Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Karpal v Nasha feud: leave it to the duo, says PAS
- Uthayakumar’s lieutenant joins PKR
- PKR wants Lajim to contest both seats
- Chamil openly apologises to Seputeh MP
- Prove claims, Anwar told
- Offensive against Pak Lah a ‘distraction’
- ‘Judges still probing Scorpene deal’
- Rela member in a group or not, woman falls victim to snatch theft
- PKR wants Faekah sacked
- French lawyer: No Scorpene trial in France
- Singaporean turfed for racist rant against Malays
- ‘BN govt does not care for Sabah’
- Penang PKR wrapping up ‘cocky and arrogant Lim’ case
- DAP’s Karpal chides ‘presumptuous’ PKR deputy president
- Nazri: EC to implement most PSC recommendations in GE13
- Musa’s ‘monopoly’ of Sabah may lead to BN’s downfall, says ex-Umno man
- Ex-DAP man’s criticism has Kok fuming
- Britain's brutal rule in Kenya on the docks
- Assaulted DAP man receives ‘threat’ calls
- Mustafa hits back at PKR deputy president over Selangor MB remark
- Talam under MACC probe
- Zahid: AG confirms legitimacy of Scorpene purchase
- Putrajaya tightens screws on SUARAM, probing alleged civil service snitch
- 6 NGOs lodge reports against Anwar, 3 MPs
- It’s a threesome now as Faekah Husin joins in feud!
- Malaysia Week kicks off in London
- Faekah comes under fire from PKR
- Pakatan’s floor wage may cause RM7.2b outflow
- Son's wedding was 'cheap to organise'
- Seeking the Right to Be Female in Malaysia
- LGE accused of ignoring gangsterism in DAP
- Probe JMM allegations, urges Cuepacs
- Johor to overtake Selangor as richest state
- Politicians and gangsters
- A Rapid white elephant in the making?
- Khalid dismisses speculation on federal move if Pakatan wins
- Suaram denies bribing government officials
- Pakatan's Nov 3 rally is 'tip of iceberg', say analysts
- 'We did not misinterpret Azmin's statement on Selangor MB' - Sinar Harian
- Protests reflect vibrant democracy: PM
- Top defence firms rank low in anti-graft measures
| Karpal v Nasha feud: leave it to the duo, says PAS Posted: 09 Oct 2012 12:54 AM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - PAS maintains that the ongoing feud between DAP national chairman Karpal Singh and former PAS deputy president Nasharudin Mat Isa should be left to the duo. PAS central committee member Khalid Samad said Karpal's insistence on suing Nasharudin is his personal choice, Sinar Harian reported. Khalid, who is also Selangor Deputy PAS Commissioner II, said the party will not interfere as they have never asked any of its members to issue a callous statement. "That's a personal matter; it's up to Karpal if he still wants to sue Nasharudin or otherwise. "Moreover, PAS has never asked Nasharudin to issue a statement in that vein towards any other leaders. "But it doesn't mean if Karpal is anti-hudud, he is anti-Islam," the Shah Alam MP told reporters at the Parliament lobby today. Yesterday, Karpal had declared that he would continue his defamation proceedings against Nasharudin, after assessing the situation. Nasharudin was alleged to have defamed Karpal by claiming that the latter was against hudud and Islam. Nasharudin had said he was ready for legal action by Karpal. Other DAP and PAS leaders had previously also chosen to stay out of the fray and reiterated that the matter should be left between the two. Khalid, meanwhile, believed that the issue won't affect the outcome of the upcoming general election. He said the dispute doesn't involve any of the parties, and is confident that support for PAS will not be affected as a result. "That is purely his (Nasharudin) personal views, there's no need for the whole party to be involved. "We're certain that the people's support is still with us even if we don't interfere," he said.
| |||
| Uthayakumar’s lieutenant joins PKR Posted: 08 Oct 2012 05:18 PM PDT
Hindraf leader S Jayathas has joined PKR, saying the political party can provide a better platform to champion the cause of the Indians. B Nantha Kumar, FMT S Jayathas, regarded as Hindraf leader P Uthayakumar's most trusted lietenant, has now joined PKR. During a press conference at the PKR headquarters today, Jayathas submitted his membership application form to party vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar. Also present were vice-president N Surendran, Subang MP R Sivarasah and other party officials. Jayathas said he decided to work with PKR because he needed a stronger platform to champion the cause of the Indian community. However, he refused to answer questions on whether he considered Hindraf no longer relevant. "For the time being, PKR is the better party to fight towards a better future of the Indians," he said. He added that PKR had shown genuine concern for the Indian community and was committed to address their grouses. Jayathas was one of the pioneer members of PKR but left the party due to his activeness in the Hindraf movement. The Malacca-born businessman was defeated by BN candidate in the Merlimau state assembly seat in the 2004 state election where he contested under a PKR banner.
Jayathas' departure from Hindraf would render a blow to the movement, which over the years had lost its influence among the Indian community. In an immediate reaction, Hindraf Youth chief S Thiagarajan, Jayathas had joined PKR because he was suffering from financial problems. "We had a meeting last Friday where Jayathas told us that he wanted to join PKR because he received a 'better offer'," he said, without elaborating. However, Thiagarajan said Hindraf was grateful to Jayathas' contribution to the movement. Responding to Thiagarajan's claims, Jayathas said he would have joined Barisan Nasional if monetary reward was his motivation.
| |||
| PKR wants Lajim to contest both seats Posted: 08 Oct 2012 05:16 PM PDT
(Daily Express) - The district's PKR Supreme Council has unanimously agreed that Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin contest the Beaufort parliamentary seat and Klias State seat in the next election. Beaufort PKR Chief, Abd Jairin Ukin, proposed this during the division's AGM held here last Sunday. Abd Jairih said the unanimous decision was also firmly supported by all Beaufort PKR members and that they also pledged to ensure all Pakatan Rakyat candidates in the area concerned win in the general elections. "This undivided support was based on the firm spirit of cooperation and understanding that has been forged for so long among the PKR and Pakatan components especially in the Beaufort parliamentary constituency," he said. In fact, he claimed, support for the Pakatan has increased as evidenced by the number of people joining the opposition after Lajim joined the Pakatan. Prior to this, he said, there was some opposition from among PKR members here who have worked hard for the party when they heard that Lajim would be contesting the two constituencies. "But based on understanding and one objective, we have unanimously supported Lajim's candidacy in the two constituencies," he said. Abd Jairih said this is the advantage of being in the Pakatan where the struggle is to defend the welfare and plight of the people who hunger for change. A total of 65 application forms were handed in to join PKR during the event.
| |||
| Chamil openly apologises to Seputeh MP Posted: 08 Oct 2012 02:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - Utusan Malaysia columnist Datuk Chamil Wariya and Utusan Melayu Sdn Bhd have openly apologised to Seputeh MP Teresa Kok in a High Court here, as part of a settlement in a defamation suit. The apology was read yesterday by lawyer Zalil Mohd Mess for Chamil and TKB Mohana Kumar for Utusan Melayu before High Court judge Justice Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer. He also ordered Utusan Melayu to pays costs of RM50,000 and to publish an apology in the daily. Earlier, lawyer Sankara Nair who acted for Kok, submitted that both parties had resolved the matter out of court. Nair said based on settlement terms the first defendant Chamil had to read the apology in open court with no order as to costs. "The second defendant Utusan Melayu also has to read the apology in open court, pay RM50,000 in costs to plaintiff Teresa Kok and publish an apology in the Sudut Sastera column in its Sunday edition, Mingguan Malaysia," he said. Zalil who read the apology for Chamil said he (Chamil) regretted that his short story had been used in Mingguan Malaysia which was published on Dec 12, 2008. Zalil stressed that some of the characters in the short story had been changed. Mohana objected to the assertions made by Chamil and asked the court to record it. Mohana, who read the apology for Utusan Malaysia, said they had changed several names without affecting the story line. He said they regretted their actions and apologised to Kok.
| |||
| Posted: 08 Oct 2012 02:17 PM PDT
WILD ALLEGATIONS: Give us list of suspect postal voters, says election panel (NST) - THE Election Commission yesterday asked Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to back his claims that the postal voters' roll was questionable. The opposition leader had claimed that the 304,136 names in the list, which was gazetted in June, were suspect. "The thing is, there are only 272,247 names listed as postal voters... which electoral role did he cross-check with?" EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof asked at a news conference here. Aziz said the EC also had issues with several other claims it said were wild allegations. These included claims that there were 64,000 suspect postal voters included on April 9, 2010; there were 77,246 new voters excluded from the 2008 electoral roll; there were 2,522 suspect names of members of the armed forces and the police; there were 4.38 million voters without addresses while 3.3 million more only had house numbers; and that localities in Selangor were reduced to 13,813 from 24,479. On the 77,246 names that are now in the electoral roll, Aziz explained that when a person registered as a voter, it did not mean that he would automatically be eligible to vote. Instead, his application would go through the due processes including the setting of locality, displaying of his application for any protest, and possible public inquiry. He also asked Anwar to hand over the sets of 64,000 and 77,246 names that had been called into question. On the 2,522 armed forces and police personnel whose names were not matched to their MyKad, Aziz said the EC was in the midst of matching their names to the identification documents. He said in the coming general election, the EC would be using their 12-digit identification number as in their MyKad. On the issue of questionable addresses, he said prior July 16, 2002, those who were above 21 could provide any addresses as the EC did not have the facilities to verify them. Since then, with the Agency Link-up System, addresses given to the EC by the applicants had to match their MyKad. Meanwhile, the shrinking number of localities in Selangor was due to sub-divisions carried out in 2009, June 2010, and twice last year, Aziz said. He said the EC had gone to great lengths to investigate claims, even those described as absurd, such as the allegation by Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) that anyone could register as voters using a fake MyKad. | |||
| Offensive against Pak Lah a ‘distraction’ Posted: 08 Oct 2012 01:41 PM PDT
Penang Umno claims Pakatan Rakyat is 'spinning' to distract voters from the real issues in the state. Hawkeye, FMT Pakatan Rakyat is trying to distract voters here from the issues which are plaguing its administration in Penang, claimed state Umno Youth chief Sheikh Hussein Mydin. He said this strategy was evident in view of the fact that the Pakatan partners – PAS, PKR and DAP – were riddled with disagreements over issues such as "hudud" to affordable housing and over a leaked recording where one leader allegedly called Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng "arrogant and cocky". And what better way to distract the people than by launching an offensive against Barisan Nasional, including on former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Penang, said Sheikh Hussein. "For Pakatan, its policy is that attack is the best form of defence. It is often critical of BN. It has become too preoccupied with attacking us until it has forgotten how to govern the state. There are many examples here," he said. Sheikh Hussein was responding to a statement by the Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak that BN stands to lose the Kepala Batas parliamentary seat and two other state seats if Abdullah chooses to retire from active politics. Rahmad based his prediction on the fact that Abdullah, who is better known as Pak Lah, is a stalwart in the constituency since 1978, and that his absence would create a vacuum which BN may not be able to fill in time for the next general election. Rahmad expects PAS to benefit greatly if Pak Lah decides to retire, as the former has a chance to wrest Kepala Batas. PAS has been stepping up its presence in the area since 2008. To this, Sheikh Hussein said Umno believes that the congress led by Rahmad is supporting DAP, although it has labelled itself as an apolitical entity here with a non-governmental organisation status. He accused Rahmad of intentionally trying to shift the focus of attention towards Pak Lah when the issue should be about the performance of the present state government. Pak Lah to retire? According to Sheikh Hussein, Pakatan wants to force BN to focus on its traditional strongholds such as Tasek Gelugor and Kepala Batas, as it is worried that it will lose its current parliamentary seats in Batu Kawan and Balik Pulau.
| |||
| ‘Judges still probing Scorpene deal’ Posted: 08 Oct 2012 01:29 PM PDT
There was never a question of an ongoing trial as the criminal inquiry on the submarine deal is ongoing, says William Bourdan. Anisah Shukry, FMT The lawyer acting for human rights group Suaram in the Scorpene probe has slammed French government prosecutor Yves Charpenal for his "contradictory" statements to the media. Yesterday, Charpenal had told national news agency Bernama that there was no ongoing trial in the 2009 multi-billion Scorpene submarine deal between Malaysia and France, as it was still under investigation by two French judges. "I am aware about all the fuss kicked up by certain media [organisations] in Malaysia over this matter but what I can say is that this is nothing more than a trial by the media," he was quoted as saying. But Suaram's lawyer William Bourdon said in a statement today that there had never been a question of an ongoing trial, as the investigating judges were still continuing their probe on the Scorpene inquiry. "The Tribunal deGrande Instance has convened a criminal inquiry of which Suaram has been accepted as a civil party since March 2012. "Upon completion of the inquiry will the investigating judge make the decision of whether the case goes to full trial." He also stressed that it was not for the prosecutor to decide if the case goes to full trial, but the two Judges, Roger Le Loire and Serge Tournaire. "To our knowledge the current prosecutors in charge of the case have not made any such statements as suggested by Charpenel," he said. In April this year, the Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris began its inquiry into Suaram's claim that French naval firm DCNS had paid some RM452 million as a bribe to Malaysian officials to obtain a contract for two submarines. Malaysia had paid RM6.7 billion in 2009 for the two submarines of which RM574 million was earmarked for co-ordination and support services for Perimekar Sdn Bhd, owned by Abdul Razak Baginda , a close associate of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Human rights groups and opposition parties have also linked the submarine purchase to the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu, a one-time lover to Abdul Razak. But Defence Minister Ahmad Zahidi Hamidi said on Oct 6 that the Auditor-General had explained the purchase of the submarines was made according to legal procedures. The Malaysian government is now probing Suaram for having "misleading accounts" as well as allegedly distributing bribes to a civil servant in return for national secrets – both of which Suaram has denied and labelled as "harassment" due to the probe. The Umno-controlled daily New Straits Times has also accused Suaram, along with several other NGOs deemed opposition-friendly, of being part of a foreign plot to destabilise government. They have denied the charges and requested evidence to back up the accusations, which NST has yet to furnish.
| |||
| Rela member in a group or not, woman falls victim to snatch theft Posted: 08 Oct 2012 12:44 PM PDT
(The Star) - Julie Lam thought she was pretty safe walking with several MCA members and Rela officers to a gotong-royong event at about 7am in Jalan Ampang. However, her sense of security was short-lived though as she fell victim to snatch thieves. "I felt a jerk on my right arm and saw two men on a motorcycle sped past, holding my handbag," said the 49-year-old. "I screamed for help and MCA lawyer P.Y Leong chased the men," said Lam, an Inland Revenue Board assistant director, who is also an honorary Rela lieutenant-colonel. She added that the snatch thieves even turned around and dared the group to come after them. "They challenged Leong and shouted expletives at us," Lam said at the MCA Public Services and Complaints Department yesterday. Department chairman Datuk Seri Michael Chong, said he, too, was shocked at the boldness of the men during the incident which "happened very quickly". "Another two men on a motorcycle came from behind and joined the first two before speeding off. "This shows that they had a back-up plan in case the first two were caught." Lam lost RM2,500, her MyKad, driver's licence and car keys. She has lodged a report at the Kepong police station. Chong added that snatch thefts and robberies were becoming more rampant these days. "Just last week, a seafood restaurant in Taman Mayang was held up by eight parang-wielding men at around 8pm. "The customers were forced to surrender their cash and valuables," Chong said. He urged the police to step up efforts to curb crime as robbers were becoming more "aggressive" and "daring" . Statistics from Bukit Aman showed that 22,929 street crimes were reported last year, with 3,323 being snatch thefts. | |||
| Posted: 07 Oct 2012 11:02 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - A Selangor PKR state leader has called for the sacking of Selangor Mentri Besar's political secretary Faekah Husin for allegedly overstepping her role by voicing out against PKR deputy president Azmin Ali. Selangor PKR election director Borhan Aman Shah, in calling for her removal from her current post, said Faekah has not toed the party line in voicing her criticism against Azmin. "She is reminded that her current role was given to her with support from PKR. On what capacity is Faekah criticising Azmin openly as an ordinary member of the party with no political position?" he said at a press conference in Selangor PKR headquarters today. He was referring to a report by Sinar Harian which quoted Azmin as saying Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim may be given a federal minister's post if Pakatan Rakyat takes over Putrajaya, implying that Selangor may have a new Mentri Besar. Faekah, who serves as political secretary to Abdul Khalid, then reportedly questioned Azmin's jurisdiction as deputy president in making the statement, saying the power to appoint a Mentri Besar lies solely with the Sultan of Selangor, according to news portal Malaysian Digest. Borhan also said Faekah should refer to the party before making statements that could cause misunderstandings between party leaders. "It would be good for her to understand the organisational structure of the party or communicate with us before proceeding to make statements," he said. He added that the council will leave the matter to Khalid as he is the Selangor MB, which gives him full authority to sack Faekah. Meanwhile, Faekah reportedly said that she will no longer comment on the issue after she was told not to make any statements by top PKR leaders. "I have also been advised by former PKR deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali not to make any statements unless necessary, so I will no longer address this issue," she told Sinar Harian two days ago.
| |||
| French lawyer: No Scorpene trial in France Posted: 07 Oct 2012 06:52 PM PDT
The lawyer said two 'independent judges' started investigating after a complaint filed by Suaram. (Bernama) - A prominent French government prosecutor has denied reports circulating among some Malaysian online news portals of an ongoing trial in France, on allegations of corruption by a French company over the purchase of two French-made Scorpene submarines by Malaysia in 2002. Yves Charpenel said the media in Malaysia should be able to distinguish between rumours and facts, and between investigations and a trial. "I am aware about all the fuss kicked up by certain media (organisations) in Malaysia over this matter but what I can say is that this is nothing more than a trial by the media," he told Bernama here today. Charpenel, who was a former head of prosecution in France and now a state prosecutor and an executive member of the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAACA), was here to attend the four-day IAACA conference and general meeting which ended yesterday. Following a complaint filed in 2009 by Suaram, a Malaysian human rights non-governmental organisation (NGO), that a French company had allegedly paid bribes to a Malaysian firm for the submarine deal, he revealed that two independent "investigating judges" started their investigations earlier this year. Charpenel said that in France, as in other countries practising the rule of law, all investigations were done in absolute secret. He said, it was anybody's right to file a complaint and due to the secret nature of the investigations, some resorted to complaining to the media. He explained that for specific cases in France, the Justice Ministry would ask an independent judge, called an "investigating judge", to investigate. "He is just an investigator. This is an old system that started from the Napolean era. If the investigating judge wants someone to come to Malaysia, he has to ask from your government because we have what is called the Treaty of Mutual Legal Assistance. And the Malaysian government can say 'yes' or 'no'. It has to be decided by the Malaysian authorities. "A French investigating judge cannot take his luggage, take a plane and go to Malaysia and ask someone to answer his questions. It is impossible, it is against the French law and it is also against international law," stressed Charpenel. In April this year, local opposition politicians here had even called for Malaysian officials to testify in Paris or risk being ostracised in the European Union. "A trial is a trial with all the rules. Investigation is another thing," said Charpenel of the misinformation generated by certain news portals over allegations that a trial was already underway. Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi also said over the weekend that the Auditor-General had declared the Scorpene deal was done in accordance with legal procedures.
| |||
| Singaporean turfed for racist rant against Malays Posted: 07 Oct 2012 05:57 PM PDT
(The Standard) - Singapore's state-linked labor movement sacked a senior executive after she posted expletive-laden and racially charged comments on Facebook that triggered outrage. Amy Cheong, an ethnic Chinese assistant director of membership at the National Trades Union Congress, was sacked a day after posting remarks on the social networking site about the country's Malay minority, AFP reports. NTUC Secretary-General Lim Swee Say (picture), who holds the rank of minister in the office of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, announced the sacking on the organization's Facebook page, which was bombarded with complaints about Cheong. "We will not accept and have zero tolerance towards any words used or actions taken by our staff that are racially offensive,'' Lim said. "We are sorry that this has happened.'' Cheong's Facebook page could not be accessed today after her remarks caused a furor in Singapore's internet community, but an apology she wrote on microblogging site Twitter was still visible after she was fired. "I am truly sorry for making that stupid comment. I really didn't mean it that way. I am truly sorry,'' she said. In her Facebook rant, Cheong commented on the length of Malay wedding celebrations and derided the community's divorce rates. Multi-ethnic Singapore, which suffered racial riots in the 1960s and is surrounded by larger Muslim neighbours Indonesia and Malaysia, takes a hard line against acts stoking racial and religious hatred. Singapore's population is 74 percent ethnic Chinese, 13 percent Muslim Malay and nine per cent Indian, with the rest made up of other immigrant groups. Seditious acts including fostering racial hatred are punishable by a fine of up to S$5,000 or imprisonment of up to three years, or both. Last year a member of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) was forced to quit after describing local Muslim children photographed in a school bus as terrorists in training.
| |||
| ‘BN govt does not care for Sabah’ Posted: 07 Oct 2012 05:46 PM PDT
Former deputy minister Lajim Ukin told Parliament of the failures of the BN government to Sabah voters. Syed Jaymal Zahiid, FMT Former Umno deputy minister Lajim Ukin told parliament that the Barisan Nasional government has no time for Sabah. He said this was despite the state's loyalty to the federal government all these years. Lajim, who is Beaufort MP, also indicated his support for the opposition after he had remained quiet over his political leanings after he quit the government, applauding Pakatan Rakyat's promise to raise oil royalty payments to 20%. Sabah is rich in oil and contributes some RM22 billion of oil revenue annually but enjoys a mere 5% return in royalty while government allocations to the state, one of the poorest in the country, is said to be comparatively low. Lajim's insinuation of support for Pakatan could see BN taking on a united opposition in the Sabah. In his speech during the 2013 Budget debate in parliament, Lajim said the ruling coalition had failed to bring development in the state. Compared to the 85% rate of completed paved roads in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah has only 35%. Connectivity is a key issue in the state which is why Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had announced increased allocations for road projects there. But the former deputy minister, who was among the few other Sabah leaders who recently defected following disillusionment with the Najib administration's failure to address the problems in Sabah, said none of the promises have been fulfilled so far. "For 55 years BN have ruled and Sabah had contributed so much to the Malaysian economy since then but still it is one of the poorest state in the country. "This shows that Sabah and Sarawak are never the government's priority despite us being the fixed deposit for the ruling coalition. The Sabahan people have been sidelined," he said. Other Sabah BN leaders had also admitted recently that more must be done to improve the socio-economic situation in the state but so far none of them have been upfront about who is to be blamed for Sabah's underdevelopment. A Merdeka Center survey released on Friday showed that 57% were dissatisfied with the state's economic performance and only 56% of Sabah voters were satisfied with the state government, a 6% drop from 62% in November 2009. The report also showed a significant drop in the state's chief minister Musa Aman's rating. From 60% in November 2009, it dropped to to 45% in September. The decline was most marked among Muslim-Bumiputera voters who are the backbone of the state's Umno support, with a drop from 72% in November 2009 to 51% last month. Analysts believe the recent defections in the state will alter the state's and the national political landscape there, suggesting BN will face some hurdles in its stronghold in the upcoming polls.
| |||
| Penang PKR wrapping up ‘cocky and arrogant Lim’ case Posted: 07 Oct 2012 02:34 PM PDT
(The Star) - Penang PKR is expected to make an announcement on the outcome of its investigation into the alleged leaked recording of Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman branding his superior Lim Guan Eng as an arrogant and cocky leader. State PKR vice-chairman Datuk Abdul Halim Hussein said the issue was largely an internal matter where an element of an unethical practice (leakage of the recording) occurred. "We should stop speculating about it until we make an announcement. Just wait for it," he said in reference to the guessing game on who was the culprit behind the leakage. Mansor is alleged to have uttered the words "cocky" and "arrogant" earlier this year when describing Lim, who is the Chief Minister, during a conversation with fellow PKR leaders here. Two state executive councillors here have played down the significance of the alleged leaked recording. State Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Lydia Ong said even the weekly state exco meetings could not be fortified. "Sometimes, before we even announce decisions from our exco meetings, the information was already made known (elsewhere). We have nothing to hide," Ong said after flagging off a cycling event at Gurney Paragon. Penang Domestic Trade, Consumer Affairs and Religious Affairs Committee chairman Datuk Abdul Malik Kassim, who was also present, said he was not worried about the alleged recording, as "there will always be black sheep who are out to sabotage others". Separately, Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said this incident exemplified one of the many weaknesses in Pakatan Rakyat.
| |||
| DAP’s Karpal chides ‘presumptuous’ PKR deputy president Posted: 07 Oct 2012 02:28 PM PDT
(The Star) - The feud between Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim and his party boss Azmin Ali has worsened with more Pakatan Rakyat leaders joining in the fray to chide the PKR deputy president. The latest Pakatan leader to do so is DAP chairman Karpal Singh who reminded Azmin that he was not in any position to unilaterally announce anything affecting the coalition, including on who should be the Selangor mentri besar if the coalition retained power in the state. "Azmin has exceeded the bounds of opinion, because this matter is beyond PKR. It involves the Pakatan Rakyat leadership," Karpal said yesterday. Karpal was asked to comment on Azmin's recent statement in a Malay daily that implied that Khalid would not be re-appointed as Mentri Besar should Pakatan retain power in Selangor. Azmin had said that Khalid's services were needed at the federal level if Pakatan succeeded in capturing Putrajaya. Karpal said it was not proper for Azmin to express such an opinion because the decision was not in the hands of PKR alone. PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali also affirmed that the matter was never discussed at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meetings. He had described Azmin as "over ambitious" for making such a statement. PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's former private secretary, Annuar Shaari also said the feud between Azmin and Khalid had always been an "open secret" within the party circle. "Azmin had wanted the mentri besar's post in 2008, but he kept silent after Anwar convinced him they could take over Putrajaya in 2009," he said. He said it was also known that PKR president Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was not in favour of Azmin, while her husband Anwar favoured him. Khalid's political secretary Faekah Husin said Azmin had prematurely dropped the bomb. She said Khalid had laughed off the matter because he did not mind whether he was fielded or dropped from the list of candidates in the next elections. In an unrelated development, Khalid admitted that some PKR members still found fault with the party and doubted the viability of Pakatan. "This is happening because the members are more concerned about their own interests. This is not right. We should show more maturity towards attaining the party's goals," he said at the opening of the party's Kuala Selangor division's annual general meeting in Ijok yesterday.
| |||
| Nazri: EC to implement most PSC recommendations in GE13 Posted: 07 Oct 2012 02:19 PM PDT
Hafidz Baharom, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told Parliament today that the Election Commission (EC) will implement most of the recommendations made by a select committee on electoral reforms in April, in the next general election. Out of the 32 recommendations made by the parliamentary select committee (PSC), only six could not be implemented because of existing laws and the extra cost involved, the minister in the prime minister's department said in response to a question from Tanjong MP Chow Kon Yeow. Electoral reform group Bersih's rally on July 9 last year had forced Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's government to accept the need for reforms. The government moved quickly to enact the Peaceful Assembly Act after the event and formed a parliamentary select committee for electoral reforms. In April, the PSC report was released and Parliament approved the report with no debate between the opposition and ruling parties. An opposition minority report was not included in the final report. Bersih maintained that reforms were inadequate and subsequently announced the April 28 Bersih 3.0 rally. The first rally, held in 2007, was partly credited for Barisan Nasional's worst electoral performance during Election 2008, when it lost its traditional parliamentary supermajority and five states to the fledgling Pakatan Rakyat pact. "As we know, the Dewan Rakyat passed ten recommendations in December last year and 22 more in April this year. "The EC has informed us that most of the recommendations have been or will be implemented. "From the 32, only six could not be implemented due to factors regarding laws and large costs," Nazri said today. However, Nazri said that this did not mean the EC would not implement the remaining recommendations in the future. Among the recommendations that would be implemented in the 13th general election is the use of indelible ink, continuous review of the electoral roll, allowing postal voting for media personnel and the improvement of polling stations to ensure that votes remain secret.
| |||
| Musa’s ‘monopoly’ of Sabah may lead to BN’s downfall, says ex-Umno man Posted: 07 Oct 2012 02:15 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's iron-clad control of the state, which led to a monopoly of government that brooks no dissent was the last stroke for Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin, the Beaufort MP told Sinar Harian in an interview published today. The veteran lawmaker's decision to quit his powerful Umno supreme council position last July is seen to have strengthened the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pact's foothold in Malaysia's easternmost state in the run-up to the 13th general elections, despite it being long regarded as a reliable vote bank for the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. "Sabah Umno has already been controlled by its own state Umno liaison chairman Datuk Seri Musa Aman. "Whatever he does is a monopoly and no one else can criticise," Lajim told the Malay daily, nearly three months after he quit. He acknowledged that there was tension between him and the chief minister, but attributed it to Musa's personal feelings. "I respect him as state Umno liaison chief but in personal matters, perhaps he took what I said to heart because I am too vocal in voicing the rakyat's problems and the question of party unity," he told the paper. He also suggested that Musa had been behind an attempt to remove him from a position of power in 2008, when Beaufort Umno Wanita chief Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun had challenged him for the party division chief position. "If he felt a grave responsibility, he should have advised the Women's chief not to contest," he was quoted saying. Lajim told the paper that he had tried to raise the problems within Sabah Umno with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also party president previously, but said no action was taken to resolve them despite his reports. "The prime minister asked me to be patient, but I had a good reason to give him. "I met the prime minister on December 20 last year and I resigned on July 29 this year. "Meaning, I had been patient for eight months," the man who had once-proclaimed himself to be a "winnable candidate" told Sinar Harian. Lajim predicted that many other Sabah BN leaders will quit the coalition once Parliament is dissolved to pave the way for national elections and once the lawmakers find out they have not been nominated to run despite being "winnable candidates". He told the paper he also believes that PR's policies can help resolve the state's economic and social woes within three years if elected to power, giving as example hiking the state's oil royalties to 20 per cent from the current five per cent it is given by the federal government. He added that the income from the oil money will help boost wages and state infrastructure, saying Sabah will have a state budget of RM10 billion. He also said he is confident the opposition bloc will win at least 35 state seats in the general elections that must be called by April next year when the BN's mandate expires.
| |||
| Ex-DAP man’s criticism has Kok fuming Posted: 07 Oct 2012 01:41 PM PDT
DAP's Teresa Kok lashes out at sacked party man Tan Tuan Tat, who accused the former of being a weak and incompetent politician. Athi Shankar, FMT Seputeh MP Teresa Kok has taken an ex-DAP man to task for labelling her as a weak leader. She said Tan Tuan Tat hardly knew anything about what she had done and performed since he was not in the Selangor DAP committee and Pakatan Rakyat state government. Apart from weak, Tan claimed that Kok was an "incompetent politician lacking the capability to head Selangor DAP." Kok said ever since she helmed Selangor DAP, she had forged close working ties with all state committee members and elected representatives. The state executive councillor said they would all be updated on meetings and issues pertaining to the state government, Pakatan and DAP. "Tan has never been informed of these meetings and decisions because he is not a wakil rakyat, a councillor or a DAP state committee member. "So on what grounds did he make such an accusation against me?" asked the Kinrara state representative, in a text message. To prove his point, Tan, the former DAP Taman Seri Sungai Pelek branch chairman, said that Kok did not receive a strong grassroots' mandate during the 2010 state party convention. He recalled that Kok, despite being an exco in the Selangor government, could only secure 437 of the 803 delegates' votes to finish at 11th in a list of 15 elected members. In the subsequent state committee meeting, Kok managed to defeat state legislative assembly speaker Teng Chang Kim by 8-7 vote margin to become the Selangor DAP chairman. Tan said she managed to head Selangor DAP despite weak support from the members because "she was a loyalist to the Lim Dynasty and blue-eyed girl of Lim Kit Siang." Lim Dynasty was a political odium coined by DAP grassroots members and critics to portray the powerful internal faction headed by Ipoh Timur MP Kit Siang and his son, Penang Chief Minister and DAP secretary general Guan Eng. 'Playing second fiddle'
Despite her elevation to state party chief, Tan said he sympathised with Kok for having to always play second fiddle to DAP's Pandamaran assemblyman Ronnie Liu. Tan recalled that Liu, a state executive councillor, once mocked the party protocol to amend the state leadership-approved list of councillor appointees. He said Liu replaced certain state-endorsed nominees with his own people and got them approved by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, all without Kok's knowledge. When she knew about it, Tan claimed that Kok shouted at Liu right in front of Khalid. "But Liu went unscathed because he was the Lim Dynasty's main admiral. No disciplinary action was taken against him and Kok was powerless to do anything. "She only ended up embarrassing herself," he said. To this, Kok questioned whether Tan knew what she had done after Liu amended the councillor list. But she did not deliberate further. Tan also accused Kok of negligence in resolving the grouses and issues raised by party members. Since Kok helmed the state party leadership, Tan said factionalism had also crept into Selangor DAP, breaking into three main divisions headed by herself, Liu and Teng. "The main factions have also split into sub-factions. She is the main cause for many disgruntled grassroots leaders and members to leave the party," he claimed.
| |||
| Britain's brutal rule in Kenya on the docks Posted: 07 Oct 2012 12:10 PM PDT
(Al Jazeera) - Also closely following McCombe's decision were Indians, Malaysians, Cypriots, and Guyanese - others who lived and suffered under British rule. Cases have been filed across the former British empire's vast expanse seeking reparations for colonial-era abuses. The British colonial officers ordered the Kenyans off the crowded bus, hunting for insurgents who had brazenly challenged the empire's rule.
Naomi Kimweli did not think, as she lay for weeks in King George hospital in Nairobi, that the men who tortured her and her husband would ever be held accountable. In Nairobi, elderly Kenyans - many the victims of torture under British rule - waited anxiously at the Kenya Human Rights Commission for the verdict. George Morara, the commission's officer in charge of the case, received the call from London. Naomi Kimweli sits at a table on the south bank of the River Thames leafing through an Olympics pamphlet. It is just after 5pm and Londoners are gathering for a glass of Pimms and some rare sunshine. Naomi and three other elderly Kenyan torture victims spent two weeks at the Royal Courts of Justice in July 2012. For six hours a day they watched men and women in powdered wigs read aloud evidence of their rapes and castrations in a language they could not understand. In 2003, Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki lifted the 40-year-old ban on the Mau Mau, ending their political marginalisation. About the same time, historians researching the Mau Mau uprising gained access to secret colonial archives detailing the extent to which the colonial authorities systematically used torture to suppress the rebel movement. The old horror stories of the Kimwelis and thousands of other Kenyans found new legal footing. Thus began the legal battle that would challenge the impunity of empire. "We are not talking about phantoms," said Morara of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission. "We are talking about real men and women who exist and still bear scars." During the second hearing last July, the Foreign Office faced growing piles of evidence - oral testimony, medical records, and diplomatic wires from London. In their opening statements, lawyers representing the British government admitted torture had occurred. Read more at: http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/10/201210610143126968.html | |||
| Assaulted DAP man receives ‘threat’ calls Posted: 06 Oct 2012 04:13 PM PDT
Taman Murni DAP branch chairman, A Thirumalvalavan received two calls that threaten to injure him. K Pragalath, FMT A DAP member who alleged that he was assaulted by gangsters in a party meet last week has received calls from unknown people who want to assault him. "I received the first phone call at 10.23pm from an unknown Indian man. The caller wanted to kick, beat and chop me up. "I also received another threatening call, this time from a private number about 26 minutes later," said Taman Murni DAP branch chairman, A Thirumalvalavan in his police report. The police report was lodged a short while later at Sepang district police headquarters in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi. He claimed that the threatening calls were made as a result of his allegations that DAP has gangsters within the party fold. "The man threatened me because I spoke to the media on Friday," said Thirumalvalavan. On Friday, he and another party member R Selvan alleged that they were assaulted by gangsters when they attempted to give a memorandum that also included allegations of gangsterism within the party. Both Thirumalvalavan and Selvan along with Pantai Putra Sepang branch secretary Rashid Md Gani also questioned the DAP secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng and Selangor DAP chief, Teresa Kok for ignoring the issue even though both Lim and Kok had witnessed the incident on Monday.
| |||
| Mustafa hits back at PKR deputy president over Selangor MB remark Posted: 06 Oct 2012 02:36 PM PDT
(The Star) - PAS secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali has hit back at Azmin Ali, who has stirred controversy with his Selangor Mentri Besar remark, by calling the PKR deputy president as being "too ambitious". "I don't have to make any comment but as an old man, I understand the feelings and ambitions of a young leader. Let him be," he wrote via an SMS to Utusan Malaysia. This is the second time in a week that Mustafa had locked horns with Azmin. The first was when he warned Azmin against making statements on matters that had never come up for discussion at the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council. Azmin had earlier reacted to Mustafa's warning by tweeting: "The age factor has made him confused and shoot his mouth." The Gombak MP had told a Malay daily that Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim might be made a Federal Minister if Pakatan won Putrajaya in the general election, implying that the state would have a new mentri besar. His statement had come under fire from his own party members, with PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar describing it as "just an opinion" and Khalid's aide Faekah Husin expressing her disappointment. Meanwhile, Selangor Barisan Nasional coordinator Datuk Seri Mohd Zin Mohamed said he expected the infighting in Pakatan to continue, adding that Azmin was keen on displacing Khalid as Mentri Besar. The infighting, he added, was an "open secret", with many in PKR wanting Azmin to be Mentri Besar, although this move was objected to by DAP and PAS. With Barisan's strong revival in Selangor, Mohd Zin said there were those in PKR who felt that Khalid was politically not strong enough to defend the state. Meanwhile, Selangor PKR deputy chief Zuraida Kamaruddin had criticised Faekah for describing Azmin's statement as "not politically smart". "She should concentrate on improving the political relationship between the MB and party leaders and not cause instability by unnecessarily jumping the gun," said Zuraida, claiming that Azmin had often voiced his support for Khalid's leadership as MB.
| |||
| Posted: 06 Oct 2012 02:46 AM PDT
(Bernama) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has conducted preliminary investigations into allegations of questionable deals worth over RM1 billion between the Selangor government and Talam Corp, MACC deputy chief commissioner (operation) Mohd Shukri Abdull said today. "We investigate without fear or favour all information that we receive. If there is a sufficient basis that offences have been committed under the MACC Act, we will proceed with further investigations," he told Bernama here today. Shukri, however, refused to eloborate. He was commenting on a statement by MCA Young Professionals Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong that the Selangor government had bailed out financially distressed Talam and had acquired the company's assets in a debt restructuring exercise at a much higher price than officially valued. Chua had challenged the state government to explain how its exercise to recover a RM382 million debt from Talam ended in questionsble deals worth over RM1 billion.
| |||
| Zahid: AG confirms legitimacy of Scorpene purchase Posted: 06 Oct 2012 02:40 AM PDT
(Bernama) - Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the Auditor-General has already explained that the purchase of Scorpene submarines was made according to legal procedures and his official report must be accepted by all quarters. In response to the opposition's plan to bring in a French lawyer, William Bourdon, to brief the Malaysian lawmakers on court proceedings in France on the purchase of the submarines, Ahmad Zahid (picture) hopes no quarters would twist the existing facts on the matter. He was also of the opinion that the lawyer was invited to Malaysia by the opposition merely with political motive and not so much for legal business. Ahmad Zahid said this to reporters after opening the Sekolah Agama Rakyat Al-Ulum Al Tarbiah's Sports Day in Kampung Tanah Lalang here today. The purchase of the submarines should be seen from the aspects of an offset programme, training, and performance assurance for certain period of time, he said, adding that it was really an old issue brought up to create public anger and confusion. On the request for the government to pay a monthly allowance of RM500 to army veteran who served during the emergency era, Ahmad Zahid said it was up to the prime minister to decide according to the government's financial ability. "It is quite difficult for the government to meet the request, but we have to be grateful that during the tabling of the 2013 budget the government had announced the one-off payment of RM1,000 for the army veterans as a token of appreciation for their contribution during the emergency era," he added.
| |||
| Putrajaya tightens screws on SUARAM, probing alleged civil service snitch Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:50 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) — Putrajaya will investigate claims that a civil servant has received bribes from Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM) in return for national secrets, the latest move against the human rights group, which is already under probe for having "misleading accounts". SUARAM has been at the forefront of exposing alleged corruption in the multibillion ringgit Scorpene submarine deal this past year but has in turn been the subject of investigation into its funding, along with several other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and news portal Malaysiakini. "I cannot confirm or deny the allegations but we will monitor sensitive matters pertaining to national interest be it information, funds or outsiders," Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters after launching a Women's Safety Campaign at a school here yesterday. The minister was commenting on Thursday's newspaper statement by Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) president Azwanddin Hamzah, who claimed that RM100 million in foreign funds were believed to have been brought into the country since the human rights group was set up. Azwanddin had claimed several government servants were also believed to have been bribed with the funds to make decisions in favour of SUARAM associates and for government information and secrets. SUARAM has denied the statement that it bribed government officials to cover up information on its foreign funding and to gather information related to national security and government secrets from the Prime Minister's Department, Finance Ministry and the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM). It has also asked JMM to substantiate its allegations, and demanded an immediate apology and retraction of the allegations. Several groups and Putrajaya have focused on SUARAM after it revealed that former political aide Abdul Razak Baginda had sold Malaysian naval secrets to France. In April this year, the Tribunal de Grand Instance in Paris began its inquiry into SUARAM's claim that French naval firm DCNS had paid some RM452 million as a bribe to Malaysian officials to obtain a contract for two submarines. SUARAM had filed the complaint with the French courts in 2009. In a May 30 press conference in Bangkok, French lawyer Joseph Breham had revealed that a classified government document on the Malaysian navy's evaluation of the Scorpene submarines it was then planning to buy had been sold by Terasasi (Hong Kong) Ltd to DCNS for RM142 million. Abdul Razak, a former think-tank head who was at the centre of the 2006 investigation into the murder of former Mongolian model and translator Altantuya Shaariibuu, is listed as a director of Terasasi with his father, Abdul Malim Baginda. Weeks after the revelation, SUARAM came under close scrutiny of the CCM over its foreign funding sources, and the government agency said last week that it plans to charge the activist group for its "misleading accounts". Yesterday, the Young Journalists Club lodged a police report against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers Chua Tian Chang, Datuk Mahfuz Omar and R. Sivarasa for bringing three foreign lawyers to Parliament to discuss the Scorpene submarine issue, and demanded to know SUARAM's link to the case. Club president Dzulkarnain Taib said the organisation did not want foreign interference in the country's affairs. "What is the opposition's right to bring foreign lawyers to give a briefing in Parliament? "What is SUARAM's locus standi in the case?" Dzulkarnain said after lodging a report at the Dang Wangi police station here. The former Suara Keadilan editor identified the three lawyers as William Bourdon, the French lawyer who was deported from Malaysia earlier this year, Breham and Oliver Netzer. The journalist also asked about the ties between the opposition and SUARAM as well as the funds to bring the three lawyers here.
| |||
| 6 NGOs lodge reports against Anwar, 3 MPs Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:38 PM PDT
(Clockwise, from top left) Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Tian Chua, William Bourdon and R. Sivarasa (NST) - Six organisations, including five non-governmental organisations (NGOs), lodged police reports against opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and three members of parliament at the Dang Wangi police headquarters yesterday urging the home minister to investigate Anwar, Pokok Sena MP Datuk Mahfuz Omar, Subang MP R. Sivarasa and Batu MP Tian Chua for planning to bring three lawyers, including two from France, to represent Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) in briefing the Parliament on the Scorpene issue. The group's representative, Young Malaysian Journalists Club (YMJC) president Dzulkarnain Taib, said the three MPs had announced this during a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Wednesday. They said Anwar had given a written invitation to the lawyers to talk about the judicial inquiry on the purchase of Scorpene submarines. "The Scorpene issue is an internal matter. What is the opposition's plan in bringing in foreigners to talk about our country's matter?" One of the lawyers invited was Frenchman William Bourdon, who was arrested and deported in July last year for a visa violation. "We believe the opposition leaders attention was an attempt to mock and ridicule our Federal Constitution and our King." He said Anwar and the three MPs should also be questioned by the Parliament's disciplinary board. "This is a matter of principle. Outsiders should not interfere in our country's internal matter. Let the government handle it." He said YMJC and five other NGOs -- Jaringan Melayu Malaysia, Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa, Lembaga Kesedaran Pencegah Jenayah, Lembaga Pelindung Kebajikan Pengguna Malaysia and Muslim Consumer Association -- believed the move by the opposition leader could also disrupt harmony in the country. | |||
| It’s a threesome now as Faekah Husin joins in feud! Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:32 PM PDT
(mynewshub) - The Azmin Ali-Khalid Ibrahim fued has grown more exciting! The plot has thicken! The Mentri Besar's ever so loyal political secretary Faekah Husin has joined in the fray by hammering the PKR number two, describing him as not so politically smart. "Politically, that is not a smart move. That alone can cause instability in the state administration," she was reported as saying. Instability in the state administration – these are powerful words. That's insubordination for sure. Actually, Faekah is telling Azmin to go and fly kite. But we know what emotions can do. Azmin was simply speaking up his mind. He wanted Khalid out of Selangor. It is an open secret he wants to replace Khalid. Well, good for Faekah. She better speaks up and defends her boss because if Azmin takes over as MB, she will be kicked out of Shah Alam too. She shouldn't be traveling so much in a private jet with Tian Chua and the other PR leaders. Better worry about your own seat in Shah Alam, stop jet setting to Sabah and Sarawak. The fight for the MB has started because Pakatan Rakyat seems cock sure of retaining Selangor. The jockeying for positions have started and knives have been sharpened as the various factions ensure only their men gets in. It's the same old story like how the warlords in Umno tries to sabotage their enemies during the polls. We can expect to see more of the same in PKR. Watch this space for more updates on the bitter feud in PKR.
| |||
| Malaysia Week kicks off in London Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:28 PM PDT
(Bernama) - LONDON: Malaysia Week 2012 in London kicked off with Malaysia Night, an event to showcase the vibrant culture and traditions of Malaysia to Britons, especially tourists visiting London, yesterday. Hosted by Malaysia Kitchen, it was held for the third time at Trafalgar Square, the prestigious landmark in London, from 12pm to 10pm and was opened by Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) Dr Wong Lai Sum. The event was held in collaboration with the five-day Malaysia Week celebration beginning today at South Bank, here. Also present was Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim. Others present were Malaysian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Datuk Seri Zakaria Sulong, famous Malaysian shoe designer Datuk Dr Jimmy Choo, Member of London Assembly, Greater London Authority, James Cleverly and United Kingdom Member of the European Parliament, Dr Syed Kamall. Besides providing Malaysian delicacies by 17 of London's leading Malaysian restaurants, visitors were also entertained to cultural performances, fashion shows and had the opportunity to buy textiles, crafts and art works. Dr Wong in her speech said organising such an event was to share the best of Malaysia, from its enchanting cuisine and quality products, to its mesmerising culture and tourism attractions. "For the past two years, the Malaysia Kitchen programme that has been run in London and various other parts of the United Kingdom has made a great leap and been a huge success in promoting and creating greater awareness about Malaysia," she said. She said the government had taken the opportunity to showcase Malaysia further and invite people to visit the country. "We want to introduce you the enchantment of Malaysia so that you can see for yourself and to get firsthand experience of this multi-ethnic and diverse culture and even while doing business in Malaysia," she said. She said Malaysia was a great place to do business in as well as a great place to do business with. "By the end of tonight, I hope you will have a better perspective of our country and you would want to visit Malaysia," she said. | |||
| Faekah comes under fire from PKR Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:16 PM PDT
Selangor PKR says that the Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's political secretary should not have commented on PKR deputy president Azmin Ali's statement recently. K Pragalath, FMT Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim's political secretary, Faekah Husin, has come under fire for defending her boss recently. "Selangor PKR leadership council is very disappointed with the unnecessary comments from Khalid 's political secretary which could have been made much more positively if she had taken the trouble to communicate with Azmin [Ali, the PKR deputy president] over the matter. "As far as Azmin is concerned, he has openly shown his full support in favour of Khalid," Selangor PKR deputy president Zuraida Kamaruddin said in a statement today. She was reacting to a statement by Faekah earlier this week that Azmin should not be deciding on the political fate of Khalid after the next general election. Azmin, PKR deputy president, had previously announced that Khalid would be offered a federal minister's post if Pakatan Rakyat were to form the next federal government after the 13th general election.
Zuraida, who is also Ampang MP and national PKR women's wing chief, said Faekah had "misunderstood" Azmin's statement. "Khalid's role at the federal level was unwisely misinterpreted by Faekah. If only Faekah held her breath for a second and finished reading the news report in good faith, she would understand the message that Khalid is a valuable asset to Pakatan," Zuraida added. She also advised Faekah to communicate with the state PKR leadership more frequently to avoid frictions within the party. "As an effective political secretary to the menteri besar, Faekah should concentrate on improving the political relationship between menteri besar and party leaders and not cause instability by unnecessarily jumping the gun," said Zuraida.
| |||
| Pakatan’s floor wage may cause RM7.2b outflow Posted: 05 Oct 2012 03:10 PM PDT
Chua Tee Yong says the floor wage would benefit some three million foreign workers here, who send the money back to their countries of origin. Leven Woon, FMT MCA Young Professional Bureau chairman Chua Tee Yong has joined the fray over Pakatan Rakyat's RM1,100 floor wage proposal, claiming that it would cause RM7.2 billion capital outflow every year. Commenting on Pakatan's shadow budget 2013 in a statement today, Chua said the move to increase minimum wage from the current RM900 to RM1,100 would further add to the national debt burden. He pointed out that there are three million foreign workers in Malaysia, and a RM200 increase in salary would cost the market an extra RM600 million per month. "In one year, RM7.2 billion will be spent on these foreign workers. "The RM7.2 billion will be an outflow, as the money will be transferred out from the country to the respective countries of where the foreign workers reside," he said. Chua, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industries Minister, said the rakyat would eventually bear the consequences of this outflow. "The business owners will definitely pass all the incurred cost from the increase in the minimum wage to the rakyat and the rakyat will be the one to suffer from it. "The so-called facilitation fund from Pakatan [to help the employers], is only sufficient to last for less than two months. After that, the people will have to bear all the sufferings," he said. He noted that RM7.2 billion is equivalent to twice of the Barisan Nasional government's Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) programmes, which only cost RM3 billion under the Budget 2013. Meanwhile, Chua also pointed out Pakatan's failure to include a mechanism to reduce oil price and highway tolls in its shadow budget. "How would they be able to reduce the petrol price? Where's the calculation?" he asked. Earlier this week, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin also criticised Pakatan's proposed minimum wage of RM1,100, saying it would bankrupt the small and medium industries (SMIs) and destroy the economy. However, Pakatan MPs insisted that this was not true as their floor wage comes hand-in-hand with financial assistance to the employers and a policy to stop dependence on foreign, unskilled labour.
| |||
| Son's wedding was 'cheap to organise' Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:12 PM PDT
(Asia One) - A leaked document from the Malacca State Development Corporation (PKNM) allegedly shows that state agencies had sponsored the wedding ceremony. Did the catering for the wedding cost RM1.3 million (S$524,000), RM13 million or a mere RM600,000? Whatever the cost, the grandiose scale of the wedding of the eldest son of Malacca's chief minister has grabbed headlines in Malaysia. About 130,000 people are believed to have attended the wedding banquet of Mr Mohd Ridhwan and his wife Nur Azieha Mohd Ali, both 26. And the wedding entered the Malaysia Book of Records for the huge turnout, The Star reported. Opposition lawmakers have demanded that the chief minister, Mr Mohd Ali Rustam, reveal how much he spent on Sunday's wedding and where the funding came from. But Mr Mohd Ali, who is on a working trip to Indonesia, dismissed the talk about extravagance. "It was cheap to organise. The wedding just looked grand because of the number of people who attended," he said. The chief minister, who is also a Umno vice-president, told Malay Mail that he had hired 30 chefs who could whip up the wedding reception's nasi briyani campur dishes for 60,000 people, at RM10 per head. Each serving could feed three people, he said. It comes to RM600,000 for a wedding feast that could be served to about 180,000 guests, he said. He dismissed allegations that the reception, which lasted eight hours, cost millions of ringgit. Meanwhile, a leaked document from the Malacca State Development Corporation (PKNM) allegedly shows that state agencies had sponsored the wedding ceremony. Debating the federal budget in Parliament yesterday, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia lawmaker Mahfuz Omar said the document showed that a meeting hosted by PKNM was especially called to discuss the "logistics of the ceremony" on Sunday. "The CM's special officer admitted that the event was sponsored to the tune of RM10 per guest and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must look into this (as) this is a personal event. "The meeting minutes mention the government departments involved and state that no bills should be claimed from the chief minister, everything is free." The minutes also allegedly stated that 100 tents were sponsored by four local councils and the armed forces could be approached for more tents. Read more at: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20121005-375724/2.html | |||
| Seeking the Right to Be Female in Malaysia Posted: 05 Oct 2012 12:04 PM PDT
Adam Shazrul Bin Mohammad Yusoff dressed in her room in Seremban, Malaysia. (The New York Times) - Nisha Ayub was jailed for three months after her first arrest for dressing as a woman 14 years ago. Ms. Nisha, who was 20 at the time, said prison wardens forced her to walk naked in front of the male inmates. "It's something I can't forget until today," she said. The feminine figure dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, makeup carefully applied, drew little attention from other customers at the fast-food restaurant in Seremban, a city about an hour's drive south of Kuala Lumpur. The 26-year-old began wearing women's clothing at age 13. Thanks to plastic surgery in neighboring Thailand, a daily dose of hormones and a feminine nickname, she is able to present herself as female to the outside world. But her official identification card — which Malaysians must produce in dealings like job interviews — declares that her name is Adam Shazrul Bin Mohammad Yusoff and that she is male. The discrepancy between her appearance and her officially recognized gender presents much more than just awkward moments in Malaysia, where Shariah, or Islamic law, bans Muslim men from dressing or posing as women. Penalties differ in individual states, but in Negri Sembilan, where the 26-year-old lives, convicted offenders may be sentenced to up to six months in prison, fined as much as 1,000 ringgit, about $325, or both. Tired of living in fear of prosecution, the 26-year-old — who has been arrested twice and was once fined 900 ringgit — and three other transgender people are challenging the law in the secular courts, arguing that it violates the Malaysian Constitution, which bans discrimination based on gender and protects freedom of expression. A verdict in their case — the first time anyone has sought to overturn the law — is expected next Thursday. "It's for freedom — to be like everybody else, to wear what we like," said the 26-year-old, explaining why she is taking part in the case. "This shouldn't happen. It's an unjust law. We are just human beings. We are not doing anything wrong." Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/world/asia/seeking-the-right-to-be-female-in-malaysia.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0
| |||
| LGE accused of ignoring gangsterism in DAP Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:26 PM PDT
Alleged victims say they were beaten up in the party chief's presence. K Pragalath, FMT Two men who claim they were physically assaulted in the presence of DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng have accused him of being indifferent to the issue of gangsterism in the party. A Thirumalvalavan (photo, left) and R Selvan (in white shirt), who are both branch-level officials in DAP, have lodged a police report about the attack, but they told reporters today that they were disappointed by Lim's silence over it. The incident allegedly happened last Monday during a meeting organised by Selangor DAP in Pekan Salak, Sepang. The two, together with Pantai Putra Sepang branch secretary Rashid Md Gani (photo, middle), were about to submit a memorandum to Lim when they were attacked, they said. Ironically, one of the points of the memorandum was gangsterism in the party. "Lim and (Selangor DAP chief) Teresa Kok were present when Thirumalvalavan and Selvan were dragged and bashed up by gangsters," Rashid told this morning's press conference. "Why didn't he stop the violence? "We are also very disappointed with Kok's leadership. She has also kept silent." The Monday meeting was a regular Selangor DAP parliamentary liaison session, but a discussion of election strategies was also on the agenda. "After delivering his speech, Lim had to leave the hall to attend a funeral," Rashid said. "We wanted to have dialogue session and hand over a memorandum to him." The memorandum complained that:
Thirumalvalavan, who leads DAP's Taman Murni branch, was in tears when he recalled Monday's incident. "I was dragged by gangsters who are not DAP members," he said. "They slapped and kicked me." Selvan, a member of the party's Pantai Sepang Putra committee, said he suffered the same treatment. The attackers snatched his DAP membership card and destroyed it, he added. Both displayed to reporters bruises on their shoulders and arms. Contacted after the press conference, Sivakumar denied that he used gangsters. He told FMT that everyone at the Monday meeting, including the alleged attackers, were DAP members. "The state committee ensured that only members would attend the meeting," he said, adding that Thirumalvalavan, Selvan and Rashid were there only to cause trouble. "Some party members had to stop them to protect Lim," he said.
| |||
| Probe JMM allegations, urges Cuepacs Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:20 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) has asked the authorities to investigate allegations that Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) had bribed civil servants to cover up information on its foreign funding and to gather information related to national security and government secrets. Its president, Datuk Omar Osman, said any civil servant found to have been involved should be given the appropriate punishment. "It is up to the authorities (to take action). Civil servants should not be accepting bribes. We have ethics which we must adhere to," he told Bernama. Omar was commenting on a statement by Azwanddin Hamzah, president of the non-governmental organisation Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), yesterday that Suaram had received more than US$100 million (about RM305.35 million) to organise street protests and that it had also bribed government officers. Suaram has categorically denied the allegations that it had bribed government officers to cover up information on its foreign funding and to gather information related to national security and government secrets. It also challenged JMM to substantiate its allegations and demanded an immediate apology and retraction of the allegations should JMM fail to do so. Omar said he was not sure why JMM had hurled the allegations at civil servants. "Nevertheless, we advise civil servants to distance themselves from bribery to maintain the integrity of the civil service and secure their own future," he said.
| |||
| Johor to overtake Selangor as richest state Posted: 04 Oct 2012 07:15 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- Johor is to emerge as the richest state in Malaysia by 2025, overtaking Selangor, if the current trend of development pace and investment inflows continues, an analyst with an investment bank said today. Dr Nazri Khan, Affin Investment Bank Vice-President and Retail Research Head, said the projection was not something impossible to achieve with Iskandar Malaysia, one of the five economic corridors in Malaysia, having attracted more than one-fourth of the RM383 billion total investment target by 2025. He said the economic growth brought to Johor by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, the government's investment arm, is seen as among concerted initiatives by the government to establish an economic hub in Johor outside the Klang Valley. "We will see Johor transform into an Orlando in Florida and become Asia's Theme Park Hub with the presence of at least four theme parks in the state. "They include Legoland Malaysia which opened recently, Puteri Harbour Family Entertainment Centre and Austin Heights Water Theme Park is due to open its doors soon. All these parks will provide ample jobs to our youths," he said. The 2012/2013 Economic Report issued by the Finance Ministry on Sept 28 said job opportunities in Johor are expected to double when some projects come on stream in the next five years such as Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios, MSC Cyberport City and Urban and Resort Wellness. At the same time, Nazri said efforts to attract cash-rich Middle Eastern investors, who have the capital to invest, must be pursued to maintain the development momentum in Johor. He said the massive oil and gas project in Pengerang is being initiated at a timely juncture when the world demand for oil and gas was spiralling. "Moreover, Pengerang's demographic location in the middle of the international shipping route to Indonesia and Singapore provided an added advantage to us than to our neighbours," he added. Meanwhile, a restaurateur in Skudai, Mohd Kassim Ali, 52, readily acknowledged that he could feel the spinoffs emanating from Iskandar Malaysia development. "When I first started this restaurant business 10 years ago, there were not many customers then, but now I can sense the change over the last one year as a result of the development impact brought about by the government. "My income has also increased by about 30 per cent now, more so after Legoland Malaysia was opened. I think the development pace in this city will accelerate further when more development projects planned by the government get off the ground such as the Puteri Harbour," he said. He said the number of Singaporean customers has also increased since Legoland Malaysia, the country's first theme park of its kind, was opened to the people on Sept 1. The feverish pace of development in this state will provide more job opportunities for Johoreans, he added. A Johorean, Mohd Salleh Ali, 46, said at one time, the youths, including from Johor, have to move to Kuala Lumpur to find jobs but now that trend is slowly and surely changing. With the oil and gas project in Pengerang and with various other development projects in the drawing board under the Iskandar Malaysia economic corridor, Johor has become the latest trade focus in Malaysia, he said. "Johor has become the focal point now as people from throughout the country are flocking to the state in search of high-paying jobs," he said. Development projects implemented by the state government with the support of the federal government have given an "assurance" to Johor-born school leavers of ample job prospects and a decent income, he added.
| |||
| Posted: 04 Oct 2012 04:31 PM PDT
An anonymous letter implicates a minister, Umno and MIC Youth chiefs of having links with gangsters. Anisah Shukry, FMT A PKR-linked NGO has lodged a police report today over an anonymous letter claiming that three prominent Barisan Nasional politicians have links to an Indian gang. The People Welfare and Rights Organisation (Power) wanted the police to verify whether the unsigned letter, purportedly from a member of Selayang Baru Umno, was genuine, and for the police to probe into the politicians' alleged links with the Indian gang "36". "The letter, which was left in my office yesterday in Sentul, mentions the name Human Resource Minister S Subramaniam, Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and MIC Youth chief T Mohan," Power president S Gobi Krishnan told reporters after lodging the report at the Travers police station here. "It is addressed to the prime minister and says that on Dec 3, 2011, MIC held an event which was attended by [the three politicians] as well as 7,000 youths who represent an Indian gang," he said. According to the letter, which is dated April 20, 2012, Subramaniam, Khairy and Mohan were also given gifts bearing the gang's logo at the event last year. The anonymous writer wrote: "That event gave a bad impression, especially the Indian community towards BN party. The event also clearly shows an attempt by Gang 36 to fortify its positions through politics." Matter of national security Gobi stressed today that even though the letter was unsigned, the accusation was serious and its contents must be verified as it involved two members of parliament as well as a minister.
| |||
| A Rapid white elephant in the making? Posted: 04 Oct 2012 03:35 PM PDT
The RM60-billion oil refinery is meant to cater for China and India's market, but PKR warns that such a stratergy can prove to be a costly gamble. Leven Woon, FMT PKR warns that the RM60 billion Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) in Pengerang, Johor, may be a white elephant once it becomes operational in 2016. Party trade and investment bureau head Wong Chen said this was because the refinery was export-driven and largely dependent on China and India's demands. Quoting Petronas downstream business vice-president Wan Zulkiflee's statement in December 2011, Wong said the state-owned oil corporation had acknowledged difficulty in downstream-related businesses but was optimistic towards Rapid due to the robust growth in China and India. However, he said poor economic sentiments had since emerged in the two countries, and an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report had cited a possible global economic crisis that might last for 10 years. In addition, he said China and India had also embarked on their massive oil refineries and downstream projects. "In tougher times, they will always favour domestic producers and boost utilisation of their own downstream facilities. "In the meantime, Petronas' Rapid will just be one of several regional players vying to supply these markets," he told a press conference here today. "If Petronas proceeds with its plans for Rapid, come 2016 when it becomes operational, the project may prove to be a gigantic white elephant," he added. The corporate lawyer (photo below) noted that the downstream oil business, which included oil refinery and value-added industry, had become a tight-margined one due to soaring oil prices since 2002. He questioned why Petronas was betting RM60 billion to invest in such a sector while major international oil companies such as Shell and Exxon adopted a wait-and-see approach.
| |||
| Khalid dismisses speculation on federal move if Pakatan wins Posted: 04 Oct 2012 03:07 PM PDT
(The Star) - Selangor Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim has dismissed speculation that he will vacate his post and move to a federal ministerial position if Pakatan Rakyat takes over Putrajaya in the coming general election. He stressed that the speculation arose following a personal view expressed by PKR deputy president Azmin Ali a few days ago. He said there was no misunderstanding between him and Azmin, who had implied that Pakatan would appoint a new Mentri Besar if it retained Selangor in the elections. Azmin was reported by a Malay daily to have said that Khalid would be given a ministerial post should Pakatan take over Putrajaya. "He (Azmin) does not have to apologise over his statement, which I believe is his personal view," Khalid said at the Parliament lobby yesterday. He also defended Azmin, saying that the comments showed that the party leadership trusted his ability to perform well at both state and federal levels. "It shows that he trusts my leadership in whatever position the party decides to put me in," he said.
| |||
| Suaram denies bribing government officials Posted: 04 Oct 2012 02:52 PM PDT
HE SAYS, SHE SAYS: Nalini (left) wants JMM to substantiate its allegations while Azwanddin claimed that he received a tip-off. (NST) - Suuara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) has categorically denied allegations that it had bribed government officials to cover up information on its foreign funding and to gather information related to national security and government secrets from the Prime Minister's Department, Finance Ministry and the Company Commission of Malaysia (CCM). In a statement signed by executive director Nalini Elumalai, Suaram wants non-governmental organisation Jaringan Melayu Malaysia, who made the claims, to substantiate its allegations. Suaram also is demanding an immediate apology and retraction of the allegations.
| |||
| Pakatan's Nov 3 rally is 'tip of iceberg', say analysts Posted: 04 Oct 2012 02:48 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - The planned mass gathering to be staged by Pakatan Rakyat on Nov 3 in is just one of many public assemblies in store in the run up to the 13th General Election, analysts believe. Pakatan on Wednesday announced that it will be holding the gathering to push for electoral reforms and are expecting a 500,000 turnout at Bukit Jalil National Stadium. PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu had told reporters that the government has yet to meet the eight core demands made by coalition for clean and fair elections Bersih, "especially on the need to clean up the electoral roll and media fairness".
| |||
| 'We did not misinterpret Azmin's statement on Selangor MB' - Sinar Harian Posted: 04 Oct 2012 02:43 PM PDT
(Malaysian Digest) - Malay daily Sinar Harian has refuted PKR deputy president Azmin Ali's claim that the newspaper had misinterpreted his statement on the leadership of Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. Azmin, also Gombak MP, was responding to his comrades who had wanted him to clarify the statement he made.
| |||
| Protests reflect vibrant democracy: PM Posted: 04 Oct 2012 09:31 AM PDT
(The Sun) - The protests in recent months, namely the anti-Lynas protest and Bersih 3.0, reflect a vibrant democracy in the country, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak. He said demonstrations are not unusual and happen in other countries as well but the government has promised political transformation and is moving towards a more mature and vibrant democracy by abolishing the Internal Security Act and introducing the Peaceful Assembly Act. "It is your fundamental right to protest, we will not prevent that, but do it in a peaceful manner. I think this is healthy … When people protest, listen to them and what is it they're protesting about. Is it reasonable? If it is reasonable, address it," he said. Najib was speaking during The CNBC Conversation, a half-hour interview hosted by CNBC anchor Martin Soong as part of The CNBC Summit: Malaysia, a dialogue series that highlights the nation's current economic climate, yesterday. He said an example of a "reasonable" protest is the Lynas issue which had huge concerns about safety and the government had gone the extra mile to ensure that Gebeng, Kuantan, where the plant is being set up, is safe although "quite a bit" of the protest "was not based on facts". "We've never done as much as we've done for this Lynas issue. As the government, we are satisfied, the experts are satisfied and the markets are satisfied. We made sure Lynas is safe but unfortunately there is the other side of the democracy, we have an opposition which likes to spin it in a different way but that's democracy. I don't blame them for it because that's the name of the game," he said. He said while there are parties who may be unhappy, the government has a solid plan for transformation. "Believe in us, we have an excellent track record in terms of being able to deliver real progress and change in Malaysia. You can see it for yourself … in Malaysia, things are happening. The facts are there but we have to convince the people," he said.
| |||
| Top defence firms rank low in anti-graft measures Posted: 04 Oct 2012 09:28 AM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Two top Malaysian defence companies, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd and the Sapura Group, received low scores in the 2012 Defence Companies Anti-Corruption Index by Transparency International UK. They scored 2.94 and 13.24 respectively, out of 100. The index measured worldwide a total of 129 defence companies' vulnerability to corruption in 34 categories. For each category, two scores were given, one based on publicly available information and the other on self-reported details.  A new generation patrol vessel built by Boustead Naval Shipyard. — Picture courtesy of Boustead Naval Shipyard The purchase was criticised by the opposition, especially the DAP's Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua, who asked how the price tag had jumped up from RM6 billion. DCNS S.A., the French naval defence company linked with the RM9 billion TLDM contract, scored 30.88 on the index. The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) awarded a unit of the Sapura Group a RM2 billion contract last year for Network Centric Operations (NCO). PKR vice-presidents Nurul Izzah Anwar and Chua Tian Chang have both questioned the project's lack of a roadmap. The Sapura Group has been embroiled in a family feud early this year after a legal challenge were filed in the High Court. Patriarch Tan Sri Shamsuddin Kadir is demanding that his two sons return shares and properties valued up to RM450 million. Scores were awarded in the Transparency International UK index across five sections, with marks awarded for evidence of anti-corruption in leadership, personnel, policies, training and risk management. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/top-defence-firms-rank-low-in-anti-graft-measures/ |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan