Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- M'kini subscribers' comments earn wrath of Muslim NGOs
- MCA willing to give up seats to BN partners
- JMM lodges report over Malaysia Today post
- M'sians may not be financially ready to retire: survey
- ‘I may have said tokong’
- Two come to Tuan Tat’s defence over forgery accusations
- Malaysia on a roll for IPOs in Asia Read more: Malaysia on a roll for IPOs in Asia
- AG has the sole discretion and absolute power in deciding who to prosecute
- Hudud: Nik Aziz hits out at 'apologists'
- Ex-DAP man counters phantom members charge
- Mansor denies "arrogant, cocky Lim" remarks
- Leaked minutes: Attempt to unsettle state govt
- PAS needs to state stand on Hudud, not the DAP
- PAS wants Kit Siang-Guan Eng's stand on hudud
- Guan Eng 'arrogant', says Mansor in leaked minutes
- Leaked memo: DAP wants answers from PKR
- Anti-hopping law won’t work, say lawyers
- Nazri: Section 114A does not cover Umno Youth posting
- BN bid to blunt Pakatan attacks brings risk of being seen as weak
- US, Pakistan must ‘divorce’ as allies, ex-Pakistan envoy says
- Johor MB expects to lose nine seats
- Tanda Putera treads on thin ice
- ‘Political parties should stop party-hopping’
- ‘How can DAP sack me after I quit?’
- Ambiga to leave Bersih after GE
- Explain alleged conspiracy, duo told
- ‘Give us peace and growth, not elections’
- Ecuador’s leader says open to talks with Britain on Assange
- ‘Better the devil you know’, Dr M tells voters
- PKR leaders speak out against excessive development in Balik Pulau
- Will A-G dare charge Umno Youth over provocative Facebook post, asks Guan Eng
- Anti-hopping law: ‘Do it for the people’
- Wan Azizah non-committal over GE contest
- ‘Opposition are mere critics’
- Penang plans law against party-hopping
- ‘Yes’ to form alternative Bar
- Advise party chairman: PAS tells DAP
- Karpal: Pakatan will ban party hopping
- Harder to show proof under hudud
- DAP against party-hopping, says Karpal
- See you in court, Nasha tells Karpal
- Time to bury 1969 bloodbath, says Umno vet
- Ecuador rallies Latin America in Assange battle with UK
| M'kini subscribers' comments earn wrath of Muslim NGOs Posted: 24 Aug 2012 09:51 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - Several NGOs have lodged police reports on allegedly inflammatory comments posted on the Malaysiakini website, threatening to hold protests in front of its office as well as that of the Home Ministry's if no action is taken. "Some 200 subscribers used pseudonyms in Malaysiakini to criticise and lower the status of Islam. "This would have consequences and bring chaos to this peaceful country," read three largely identical police reports from each NGO.
"We don't want these kinds of things to happen in this country," said IRIMM president Amir Amsaa Alla Pitchay (left), commenting on one of several readers he quoted. "(They said) a lot of things, you know. I didn't print them all out... We want Malaysiakini to put a stop to such things. We don't want these kind of things. 'Don't publish sensitive issues' In the Wednesday article, Malaysiakini reported that a group of Hindu devotees lodged police reports against Penang Islamic Affairs Department (JAIPP) for confiscating the ashes of M Nagamah, who was cremated in accordance to Hindu rites.
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| MCA willing to give up seats to BN partners Posted: 24 Aug 2012 08:53 PM PDT
(Bernama) - MCA is willing to give up seats it has contested all along to its Barisan Nasional (BN) partners on the condition they are confident of winning them and get the nod of BN chairman Datuk Seri Najib Razak, its president Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said today. He said MCA had total confidence in Najib's leadership and that the party was willing to forego seats it stood no chance of winning. "As for me, there is no need to discuss seat distribution, we have confidence in the wisdom of the BN leadership under Najib. "I am stating openly that MCA will not demand seats that we will not win or are not cofident of winning. We are not a component that likes to "syok sendiri" (likes self flattery)"," he told reporters after meeting hawkers at the Gunung Rapat market here. He said this when asked to comment on reports that MCA's BN partner Gerakan stood a better chance of winning the Gopeng parliamentary and Malim Nawar state seats, which are traditionally MCA seats, in the next general election. The report came about following an earlier report in an English daily on Aug 14 which said that MCA would be contesting the Puchong parliamentay seat which had been contested by Gerakan in the last two elections. On this, Dr Chua said the two parties need not swap seats if each was confident they were more "winnable". "I am of the opinion that whether a candidate of a certain party can win or not depends on some criterias, firstly the division (of the party) must be active, second, do they have sufficient members and third, is their election machinery up to the task? "Fourth, are they united, committed and willing to go the extra mile to ensure the BN candidate wins and lastly, which party the voters prefer, whether it is MCA, Gerakan, Umno or MIC. That is why were prefer to leave it to the (BN) leadership to decide," he said. As such, he said, MCA was confident that Najib, who is also Prime Minister, had many sources of feedback to decide which of the parties would be the most suited (for a particular seat). Following the visit, Dr Chua also announced that Perak state executive councillor Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon would be holding discussions with the hawkers at the market on upgrading the facility using a RM500,000 allocation that would be made available by the Housing and Local Government Ministry. | |||
| JMM lodges report over Malaysia Today post Posted: 24 Aug 2012 07:07 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) lodged a report at the Hulu Kelang police station here regarding an article titled 'The day I met private investigator P Balasubramaniam', which was posted on the Malaysia Today portal on Aug 10. JMM president Azwanddin Hamzah said the police were urged to investigate the revelation by blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin which alleged that M Puravalen, Abdul Razak Baginda's former lawyer; Subang member of parliament, R Sivarasa; and private investigator P Balasubramaniam were involved in a conspiracy to defame the prime minister and threaten national security.
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| M'sians may not be financially ready to retire: survey Posted: 24 Aug 2012 03:56 PM PDT
(Bernama) - A study on retirement trends in East Asia has revealed the increasing vulnerability of Malaysians due to early retirement age as well as low rates of pension receipt under the Employees' Provident Fund and the lack of old-age poverty floor. The study report, "Balancing Tradition and Modernity: The Future of Retirement in East Asia", is based on a survey that the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) conducted in Malaysia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, according to Prudential in a statement on the survey findings. The CSIS East Asia Retirement Survey reveals that an astonishing 92 per cent of current retirees in Malaysia report that they had already left the workforce by age 60 and suggests that Malaysia's pattern of premature retirement will likely persist. Malaysia is the only country in the survey whose fertility rate is above the 2.1 replacement level and the only one that will have a growing population and workforce in the coming decades, the report said. "In China, the elderly share of the population will be approaching 30 per cent by 2040 -– and in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan it will be approaching 40 per cent. In Malaysia, it will still be under 20 per cent," it said. Malaysia's early mandatory retirement age, however, offsets its demographic advantage in building an adequate and sustainable retirement system, it added. Co-authored by Richard Jackson and Neil Howe, it is part of the multilayer Global Ageing Preparedness Project, which was launched by CSIS and British insurance giant Prudential plc in 2010. The survey found four out of five of today's retirees in Malaysia worry about "being poor and in need of money," becoming "a burden on their children," and being "in ill health and having no one to care for them" – much larger shares than in any of the other survey countries. Their vulnerability is attributable to Malaysia's unusually early retirement ages, which leaves retirees at risk of outliving their savings, as well as to low rates of pension receipt under the EPF and to the lack of an age-old poverty floor, the survey said. Retirement prospects are improving for the younger generations, who expect to be less dependent on the extended family than today's retirees are and to rely more heavily on their own savings, it said. But with one in five current workers still expecting to receive no pension benefits of any kind, the outlook for many is far from secure, it added. Donald Kanak, Chairman of Prudential Corporation Asia, which is part of Prudential plc, said: "Responding to the challenges caused by an ageing population is critical to Asia's future. "It is critical that policy makers and the industry work together to address this vital question." Charlie Oropeza, Chief Executive Officer of Prudential Assurance Malaysia Bhd, said: "The findings of the CSIS Study reinforce the need for Malaysians to better plan and secure their financial position towards retirement. "While the policymakers as well as the Malaysian Government have been introducing frameworks such as the Financial Blueprint to provide greater length and breadth of financial products and services, Malaysians need to be more aware and make themselves financially ready through prudent investment decisions.
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| Posted: 24 Aug 2012 03:47 PM PDT
(The Star) - Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman has denied labelling his boss "cocky and arrogant" at a press conference attended by a serious and sombre-looking Lim Guan Eng. Throughout the press conference, the Chief Minister hardly said a word. They later linked hands with Penang PAS commissioner Datuk Salleh Man to smile for photographs before ending the brief media session at Komtar here yesterday. Mansor, who is Penang PKR chairman, had allegedly uttered the words angkuh (cocky) and sombong (arrogant) to describe Lim at a party meeting in March to discuss preparations for the general election. The Deputy Chief Minister I had allegedly also remarked that Penangites viewed Lim as a tokong (deity). The words, allegedly recorded in the minutes of the meeting, were published in a blog "Gelagat Anwar" in its postings on June 16, June 18 and June 19. Mansor said the words angkuh and sombong never left his mouth. "I don't know how it came about. I never thought the chief minister as proud or arrogant," he said as he added to a written statement distributed to the press. However, he admitted that he may have uttered the word tokong but claimed that the blog had taken it out of context. "I may have said the word tokong but it was actually meant to refer to the honour and high respect given to the chief minister by the people of Penang," said Mansor. Pressed by reporters, Mansor repeated: "I don't think I stated the words angkuh and sombong. "I said tokong, but angkuh and sombong? I don't think so." He also denied that the March meeting was a strategic planning meeting. "It was an informal meeting with a group of PKR members centred on party matters and the polls preparations and there were no minutes taken at the meeting," he said.
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| Two come to Tuan Tat’s defence over forgery accusations Posted: 24 Aug 2012 03:42 PM PDT
(The Star) - Ex-Sepang DAP parliamentary liaison committee member Tan Tuan Tat, who was accused of forging 149 membership forms, has produced two former party supporters to back him up. Mahful Wahid said he had collected membership forms from some 100 people in Kampung Teluk Manggis and Taman Kedidi as they were interested in becoming DAP members. "I approached Tan for help to submit the forms to Selangor DAP. Why was he accused of forgery?" he said, adding that he, too, had been interested in joining DAP. Such accusations, added Mahful, had caused him to lose confidence in Pakatan Rakyat. DAP disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai said that Tuan Tat, who had been in the party for 18 years, had been charged with forging the membership forms to set up three pro tem branches in Sungai Pelek, Sepang. He also claimed that the MyKad of people from Sungai Pelek were used without their knowledge to enrol them as DAP members. Former Pantai Sepang Putra DAP chief R. Veerasamy echoed Mahful's views, saying that he had also approached Tuan Tat for help to forward the forms to the state DAP's office. "In the end, I was found guilty of falsifying the applications and sacked," he said during a press conference here yesterday. Denying the accusations, Tuan Tat said it was meant to slander his integrity and credibility. "Don't defame me. I did not forge any forms. "The forms were genuine and came from people who wanted to join DAP," he said. Tuan Tat, who used to be Taman Sri Sungai Pelek branch chairman before leaving the party last week, said DAP had deviated from its original spirit and essence. He also disputed Tan's charge that he was sacked from the party. "How can I be sacked when I resigned first?" he said.
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| Malaysia on a roll for IPOs in Asia Read more: Malaysia on a roll for IPOs in Asia Posted: 24 Aug 2012 12:40 PM PDT (The Wall Street Journal) - SINGAPORE: Another Malaysian company, this time the owner of the country's busiest port, is looking to test investor appetite for an initial public offering (IPO), the latest in a string of big-ticket deals that are making the Southeast Asian country one of the world's hottest IPO markets this year. The company, Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd began inviting bankers to pitch to advise it on plans to raise about US$1 billion (RM3.09 billion) from an IPO, three people familiar with the transaction said recently, adding to a long queue of billion-dollar-plus listings. Both Felda and IHH had heavy investing from Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund and other state funds, which took on cornerstone roles that committed them to holding those stocks for at least six months after they were listed, in exchange for early dibs in the IPO. Bankers say that state-owned funds tend to invest heavily in the country's stock market, which the government is pushing to deepen. Encouraged by the success of Felda and IHH, other companies such as cable-TV operator Astro All Asia Networks PLC (Astro) and power company Malakoff Corp Bhd (Malakoff) are all planning to list in the next year or so, people with knowledge of the plans said. Malakoff recently lined up banks for its near US$1 billion IPO, while Astro, which is partly owned by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the investment holding arm of the Malaysian government, has sought regulators' approval for a planned US$1.5 billion (RM4.64 billion) IPO, according to people familiar with the matter. Shares of Felda and IHH are up 10 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, after going public. Malaysia's benchmark FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI is up 7.8 per cent this year, having hit a record high on August 14th. "Investors are often puzzled by the resilience of Malaysian equities," Nomura analysts noted last week, but said that Malaysia's exposure to Europe's woes is decreasing. Exports to Europe, at 9.1 per cent are down from 11 per cent in 2010. Malaysia's buoyant market comes as IPOs elsewhere have either been delayed or scrapped owing to volatile market conditions. In Hong Kong, pulled IPOs have become common. UK-based Graff Diamonds scrapped its US$1 billion IPO this year, while in Singapore, motor-sport franchise Formula One Group postponed its approximately US$2.5 billion (RM7.73 billion) offering at the end of June as bankers, wary of anaemic demand, cancelled planned capital raising. Westports operates one of Asia's busiest shipping terminals at Port Klang on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, whose top exports are electronics and palm oil. Hutchison Port Holdings Trust (Hutchison Port), which is controlled by Hong Kong's Li and operates 52 ports in 26 countries, has a 31.5 per cent stake in Westports, which was formed by Gnanalingam, who is listed as the country's 24th-richest person, according to Forbes, from the privatisation of government port assets in the early 1990s. His oldest son, Ruben, is chief executive of the company. Hutchison Port declined to comment on the prospective IPO. Westports wasn't immediately available for comment. The IPO would be the most recent equity-capital raising for groups linked to Li in Southeast Asia in recent years. Hutchison Port raised US$5.5 billion (RM16.99 billion) in Singapore's largest-ever IPO in early 2011. Li, one of the wealthiest men in Asia, also held the first yuan-denominated IPO outside China last year in Hong Kong - the US$1.6 billion (RM4.94 billion) IPO of Hui Xian REIT. | |||
| AG has the sole discretion and absolute power in deciding who to prosecute Posted: 23 Aug 2012 09:53 PM PDT
(NST) - The Attorney-General has the sole discretion and absolute power in deciding who to prosecute. Deputy public prosecutor Noorin Badarudin said this when challenging Karpal Singh's application to subpoena three witnesses, including A-G Tan Sri Gani Patail, in the sedition charge he is facing.Karpal was charged with uttering seditious words against the Sultan of Perak three years ago. Noorin said the High Court could not order the A-G to come to court to explain why a person is charged or why someone is not. "It is the A-G's discretion and that cannot be questioned in this court," the DPP added. In January, the Court of Appeal allowed the public prosecutor's appeal to order Karpal to enter his defence on the sedition charge, reversing a High Court decision which had acquitted him. Karpal, in his bid to strike out the sedition charge, is applying to subpoena Gani, former A-G Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman and former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He submitted that Gani's evidence is necessary to show if there had been prosecutorial impropriety in charging him for sedition. The veteran lawyer added that in 1993, speeches in Parliament on the proposed amendments to the Federal Constitution for the setting up of a Special Court were also seditious in nature. (Dr Mahathir had on Jan 18, 1993, moved for a motion to amend the Federal Constitution to have the immunity of rulers removed and to establish a Special Court to try monarchs in their personal capacity for criminal and civil wrongdoing.) "Those who made the speeches then were not charged. Am I not in a like situation as they were?" he questioned, adding that the speeches then were 'explosive and had seditious tendencies'. "The PM must come to court to explain why there was a need for such speeches," Karpal said, referring to Dr Mahathir. Judge Datuk Azman Abdullah will deliver his decision on the subpoenas on Thursday. | |||
| Hudud: Nik Aziz hits out at 'apologists' Posted: 23 Aug 2012 09:48 PM PDT
(Harakah) - PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has taken to task Muslims who opine that hudud laws could not be implemented until the majority are in agreement and have understood the laws. "There is no law in this world, whether under democracy or communist systems, whose enforcement is subject to the people's agreement and understanding of it," Nik Aziz (pic) said in response to views expressed by a PAS member of parliament and a former mufti. Since 1993, Kelantan has proposed to implement hudud - the Islamic punishment for serious crimes - on Muslims in the state. The plan has long been opposed by MCA and DAP, but has been recently thrust into limelight following UMNO's challenge to PAS to break away from Pakatan Rakyat after DAP chairman Karpal Singh's recent public outburst. "In the case of Kelantan, the delay is not due to absence of a conducive environment, but due to opposition from the Federal government, and this includes the 'warning' in the form of an official letter from the then prime minister which has yet to be revoked," Nik Aziz said, referring to former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's warning that he would subject PAS-led Kelantan to direct Federal rule if the Islamic enactment was passed. "If a fisherman waits for ocean waves to subside, when can he ever go out to sea?" he asked.
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| Ex-DAP man counters phantom members charge Posted: 23 Aug 2012 04:47 PM PDT
Tan Tuan Tat dares DAP disciplinary committee head Tan Kok Wai to prove him wrong instead. K Pragalath, FMT Tan Tuan Tat, who quit DAP on Aug 16, has come forward with evidence to counter the allegation by the party against him. The party's disciplinary committee chairman Tan Kok Wai had hauled up Tuan Tat over the allegation that the latter created 149 phantom members to form three branches in Sepang. Speaking at a press conference this morning, Tuan Tat demanded proof. "You alleged that I forged 149 memberships using their MyKads collected from an event without their knowledge. Where was the event held? What event is it? When was it held? Prove it to me. "I did not do any events to open up branches," he said, adding that the 149 people had requested him to assist them in delivering their membership application forms. Six of the 149 were present at the press conference. One of them, Mahfuz Wahid, a former PKR Sepang member represented the six who wanted to join DAP. "I collected the MyKads along with membership fees and passed it to Tuan Tat so why is DAP accusing him of creating phantom members?" he asked. "I left PKR because they favoured some people and it turns out to be thesame here as well," he added. All 149 applications were rejected by DAP. "Now I am glad that they rejected my application because my conscience would be at odds had they accepted me as a party member," said Mahfuz. He also criticised Pakatan Rakyat as he lacked confidence in their leadership. "Pakatan speaks nonsense. I would not support them since they only promise and yet do not keep their word," he added.
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| Mansor denies "arrogant, cocky Lim" remarks Posted: 23 Aug 2012 03:41 PM PDT
(The Star) - Penang Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman has denied calling Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng "cocky and arrogant". Speaking at a press conference in Komtar on Friday, the duo put up a relatively strong front before an army of reporters. "Words like tokong (deity) were taken out of context to give a bad impression on the relationship between PKR and DAP. "For example, the word tokong actually refers to the honour and respect given to the chief minister by the Penang people," Mansor said reading from a statement. He said the meeting was not a strategic planning meeting as was reported but an informal meet between a group of PKR members. He also denied that there were any minutes taken during the meeting. It was reported that Mansor had described Lim as "cocky and arrogant" during a PKR strategic planning meeting in March this year. Alleged minutes of the meeting had been leaked and picked up by a blog called Gelagat Anwar. The alleged minutes also quoted Mansor saying that DAP were seeking PKR-allotted seats in the next general election, a claim that was later refuted by Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow who demanded an explanation from the state PKR over the alleged statements. A news portal had quoted Mansor as saying the minutes of the party's strategic planning meeting on the general election preparations had been published verbatim in an obscure blog. He had apparently remarked that Lim was not only "arrogant" but also it was undeniable that Penangites thought of him as a "tokong" (a deity). "He (Lim) is very arrogant, I will tell you ... cocky and arrogant. It is not easy. Now, more arrogant," he was quoted as saying in the minutes.
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| Leaked minutes: Attempt to unsettle state govt Posted: 23 Aug 2012 03:32 PM PDT
The leaked minutes of a PKR election strategic meeting is an attempt to rock the Penang Pakatan boat. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: The disclosure of what happened at a state PKR election strategic meeting was an attempt to drive a wedge between deputy chief minister 1 Mansor Othman and Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. The minutes of the meeting quoting Mansor was posted on a blog, Gelagat Anwar. The leaked minutes revealed that Mansor had told the meeting he would not budge to DAP's request for PKR seats, adding that the party's Chinese candidates were seen as a threat by the DAP. He allegedly remarked that Penangites see Lim like a "tokong" (a diety). "He is very arrogant … cocky and arrogant. It is not easy. Now more arrogant," Mansor is alleged to have said of Lim. A PKR politician said the leak was a clear act of sabotage. The politician who declined to be named said: "It's clear that certain insiders want to put Mansor in trouble … at loggerheads with Lim. Someone would gain from it." He said it would not be so difficult for the party to find out who is the culprit behind the leaking of the meeting minutes. "It must be someone who attended the meeting," said the PKR leader, adding that the party should firmly deal with the matter. When contacted, PKR state vice-chairman Abdul Halim Hussain said the party was disturbed by the leak and would launch an investigation into it. "It's a serious issue. We will get to the bottom of the matter," he assured. PKR's Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusoff described the leak was bad politics "worse than gutter politics" that showed that the country's politics had gone down to another low level.
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| PAS needs to state stand on Hudud, not the DAP Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:50 PM PDT
(Bernama) It is PAS that needs to issue a statement on its stand on the 'hudud' law, not the DAP, said the Prime Minister's Political Secretary, Datuk Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh. Mohamad Fatmi, who is also the Kota Baharu Umno division head, said that PAS, as a party that champions Islam in the opposition pact, must be firm on its stand to implement the hudud law although the DAP disagreed on its implementation. "What is important today, PAS must make a stand, not the DAP. Malaysians had already known from the start that the DAP was against an Islamic state, and rejects hudud.
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| PAS wants Kit Siang-Guan Eng's stand on hudud Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:44 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - Deputy PAS Youth chief Nik Mohamad Abduh Nik Abdul Aziz wants the DAP father-son pair, secretary-general Lim Guan Eng and parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang, to state the party's official stance on hudud. Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia today front-paged this call, which it said was made by Nik Mohamad, who is the son of PAS spiritual leader Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat. 'Will not affect PAS-DAP relationship' Yesterday Nik Mohamad told another Umno-linked Malay daily, Berita Harian, that Karpal's ongoing criticism against hudud would cause PAS to lose Malay votes in the next general election. It's PAS which should explain Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Razak's political secretary Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh said it was PAS that should issue a statement on its stand on the 'hudud' law, not the DAP.
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| Guan Eng 'arrogant', says Mansor in leaked minutes Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:39 PM PDT
Susan Loone, Malaysiakini EXCLUSIVE State PKR chief Mansor Othman is upset that minutes of the party's Penang strategic meeting on preparations for the 13th general election, where he described Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as arrogant, have been leaked. Mansor, who is deputy chief minister I, said he was aware of the leak and expressed his disappointment that it has been published verbatim in an obscure blog. However, Mansor (above), who is Penanti assemblyperson, said the contents - detailing questions raised on the coming polls and his responses to them - were "genuine concerns". During the meeting - which appeared to be very focused on PKR's Chinese candidates - Mansor said that except for Machang Bubok assemblyperson Tan Hock Leong, the other incumbents would defend their seats. On the controversy over Pantai Jerejak - a Chinese-majority seat, Mansor said it would probably go to a Chinese, although MPPP councillor Rashid Hasnor's name has been proposed as the candidate. Chinese candidates a threat Meanwhile, Mansor lamented over several seats that appear to be problematic, for example, Tasek Gelugor, held by Umno, where the division is "asking for money".
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| Leaked memo: DAP wants answers from PKR Posted: 22 Aug 2012 10:36 PM PDT
Susan Loone, Malaysiakini Penang DAP is to seek an official clarification from its PKR counterpart on details in its leaked meeting minutes, which include disparaging remarks about DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. State DAP chief Chow Kon Yeow said the contentious material in the leaked documents includes state PKR chief Mansor Othman's labelling Lim as an "arrogant" leader. Press conference tomorrow When contacted, Lim said he has spoken to Mansor and the latter has officially given him a satisfactory clarification. Lim will be appearing at a press conference with Mansor tomorrow at the state administrative office in Komtar at 11am. According to sources, Mansor is expected to deny the comments he has made about Lim in the leaked minutes. However, if Mansor expresses his denial, it would contradict what he told Malaysiakini during a Hari Raya open house that the issues raised in the meeting were of "genuine concern".
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| Anti-hopping law won’t work, say lawyers Posted: 22 Aug 2012 03:10 PM PDT
(The Star) - A law against party-hopping will not be effective even if it is passed by the Penang government as it is unconstitutional, said lawyers. Veteran lawyer Datuk C.V. Prabhakaran said such a law went against a 1992 Supreme Court ruling. "You cannot pass a legislation restricting personal freedom. It is ultra vires. "The representatives are elected by the rakyat. What is the Chief Minister trying to do?" said Prabhakaran. He was commenting on a statement by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that the state government was planning to legislate against party-hopping to prevent "frogs and tadpoles" from breeding in Penang. On April 3, 1992, the then Supreme Court had ruled in the case of Dewan Undangan Negeri Kelantan v Nordin Salleh that the PAS-led Kelantan government's enactment outlawing party-hopping was unconstitutional. The court held that such a law contravened Article 10(1)(c) of the Federal Constitution as it affected one's right to the freedom of association. Another veteran lawyer, Datuk K. Kumaraendran, said that although the proposal was a good move, merely passing an anti-hopping Bill was "lip service". All political parties, he said, should instead deter any act to entice members, which he described as being in "bad taste". DAP chairman Karpal Singh, who had consistently supported an anti-party hopping stance, said passing such a law was "going to be a problem" as it had already been declared unconstitutional.
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| Nazri: Section 114A does not cover Umno Youth posting Posted: 22 Aug 2012 03:03 PM PDT
(The Star) - Section 114A of the Evidence Act cannot be used in the case of Umno Youth's alleged seditious posting because the amendment is based on presumption of fact and not presumption of guilt, said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. "The amendment is only a form of procedure." "It can only be invoked if a person is charged under other laws and the court is convinced to use it to shift the burden of proof to the accused," he told a press conference Thursday. Nazri said the accused can then prove their innocence through a balance of probabilities, as how Umno Youth has done by making a police report as soon as possible.
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| BN bid to blunt Pakatan attacks brings risk of being seen as weak Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:54 PM PDT
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider By agreeing to successive demands — from investigating Sabah's illegal immigrants problem to repealing security laws and considering a review of oil royalties and even allowing public rallies — the Barisan Nasional (BN) government is hoping to blunt Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) momentum on issues the opposition has championed, but political analysts say it also risks being seen as being a weak government ahead of elections expected soon. BN politicians have argued that the government's position is not one of capitulation but is a sign that the ruling coalition is now listening to the public and making the right moves towards political reforms.  Najib has carried out various reforms ahead of the general election. — File pic Ahead of the 13th general election, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has carried out various reforms in what is seen as a bid to hijack PR's aggressive campaign to take power in Putrajaya. Najib's administration has abolished the Internal Security Act (ISA) and plans to repeal the controversial Sedition Act. It has also enacted a new law that allows public rallies although any benefit from that was severely eroded after the authorities forcibly broke up the latest Bersih protest on April 28. PR and Sabah opposition politicians were also using the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah to score points among disgruntled voters in the state, but Najib stepped in recently to set up a royal commission of inquiry after the recent defections of senior Sabah BN lawmakers. Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), told The Malaysian Insider that "it's unfortunate that we have a government that is copying what the opposition proposes." "They should be the ones leading. Copying is not really leadership," he said, adding that "they need to start coming up with policies of their own." However, he notes that "it shows that it's good for a country to have a strong opposition" as there would be "real competition" between politicians on "what is good policy for the public." Asked about the effect of BN's measures on voters, he said "it's risky for the government to continue this strategy of copying PR." "People may start questioning who is the real leader," he said, warning that it will "harm" BN in the long term as it may "lose leadership status and become a follower." Prof Dr Jayum A. Jawan, a professor of politics and government with Universiti Putra Malaysia, agreed with Wan Saiful, saying that "they (BN) are doing the right thing but they are stealing somebody's idea." He points to the federal government's "weak think-tank" for its failure to come up with its own "grand ideas". He said BN appears to be "responding because of pressure from PR", saying it needs to have a "comprehensive review" instead of "responding to one or two issues." "Is BN going to respond every time PR comes up with an issue?" he asked, saying that the opposition will never give up asking.
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| US, Pakistan must ‘divorce’ as allies, ex-Pakistan envoy says Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:50 PM PDT
(Reuters) - The United States and Pakistan should stop pretending they are allies and amicably "divorce," Pakistan's former ambassador to Washington said yesterday, citing unrealistic expectations in both countries that include US hopes Islamabad will sever its links to extremists. "If in 65 years, you haven't been able to find sufficient common ground to live together, and you had three separations and four reaffirmations of marriage, then maybe the better way is to find friendship outside of the marital bond," Husain Haqqani said, addressing the Centre for the National Interest, a Washington think tank. Haqqani's recommendation that the United States and Pakistan essentially downgrade their status was based on the premise that it may be the only way to break from what has been a dysfunctional relationship. A post-alliance future would allow both countries to hold more realistic expectations of each other, cooperating where possible but perhaps without the sense of betrayal, which has become acute in Pakistan. He cited a survey by the Pew Research Center released in June showing roughly three-in-four Pakistanis consider the United States an enemy, even though the United States pours billions of dollars of aid into the country. "If this was an election campaign ... you would advise the senator with these kinds of favourability ratings to pull out of the race, instead of spending more money," said Haqqani, who plans to publish a book entitled "Magnificent Delusions" next year about the US-Pakistan relationship. His candid remarks represented Haqqani's first address in Washington since he resigned as Pakistan's envoy last year after, he says, being framed for drafting a memo that accused the Pakistani army of plotting a coup — allegations he defended himself against before Pakistan's Supreme Court. Many of Haqqani's comments underscored the friction between Pakistan's civilian government and military, which have bedevilled the nuclear-armed South Asian country for almost its entire existence. Haqqani, who served as an adviser to four Pakistani prime ministers, identified himself among a small minority who support good relations with the United States but "who do not have the ability to influence the course of policy at home." He said Pakistan's military needed to be under greater civilian control, adding Pakistan's national interests are defined "by generals, not by civilian leaders." But he also doled out criticism of US policymaking, saying it was too often short-sighted, lacking the necessary historic perspective needed to appreciate realistically what Pakistan might do in return for aid and cooperation. The depths of the strained US-Pakistan relationship have come into full public view since the United States, without telling Pakistan, secretly staged a raid to kill Osama bin Laden last year. Haqqani was ambassador at the time. He repeatedly said someone in Pakistan knew of bin Laden's presence, even though he stopped far short of blaming Pakistan's principal intelligence agency, the Inter Services Intelligence directorate (ISI). "I still think a full proper investigation on the Pakistani side is needed to find out how Osama bin Laden lived in Pakistan and who supported him — within or outside the government," he said. "I really do not know (who helped bin Laden). All I am saying is that somebody knew." Unrealistic expectations He said it was just as unrealistic for Pakistanis to think that the United States would side with Pakistan by launching war on India as it was for the United States to think Pakistan would give up its nuclear weapons or sever ties with extremists. "Equally unrealistic is that Pakistan ... will give up support for jihadi groups that it deems to be a sub conventional force multiplier for regional influence," Haqqani said. Describing his vision for a post-alliance future for the United States and Pakistan, Haqqani appeared to downplay US security concerns. He said Pakistan's eight-month shut-off of ground supply lines for NATO forces in Afghanistan showed the United States it could rely on more costly routes to the North. And when it comes to unpopular US drone strikes against militants, Haqqani believed the United States would press ahead with the campaign even in a post-alliance future. "I have no realistic expectation of the United States ending the drone campaign and (no realistic expectation of) Pakistan accepting it," he said.
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| Johor MB expects to lose nine seats Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:37 PM PDT
If Umno can convince former minister Shahrir Samad to contest, the party may get to keep Johor Baru in the coming general election. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, FMT Johor has always been touted as the bastion of Umno, but one wonders if it really is so, given the inroads the opposition made in 2008. In the 2008 general election, there was a 14% swing to the opposition. What has happened to that swing? It is increasing and getting stronger. And this has got the menteri besar worried, intimating to his Umno division heads in one meeting that he expects at least nine parliamentary seats and up to 16 state seats to fall to the opposition in the 13th general election. That means he has not discounted fully the swing to the opposition. He has acknowledged that, at best, with all the efforts and the bribery that Umno has carried out, the party has only managed to claim back some 5%. That means there is still around a 9% swing with the opposition. Based on that conservative assumption, the nine parliamentary seats are indeed in jeopardy. My personal view is that Pakatan Rakyat can win the nine parliamentary seats and more. Umno and Barisan Nasional is dicey in at least six more seats – Tanjung Piai, Gelang Patah, Pulai, Pasir Gudang Tebrau, Simpang Rengam and Parit Sulong. Which really means, Pakatan could end up with between nine and 15 seats. Will Shahrir contest? Having said that, there is also the Johor Baru seat to consider. JB has a sizeable Chinese population which should prove to be a boon to Pakatan. The determining factor here would be Umno's choice of candidates. If Shahrir Samad chooses to retire, then JB will fall to Pakatan. Shahrir can only be persuaded to stand if the Umno people can stoke his contempt for Anwar Ibrahim.
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| Tanda Putera treads on thin ice Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:21 PM PDT
A MIC leader point outs that the movie on May 13 will open the scope for directors to explore other sensitive topics like the Kampung Medan violence and the exploits of Chin Peng. RK Anand, FMT More than four decades ago, the nation was rocked by communal violence and since then the tragic episode is often raised by politicians to strike fear in the hearts of Malaysians. While the official version pinned the blame on DAP for being the catalyst, there were also those who pointed the finger at Umno, accusing its leaders of masterminding the bloodletting. The number of fatalities was also uncertain, with the government charged with downplaying the figures. Now, a movie on the racial riot was set to hit the screens, and this had sparked off a raging debate. The director of Tanda Putera, Suhaimi Baba, denied that the movie had a political agenda, despite it being partially funded by the government. She also claimed that the script was historically accurate. Weighing in on the issue, MIC publicity and communication chief S Vell Paari said while art should not be curtailed, a movie on the May 13, 1969 riots was akin to treading on thin ice. He also warned that if the script appeared bias towards any particular party or race, then it could lead to an electoral backlash for Barisan Nasional in the next polls. "In countries like US and India, movies on sensitive subjects are quite normal such as those which touch on slavery, the Klu Klux Klan, racial riots and segregation. "In India, movies criticise the police and politicians as well as raise issues like corruption among the ruling elite and espouse the need for an uprising be it through the ballot or bullet," he said. But the situation, he added, was different in Malaysia. "Our directors do not dabble in such matters because of the fear of political and legal reprisals and such a movie, even if produced, would not pass through the censorship board," he added. Conflicting versions
Furthermore, Vell Paari said there were conflicting versions as to what transpired on May 13, and this rendered the director's claim of it being historically accurate open to dispute. The MIC central working committee member also wondered if Malaysians were matured enough to handle such scripts. "This is because the spectre of May 13 has always been used as a 'spook tool' by certain quarters while those who utter remarks deemed racially sensitive are thrown behind bars. "However, there are also those who appear to enjoy immunity when it comes to spewing racist remarks or making open threats of racial violence," he added.
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| ‘Political parties should stop party-hopping’ Posted: 22 Aug 2012 02:18 PM PDT
There is no need for a legislation to stop politicians crossing over to another party, says a BN leader. Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: There is no need to enact an anti-party hopping legislation to curb political defections in Malaysia, said a state Barisan Nasional leader. Instead, each political party in the country can draft its own set of internal guidelines to prevent or discourage any form of party hopping, said Penang BN information head Dr Loga Balan Mohan here. The participation of all political entities would put a stop to the fear of "political defections", which, if left unchecked, may cause untold damage to the country's electoral system, Loga said. Loga said this in the wake of a proposal by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to draft and pass a legislation to make it illegal for any one to cross over to other parties once they are elected by voters as their representatives in either state or parliamentary seats. The DAP secretary-general made this suggestion after a series of statements by DAP chairman Karpal Singh, who had single-handedly voiced his displeasure over politicians defecting to the other side. The onus is on all political parties to play their part to prevent defections and they should do it soon if they are sincere in serving the people instead of just seeking power, Loga said. He said DAP is famous for coining populist policies, but they lack the vision, or the courage to make it a reality. "DAP must be realists and adopt practical policies. They cannot be hoodwinking people with unrealistic demands and if such policies do not materialise, they often shift the blame to BN instead of themselves. They are already in power here," Loga said in reference to Lim's push for an anti-party hopping law. Form of incitement Certain quarters here have also shot down the proposed legislation, saying it is undemocratic as it goes against an individual's freedom of choice to select whom he or she wants to be associated with. Loga said DAP has in the past also absorbed Umno, MCA or Gerakan members into its ranks. "Why the sudden change of heart? Is it because the general election is near. DAP has shown its true colours by making an unprincipled stance. They change whenever they feel they can win support."
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| ‘How can DAP sack me after I quit?’ Posted: 21 Aug 2012 07:12 PM PDT
Former DAP Sungai Pelek parliament liaison committee member Tan Tuan Tat also cliams that the DAP disciplinary board made the announcement to sack him before sending him any letter. K Pragalath, FMT KAJANG: Former DAP Sungai Pelek parliament liaison committee member Tan Tuan Tat today questioned the party's logic in sacking him after he announced he quit DAP. "How can DAP sack me after I had quit the party?" Tuan Tat asked, when contacted today. Tuan Tat, who was also Selangor DAP auditor and Taman Sungai Pelek branch chairman, bowed out of the party on Thursday after raising issues relating to Selangor government-linked corporation, Talam Sdn Bhd, and expressing dissatisfaction against Selangor DAP leadership for sacking him simply because he was a strong supporter of Sungai Pinang state representative and Selangor State Legislative Assembly speaker Teng Chang Kim. "I publicly announced that I quit the party at 12 noon and faxed a letter to DAP headquarters at 2.45pm," he said. Tuan Tat was supposed to be attending a second disciplinary hearing at 4pm on that day as a result of a complaint against him by Salak Baru branch secretary Lee Kwi Keong in March, this year. He was accused of creating 149 phantom members for the formation of three branches in Sungai Pelek. Tan said he was surprised to read press reports quoting DAP disciplinary committee chairman and Cheras MP Tan Kok Wai announcing that he was sacked with immediate affect. Tuan Tat also claimed that he never received a letter in black and white to say that he was booted out of the party. "The last letter I received from DAP was a notification informing me to attend the hearing," said Tuan Tat. Meanwhile in a related development, Sungai Pelek coordinator P Sivakumar issued a statement on Saturday and clarified that Tuan Tat's expulsion was due to the latter's dishonesty in creating bogus branches.
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| Ambiga to leave Bersih after GE Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:58 PM PDT
The Bersih co-chaiperson told Bloomberg that she wants to devote more time to her firm which specialises on many legal issues. G Vinod, FMT Bersih co-chaiperson S Ambiga said that she would step down from the electoral reforms movement after the next general election. In an interview with Bloomberg today, Ambiga said that she intended to pay more attention to her firm which specialises in commercial, intellectual property and industrial law. Ambiga, a former Bar Council president, shot to fame after leading two Bersih rallies in 2010 and in April this year, calling for reforms to the Malaysian electoral system. Although she received support from Pakatan Rakyat and other NGOs, the government had poured scorn over her attempts, claiming that she was a "pawn" of the opposition. Sri Gading MP Mohamad Aziz even called for her hanging during a parliamentary session, but withdrew his remarks after receiving brickbats from his own colleagues in the ruling coalition. In the interview, Ambiga said that she has some unfinished business from her previous campaign on women's rights, which was not well received by the government. "The courts had abdicated their responsibility over a lot of family law issues in situations involving both the syariah and civil courts," she said. Ambiga was referring to cases where husbands converted to Islam and unilaterally converted their children too, creating a lot of confusion in families and leaving their wives in the doldrums. "In 2008, the government had proposed legislation requiring individuals wishing to convert to first inform family members and address custody issues, but the process was stalled at the Council of Rulers, who are responsible for Islamic affairs," said Ambiga. On growing calls for reforms, she said that the government could ill-afford to ignore the masses and one way to live by the people's aspiration is by making the electoral system free and fair. "If enough people want change, there's very little anyone can do to stop it," she said. "Malaysians are generally peace-loving – we are nowhere near what was happening in the Middle East, Tunisia and Egypt. "But we are at the right point in time for positive change, and if we are going to bring change, we only want to do it by clean and fair elections," said Ambiga.
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| Explain alleged conspiracy, duo told Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:24 PM PDT
(NST) - Perkasa has urged lawyer M. Puravalen and former Parti Keadilan Rakyat's (PKR) vice-president R. Sivarasa to come forward and explain the alleged conspiracy to defame Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. "If they fail to do so, then we will urge the police and the attorney-general to take the appropriate action against the duo to clear the air," said Perkasa information chief Ruslan Kasim yesterday. Ruslan, who is former PKR information chief, said anyone responsible for the alleged plot should be charged, tried and convicted. "We would also like to find out the identity of the person who masterminded the plot. Was it Puravalen, Sivarasa or a third person? "Is Puravalen a pawn, only to be manipulated by certain individuals who have ulterior motives?" Ruslan also challenged Puravalen to reveal the identity of the individual who allegedly divulged classified police information regarding the October 2006 arrest of political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda. "We also ask Puravalen if he knows whether P. Balasubramaniam's appointment as Razak's private investigator was planned earlier by a third party." This follows claims by blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin that Balasubramaniam was paid off after he had signed a statutory declaration on July 1, 2008, in a plot to defame Najib, who was the then deputy prime minister. Two weeks ago, Raja Petra named several people in the latest exposure, including Puravalen and Sivarasa. Raja Petra said he first met Balasubramaniam at Puravalen's house for a meeting regarding the Altantuya murder on July 2, 2008, after receiving a call from Sivarasa. Present at the meeting were Sivarasa, Puravalen, Balasubramaniam and an ex-police officer, Raja Petra alleged. When contacted, Sivarasa asked the New Straits Times to refer to his response posted on his blog last Tuesday. "This is a malicious fiction created by RPK (Raja Petra) to smear me, Puravalen and Bala," he said in the blog post and denied Raja Petra's allegation that Balasubramaniam was paid RM20,000 a month by a Chinese tycoon. "No one, including myself, offered or gave Bala any financial inducement to make the first statutory declaration," said Sivarasa. Attempts to contact Puravalen proved futile.
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| ‘Give us peace and growth, not elections’ Posted: 21 Aug 2012 03:21 PM PDT
A survey conducted in 2006 involving 1,500 young Malaysians yields some disturbing findings. Blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin wonders if the mindset has changed since then. (FMT) - To a sizeable number of Malaysians, peace and stability take precedence over the democratic practice of holding elections, according to a survey. The survey, involving 1,500 respondents between the ages of 18 and 32, was funded by the Asia Foundation, and the findings were rather disturbing. However, the survey was conducted in 2006, two years before the 12th general election which drastically altered the Malaysian political landscape. Resurrecting the six-year-old survey, controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin asked if Malaysians had changed since then. "Over 40% of the respondents would forgo elections in exchange for government-guaranteed peace, stability and economic growth [which means 'democracy' is not as important as peace, stability and economic growth]," he noted. Apart from this, Raja Petra said the survey also revealed that about 61% of Malays considered themselves Muslim first, with only 28% identifying themselves first as Malaysians. "Only 31% of Malays agreed that 'all cultures and religions should be given equal rights' compared with 61% of Chinese and 66% of Indian respondents," he said, pointing out that this meant that 69% of Malays supported the concept of "Ketuanan Melayu". The survey, he said, also revealed that the Chinese put ethnicity first (47%), followed by nationality (44%) and religion (5%). "Indians were the most nationalistic, with 75% identifying themselves first as Malaysians, followed by their ethnic group (14%) and religion (5%)," he added. With regard to the connection between government and religion, Raja Petra said only 3% of Malays agreed that "government and religion should be kept separate" compared with 64% of Chinese and 47% of Indians. "About 30% of Malays hoped Malaysia would become 'more Islamic' while that outcome was supported by 0% of Chinese and 4% of Indians. "About 34% of Malays agreed that the 'government should increase the implementation of Islam by introducing hudud for Muslims' compared with only 2% of Chinese and 0% of Indian respondents," he added. 'Malays reject woman PM' Another interesting finding was that a majority of Malays (53%) stated that they would not accept a woman as prime minister, compared with only 11% of Chinese and 6% of Indians. Those who do not understand the method employed in opinion polls, Raja Petra said, would argue that 1,500 respondents do not reflect the opinion of 15 million registered voters or 28 million Malaysian citizens. He said that those who do, however, would know that in a properly conducted poll, 1,500 respondents was all that was needed to obtain a plus-minus 5% accuracy result.
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| Ecuador’s leader says open to talks with Britain on Assange Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:51 PM PDT
(Reuters) - Ecuador is ready to negotiate over the fate of Julian Assange if Britain withdraws a threat to raid its embassy in London where the WikiLeaks founder has sought refuge, President Rafael Correa said yesterday. Ecuador was incensed by a veiled British threat to enter the embassy to arrest the 41-year-old former computer hacker, who is trying to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. Correa has offered Assange asylum and told Britain to let him leave the embassy and fly to the South American country. The leftist leader said Assange, who has been in the building for nine weeks, was welcome to stay there "indefinitely," but also said he was open to discussions. "Despite that rude, impertinent and unacceptable remark we're still open to dialogue," Correa told reporters in the coastal city of Guayaquil. "We don't expect an apology, but of course we expect Britain to retract the extremely serious mistake they made when they issued the threat that they could violate our diplomatic mission to arrest Mr. Julian Assange." Foreign ministers from across Latin America broadly backed Quito's position as the government rallied regional support at a series of high-level meetings in Ecuador over the weekend. Correa says he shared Assange's fears that from Sweden he could be further extradited to the United States and face charges there. His WikiLeaks website published a barrage of secret army documents and diplomatic cables in 2010 that exposed Washington's power-broking around the world. Correa has portrayed the saga as a struggle between a small country and "imperialist" powers, the United States and Britain. Local analysts say that playing up the "colonial" angle helps burnish Correa's anti-US credentials and could lift his ratings. It also plays well with his ally Venezuela's socialist President Hugo Chavez, the biggest critic of Washington in the region. Correa, a 49-year-old economist, has become popular with many Ecuadoreans by building hospitals and schools, and for programs of cash handouts for the poor. He is well placed to win re-election next year if — as widely expected — he runs. Ecuador has said it might take the dispute over Assange to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. But it wants to convince London that it should let the Australian citizen travel to Ecuador, or give him written guarantees that he would not be extradited to the United States. Correa's government says there have been no talks since August 15. Assange, whose platinum hair and friendships with the rich and famous have helped make him a global celebrity, spoke from the balcony of the embassy on Sunday. He denounced what he called a US "witch hunt" targeting him, but did not mention the accusations made against him by two women. That omission infuriated many in Sweden, who say the sex crime allegations by two WikiLeaks supporters in 2010 have played second fiddle to unwarranted theories of a US-led conspiracy to extradite Assange with the help of allies in Europe. Correa said Ecuador never intended to stop Assange from facing justice in Sweden. "What we've asked for is guarantees that he won't be extradited to a third country," he said. The Ecuadorean leader also said his nation had to improvise to provide Assange with as many home comforts as possible at the diplomatic mission in London's affluent Knightsbridge area, including a bed, microwave, shower and treadmill for jogging. "Since Mr. Assange has received asylum from the Ecuadorean state, he can stay in the embassy indefinitely," Correa said. Since taking office in 2007, Correa has often sparred with journalists whom he accuses of trying to undermine his rule. Critics in the media accuse him of muzzling them and behaving like an autocrat. Earlier this year he won a libel case against three newspaper publishers and a columnist for an article that called him a dictator and alleged he had ordered troops to fire on civilians during a protest. He later pardoned them. "I wonder what would England do if a journalist, with the permission and complicity of a newspaper, accused the Queen of a genocide?," Correa said when asked about accusations that he has used the courts to silence media critics. He added that in his domestic disputes with journalists he had only ever been standing up to unscrupulous media bosses. "We face up to (the likes of) Murdoch in the United Kingdom, who thought that they were above the law until a government came along to implement the law for all," Correa said, referring to the Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch's British newspaper arm is under investigation for illegally tapping the voicemails of celebrities, sports stars and politicians. There have been more than 60 arrests, including dozens of current and former journalists.
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| ‘Better the devil you know’, Dr M tells voters Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:45 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today Malaysians were better off with the "devil [they] know" in Barisan Nasional (BN) than a Pakatan Rakyat (PR) federal government he said was likely to bankrupt the country with its populist promises. "The BN has listened to the people and has changed many laws and policies. All that the people need to do is to urge the BN to carry out whatever change the people desire. "Better the devil you know than the angel you don't," the former prime minister wrote in a posting on his popular blog today. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to call for a general election soon, but attacks from PR and a number of scandals involving his administration have delayed such plans. The Najib administration has also introduced a number of new policies as well as reversals in an attempt to blunt PR's promises for reforms if the latter takes power. The prime minister was forced to establish a royal commission to probe the problem of illegal immigrants in Sabah following a number of minor defections there to PR. He has also promised to repeal the controversial Sedition Act, after abolishing other security laws earlier this year. But PR has made dents in the BN armour with recent revelations involving a national cattle farming project scandal and by highlighting possible government interference in a contract for the city's LRT extension project. The federal opposition has also promised cheaper cars to Malaysians in return for support. Writing in his blog today, Dr Mahathir appeared to compare PR with US President Barack Obama, and suggested that the opposition parties' promises for change were just that — promises. "In his campaign to become President of the US, Barack Obama promised change. He promised to close down Guantanamo Detention Camp. He promised to stop trials of detainees by Military Courts. He promised to pull out from Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, four years into his first term, he has failed to keep his promises. "Now the opposition in Malaysia have copied Obama and is promising change." While he acknowledged that BN has ruled Malaysia for long, he pointed out that the coalition had a good track record. "Five years to give (PR) a trial as government is dangerous. Many things can be destroyed in five years. Besides, the opposition as government will ensure there will be no return for the BN. Officers in the government will be used to 'gempar' (threaten) whoever tries to change government. "Already we see this person who claims to fight for free speech suing and resorting to the courts to shut the mouth of his critics. Other powers of the government will be similarly abused. "Nepotism and cronyism will be employed as indeed they are in the party he now heads," he said in an apparent reference to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
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| PKR leaders speak out against excessive development in Balik Pulau Posted: 21 Aug 2012 02:30 PM PDT
(The Star) - Two state PKR leaders have lent their voices to a growing chorus of people here objecting against excessive development in Balik Pulau. Penang PKR vice-chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein said development of luxurious houses in the green lung area of Balik Pulau should be stopped. "The conversion of agriculture land to housing in Balik Pulau should also be stopped. I feel the development here is excessive. "Whatever plans that have been approved, it should just stop now. We should look at how to cater to the low-income group by constructing low-cost and low medium-cost housing here," said Abdul Halim, who is also the State Speaker, during his Hari Raya open house at the Balik Pulau Sports Complex yesterday. Another state PKR leader, Balik Pulau MP Yusmadi Yusof, lauded the call, saying that Balik Pulau development must take the environment into consideration. "Development must be environmentally-friendly in which we must preserve our living heritage and the rustic lifestyle of the people here — for example, the Malay villages, the Chinese fishing settlements as well as the mangroves and hills. "The real challenge is to introduce a relevant urban planning model for Balik Pulau," he said. Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu, who is from DAP, had previously spoken out against hillslope development, especially the proposed 49-storey "super-condo" in Batu Ferringhi. Many Barisan Nasional leaders had also demanded that the state review its development policies, particularly those related to hillslope in view of the dangers to the environment.
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| Will A-G dare charge Umno Youth over provocative Facebook post, asks Guan Eng Posted: 20 Aug 2012 07:13 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The Attorney-General must prosecute Umno Youth for attempting to stoke racial and religious hatred online to prove he is impartial in enforcing a "presumed-guilty-until-proven-innocent" clause in the controversial Evidence Act — a law that is widely seen to shackle freedom of speech and dissent on the Internet — the DAP's Lim Guan Eng said today. A controversial anti-Christianity poster that was uploaded on a Facebook page that shares the same name as the political wing's official site but which Umno Youth says is "unauthorised" has spotlighted the weaknesses in the recently-passed section 114A of the Evidence Act — a clause that, among others, presumes that the named owner of a website is the publisher of the statement. The poster, which was uploaded last Saturday and taken down the same day, appeared to suggest that votes for federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will cause Islam to be replaced by Christianity as the country's official religion. "We call the A-G, since he defend (sic) 114A of the Evidence Act, to prosecute and charge Umno Youth because of this post," Lim told a news conference in George Town today. "Because the burden of proof now goes to the accused, not to the prosecution because this is now turned backwards, this is now flipped backwards. "It is not an indication of my support for the amendment but just to show, now this thing happened, isn't this a gross injustice?" he said. An audio clip of the news conference was made available to The Malaysian Insider. Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said government lawyers must take legal action against Umno Youth to show they do not practise double standards. "So if that is the case, Umno Youth is presumed guilty for making this type of inflammatory statements — they say their web page is hacked and all that — inflammatory statements to create hatred among Christians and Muslims especially during Hari Raya, they are presumed guilty. They must prove themselves innocent. "So if they do not charge Umno Youth, this shows there are double standards," he said. The DAP secretary-general said unless the prosecutors act on the ruling party's youth wing, it would show section 114A "is intended to clamp down on freedom of the Internet, freedom of information and to muzzle the voices of freedom and dissent and to silence dissent against the Barisan Nasional government." Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has denied his team was responsible for uploading the poster he described as "offensive". A representative of the wing, Ibdilillah Ishak, filed a police report yesterday asking for an investigation to be carried on the perpetrators. The controversial poster had read: "Jika anda setuju untuk jadikan KRISTIAN sebagai agama rasmi persekutuan Malaysia, teruskan sokongan anda kepada Pakatan Rakyat. (If you agree to make CHRISTIANITY the official religion of the federation of Malaysia, continue supporting Pakatan Rakyat.) 'God bless you my son'." Critics and lawmakers from both sides of the political divide are lobbying for the law that could curb Internet freedom to be repealed after it came into force last month. The amendment to the Evidence Act sparked an uproar in April when it was passed as it introduces a presumption of publication of online content on the publisher or registered owner of a network, and in essence shifts the burden of proof onto the accused. Khairy and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah had added their voices to the call to repeal the clause, joining opposition lawmakers already clamouring for the same. Yesterday, PKR's Nurul Izzah Anwar said she awaited "the authorities' speedy action to charge the person held responsible for any posts on the Umno Youth FB Page", noting that section 114A would be the relevant law. The prime minister had on Twitter last week said his Cabinet would review the law after several organisations ― including the Malaysian Bar ― chose to black out their websites to signal their opposition to the law. A day later, however, Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim announced that the law will stay.
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| Anti-hopping law: ‘Do it for the people’ Posted: 20 Aug 2012 07:07 PM PDT
Such a legislation is needed because jumping from one party to another is a betrayal of the voters' mandate, says Gerakan. Athi Shankar, FMT Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat should set aside their partisan politics to jointly legislate anti-hopping laws to protect public interests, said a local Gerakan politician. Penang Gerakan legal and human rights bureau head, Baljit Singh, said BN and Pakatan should do it for the sake of all Malaysians. However, he said it was easier said than done because the majority of politicians, especially elected lawmakers, were too deeply engrossed in partisan politics. He said they constantly stayed away from taking an independent stand on various issues merely to protect their respective party's, not public, interests. He said most politicians would react indifferently on party hopping depending on whether it was for or against party interests. "But party hopping is against public interests. It's a betrayal of the voters' mandate," Baljit told FMT. Hence, he said it was time both BN and Pakatan set aside their political differences and amended the Federal Constitution to prevent party hopping among MPs and assemblymen. "Both sides should do it before the next general election," said Baljit, who has always been vocal against "political frogs". DAP supremo Karpal Singh has said the party would propose a constitutional amendment to deter party hopping by federal and state lawmakers if Pakatan were to capture Putrajaya. Baljit said he was not surprised with Karpal's statement since the DAP national chairman had always been consistently against party hopping. He pointed out that PAS had also shown its clear stand against it vis-à-vis its Kelantan government's anti-hopping law in the 1990s. However, he is amazed with the indifferent stand taken by DAP's "Lim Dynasty" and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim on the pressing issue. The Lim Dynasty is a political idiom propagated by critics to portray DAP faction led by its national adviser Lim Kit Siang and, his son and secretary-general Guan Eng.
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| Wan Azizah non-committal over GE contest Posted: 20 Aug 2012 04:08 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is non-committal whether she will contest in the next general election (GE), Oriental Daily News reported today. She however dismissed rumours that her second daughter Nuru Nuha will contest a parliamentary seat in Penang. On talk that she will contest a state seat in Selangor with a view to close the alleged rift between Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and party deputy president Azmin Ali, she told the daily in an interview that "it is mere speculation". "They can speculate as they please," she said, without dropping any hint whether she would contest or not. She said even if she wants to contest, she still has to get the green light from the party central leadership and ensure that she is acceptable to the electorate. "To contest is to assume a huge responsibility. An assemblyman must truly serve the people," she said. Under the Election Act, Wan Azizah, who resigned in 2008 as Permatang Pauh MP to cause a by-election to make way for PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to return to the parliament, will be barred from contesting a parliamentary seat in the 13th GE, but the law does not stop her from contesting a state seat. On talk that Nuru Nuha will contest in the next general election, Wan Azizah believes it has to do with her daughter being a good orator. She disclosed that someone has identified Nuru Nuha as a potential election candidate due to her talent in public speaking. "Like Anwar, they (Nuru Izzah, Nuru Nuha) are good orators, but she (Nuru Nuha) has no intention to contest," she said, adding that her daughter had just become a mother, making it less likely she would contest. Talk in the Penang political circle is that Nuru Nuha is likely to contest the Nibong Tebal parliamentary seat in place of Tan Tee Beng who has left the party and is now Parti Kesejahteraan Insan Tanah Air (Kita) Penang chief. During the interview, Wan Azizah explained that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) did not come up with a shadow cabinet to prevent its leaders from becoming targets of personal attacks. Rebutting Barisan Nasional's constant criticism that PR is not ready to govern, she pointed out that although PR does not have a shadow cabinet, it has a committee to shadow each ministry and look into relevant issues. "Shadow cabinet? We indeed have such a plan, but Pakatan is still young, and before we come to power, we need to discuss the matter (shadow cabinet) in depth." She said PR did not name its shadow cabinet partly because it wants to protect its elected representatives.
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| Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:33 PM PDT
(The Star) - The Opposition is only good at criticising the Government without displaying any concrete policy or plan, said MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek. He said the Opposition had never shown its programmes to maintain what the nation had been enjoying now or how to even better it. "Job opportunities and a nation's stability do not come naturally and should not be taken for granted," he said. In contrast, the Barisan Nasional Government under the Prime Minister's leadership had taken a step further by implementing its transformation programmes to ensure continuous economic growth and improve people's lives, said Dr Chua. "The programmes provide clear social and economic development and the whole direction is towards becoming a high-income nation by the year 2020," he said, adding that economic and social progress for the next few years was vital in bringing Malaysia out of the middle-income group. "If we cannot get out in 10 years, we will be unable to compete with other countries, including Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia," he said during a dialogue with youths from 12 Chinese associations here yesterday. The Opposition, added Dr Chua, had also managed to sidetrack people from the real issues affecting their lives and the country by creating and harping on highly emotional issues. He said while many were excited over the two-party system in the wake of the 2008 general election, they forgot key matters like education, job opportunities as well as economic and social development. "They seem to be more worried about other political issues that incite arguments rather than important matters concerning them. "A two-party system that brings greater competition among political parties and provides alternatives for the people is good. "Unfortunately in Malaysia, there are a lot of personal attacks rather than policy to policy or service performance comparison," he said Many people, Dr Chua pointed out, seemed to be less bothered whether the next government could ensure the country's stability and economic growth, and create more job opportunities. Earlier, Dr Chua, who is Batu Pa-hat MCA chairman, visited a health awareness campaign organised by the division's 1MCA Medical Foundation at Taman Makmur. In PUTRAJAYA, after attending the Prime Minister's Hari Raya open house, he said open houses could be regarded as part of the 1Malaysia concept as it promoted inclusiveness. This concept, he said, was unique to Malaysia and should be actively practised.
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| Penang plans law against party-hopping Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:30 PM PDT
(The Star) - The Penang government is planning to pass an "anti party-hopping" law in the state. Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general, said the proposal would be discussed at the next state exco meeting. "We will also get the advice of the state legal advisor. "If the exco members are in agreement, the 'anti party-hopping' law will be tabled at the November state legislative assembly," he told a press conference here Tuesday.
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| Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:24 PM PDT
(The Star) - The debate for an alternative Bar is set to reignite a group of lawyers who have been pressing for their own organisation. Led by advocate and solicitor Nordin Yusoff, who is a member of the Selangor Bar, he claims to have received enough support to form an alternative to the current Bar Council regulatory body. "We have received the green light from the Government," he said. "We have spoken to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz and are formalising the registration with the Registrar of Societies," he added. In a phone call to The Star, Nordin said it was a plan that was five years in the making and should materialise by early next month. While refusing to disclose the name of the organisation or details of the pro tem committee, he said many of his friends in the legal fraternity were "raring to join". "We will open up our membership to ministers, judges, academicians and other lawyers who are not currently practising," he added. His reason for setting up the alternative: "The Bar Council and the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board are just bullying us and doing whatever they like. "I am sick and tired of their antics and I am going to expose their dirty tricks soon." The issue of an alternative Bar arose in May after the Malaysian Bar passed a resolution condemning excessive force by the police in the Bersih 3.0 gathering a month earlier. Nazri brought up the matter, claiming that the Bar Council's views were not shared with most of its 14,500 members despite the overwhelming majority in passing the resolution. However, the idea was shot down by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. In response, the Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee said any member could form an association as guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. "However, for licensing, regulation and disciplinary processes, in the interest of the public and the profession, it must lie with one body – the Bar Council. This is a rationale recognised by the Government. "The Bar will not stop this member of the Bar from registering an association so long as it is consistent with the Legal Profession Act and does not confuse members of the public of its purpose," he said. Lim also said Nordin was free to raise his complaints at general meetings, run for leadership or even resort to court actions. "He should have confidence in our general membership of 14,500 and do the right thing in elections or general meetings."
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| Advise party chairman: PAS tells DAP Posted: 20 Aug 2012 03:18 PM PDT
PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi does not want Karpal Singh to rock the boat. K Pragalath, FMT PAS Youth leader Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi wants DAP to advise its national chairman Karpal Singh on the issue of hudud which is proving to be a thorn in DAP – PAS relations. "I recommend that DAP advises Karpal not to dispute the hudud law to take care of Muslims' sensitivities and the good relations among Pakatan Rakyat members," he said via Twitter. Nasrudin's comments followed Karpal's statement that the burden of proof in hudud was harder than current criminal laws in the country. The dispute was sparked off on Thursday by PAS' former deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa who accused Karpal of being anti-Islam for opposing the hudud law. This prompted Karpal to contemplate a legal suit against Nasharuddin. Other PAS leaders such as central committee member and Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad defended Karpal for acknowledging the party's right to pursue the Islamic state agenda on its own. Meanwhile, Nasrudin also did not want MCA to oppose and dispute hudud law. "PAS Youth is disappointed with MCA which is opposing and disputing hudud," he said. Nasrudin said this in light of Selangor MCA chairman Donald Lim's announcement during the Selangor MCA convention on Saturday. Lim vowed to stop Selangor from becoming an Islamic state. "MCA will continue to defend the interest of the Chinese and will not let Selangor become an Islamic state. "This will also not happen in any state and nation administrated by BN," he had said.
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| Karpal: Pakatan will ban party hopping Posted: 19 Aug 2012 10:19 PM PDT
The DAP chairman says one can never justify party hopping because it was a betrayal against the people's mandate. Athi Shankar, FMT If Pakatan Rakyat were to capture Putrajaya, the DAP would propose to remove the constitutional barrier that bans a resigning parliamentarian or assemblyman from re-contesting for five years. In its place, said DAP supremo Karpal Singh the party would propose a constitutional amendment to deter party hopping by federal and state lawmakers. He said the current constitutional barrier was being used by defecting elected representatives to justify their refusal to relinquish their seat when they defect. "The DAP has always been against party hopping by elected representatives. "Anyone in DAP favouring party hopping or trying to justify it is mischievous. "In an event when elected MPs or assemblymen who leave their party to crossover to another party, or stay independent, or been sacked from their party, their seats must automatically fall vacant," he told a press conference here today. Article 48(6) of the Federal Constitution and sub-section 6 (5) Schedule Eight respectively stipulate that an MP or state assemblyman who resigned shall be disqualified from contesting as a member of the House of Representatives for a period of five years effective from the date of resignation. Two-term Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal said one can never justify party hopping because it was a betrayal against the people's mandate. He recalled a case law involving Kelantan PAS government in early 1990s which ruled that party hopping was unlawful and unconstitutional since it was against the rights to freedom of association. Thus, he suggested that a constitutional amendment would be needed to outlaw party hopping among elected representatives without contravening the rights to freedom of association. He also called on all parties to field clean candidates, who don't have baggage, in the next general election. "It will ensure a clean election," said the DAP national chairman.
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| Harder to show proof under hudud Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:55 PM PDT
The current criminal law is better because it is easier to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt, says DAP's Karpal Singh. Athi Shankar, FMT Potential criminals will not fear the Islamic hudud law because its burden of proof was harder than current criminal law in the country, DAP chairman Karpal Singhs said today. Hence, he said hudud law could not serve public interests well because if it was applied, virtually no one could be convicted of crime. Under hudud, it would be practically impossible to prove a case against an accused without a shadow of doubt. For instance, he said the requirement that there must be four witnesses to prove a rape case under hudud would make it impossible to convict a person. Thus, it would not be able to deter crime and criminals, he said. "Under hudud, you have to prove a case beyond a shadow of doubt… practically 100%, unlike the present criminal law, which is beyond reasonable doubt. "Criminals and potential criminals will not fear hudud because they know it will be difficult to prove the charge against them. Hudud law cannot be a deterrent," he said. He also said he was never "anti-Islam" because as a MP, he had accepted the Federal Constitution that stipulated the status of Islam as the official religion of the country. He said he was only opposing the implementation of an Islamic state and hudud law because it was unconstitutional. Karpal has said that he would sue Bachok MP Nasharuddin Mat Isa for labelling him as "anti-Islam". He said he was also ready to face any counter suit to be brought by Nasharuddin. "I am prepared to face him in any court, anywhere," he said.
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| DAP against party-hopping, says Karpal Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:42 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- DAP chairman Karpal Singh has stressed that the party was always against party-hopping. He said party-hopping was a serious matter as it involved betrayal of the elected member of parliament or assemblyman. "You cannot go against the wishes of the people on your own...DAP will not tolerate party-hopping," he told reporters here today.
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| See you in court, Nasha tells Karpal Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - Former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa told DAP chairman Karpal Singh that they will meet in court over his "anti-Islam" remarks. The Bachok MP said in an online portal report yesterday: "I maintain my stand that Karpal Singh is anti-Islam and am ready to meet him in court." He said he was taught in PAS that Islamic teachings cover every aspect of life, which encompassed faith, laws and morals, and that rejecting part of Islam would mean rejecting Islam. He was responding to a statement by Karpal that he planned to sue him for defamation. The Bukit Gelugor MP had said that he would take Nasharudin to court for allegedly saying that he was against Islam and that as a lawyer, he should know that the implementation of hudud required high standards of proof.
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| Time to bury 1969 bloodbath, says Umno vet Posted: 19 Aug 2012 03:13 PM PDT
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Umno veteran Datuk Mazlan Harun wants the public to lay to rest the ghost of a 1969 racial bloodbath amid the political hype surrounding local film "Tanda Putera" — a controversial narrrative of the country's most tumultous period — that could threaten the country's unity in the run-up to national polls due next year. The son of the then Selangor mentri besar, Mazlan opened up to The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview last week over reports of an incident at his father's home that several pro-Umno bloggers have levelled against DAP heavyweight Lim Kit Siang, as proof that the opposition figure had masterminded racial provocation leading to the May 13, 1969 riots in the national capital. Lim's political enemies have accused him of instigating the May 13 riots that took place 43 years ago, but some researchers have blamed the violence on an Umno-led procession that began at the then Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Harun Idris' residence. Mazlan said he had heard from a former deputy home minister of the alleged flagpole incident, but said he could not prove the truth of the statement. "I don't want to say whether it's true or not but I was informed by a former deputy minister in the Home Ministry — his name doesn't have to be mentioned — who read this report, this sensitive report that says Kit Siang urinated (at the flagpole), he read [sic]." "If he lied, then I lie, that's why many people are asking (that) all reports about May 13 be revealed," he said. Mazlan also said the former deputy minister had read a confidential police report in relation to the bloody May 13 tragedy. "Kit Siang, I saw in (his) blog, he made a denial, he was not here, he was at Sabah," said Mazlan, adding that "maybe the police mistaken identity (sic), I don't know." "But I was informed by this (former) deputy minister that Kit Siang urinated (at the flagpole) and I believe Shuhaimi's film is based on the police report, the Home Ministry report," he added. "Tanda Putera" director Datin Paduka Shuhaimi Baba has said the 117-minute long film does not depict any prominent DAP leaders in a negative light as alleged. "There have been allegations that the character of a prominent DAP leader has been featured in this film. We would like to reiterate that there is no such character in 'Tanda Putera'," Shuhaimi told a news conference last week.
Mazlan called on the public to stop digging up the past events of May 13, saying that it was unfair to his father Harun Idris who had passed on. "People like Datuk Harun have passed away, he does not have the chance to tell his version." "So if we bring up things which people say the dead cannot answer, in Islam also we think this is unfair." "Like Kit Siang he can answer, he's alive; like Datuk Harun he cannot answer," he said. Under fire from pro-Umno bloggers who have persistently accused the DAP opposition leader of instigating the bloodbath 43 years ago, Lim maintains he couldn't have provoked the riots in the capital city as he "was simply not in Kuala Lumpur on May 11, 12 and 13 of 1969." He has also taken to narrating his version of history over popular video-sharing site YouTube. The 1969 general election saw the Umno-led coalition, then known as the Alliance, losing its two-thirds parliamentary majority and its popular vote to the opposition for the first time since the nation's independence in 1957. The Alliance's shocking defeat was then followed by Malaysia's worst ethnic riot, which some reports say caused over 2,000 deaths. Lim, who was then only a first-time polls contender, won the Kota Melaka parliamentary seat in 1969. He had previously only worked as a reporter and a former political secretary to Devan Nair, the Bangsar MP and People's Action Party (PAP) member. Lim, who was still new in the political scene then, was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for 18 months after the riots in Kuala Lumpur. In the 2008 general election, the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition suffered a fate similar to the Alliance in the 1969 elections, losing its customary two-thirds majority in Parliament. However, BN managed to retain its majority vote and stayed in power. The May 13 riots have been repeatedly brought up by BN as a "bogeyman" to persuade voters to continue to support the coalition. Last month, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was reported telling Malaysian youths to stand united to avoid another racial clash like the 1969 riots. His statement came ahead of the 13th general election that is expected to be the closest fight between BN and the federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR). But a poster on Umno Youth's official Facebook page last Saturday suggesting a vote for PR will catapult Christianity into Islam's unquestioned position as Malaysia's religion shows faith and race are still being used as a bogey to scare off the crucial Malay-Muslim vote in the run-up to national polls. The controversial poster had read: "Jika anda setuju untuk jadikan KRISTIAN sebagai agama rasmi persekutuan Malaysia, teruskan sokongan anda kepada Pakatan Rakyat. (If you agree to make CHRISTIANITY the official religion of the federation of Malaysia, continue supporting Pakatan Rakyat.) 'God bless you my son'." Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin has denied his team was responsible for uploading the poster, and had removed it the same day it was put up. But the poster has provoked an uproar on the popular social network, with some cyber citizens supporting the statement and others condemning Umno Youth for attempting to fan emotions and religious sentiments between Christians and Muslims on the eve of Aidilfitri, one of the biggest holidays in multicultural Malaysia's calendar.
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| Ecuador rallies Latin America in Assange battle with UK Posted: 18 Aug 2012 04:40 PM PDT
(Reuters) - QUITO: Ecuador cast its dispute with Britain over asylum for WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange as a struggle against colonialism yesterday, drawing growing support from its neighbors in the international diplomatic saga. Incensed by London's threat to break into the Ecuadorean Embassy where the former hacker is taking refuge, President Rafael Correa's government has accused Britain of bullying and has formally granted Assange asylum. Britain says it will not allow the anti-secrecy campaigner from Australia to travel to South America because it is obliged to extradite him to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over rape and sexual assault allegations. "They're out of touch. Who do they think they're dealing with? Can't they see that this is a dignified and sovereign government which will not kneel down before anyone?" Correa said in his weekly address yesterday. "What a mentality, eh? They have not realized that Latin America is free and sovereign and that we'll not put up with meddling, colonialism of any kind, at least in this country, small, but with a big heart." Trying to present the affair as an international David versus Goliath battle, Ecuador was hosting this weekend foreign ministers from both the ALBA group of leftist-led Latin American nations and the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). Yesterday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez called for ALBA members – which also includes communist-ruled Cuba and Nicaragua, among others – to stand behind Ecuador. "Latin America must be respected, our people must be respected, but only united can we earn that respect." Support for Ecuador appears to be growing in the region. "Britain … is wrong. The threat is not only an aggression to Ecuador, it's against Bolivia, it's against South America, against the whole of Latin America," Bolivian President Evo Morales said on Friday. Ecuadorean state media said other nations including Colombia and Argentina were backing Correa's position. On Friday representatives of the hemispheric Organization of American States (OAS) called for a foreign ministers' meeting next week over the Assange affair. Canada and the United States voted against holding the meeting. "The central issue is not the right of asylum, it is the inviolability of embassies," OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza said after the vote. Ecuador, an oil-producing nation of 14.5 million people that seldom finds itself in the global spotlight, is furious Britain said it could make use of an obscure measure to break into its embassy where Assange has been for more than two months. "Is the threat of a European government to the sovereignty of a South American country not important because we're a small nation?" Ecuadorean Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said, adding that maybe the region should also discuss the US Guantanamo base in Cuba and Argentina's claim to the Falklands. The Ecuadorean government shares Assange's fears that he ultimately could be extradited to the United States, which is angry that his WikiLeaks website has leaked hundreds of thousands of secret US diplomatic and military cables. The leftist Correa, who has high popularity levels and is expected to run for re-election in February 2013, had developed some rapport with Assange during an online interview the WikiLeaks founder did with him this year. Correa's stance has been largely cheered by Ecuadoreans, and there have been scattered protests at the British Embassy. "The whole world should back Ecuador for giving Assange asylum and because this country is the first one to promote freedom of expression," said Mary Valenzuela, a 39-year-old restaurant owner. After WikiLeaks released its deluge of diplomatic cables that laid bare Washington's power-brokering across the globe, Assange became revered as a freedom-of-speech champion in many parts of Latin America, where there is strong tradition of criticizing the United States for meddling. Leftist nations, and others, have been increasingly turning to new partners like China and Russia in recent years. However, Europe and the United States are still important trade partners with the region, so Ecuador could suffer should the conflict escalate along commercial lines. Business leaders and analysts told Reuters this week that long-time US trade benefits for the Andean country are at risk due to the Assange saga.
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"These people are trying to act funny in this country. 
Her family claims that she had lived and died as a Hindu, while South Seberang Perai (SPS) Religious Department said records show that she had 
Desmma president Mohd Fazil Abdullah (right), who lodged one of the reports, also urged Malaysiakini not to publish such sensitive issues.
"I recommend whoever who converts into Islam to contact the relevant religious departments and to practice the religion. Don't cause an issue when you pass away," said Mohammed Shariff (right).
"We may do a protest in Pulau Pinang against Karpal Singh where we would probably burn his effigy," said Zainol Abidin (left).
The top DAP leadership, he is quoted as saying, should advise Karpal to stop making statements on the hudud as this would affect the relationship among the component parties in Pakatan Rakyat.
"He (Guan Eng) is very arrogant, I tell you... cocky and arrogant. It is not easy. Now more arrogant," Mansor says about the DAP secretary-general.
The meeting finally toyed with the possibility of Pakatan taking Putrajaya in the 13th general election, which must be held by the latest in April next year.
During the meeting, some PKR leaders had expressed their concerns over seat negotiations with the DAP, the dominant among the three Pakatan components in Penang, and the possibility of three- cornered fights.
Lim had previously strongly denied the allegations made in a photo posted on "Tanda Putera" movie's Facebook page, where a caption said that he had urinated at the flagpole at the residence of the then Selangor Mentri Besar.
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