Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Iran parks oil off Malaysia to dodge US sanctions
- Defecting reps ‘violating’ voters’ right
- Reverse defections hurting BN
- Currency scandal: new files contradict Stevens
- Wrong conviction?
- Nervous time for Pakatan ‘candidates’ in Sabah
- Whistle-blowing NGO in Malaysia to be Charged
- Lajim’s new gambit rattling Sabah PKR
- Khalid nudges his way in
| 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: |
| Posted: 10 Sep 2012 07:55 PM PDT  Lim Mun Fah, Sin Chew Daily 27 years ago, on this side of the Johor Causeway, a bunch of MCA members shouted boisterous slogans, urging the Malaysian government to sever water supply to Singapore. Despite the passing years, the emotional outburst of 1985 still comes back to me vividly. Indeed, those people were protesting the arrest of then MCA president Tan Koon Swan by the Singapore authorities. In the infamous Pan El incident, Tan, exalted by many as the saviour of the local Chinese community, was slapped with 15 charges of fraud, cheating, stock market manipulation and abetment of criminal breach of trust. Tan was convicted the following year and had to spend his next two years in a jail in the island state. Many MCA leaders and members were unconvinced by the Singapore court's verdict, crying foul that the sentence had been politically motivated and not merely on commercial grounds. Although this incident has slowly faded from the memories of many, Singapore's chief prosecutor back then Glenn Jeyasingam Knight has revealed in his book Glenn Knight The Prosecutor published just three weeks ago, that he admitted of wrongly convicting Tan back in 1986. According to Knight, when Singapore's chief justice Yong Pung How was presiding over a similar CBT case in the court in 1996, ten years after Tan's verdict was passed, he said Tan was wrongly charged. In other words, Tan was wrongly charged and convicted and was technically an innocent man. Knight said he had to come to terms with his "mistake." although he did not elaborate why he apologised to Tan only as recently as in 2010, or nine years after he learned of his grave mistake, and revealed this 'secret" only now. Did that have anything to do with his conviction of corruption charges years later during his tenure as the director of the republic's Commercial Affairs Department? We cannot imagine the feelings of Tan Koon Swan after he was informed of the wrong conviction that resulted in him spending 18 months in jail. We also cannot imagine how emotionally charged Tan was on learning of this, as Knight has depicted in his memoir. From Knight's accounts, Tan already knew of the fact that he had been wrongly convicted two years ago, but why did he keep mum over the past two years instead of seeking justice for himself? I have to admit that I am a complete layman where law is concerned. I could not fathom out why in such a major case like the Pan El -- which endured a lengthy hearing process with the chief prosecutor, defending lawyers, judge, evidences, defences and court verdict all in place -- the chief prosecutor would make an abrupt public revelation only after two decades that he had indeed wrongly charged the defendant? Does it imply that everyone is equal under the law is not an absolute truth? Or is it real that deficiencies do xist in law, which could be defiled, dark, selective, and even inequitable? Today, we might lament this misstep, and wonder whether the MCA history would be rewritten, whether the Malaysian politics would take on a different course of development, or whether the cooperative scandal could be averted, in the absence of this whole thing. That said, there is no way we could turn back time. And again, there is no "if" in history. All that we can say is that if Knight's confession has been true, no apologises nor remorse could make good the agony and loss Tan Koon Swan has been forced to swallow.
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| Nervous time for Pakatan ‘candidates’ in Sabah Posted: 10 Sep 2012 04:17 PM PDT
The recent defections of BN leaders to the opposition camp have created friction between the old and new opposition supporters. Joseph Bingkasan, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The opposition in Sabah is gaining confidence that the game is up for Barisan Nasional (BN) politicians in the coming 13th general election, but its would-be candidates are getting edgy. The entry of recently-defected senior Barisan Nasional leaders into the opposition camp has thrown up a lot of dust in the Pakatan Rakyat camp. In the poverty-stricken rural district of Kota Marudu north of here, friction between the old and the new opposition supporters is being felt. Federal Minister Maximus Ongkili, the Kota Marudu MP, is among those on shaky ground for sure if he stands for re-election in the same constituency, according to Pakatan. Pakatan has been working hard since its unexpected showing in Peninsular Malaysia in the last general election. It believes its candidates in Sabah will be capable of wresting several BN-held constituencies due to the failures by the Umno-led government to live up to its promises. Among the front-running candidates for the Kota Marudu seat is PKR old hand Anthony Mandiau, the party's division head there. Also in the list of potential candidates for the state seats of Matunggong and Tandek are local leaders. Mandiau himself is optimistic that he will be able to unseat Ongkili, the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) deputy president. It will be the third time the two will face off if Ongkili defends the seat again, with Mandiau losing in the 2004 and 2008 elections. Former United Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko) vice-president Senator Maijol Mahap's defection from the ruling coalition to support Pakatan has added a new dimension to the contest. All's not well with BN While there was a big crowd at Maijol's house when he made the announcement of his support for the opposition in the presence of Pakatan leader Anwar Ibrahim, Mandiau, who was also present, played down its significance. He claimed he was responsible for getting PKR supporters to the function which they would have otherwise ignored. "I did this out of respect for Anwar… I had to organise a big crowd to come. The response from the people would had been less if it was the senator who invited the rakyat to come. In fact, there was also a big crowd from outside Kota Marudu," Mandiau said. Although Maijol resigned from BN to support Pakatan, he has not applied to officially join any of the Pakatan parties nor has he indicated he will do so any time soon. He has stated that should he contest, he will choose one of the Pakatan parties (PAS, DAP or PKR). There have been indications that all is not well for the BN in Kota Marudu for some time now. In fact, after Maijol's resignation from the BN, local leaders aligned to him have started a campaign to get him on the list of Pakatan candidates for the coming election. The campaign by his supporters is understood to be continuing despite Mandiau announcing that he had had "discussions" with Maijol on the issue of candidacy for the Kota Marudu seat. Mandiau and other local PKR leaders have insisted that the opposition candidate is not an independent. "We will make sure that candidates for the parliamentary and state seats will be from PKR," Mandiau said. The party fielded candidates for the state seats of Matunggong and Tandek in 2008 but lost to BN. Full-time politics
Ongkili, who is Federal Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, has been MP since he won the seat for PBS, then the opposition in 1995. He defeated his uncle, Jeffery Kitingan, who was the BN candidate. Ongkili polled 10,716 while Jeffrey got 5,851 votes. Ongkili, a former assemblyman for Langkon (1994-2008), retained the seat as an opposition PBS candidate in 1999 when he obtained 8,465 votes against 6,781 votes polled by BN's Maijol. He went on to retain the seat in the 2004 election with 10,457 to 7,268 votes managed by independent Mandiau. They contested against each other again in 2008 when Mandiau garnered 7,890 to Ongkili's 10,457 votes.
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| Whistle-blowing NGO in Malaysia to be Charged Posted: 10 Sep 2012 09:09 AM PDT
The Chinese probably hold the record for jailing those who point out corruption, violation of environmental laws and other shortcomings. But Malaysia could be catching up. John Berthelsen, Asia Sentinel When the going gets tough, UMNO jails the whistleblowers Suaram, the human rights NGO that hired French lawyers to investigate bribes and kickbacks surrounding Malaysia's controversial purchase of French submarines, will be charged for violations of the country's Companies Act sometime during the next two weeks, Domestic Trade and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said Saturday, according to the state-owned Bernama news service. Read more at: http://www.asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4809&Itemid=178
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| Lajim’s new gambit rattling Sabah PKR Posted: 09 Sep 2012 02:11 PM PDT
Sabah MPs Wilfred Bumburing and Lajim Ukin's unusual terms of 'joining' PKR has raised the question and stoked resentment within state PKR. Raymond Tombung, FMT They try to keep it as quiet as possible – to subdue the irritations – but Sabah PKR just can't keep it down. The prevailing discomfort has morphed into serious disagreements and the leaders just can't keep it behind the curtains anymore. Since MPs Wilfred M Bumburing (Tuaran) and Lajim Ukin (Beaufort) and later (Senator) Maijol Mahap, "joined" PKR, several serious consequences have surfaced. First of all, Bumburing and Lajim's unusual terms of "joining" PKR without becoming actual PKR members have raised the question of their real commitment to PKR. Their choice to just affiliate themselves and "borrow" the PKR ticket when the time comes for them to contest in the 13th general election, has made their sincerity questionable. And both have allegedly been promised substantial number of seats (rumoured to be around 17 seats each). PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, on his part, is delightedly lapping up the media hype, acting like he scored two important goals in his fight with Barisan Nasional. Anwar, the perennial opportunist, can sense making political mileage out of it. The duo had left the BN and invited him to witness their official public declarations, so why not take the golden opportunity to bask in the publicity? And although deep inside he wished the duo had actually joined PKR, they did not and have not todate. It is a smart move on Lajim and Bumburing's part. By coming into the PKR camp without really becoming members, by being pro-PKR or pro-Pakatan Rakyat but remaining independent, these MPs thought they had their cake and could eat it too. They wanted to be able to move about and speak at will without having to get any approval from PKR (read Sabah PKR). In the case of Tuaran, there was no outward clash for positions in the PKR division; Ansari Abdullah continued unthreatened as the division's head. But moving unhindered under Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS), Bumburing is harnessing the support from those who were in BN with him while enjoying the ready assurance of the support of the PKR members – a nice way to kill two birds with one stone. Kalakau Untol, previously in an uncomfortable position in Tuaran PKR due to his inability to forge real co-operation with Ansari, has now found his niche and purpose under APS, while still a PKR member. Will Bumburing throw his weight to field Kalakau as the Tuaran MP candidate in the 13th general election? This can only happen if Ansari decides not to re-try his luck in the MP contest this time round. Bacause if he does that, Azmin Ali (PKR deputy president) will surely decide in his favour. But the decision by the defectors not to join PKR was a smart move only to a point. This is because a clash between the duo and the Sabah PKR old guards is unavoidable – they could pretend to ignore the potential fireworks only for a while. Initially, the PKR leaders made comforting self-reassurances that co-operation was being nicely established and the whole arrangement is good for the party, no matter what.
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| Posted: 08 Sep 2012 03:01 PM PDT
Is Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim trying to secure his own political future by positioning his party boss Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the forefront of Selangor politics? Joceline Tan, The Star THE body language between Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and his party boss Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has grown warmer of late. The two men have not been the best of friends over the last few years but those who attended the Mentri Besar's Hari Raya open house last month noticed that Khalid was particularly attentive and deferential towards Anwar. Quite a number of people were surprised to see Anwar and PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail at the receiving line, playing host alongside Khalid. This was essentially Khalid's do but the Mentri Besar was sharing the limelight with Anwar. This has not always been the case because Khalid has had no qualms about showing people that he is in charge in Selangor or that he is more adept at economic matters than Anwar who is the Selangor economic advisor.  Celebrity look: Khalid and Anwar (second and third from left) sporting snazzy sunglasses as they welcome guests at the Mentri Besar's recent Hari Raya open house at the state government complex together with Dr Xavier (left), Dr Wan Azizah and assemblywoman Elizabeth Wong. They even sported identical-looking sunglasses as they stood in the bright sunshine in the compound of the state government complex. The dark glasses were quite ironic because both politicians apparently had lasik treatment so that they could improve eye contact with people. Generally, dark glasses are a big no-no for politicians because it makes them look aloof and removed from ordinary folk, but it did give the pair a certain celebrity look. It is evident that Khalid has been trying to get on the good side of Anwar to the extent of inviting him as the VIP guest and to address the crowd at the Selangor Merdeka eve parade on Aug 30. With the general election widely expected in November, Pakatan also wanted to elevate Anwar's profile to remind voters that he is their candidate for prime minister. But it has since become a political issue and opinion out there has been deeply polarised over whether the state should have given the Penang-born Anwar such a prominent role. The state government scrambled to do damage control after the outcry over why Anwar, who is not Selangor-born nor a wakil Rakyat in the state, should have been up there addressing the gathering. The fact that the Selangor palace saw fit to comment only made it more awkward for the state government. Merdeka Day has never been this political or contentious. Some attributed it to the fact that this year's celebration coincided with a blue moon, a phenomenon where there is a second full moon in a month. Strange things do happen on a full moon, what more a blue moon. Pakatan leaders had accused the Barisan Nasional of playing politics over the Merdeka Day theme of Janji Ditepati. But they have been no less political: at the Selangor affair, Anwar had begun his speech by urging for fair and clean elections before proceeding to talk about national unity.  Mohd Zin: Concerned about the signal being sent out about the role of the palace. Patriotic events are always about loyalty to king and country. Hence, they are rarely complete without a sovereign figure up there. The Sultan not being there is one thing but to have Anwar there alongside the Mentri Besar did not go down well with many people. "I suppose they put him there to show that they rejected the federal government's national day celebration. They wanted to show their power in Selangor and allow people a peek at the future if Pakatan wins Putrajaya. It was their way of saying that politicians will play a bigger role than at present. But they shot themselves in the foot. Why give the Barisan a chance to attack and why antagonise the palace?" publisher Datuk A. Kadir Jasin pointed out. Or as state Barisan coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed put it: "What kind of signal are they sending out about the role of the palace?"  Nik Aziz: Wondered if trouble-makers at demonstration were possessed by evil spirits. On top of that, the police and military excused themselves from the parade pleading logistics issues. But for days after the event, rumours were rife that the two bodies withdrew because they did not want to have to salute Anwar. PKR assemblyman and state exco member Dr Xavier Jayakumar called a press conference a few days later to defend the State's action. He said Pakatan Rakyat was democratically elected and could invite anyone to speak at the Merdeka event. Datuk Seri Hadi Awang of PAS and DAP's Lim Kit Siang were also invited but could not attend. Dr Xavier is perfectly right to say that the ruling coalition can invite whomever it wants but given the fallout, inviting Anwar may not have been the wisest thing to do.  Khusrin: Fingers pointed at him when things went wrong over the Merdeka parade. "This is a very formal and official occasion but I suspect that some of them think it is like another ceramah," said restaurateur Juhaidi Yean Abdullah. Some have suggested that it was mooted largely by Khalid who looked like he was having a great time that night, especially when he called out "Merdeka!" at the stroke of midnight. It was Anwar who seemed a little unsure of himself, as though he felt out of place in the Selangor setting. Campaign bus Khalid definitely eclipsed his rival and Selangor PKR chief Azmin Ali that evening. The MB calls the shots on such occasions and Azmin looked like a bit player in the Merdeka tableau. There has been endless talk that Khalid is on the way out but it looks like the man is fighting to stay on by currying favour with Anwar who will have the biggest and last say on candidates and seats. Last month, PKR launched a campaign bus, a refurbished double-decker that is said to have cost RM500,000. Khalid paid for it out of his own pocket and it is for Anwar to use in his country-wide campaign. Both sides of the bus are screen-painted with big portraits of a smiling and handsome Anwar. It was a big gesture on the part of Khalid who is a multi-millionaire but is famous for being tight-fisted with money. The bus can seat 19 people, has a conference area, Wi-Fi, top quality public address system and a stage that folds out from the baggage compartment. But the best part about this bus has got to be the two high-end massage chairs for tired bodies. All that must have catapulted Khalid into the good books of Anwar. Khalid is evidently not as naive as he has been made out to be. For instance, he knows that the Sultan does not look kindly on street protests. Just recently, the Tuanku advised Selangoreans going on the Haj or umrah not to tarnish the country's image by holding demonstrations in the Holy Land. It was a hint of the royal figure's opinion of street protests. It is no coincidence that all those Bersih protests have not been allowed in his state. But Pakatan is in danger of making protests the centrepiece of their governing tactic. When they won in five states, there was not a word about dirty elections but now that they are not sure of holding on to those five states, they are accusing their opponents of rigging the elections. After more than four years in power, Pakatan is in danger of being associated with street politics rather than the new politics they had promised. The last two big street protests have damaged rather than won them fans among the Malaysian middle ground. The recent Merdeka eve march organised by the Bersih group of people was largely peaceful but the string of unfortunate incidents – people waving an "alternative flag", the stomping and mooning of pictures of the Prime Minister – has again hurt Pakatan. It was not a very Malaysian thing to do, and because it happened at what was basically an anti-Barisan demonstration, the incidents, rightly or wrongly, became associated with Pakatan. Utusan Malaysia frontpaged the photographs of every single culprit from the group, from the duo happily waving the "alternative flag" to the boy with the now most famous butt in the country. Pakatan politicians were quick to point the finger at Barisan saboteurs but the political alignments all seem to point to Pakatan parties. The person behind the "alternative flag" turned out to be none other than Najwan Halimi, the deputy information chief of PKR's Youth wing. Najwan, 26, works as an aide to Anwar and was a defence witness in Anwar's sodomy trial. He admitted to having designed the flag in 2007. The female stomper, a glamorous model, turned up at the police station in Johor Baru accompanied by DAP MP for Bakri Er Teck Hwa. Pakatan leaders have since distanced themselves from the acts but only Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat came down hard on the culprits, saying that Malays and Muslim should not do such shameful acts. "Maybe those involved were possessed by evil spirits. Why should we change the flag, it has been accepted by the world. I really regret that this happened," said the Kelantan Mentri Besar. The incidents had eclipsed the larger purpose of the demonstration. It was similar to what happened at the Republican convention in the United States – there were many interesting speeches but at the end of it, the most talked about part was the rambling and incoherent debut by Hollywood actor Clint Eastwood. Some Malay nationalists have wondered why Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak does not react to such provocation. There is a very simple answer to that. Najib knows that he has secured the Malay ground and that the traditional supporters have returned to Barisan. His focus is now on the middle ground, a group of people who are not aligned to either side and who will vote according to issues, candidates and situations. Incidents like these will impact this group most of all. Najib is adopting a very shrewd approach to win the middle ground. Khalid has been anxious to sort out the fiasco over his state's Merdeka do. Fingers had been pointed at state secretary Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi when things went wrong but Khalid has cleared the top civil servant's name. He also claimed that Anwar attended the event not as the "guest of honour" but as a "guest speaker". Some thought it rather unbecoming to downsize a VIP guest in this manner and that Khalid should have stood his ground. Khalid has secured his place in his party's list of election candidates. But his coalition is still struggling to secure its hold over Selangor and his jazzed-up campaign bus may find that the GPS may not have the roadmap to Putrajaya.
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