| Pudu project must go to bumiputras Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:42 PM PST By Andrew Nayagam, The Malay Mail KUALA LUMPUR: The government's bumiputra agenda must be followed at all cost — even if it means taxpayers do not get the best deal from development projects. This seems to be the conclusion to the testy Pudu Jail redevelopment issue as project owner, government linked company UDA Holdings Berhad (UDA), has been forced to return to the drawing board to select a bumiputra contractor. The Finance Ministry had mandated UDA to focus solely on bumiputra investors, inciting the ire of UDA chairman Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohammed. Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin said the ministry and government want UDA to drop a foreign contractor hired for the project through a legitimate tender in favour of bumiputra companies. "This is where UDA's role is critical and the government's mandate must be followed," he said. "The government hopes for more bumiputras to be involved in redeveloping the city and we want to help them. Pudu Jail is one of the projects we are looking at. The bumiputra involvement in construction projects in the city is small. We want them to have more of an impact in this area," he said after launching UDA's 40 Years Corporate Stamp and opening the Ancasa Express Hotel in Pudu Sentral here, yesterday. Nur Jazlan told The Malay Mail UDA had been told to make a U-turn and look for bumiputra companies or individuals to breathe new life into the abandoned Pudu Jail and transform it into a commercial and transport hub. "This is despite receiving surefire profit-making proposal by four foreign companies," he said, taking a swipe at the ministry for rejecting an "excellent proposal" presented by a China-based company, Everbright Ltd, which had offered RM2.9 billion in building costs with projected annual returns of at least RM300 million to RM400 million. "Despite Everbright being backed by the Chinese government and with reserves of US$1.3b (RM4b), the offer was rejected and UDA was directed to look for bumiputra investors," he said. Nur Jazlan said bumiputra companies did not have the financial means of foreign companies. "Not many bumiputra companies are as big as UDA. There's a high chance those companies will be bailed out halfway," he said, adding UDA posted profits of RM40m this year with RM1b in assets. When asked if he felt his power as chairman had been undermined by the ministry, Nur Jazlan said: "My hands are tied. I cannot do anything about it. I'm forced to follow." It was learnt 15 companies had bid for the project on the 19.7 acre site. Of the five shortlisted, the sole bumiputra company was a construction company linked to an Umno politician. |
| Cleaning up not only about removing the dead, EC told Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:38 PM PST (Harakah Daily) - PAS's vocal Youth wing has reminded the Election Commission that electoral reforms were not limited to only removing names of deceased voters in the electoral rolls. The wing's head Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi stressed that a clean, fair and transparent election could only take place when there was a high sense of commitment from the ruling government for electoral reforms, including allowing the opposition and dissenting views airtime over national television. "It starts with the freedom for political parties to campaign without being restricted by mind-boggling laws against the spirit of democracy such as being practised by UMNO," Nasrudin said in a statement to Harakahdaily, and cited the existence of draconian laws such as the newly passed Peaceful Assembly bill, Official Secret Acts, Universities and University Colleges Act and the Internal Security Act. Yesterday, EC deputy chief Wan Ahmad Wan Omar (left) said the Commission was working with the National Registration Department to remove from the rolls the names of people who have died. In response to Wan Ahmad's guarantee that Malaysia would see the 'most up-to-date electoral rolls' for the 13th general election, Nasrudin called for more effort to clean up the electoral rolls besides working with the NRD. According to Nasrudin, the EC must also clean up overlapping voters with identical and suspicious names, as well as those with identical Mykad numbers, and other instances revealed by PAS Youth this year. "EC must also give guarantee that they will also clean up the election process so that it will not create doubts and suspicion to ensure transparency and fairness in election. Among others, the use of indelible ink and the abolishment of postal voting," he added. |
| EC, the ‘democracy killer’ Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:33 PM PST By Selena Tay, FMT Our vote is very important and there's no measure of its worth. To illustrate this point further, here is how in 1969 MCA's late Tan Siew Sin campaigned for votes in the parliamentary seat of Bangsar by saying that there was no point whatsoever in voting for the Opposition (DAP's Goh Hock Guan). "The ordinary voter should remember that while a bigger opposition is all right in theory, in practice it means that those voters represented by opposition members will suffer, and suffer hideously, merely to enjoy the luxury of having someone there in Parliament scolding the government on their behalf," he said. The above quotation is taken from the bestseller by Dr Kua Kia Soong entitled "May 13" which was published in 2007. Knowing how precious each vote is, it is therefore not surprising that in order to win every general election, Barisan Nasional goes about soliciting votes by fair means or foul. Thus, it is of utmost importance to ensure that all the 10 recommendations proposed by the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) for electoral reform are implemented before the 13th general election takes place. Otherwise, the PSC is just a sham to con the public. However, these 10 proposals do not quite resemble Bersih 2.0′s demands except for the proposal to use indelible ink and the proposal to clean up the electoral rolls. As for the postal ballot, now it will be called "Advance Voting" but the essence is still the same, it is only the terminology that differs. Listed below are Bersih 2.0′s eight demands: - Clean-up of the electoral roll
- Use of indelible ink
- Reform the postal ballot
- Minimum of 21 days campaign period
- Free and fair access to the media
- Strengthen public institutions
- Stop corruption
- Stop dirty politics
BN's greatest weapon What is more important is that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is silent on whether the polls will be held before the electoral reforms are implemented. This means that the polls can be called before the reforms take place. The prime minister is known to have lied before and he must not be allowed to dupe the public as he has so often done so in the past. The prime minister is one slippery character and those members of the public who have wised up to his tricks must watch him like a hawk to ensure that he does not employ any dubious tricks to pull the wool over the eyes of those who are gullible. DAP's Rasah MP Anthony Loke has highlighted cases of army voters in Negri Sembilan who have the same name and date of birth but using two different forms of identification (MyKad as well as the army registration number) in the voter roll. This will enable the said army man to vote twice in two different polling centres and thus he has two votes. Those undetected cases could be massive and this blatant abuse of the voting process by the armed forces personnel is tantamount to the destruction of democracy. Another suspicious account of hanky-panky in the Election Commission (EC) is in Lembah Pantai, the parliamentary seat of PKR's Nurul Izzah. On Sept 26, 2011, there were 149 registered postal voters but on Nov 2, 2011, the figure shot up to 2,180 postal voters (an increase of 1,363%)! Not only that but in Kampung Haji Abdullah Hukum where all the residents have moved out and the kampung is no longer in existence, the number of voters have increased from 3,204 to 3,300. Amazing indeed! There are many names in Nurul's constituency without address and these no doubt are phantom voters. Who is creating the names and MyKad numbers out of the blue? What is going on? In addition, there are unconfirmed reports that at least 200,000 dubious voters have been added to the voter rolls (at least 70,000 in Selangor and more than 50,000 in Penang)! If so, then not only will Pakatan Rakyat lose badly, Pakatan will be wiped out for sure! READ MORE HERE. |
| KL property investment ranking slips in new survey Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:32 PM PST By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider Kuala Lumpur's property outlook will continue to slide in 2012 while Singapore remains the most attractive Asia Pacific city for real estate investors, according to an Urban Land Institute (ULI) report. Kuala Lumpur's investment prospects slipped one spot to 16th out of 21 Asian cities tracked going into next year while development prospects dropped three places, also to 16th, the "Emerging Trends in Real Estate Asia Pacific 2012" outlook released yesterday said. Singapore topped the list despite a less positive environment and falling yields this year, and was the only city besides Shanghai considered to have "generally good" development prospects. Buying sentiment was stronger in Kuala Lumpur for retail and industrial property than in Singapore while the reverse was true for office, apartment and hotel property. The largest group of experts polled for the report recommended a hold on all property sectors in Kuala Lumpur next year, while a "sizable minority" backed acquisitions in all areas. "Construction financing (for Kuala Lumpur) might remain more limited as global economic concerned continue to linger," the report added. "However, government plans are in place to improve infrastructure over the coming years — always a boost for commercial real estate." It also said that despite recent declines investors still saw Malaysia's capital as "an emerging city of interest", noting that properties in the city were valued at one-fifth that of comparable properties in Singapore. Investors also predicted bullish growth in Malaysia, with the report predicting that national GDP growth would remain at five per cent or above through to 2015. READ MORE HERE. |
| Act fast on Alstom bribery scandal probe, TI-M tells MACC Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:30 PM PST By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) today urged national anti-graft officials to work with Swiss authorities and to act quickly in the latest bribery scandal to arrest Malaysia's corruption perception slide. In a statement today, TI-M president Datuk Paul Low raised the questionable business dealings of French engineering giant Alstom in the country and called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) "to leave no stone unturned" in investigating if there were such corrupt practices as alleged. It noted Alstom was fined €31 million (RM 130 million) by the Swiss Attorney General for failing to implement proper controls to prevent bribery in Malaysia, Latvia and Tunisia relating to payments to middlemen to secure government contracts to build power plants. "Given the continued slide in Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index ranking and score as shown in the 2011 results released last week, it is crucial that all efforts are made to address any allegations of corrupt practices immediately," Low said. He added that the commission must be allowed to conduct their investigations without fear or favour, and said any party that breached the MACC Act must be dealt with transparently in accordance with the law. Yesterday, scandal-hit Alstom denied it bribed an Umno veteran for a power plant project in Perlis as alleged. The French firm also declined comment when asked to confirm if its Malaysian executives were being investigated by national anti-graft officials over its connections to Tenaga Perlis Consortium (TTPC), a local company partly controlled by Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Pawanteh. In responding to The Malaysian Insider, Alstom maintained its stand that reported financial improprieties in its business dealings here were one of three isolated cases and were not the result of a "systematic bribery" endorsed by the company. "As underlined in the Swiss Attorney's conclusions, Malaysia is one of the cases where the company has been a victim of the misconduct of its employees," Beverly Ho, Alstom Malaysia's communications manager said in an email reply yesterday. It stressed that the company was fined by Swiss authorities for "corporate negligence in the past, not for having organised a corruption scheme". Abdul Hamid, a former Perlis mentri besar and Dewan Negara president who was reported to be directly implicated in Alstom's indictment for bribery in securing foreign contracts, also denied accepting monies. "I wish to categorically state that the allegations contained in the above report are totally baseless and malicious," Abdul Hamid said in a statement to The Malaysian Insider two days ago. He stressed that the company's board of directors, including Ti Chee Liang who was named in the Swiss court papers, did not receive "7.5 million Swiss francs (RM25.5 million) to help Alstom Malaysia secure a contract to build a power plant in Perlis in late 1995". The politician also disclosed that he was unaware of ongoing investigations into Alstom Malaysia by the Swiss authorities. "To date, I have not been notified or called by them to make any statements or provide any details. I am shocked that the Swiss authorities have accused Ti and me of wrongdoings, financial or otherwise. READ MORE HERE. |
| With Selangor award, Utusan paints Hasan as PAS-Umno matchmaker Posted: 06 Dec 2011 01:28 PM PST By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia said today that former PAS state commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Ali's "Datuk Paduka" title award in conjunction with the Sultan Selangor's birthday this weekend will play a role in "marrying" Umno and PAS. Assistant Chief Editor Datuk Zaini Hassan, writing in his weekly column, said he was informed the Sultan recognises Hasan's role and saw him as a unifying factor for the Malays in Selangor. "In Selangor, the Dr Hasan factor is very important. His followers in PAS (who share the same views) are large in numbers. His influence among Malay civil servants in Selangor is also significant. "Both factors had given Dr Hasan advantages to bring about changes. Dr Hasan is able to make that marriage happen in order to uphold the sanctity of Islam and the wholeness of the Malays in Selangor. Selangor needs to be saved," Zaini said. He also pointed out that Hasan is the only Selangor executive councillor to receive the state medal from the Sultan, claiming he will be given the "Datuk Paduka Mahkota Selangor" title. This comes on the heels of the Umno general assembly last week pronouncing that PAS cannot supplant Umno as the political guardians of the Malay community. Then, Umno also took to accusing DAP leaders of marginalising Malays in Pakatan Rakyat states and challenging the sanctity of Islam as the country's "official religion". Hasan, who is in charge of the state's Islamic affairs portfolio, previously defended a raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church in August, claiming there was proselytisation of Muslims on the premises. Widely seen as a religious conservative, Hasan has been at odds with the ruling PR state government's seemingly liberal policies on several occasions, most notably his push for a beer sale ban in the country's most developed state earlier this year. READ MORE HERE. |
| Striving for equal though separate in Malaysia Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:17 AM PST An election is coming in Malaysia. The Prime Minister, Najib Razak, was quoted a few days ago urging Malaysians to go beyond tolerance to acceptance. It was a fine thought, though it came with a statement that the Malay preferences shall remain. Najib has also ended a state of emergency, which has allowed detention without trial. He has done this because he wants to win the coming election. By Bruce Ramsey, The Seattle Times It was a sultry November evening in Kuala Lumpur, and Rehman Rashid was explaining the contradictions of Malaysia. "Homosexuality is illegal here," he said. "But sitting behind me is not a woman." I craned my neck. A cross-dresser in an Islam-majority state. Rashid chuckled. His country is not always what it seems. The former columnist for the New Straits Times and author of "A Malaysian Journey" was explaining his country's contradictions, including the "national myth," he said, of racial unity. Malaysia is mainly peopled by Malays, Chinese, and Indians. All over Malaysia are billboards showing a child of each group with the slogan, "1 Malaysia." Americans would recognize the message instantly: E Pluribus Unum. From many, one. But Malaysia has also had 40 years of affirmative action, in which the state favors Malays in jobs and the use of the Malay language. The aim of this policy is to close the gap in wealth with the Chinese. It was a large gap when the policy started, because the Chinese were an urban, commercial people. The Malays were farmers — "a gentle, tractable people," Rashid says in his book. They are different peoples. "The Malay wants to work so that he can live and pray and go to heaven," Rashid told me. "The Chinese works as long as he breathes." The preference policy has boosted the Malays, though a Malay lawyer told me that the rich ones have taken the most advantage of it. As a young beneficiary of the policy, Rashid resented it. He felt it undercut his achievements, and he says now that the Malays have become dependent on it. How do you end a policy like that? You have a political fight. An election is coming in Malaysia. The Prime Minister, Najib Razak, was quoted a few days ago urging Malaysians to go beyond tolerance to acceptance. It was a fine thought, though it came with a statement that the Malay preferences shall remain. Najib has also ended a state of emergency, which has allowed detention without trial. He has done this because he wants to win the coming election. Since independence in 1957, essentially the same coalition has run Malaysia's government. It has held to power partly by appealing to racial solidarity and fear of chaos, partly by muzzling the opposition and partly by taking credit for Malaysia's economic success. That success is real. Still there are issues to be settled. The opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, heads a party that wants a race-neutral policy. His party made big gains in the 2008 elections and hopes for more. The government has charged Anwar with sodomy. It did this before and convicted him, also at a politically opportune time. I asked Rashid whether the charge is true. He shrugged: How would you know? What he did know, he said, was that in Malaysia, where the three races have kept their separate languages, religions, political parties and primary schools, E Pluribus Unum is not going to happen. After years of writing about the issue, he has concluded that even with a policy of race neutrality, which he favors, some degree of separatism is necessary for social peace. For example, pork. The Malays, who are Muslim, have conceded the right of the Chinese to raise pigs and eat pork — "and it is a very great concession," he said. But as a result, he said,. "We cannot eat off the same plates. We know that." |
| New Causeway toll likely fodder for Pakatan in Johor Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:12 AM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider A new toll for the Causeway next year making it six times as expensive for roundtrips between Johor Baru and Singapore is set to be a major election issue in the Umno bastion and birthplace of Johor. The Malaysian Insider understands project owner Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) has proposed a RM9.10 toll in each direction for passenger vehicles using its RM1 billion Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL) highway from the Causeway to the immigration post. However, the Umno-linked company is using an open toll system that charges the full fare at the new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) checkpoint regardless of where motorists exit or enter the highway — the latest facility for the ambitious Iskandar zone that celebrates its five-year anniversary this weekend. The rest of the 8.1km stretch leading to the Pandan interchange of the North-South Highway will be free to local motorists. With Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak set to call a general election soon, sources said Putrajaya may be forced to delay or subsidise the toll that could be up to six times the current charge for roundtrips across the one kilometre bridge spanning both countries. MRCB officials briefed the media and local stakeholders yesterday ahead of plans to launch the highway and tollbooths built at the CIQ complex in the first quarter of 2012. The Malaysian Insider also learnt that local business leaders were concerned that, with the new CIQ already taking Singaporean tourists away from downturn Johor Baru, the EDL will see them skip the more inland Tebrau area as well. Taxi drivers also called for an exemption as it would otherwise be unfeasible to ferry passengers across the Causeway. When contacted by The Malaysian Insider, an MRCB spokesman said "we cannot comment on the toll because that is up to the government." However, the spokesman confirmed that toll will be levied on vehicles heading in both directions across the Causeway but local motorists within Johor be able to use the EDL free of charge. "MRCB insists it won't be major election issue but they refuse to make any statement on pricing. It will be suicide for the government to introduce the toll before elections," a source close to the project told The Malaysian Insider. Over 50,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily, mostly Malaysians living in and around the state capital who commute to the island republic to work. Johor Baru's economy is also heavily reliant on Singaporeans who cross the Straits of Johor to enjoy cheaper prices there. Putrajaya set up the Iskandar zone five years ago to turn Johor Baru and its surrounding region into an economic growth area catering to the spillover from Singapore. Cars and lorries exiting Singapore and heading into Johor now pay RM2.90 and RM5.50 respectively to use the bridge while motorcycles, which make up more than half of traffic across the Causeway, are exempt from the toll. Singapore's Straits Times reported in 2008 that the toll charges for the EDL will range from RM6.20 for passenger vehicles to RM12.40 for lorries entering Malaysia. But with commuters being charged the combined fare in both directions, roundtrips on the 88-year-old bridge will cost five times more. The English-language daily reported that rates will be raised every three years of the 30-year concession and will peak at RM14.60 for passenger vehicles and RM29.20 for lorries. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia backsliding in graft war, says Kit Siang Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:11 AM PST By Lisa J Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider Malaysia is losing ground in the fight against graft and risks slipping behind China, infamous for its endemic corruption, DAP's Lim Kit Siang warned today. Lim was responding to a report released by Transparency International (TI), in which Malaysia's Corruption Perception Index (CPI) dropped for the third year running — slipping to 4.3 this year — leaving it in 60th place out of 183 countries, compared with 37th when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in 2003. "Other countries which had been down on the list of the TI CPI ranking are fast catching up while Malaysia is fast falling down," Lim said today in a statement, citing China in particular. "At the annual average rate of China's improvement and Malaysia's regression... China will not only catch up but will leave Malaysia behind... In the matter of four years," he added. Lim said the 1 Malaysia Government Transformation Plan Roadmap under the ruling government released in January 2010 admitted that the perception of corrupt practices in Malaysia had risen in recent years, adding that the target was to increase "our CPI score from 4.5 to 4.9" by 2010. "The anti-corruption NKRA target was another colossal failure... Malaysia's CPI score for three years from 2009 to 2011 was 4.5, 4.4, 4.3 — all three the lowest scores ever registered in Malaysia," he said. "This is most deplorable... There must be change of federal government in the next general elections as only a Pakatan Rakyat government in Putrajaya will have the political will to carry out a serious, committed and uncompromising anti-corruption programme," he added |
| RCI for Sabah now, not after polls Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:08 AM PST By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: An opposition MP has warned Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak not to delay setting up the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate claims that citizenship was given to foreigners in exchange for their votes. Sepanggar MP Eric Majimbun said Najib must resolve the long standing issue of the almost two million illegal immigrants in Sabah, their citizenship and Project IC scheme. The alleged scheme was set up to change the electoral composition of the state along communal lines. "Those culprits who are involved in Project IC should be brought to justice according to the existing laws, as these people are the traitors of the country and Sabah in particular," he said. He said to allow the next general election to be called without investigating the allegations would be perpetuating a fraud. "To go ahead and call for the 13th general election without investigating the issues would call into question the election itself,"added. Majimbun stressed that an impartial investigation was crucial to help clean the much-maligned electoral rolls, in line with Najib's pledge to push through electoral reforms. "If the government can allow the establishment of RCI to probe individual-related issues like that of Teoh Beng Hock's mysterious death and that of a lawyer like VK Linggam, why can't the same be done to resolve the perennial issue of the presence of hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants who have obtained the MyKad through dubious means like the Project IC, which is threatening the sovereignty of Sabah and affecting the well-being of its people?" he asked. Majimbun also challenged Umno and the Chief Minister Musa Aman as the chairman of Sabah Barisan Nasional and the State Security Council to take a stand on the call for the establishment of the RCI on the matter. Only Umno against RCI The outspoken MP denied Musa's allegations that the opposition were 'merely capitalizing' on the RCI to score political points. "We are not capitalizing on the RCI. This is not about scoring political points. Project IC is an irresponsible and unreasonable act. "It is the Umno leaders who are playing politics regardless of the outcome for Sabah and its people. "(Notice how) none of the Sabah delegates who spoke in the recent Umno annual general assembly had supported the calls for the setting up of the RCI. "Whereas almost all political parties in Sabah including several component parties of Barisan Nasional (except Umno) too have expressed their support demanding for the establishment of the RCI by the federal government, " said Majimbun who is also Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president. READ MORE HERE. |
| Heat over satellite dish crackdown in Sabah Posted: 06 Dec 2011 11:06 AM PST By Azman Habu, FMT TAWAU: The seizure of 193 satellite dishes around Sabah by the Customs Department has drawn into the spotlight the federal government's continued bias towards KL-based satellite service provider Astro and its victimizing of Sabahans. Deputy Chief Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai as well as several senior opposition leaders, in voicing their shock, have also branded the seizures as "ridiculous". "After all we are subscribing to the Prime Minister's 'People First Performance Now' dictum," he said after making known his unhappiness with federal government's continued policy of not allowing people to use parabolic satellite dishes. The state Customs Department announced over the weekend it had launched crackdown on the use of unapproved satellite dishes last month under Customs Act 1967. Those caught in possession are liable to a fine of not less than 10 times the value of the seized items or imprisonment of up to three years or both. A total of 64 dishes were confiscated from residences in the districts of Beaufort, Papar, Kota Kinabalu, 76 in Keningau and Tambunan and 48 in Tawau, department deputy director Hamzah Sundang said on Saturday. Each dish costs between RM300 to RM500 making the total seizures worth about RM200,000. Yee, who is also Sabah Resource Development and Information Technology Minister, said it was absurd that the use of such dishes was still banned in a borderless world. "We should accept the fact that the world is getting smaller. For a runner, for example, they cannot be asked to use only one type of shoes. We cannot allow a monopoly," he told the reporters here. Astro monopoly criticized He said preventing people from using any satellite dishes apart from those supplied by Astro did not make sense and was also a monopolistic exercise condoned by the government. Yee said that the rational for not allowing the public to use such dishes in the past was because the federal government wanted to control information. "But now people can access information from anywhere," he said, adding that disallowing the use of satellite dishes "is like the ostrich burying its head in the sand … it is not tenable and against the interests of the nation." Sabah DAP leader Jimmy Wong also slammed the seizures as an affront to freedom of information. He said there was nothing wrong in people buying parabolic dishes as they are doing what the government wants them to tap on more information to gain more knowledge and achieve the government's vision of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. "Parabolic dishes are cheap and can help people gather three to four times more information than is available. In China there are more than 100 stations. "The government should get rid of the policy prohibiting the people from using these dishes," he said. He also criticized the monopoly held by Astro. "At the moment we are only limited to Astro … there is no competition, a total monopoly. "If the government really means the words – 'People First' – the government should be open to other satellite channel providers, just like the many cellular phone companies. READ MORE HERE. |
| Court sets Dec 12 and 13 for sodomy trial submissions Posted: 06 Dec 2011 09:31 AM PST (Bernama) -- The High Court here has set new dates, Dec 12 and 13, for submissions at the end of the defence case of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's sodomy trial. Justice Datuk Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah set the dates after meeting both the prosecution and defence teams in his chambers on Tuesday after Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh wrote to the court this morning requesting the matter be postponed to Monday.
Karpal when met at the court complex, said Mohamd Zabidin had vacated the Dec 8 and 9 dates earlier set by the court.
"The judge allowed our application after strong objection from the prosecution where DPP Wong (Wong Keng Kiat) had contended that enough time was given to the defence and there was no valid reason for further extension," added Karpal.
However, he said, the defence needed some time, especially to transcribe the notes of the proceedings involving two expert witnesses from Australia.
They were DNA expert Dr Brian Leslie McDonald and forensic expert Dr David Lawrence Noel Wells.
This was the third time that new dates were set by the court, the first being for Nov 23 and 24 after the defence requested for extension of time to file their submissions, stating they would not be able to complete transcribing the notes of the proceedings on time.
Anwar, 64, claimed trial to a charge of committing carnal intercourse against the order of nature at Desa Damansara Condominium in Bukit Damansara between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008. |
| India is a democracy and it will grow too Posted: 06 Dec 2011 09:27 AM PST THE ASIAN AGE There is no evidence to indicate that the presence or the absence of democracy in a country is directly correlated to economic growth in the broadest sense of the term Once upon a time in the not-too-distant past, this correspondent admired medical doctor Mahathir Mohamad who was the longest serving Prime Minister of Malaysia for 22 years. Not any longer. Not after his stupid — yes, there is no other word more appropriate — remarks on democracy and development while speaking in New Delhi on December 2. He may be described as the architect of modern Malaysia and a man under whose stewardship, this southeast Asian country became an economic powerhouse. But, at the age of 86, the doctor seems to have clearly lost the plot. Most visitors to Kuala Lumpur are greatly impressed by its environs, its famous twin skyscrapers, the Petronas Towers, not to mention the apparently super-efficient manner in which everything seems to be administered. Unlike the chaos and anarchy that any visitor encounters on Indian streets, Kuala Lumpur is an orderly study in contrast. During a visit to that country more than two decades ago in 1990, one met a person of Indian origin, a humble waiter named after Subhash Chandra Bose, who mentioned to me that Malaysia's tranquil surface was deceptive, that the country's leadership was not just paternalistic but authoritarian and, what is worse, also racist. When I reproduced his views in an article published here, a representative of the Malaysian high commission was most upset at what I had written and wrote an angry rejoinder to the editor of the magazine that had employed me. Malaysia has indeed become more economically affluent, but its Bhumiputra (or "sons of the soil") policy is clearly biased in favour of the influential Malay community to the exclusion of others (including Indians of Tamil origin). For decades, Dr Mahathir and his followers have ruthlessly suppressed voices of dissent within his own political party and in the Opposition. Even then, one could not help but admire a man who spoke in such an articulate manner at international conferences about the manner in which the developed West had exploited the developing East. One thought he had become more than a worthy successor of India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, his daughter and her son, all of whom had ranted against the depredations that decisions by governments in advanced capitalist societies inflicted on the poorer parts of the planet we live in. Dr Mahathir's famous fulminations came as a refreshing breath of fresh air at a time when India's political leaders were bending over backwards to appease the North and who had made "non-alignment" a dirty phrase in popular discourse. Malaysia's former Prime Minister, on the other hand, was an outspoken critic of American policies although the US was Malaysia's biggest trading partner, foreign investor and provider of military training. It is said that in 1998, the then US vice-president, Al Gore, left an international conference of the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference held in Kuala Lumpur in a huff after Dr Mahathir sarcastically remarked that "among nations suffering economic crises, we continue to hear calls for democracy, calls for reform, in many languages…" (This was a time when Dr Mahathir had clamped down hard on Anwar Ibrahim, his one-time deputy who became his bitter political opponent.) READ MORE HERE |
| Confirmed ... Incompetent Clueless Khazanah to cannibalise MAS for Tony F Posted: 06 Dec 2011 08:33 AM PST ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL Jebat Must Die is bombarding Khazanah CEO, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar for his incompetence. Read here and here. Yesterday afternon, a close friend of mine came to visit. This friend used to work for someone who was together with Azman and Dato Danny Yusof in Binafikir. He said: "Gathering from my conversation with him, Azman is just an analyst and talks like a researcher. Danny just a geeky accountant.
Both know nuts about running company operations and managing businesses. They have no idea how to develop business. They only know financial restructuring.
That is why they can't turnaround companies. Khazanah's failed to do strategic investment. Agro-business ventures failed. There is no way this people can turnaround MAS. " Adding to that, this blogger had been told by a high level source that the Wide Unbundling of Asset proposal (WAU) by Binafikir was never their's.
The source claimed the WAU proposal was almost a carbon copy of a proposal given to the then Minister of Finance, Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim sometimes in mid-90s but was rejected.
 One can suspiciously speculate that Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakcop may have got hold of the proposal and extended a copy to them. Azman, Danny, Khazanah and some of the Tingkat 4 are Nor Yakcop's corporate boys.
However, the source claimed that the difference between Binafikir's WAU proposal and the received proposal is that the received proposal will not cost the Government any money and could develop the Malaysian aviation industry into a serious regional player.
Unfortunately, Anwar Ibrahim was too dumb to understand the proposal.
And that opportunity have by-passed us. Azman and Danny made money selling Binafikir to Maybank who had no reason to buy with Aseambanker in their fold. Something smells when Danny left Binafikir after only a year.
Whether it is true or false, why reveal this now? It sounds vindictive and personal.
Off course, there is a timing to everything. The reason being the Khazanah people have not being honest in their dealing and conduct of the MAS and Air Asia share swap.
Over the years, their capability to turnaround MAS should have been seriously questioned. If they can't do it, pass it to Airliners. Not geeky accountants. Not analysts. Not flamboyant salesman. Not IPP operator. Not bankers. Not Butcher from Shell.
But they refused.
It is as though they have something to hide. For sure, Nor Mohamad Yakcop has lots of ex-to-grind against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and he would love to see MAS exist no more to hide his sordid past at Bank Negara, MAS and Naluri. READ MORE HERE |
| Is the Deputy IGP whitewashing a misappropriation? Posted: 06 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST From the allegations, it would appear that there has been blatant abuse and mismanagement of public funds suggesting corruption. This overwhelming and glaring evidence cannot be simply overlooked or covered-up or pushed under the carpet. P. Ramakrishnan, The Malaysian Insider Thinking Malaysians are perturbed by the unbecoming conduct of the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Khalid Abu Bakar. He was clearly trying to cover up for the Umno Wanita leader Shahrizat Jalil during the Umno General Assembly. Shahrizat is under intense scrutiny over the scandalous beef-breeding project, which was undertaken by her husband through their company, National Feedlot Corporation (NFC), with a soft-loan of RM250 million from the government. Following the Auditor-General's damning disclosure that this project is in a "mess", many startling and disturbing "fishy" details have been unearthed by the Opposition. All these allegations of impropriety involve funds meant for a national livestock project to provide a cheap supply of beef to Malaysians. From the allegations, it would appear that there has been blatant abuse and mismanagement of public funds suggesting corruption. This overwhelming and glaring evidence cannot be simply overlooked or covered-up or pushed under the carpet. Khalid's contention that "investigations have so far not revealed any element of corruption in the RM250 million NFC" debacle is far-fetched, absolutely without merit and cannot be believed. It has been alleged in no uncertain terms with regard to the abuse of the funds: • That Shahrizat's family bought two super luxury condos in Bangsar for RM6.9 million each; • That RM3 million discount was given to a family-owned company; • That RM3.3 million was used to buy a Mercedes CLS350 and residential land in Putrajaya; • That half a million was channelled to a family firm in Singapore; • That huge sums of money were paid to a tour agency for family "holidays"; • That the loan was released even before the agreement was signed. The above allegations clearly establish that the money was not used for the purpose the loan was granted. That being the case, evidently the money was mismanaged and misappropriated, suggesting wrong-doing. Is it possible that this aspect of the abuse of the loan could have gone unnoticed and without being investigated? Didn't alarm bells ring while the investigation was ongoing? READ MORE HERE |
| Taib not properly appointed as CM Posted: 06 Dec 2011 08:13 AM PST Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud flouted every constitutional rule when he rushed his 'confirmation' at 10.30pm immediately after the April 16 polls. No doubt the democratic law recognises that a party which commands the most number of seats has the right to form the government. However, it does not state who, among the majority members of the legislature, should be selected to head a government. Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today In a democratic system, after a general election is over, the process of forming a government will commence. Two standard democratic procedures are involved: the right to form a government based on the law of majority rule; and the power and functions of the legislature. The universal democratic law of majority rule recognises that whichever political party or association of parties obtain (s) the majority of the seats in the general election will have the right to form a government. Hence, a political party or an association of political parties that win (s) more than half of the total legislative seats will proceed to form a government. This is the democratic rule as practised by all democratic countries. Then comes the legislature which is one of the three branches of government, with each having its own independent function. The legislature is the supreme (legal ) authority in the country, which has the power to make and pass laws. It has a say in the appointment of the chief executive of the government, who will then proceed to form the Cabinet. In the event the chief executive ceases to command the confidence of a majority of the legislators, Parliament or the State Legislative Assembly has the power to direct the chief executive to tender his resignation or that of his entire Cabinet. The executive government is directly answerable to the House in matters concerning the state budget, its policies, duties and responsibilities to the state and people and the practice of good governance. False belief For too long the people were led to believe that the three branches of government – the Legislative, the Executive and the Judicial – are independent of one another. This is a false belief. In this democratic system of government, the executive or Cabinet is subservient to Parliament or the State Legislative Assembly. The Parliament is the body that makes and passes the nation's laws including the Federal Constitution, which will then be executed by the executive and these will constitute the body of laws of the judiciary. In Sarawak, the State Legislative Assembly formulates and passes laws known as the Ordinances as stated in Article 26 of the state constitution. No doubt the democratic law recognises that a party which commands the most number of seats has the right to form the government. However, it does not state who, among the majority members of the legislature, should be selected to head a government. A majority vote of the members of the legislature will decide who should lead the government. For the state, the authority is vested in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) as stated in Article 6 of the state constitution. The state assembly has the jurisdiction to appoint the head of government as well as to remove him and his entire Cabinet through the democratric process of motion of loss of confidence in accordance with Article 7. Whoever is elected to the post of the chief executive of the government by the majority votes of the legislators will then become the prime minister or chief minister of the country or state accordingly. Legislators must select CM Only with this democratic right and power can the said parliamentarian or state assemblyman command the confidence of the majority of the members. Hence, winning a majority of the seats in the election is different from commanding the confidence of a majority of the members of Parliament or DUN. In some democratic countries such as Thailand, the appointment of the prime minister has to go through this standard democratic procedure to ensure that the most able and acceptable member chosen by Parliament, will lead the government . This procedure is not biased towards a party that wins the majority of seats because in most cases the party with the most seats will likely appoint its party leader as the chief executive, and the composition of the Cabinet will mainly come from the same party. What is good in this procedure is that the chances of the majority party abusing its power can be minimised or averted by letting the majority of the lawmakers (including the opposition) decide who is the best person to lead the government. This procedure provides for a check-and-balance mechanism in the House to ensure the practice of good governance. The leader of a party or parties which has won a majority of seats in the state election, may not automatically be accepted as the chief executive of the government in the DUN. He must prove that he actually commands a majority of the DUN. Power of the legislature This is because members elected to the DUN also consist of the opposition. Though members of the Barisan National (BN) coalition, some among them and the opposition may not agree to the automatic appointment of a particular leader of the party as the chief minister. In the case of Sarawak, the president of Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), who is also the state BN chairman, cannot appoint himself as the chief minister in the DUN. The right procedure is to put it to the vote. The House will then elect one of the lawmakers nominated by the House to the post of the chief minister. Whoever is chosen by a majority votes among the contesting members of the House will then be declared as the chief minister. His command of the majority is vital because this is to ensure the most able and accepted member will lead the state government. It will also avert the possibility of a vote of no confidence in the chief minister later, which may then destabilise the government. The head of state will accordingly appoint the elected member officially as the chief minister of Sarawak. Malaysians do not realise the extent of the power of the legislature in a true democratic system. The legislature has the final say in the appointment of the chief executive of the government or in his removal or even that of the entire Cabinet. Motion of no confidence
In the event the legislators later have lost confidence in any member of the Cabinet or the chief minister or the whole Cabinet, the former have the power to table a vote of no confidence in any one of the three without the need to hold a general or state election. Then the chief minister has to resign and all the assemblymen have to go though the process of choosing a new chief minister. In the latter case, the government has to resign en bloc and Parliament or DUN has to be dissolved and fresh election called. The introduction of the motion of no-confidence is another check-and-balance mechanism on good governance. The executive government or Cabinet should, by law, be directly answerable to Parliament or DUN for all its duties and responsibilities. It is also answerable to the people The legislative sessions should be regular and frequent in order for the executive government to explain its budgets, progress on development projects, its administrative and economic policies and the implementation of these policies. Since the legislature is a democratic institution, the Speaker has no right and power to stop or suppress the rights of any lawmaker to speak. As a lawmaker is part and parcel of the legislature, the Speaker therefore should not mess around with the rights and power of the opposition lawmakers. These assemblymen can make or break the leader of PBB-BN in the appointment of the chief executive in the DUN. READ MORE HERE |
| Export slump may hit Malaysia growth in 2012, says ADB Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:47 AM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has forecast growth of 4.7 per cent for Malaysia next year, down slightly from 4.8 per cent in 2011, due to a potential slump in exports to the advanced economies of US and Europe. The bank said in its report on Asia macroeconomic development released today that while US economic growth could strengthen somewhat, the euro zone will likely fall into either a brief recession or a more severe long-term downturn. In its assessment of country vulnerabilities, the bank noted that Malaysia's fiscal deficit of over five per cent of GDP last year was higher than several other regional economies such as Thailand (two per cent), Singapore (0.1 per cent) and Indonesia (0.7 per cent). Only Cambodia (six per cent), Brunei (eight per cent) and Vietnam (eight per cent) had higher fiscal deficit ratios. Malaysian government officials have maintained GDP growth projections of between five and six per cent for next year thanks partly to the implementation of projects identified in the Economic Transformation Programme and strong commodity prices which will boost spending in rural areas. Most research houses, however, expect Malaysia to grow between three and five per cent. The World Bank said last month that Malaysia's economy is expected to slow further in the remainder of 2011 and into early 2012 mainly due to a deterioration in the outlook for external demand and expects a growth of 4.9 per cent next year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its September report had forecast a growth of 5.2 per cent this year and 5.1 per cent in 2012 for Malaysia. Malaysia's third quarter growth surpassed expectations to grow at 5.8 per cent thanks to robust domestic demand. A global economic slowdown may also hit oil prices, a commodity which Malaysia relies heavily on. READ MORE HERE |
| Is Shafie Apdal the hidden hand behind KDM Malaysia? Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:27 AM PST SELVARAJA SOMIAH The shadow boxing by certain UMNO politicians using Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) a Barisan National component in Sabah and the Kadazandusun Murut Association Malaysia (KDM Malaysia) may be a precursor to a battle for the gaddi in Kuala Lumpur. Sabahans often accuse their politicians of being short-sighted. Judging by the rhetoric's, lobbying, mudslinging, conniving and scheming by the principal parties, we are actually looking at least as far into the future as the 13th General Elections, parliamentary and state polls, which must be held before 2013. If you ask me the most interesting part of this coming election is the shadow-boxing within the Barisan National in Sabah. Some UMNO leaders in Sabah namely Shafie Apdal is vying for the chief minister's chair– not for today but definitely for tomorrow. It is a bit silly to accuse — as Senator Chin Su Phin the Deputy President of LDP who with his President VK Liew has done — Musa Aman for being 'opportunistic' about the alliance with the Gerakan Party and for appointing Dr Yee Moh Chai of PBS as the new Deputy Chief Minister. To set the record straight, Musa Aman a fair man, has always has been loyal to UMNO and the Barisan National. Musa Aman has stayed loyal and calm despite being accused by all sorts of things by LDP, even the UMNO chaps associated with Shafie Apdal are doing the same, hitting him under the belt. In spite of all these never once has Musa Aman lost his cool. That loyalty — or political necessity — was also strong enough to withstand the disappointments of being accused and attacked by the his own UMNO fellows like Shafie Apdal using proxies like Senator Chin and VK Liew and now even KDM Malaysia trying to undermine him. Of course now after the story about VK Liew's shenanigans with his Rungus staff and the police report in Kota Marudu which came out in Malaysia Today website, things have cool down and now VK Liew is throwing heaps of praises on Musa Aman. Whatever other adjective you may use of Musa Aman he has proved anything but 'opportunistic'. Given this 10-year history why is Shafie Apdal now eyeing Musa Aman so warily? The simple answer is that Shafie Apdal believes that UMNO shall be a real contender for power come the 13th GE. Shafie also believes that, in the absence of a towering figure such as Musa Aman, the leadership of the Sabah BN may be up for grabs. Finally, Shafie Apdal also knows that he is — again Musa Aman apart — probably the most visible face of UMNO Sabah and he thinks and he gives the impression that he has got Najib Tun Razak's blessings to replace Musa Aman. I doubt this very much because Najib Tun Razak openly acknowledges that Musa Aman is doing a fantastic job in Sabah. In the ordinary course of events Musa Aman would probably be the clear front-runner. He is by far the best chief minister Sabah has ever seen, articulate, workaholic and has propelled his state ahead of the rest when it comes to development, and has won every electoral challenge thrown at him — Parliament polls or state assembly polls since taking over in 2003. Now let's look at KDM Malaysia and see how Shafie Apdal's hidden tentacles has come into play. READ MORE HERE |
| Perasaan takut boleh hilang sebentar dengan berbagai-bagai cara Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:24 AM PST ASPAN ALIAS Ada dua orang pembaca setia saya menulis kepada saya untuk saya memberikan komen terhadap cara PM Najib bercakap dengan menjerit dan bertempik di dalam mana-mana majlis kempen beliau. Saya tidak berminat untuk mengomennya kerana dah stail beliau suka bertempik dan menjerit apa yang saya dapat katakan? Tetapi saya hanya hendak membuat satu cerita semasa saya membesar di kampung saya yang jauh dipedalaman semasa itu. Sekarang kampung saya sudah tidak jauh ke pedalaman lagi, malah boleh menembusi perjalanan ke Jelebu, Bahau dan Kuala Pilah dengan senang.
Alhamdulillah, anak-anak kampung saya semuanya ingat kepada jasa ibu bapa yang membesarkan mereka dan semua mereka membantu ibu bapa mereka di kampung yang kesemuanya telah tua-tua belaka. Tidak ada orang-orang tua yang terbiar kerana anak-anak mereka semuanya membela nasib ibu bapa mereka yang sudah uzur. Alhamdulillah.
Tetapi semasa awal enam puluhan dahulu kami sangat jauh dari dunia luar. Api letrik belum sampai ke kampung saya. Jalanraya pun baru tahun '67 baru di bina. Sebelum itu kami hidup dalam kegelapan. Cerita saya ini hanya boleh difahami dengan mudah oleh orang yang hidup di zaman itu dan mempunyai keadaan di kampung mereka yang sama dengan keadaan kampung saya.
Walaupun tidak ada letrik kami berkemampuan berjalan dalam kegelapan kerana sudah biasa dengan keadaan itu. Kehidupan kami seperti biasa. Kalau nak ke surau pun boleh berjalan dalam gelap. Alhamdulillah kami sampai ke mana-mana yang hendak kami tuju. Perasaan takut tidak ada dalam kamus kehidupan kami walaupun perasaan itu datang sekali sekali semasa berjalan di dalam gelap itu. READ MORE HERE |
| Only Airline owners can make money, others are prohibited! Posted: 06 Dec 2011 07:21 AM PST SAKMONGKOL AK47 The above describes the new business model. It attracts many adherents who are mesmerized by Ithe consummate salesman. Only anointed people are allowed to make money. Others must never be allowed. The doubters and cynics are just envious. Maybe closet racists. I see some bloggers are now ganging to demonize Tony F. I support them. But I am also somewhat bemused. Some of these writers met up with Azman Mokhtar and Danny at an appointed place sometime ago. The purpose of the arranged meeting was to allow Azman Mokhtar and Danny explained what they have done. To me it's simple. What they have done is an unpatriotic act to dismember and cannibalize MAS so that AA alone can prosper. While doing that they make money. It was a sting for some people to make tons of money. I was also invited to come. But because of the presence of some right wing and morbid bigots, I declined the invitation. Also, I may have been watching the Godfather movie too many times. I remember the Don saying to his son (played by Pacino) to remember that the first person to arrange a meeting between the Corleone family with the other Mafia families, is the traitor! Some of us are sanctimonious hypocrites about this thing. When Khazanah came out with the idea of aligning shareholders in the infamous share swap we were all singing praises. But some of us were also able to see the end game. I have written a number of articles about this. I even mocked Bung Mokhtar and his friends who lambasted Azman Mokhtar and Tony F but stopped short of mentioning the other member of the troika because he is the brother of the PM. When I last met the banker, I told him directly that he what he was doing is downright unethical. Hamman, the minister during Paharoh's time did consulting work only for the Pharoah. The modern Hamman does consulting work for both Paharoah and Moses. We hunt with the dogs and run with the hare. Despite that, I am not going to take away my admiration that the guy is a workaholic and a good banker. He doesn't shun away from meeting up and explain his actions. Whether the listener chooses to believe or not is a separate matter and is irrelevant to him. But as far as MAS is concerned, I am less merciful about his role. The whole thing, (this slipped from his own mouth) was planned as early as 2 years ago. Where? While rowing on the rivers Cherwell or Thames in Oxford? Vacationing at the Lake Districts? When I asked the Oracle last time about the MAS-AA deal, he immediately said it's an insider trading case. Pure and simple. MAS has to pay more to acquire 10% of AA's share while MAS own shares dropped. Tony F and friend got MAS shares on the cheap. Investors holding AA shares saw their value dropped just after the so called merger. After the transaction was finished, MAS shares got up again. Tony F and Friend then were able to make another round of financial killing when the shares they got cheap, now went up. So when Tony F the consummate marketer and bull-shitter carried out his guerrilla tactics by putting up posters( stickers) all over the place denouncing MAHB's decision to raise airport taxes and so forth- it was actually a simple issue of muscling in. No need to say Tony F bites the finger of his master of whipping the master. These descriptions made his actions looked as a respectable exercise. There was even a more pathetic dog lapping gesture- imploring the CEO of Asia X to please not call us names. We are hurt you know, because we supported Tony F all the way. See? We are starting to cry. The real issue here is this and Azman Mokhtar and his band of financial re engineers countenanced this- that the only people who can make money nowadays in Malaysia are the owners of Air Asia. Other people cannot make money too. I am not going to defend the bosses of MAHB. If they are weak and can't put their foot down, they are not worth defending. If they are inefficient as bosses of GLCs normally are, remove them. Bashir or no Bashir. Give them the boot. They should be let off to greener pastures. Show us la- you have the balls to compete and defend your turf. You have a piece of asset that you can capitalize on- the airport and all the services therein. If you have to invest in the best automated system in baggage handling and all other things such as buying tickets by placing your hand phone over reading-machines, you invest in all these things because you can make people pay for all these conveniences. The problem is you are not using the material between your ears to the fullest. And I am not taking about your bulbous noses! Azman mokhtar will now have a new case to present the PM perhaps through his main backer- the CIMB Boss. Since the people at MAHB don't know how to run airports maybe in the interest of efficiency, we allow Tony F to make his own airport. Or allow his to acquire shares in MAHB. You will complete the vicious circle them. From airlines to airports. Better still- make the airport in a god forsaken place- or a far flung place- Tebedu or Gua Musang, just construct a few shed with zinc roofs and people walk across an open field, no tarmac even, no aerobridges, no baggage handling machines, no cargo handling and everyone can fly. Everyone lugs their baggage and cargo themselves. That will lower costs. The MAHB can make money through baggage fees and cargo handling. While these items stay on the premises of the airports, airport owners have the right to make money. If they raise the fees unnecessarily, the consumers will vote them out. Now, when these are on the planes, the plane owners make money. Here the case is, plane owners can make money and want to, airport owners cannot. Plane owners know baggage fees and cargo handling are significant contributors to the income of their companies. These are even described as gushing streams by Tony F. Maybe in private, they are described as squirting streams. The problem is Tony F doesn't want Malaysian Airports Holdings Bhd to be part of that "gushing stream". Only AA wants monopoly over the squirting sources of revenue. Otherwise plane owners only make money on top of the charges levied by airport owners and Tony F knows that that each cent added to "his" "gushing stream" means an additional burden on passengers who are then likely to revolt against all charges. This could in turn lead to a forced scaling back of charges, causing the "gushing stream" to weaken, possibly to a point where AirAsia cash flows will be adversely affected. When Tony F launches his guerrilla tactics, how are people taking that? Perhaps that feeling is best represented by a short e mail to me, sent by a person using the name of JL. READ MORE HERE |
| Anwar Ibrahim's Dubious Trial Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:34 PM PST Unfortunately, what the evidence has shown most clearly is not that Anwar was guilty or not guilty of having what the government termed "unnatural consensual sex" with his former aide. It is rather that the trial was skewed so badly in the government's favor that the opposition leader demonstrably did not get a fair trial. By John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel After nearly two years of conflicting and often suspect testimony, the so-called Sodomy II trial of opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim is scheduled to finish this week in a Kuala Lumpur High Court, with final summations by both sides.
It is a trial that has been condemned internationally by legal scholars and human rights activists as designed to take Anwar out of Malaysia's political equation.
Political sources in Malaysia have been building several different scenarios. Given the tone of the trial so far, it appears likely that Anwar, the opposition leader of the three-party Pakatan Rakyat, will be convicted despite a vast number of prosecutorial missteps. That would probably make him a martyr in Malaysia because his followers – and many others – believe he is being railroaded into jail on false charges.
Under another scenario, the judge, acting under orders from the government, would declare him not guilty, which would be followed immediately by a prosecutorial appeal, which would keep Anwar embroiled in more months of legal entrapment that diverts time and energy away from leading the three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition. It would also give the Malaysian judiciary a thin tissue of respectability.
A then-24-year-old aide, Mohamad Bukyairy Azlan Saiful, made the charge on June 29, 2008, shortly after Anwar had led Pakatan Rakyat coalition to a historic sweep of five Malaysian states, winning 82 parliamentary seats in 2008 national elections and breaking the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition's two-thirds majority hold on parliament. He was arrested at his home on July 16 of that year, by a contingent of 10 carloads of police commandos and was locked up overnight in a Kuala Lumpur jail.
The trial, which began in February 2010, has been marred by what appear to be egregious prosecutorial errors and a long series of prejudicial rulings by High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohamad Diah. Critics say the proceedings appear certain to once again tarnish Malaysia's reputation in international circles and play a role in destroying whatever confidence there was in the country's legal system. The case has been condemned by the Geneva-based Inter-Parliamentary Union, 60 members of the Australian parliament, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and prominent leaders from Commonwealth nations including Paul Martin of Canada and others.
From the very beginning, when Saiful sought to get doctors to certify that he had been sodomized, doubts began to surface. Saiful first went to a private hospital, where a doctor found no evidence of penetration and told him to go to a government hospital. At the first government hospital, doctors also told him they had found no evidence of tearing or scarring that would have indicated his anus had been penetrated. He was forced to go to a third government hospital where he finally found a physician willing to say the act had taken place.
In the intervening months, as the trial has droned on, an array other doubtful factors have made the case look like it was manufactured to rid the Malaysian political scene of one of its most charismatic figures, and that the country's court system, never regarded as independent since former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad fired the Supreme Court in the 1980s, was bending over backwards to do the government's bidding.
Gordon Trowell, in a report for the Inter-Parliamentary Union, pointed out that the charges had been levied just as Anwar was making a spectacular return to the political scene from a long period in the political wilderness following his first sodomy trial in 1999, when he was jailed for six years on charges that have been universally condemned as rigged.
Mistakes made over DNA samples call into question whether the evidence could survive in a rational court of law. Police officials have testified that Saiful didn't offer to be tested for DNA samples until 56 hours after the alleged incident, and he said he hadn't defecated during those two days, which could have corrupted the sample.
Other testimony indicated that the samples taken from Saiful were kept unguarded in a police office for 43 hours without refrigeration before they were turned over to the laboratory for analysis. Chemists testified that as many as 10 different DNA samples had been found in Saiful's rear, making the whole analysis process suspect.
That any samples could be taken from Anwar is also questionable. Under Malaysian law at the time, suspects could refuse to give DNA samples. However, the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia's parliament, passed a law repealing the consent requirement after Anwar's arrest. In most courts, law cannot be applied retroactively.
Although Anwar refused to give a DNA sample, items issued to him during his overnight stay in jail were analyzed and a sample was found. Zabidin in March handed Anwar a major victory by throwing out the purported DNA evidence because it had been taken without his permission. However, a week later, after the prosecution demanded it, Zabidin reversed himself and said the evidence could after all be entered into the court despite the retroactive nature of the law.
Then there is the series of meetings that Saiful has acknowledged in court, at the home of then-Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, on June 24, 2008, two days before the alleged sodomy took place and others with Rosmah's close confidant, the former track star Mumtaz Jaafar, as well.
Saiful also acknowledged meeting secretly twice with Rodwan Mohd Yusof, a senior assistant police commissioner, before the alleged offence took place. Rodwan became famous, or infamous, in Anwar's 1998 Sodomy I trial when he illegally removed Anwar's DNA samples from forensic custody and planted them on a mattress allegedly used by Anwar for a homosexual dalliance. To protect the integrity of the prosecution's case, the presiding judge, Augustine Paul, expunged the entire DNA evidence at the time.
There is also the question of entrapment. Saiful testified that on the day in question he had taken lubricant with him to Anwar's condominium – hardly the act of an innocent aide who had no idea that the then 63-year-old Anwar was about to jump him for unnatural sex. Surveillance cameras in filmed the former aide in a lift in the building but Anwar said he was having a meeting with a group of economists at the time Saiful allegedly showed up.
READ MORE HERE. |
| 'CCM being abused to prop up Isa' Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:28 PM PST (Harakah Daily) - Felda Settlers' Children Association (ANAK) is claiming that the Federal government is involved in the manipulation of Felda's cooperative wing Koperasi Permodalan Felda (KPF), including in the controversial appointment of former Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar and current Felda chairman Isa Samad (right) to head KPF. ANAK chairman Mazlan Aliman said the government was also meddling in the affairs of the Cooperative Commission of Malaysia in its bid to ensure Felda Global Venture Holding's listing at the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. "It seems like the government is bent on manipulating all agencies including CCM to ensure Isa not only becomes member of KPF, but also its chairman to ensure the successful listing of Felda Global Venture Holding (FHVH) at Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange," Mazlan told Harakahdaily. He added that reliable information had been received about CCM's backing to Isa ahead of KPF's extraordinary annual meeting on January 5, 2012. ANAK, he said, would apply for a court injunction to stop the meeting from taking place. Mazlan, who is also PAS central committee member, said ANAK disagreed with CCM's approval of Isa as a KPF member citing he was not qualified. Last October 18, a report was lodged by Bangkit, another whistleblower group within Felda, against CCM over the appointment of Isa, a non-employee of Felda, as KPF chairman. It was understood that after Isa and his lawyers met with CCM, the commission made an about-turn and accepted Isa. "This is a cunning move by Isa Samad and it raises suspicions," said Mazlan (left). Isa's chairman status Mazlan also pointed out that Isa's status as Felda chairman was being disputed following a letter sent by CCM three days ago to Bangkit chairman Abdul Rahman Ramli which stated that Isa's appointment had yet to be confirmed. "However, a letter by the prime minister's private secretary implied that Isa has been confirmed as Felda chairman. We demand an explanation about Isa's status," he added. Last October, Isa, once suspended for money politics during UMNO party polls, created an uproar within the Felda community after he was said to have self-appointed himself based on a recommendation letter by prime minister Najib Razak. |
| Zaid Ibrahim’s KITA opts out of polls, to back Pakatan Posted: 05 Dec 2011 07:26 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KITA, a party founded by former Umno-turned-PKR politician Datuk Zaid Ibrahim, announced today it will not be contesting in the coming polls and promised to offer its "unconditional support" to the federal opposition. In a statement posted on its website today, the party said it had decided to reverse its earlier decision to contest in the polls as it wanted to maintain solidarity with the opposition and not jeopardise its chances. "Whilst we disagree with some of the opposition's policies, we believe that despite these shortcomings the opposition will not destroy racial harmony in Malaysia ... unity demands that smaller parties, such as ourselves, give way to larger political parties to ensure optimum results in the election," it said. The party also came out in defence of Pakatan Rakyat (PR) amid the ongoing barrage of Umno-led attacks against DAP as a "racist" party. During the just-concluded Umno annual general meeting (AGM), delegates took turns to warn against DAP's purported dominance in PR, claiming if the pact claims Putrajaya, the Malays would lose power to the Chinese. Calling the accusations "dangerous and irresponsible", KITA said the statements would only widen current divisions in society. |
| Ex-minister supports re-investigation into air crash Posted: 05 Dec 2011 05:05 PM PST WIKISABAH A former state minister told the High Court here that he would certainly support a call for a re-investigation into the plane crash of June 6, 1976 that killed former Chief Minister Tun Fuad Stephens and all 10 others on board, including his loving brother Datuk Peter Mojuntin. Datuk Conrad Mojuntin said by doing so, the incident would be put to rest and all those people who had unfortunately died in the air crash would be able to rest in peace.
"I myself would also be able to heal the grievous wound in my heart caused by the death of my loving brother Peter," Conrad said during examination-in-chief by counsel Datuk Simon Shim. Mojuntin, 63, was testifying before Justice Dato' Abdul Rahman Sebli in the on-going hearing of a RM50 million suit brought by Tan Sri Harris Salleh against Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president Datuk Yong Teck Lee and the party, for allegedly insinuating that he (Harris) was involved in causing the plane crash.
Shim is the counsel for Yong and the party, who are the first and second respondents respectively.
Harris, 81, who filed the suit on June 6, last year, is claiming for general damages, aggravated and exemplary damages of not less than RM50 million to be assessed separately against Yong and SAPP.
He is also seeking an injunction to restrain the defendants whether by themselves or their servants or employees or agents from printing and publishing further the statements and similar libel in any form or means.
Harris is represented by counsel Yunof Maringking and Trevor Maringking.
To another question from Shim, Conrad said that he was aware of a talk by Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in Penampang on April 2, 2010 as he had read of it in the Daily Express.
He had also read in the same newspaper that Tengku Razaleigh had said that he would have been one of the dead in the crash if he was not called by the plaintiff to go to another plane to fly to somewhere in Kudat.
When asked on his reaction of Tengku Razaleigh's disclosure of the incident, Mojuntin said, "I have never heard before of what Tengku Razaleigh had said and surely I was shocked with what he had said because he had never made such a statement before."
"Since the so-called investigation into that plane crash on June 6, 1976 was not revealed, being the youngest brother of Peter, surely I would like to know the reason as to why that plane crashed,"
To a further question from Shim, Mojuntin said he was aware of a book called "The Golden Son of Kadazan".
He told the court that the author of the book, the late Bernard Santa Maria, came to see him regarding his intention to write the book.
Mojuntin said he encouraged him to do so, adding that the book was regarding the sacrifices and the political work of his loving brother Peter.
He however pointed out that in that book, it was not clear as to the cause of the plane crash.
The defendants' fifth witness told the court that the book has been banned a long time ago and that he did not know why it was banned and who banned it.
Mojuntin also testified in court that after Tengku Razaleigh's revelation regarding the plane crash, he wrote a letter to God on June 17, this year because he really wanted to know as to how the plane crashed.
He said his letter to God was published in The Borneo Post the next day. READ MORE HERE |
| The selfish, ugly Chinaman Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:58 PM PST 
The Malays have to wake up and wise up to one hard fact. To the Chinese it is all about money. And as long as money flows like water in Bangkok that is all that matters. Should the Malays sacrifice so much, fighting for the Chinese and Indians, when what they are fighting for is not appreciated and instead the Malays are mocked for their efforts? NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin One of our Chinese readers, lakian, posted the comment below. I have not edited it and you can see that he probably obtained his education in a Chinese school because you have to read his comment many times to understand even a little bit of what he is trying to say.
Anyway, the gist of what he is saying is that politics should be left for the Malays to sort out amongst themselves and the Chinese and Indians do not care a damn who runs Malaysia, and in what way it is run, as long as the Chinese are left alone to make money. The Malays can go kill each other as long as he is concerned and this is no business of the Chinese or Indians.
Now read this: 'We won't surrender an inch'. Clearly this has been targeted at the Chinese and Indians.
It makes we wonder why the hell do we even bother about the political situation in Malaysia. If the Chinese and Indians do not care then why should the Malays bother? After all, it is the Chinese and Indians and not the Malays who are facing discrimination and persecution.
I have noticed many similar comments in the past. The Chinese have made it very clear that their only concern is money. And as long as they can make money then nothing else matters.
Some Chinese have even commented that they are not concerned about corruption because it is easier to do deals when there is corruption. The Chinese can make money even easier when they can bribe their way through life.
If this is the way the Chinese and Indians think, and if politics have nothing to do with the non-Malays, then the Malays should reconsider their stand. Is it worth for the Malays to go out of their way to fight for equality and an end to racial discrimination if the Chinese and Indians do not really care about such matters?
The Malays have to wake up and wise up to one hard fact. To the Chinese it is all about money. And as long as money flows like water in Bangkok that is all that matters. Should the Malays sacrifice so much, fighting for the Chinese and Indians, when what they are fighting for is not appreciated and instead the Malays are mocked for their efforts?
If there is one thing I can't stand is to be mocked. And if this is the reward we get from the Chinese and Indians then they can fight their own fight. I would gladly step back and not get involved and will persuade the other Malays to do the same. And don't blame me if I decide to call it a day and save myself further trouble. ****************************
another may 13 is needed without or no racial it is solely between the malays themself.the fight or the cut slaughter and whatever are only for the sake of called malays supremacy,the umno said malays right and pkr called rakyat right.they are afterall are malays.for the chinese as said long time ago,they don't care no bother and no concern who the hell is the government and also what the fcuk the umno or pkr fighting for.chinese are opportunistic beneficiarier.they are only interested in what they can take fron the corner.the project not matter whether 2nd handed or even fourth handed.they can still make money what to say just that merely slim profit.chinese are always the group of hard working but envied hatred enthnic in all over the world.usa,canada,australia......even in the carnivalised africa,middle east.indian are the pathetic sandwiched group due to their own character,atitude or simply they are beggar style.they are conspirative minded wanting to use their tactic to control to use the malays killing malays.dominant example mr mamakutty.
all in all may 13 is needed for the future of these malays own community.they should make this very vital disolution whether they want power or they need food!they want rhetoric VIP but starving in their kitchen or otherwise.for chinese,indian and others,there will be no different cos they are infact struggling to starve to hunger inorder to live under this already oppressive and suppressive areana.
so malays friend,believe umno is giving the pride or snapping you ass is your own concern.do not use your own parang to snap your own anus. -- lakian
|
| ‘We won’t surrender an inch’ Posted: 05 Dec 2011 04:25 PM PST Only BN can safeguard position of Malays and Islam, says PM (New Straits Times) - ONLY the current Barisan Nasional leadership can ensure that the position of Malays and Islam in the country remains unchanged, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday. In his rousing speech to more than 12,000 Pekida (Malaysian Islamic Missionary and Welfare Organisation) members at its general assembly, Najib also pledged that his party, Umno, would not allow the Malay race to be oppressed in its own land. "We will not surrender even an inch!" he said to cheers from the audience at the Shah Alam polytechnic here. Najib said the government should be given more time to help rural Malaysians to catch up with those from the urban areas. This was needed to be fair to them. He said the government would be extending its RM500 aid to families with monthly incomes below RM3,000 next month, just as it had recently extended the RM100 aid to all pupils nationwide, regardless of whether they were from public or private schools. Najib asked the audience to question themselves on what would happen if the country's leadership were to fall into others' hands. "We should ask ourselves what will happen to Muslims if the leadership is in tatters. "What will happen to the religion if we lose our edge? What will happen to the sovereignty of our Malay rulers if we are no longer here to uphold their sovereignty?" he said, adding that the Malays were able to live as a dignified race because of the present leadership. He pointed out that even without power, the opposition had made outrageous claims, such as reducing the civil service by half and declaring its wish to change the flag. "They also tarnish the sovereignty of the rulers and Malays even when they have no power. "Malays have never been an extreme, racist race. Since Merdeka, we have willingly shared power with non-Malays by extending our hands to them in creating a harmonious nation." He urged members to close ranks and stop any in-fighting in establishing Pekida as an organisation that was at the forefront in championing Malay and Islamic causes. Its president, Jamaluddin Yusof said Pekida understood the importance of defending the BN leadership in the 13th general election to ensure that opportunities for the Malay community were not sidelined.
|
| Nurul Izzah: ‘Balai Polis Kerinchi’ a voter in Lembah Pantai Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:33 PM PST By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar claimed today that there were 97 discrepancies in the Lembah Pantai postal voters' list, including one voter with the name "Balai Polis Kerinchi". The MP for the constituency told reporters today that while the identity card number RF161872 corresponded to a Mohd Faizul Mohd Yusop on the Election Commission's (EC) online database, "Balai Polis Kerinchi is on the official electoral roll that will be used." "We don't know if it's Balai bin Polis Kerinchi or Balai Polis bin Kerinchi," she said. "This is the gazette for the third quarter. If elections are held tomorrow, this is the list we will use." She also claimed 96 other errors in the list of 2,180 postal voters such as ICs that were not on the EC's online database, voters who can cast their ballot in two constituencies and also two different places in Lembah Pantai itself. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has repeatedly complained of errors in the electoral roll with DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke recently claiming that military ICs were used to register both a male and female postal voter each. Tens of thousands had poured into the streets of the capital to demand free and fair elections in the July 9 Bersih rally that resulted in a bipartisan parliamentary select committee to improve the electoral system. The panel made 10 interim recommendations last week including the use of indelible ink to prevent multiple voting, a royal commission on allegations of foreigners being given the right to vote in Sabah and allowing Malaysians residing overseas to vote. READ MORE HERE. |
| PM: Asia has fastest growing defence expenditure Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:31 PM PST (The Star) - LANGKAWI: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak opened the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition 2011 (LIMA '11), underscoring that defence and security are of paramount importance to regional and national strategic interests. The Prime Minister pointed out that defence and security ensured not only territorial integrity but also the sovereignty that all countries hold dear. He said that Asia today enjoyed the fastest-growing economy in the world, and defence expenditure was no exception. "Aerospace and maritime spending is surging, and is set to rise yet further as governments continue to tackle both traditional and non-traditional security threats," he said at the Mahsuri International Exhibition Centre (MIEC). More than 400 companies from 35 countries at taking part in the 11th edition of LIMA. Najib said the government would provide the best tools for the men and women in uniform as "there can be no doubting (their) bravery and heroism." "That means giving them the latest, safest, most cutting-edge equipment capable of meeting the challenges of modern warfare." He noted that LIMA was not just about the latest military technology as it was also about the commercial sectors of the maritime and aerospace industries which were exhibiting here for the first time. Over half of the world's top 100 maritime and aerospace suppliers are present for the show. According to LIMA organisers, on display are 65 aircraft as well as 14 warships from around the world. |
| No charge for KR1M Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:29 PM PST By Pauline Wong, The Sun PETALING JAYA (Dec 6, 2011): The suppliers of Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M), which has been hit by food item recalls, will not be punished for mislabelling the products – despite this being an offence under two food laws. Health Ministry director-general Datuk Seri Hasan Abdul Rahman confirmed that the KR1M management has been told to remove 13 affected products from its shelves and relabel them accordingly. Mislabelling or providing inaccurate information on a product's nature and content is an offence under the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985. Those found guilty face a fine or three years jail term under the Food Act, and RM5,000 fine and maximum two years' jail, or both under the Food Regulations 1985. Pressed again if KR1M suppliers will be charged, Hasan replied, "No, we have asked them to relabel the affected products." However, the decision not to charge KR1M has riled the Federation of Malaysian Consumer Associations (Fomca), whose president Datuk Marimuthu Nadason berated the ministry for its lack of action. "Shame on the Health Ministry for not taking firm action. The law is the law. There can be no double-standards (in this matter). "Our food regulations are some of the best in Asia but if they look good only on paper, without implementation, you might as well disregard them," he said. A senior official of the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry, which oversees the KR1M initiative nationwide, said it had no jurisdiction over food items. The officer, however, said, "We are serious about asking suppliers to adhere to Health Ministry regulations." The officer said the mislabelling could be a mistake born of ignorance as many suppliers were small-medium enterprises and stressed that it was not a food safety issue. However, Marimuthu claimed mislabelling was not the only concern and hit out at the management of KR1M, which sells generic household items and foodstuff at up to 50% cheaper than other house brands. "We want those who are responsible for these stores to follow the standards and regulations as laid out in the Food Act and Food Regulations," he said. He said the intention might have been noble, but the products must be capable of building "confidence" among consumers or it would go to waste. The products sold at the KR1M came under scrutiny after several opposition MPs raised issues of contamination, misleading food labels and products not compliant with regulations. On Saturday, the Health Ministry ordered 13 KR1M branded products – fresh milk, sweetened condensed creamer, condensed milk, oyster-flavoured sauce, fruit jam, canned chicken curry, mango cordial, ghee compounds, peanuts, peanut butter and sardines – removed from the shelves for relabelling. It also confirmed that the KR1M fresh milk tested positive for E. coli bacteria contamination, a strain of bacteria which cause food poisoning. Following this, KR1M management said in a statement on Sunday that it will re-test some 250 products. It said the tests for all 250 1Malaysia products would cost up to RM300,000 and be borne by the suppliers and manufacturers. Marimuthu said Fomca had tested the products and will present its results to the Domestic Trade, Consumerism and Cooperatives Ministry on Thursday. He did not reveal what the tests were, but said he would clear up the matter and seek assurance of consumer safety. When contacted, Mydin Mohamad Holdings managing director Datuk Ameer Ali Mydin said the management had taken appropriate action to address concerns, starting with recalling the mislabelled products. Mydin manages the KR1M stores, including supplies. "Like any responsible retailer, when there is an issue with the products, the priority is to recall the products and return to the market as soon as possible," he said. He dismissed concerns over food safety, insisting that it was only mislabelling, and added that some of the products had been relabelled and put back on the shelves. Ameer Ali said consumers who bought any of the 13 recalled products could return them for a full refund. |
| Pua ‘shoots’ down ‘arrogant’ Zahid Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:26 PM PST By Stephanie Sta Maria, FMT PETALING JAYA: Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi came under heavy fire from the opposition for "arrogantly" shooting down a bi-partisan parliamentary oversight committee on defence expenditure. Petaling Jaya Utara DAP MP, Tony Pua, launched the salvo at Ahmad Zahid, saying the latter's "contemptuous arrogance" proved the ministry's "complete lack of interest" in transparency and accountability. Pakatan Rakyat has pushed for the setting up of such a committee in the wake of unexplained multi-billion ringgit defence deals involving the ministry. But Ahmad Zahid attacked the recommendation yesterday, declaring his confidence in the ability and transparency of the evaluation committee of the three branches of the Malaysian Armed Forces. He added that as such, scrutiny of defence deals by the opposition was unnecessary. In a press statement today, Pua retaliated, saying that Ahmad Zahid's statement explained why Malaysia had received a dismal "transparency" rating. In the inaugural "Transparency of Defence Budgets Report last month, Transparancy International (TI) gave Malaysia a rating of only 4.5 points out of a maximum of 12. "Malaysia is ranked alongside Afghanistan, Rwanda, Georgia and Azerbaijan in the report, well below other countries such as Bangladesh, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea," Pua said. "The results of the research indicate that some 14 percent of the countries under review in this study scored high and these are primarily developed countries with strong democratic systems in place." Secret programmes The director of the International Defence and Security Program for TI in United Kingdom, Mark Pyman, had explained that Malaysia ranked far below other countries because the (defence) budget lacked details and no audits were undertaken of the secret programmes. Pua also said that Ahmad Zahid's disdain towards transparency and accountability was clearly evident in his reply to Pua's question on the ministry's purchase of 257 armoured personnel carriers. Pua, who is also DAP national publicity secretary, had demanded an explanation for the gap between the RM7.55 billion paid for the carriers to Deftech Sdn Bhd and the RM1.7 billion that Deftech would later pay to Turkish defence manufacturer, FNSS Defences Systems, for the same items. Deftech is a subsidiary of DRB-Hicom Bhd based in Pekan, Pahang, a company controlled by Syed Mokhtar Syed Bokhari. "The minister had acknowledged the above transactions, but had the gall to claim 'no knowledge' of the Deftech-FNSS transactions and wasn't able to explain the difference between the two contracts," Pua said. "He (Ahmad Zahid) was also not forthcoming in explaining other sizeable transactions such as the RM6 billion purchase of six second generation patrol vessels as well as the RM2.3 billion acquisition of 12 Eurocopter EC725 helicopters." READ MORE HERE. |
| Kit Siang demands Najib, Cabinet explain CPI rankings slide Posted: 05 Dec 2011 02:24 PM PST By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider The Prime Minister and his entire Cabinet must explain Malaysia's poor Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking as it cannot continue to remain "the elephant in the room" for the government, Lim Kit Siang said today. In a report released by Transparency International (TI), Malaysia's CPI dropped for the third year running, slipping to 4.3 this year, leaving it in 60th place out of 183 countries compared with 37th place when Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over as prime minister in 2003. "Datuk Seri Najib Razak should give a full and detailed explanation as to why after 32 months of his premiership, Malaysia has suffered the national ignominy of the worst-ever ranking of No. 60 and lowest-ever score of 4.3 in TI CPI 2011 for the past 17 years. READ MORE HERE. |
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
