Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Political heat continues to rise
- Playing a risky waiting game
- ‘DAP members fear Lim Dynasty’
- 'Selangor Govt's stubbornness will cause critical water crisis, expert warns
- Will BN take a hit over Talam and water?
- Anti-American fury sweeps Middle East over film
- Iran parks oil off Malaysia to dodge US sanctions
- Defecting reps ‘violating’ voters’ right
- Reverse defections hurting BN
- Currency scandal: new files contradict Stevens
| Political heat continues to rise Posted: 17 Sep 2012 04:47 AM PDT
Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily A Pakatan Rakyat double-decker tour bus has been repeatedly splashed with red paint, reflecting that the next general election is approaching and the conflicts between the confronting coalitions have been intensified. Meanwhile, the route of the bus has also exposed the Pakatan Rakyat's political strategy. The bus carrying Pakatan Rakyat leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked in Kelantan, Malacca and Johor. Why was Anwar touring these states, instead of Selangor which has been greatly attacked by the BN? Anwar made an announcement recently that the Selangor state election will not be held simultaneously with the general election, as the Election Commission has not cleaned up the electoral roll. The Pakatan Rakyat predicts that the general election might be fall in October or early November and it is also estimated that the Kedah and Penang state elections will be be delayed. However, the Kalantan state election will be held simultaneously with the general election. The strategy brings several advantages to the Pakatan Rakyat. First of all, leaders of the alternative coalition can first attack the BN's fortress states, including Johor, Malacca, Pahang, Sabah and Sarawak. Secondly, when the Pakatan Rakyat is attacking the BN's fortress states, they can at the same time, alleviate the BN's force in Selangor. The BN has recently attacked the Selangor state government with water supply, Talam debt and people's livelihood issues, putting Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who is not good at counterattack, in a disadvantageous situation. The Selangor Pakatan Rakyat could take a breath if the state's regime warfare is delayed. If the Pakatan Rakyat takes over the office, it can then clean up the electoral roll. Also they will have more political resources for the Selangor state election. Even though if the BN stays in power, the Selangor Pakatan Rakyat will still be able to gain sympathy votes. Selangor is important for both the BN and the Pakatan Rakyat and thus, Anwar tries to siege the BN's fortress states to save Selangor. With his silver tongue, he hopes to first set off a political tsunami in the BN's fortress states. A feast in Skudai alone had attracted 8,000 people. The MCA can no longer stand for the attacks and thus, party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek announced to hold eight banquets nationwide, including two in Johor. Attendees of the Pakatan Rakyat's events were mostly Chinese and if a wind of anti-incumbent is triggered in the Chinese society, the MCA's performance in the next general election might be worse than in the 2008 general election. In conjunction of the Malaysia Day, leaders of the Pakatan Rakyat have recently been working hard in Sabah and Sarawak. They have also signed the Kuching Declaration, promising to restore the rights and autonomy of the states under the Federal Constitution, according to the Malaysia Agreement. Relying on Anwar's personal networks, Pakatan Rakyat has successfully roped in some BN leaders and if the general election is further delayed, once the anti-BN forces are combined to strengthen activities in the inland areas and stir up emotions, Sabah and Sarawak might no longer be the fixed-deposit states of the BN. In addition to votes in the BN's fortress state, the Pakatan Rakyat also tries to win women's votes by introducing the Agenda Wanita Malaysia, hitting the 1Malaysia concept. From now on, the political heat will gradually rise. The Dong Zong is going to hold a protest on September 26, the 2013 Budget will be tabled on September 28 and the Pengkalan Himpunan Hijau will be held on September 30. Also, the confronting coalitions will compete through their annual general assembly. Some people estimated that about 100,000 people will attend the Pakatan Rakyat Convention scheduled on November 3. Therefore, politics will drown everything, including blurring the national development agenda in the next few months.
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| Posted: 16 Sep 2012 01:44 PM PDT
The prime minister is holding back on the election date to shore up flagging support and give his reforms more time to work. Reuters Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak could call national elections anytime between now and April 2013, but he may wait to announce a generous budget on Sept 28 as he plays a risky waiting game. The ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is widely expected to win the election but further gains by the opposition after its strong performance in 2008 could undermine Najib's standing. Holding back until after September would give Najib more time to shore up flagging support among ethnic Chinese voters, and to convince Malaysians that his reform efforts are working as he tries to reverse the ruling coalition's worst election showing in 2008. It would also make him vulnerable to any worsening of the global economy or the emergence of fresh corruption scandals that could push swing voters over to the three-party opposition. The political atmosphere is becoming more tense as the election looms. Key opposition figures have complained of hate speech and acts of intimidation directed at them. Its economy grew at a surprisingly strong annual pace of 5.4% in the second quarter, Bank Negara said, as a jump in private and government investment helped offset weakness in exports. The central bank expects growth this year to be at the top end of its 4%-5% forecast. Following is a summary of key Malaysia risks to watch: Election approaching The election promises to be the most fiercely fought in Malaysia's history, and already tensions are high after Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was charged over his role in a major street protest for electoral reform in April. In addition, senior opposition politician Rafizi Ramli, who made a series of revelations about alleged government wrongdoing, was arrested in early August for disclosing bank details related to a high-profile corruption case involving the family of a former minister. Meanwhile, the government is planning a fresh round of cash handouts to poorer families, Deputy Prime Minister Muhiyuddin Yassin said in June, a move aimed at shoring up support among undecided voters. In July, Najib – facing growing public demand for greater political and social freedoms – said he would scrap the colonial-era Sedition Act, which has been used over the years to silence dissent. Firm domestic demand helped cushion Malaysia's economy from the worst of the slowdown in global activity in the first half of 2012 and the trend is expected to continue as government and government-linked companies spend on big projects. At the same time, heavy government spending and an overly generous budget would sharpen concerns over Malaysia's chronic budget deficit. Ratings agencies have raised concerns about Malaysia's public finances and its reliance on oil revenue. Najib's personal approval rating remains high but support for his ruling coalition is sliding. According to a June survey, Najib's rating eased one point to 64% while the coalition's popularity fell 6 points to 42%. Two July defections from coalition in what has traditionally been a safe bank of seats in the east Malaysian state of Sabah have added to Najib's worries. What to watch:
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| ‘DAP members fear Lim Dynasty’ Posted: 16 Sep 2012 01:41 PM PDT
They are afraid that they would be blacklisted, censured and eventually booted out by the Lim Dynasty if they backed Karpal on hudud. Athi Shankar, FMT DAP members are scared to openly support national chairman Karpal Singh's stand against PAS Islamist agenda due to fear of stoking the wrath of all-powerful Lim Dynasty. Former DAP Sepang parliament liason committee chairman R Vellasamy claimed that DAP members were afraid that they would be blacklisted, censured and eventually booted out by the Lim Dynasty if they backed Karpal. But truth is, he claimed many current and former DAP grassroots leaders and members strongly backed Karpal to oppose PAS agenda to turn the country into an Islamic state and implement hudud law. "We wish to remind MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek that Karpal is not a lone voice in the party to oppose hudud. "Many DAP leaders and members are unhappy with PAS but they are scared to voice out publicly because of the intimidating Lim Dynasty. "The members do not want to rock the boat now especially with general election just around the corner," Vellasamy told FMT. Lim Dynasty is a political term coined by the grassroots to taunt the faction led by national adviser and Ipoh Timur MP Lim Kit Siang and his son and secretary-general Guan Eng, who is the Penang Chief Minister.
Last July, grassroots leaders and members under the Klang DAP parliamentary liaison committee (PLC) held a peaceful demonstration against PAS Islamist agenda in a strong show of support and solidarity with Karpal, a two-term Bukit Gelugor MP. But, Vellasamy said the protestors were all reprimanded by Selangor DAP chief Teresa Kok, linked closely to the Lim Dynasty. He noted that later the Selangor DAP leadership took over the control of the PLC, which was a gross violation of members' democratic rights. "That is Lim Dynasty, my way or no way," rebuked Vellasamy, who was sacked last month from the DAP over allegations of submitting applications for bogus members to set up six new branches in Sepang PLC. Vellasamy has always insisted that the allegations were baseless and he was sacked because of his political links with Selangor state legislative assembly speaker Teng Chang Khim Warning to PAS He warned that PAS can lose six of its current eight seats in Selangor if the party continued to embark on its Islamisation policies.
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| 'Selangor Govt's stubbornness will cause critical water crisis, expert warns Posted: 15 Sep 2012 03:15 PM PDT  (Malaysian Digest) - Selangor will certainly face a critical water crisis if the state government remains stubborn by continuing to block the construction of the Langat 2 water treatment plant, a water management expert warned today. Dr Ahmad Zaharuddin Sani Ahmad Sabri said providing treated water was a most important responsibility of the state government and the Langat 2 plant remained the only alternative means for the state to have adequate supply of treated water because all existing treatment plants had exceeded their production capacity. "Without this alternative plan, the people and industries in Selangor will run out of treated water as we have reached the maximum production level. We have come to the stage of requiring a new solution and new alternative. And in the immediate term, Langat 2 is the only solution," he said in an interview. Dr Zaharuddin Sani uses a simple "nasi lemak " analogy to explain the situation. "If we need 500 packets of nasi lemak to be given to 500 people, then it's enough. But if we only have 500 packets and there are 520 people to eat the nasi lemak, then it won't be enough." He rubbished the Selangor government's free-water policy and called for a review of the policy because, he said, water was a precious asset for any nation and should no longer be deemed as something cheap, let alone given free. Following is the Q & A from the interview: A: At the moment, when we talk about Langat 2 being able to solve our water problems, the answer is yes, because we need treated water. Based on a very high current demand, we need Langat 2 as the solution. But even this solution is temporary in nature. Why I'm saying temporary is because in the future we will have 1,000 people who want to eat the nasi lemak and even if we have new dams, it's not going to be effective compared to the most important approach for us to adopt from now -- to educate the people to use water wisely. We must recognise our water as an asset that no longer can be viewed as something cheap. Water can no longer be regarded as something to be given free. Water should be seen as something very valuable. If we compare one litre of bottled water and one litre of oil, the price is about the same, so we should appreciate the value of water. But why is it that we can conserve the use of oil and not when it comes to water? So what's the solution? Because we ourselves don't realise that water is something very valuable. If we do realise how precious it is, then certainly we will be very cautious in using it. Back to the question of Langat 2. Yes, it is absolutely necessary. And, at the same time, it should be followed with massive efforts to educate consumers on the real value of water, so that we won't need a Langat 3. A: There is nothing free in this world, and the water that's given is treated water. Treated water requires cost to produce. If we require cost, we need money. So, if we give free water, then we devalue this vital commodity and no one will value something that's given free. If we increase the water tariff, just like in Europe, we could see consumers place a high value on water in terms of their attitude towards water consumption as they look at water as a vital asset. But if we are provided with unlimited water everywhere and, worst of all, provided free, we will lose our sense of value over water. So, the move to give free water should be reviewed. Q: Langat 2 is a solution but it still doesn't exist due to the state-federal conflict. What's the implication? A: The implication is that we won't be able to provide adequate treated water to consumers while, at the same time, we can say we have sufficient water sources. Based on this assumption, we need to conserve our water resources. We just cannot dream that tomorrow we'll have more than what we have today. We must live in reality. If we have so much today, we have to adopt accordingly. And if Langat 2 remains unresolved, we then need a new solution. Among the solutions over the longer term is educating the people on water consumption and control on the supply of water. A: To treat water, we need raw material which, in this case, is raw water. But if we want to treat something and the raw material is not available, so there's nothing to treat. Yes, it's true to say that currently the capacity has reached its maximum. If we don't have raw water to treat, we can't produce treated water to supply to consumers. So, if we think of our rivers, dams that have reached their maximum, we have reached a stage where we need to look at new alternatives. Q: You have cited studies that show each Malaysian uses an average of 310 litres of water per day (lpd), which is 145 litres more than what consumers in other countries use. Can you elaborate? A: It's 145 litres per person. If one household has five residents, then the consumption is five times more. Imagine the millions of litres in excess consumption per household. This is the study by the United Nations that stipulates consumption at 145 lpd per person. But in Malaysia, the consumption is very excessive in every sense of the word. Q: The Selangor government says that Langat 2 is not necessary because the ongoing mitigation projects are able to cope with the demand? Is this so? A: The Selangor government only plans things for the short term. It looks at adequate water up to 2014. In contrast, the planning done by the federal government is over the long term, stretching more than 20 years. Langat 2 is necessary for this period. At present, we might not see water problems as something critical because, everywhere we go, there's water in the tap. But, try to imagine the situation five years from now. Would we still have this luxury?
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| Will BN take a hit over Talam and water? Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:27 PM PDT
The Talam and water issues may be BN's powerful weapons but they can also hurt the ruling coalition Selena Tay, FMT The Talam Corporation issue is now a bone of contention. And it is not surprising as the name 'Talam' itself can be said to be controversial, in the Cantonese dialect, that is. For 'Talam accented properly and translated literally in Cantonese is 'hit-collapse'. But used in a sentence it means to defeat one's rivals, for example: "We will 'ta-lum' all our rivals in the competition." BN and especially MCA, most notably Labis MP, Chua Tee Yong, has been using the Talam Corporation issue to 'ta-lum' the Selangor state government helmed by Pakatan Rakyat. So far, the Pakatan Selangor state government is holding up well. Although much time and energy has been expended to clarify matters, the state government's explanations rarely get highlighted in the mainstream media in a prominent manner. The Talam debate on Sept 12 saw the Labis MP refusing to debate with Pakatan MPs: Tony Pua (DAP, Petaling Jaya Utara), Dzulkefly Ahmad (PAS, Kuala Selangor) and William Leong (PKR, Selayang). Of course, Chua does not have the level to debate with Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim. Thus the debate arranged by MCA on Sept 12, knowing that Khalid will be away, is a cheap publicity stunt in order for MCA to do damage control as the sudden emergence of the Tan Koon Swan saga will surely greatly damage MCA. It is impossible for MCA not to know that Khalid will be away on that particular day. This is therefore an MCA stunt to claw back popularity from the Chinese who are increasingly losing respect for this party who only voices out on selective issues. Most conspicuously missing is the MCA voice in the Jalan Sultan-Save The Heritage issue where the property owners are unhappy with the MRT tunnelling beneath their properties. The property owners' contention is that the MRT can tunnel beneath Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock (formerly Foch Avenue) in front of Kota Raya, Kuala Lumpur. According to Shah Alam PAS MP, Khalid Samad, MCA does not know all the facts and figures. Said Khalid Samad: "KPMG which audited the Selangor state government's handling of the Talam matter is very well-known, established and professional auditor and it has cleared the Selangor state government of any wrong-doing." "The Selangor government has recovered all its loans and got back the lands. The state government has profited from the whole venture and the auditors even praised the Selangor government's professionalism in this matter," he added. Till to-date the water and Talam issues are BN's weapons to hit out at the Selangor government in order to cause its collapse. But it is MCA which is going to get hit and collapse before the 13th general election as MCA has almost lost all credibility among the Chinese voters. Only BN's cronies support MCA now. BN has never sat still since it lost Selangor in the previous general election. It has continuously tried every trick in the book to recapture Selangor by hook or by crook. This is not surprising as Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak is the head of Selangor Umno. Previously he was the head of Perak Umno and we know what happened there. Many people are now getting very tired and fed up with the intense and non-stop political activity since March 2008. It is BN which is responsible for this as it controls all the public institutions, the mainstream media and the government machinery which it enjoys using at the expense of the rakyat. Pakatan has no choice but to respond to BN's attacks and it is this factor that contributed to the intense politicking. BN leaders seem to ignore the fact that their politicking does not augur well for the investment climate. The Felda shares have suddenly dropped to below the psychological benchmark of RM5 and this is not a healthy sign.
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| Anti-American fury sweeps Middle East over film Posted: 14 Sep 2012 03:13 AM PDT
(AFP) - Fury about a film that insults the Prophet Mohammad tore across the Middle East yesterday with protesters attacking US embassies and burning American flags as the Pentagon rushed to bolster security at its missions. The obscure California-made film triggered an attack on the US consulate in Libya's city of Benghazi that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans on Tuesday, the anniversary of the Sept 11, 2001 al Qaeda attacks on the United States. In Tunis, at least five people were wounded by police gunfire near the US embassy, and a Reuters reporter said a big fire had erupted within the embassy compound. Protesters had earlier leapt over the compound wall. Witnesses said Sudanese police fired tear gas at thousands of protesters to stop them approaching the US embassy outside Khartoum, but some jumped over the wall. A Reuters reporter heard gunfire from the scene. The wave of indignation and rage over the film, which portrays the Prophet Mohammad as a womanizer and a fool, coincided with Pope Benedict's arrival in Lebanon for a three-day visit. The protests present Obama with a new foreign policy crisis less than two months before seeking re-election and tests Washington's relations with democratic governments it helped to power across the Arab world. It also emerged that Libya had closed its air space over Benghazi airport temporarily because of heavy anti-aircraft fire by Islamists aiming at U.S. reconnaissance drones flying over the city, after President Barack Obama vowed to bring the ambassador's killers to justice. The closure of the airport prompted speculation that the United States was deploying special forces in preparation for an attack against the militants who were involved in the attack. A Libyan official said the spy planes flew over the embassy compound and the city, taking photos and inspecting locations of radical militant groups who are believed to have planned and staged the attack on the US consulate. There were protests in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Marines to Yemen The Pentagon said it had sent a "fast" platoon of Marines to Yemen to bolster US embassy security after clashes in Sanaa. US embassies were the main target of anger and protest but most embassy staff were not at work because Friday is the Muslim weekend across the Arab World. The frenzy erupted after traditional Muslim Friday prayers. Fury over the film has been stoked by Internet video footage, social networks, preachers and word-of-mouth. Protesters clashed with police near the US embassy in Cairo. Two Islamist preachers in Egypt told worshippers that those who made the movie deserved to die under sharia (Islamic law) but they urged protesters not to take their anger out on diplomats or others. Sudanese demonstrators broke into the German embassy in Khartoum and hoisted an Islamic flag, while one person was killed in protests in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. Police in the Sudanese capital had fired tear gas to try to disperse 5,000 protesters who had ringed the German embassy and nearby British mission. A Reuters witness said police stood by as a crowd forced its way into Germany's mission. Demonstrators hoisted a black Islamic flag saying in white letters "there is no God but God and Mohammed is his Prophet". They smashed windows, cameras and furniture in the building and then started a fire. Staff at Germany's embassy were safe "for the moment", Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in Berlin. He also told Khartoum's envoy to Berlin that Sudan must protect diplomatic missions on its soil. Sudan's Foreign Ministry had criticized Germany for allowing a protest last month by right-wing activists carrying caricatures of the Prophet and for Chancellor Angela Merkel giving an award in 2010 to a Danish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet in 2005 triggering protests across the Islamic world. Bashir under pressure President Omar Hassan al-Bashir is under pressure from Islamists who feel the government has given up the religious values of his 1989 Islamist coup. The official body of Sudan's Islamic scholars called for the faithful to defend the Prophet peacefully, but at a meeting of Islamists, some leaders had said they would march on the German and US embassies and demanded the ambassadors be expelled. The Foreign Ministry said in its statement: "The German chancellor unfortunately welcomed this offence to Islam in a clear violation of all meanings of religious co-existence and tolerance between religions." Sudan used to host prominent militants in the 1990s, such as Osama bin Laden, but the government has sought to distance itself from radicals to improve ties with the West. A Lebanese security source said a man was killed in Tripoli as protesters tried to storm a government building. Earlier, a US fast food restaurant was set alight. Twelve members of the security forces were wounded by stones thrown by protesters, the source said. Protesters also clashed with police in Yemen, where one person died and 15 were injured on Thursday when the US embassy compound was stormed. US and other Western embassies in other Muslim countries had tightened security, fearing anger at the film may prompt attacks on their compounds after the weekly worship. Obama has promised to bring those responsible for the Benghazi attack to justice, and the United States also sent warships towards Libya which one official said was to give flexibility for any future action. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington had nothing to do with the crudely made film posted on the Internet, which she called "disgusting and reprehensible", and the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff called a Christian pastor in Florida to ask him to withdraw his support for it. Palestinians staged demonstrations in both the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israeli police, some on horseback, used stun grenades and made a number of arrests outside Jerusalem's Old City as a few dozen demonstrators tried to march on the nearby US consulate. "Israeli police prevented an illegal demonstration from reaching the US consulate in East Jerusalem and used stun grenades after rocks and bottles were thrown at them," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said. In Nablus, in the northern West Bank, several hundred people protested and burned an American flag, witnesses said. American flags burned The largest protests were in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Islamist group Hamas, with at least 30,000 Palestinians staging rallies across the coastal territory. Some 25,000 took to the streets of Gaza City, answering a call by Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad faction and waving the green and black flags of the two factions. American and Israeli flags were set alight, along with an effigy of the film's producer. Protesters in Afghanistan set fire to an effigy of Obama and burned a US flag after Friday prayers in the eastern province of Nangarhar. Directing their anger against the US pastor who supported the film, tribal leaders also agreed to put a US$100,000 bounty on his head. About 10,000 people held a noisy protest in the Bangladeshi capital. They burned US flags, chanted anti-US slogans and demanded punishment for the offenders, but were stopped from marching to the US embassy. There was no violence. Thousands of Iranians held nationwide protests. There were also rallies in Malaysia, Jordan, Kenya, Bahrain, Qatar, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iraq.
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| Iran parks oil off Malaysia to dodge US sanctions Posted: 12 Sep 2012 04:28 PM PDT
Luke Pachymuthu and Randy Fabi, Reuters A Reuters examination of shipping movements and interviews shows how Iranian crude is shipped to the area and loaded on to empty vessels at night to await potential Asian buyers. Storing the oil on hired tankers operating under the Panamanian flag in the calm waters off the tax-haven port of Labuan - an offshore financial centre about the size of Manhattan - means Iran can keep its own fleet active and ensure the flow of oil money into its struggling economy. At least two large oil tankers have been unloaded this way in recent weeks and several more Iranian vessels were steaming towards Asia, according to Reuters Freight Fundamentals, which tracks the movement of the global tanker fleet. One was destined for a Chinese port, while three others, carrying as much as 6 million barrels of crude or fuel oil, were sailing to unknown destinations. Iran would like to shift more oil to what is effectively a mobile storage depot off Malaysia's coast over the next few months, said an industry source familiar with Iran's planning who didn't want to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. But it is struggling to find shipowners willing to offer vessels for storage. While not illegal, the dead-of-night transfer of oil in the South China Sea illustrates the lengths to which Iran will go to keep exporting its oil to skirt Western sanctions aimed at pressuring Tehran's suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons. A European Union oil embargo has virtually halted access around the world to insurance for Iranian crude and oil products. Doing business with Iran's oil industry carries reputational and financial risk and the threat of losing insurance coverage. No-Man's Land Less than 10 km (6.2 miles) from the coast of Borneo, Labuan is sheltered from typhoons and is typically used to park unwanted ships rather than store expensive oil. People in the industry say this makes it an ideal place to blend or rebrand oil as non-Iranian and resell it under the radar of sanctions enforcers in Washington or Brussels. "Labuan is like a no-man's land. There's no reason to be paying attention to Labuan," said a Singapore-based source familiar with floating storage operations in Southeast Asia. The insurer of one of the storage ships that took oil from an Iranian tanker said it had been informed of the transfer by the British government on August 16, and was looking into the matter. With fewer customers, Iran has cut its oil output and almost halved exports from around 2 million barrels per day last year. The Labuan scheme means Iran can use its own tankers to move, rather than store, its oil. In April, shipping sources said more than half of Iran's tanker fleet was anchored in the Gulf just holding some 33 million barrels of oil - worth around US$3 billion (S$3.68 billion) at today's prices. Malaysian and Iranian officials did not respond to requests for comment for this article. China, India, Japan and South Korea, which together buy over half of OPEC member Iran's crude exports, have all imported less this year, winning waivers from US sanctions. Those waivers are up for renewal later this year, so buyers are careful not to be seen to be increasing imports from Iran again. Dead Of Night Last month, the Lantana, a tanker operated by the National Iranian Tanker Co (NITC), transferred its cargo of around 1 million barrels of crude oil to the Titan Ruchira, a floating storage vessel, off the tiny tropical island of Pulau Kuraman near Labuan, port and shipping industry officials said. Around August 10, another Iranian tanker, the Motion, discharged as much as 2 million barrels of fuel oil on to the Titan Tulshyan in the same area, said the officials. The two ships are among 58 Iranian-owned vessels blacklisted by Washington in July for assisting in Iran's oil trade. Those measures bar US companies and Americans from doing business with the ships. "Our vessels are there and, as we understand it, there are no issues," a source familiar with NITC tanker chartering told Reuters. A third NITC tanker, the Justice, had been heading for Labuan, but shipping data shows it changed course and should arrive at the Chinese port of Dalian on September 17. Another tanker, the Pioneer, had been expected in Labuan early this month, but has anchored off the southwest Malaysian coast. "That (Lantana) operation took place literally in the dark of night. They didn't even use a proper operator with experience to carry out the STS (ship-to-ship transfer)," said an East Malaysian-based shipping source. "The authorities were aware only after the fact." Iran declined to sell the stored crude to a Chinese trader who offered US$54 a barrel - only around half the price of Iran's cheapest heavy crudes - said a source familiar with those discussions. Complex Web The two Titan vessels are owned by offshore companies linked to Singapore-based Tulshyan Group, which hired them out in 2010 to Hong Kong-based Titan Petrochemicals under a 5-year bare boat charter - an arrangement where Tulshyan has no staff managing or operating the vessel. Tulshyan, which shares a Singapore office with Titan, said it was not aware that the cargo on its ships was Iranian. Titan, battling a shipping industry downturn caused by a glut of tankers, high bunker fuel prices and a shaky global economy, has struggled to meet charter payments to Tulshyan, according to a person familiar with the matter. Heavy with debt and with five straight years of losses, Titan is being sold to Chinese oil trader Guangdong Zhenrong Energy Co Ltd, whose parent, Zhuhai Zhenrong, is blacklisted by the United States as the biggest supplier of refined petroleum products to Iran. Titan hired out the two tankers to Glammarine, a little-known shipping company that only recently registered in Labuan. Glammarine took the two ships under a 6-month charter, with Titan's crews running the vessels' day-to-day operations and Glammarine taking responsibility for finding the cargo and paying for use of the ships. "This was the first business we've done with Glammarine ... there were no red flags raised (about them)," Titan director Augustine Cheong told Reuters in Singapore. "The due diligence we took was to check if they are legally incorporated. And it's on a time charter, so we have our own crew on board and can see if they're doing something wrong." Cheong said Titan would drop the charter to Glammarine if the oil was found to be Iranian. Glammarine officials declined to comment. A visit to a listed Labuan address for Glammarine given in business registry documents found a rundown building in a neighborhood once used to house workers at a now defunct milk factory. The premises were closed. Paper Trail Glammarine agreed to let a company called Account International Safe Oil use the Titan Ruchira and Titan Tulshyan to store 4 million barrels of Iranian oil, shipping sources said. Account International is not registered in Malaysia or Hong Kong, and Reuters was unable to find an address for the company or contact staff for comment. Buyers of Iranian oil in China, India and Japan said they had not heard of the company. A Middle East industry source familiar with the company said Account International was an affiliate of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). A second source based in East Malaysia said the firm had business links to HK Intertrade, a Hong Kong-based firm sanctioned by the United States in July for operating as a front company for Iran. "HK Intertrade purchases oil from NIOC and resells it to companies like Account," another southeast Asia-based shipping industry source said. The ships' managers from Titan were not aware that the crude and fuel oil transferred from the Lantana and Motion were from Iran, Cheong said. "We requested BL (bill of lading) documents. We were told the cargo was from India ... and we believed they were ex-NITC tankers," he added. "We only operate the ships as the ship manager. We don't own the cargo." A source familiar with the operations of the Titan Ruchira said the cargo was declared as Iranian to port officials in nearby Sabah. Customs officials in Sabah did not respond to Reuters emails. But in signed shipping documents seen by Reuters, Account International listed the 1 million barrels of crude oil unloaded by the Lantana as Indian. India, though, doesn't allow the export of domestically produced crude. Nor did the Lantana call in at India on its journey to Malaysia that began at Iran's crude export hub at Kharg Island, according to Reuters Freight Fundamentals and industry sources in both India and the Middle East. Account International also indicated on shipping documents seen by Reuters that the fuel oil on the Motion was from Fujairah, a major transhipment and storage hub in the United Arab Emirates. Shipping data shows the Motion did stop in Fujairah, but began its trip in Iran. Insurance Risk The Titan Ruchira is insured by the North of England P&I Association, which said it was looking into the matter after being informed of the transfer off Labuan by London last month. Western insurers underwrite around 90 per cent of the world's tanker fleet, and are currently barred from covering ships carrying Iranian oil. "There is a risk ... a vessel providing storage services for Iranian oil would breach European sanctions laws," said Mike Salthouse, director with North Insurance Management, which acts as manager for the North of England P&I Association. "I say a risk because sanctions as currently drafted appear to target the insurance of the transportation of Iranian oil and not the provision of insurance to facilities storing such products." The insurer declined further comment on its investigations. The Titan Tulsyhan is among some 7,000 vessels covered by Gard, the world's second-largest marine insurer. "Gard takes very seriously any suggestion that it is in breach of any international sanctions and is conducting an investigation," it said in a response to Reuters queries. "Gard can, and will, withdraw any insurance cover if it believes sanctions are being breached." Rakesh Tulshyan, head of the Tulshyan Group that owns the two Titan vessels, said that if there is "concrete evidence that it's Iranian oil", he will seek to have it removed from his vessels. "Because of my reputation, I would rather not do any business with links to sanctioned countries," he told Reuters.
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| Defecting reps ‘violating’ voters’ right Posted: 12 Sep 2012 01:34 PM PDT
A local NGO, Democracy Sabah, claims the current law allowing party hopping was inadvertently 'condoning the betrayal of the voters' choice'. Free Malaysia Today KOTA KINABALU: Efforts to get Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's administration to amend the Federal Constitution to prevent elected representative from hopping from party to party have received more support from independent groups. Desah or Democracy Sabah, a NGO established to promote and maintain democratic standards, among others, is deeply concerned about the party hopping practice – commonly known as the political "frog culture" – that is rampant in the country. Simon Sipaun, a former Sabah state secretary who heads Desah, said his organisation supports any law that would bar the practice and hold state and parliamentary representatives accountable to their electorate in between elections. He said that the current law that allows party hopping was inadvertently "condoning the betrayal of the voters' choice". "The law now says that they [elected representatives] are free to associate with whoever they want and so they can jump from party to party. "The politicians say it is their right… but what about the rights of the people who voted for them? Do they not also have rights?" "Voters voted for them because they represented a party. They supported the party so when they [the representatives] jumped they are not representing these voters anymore. "The law now guarantees their elected representatives freedom of association but does not take into account the freedom of association of the electorate. "It [the law] should also take into account the people's rights to associate themselves with any party and not just the rights of one individual. "It is a violation of the freedom of the voters which is much more serious than the freedom of association of the representatives in terms of numbers," he said. Sipaun was referring to the widely held view that enticements were being offered for representatives to abandon their parties. He said it was conceivable that a representative could now switch parties without compunction and such incidents were always clouded by allegations of corruption. "Something must be happening when a politician suddenly decides to jump… there must be some incentives. Don't tell me they are doing it for nothing," he added. Barisan Nasional government leaders have so far rejected the proposal to bar elected representatives for jumping from party to party as they pleased. They claim doing so is a violation of Article 10 of the Federal Constitution that guarantees freedom of association. However, Sipaun and several other politicians including those from the BN have said that introducing such a law would promote democracy rather than stifle it. He, like others, have suggested that to make the system fair to all, another election should be held and the elected representative should be able to re-contest the seat as a candidate for a new party and allow the people to choose. "Past experience indicates that it [party hopping] could cause a lot of political instability. To maintain political stability, an anti-hop law is necessary," he said.
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| Posted: 11 Sep 2012 02:15 PM PDT
Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's administration has made incredible efforts to change undemocratic laws but is that enough to swing votes in BN's favour? Amir Ali, FMT In Malaysian politics, there is no messing around with the powers-that-be. But when members of the judiciary and those of the executive start abandoning those powers, something is definitely changing in the country. Since 2008, it was a one-way traffic with the defections of several opposition MPs and YBs who either joined the majority or formed a so-called independent group in Parliament or the State Legislative Assemblies. These defections hurt the opposition's ego and image a lot at that time but today, the defections of MPs from the majority is definitely hurting the Barisan National badly. Before 2004 – the year when former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim was freed following a reversal of a judgment in the Sodomy 1 case against him – the opposition leader could not win any case in the Malaysian courts. During the heydays of the "reformasi" movement, this earned the Malaysian judiciary the title of "kangaroo" courts. "Reformasi" was a movement launched by Anwar on the eve of his arrest in 1998. Are we now witnessing an erosion of the stranglehold of powers on the judiciary in Malaysia? The opposition leader was jubilant in May this year when a former solicitor-general Yusof Zainal Abiden joined his legal team in the Bersih 3.0 case. "This is a positive development… I think more lawyers are biding their time to join me as well," Anwar said at that time. Erosion of power The opposition has since then been reinforced with the presence of former chief justice, Salleh Abas, who said he was ready to provide legal advice to PKR strategy director, Rafizi Ramli, who is facing charges related to the controversial National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp) project. Rafizi confirmed he received a call from Salleh informing him of the latter's willingness to make suggestions on how to deal with the allegations he is facing under the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (Bafia) 1989. In Malaysia, the "executive" body of the government, commonly known as the legislative body, is a vital element in the making of a government. It is the majority that the government controls that keeps it in power. An erosion of this power – with members of Parliament leaving the majority – is sign of an impending crisis. And such crisis cannot be seen as a positive development by foreign investors and international backers. It is common knowledge that if you are a supporter or a member of the ruling coalition, you will not be supporting or giving advice to the opposition and this is how Malaysia and most Westminster-style democracies work. Needless to point out then that the additions from the judiciary to the opposition ranks signify a new trend in Malaysia. It also obvious that the establishment, which is crucial to the good running of a government in power, is shifting away from the powers-that-be in Malaysia. The efforts by the prime minister to offer a half-month bonus to the civil servants is a clear message that civil servants are probably shifting their support. As a matter of fact, the Barisan National leadership was sent into disarray with the defection of two MPs from Sabah. Trouble for BN The holding of a mass rally by BN defectors on Aug 12 may altogether signal a definite downslope for the BN in the Borneo states. And the descent into troubled waters did not end there for the BN. Anwar, the dashing opposition leader and head of Pakatan Rakyat, won a case against S Nallakaruppan. The case – with that of his January victory in the tainted Sodomy 2 case – has opened a breach in the loyalty of the "justice" system towards the BN. It is to be noted that amid all the accusations against Anwar, none of the accusers dared sue the opposition leader except in the sodomy case. On the contrary, Anwar is suing his accusers and now that he is winning the cases, it is imperative for the BN to think of an alternative plan to counter Anwar. Then came BN's idea of dragging Anwar and his close allies to court for the Bersih 3.0 demonstrations. What will come out of these deliberations in court will surely decide the fate of the BN rather than that of the Pakatan or of Anwar himself. He can only come out bigger than life when the case is over. The slipping away of this powers from the hands of the BN is certain. If there were any doubts, the massive support of the Bar Council for the opposition is a point to take into consideration. Another point is the other massive entry of professionals into the ranks of the opposition parties. PAS today can boast of the presence of several of the nation's scholars and lecturers or teachers as well as top former civil servants within its ranks. The same goes for the entire Pakatan grouping. More and more leaders or former leaders of the judiciary and the executive are joining PAS, PKR and DAP and this cannot be ignored. New impetus What will the BN do to stem the exodus? Will the jailing of Anwar, Rafizi and their closest associates be the solution? The government under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has made incredible efforts to change the laws that were regarded as undemocratic. It has also opened up more space for constructive criticism of its work while it allowed the opposition to have more avenues (including demonstrations) to express its disagreement with the authorities. But did these sacrifices work in favour of the government?
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| Currency scandal: new files contradict Stevens Posted: 11 Sep 2012 10:40 AM PDT
Questions raised ... Glenn Stevens. Photo: Tamara Voninski (Sydney Morning Herald) - The arms dealer's company wrote to Mr Campbell demanding further payments and stating that it had convinced the ''prime minister and the Malaysian cabinet'' to give out contracts. NEW internal documents have contradicted parliamentary testimony by the Reserve Bank governor, Glenn Stevens, that the bank knew nothing about the Securency banknote scandal before it was revealed by a Fairfax investigation in 2009. The scandal involves the Reserve Bank companies Securency and Note Printing Australia, which were charged last year with bribing foreign officials to win banknote contracts. The sensitive documents, seen by the Fairfax, which contradict Mr Stevens's parliamentary testimony, come from the central bank's files. They show that in 2007: |
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