menampakkan kesungguhan. Tetapi kedudukan Umno yang lama di tampuk kuasa telah membina satu budaya dan pandangan yang menyumbang kepada berleluasanya sentimen negatif terhadap parti itu, dan memerlukan masa yang panjang untuk diuruskan. Najib ada mengingatkan ahli supaya tidak bersikap sombong dan angkuh. Malangnya, wacana sebagai pihak yang mempunyai kuasa sejak merdeka menjadikan sifat itu sebagai sesuatu yang kuat dalam Umno. Budaya berwacana, menangani pelbagai isu dengan rasional masih sukar diterima oleh Umno, terutama di peringkat bawah yang lebih banyak berdepan dengan rakyat biasa. READ MORE HERE

Concept must be translated in Sabah also, says LDP Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:07 AM PST (Daily Express) - Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is heartened by the Prime Minister's continued recognition that the concept of power sharing must be reflected and translated in all level of the government administration including in the state government in Sabah. "He has taken us through a historical journey of how Umno was formed and to the formation of the coalition that led to the development of political and economical stability we have today. "He recognises the concerted effort of everyone in bringing Malaysia to be what it is today, prosperous and modern. "He contributed the success to the formula of 'power sharing' amongst the various races in the various component parties despite the fact that Malay being dominant," said LDP President Datuk VK Liew. Liew, who is a Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, said that as Najib said the proof of the pudding is in the eating. It is therefore of great significance that such concept be respected and put in practice without prejudicing the spirit of the coalition that has existed for this long, he said. "In this regard, I like to stress that we must not let our personal differences and conflict cloud our better judgement and hence affect our emotion. "The long established principle of power sharing must not be disregarded to the detriment of BN as a whole," he said. Liew said the Prime Minister had also inspired the Umno delegates to rise in preparation for the coming general election. He said Najib also reminded all to be in synch with the development of information technology and to use all the available gadgets such as mobile phones and internet portals such as FB, Twitter and others to transmit correct information to the Rakyat. The campaign method has taken a different dimension in view of this advancement of information technology."

“I back Najib, he is a better man,” says Dr Mahathir Posted: 02 Dec 2011 06:04 AM PST (Bernama) - Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave a terse political tip for Malaysian voters. Crediting Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for "correcting wrongs" in the political system, he said the prime minister should be given a chance to lead the country. "He is gaining popularity, he is correcting wrongs did (committed) by my successor. "I back Najib, he is a better man, he deserves to be given a chance," Dr Mahathir said at a media conference in Delhi today. The 86-year-old statesman is here to attend the annual Hindustan Times Leadership Summit where he presented a keynote address. In his speech, he warned global leaders to note key changes taking place -- failure of central planned economy, influence of social media and the speed of people crossing borders. "These are radical changes happening in the 21st century. All these will impact whatever we do, political, economic, social or financial areas. "If we are not willing to admit these changes, we will not be able to attend to these challenges," noted Dr Mahathir. In his keynote address themed 'The Challenges of Changes in the 21st Century', he said democracy was not a bad system, but not a panacea for all political shortcomings. "Democracy is the best form of government, it is not the easiest to govern because people do not understand the limitations of democracy," he added.

Tunku ’Abidin Muhriz apologises for leeches comment Posted: 01 Dec 2011 10:57 PM PST (The Star) - President of Ideas Tunku 'Abidin Muhriz apologised Friday for remarks he had made in his article that was published in the column Roaming Beyond the Fence. "I would like to apologise for the misunderstanding caused by my comment pertaining to leeches at PWTC this week. "Although I clearly restricted the analogy to "some" individuals, several quarters have interpreted my comment as applying to all those participating in the Umno General Assembly. This is most unfortunate. "Anyone who has been reading my articles over the past three years will know that I admire and deeply respect many Umno leaders," Tunku Abidin said in a statement. He was criticised at the Umno general assembly for implying that some of the delegates were leeches "So, when I implied that leeches had penetrated the party, it was out of a sense of disappointment, not of an intrinsic hatred of the party, as has been suggested." Tunku Abidin pointed out that he had deep respect for Umno leaders like Datuk Onn Jaafar, Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tun Hussein Onn "Most recently, I have consistently praised the efforts of Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah in fighting for further democracy and freedom for all Malaysians. "Furthermore, I have been consistent in congratulating the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak for his courageous attempts to reform the country under the Government Transformation Programme and Economic Transformation Programme." Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin welcomed Tunku Abidin's apology as well as the clarification on his stand. "It was not fair of him to make a generalised statement against Umno," said the Rembau MP.

MAHB chairman backs Bashir as MD Posted: 01 Dec 2011 10:55 PM PST (Bernama) - Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) chairman Tan Sri Dr Aris Othman today extended his full support to a proposal to extend the service of Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad as the company's managing director. "I can say with confidence that the entire Board of Directors will extend their full support to him being retained as the managing director. "In my opinion, the current situation is critical from the aspect of our standing and development. We should not make any changes whatsoever, particularly for this position," he said. Aris was speaking at the 6th joint signing ceremony with the Peninsular, Sabah/Labuan and Sarawak, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Workers Unions in Sepang today. Bashir's position as managing director came under question again following a media report that he would be replaced by Pos Malaysia Berhad Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Datuk Syed Faisal Albar Syed Albar, whose contract ends at the end of this month. Bashir's contract with MAHB ends in June next year. The proposal to extend Bashir's service was voiced by the President of the Peninsular, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Workers Union, Hussin Shaharn at the same ceremony. It was also proposed at the event that a memorandum be sent to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, on the proposal. Hussin also proposed that another memorandum be sent to the Prime Minister on the confusion at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT)yesterday in relation to the, "Say No To Airport Tax Increase", by Air Asia. Air Asia is protesting MAHB's decision to raise the airport tax by between RM7 to RM14 at its five airports in the country, effective yesterday. Meanwhile, the joint agreement signed today will see 2,705 non-executive workers of MAHB, receiving a new salary structure involving increases of 7-43 per cent. There is also a salary adjustment of six per cent for 4,051 workers not involved in the restructuring.

Until Hindu Temple demolishments stop there is no freedom and there is no equality Posted: 01 Dec 2011 09:11 PM PST The first thing that needs to be done in order to find a robust solution is to accept that a problem exists. Any argument that tries to deny the existence of the problem or to talk down the problem by ridiculing it or by downplaying its significance has to be first stopped. N. Ganesan, National Advisor to Hindraf The demolishment of Hindu temples seem to be an ongoing saga. We thought the 2007 Hindraf Rally and the Tsunami of 2008 would have seen an end to such wanton abuse of power against the minority Indian poor in the country. But this seems not to be the case. The most recent demolishment of the Glenmaries Mathuraiveeran Temple in Shah Alam, and at least three others before that in Selangor in the last two years, the near demolition of Sri Raja Muniswarar, in Jalan Tun Dr Ismail, Seremban in August this year and the current issuance of an eviction notice to the Sivasakthi Kuan Yin Temple in Bagan in Penang with the possibility of ultimate demolishment, are indications that the problem is rearing its ugly head again. It certainly has found no solution yet.   We have known for some time that the BN government does not have within its DNA to solve this problem at the root. We however expected that the Pakatan Governments in Selangor, Penang and Kedah to show more imagination and competence in dealing with these issues. This is not a simple issue, by any stretch of imagination. We expected them to have it within them to deal with this problem in more effective ways. But that seems not to be happening, with what we see in Selangor and Penang. The same careless approach of the BN is rearing its head again, in the Pakatan avatar too.   Simplistic approaches do not make for robust solutions   The BN and Pakatan Governments seem to take a very simplistic approach to this problem and want to wish the problem away. However there are fundamental issues of minority rights, of law, of morality and of the role of the State. In addition there are issues of history, traditions, ways of lives and allocation of the national resource involved. But all these seem not to be significant considerations by those in power. They seem to think them irrelevant because in their reckoning, the Indian poor do not count for much more than their votes.   The first thing that needs to be done in order to find a robust solution is to accept that a problem exists. Any argument that tries to deny the existence of the problem or to talk down the problem by ridiculing it or by downplaying its significance has to be first stopped. There needs to be an understanding that what is being destroyed is not just the structures and the idols of the deities that make the temple, but indeed a way of life of the poor and marginalized Indians.   What is being destroyed is a way of life, not just the temples   The Indian poor not only have to give up the structures and representations of god that make up the temple whenever the temple is demolished, they have to give up their community activities in and around this temple that forms a major part of their social lives, gathering in their small communities every so often for festivals, for marriages and for other religious events, to replenish their spirits and to lighten up their otherwise heavy lives. When their temples are destroyed, they are forced to give up this way of life. Yet the destruction is necessary only to maximize the profits of the rich. These poor end up subsidizing the profit of the rich by having to give up their way of life. And that is a major problem. It is a major issue of their rights.   The next thing to do is to accept that the problem cannot be solved by using the same old methods and arguments of the BN government - demolish first then justify afterwards if needed. This is what we see happening in Selangor now, demolishment happens stealthily and then the State Government rushes to justify it with vexatious arguments. This is exactly the kind of thing BN used to do under Khir Toyo and Mahathir. They used to collude with their erstwhile Mandores in MIC. This is what we see happening in Selangor with the most recent demolishment of the Glenmarie Temple. There was the demolishment of the Sri Maha KaliammanTemple, Ampang on the 9th of September 2008, Muniswara Temple in Port Klang on the 11th of Aug 2010, then Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple on 8th of November 2010 and now the Mathurai Veeran Hindu Temple, Jalan Glenmarie in Shah Alam a few days ago.   Too many temples?   One argument used to justify the demolishment is that there are too many temples, and that that is the source of the problem. There are 2000 temples for about a half million Hindus in Selangor said the State Rep. What he was insinuating was that there are too many temples resulting from irresponsible and wanton building of temples. That there are these many temples bring out some useful history. These temples were the centre of communities. And the numbers of temples reflect the number of communities - rural Indian estate communities. These rural communities were effectively self contained Indian village communities tucked deep inside Malaysian rubber plantations.   The owners of plantations knew that they needed a self sustaining and self perpetuating pool of labour and they had to create such communities for the needs of their profits. Effectively the elite of the day created rural Indian villages in Malaya and with them, these temples on their land. These temples were not wantonly or irresponsibly built as the State rep would have us believe. They are a direct outcome of the history of the country and the hunger for profit by the elite.   And when Malaya became Malaysia and these plantations gave way to a variety of other development, and estates gave way to cities, this labour force became steadily superfluous. Disintegration of these rural communities began. This touched most of these several thousand communities all over the country and with them, their temples. The temples were all now sited illegally on someone else's land, as the estates dispossessed these communities. The practice in these rural communities had always been that temples were on estate land – nobody in the community owned the land – the land was provided; anyway, they could not afford it. That is all still very true today – the poor and marginalized Indians cannot afford the land.   But the new rules required that they own the land. The fact that the temples  served a necessary social function for the communities that had lived there for years and continue to serve did not seem to matter anymore. The rights to the religious practices of these people did not count in these changed circumstances. This is the unsaid part of the arguments of the politicians. The truism once more confirmed – the Indian poor mean nothing more to the politicians in Government other than their votes.   We demolish shrines, not temples – really?   Another argument often proferred is that the demolished structures are not temples but are just shrines - shrines built all over the place, under the trees, in god forsaken places and so on. And therefore what they are demolishing are not temples but just shrines. If these dimwits in Government had true knowledge they would immediately recognize that shrines are only the beginnings of temples. In the hearts of the people, shrine or temple, the belief is what draws them there and they represent the same religious significance to them. As more visit the shrine and the shrine gets drawn into the mainstream of society, the structures upgrade to reflect and support the increased traffic and morph to become temples, small at first and then bigger with time – along with other changes inside the temples. And it is also common knowledge that shrines begin mostly by trees. So to imply that shrines by the trees are wanton religious practices on the basis of some alien understanding only demonstrates the ignorance and mischief in these arguments.   The wantonness of the Indian poor or the wantonness of the politicians?   All the nonsense that has occurred in demolishing temples must stop. It is necessary that some sense come into all of this. Temple demolishments only tugs at the core fabric of Malaysian society. It is not only a problem of the Indian poor, it is a problem of Malaysian society, as a whole. I do not know how many Malaysians have the courage to accept that this is really the case.   What the Governments in the States must now do is to stop the wayang and get down to brass tacks by addressing the problems. It is all a matter of political will. Do the governments have that political will to resolve this problem? Do they want to find a permanent solution to this problem or not.   And, they must stop the practice of giving excuses for not doing what is right. If the Indian poor are indeed sons and daughters of this soil, this will be a concrete opportunity to express that idea. Recognizing that these impoverished sons and daughters of the soil have these religious beliefs and practices, the Governments in the States need to intervene appropriately. The methods employed till now are just not cutting it. The simplistic approaches only result in continuing damage. There are far too many issues involved. This requires an informed solution.   Only when this happens will the saga of demolishments of temples stop – only then will true and free rights for religious beliefs and practices prevail.

Umno can ‘overcome’ PKR and PAS but not DAP, says minister Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:03 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - An Umno minister admitted today his party viewed DAP as its biggest threat in the next general election, but he confidently predicted that PKR and PAS could be beaten. Pasir Gudang MP Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin reasoned that this was why delegates had focused their attacks on DAP when speaking about Pakatan Rakyat (PR) throughout the Umno annual general assembly so far. "Because they believe, and it has been some sort of perception, whether real or imaginary, that the dominant force (in the opposition) is not PKR — it is DAP. "Therefore, Umno members have been focusing (on) and criticising DAP ... because Umno feels they can overcome the other Malay-based parties," he told The Malaysian Insider when approached on the sidelines of the party's AGM today. The higher education minister was commenting on the direction of debates during the assembly so far and how delegates have been targeting DAP in their criticisms. Attacks against the opposition party have served as a focal point for this year's Umno assembly, with delegates accusing DAP leaders of marginalising Malays in PR states, and challenging the sanctity of Islam as the country's "official religion". While some have dismissed renewed attacks against DAP as mere "Pakatan bashing," some Umno leaders have insisted that DAP poses a "real threat" to Malays, and that a future with DAP in power would spell disaster for the community. "The party (Umno) is a platform. Our main concern is the future of Malays and Islam. "This goes beyond political differences between PAS and PKR. Malays have a right to be worried. The position of Malays and our religion has been challenged subliminally and one day before we realise it, it will be too late to do anything," said Umno delegate Abdul Rahim Kamarudin. READ MORE HERE

Najib thinks twice on reform Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:49 PM PST The new law in Malaysia means large street protests such as the July 9 rally this year organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) which saw tens of thousands of people taking to the streets would be effectively outlawed in future.  By Anil Netto, Asia Times he speedy passage of the ironically named Peaceful Assembly Bill - which effectively legally bars street protests - has put Prime Minister Najib Razak's avowed commitment to ushering in greater democracy and civil liberties under intense new scrutiny. On September 15, Najib surprised many when he announced a repeal of the Internal Security Act, the lifting of various 1970s era "emergency" promulgations and related orders, and an easing of strict laws governing publication permits and public gatherings. Since then, however, little has actually changed in practice. The ISA will be repealed in March, but detention without trial will continue under two new laws to deal with terrorism and maintain public order. Last month 13 people, including six Indonesians, were detained under the ISA in Tawau, Sabah, for alleged terrorist activities, sparking criticism that the arrests made a mockery of Najib's earlier avowal to repeal the law. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the arrests were in line with the new anti-terrorism law that would replace the ISA. The Indonesians would be deported upon completion of investigations, "but the Malaysians will be charged if there is sufficient evidence," he said. Critics have pointed out that the existing Penal Code was already amended a few years ago to deal specifically with terrorism. Even more contentious was the manner in which the Peaceful Assembly Bill was stream-rolled into law on Tuesday, even as the Malaysian Bar Council rallied a thousand lawyers and activists for a peaceful "Walk for Freedom of Assembly" march to parliament. Despite the government making half a dozen amendments to the original Bill, opposition parliamentarians walked out of parliament after the speaker allowed only three from their ranks to debate the bill. The bill forbids street protests and imposes a host of rulings for other assemblies, though it allows gatherings at designated areas away from public or government facilities. Initially, the bill also provided for a 30-day notice period for organizers to inform the police of assemblies at non-designated areas. Following a public outcry, the notice period was reduced to 10-days. Critics pointed out that even under traditionally military-run Myanmar's new public assembly law, organizers need give only five days notice. The new law in Malaysia means large street protests such as the July 9 rally this year organized by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) which saw tens of thousands of people taking to the streets would be effectively outlawed in future. The July 9 rally was declared illegal at the time, but that didn't stop thousands from marching in support of electoral reforms. The next time, potential protesters will have to contend with heavier penalties. Even before the Arab Spring in the Middle East and North Africa, large street rallies have rattled the Malaysian government. In March 2008, for instance, the political opposition made sharp inroads in the general election after two large rallies, one of them by Bersih, were held and repressed in November 2007. Malaysia's ruling party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), in power since independence from colonial rule was achieved in 1957, has cast a wary eye over what is happening in the Middle East. An UMNO Youth leader, Khairy Jamaluddin, has accused opposition leaders of drawing comparisons with the Middle East to "to instigate people to take part in street revolutions and in the process manufacture a Malaysian version of the Arab Spring". READ MORE HERE

Hisham: Winnable candidate has good track record, work ethics, people’s support Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:25 PM PST (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: A winnable candidate is not defined by his age, position or even religion, said Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein. Instead, said the Umno vice president, it was determined by his track record, work ethics and the people's support. "As long as you win the hearts of the people, even the party president will not stop you from contesting in the election," he said on the side-lines of the Umno general assembly Friday. He urged Umno leaders to go down to the ground and do their job in serving the people if they want to be chosen as election candidates. Hishammuddin said a good candidate was a Barisan Nasional candidate who had a better chance of winning. "Barisan Nasional is a party which is able to translate unity in our diversity and this has become our strength," Hishammuddin said. On having two-thirds majority in the Parliament, he said many Western democracies did not have such results and some even had a hung Parliament, like in Britain. "It is only us who are used to the idea of having a two-third majority. However, the message from the last elections is clear. We have to work harder and close ranks," he said. Datuk Seri Najib Tiun Razak, in his policy speech at the opening of the 2011 Umno General Assembly on Thursday, emphasised that as Umno people, the elements that members must uphold were loyalty, love for the party and a willingness to serve and sacrifice for the party.

Pua: Ministry admits some Kedai Rakyat items not up to the mark Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:09 PM PST By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider The DAP today said the Health Ministry has admitted that some of the products sold at Kedai Rakyat 1 Malaysia shops failed to meet legal requirements although it did not take any action against the supplier. "(They admitted we were right) except the sweet creamer, the 10 per cent fat content, there is a bit of discrepancy, they will check but the rest, they are all considered (to have failed to meet the legal requirements)," DAP publicity chief Tony Pua said today after meeting Health director-general Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman at the ministry here. File photo of Pua (left), Dzulkefly (centre) and Nurul Izzah with Kedai Rakyat products at a KR1M store in Bandar Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur on November 11, 2011. — Picture by Choo Choy May "@tonypua is accusing us of a mistake he made which he refuses to admit. MOH welcomes the dialogue and is prepared to meet and guide him in whatever way possible," Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai had said in a Twitter post last week although he did not show up for today's meeting. The meeting was also closed to the media. PR lawmakers, led by Pua, PKR's Nurul Izzah and Dr Dzulkelfy Ahmad of PAS, had claimed seven products sold at the government-backed thrift store are of substandard quality, with some failing to meet legal requirements. These include Growing Up milk powder, which the opposition said contained excessive amounts of vitamin A, which could lead to liver problems and reduced bone density in children. Dr Hasan admitted that the issues brought up by the opposition MPs were legitimate at the time of complaint but pointed out that some of the mistakes have been corrected while the supplier has been "advised" to comply with food regulations. Among the disputed items were products affixed with the label "ice cream" which has now been revised to read "frozen confection" to reflect their absence of fat content; fruit jam which do not carry an ingredient list on their bottles; and evaporated milk or unsweetened condensed milk, which should have been labelled as "evaporated milk creamer". Nurul Izzah, who was also at the meeting, said Dr Hasan had admitted that three out of every five cans of sardines do not comply with the regulated fish content. As for the Growing Up milk powder, Pua said Dr Hasan admitted its product label was misleading as it says low-fat milk solids in Malay but "instant whole milk powder" in English. "We say that this milk powder lacks nutrients according to follow-on milk's legal requirement. It is clear that it says follow-on milk is for six months to three years. "Growing Up milk sold by Kedai Rakyat is for one year and above. So there is obviously an overlap of two years," Pua said. He said Dr Hasan told them that they are in the process of formulating the legal requirements for Growing Up milk as the vitamin A content is three times above the recommended content for children aged between one and two.   READ MORE HERE.

Tony Fernandes’ car is ground zero in airport tax hike spat Posted: 01 Dec 2011 06:03 PM PST By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider SEPANG, Dec 2 — Parked just outside Coffee Bean at the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) here is an unlikely focal point of AirAsia's fight against a recent airport tax hike — a white Peugeot 308cc. Prevented from putting up anti-tax hike displays in the terminal, AirAsia staff have transformed their boss Tan Sri Tony Fernandes' convertible into a striking display for the campaign, armed with nothing but posters and a miniature Christmas tree. An equally festive message on the bonnet read, "Help Tony share the holiday spirit. Take a picture for beautiful, lasting memories," and urged the public to share their photos on AirAsia's Facebook and Twitter pages. Several groups of AirAsia staff were seen posing for pictures next to the makeshift billboard. Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) staff were also seen taking photos of the car from afar with digital cameras. This latest publicity stunt by the budget airline comes just a day after MAHB clamped down on AirAsia's anti-tax hike campaign materials at the terminal. The airport operator had removed posters and confiscated stickers protesting the levy on the grounds that unauthorised display materials were no allowed in the terminal. AirAsia appears to have taken MAHB's message to heart, proceeding at pace today to decorate all privately owned property — including Fernandes' car — with its trademark red-and-white posters and stickers. "We are not violating anything by putting the (campaign) materials on the car, which belongs to Tony. "Whatever it is, it's private property," an AirAsia spokesman told The Malaysian Insider. AirAsia staff at the sales counter could also be seen wearing the stickers on their uniforms and placing them on boarding passes and luggage tags. While few members of the public took photos of the car, many were supportive of AirAsia's campaign. "I think putting the posters on the car is genius. You can't put them in the airport so put it on private property," said Felixon Jawing from Kuching. The 18-year-old student admitted he did not know much about the airport tax hike but said he felt any increase would be a burden on passengers. Balan, 60, a plantation manager who flies to east Malaysia often, said it was good the airline was attempting to put the tax hike in the public spotlight. "If the tax goes up, definitely it will affect everybody, so definitely we support this," he said. "I think he has a lot of public support. We are flying in and out and the tax will be a problem."   READ MORE HERE.

Opposition leaders are liars, only focus on achieving personal agendas - Umno debaters Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:58 PM PST (Bernama) -- Debaters at the 2011 Umno General Assembly today continued hitting out at the opposition, describing them as liars who would continue ridiculing Barisan Nasional government and making baseless allegations against Umno leaders. Datuk Hasnoor Sidang Husin from Melaka said the opposition were not voicing out the people's problems, but merely cheating the people to achieve their personal agendas. "They (opposition) demanded the abolishment of the Internal Security Act (ISA) by manipulating democracy and the freedom of speech, but when the government announced that the ISA will be abolished, they did nothing to express their thanks or support to the Prime Minister," he said debating the motion of thanks for the president's speech. He said the opposition would also continue making baseless allegations to create negative public perception on Umno and its leaders. Datuk Wan Amizan Wan Abdul Razak from Pahang, on the other hand, said that the tactics used by the opposition to spread lies about Umno, if not tackled, would affect Umno's chances to win the hearts of the people and ensure victory in the general election. "The opposition has been spreading continuous lies about our president (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and had also made numerous baseless allegations on his Haj pilgrimage," he said. As such, Wan Amizan said Umno members should rise and counter the allegations made against Umno and its leaders. At the same time, he also called on Umno top leadership to avoid controversy as it could cause the people to lose faith in the party. He said a controversy would also make it difficult for Umno members to explain the real situation to the people at the grassroot.

Why DAP? Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:49 PM PST Moreover, attacking the DAP would only cause more non-Malays to sympathise with the DAP and could not help the MCA or the Gerakan at all. Then why is Umno still doing so? By TAY TIAN YAN Trasnlated by Soong Phui Jee Sin Chew Daily Like London in the World War II, the DAP has been lambasted at the Umno general assembly. From Umno Deputy President Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's speech to debates of the delegates, the DAP has been regarded as an organisation of "anti-Malays" and "anti-Islam". It was accused of intended to abolish the monarchy, form a republic and launch the May 13 incident. Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan straightforwardly said that a hung parliament, namely when both the BN and the Pakatan Rakyat fail to gain more than half of the total parliament seats, would lead to an unstable government and the DAP would take the advantage to seize power. If so, the Malays will lose everything. Some people might ask, since the DAP is not a direct rival to Umno, and the two parties seem to have no direct confronting seat, why then Umno attacks the DAP, instead of the PKR or PAS? Moreover, attacking the DAP would only cause more non-Malays to sympathise with the DAP and could not help the MCA or the Gerakan at all. Then why is Umno still doing so? Of course, it is a strategy of Umno. Umno has to strengthen its racial and religious characteristics on the eve of the general election to gain recognition of Malay voters. It also meeds an imaginary enemy to highlight its status in defending its race and religion. Non-Malays were often targeted in the past party general assemblies but since the general election is too close this time, they cannot simply offend the general non-Malay voters. Moreover, it would also contrary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's slogan of 1Malaysia. Since they cannot attack non-Malays while have to stimulate the sense of racial and religious crisis of the Malay community, they can only concentrate on attacking the DAP. The Malay community generally still thinks that the DAP is representing the Chinese community and some even believe that the DAP is an extreme Chinese chauvinism party. Exaggerating the DAP's threat can cause some pressure on the Malay community. While bulging the DAP, they also have to narrow the statuses of the PKR and PAS. Therefore, the DAP is turned into a big brother followed by two little brothers. The little brothers, the PKR and PAS, might betray the racial group at any time because they have been misled by their big brother. Linking all these points together, it then forms a set of strategy logic. However, although non-Malays have not been drawn into the strategy, it has still caused a certain level of anxiety. After all, excessive emphasis on the sense of racial and religious crisis will bring more harm than good to the harmony and unity of a pluralistic society. Najib said in his speech that Umno must have more new ideas to keep pace with the changes of times. New ingredients must be added into new ideas and the problems that are faced by Umno today are not caused by the DAP. To win support of the Malays, Umno should show its ability in leading the Malay community and the country forward, instead of relying on creating an imaginary enemy and the sense of crisis.

Stupid of DAP to call Indians stupid Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:27 PM PST How far can it go in politics by making issues out of race, colour and language? The Third Force is still a work in progress. Its eventual realisation will be as a solid voting bloc in Parliament, for example, that is poised evenly between BN and PR. It can back either BN or PR to form the government without itself being part of one. Joe Fernandez, Free Malaysia Today The DAP, at least in Perak, is getting into the news for all the wrong reasons these days. First, Taiping MP Nga Kor Ming ventilated his ignorance on the science of colour by making derogatory references to Perak Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir's dark complexion. This was at a ceramah in Kamunting in September. The recording of it has just made YouTube in a belated broadcast. Now we have Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Kam dismissing Indians – in his tweet message – as stupid in politics "but not as stupid as they think they are". Obviously, he is saying that Indians have a lower opinion of themselves in politics than they should, "given the reality of the facts". Given the above two incidents, Hindraf Makkal Sakthi Chairman P Waythamoorthy is unlikely to pursue any plan to field candidates under DAP in many of the 15 parliamentary seats and 38 state seats since identified by the Human Rights Party Malaysia (HRP), its political wing. All bets are off. Waythamoorthy, reportedly, had been toying with the idea of fielding candidates under the DAP banner since HRP was denied registration by the authorities. Hindraf and HRP are more than likely now to call on the Indian community to abstain from voting during the coming general election, the 13th, and prepare themselves for the 14th. The idea is to make the eventual winners realise that they won because the Indians did not vote against them and the losers to realise they lost because the Indians did not vote for them. How far is DAP prepared to go? Indeed, how far can it go in politics by making issues out of race, colour and language? We can fall back on history a little to educate ourselves. The last straw DAP's recent faux pas reminds us of May 10, 1969, when its leaders drove on open lorries through Kuala Lumpur, broom in hand, to declare that they would soon "sweep the Malays back to the kampungs". They could hardly contain themselves after picking up half the state seats in Perak and Selangor and making impressive electoral gains elsewhere. That "sweep" remark was the straw that broke the camel's back. Umno, just waiting for the right moment and an excuse, lashed back by unleashing the searing Sino-Malay race riots of May 13, 1969. Elections in Sabah and Sarawak were suspended over strong protests in the two Borneo states. Parliament was suspended and replaced by the National Consultative Council. The Federal Cabinet was replaced by the National Operations Council headed by Abdul Razak Hussein, the father of current prime minister Najib. Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman was sent packing into retirement for being "too pro-Chinese". The New Economic Policy (1970-90) was launched and observed more often than not in the breach. It is precisely because Indians are not stupid that DAP finds it a great problem making further headway in politics. The party wants to add the strength of the Indians to its current strength, but it is clear that this is not going to happen unless it can somehow persuade the community to be stupid under the guise of being smart. There is no doubt that the Chinese community on both sides of the South China Sea are united under Lim Kit Siang and DAP. They see a historical opportunity to walk in the corridors of power and supplement and complement and protect their economic power. DAP cannot depend too much on getting Malay support since the community has other avenues like Umno, PAS and PKR. That leaves the Indian community as one logical new territory, besides the Dayaks, Dusuns and the Orang Asli. But insulting Indians out of frustration is not going to endear the party to the community. To their credit, Umno and other Barisan Nasional (BN) parties have never referred to the Indian community in the same derogatory terms as DAP does. Indian politics, unlike that of DAP, is not about taking power directly. So, what is good for the Chinese is not necessarily good for the Indians. The Indian community is more inclined towards allowing the Orang Asli and Malays in Peninsular Malaysia, Dayaks in Sarawak and the Dusuns in Sabah taking and wielding power. Any Indian who would sit in power would most likely want to get there from working under one of the local labels. Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Malayalee), current prime minister Najib (Indian-Bugis), former Sabah chief minister Harris Salleh (Indian-Barunai), current Sabah chief minister Musa Aman (Pathan-Dusun) and Zambry himself are a few examples which readily come to mind. Unfortunately, unlike the others, Mahathir did great damage to the Indian community. DAP has to accept that the current thrust of Indian politics is to undo the damage to the community during the 22 years that Mahathir was in power. READ MORE HERE

Bersih: Just meeting one demand not enough Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:24 PM PST The electoral watchdog wants all its demands to be taken heed of and a monthly progress report on the Parliamentary Select Committee recommendations. (Free Malaysia Today) - Electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 is unhappy that only one of its eight demands were fully adopted by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC). Bersih said only the use of indelible ink was fully adopted while two other suggestions – reform of absentee voters and cleaning-up the electoral roll – were only partially implemented. Bersih repeated that the implementation of the eight demands is the "bare minimum" for a reasonably clean and fair elections and must be implemented before the upcoming polls. It also wants the Election Commission (EC) to publish monthly progress reports on the implementation of proposals made by the PSC. After two months of its inception, PSC released an interim report on Wednesday making 10 suggestions. The report touched on many issues such as the implementation of indelible ink, cleaning up of the electoral roll, expansion of oversea absentee voters policy to all Malaysians living abroad and even the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into alleged illegal immigrants who are offered citizenship. But the report which was tabled officially in Parliament yesterday had many MPs questioning the implementation of Bersih's suggestions. Many, including Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang, had demanded that a clear time-line be included in its implementation. Bersih said today the EC must take heed not only of the PSC 's suggestions but also suggestions from other NGOs. "Bersih emphasises that the EC and any other relevant government agencies must implement the Bersih's eight demands and the recommendations made by the PSC without further delay while the PSC prepares its final report. "We hope to hear no more excuses from the EC, but more action taken towards improving the electoral system," Bersih said in a statement. While welcoming the report, Bersih said that there were still other pressing proposals which were absent from the preliminary report. Such proposals, among others, were automatic voter registration, process of constituency re-delineation and to display supplementary electoral roll both online and on location for a minimum of 30 days. READ MORE HERE

Give Malay majority seats ‘back’ to Umno Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:21 PM PST Delegate echoes undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 give their seats "back" to Umno. (Free Malaysia Today) - Demands for seats belonging to Umno's allies in Barisan Nasional again became a topic of a heated debate among delegates attending the party's AGM today. A delegate from Penang, Musa Sheikh Fadzir, echoed the undercurrent among party hawks that non Umno candidates who lost in the 2008 election give their seats "back" to Umno. These are Malay majority seats that Umno believes it could recapture given the return of support from the ethnic majority, said Musa in a tone more demanding than constructive. "We have made our sacrifices. We even allowed our BN component party members to contest in Malay majority areas," he said at the presidential policy speech debate session. "This is because the Malays and Umno, in the spirit of BN, are very accommodating. But they should return the seats to us if they know they cannot win," he added. Umno's hardliners in the past have criticised component parties and blamed them for the waning non Malay support towards the government. This resulted in intense racial politicking from the Malay party which observers believe had brought about the return of Malay support to Umno. Votes from the majority electorate had strayed at the 2008 general election. 'Two thirds impossible with non Malay support' Party conservatives believe taking back Malay-majority seats would help party president Najib Tun Razak realise his need to return BN's two thirds parliamentary majority. This, however, would be impossible without the support of non Malays and "middle Malaysia". READ MORE HERE

Pilih pemimpin GLC, GLIC berjiwa Umno Posted: 01 Dec 2011 05:18 PM PST Cadangan ini dibuat supaya mereka dapat membantu orang Melayu meningkatkan pemilikan ekuiti dalam ekonomi. (Bernama) - Wakil Perak hari ini mencadangkan peneraju syarikat berkaitan kerajaan (GLC) dan syarikat pelaburan berkaitan kerajaan (GLIC) dipilih daripada kalangan mereka yang berjiwa Umno supaya dapat membantu orang Melayu meningkatkan pemilikan ekuiti dalam ekonomi. Datuk Idris Hashim berkata walaupun kerajaan semakin giat melancarkan pelbagai projek di bawah Program Transformasi Ekonomi (ETP), kesannya terhadap ekonomi orang Melayu masih belum dilihat dengan jelas. "Apa salahnya orang yang berjiwa Umno mengepalai GLC dan GLIC ini supaya agenda Bumiputera dapat dilaksanakan sepenuhnya. Ini sekaligus membantu program transformasi ekonomi supaya dapat mengalir ke bawah," katanya ketika membentangkan usul Ekonomi pada Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2011, di PWTC di sini hari ini. Idris, yang merupakan Ketua Umno Teluk Intan, berkata syarikat-syarikat GLC dan GLIC perlu mengambil alih atau membeli ekuiti lebih banyak syarikat-syarikat rangkaian pembekal bagi membantu usahawan Melayu. "Dulu, tiap kali kontraktor Melayu dapat RM1, 80 sen bukan kita punya. Pasal paku depa (mereka) punya, besi depa punya, pasir depa punya, semua depa punya. Kontraktor Melayu dapat dua kupang sahaja," katanya. Idris berkata dengan adanya rangkaian pembekal yang terdiri daripada orang Melayu, ini dapat memberi impak secara holistik kepada pembangunan sosio-ekonomi Melayu serta mempertingkatkan pemilikan ekuiti mereka dalam sektor korporat.

An undercurrent in Umno grows against Shahrizat over cattle scandal Posted: 01 Dec 2011 11:19 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - When Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil closed the Wanita Umno general assembly on Wednesday, it appeared as if she had successfully deflected blame from herself over the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) controversy. But it is believed that the cheers from the standing ovation that greeted her were mixed with silent jeers of disgust from the senior minister's detractors, many of whom are rallying for her resignation. Speaking to The Malaysian Insider after the assembly, several senior Wanita leaders said Shahrizat had become a "liability" to Umno and should exit the limelight before the NFC scandal "destroys us all". But they said most delegates were "too afraid" to speak against their chief for fear of losing their posts in the party. "She (Shahrizat) is using Wanita Umno to protect her but the issue (NFC) is not a Wanita (Umno) issue but a personal one involving her and her family. "As a Wanita Umno member, I am very disappointed. A lot of us are disappointed... why drag Umno into this issue?" said one Wanita Umno delegate from Perak. She added that she had remained seated when the sea of red-clad delegates rose to applaud Shahrizat during her winding-up speech. She said Shahrizat should have explained the issue to delegates instead of fishing for support by claiming the scandal was merely a ploy by the opposition to weaken Wanita Umno. "Do not forget, the first person to expose the issue about NFC's weaknesses was the Auditor-General, not the opposition. So why attack the opposition to hide your own weakness?" she pointed out. Shahrizat has been making headlines in recent weeks over the NFC controversy after its operations, run by a company owned by her husband, were described in the Auditor-General's Report for 2010 as being "in a mess". But instead of explaining the issue, the minister chose instead to deflect blame from her by saying it had nothing to do with her. She also countered the opposition's calls for her resignation by calling on PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to quit. Shahrizat reportedly earned wild support from members during her speech, with one Kelantan Umno leader even calling the opposition "cattle" for raising the NFC scandal. "But a lot of Wanita Umno members do not know the issue of the NFC... that is why they rose to support her. They do not know the issue. "Wanita Umno, they are all like that," the Perak delegate said with a sigh. READ MORE HERE

Keeping It In The Family! – How Taib ‘The Godfather’ Corruptly Controls CMS Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:40 AM PST SARAWAK REPORT New research by Sarawak Report has produced further proof that Taib's claim that he "does no business in Sarawak" is shockingly untrue.  To the contrary, we can name him as the 'Godfather' who blatantly controls most of the shares in Sarawak's largest public company, CMS.   We can also show that he has further manipulated that power to produce maximum wealth for himself and his family, by ensuring that CMS does as much of its business as possible with other family firms.  This practice is against stock exchange rules, because it is at the expense of other shareholders and the wider public.  Mafia-style business boss This matter is all the more disgraceful, because CMS is a conglomerate that Taib himself created by privatising key assets that used to belong to the State of Sarawak.  As Finance Minister and Chief Minister he caused valuable state interests like PPES, Steel Industries Sarawak and PCMS to be sold for knock down prices to CMS and then engineered extraordinary 'share-swaps' with cheap companies belonging to his own family members.  This enabled the Taibs to take control of the majority of CMS shares by 1996!   CMS continues to make its huge income from state monopolies and the massive public contracts handed to it (without proper open tendering) by Taib himself.  By these means he has blatantly exploited his political power to enormously enrich himself. ""If I do business inside the country people will say I use my influence to enrich myself. So, we did it outside" [Taib Mahmud March 2011] Thus, although the Chief Minister has admitted it would be corrupt for him and his family to be involved in Sarawak business, our revelations show that this is exactly what he does on a massive scale through CMS, exploiting his political role to act as the mafia business boss of the State. Passing around the shares – and the top jobs! Our most recent revelations are based on the publicly recorded movement of shares within CMS.  These show how huge chunks of the company have been passed round Taib's close family members, providing only one feasible explanation, which is that it is Taib himself who is controlling their ownership. To all intents and purposes, therefore, he created the company and he IS the owner! To cement this control over the company, Taib has also made sure that his family members occupy all the key management roles.  However, again he has shifted round these positions between close family members, once more revealing the pattern of ultimate control by him.  Onn Mahmud No longer in favour! – brother Onn Mahmud is still worth billions Public documents show how in the early years, while his children were still students, the largest shareholder and main Director of CMS was Taib's brother Onn Mahmud.  Onn was Taib's original key business proxy in Sarawak and abroad, until the brothers fell out in 2003.  His name can also be found on all the documents relating to property companies linked to Taib's children in Canada and the US and also to Taib related companies in Hong Kong.  According to research available at the London School of Economics, Onn acquired the family's first 27% stake in the publicly-owned CMS in 1989  for an undisclosed sum.  This followed a shadowy deal with the Sabah Economic Development Corporation, which was reported as a 'share swop' between Sabah and Sarawak, but turned out to be a private acquisition by Onn (the Sarawak's Chief Minister's brother). According to CMS records, by April 2002 Onn, as Director and Group Chairman, owned over 30% of CMS shares.  At that time Taib's two sons Sulaiman and Abu Bekir (Deputy Group Chairman and Group Executive Director) also owned a further 12% each. READ MORE HERE

Umno is never wrong, others are Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:37 AM PST Where are the Umno screamers and banshees when government-linked businesses are slowly dismembered to enrich a few people? We would like to ask Ahmad: when Shahrizat (Abdul Jalil) facilitated the giving of the government grant of only RM250 million to Dr Salleh (Ismail), did she and her husband think of all those downtrodden Malays? They didn't, right? Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan is grossly and perilously misreading the ground swell. Today, Malays attach blame to Umno for allowing the pillage and plunder of the country. Malays attach blame to Umno for the lot the Malays are now in. We would like to ask Ahmad: when Shahrizat (Abdul Jalil) facilitated the giving of the government grant of only RM250 million to Dr Salleh (Ismail), did she and her husband think of all those downtrodden Malays? They didn't, right? Even after that, they didn't think it was necessary to create other cattle breeders. After almost a month, the issue finally blew up in her face, and she suddenly recovered from the mad cow disease to disavow any connections to the National Feedlot Corpoartion (NFC) scandal. Similarly, when we paid an excess of RM6 billion for the purchase of the armoured personnel carriers (APCs), was the RM6 billion meant for the ordinary Malays? Where are the Umno screamers and banshees when MAS was slowly dismembered to enrich a few people? And when we were caught out, what did we do? We screamed this is a conspiracy by opposition politicians! It's never us – always others. If Ahmad listens closer, he will hear people saying: "Ahmad Maslan can shove his remarks up that part of his anatomy where the sun does not shine!" Corrupt to the core Umno is now associated with neglecting the Malays. Umno stands for arrogance and Umno stands for the mother of corruption. It's rotten to the core, according to former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. In one of the meetings of ex-ministers, Mahathir, the political sifu, said: " Umno is corrupt from the top to the bottom." Mind you, it's not I who am saying this. It's Mahathir speaking, and Mahathir – the Malaysian Caesar – is an honourable man. Umno president Najib Tun Razak, in the pre-assembly briefing, put in succinctly. He said that you can now spot the Umno type a mile away – linen shirts, dark sunglasses (preferably Ray Ban), tinted cars, sashaying into coffee houses with eyes glancing around affixing on no particular person, but asking for attention. My favourite reaction is to put up my middle finger – in salute of 1Malaysia, of course. Because people know: the Umno types, like Ahmad, is an empty can. 'Malays will lose everything' Look at Ahmad himself? This height-challenged person is a braggart. In the early days when he became the information chief, he would begin his speeches telling about himself. About how he, a nobody, was suddenly fingered out by Najib to be a special officer in charge of Felda and in the 2008 general election chosen as a candidate and going on to become a deputy minister. Well, my answer is: maybe you have sputtered some magical incantations extracted from the seven layers of the heavens and seven layers of the earth to persuade Najib to select you. Frankly, I haven't had the time to fully absorb the inanity of Ahmad's recent speech about Umno's 3.4 million members. I am presented with his double whammy – a speech about Malays losing everything (economics, politics, religion and everything, wives and children included) if there is a hung Parliament and if DAP comes to power. That was a speech given at a forum discussing the Malay Agenda. READ MORE HERE

Umno’s Cow Dung, No wonder fall in graft index Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:30 AM PST HORNBILL UNLEASHED Melissa Lee In what appears to be shaping up to be a massive Umno cover-up, Deputy Inspector General of Police Khalid Bakar insists that investigations have so far not revealed any element of corruption in the RM250 million NFC debacle. Khalid was seen to be doing "Umno-putra service" by suddenly making the comment that critics said was meant to assure Umno members  that Women's Chief Shahrizat Jalil and her family were innocent of any graft in the cattle livestock project. Khalid's remarks and Umno's strident defense of Shahrizat comes smack in the face of another sharp decline in the internationally-followed Corruption Perception Index. Malaysia fell to 60th position from 56 last year, and the result marked the third straight year of worsening on the widely-followed graft index. "It is suspicious that on all days, Khalid would choose to reveal the progress of the police investigation on NFC today when the Umno AGM goes into full swing. It shows that Umno is still abusing the institutions especially the police to do their dirty work for them," PKR vice president Tian Chua toldMalaysia Chronicle. "As for the CPI, it is a real warning. Umno is dragging down the country. It is the source of the greatest corruption and its refusal to admit it and put a stop to it will bankrupt us all. It is not the Pakatan, as Muhyiddin claims, which is trying to accuse the BN of wrongdoing. The CPI results speak for themselves. The index is is managed by Transparency International, which is a well established organization. "But to the Umno elite, there is corruption everywhere except in their party. Malaysians especially Malays must reject this sort of mentality and they must reject Umno for their own sakes. Till now, Umno defends Shahrizat and uses the police to make excuses for them and then lie to everyone that they are not guilty. It just shows how corrupt and immoral they have become." 74 people interviewed According to Khalid, the police have so far interviewed over 74 people in connection with the probe, including Shahrizat's family although she herself has not been asked to give a statement. "However, we are still continuing our investigation into the issue and will call the minister to record her statement if the need arises," said Khalid. The project was awarded to Sharizat's husband and children in 2006 and the Auditor-General has warned that the project was in a "mess" and could downspiral even further. Shahrizat has denied any involvement in the scandal, saying NFC had "nothing to do with me" although few Malaysians would ever believe her family – which has no track record in cattle breeding – could have won the project without her influence. PKR leaders have led the charge on NFC, which was launched to enable everyday Malaysians to buy beef at affordable prices. However, a shocking trail of revelations show that instead of using the RM250 million soft loan to set up satellite cattle farms and structure an effective distribution and supply chain, Shahrizat's family allegedly bought two super luxury condos in Bangsar for RM6.9 million each, gave a RM3 million discount to a family-own firm, bought a Mercedes CLS350 and residential land in Putrajaya worth some RM3.3 million, channeled half a million ringgit to a family firm in Singapore, as well as paid huge sums to a tour agency for alleged family holidays. Shahrizat's husbang Salleh Ibrahim has not denied the transactions occured, but insisted there was no corruption and that all the deals had the approval of NFC. However, critics point out that it did not make sense for a pilot livestock breeding project to plumb for plush condos, a super-high-end Merc and upmarket residential land – not mention why were discounts given and holidays charged to public money. READ MORE HERE

Najib: Umno more democractic than opposition Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST (Bernama) - Umno president Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has stressed that Umno embraces democracy and is not scared of the democracy as alleged by its political adversaries. He said that was why when he took over the reins of the party and the government 30 months ago, he and his colleagues in the Umno Supreme Council, the Barisan Nasional (BN) Supreme Council and the Cabinet had decided to implement the reformation and transformation process. "In the party, firstly, we expanded the franchise of electors for Supreme Council members. We want more people in Umno to be given the right to choose their leaders," he said in his policy speech entitled "Umno Championing Transformation" at the opening of the general assembly 2011 at the Merdeka Hall, Putra World Trade Centre, here on Thursday. He said Umno's attitude in embracing democracy was precisely described by an English proverb, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". On the contrary, Najib, who is also the prime minister and BN chairman, said it was the opposition parties who were actually not democratic like Umno. "We are not like our opponent. The first example, party A, the post of Ketua Umum (De Facto Leader), although he was not elected democratically, he has more power than the party president. "Second example, party B calls itself a democratic party, however, it is totally undemocratic. Is it democratic when the branch delegates choose 20 members of the central committee, and these central committee members then choose the top party leadership? This totally does not reflect the wishes of the majority of members. "For the third example, party C which purportedly champions the cause for a welfare state. Lahawlawala...., even for the post of spiritual leader it appears there is no democratic election, but he is more powerful than the president. "Even worse, is party A, where the husband is the General Leader (de facto leader), the wife is president, the eldest daughter is vice-president, while the deputy president ....hrmm, no need for us to explain," Najib said. He said that for almost six decades, Umno had been the pillar behind the success of the nation and records showed that Umno had never dominated or intended to dominate the component parties of the Barisan Nasional as alleged by the opposition. He said Umno was not embroiled in turmoil like the opposition which could not reach consensus on policy matters. "For example, on the Islamic state, Party A says, not ever, Party B says, over my dead body. And Party C says let's change to become a welfare state. This confuses the people," he said. Najib said compared to Umno, as the pillar of the BN, Umno took steps to work alongside and cooperate with component parties in pragmatic, realistic and honest manners. "We accept Barisan Nasional's partners as they are. We trust, depend on and understand each other even before the Independence. This has made us successful as the pillar in bringing prosperity to the country," he said. He said what was achieved today was not built in a short space of time but through struggles, sacrifices and hard work over the years. "It was developed by our fathers, who were Malays, Chinese, Indians, Ibans, Kadazans, and others, including Orang Asli and Siamese. Their ambitions, their dreams, were none other than to provide a better life for us. This is being continued by the present generation who strive for a brighter future for our children and grandchildren," he said.

Under Pakatan, DAP will appoint non-Malay PM, claims Umno leader Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:05 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The DAP will push for a non-Malay prime minister if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) comes to power, an Umno supreme council member has predicted when echoing his party's concerns that the Malays would lose power under the pact's rule. But if the Chinese-dominated DAP fails in its bid, it would then resort to appointing a "puppet PM", much like former Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, said Pasir Salak Umno division chief Datuk Tajuddin Abdul Rahman. "They tried it in Perak. So if for the post of MB (mentri besar) they are also very keen, why not the PM's seat? "I am sure that is what they want. So if they can't they will compromise and put somebody to become their puppet, like Nizar," he told The Malaysian Insider during a brief interview on the sidelines of the Umno annual general assembly yesterday. Tajuddin explained that this would likely happen as under a PR government, the DAP would likely emerge as the most dominant party while its Islamist partner PAS would become a "nobody". "How many seats are PAS contesting? Less than 60. To form government, they would need seats from DAP and PKR. You know it is only natural — the dominant partner will be the one that holds the most seats," he said. Tajuddin's conjecture is part of the scenario that most Umno members trot out when discussing a possible loss of power to PR in future general elections. The outspoken parliamentarian also shredded PR's capability as an alternative government to Barisan Nasional (BN), saying that due to its lack of experienced leaders the country's economy would plummet and instability would ensue. He issued a warning to the Chinese community in particular, saying their businesses and livelihoods would suffer the most under a PR government. "Even the Chinese people, I want to tell you — you are not going to benefit anything. Under such an unstable situation, there will be no business. The share market will drop by 70 to 80 per cent. A RM5 share will go down to 50 sen and become toilet paper," he charged. "Who is going to suffer? Do you think Haji Hadi or Nik Aziz can run the economy of the country? Anybody in PAS? You check their credentials," he said, referring to PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang and spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat. Apart from PAS, Tajuddin also attacked the abilities of other PR personalities like its de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang, DAP chairman Karpal Singh and DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua. READ MORE HERE

Two thumbs up from Dr M Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:02 AM PST (The Star) - FORMER Umno president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has given the thumbs up to Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's presidential address. He lauded Najib for touching on the part of Umno's history which many were not aware of. "He has rightly pointed out that Umno is not a racist party. "Umno has worked with and supported other people," he said. Another former president Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi called on Umno members to heed the president's call to make way for winnable candidates. He said choosing candidates was not easy, thus all members must accept the president's decision, as his choice would be for the betterment of the party. "I've went through the process of choosing candidates ... let me tell you, it is not easy. "It is the president who will decide who will contest," he said on the sidelines of the party general assembly here yesterday. Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil said it was interesting to observe that Najib stressing on love, duty and sacrifices in his speech. "These are the traits that Wanita members are known for," she said. Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said Najib obviously understood the demands of the young people. He said Najib knew that while it was important to keep reminding people of Umno's contribution to the country, it was no longer enough to secure the support from the young. "If the party has no vision and direction, the young will not support us," Khairy said. He was also impressed when the president spoke about the supremacy of ideas. "He gave an impression that he is willing to accept good and bright ideas even though they are proposed by young people." Puteri Umno chief Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said the call for Umno to engage the young people through new media was timely. "If we want to win, we must have the X factor'," she said, adding that the wing had set up its own cyber troopers group two years ago. "We are improving it and hope to contribute in our own way, not only physically, but through new media as well," she said.

DAP yet to confirm attendance at hudud forum Posted: 01 Dec 2011 08:01 AM PST (The Star) - The DAP has been invited to the forum on hudud and its implications on non-Muslims in Malaysia. "The purpose of the forum is not to challenge anybody. Rather, we just want to explore the law and what implementing it would mean to a multi-racial society like Ma­­laysia," said Institite of Stategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) deputy director Kat Wong. She added that the opposition party has yet to confirm its attendance. Among those who will be speaking are lawyer Edmund Bon, Terengganu mentri besar's religious advisor Ustaz Kamal Saidi, Umno's Young Ulamas working committee chairman Ustaz Fathul Bari Mat Jahaya and International Movement for a Just World president Prof Dr Chandra Muzaffar. Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee and Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs founding chief executive Wan Saiful Wan Jan will moderate the event. The forum, organised by MCA think-tank Insap, is free and open to all. It will be held at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur on Sunday from 9.30am to 2.30pm. To register, email: info.insap@gmail.com, fax 03-2161 3701 or call 03-2161 5621/6201.

AirAsia: Stop harassing our staff Posted: 01 Dec 2011 07:59 AM PST (The Star) - AirAsia has issued an official warning letter to Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) for allegedly harassing its staff. The company's commercial director Jasmine Lee claimed MAHB had told airline staff to remove the "Say No to Airport Tax Increase" stickers on their uniform. She claimed that the airport operator also removed posters at their sales counters at LCCT. "They even went to the check-in counters and told our staff not to wear the stickers and to stop sticking them on passengers' boarding passes. "We have sent an official warning letter to request that MAHB's officers stop unlawfully obstructing our staff from doing their jobs," she said, adding that the incident occurred from around 10am until lunchtime yesterday. AirAsia is protesting against the decision by MAHB to increase the airport tax by RM7 and RM14 at five airports nationwide which took effect yesterday. The airports are Langkawi International Airport, Penang International Airport, Kuching International Airport, Terminal 2, Kota Kinabalu International Air­port and the low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT) at KLIA. Lee also alleged that MAHB confiscated security tags from some staff working in restricted areas. "This incident will not deter us. We will continue to wear the stickers tomorrow and will put back the posters," she said. AirAsia CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes later tweeted: "Malay­sian airport staff tearing down our posters and taking away airport passes of our staff. And using intimidation. Can someone tell them this is Malaysia and not a police state." MAHB senior general manager for operations Datuk Azmi Murad, who was present during the incident, denied any harassment or intimidation took place but admitted they removed the posters. "They were putting the posters in public areas and we took them down. Imagine if anyone could just walk in and start putting posters everywhere," he said. AirAsia has taken a full-page advertisement in The Star, urging the public to call MAHB and give their opinion on the increase in airport tax. "AirAsia views this increase as not justified as the current airport facilities are not up to par," said the advertisement.

Cops say no CBT element found in NFC probe so far Posted: 01 Dec 2011 07:58 AM PST (The Star) - Police investigations into the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) controversy have not revealed any element of criminal breach of trust so far. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said police interviewed 74 people, including family members of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil. "We are still investigating and will call the minister to record her statement if the need arises," he said after launching the "joint patrols" programme between the police and the armed forces at Sungai Buloh yesterday. The NFC project came into the limelight following this year's Auditor-General's Report that it was in a mess. Opposition parties had also alleged that Shahrizat's family had a controlling stake in the project. Shahrizat's husband Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, who is executive chairman of the project, came out to explain the alleged shortcomings on the project but found himself being probed by police when the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission referred the matter to them after receiving an initial report. The allegations against the NFC were regarding a RM9.8mil condominium bought with NFC funds.

UMNO is definitely NOT Racist! Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:50 PM PST On the basis of the many ridiculous and "kurang ajar" statements made by Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Najib and the UMNOputras in the past and in the current UMNO assembly, it is natural and reasonable to label them all as racists. But let us analyse the facts to see if this is a logical label. By Ken At the current UMNO assembly, Muhyiddin proclaimed that UMNO is NOT racist. He uttered this statement in spite of the fact that he, the Deputy Prime Minister of multi-racial Malaysia, has unequivocally declared that he is "Malay first" and "Malaysian second". Muhyiddin's "Malay first" declaration, while confirming that he is not a nationalist (and unfit to be DPM), does not confirm that he is a racist, and he may be right that UMNO is not racist. And Muhyiddin's mentor and guru, Dr. Mahathir, has also argued repeatedly that parties such as DAP are racist but not UMNO. However, on the basis of the many ridiculous and "kurang ajar" statements made by Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Najib and the UMNOputras in the past and in the current UMNO assembly, it is natural and reasonable to label them all as racists. But let us analyse the facts to see if this is a logical label. According to Mahathir, Najib, Muhyiddin and other UMNOputras, the Malays are far behind the other races in wealth and development and also form the majority of the poor. General observation and anecdotal data do suggest that there may be truth in what these UMNOputras say about widespread poverty among the Malays. Why is it that the Malays have not prospered in spite of the NEP for more than 40 years? How is it that Mahathir who wielded total control over all, including the Sultans, for 22 years (and who continues to indirectly control) could not rectify the poor state of the Malays in spite of all the power he had? If he could not, who else can or will ever? Why is that a large proportion of Malays are still poor in spite of all the development since independence? Surely, there must be a logical explanation for the continued poor state of these Malays. A racist is someone who does all he can for another of his race on the basis of ethnicity, and ignores, disadvantages or undermines others, even if deserving, solely because of racial difference. Thus, if UMNO were racist, it would have done all it could to help the poor Malays. With the ever-powerful Mahathir as PM for 22 years, UMNO as the government for more than 50 years and NEP in force for more than 40 years, even casual support on the basis of race or otherwise, would have uplifted the poor Malay significantly. Mahathir and UMNO didn't have to generate the required wealth through ingenuity and hard work for this task - Mother Malaysia is and has been well endowed with oil, gas, timber, land other natural resources to provide hundreds of billions for the benefit of the Malays and her other children. But somehow, all this huge wealth never found its way to the poor Malay. If UMNO were truly racist, the fate of the poor Malay would have changed, but this has happened, at best, only in a marginal way. A racist would be troubled by the plight of his race and would be prepared to make all possible sacrifices, including sharing his wealth. Has any UMNOputra shared his wealth with the poor Malay? None worthy of mention. Instead, UMNOputras have become very rich and the gap between them and the poor Malay has widened - the gap between the rich and poor in Malaysia is widest amongst the Malays compared to other races. The UMNOputras have plundered the wealth of the nation under the pretext of helping the poor Malays, and amassed billions for themselves, their families and friends. There are many Malay corporate empires which are very large and prominent - Mahathir empire (Mines, YTL, San Miguel, etc.), Najib empire (CIMB, etc.), Badawi empire, Daim empire, Taib Muhamad empire, Syed Al-Bukhary empire, etc. If the UMNOputras were racist, they would not have focused on amassing such huge wealth for themselves but would instead have focused on sharing the available wealth with their race.  What is strange is that while claiming to champion their Malay race, the UMNOputras almost always establish business partnerships with non-Malay businessmen, knowing that these non-Malay cronies would use the opportunity to also amass wealth at the expense of the Malays and other Malaysians. If the UMNOputras were truly racist, they would not collaborate with the non-Malays. It is simply not logical to do so if "Ketuanan Melayu" is the goal and mission. Equally, if the UMNOputras were racist, why would the Chinese cronies (whose race is often UMNO's target for racism rhetoric and drama), collaborate with them?  What is clear is that UMNO and its leaders, Mahathir, Muhyiddin, Najib, etc. are NOT racist. They are just evil and corrupt. They are a despicable lot who are prepared to sell their race, religion and nation for money. Money is what matters to them, not moral and ethics and certainly not race and definitely not religion (this lot is guilty of all the major sins in Islam, from corruption, cheating and stealing to adultery and gambling). The poor Malay is merely an official license for UMNO to rob and plunder the nation. UMNO is definitely NOT racist - UMNO is totally CORRUPT and EVIL and beyond redemption!!! The kampong Malays must be made aware of these facts for GE13.

Shamala hilang hak penjagaan anak Posted: 30 Nov 2011 08:09 PM PST (Utusan Malaysia) - Seorang wanita Hindu, S. Shamala hilang hak penjagaan terhadap dua anak lelakinya hasil perkahwinan dengan bekas suami yang kini beragama Islam selepas Mahkamah Rayuan hari ini mengetepikan keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi yang memberikan hak penjagaan kepadanya. Panel tiga hakim diketuai oleh Datuk Zainun Ali yang bersidang bersama Hakim Datuk Alizatul Khair Osman Khairuddin dan Hakim Anantham Kasinather memutuskan demikian sebulat suara selepas membenarkan rayuan Dr. M. Jeyaganesh, 42. Mualaf tersebut merayu terhadap keputusan Mahkamah Tinggi pada 20 Julai 2004 yang memberikan hak penjagaan terhadap Saktiswaran, 10, dan Theiviswaran, 9, kepada ibu mereka. Shamala sebaliknya mengingkari perintah lawatan yang diperolehi lelaki itu dengan melarikan kedua-duanya ke luar negara. Hakim Zainun ketika membacakan keputusan ringkas itu berkata, mereka terikat dengan keputusan Mahkamah Persekutuan bahawa Shamala, 38, yang menghadapi tindakan menghina mahkamah tiada hak mengemukakan litigasi. Tindakan tersebut dikeluarkan oleh Mahkamah Tinggi pada 6 Mei 2004 selepas dia melanggar perintah penjagaan sementara yang membenarkan Jeyaganesh atau nama Islamnya, Muhammad Ridzwan Mogarajah melawat anak-anak mereka. Muhammad Ridzwan diwakili oleh Muralee Menon manakala Shamala yang kini dipercayai berada di Australia, tidak diwakili selepas peguamnya yang terdahulu menarik diri. Dengan keputusan itu, semua konflik melibatkan Shamala dan bekas suami termasuk isu penukaran agama dua anak lelakinya dan permohonan wanita tersebut untuk mencabar persoalan undang-undang, selesai buat masa ini.

Mukhriz: Pakatan conspiring with foreigners to invoke ‘Malaysia Spring’ Posted: 30 Nov 2011 07:56 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir accused Pakatan Rakyat (PR) today of colluding with foreign powers to flare up violence and invoke the "Malaysia Spring" that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently predicted for the coming polls. Calling the Opposition Leader "desperate", the Umno deputy minister told his party's annual general assembly here that "Anwar Ibrahim himself has flared the seeds of revolution ala Arab Spring" to topple the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration. He said the opposition has been using street protests to conspire against BN and went a step further to allege that a death was even "faked" during the Bersih 2.0 July 9 march for free and fair elections. "Actually, my honourable delegates, whether you realise it or not, the opposition is the new tool of the foreign powers. "The opposition gets a lot of funding and lots more of other support to attain their objective of what they have coined as regime change. Question I am asking is, are we going to allow the new era of colonisation to happen here?" he thundered to the sea of delegates gathered for the assembly today. Anwar had recently predicted the coming of a "Malaysia Spring" in the next general election, confidently telling US newswire Bloomberg in an interview that PR will wrest Putrajaya from BN. "We're taking over the government at the rate we're going," he was quoted as saying in the interview carried on the newswire early last month. The opposition leader, who is facing the prospect of possible conviction for the second sodomy charge in his career, had cited the Bersih 2.0 rally on July 9 as a sign of growing support towards PR. The march for free and fair elections, organised by the election watchdog group, drew thousands of protestors to streets of the capital but turned chaotic at midday when police launched tear gas canisters and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Over 1,500 arrests were made. READ MORE HERE

The Battle Royale Posted: 30 Nov 2011 07:49 PM PST Back to our country. Many people think that the major battlefields in the coming general election will be in Selangor, Perak and Kedah. To be honest, the place that will determine the final outcome is none other than BN's stronghold in Johor. By TAY TIAN YAN Translated by DOMINIC LOH Sin Chew Daily PKR and Umno have successively held their general assemblies. And the timing offers an excellent opportunity for people to make a comparison between the two. PKR's assembly was anything but momentous. Safe for the challenge by Youth leader Shamsul Iskandar that Umno amend the Constitution to ensure only Malays could become the country's prime minister, which did manage to arouse some controversies, the assembly was otherwise largely uneventful and uninteresting. But that does not mean PKR is devoid of its characteristics. Just the opposite, the party made a wise strategic move by holding its general assembly in Johor Bahru. Wait a minute! JB? The stronghold of Umno? Was PKR looking for trouble? Not exactly. The strongest point of the rival could also be its most vulnerable part. The clash of German and Soviet tanks in Kursk during World War II is a point in question. The Germans' fortress was on the west of Kursk. However, they opted to launch their attack from the south and north in an attempt to encircle the Soviet troops and wipe them out. The Soviet troops almost could not resist the 6,000-strong tank invasion from the south and north, and it was pretty clear that the Russians were very likely to be crushed anytime. But then the Germans halted their assault due to supply disruption. Seizing the opportunity, General Georgy Zhukov mobilised his troops to counter-attack the Germans on the west. With most of their troops now bogged down in the north and south, the Germans were unable to redeploy their men to defend and were defeated, spelling a prelude to their eventual surrender. Back to our country. Many people think that the major battlefields in the coming general election will be in Selangor, Perak and Kedah. To be honest, the place that will determine the final outcome is none other than BN's stronghold in Johor. States like Perak, Selangor, Kedah and Terengganu are most definitely the frontline states that will see very heavy gunfire. While both BN and Pakatan may lose or gain some seats in these states, or perhaps some state administrations may even change hands after the election, the outcome is nevertheless unlikely to alter the parliamentary tectonic plate post-2008. Johor is the biggest unknown. It is indeed a powerful fortress state for BN on peninsular Malaysia, but no one can tell whether it will remain BN's most assured asset. BN's two other fortresses--Sarawak and Sabah--are basically heavily secured lots that are extremely unlikely to tip. Johor provides a different picture. It is not that segregated as the two states in East Malaysia while the people have higher political awareness and better access to information. Unmoved in March 2008 does not mean Johor will remain unmoved in the coming general election. Moreover, the state has a relatively high ratio of Chinese population: Over 30% in most constituencies and 40% in some. Besides Bakri that is already in DAP's embraces, constituencies like Kluang, Gelang Patah, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang, Labis, Johor Bahru, Pulai, Tanjung Piai, Segamat and Sekijang are all no longer BN's sure bets. If BN loses this important battlefront, its hopes of retaining Putrajaya could be dashed. The weakest part of PKR and Pakatan in general lies in its poor organisation and fighting spirit in Johor, as well as their lack of substantial support among the Malay society. That said, it will be the parties' strategies and real strengths that will eventually decide the final score.

Mahathir And His 3M Team Are Worried And Here’s Why Posted: 30 Nov 2011 05:40 PM PST Worse still, almost 99.99% of UMNO members think there's nothing wrong with the RM250 million scandal which saw the taxpayers money were used instead to purchase luxury condo, overseas trips, plots of land, half a million ringgit Mercedes Benz CLS 350 CGI and whatnot. Envy of Shahrizat's new found fortune, the delegates from UMNO Wanita openly urged Najib administration to allocate (more like giveaway) projects to the women wing as well. Finance Twitter It's been 50 years since a U.S. Secretary of State stepped foot in Myanmar, now shattered and isolated after decades of military rule. Hillary Clinton's upcoming visit to  the country, which was formerly known as Burma, is something many never expected to see especially after years of paranoid authoritarianism and Soviet-style economic management under military junta. However one can only do so much under international isolation and finally the new president, U Thein Sein, a former general, admitted he needs international legitimacy and recognition. Surely the new president has to agree to a democratization process, though it could come at a snail-pace speed, and Clinton's visit is all about that – to see and hear the commitment from the military government. But Myanmar, seen as a pariah-state by the West, immediately attracted comparison with another country, Malaysia, for the wrong reason. Suddenly, Malaysia, under Najib Razak administration, become the laughing stock because its citizens now have less freedom compared to Myanmar, thanks to the recently rushed Peaceful Assembly Law. Mahathir Mohamad, former premier who ruled with iron-fist, immediately voiced his support for the controversial law, as expected. However there're other interesting yet mind-boggling opinions from Mahathir that you should pay attention. In fact, this is good news to the opposition and to a certain extent, Najib's camp. Mahathir, together with his 3M members are actually panic. Mahathir is a master in mind games and he likes to play reverse psychology with his enemies. He claimed he was confident Arab Spring, in referring to Middle East style revolts, was unlikely to spread to Malaysia – but in actual fact he was deadly worried that such uprising could happen anytime. If it's easier for the world to end in 2012 than for such revolts to happen in Malaysia, why on earth would the old man waste his time and breath on such minor topic? He knew it could happen, what more with the blatant super-corruption scandals, one after another being exposed with very little interest from the government to combat it. The latest RM250 million NFC Cowgate scandal was awarded to Shahrizat's family, led by her husband and three children, all of whom know nuts about cattle-rearing except eating beef-satay. It's amusing that Shahrizat shamelessly, proudly and arrogantly declare that her family deserves it because they were hard-working. READ MORE HERE

Umno Youth won’t support tainted candidates Posted: 30 Nov 2011 05:27 PM PST The Youth wing also wants names of shortlisted candidates to be announced earlier. (Free Malaysia Today) - Umno Youth will not support any candidate who is tainted by money politics or those who resorted to under-hand tactics to be nominated. Its assistant secretary Megat Firdaus Megat Junid said: "We will support any winnable candidate but we hope they are not cable (connected) candidates, sympathy candidates, extorting candidates, or even golden handshake candidates." Megat Firdaus was speaking while supporting the motion put up earlier by Md Alwi, the Kok Lanas state rep and Ketereh division leader. Megat Firdaus called for names of shortlisted candidates to be announced earlier so that those who failed to make the list have time to settle their differences and help the party in the next general election. He also suggested Umno leaders who become saboteurs to be severely punished. READ MORE HERE

PKR’s reforms under fire Posted: 30 Nov 2011 05:25 PM PST A delegate says that Umno's transformation is in line with Islam wile PKR's reforms are akin to allowing homosexuality. (Free Malaysia Today) - PKR's reform agenda received a thrashing from a Kelantan delegate at the Umno annual general assembly today. "We (Umno) transform. On the other side, it is reform. When you reform, your basic fundamentals go missing. You can't go back to the original," said Md Alwi Che Ahmad when moving a motion to pass the presidential speech delivered earlier this morning by Umno president, Najib Tun Razak. The Kok Lanas state rep and Ketereh division leader equated the reform efforts by PKR to allowing homosexuality. "Men marry men and women marry women. Is it reforms to have men's trousers with zips at the side instead of in the front?" he said. Md Alwi added that transformation refers to efforts to change as and when needed but it would eventually return to its original form. He earlier listed the various transformation plans under the Najib administration, giving it an Islamic twist. "One is Hijrah," he said referring to the pilgrimage made by Prophet Muhammad from Medina to Mecca. The other example was the status of the Al-Aqsa mosque. READ MORE HERE

Pembangkang 100 kali lebih rasis Posted: 30 Nov 2011 05:23 PM PST Cuma orang yang bersikap terlalu rasis sahaja, sepanjang masa, apabila satu pihak bercakap tentang satu kaum, dia kata kita rasis, kata timbalan presiden Umno. (Free Malaysia Today) - Timbalan Presiden Umno Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin hari ini menolak tanggapan awam bahawa parti itu bersifat rasis kerana hanya mempertahankan hak sesuatu kaum sahaja. Sebaliknya beliau menganggap pihak yang melakukan tohmahan itu jauh lebih rasis berbanding Umno. "Cuma orang yang bersikap terlalu rasis sahaja, sepanjang masa, apabila satu pihak bercakap tentang satu kaum, dia kata kita rasis. "Padahal mereka tidak sedar dia 100 kali lebih rasis daripada kita," katanya kepada pemberita selepas ucapan perasmian oleh Presiden parti Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak pada Perhimpunan Agung Umno di Pusat Dagangan Dunia Putra (PWTC) di sini hari ini. Katanya, walaupun Umno jelas merupakan parti politik tunggal bagi kaum Melayu, namun parti itu sanggup bekerjasama dan berkongsi kuasa dan memperjuangkan hak kaum lain demi perpaduan. Katanya, sebagai tunjang perjuangan Melayu, Umno tetap bersedia sama ada parti itu berada dalam keadaan kuat atau lemah. Beliau berkata perkara yang sama turut dinyatakan Presiden Umno pagi tadi yang menyatakan Umno sejak pilihan raya umum pertama tahun 1955 lagi berkesempatan menguasai majoriti 51 kerusi Parlimen namun tidak berbuat demikian kerana lebih mementingkan perpaduan  kaum. READ MORE HERE

Gobala thrown out of Dewan Posted: 30 Nov 2011 05:04 PM PST By Patrick Lee, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Independent MP N Gobalakrishnan was thrown out of the Dewan Rakyat after he continuously interrupted the sitting. Dewan bailiffs escorted the Padang Serai MP out of the House on Deputy Speaker Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar's orders, after the former had been advised to keep quiet. "If the Speaker cannot respect (me), why would we want to sit here (in Parliament)?" he yelled as bailiffs approached him. At the time, Gobalakrishnan was trying to invoke a Standing Order against Permatang Pauh MP (PKR) Anwar Ibrahim for a supposed slight against him. Anwar had been debating the Parliamentary Select Committee's (PSC) electoral reform report at around 12.15pm when Gobalakrishnan interrupted. The one-time PKR MP then proceeded to attack his former boss, demanding an answer over the party's 2010 elections. Gobalakrishnan did not relent in his salvos at Anwar, even when Wan Junaidi told him that PKR's elections had nothing to do with the debate over the PSC. Though outwardly unaffected, Anwar snidely remarked: "Don't drink before you enter the Dewan." This caused Gobalakrishnan to explode, and demanded that the deputy speaker take action against Anwar. "He said I was drunk! Anwar said that I was drunk! I want to invoke the Standing Order against him!" he shouted over and over again. 'Anwar must come clean on 2010 PKR elections' Wan Junaidi was not impressed with Gobalakrishnan's outburst. He then ordered the bailiffs to physically carry the raging MP out. Gobalakrishnan, however, did not stop there. After being escorted out of the Dewan, he charged into the MP's lounge and started to verbally attack nearby PKR MPs, targeting Kuala Langat parliamentarian Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid. The two were then seen shouting at each other in the MP's lounge. Beruas MP (DAP) Ngeh Koo Ham then intervened, leading a fuming Abdullah Sani out of the lounge.   READ MORE HERE.

Najib hints 13th GE around the corner Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:53 PM PST (Bernama) - KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has again hinted that the 13th general election (GE) will be held very soon. Najib, who is also the Umno president, in his speech at the opening of the Umno general assembly 2011 here today, reminded all party members to close ranks to face the election. He called on the Umno members to get down on the ground as it was almost time to go to the polls. The call was greeted with loud applause from the delegates. Earlier, in his message on Nov 29, he wanted the party leadership at the divisional and grassroots levels to put in extraordinary efforts to face the 13th general election. The prime minister also told the delegates not to take the 13th general election for granted because the challenge would certainly be extraordinary and the most difficult that the biggest political party in the country would face. The Umno general assembly today was attended by 2,711 delegates. - Bernama

Umno veeps ready for sacrifice Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:49 PM PST By Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Umno's three vice-presidents said today that they would withdraw from contesting in the coming general election if the party leadership believed they could not win. One of them, Hishammuddin Hussein, said this was the kind of sacrifice Umno needed from its members as it prepares for an election that would test its ability to survive. He cited the willingness of former Terengganu menteri besar Idris Jusoh to "sacrifice himself" and not contest. Zahid Hamidi said he and the other vice-presidents received a text message from Idris informing them of his decision. The other vice-president is Shafie Apdal. In his address to the Umno general assembly this morning, Umno president Najib Tun Razak made clear that the meeting would be the last before the 13th general election. He indicated that the party was in need of a transformation that would include a shift in winning methodology and the deployment of only "winnable candidates". "Not a problem whatsoever, three of us," Hishammuddin told reporters during the break following Najib's speech.   READ MORE HERE.

DPM: Umno could have ruled on its own before independence Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:46 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider Umno was strong enough to have formed the government on its own before the country's independence, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today. The Umno deputy president said his party could have succeeded in doing so, but stressed that it had "willingly" agreed to work with other races to achieve a "shared" goal. "Umno is most definitely not racist. We could have built a government on our own, but we decided to share," Muhyiddin (picture) said in reply to questions from reporters here, adding that during the first elections Umno won the majority of the votes. "People, some media do not realise that there are some parties out there who are a hundred times more racist than us," said the deputy prime minister. Muhyiddin echoed party president Datuk Seri Najib Razak's remarks, who said today that Umno was not racist and that it was responsible for Malaysia's "social stability." The prime minister said the Malay party had willingly co-operated with component Barisan Nasional parties MCA and MIC for a "bigger purpose" back in the 1950s to form a government and gain independence. Najib has repeatedly pleaded with Umno delegates to adopt a more moderate approach, but his pleas appear to have gone unheeded.   READ MORE HERE.

Police ‘whitewash’ of NFC scandal ‘damage control’ for Umno, says PKR Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:44 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider PKR accused the police today of performing "damage control" on Umno's behalf after a senior policemen gave an update on the ongoing investigations into the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project. Deputy Inspector General of Police Datuk Seri Khalid Abu Bakar said no element of criminal breach of trust had been found so far in the probe. "Why issue such a statement when investigations are still continuing... and just as the high profile Umno general assembly gets underway?" PKR vice president N. Surendran said in a statement today. He called Khalid's statement a "whitewash" and noted that Wanita Umno chief Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, whose family was awarded the project, has not had her statement recorded yet. "It seems Deputy Inspector General Police Khalid expects the public to believe that there is no criminal wrongdoing by any person, despite public funds being used to purchase luxury condos, overseas trips, luxury cars and prime land," he added. Khalid had said this morning police had interviewed over 74 people in connection with the probe, including family members of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat. "However, we are still continuing our investigation into the issue and will call the minister to record her statement if the need arises," he said. PKR has repeatedly attacked the project with various allegations that "loans" of over RM84 million were given by the NFC to companies owned by Shahrizat's family including RM13.8 million for two luxury condominiums in Bangsar. Shahrizat's husband and NFC boss Datuk Seri Mohamad Salleh Ismail has defended the purchase of the condo as well as denied the alleged failure of the project. PKR scoffed at Mohamad Salleh's remarks, saying he had failed to deny a single allegation and had merely offered explanations for the many discrepancies involving the NFC.   READ MORE HERE.

Umno MP accuses DAP of starting May 13 riots Posted: 30 Nov 2011 04:42 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Umno's accusations that the DAP is anti-Malay spread to Parliament today when a lawmaker accused the opposition party of starting the May 13, 1969 race riots. Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Ipoh Timor MP Lim Kit Siang described Umno deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's accusation yesterday that the DAP was anti-Malay and anti-Islam as "slanderous lies" and one of several "hate speeches" made at Umno's ongoing general assembly. But Lenggong MP Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah stood up and interrupted Lim (picture), the DAP parliamentary leader, by repeatedly shouting "May 13, Ipoh Timor." "It is true," he said, referring to Muhyiddin's speech when opening the Umno Youth and women's wing assemblies. "May 13, who moved it? May 13, Ipoh Timor. Who moved on May 13?" After MPs from PAS and PKR stood up to defend their Pakatan Rakyat (PR) colleague, other Umno MPs shouted that the DAP "cheats Malays" and "PAS is a warrior for DAP." They also accused PKR deputy president Azmin Ali (Gombak MP) and PAS political bureau member Khalid Samad (Shah Alam) of being supporters of "the racist DAP." The May 13 race riots, which some reports say killed over 2,000, were sparked off after opposition parties had denied the Umno-led Alliance its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament. A victory parade in Kuala Lumpur led to a reaction by Malays and a state of emergency being declared.   READ MORE HERE.

#OCCUPYPARLIMEN: Memorial service for death of Malaysian Parliament Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:57 AM PST THE MALAYSIAN PARLIAMENT 1957-2011 Age: 54 The Malaysian Parliament passed away on Tuesday, 29 November 2011, at about 4.00pm at its historical home on Jalan Parlimen during the passing of the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011. The Parliament leaves behind 28 million heartbroken Malaysians, including the Fisherman, the Postal Worker, the Nasi Lemak Mak Cik, the Kindergarten Teacher, the Retired Old Man, the Teenage Boy, the Unemployed Fresh Graduate and many others of who looked to it as a place where their voices could be heard. A memorial service for Parliament will be held on 1 December 2011 at 8.00pm just outside its home with a non-religious wake open to all who keenly feel its loss. We encourage all Malaysians to attend this memorial service to mourn the passing of the Malaysian Parliament. There will be an open session for anyone to read eulogies/sing a song/read a poem in remembrance of the deceased.  Messages of condolences can also be written at this page below. Your presence in this time of sorrow is much appreciated.  Please observe the following: -Bring candles and white flowers -Bring pots, pans, drums or anything that can be part of the STOMP percussion session -Wear black

KJ: Opposition's 'repulsive' politics will bring down the country Posted: 30 Nov 2011 10:48 AM PST (The Sun Daily) - Umno Youth Chief Khairy Jamaluddin today warned that the country is not spared from having to face a modern version of "Enam Jahanam" in the form of "repulsive" politics practised by the opposition. Taking inspiration from a classic Tan Sri P. Ramlee's movie of the same title, which tells the tale of six despicable bandits, Khairy in his opening speech at the wing's general assembly today, listed six ways that the opposition will bring down the country. A total of 942 delegates and Umno Youth excos were gathered for the opening of assembly at the Dewan Tun Hussein Onn in the Putra World Trade Centre. The six ways are by: >> destroying the democratic system, >> destroying the system of administration, >> destroying national dignity, >> destroying the country's history, >> destroying ethnic identity, and >> destroying the country's economic prosperity. Khairy, who is MP for Rembau, claimed that the opposition coalition will destroy the current democratic and administration system led by Barisan Nasional (BN), partly due to its inability to reach a consensus on certain issues, namely on hudud. "Imagine what will happen to the administration of law in this country under the Pakatan rule. "PAS wants to implement hudud, but DAP says hudud 'over my dead body'," he said to cheers from the floor. He also said Pakatan Rakyat is not ready to take over the country's administration as it has yet to even come up with a shadow cabinet. "What they have are three supervisors for one portfolio – three heads, one body," he said in reference to Pakatan Rakyat de-facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. Touching on national dignity, Khairy stressed that Umno and BN have never painted a bad picture of the country's leadership in the eyes of others. "We take pride in the origins of our country, in our achievement and our national symbols. "The opposition's unbridled thirst for power is very different to our culture and attitude as Malaysians with national pride," he charged, before repeating claims that Lim had made disparaging remarks against Johor while on a working visit to Singapore, purportedly in hope of scaring investors away. Khairy also took a swipe at PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu for allegedly distorting history, based on his statements related to the Bukit Kepong incident. "Our most bitter enemies are hailed as heroes, while those who died in defence of our country are insulted," he claimed. Saving his best salvo for last, Khairy rounded up his speech by responding to his counterpart from PKR, Shamsul Iskandar Md Akin's challenge for Umno to amend the constitution and guarantee the rights of Malays to become prime minister. "It is evident that they are unnerved by DAP's dominance in the coalition, even turning to Umno to rescue them," he claimed. Shamsul Iskandar had issued the dare during PKR's 8th National Congress last week, but Anwar later clarified that the statement was taken out of context. Meanwhile, Khairy also touched on the need for youths to become agents of change and spearhead Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak's transformation plans. "If we are slow to transform, the people will not forgive us," he stressed. Earlier, BernamaTV cameraman, the late Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, who was shot and killed while covering a humanitarian mission in Somalia, was honoured with the 2nd "Anugerah Kesatria Terbilang". The award presented by Khairy was accepted by his wife, Norazrina Jaafar.

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