Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Squabbling in Penang PKR may get worse
- PKR MP promoting MIC leader?
- Pakatan to hold demo on poll reforms
- Suaram: subpoena finally served on Scorpene witness
- ‘Only RM10 paid to settle Talam debts’
- Azmin: Khalid to get minister’s job if Pakatan takes Putrajaya
- Record-setting wedding of Ali Rustam’s son paid for by sponsors
- Hisham says would appeal court decision on news portal’s print permit
- In Malaysia, Court Backs Right to Print a Newspaper
- Malaysia slips in Internet freedom; same ranking as Libya
| Squabbling in Penang PKR may get worse Posted: 02 Oct 2012 05:44 PM PDT
LEAKED RECORDING: Two leaders at meeting named in report |
| Posted: 02 Oct 2012 05:05 PM PDT
BN leader accuses incumbent S Manickavasagam of promoting MIC CWC memebr A Sakthivel for the Kapar seat. G Vinod, FMT PKR's Kapar MP S Manickavasagam is working in cahoots with MIC central working committte member A Sakthivel, promoting the latter for his parliamentary seat, claimed a Barisan Nasional man. The senior BN leader, claiming anonymity, said this was proven when incumbent Manickavasagam promoted Sakthivel at a function on Monday at the Hoe Tian Keong Temple. "Manickavasagam said that he would like to see Sakthivel contesting for the Kapar seat in a speech at the function attended by about 1,600 people, and they all heard it," claimed the leader. Disappointed, the BN leader accused Sakthivel of using Manickavasagam to promote his own political agenda. "Manickavasagam was promoting Sakthivel because both are friends, but the latter must understand that seats allocation for the general election is decided by the BN leadership. "I don't know how Pakatan Rakyat works, but in BN we must abide by party decisions. People may get confused by Manickavasagam's announcement," said the leader. I was being sarcastic, says Manicka Manickavasagam, however, dismissed the BN leader's accusation, saying he was just being sarcastic with his remark. He said that many aspirants for the seat came to the function, including Kapar MIC division chief P Ganesan and Pemandu committee member D Ravindran. "These people just showed up. Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Deputy Minister Chua Tee Yong and Kapar MCA division chairman Song Kee Chai also attended the function. "All I said was that Ganesan and Sakthivel should pray hard so that their party leadership will choose either one of them to contest in Kapar. I was being sarcastic," said Manickavasagam. He also said that most of his speech on the day was about Pakatan's leadership in the state and its achievements. Meanwhile, Sakthivel also dismissed the BN leader's accusation, saying Manickavasagam was not promoting him for Kapar. "He didn't mean it that way. He was merely addressing the people there. As for me, I just had my meal and left the function soon after," he said.
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| Pakatan to hold demo on poll reforms Posted: 02 Oct 2012 05:02 PM PDT
Its top leadership said the decision was made following the government's failure to meet growing calls for electoral reforms. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT Pakatan Rakyat today announced its plan to hold a mass gathering on Nov 3 following the government's failure to meet demands for poll reforms, mainly the calls to clean up the electoral roll and media fairness. PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu told reporters in Parliament building here that Pakatan is expecting a crowd as big as 500,000 while the venue chosen for the event is the Bukit Jalil National Stadium. "The government has yet to meet the eight core demands made by Bersih, especially on the need to clean up the electoral roll and media fairness. "Because Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had suggested that if we want to hold any gatherings we should do it at Bukit Jalil, so we have decided to choose that place to hold our gathering," he said. Bersih and opposition leaders have repeatedly accused the Election Commission (EC) of deliberate inaction over allegations of discrepancies in the voters' roll, calling it a conspiracy to help the present government restore its two-thirds mandate in the upcoming polls. EC officials denied the allegations, saying its move to adopt the recommendations made by the parliamentary select committee (PSC) on polls reforms proved it was sincere in ensuring a clean and fair election. The PSC was set up by Najib after several protests held by Bersih and backed by the opposition threatened to shake his government, but he maintained that elections in Malaysia had always been fair. A national threat Just recently a Sabah daily published a report on the admission by a foreigner that he had purchased a Malaysian identity card for only RM1,000 and he was also a registered voter. Opposition election monitoring group Jingga 13 said today this strengthens allegations of bias against the EC and there is a continuous joint effort between the EC and the BN to ensure the ruling coalition retain power. "This is a very serious case. It is a national threat and swift action must be taken," Fariz Musa, the group's chief coordinator, told the same press conference. PKR vice-president Tian Chua said the rally was not only to voice opposition demands but the "aspirations" of all Malaysians who want clean and fair elections. The gathering will be themed "People's Uprising" and Pakatan said it will adopt yellow as the event's main colour. Yellow was also the official colour of the Bersih movement.
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| Suaram: subpoena finally served on Scorpene witness Posted: 02 Oct 2012 04:45 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Suaram revealed that a subpoena has finally been served on one of the witnesses proposed by the human rights group to assist in the French judicial probe on alleged corruption in Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene submarines from French naval defence company DCNS. "The inquiry is progressing and we've been allowed to tell you that the first subpoena has reached the first witness. However, Cynthia confirmed that the subpoena was served on one of the seven witnesses which it had proposed to the French courts probing the Scorpene deal. The other six proposed witnesses were Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, private investigator P Balasubramaniam, Najib's confidante Abdul Razak Baginda and the latter's spouse and father - Mazlinda Makhzan and Abdul Malim Baginda. Another speaker at the forum, Tenaganita executive director Irene Fernandez said the Companies Commission Malaysia's (CCM) harassment of Suaram was exactly what happened to Tenaganita - which, like Suaram, is registered as a company - when it exposed deaths of migrant workers in an immigration detention camp in 1996. This modus operandi in the past, like now, she said, was to portray that Tenaganita was supposedly providing false financial information and having improper accounts. Cynthia and Suaram founding member R Sivarasa, who is now Subang parliamentarian, are both expected to give their statement to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) later today after the regulator roped in the police to compel the duo's cooperation under the Criminal Procedure Code. "We stressed that Suaram is not and was not doing anything wrong. The transition from a business to a company was only for expansion and better accountability.
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| ‘Only RM10 paid to settle Talam debts’ Posted: 02 Oct 2012 04:33 PM PDT
Chua Tee Yong cites 2009 documents regarding Talam's debts to Unisel and PNSB. Patrick Lee, FMT Two Selangor state-owned companies, according to the MCA, only received RM10 each from the Talam debt settlement exercise, despite being owed millions of ringgit. Pointing to 2009 documents, MCA Young Professionals Bureau Chua Tee Yong said that both Universiti Selangor (Unisel) and Permodalan Negeri Selangor Bhd (PNSB) were given these amounts. This, he alleged, was despite Unisel being owed RM248 million and PNSB RM28 million. "Assignment of Debt Agreement" documents dated Nov 3, 2009 read: "Now therefore this agreement witnesses… the sum of RM10 now paid by the assignee to the assignor." With this, Chua claimed that Unisel's financial condition had worsened, and that PNSB was made to service a RM230 million loan with an RM86 million interest. Asked if he knew of the current payment status to these two companies, he said: "You have to ask the Selangor government." The Labis MP also came up with new figures to the Talam matter, in a claim that the Selangor government over-valuated the Talam land. He said that assets acquired through the debt settlement came up to RM676 million. Also, he included the total interest cost borne by PNSB (RM86 million) and a discount given to Talam by the state government (RM36 million). Altogether, he estimated the cost of the Talam deal to be RM798 million. In July, Chua started on several exposé against the Selangor government, claiming that the administration had used RM1 billion to bail out Talam Corporation Bhd. He claimed that Selangor had done so via a RM392 million supplementary budget passed in the State's Legislative Assembly in 2009. Chua added that the state bought an additional RM676 million worth of assets from Talam. Both Pakatan and the state vehemently denied these claims, and have since appointed independent audit firms to check the Talam matter in a show of transparency.
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| Azmin: Khalid to get minister’s job if Pakatan takes Putrajaya Posted: 02 Oct 2012 04:06 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is likely to be made a Cabinet minister if Pakatan Rakyat (PR) wins the general election, PKR deputy president Azmin Ali has said. He told Malay daily Sinar Harian that this would mean Khalid would vacate the Selangor mentri besar's position even if PR retains the state in the next general election. Azmin's remarks are likely to trigger speculation about whether he is eyeing a tilt at becoming Selangor MB, but he did not comment about his own plans. Azmin, who is Gombak MP, was reported saying that Khalid's corporate expertise would be better utilised at the federal level, rather than being limited to just one state, should PR take Putrajaya. Key to the suggestion to promote Khalid was the former corporate captain's success in leading Selangor, which saw the industrialised state contribute 23 per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), Azmin told the Malay daily. "The decision about the possibility is made by combining the various expertise and capabilities to ensure the country's administration runs smoothly," Azmin, who is both a federal and state lawmaker, told Sinar Harian. But he said PR had yet to make a decision on the idea. "Nobody can predict his position today until the results of GE13 are announced," he was quoted as saying. Khalid is seen to be a political novice but a seasoned corporate leader. He was a member of the National Productivity Council and has broad experience in the corporate industry; he was chief executive of the state-run investment fund Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) from 1979 to 194 and was also CEO of plantations giant now known as Kumpulan Guthrie Berhad from 1995 to 2003. He had joined PKR and ran in Election 2008 where he took the Ijok state seat, beating Umno's Satuk Moamed Sayuti Said by a majority of 1,920 votes. The victory catapulted him into the pole position of Malaysia's wealthiest state. Khalid is also Bandar Tun Razak MP.
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| Record-setting wedding of Ali Rustam’s son paid for by sponsors Posted: 02 Oct 2012 04:02 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam's office was forced to reveal yesterday that many of the caterers and other businesses sponsored the lavish wedding dinner of the Malacca chief minister's son that drew over 130,000 guests during the weekend. The wedding has come under intense public scrutiny after national news agency Bernama reported on Sunday that 26-year-old Mohd Ridhwan's marriage to Nur Azieha Mohd Ali, also 26, lasted eight hours, with the number of guests earning a place in the Malaysia Book of Records. An official with the Malaysia Book of Records was also present to present a certificate to the chief minister. Mohd Ali's special secretary Datuk MS Mahadevan was reported by The Star today as saying much of the wedding's cost was paid for through sponsors. But he did not reveal the total cost. Mohd Ali also did not say how much the wedding cost him, but dismissed suggestions that the wedding attended by more than 130,000 people was a lavish affair. "No one was forced to attend the event, including state government employees," said Mahadevan yesterday. "This is the first wedding ceremony for the chief minister's family and every Malaccan wanted to take part. Even estate workers wearing slippers stood in line to shake hands with the bride and bridegroom. "Not a single sen was paid to these volunteers." Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers have questioned how the wedding was funded, and the revelation of sponsors will spark more questions about the appropriateness of accepting money from businesses to pay for the wedding. PR lawmakers said that even at RM10 a head, the wedding banquet would cost RM1.3 million for food and beverages alone, far more than the long-serving chief minister's salary. DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang used his Twitter account to speculate further on the cost of the wedding, saying the banquet appeared to cost RM100 a person or potentially RM13 million just for the food. But Malacca Umno executive secretary Datuk Akbar Ali responded to the DAP leaders' tweets by saying they should not assume the wedding banquet was similar to a Chinese wedding dinner. "Awak ingat ini jamuan makan malam 9 jenis seperti masyarakat Cina dengan sup sirip ikan yu. Ini cara kamu wujudkan fitnah. Ini orang yang sakit (You think this is like a nine-course Chinese dinner with shark's fin soup. This is how you create lies. This is someone sick.)" Akbar wrote on his Twitter account.)"
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| Hisham says would appeal court decision on news portal’s print permit Posted: 02 Oct 2012 03:55 PM PDT
Ida Lim, The Malaysian Insider The home minister today said he would "like to see" an appeal of the High Court's decision allowing a news portal to seek a review of the ministry's rejection of its newspaper permit application. On Monday, the High Court here quashed the Home Ministry's decision to reject a newspaper permit application by Mkini Dotcom Sdn Bhd, the owner of news portal Malaysiakini. "Definitely, KDN (Home Ministry) will engage with the Attorney-General and, on a personal basis of course, I would like to see the matter appealed," said Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. "But, at the end of the day, it is not for me to decide, and if there is any info that the AG requires from KDN I believe that we are working quite closely..." When asked about the basis for the Home Ministry's denial of a print permit for the news portal company, he said: "I don't know, I was not around at that time."
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| In Malaysia, Court Backs Right to Print a Newspaper Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:49 PM PDT
(The New York Times) - KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Obtaining permission to publish a newspaper in Malaysia, where the print media are dominated by government-linked publications, is likely to become easier after a court ruled that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to publish and is a fundamental liberty, a lawyer said on Tuesday. A Malaysian court ruled on Monday that the government should not have rejected an application for a print publishing license by Malaysiakini, a popular independent news Web site, said Shanmuga Kanesalingam, a lawyer who represented Malaysiakini. Under Malaysian law, a newspaper must obtain a permit from the government before it can publish. Free-speech advocates hailed the decision as a victory. "Recognition that the right to publish a newspaper is a fundamental right is very, very significant," Mr. Shanmuga said. "It's the first time we've had this said by a judge." Masjaliza Hamzah, executive officer of the Center for Independent Journalism in Kuala Lumpur, described the decision as "a very progressive judgment for freedom of expression, for freedom of the press in Malaysia." "It's very significant," she said, because few new permits for print newspapers have been granted in recent years. "The permits that have been given out are mostly for small-scale publications, but not for the kind of publication that could garner a national audience, which Malaysiakini could," Ms. Masjaliza said. The government has not yet decided whether to appeal the decision, said Noor Hisham bin Ismail, a senior federal counsel involved in the case. It has a month to file. Although the Internet has remained relatively free in Malaysia, most large newspapers are either owned by the government or linked to it. Mr. Shanmuga said the court had ruled that the home minister, who grants publishing permits, must reconsider Malaysiakini's application in accordance with the law. He said the ruling would make it more difficult for the government to refuse an application for a printing license, because it requires officials to show that the proposed publication would be a threat to public order or to national security, or would be immoral. Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/world/asia/malaysian-court-rules-that-publishing-a-newspaper-is-a-basic-right.html?_r=0 |
| Malaysia slips in Internet freedom; same ranking as Libya Posted: 02 Oct 2012 12:35 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The report cited the recent amendments to the Evidence Act 1950, namely Section 114A of the law, which holds the computer or equipment owner liable for seditious content as a very troubling development. Malaysia's Internet freedom has worsened this year as seen in the latest global survey of 47 countries, putting it on the same level as Libya after Putrajaya introduced new laws seen to curb electronic media use. Internet freedom for Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy was judged to be only "partly free", after it scored 43 out of 100 points — the same as Libya — dropping two notches in the Freedom on the Net 2012: A Global Assessment of Internet and Digital Media report released last week by Freedom House, a US research organisation advocating democracy, political freedom and human rights. The annual study evaluates each country based on barriers to access, limits on content, and violations of user rights, and traces trends from January 2011 to May 2012. The lower the numerical score, the better the ranking. Each country is marked on a score from 0 (the most free) to 100 (the least free), which serves as the basis for an Internet freedom status designation of Free (0-30 points), Partly Free (31-60 points), or Not Free (61-100 points). Malaysia took the 23rd spot, trailing behind the Philippines, South Korea, India and Indonesia among the Asian countries surveyed. But Malaysia came out ahead of Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Pakistan, Vietnam, Myanmar and China. Singapore was not included in Freedom House's global study. The top five spots in descending order were occupied by Estonia, the United States, Germany, Australia and Hungary, which scored fewer than 20 points out of 100. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-slips-in-internet-freedom-same-ranking-as-libya |
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