Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- 'Carpetman' linked to Altantuya trial tells all to Harakahdaily
- Scorpene briefing: Elements of Altantuya case important
- PAS to protest against Elton
- Carpet dealer says Wanita Umno leader cheated him in land deal
- Mother gets custody of children in Muslim convert case
- ‘Don’t touch Upko seats’
- Scorpene inquiry stumbles upon money maze
- Sultan: Learn from 1988 judicial crisis
- Deepak: I regretted getting involved in Bala's SD
- MCA’s use of hudud may backfire
- Selangor’s Talam White Paper a ‘grey paper’
- Don: Economy shows signs of kleptocracy
- Puteri must wake up from deep slumber
- Rosmah Mansor defends controversial 'public morality' clause
| 'Carpetman' linked to Altantuya trial tells all to Harakahdaily Posted: 26 Nov 2012 10:54 PM PST
"I do know Datuk Seri [Najib] and Puan Seri [Rosmah]. I am a carpet supplier and involved in business. Where there is business opportunity, we ask for their support," he told Harakahdaily during an interview at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. (Harakah) - A controversial figure in the saga of P Balasubramaniam, the private investigator who issued a damning statutory declaration implicating prime minister Najib Razak of an affair with murdered Mongolian citizen Altantuya Shaariibuu only to retract it the next day, has decided to come clean on his much talked relationship with Najib's family. Deepak Jaikishan (pic) contacted Harakahdaily to tell his story, by first confirming speculation of his ties with Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor."I do know Datuk Seri [Najib] and Puan Seri [Rosmah]. I am a carpet supplier and involved in business. Where there is business opportunity, we ask for their support," he told Harakahdaily during an interview at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. 'My mistake' Deepak said he did not know Bala personally and was introduced to him by a police friend.
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| Scorpene briefing: Elements of Altantuya case important Posted: 26 Nov 2012 07:51 PM PST
French lawyer Apoline Cagnat says that the French judge involved in the Scorpene probe will also look into the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. Anisah Shukry, FMT Elements of the murder case of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu are important in the ongoing French probe into the multi-billion purchase of Scorpene submarines. Lawyer Apoline Cagnat, who represents human rights organisation Suaram, told this to reporters via Skype after conducting a briefing on the Scorpene probe in Singapore today. "The judge is not investigating the murder of Altantuya, but rather the purchase of the two Scorpene submarines," she said. "However, elements of the murder case will be important to them and they will look into it." According to a tweet by Batu MP Tian Chua, who was present at the briefing, Cagnat told the parliamentarians that the French judge has requested to obtain the Altantuya trial record as part of the investigation. Suaram has previously claimed that French defence company DCNS paid bribery amounting to 114 million euros to Abdul Razak Baginda's company, Perimekar, in the purchase of the submarines. Altantuya, who was Abdul Razak's one-time lover, was said to have helped him and was later killed and blown up with C4 explosives in 2006, allegedly for asking a part of the bribe. Abdul Razak was charged in abetting in her murder, but was acquitted by the High Court in 2008 on the basis that there was no prima facie case against him. The purchase was made while Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak headed the defence ministry, and he has since been linked to her murder despite his vehement denials. When asked today what part the prime minister played in Altantuya's death, Cagnat refused to comment, citing confidentiality. "But we believe that the prime minister and Razak Baginda at some point will be served subpoenas. But the judges need to gather a lot of proof so it is not something that will happen in a few weeks," she said. 'Arrest warrant would be issued' She said that in the next few months to come, the judge would be subpoenaing all seven witnesses listed by Suaram to come and testify in France. Lawyer Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, who was also present at the briefing, tweeted Cagnat had told parliamentarians if the witnesses did not comply, an arrest warrant would be issued.
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2012 07:30 PM PST
(The Star) - PAS leaders will go ahead to protest against Elton John's concert at Genting Highlands on Saturday night after their calls for the show to be cancelled went unheeded by the organisers. PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi said they would submit a protest note to the Government against the organisers if the show, scheduled to be held at the Arena of Stars, is not stopped. "We will use the approach of submitting a memorandum to protest against the concert. "This is one of the measures we intend to take to check social ills in the country," The Malaysian Times quoted him as saying in an interview with the news portal yesterday. "Whatever it takes, we will not let up on our dakwah work and will continually remind all Muslims, particularly youths, not to get involved in matters that can drag them into vice," Nasruddin said. This will be the second concert in Malaysia for Elton, following his sell-out show at the same venue last year, also in November. PAS had also raised its objections to the concert on grounds that it promoted "hedonism" and because of the singer's gay marriage, which the party felt had a negative effect on young Malaysians. Elton, who has sold more than 250 million records with hits like Rocket Man and Your Song, married David Furnish in 2005 when same-sex marriages were legalised in Britain.
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| Carpet dealer says Wanita Umno leader cheated him in land deal Posted: 26 Nov 2012 07:21 PM PST
"As far as we are concerned, she's a thief and we are suing her for stealing our land," said Deepak as reported by Wong Choon Mei of Malaysia Chronicle. "I have had enough of all this. I am a businessman and this is taking to long. I have written letters to Najib but he is not doing a thing. He is just sitting on it." (The Malaysian Insider) - Controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan has dropped a bombshell on the eve of the annual Umno general assembly alleging that a senior Wanita Umno politician had cheated him out of millions in a land deal. Deepak, who deals in carpets, said he had agreed to buy three parcels of land in 2007 for RM13 million with a RM72 million bank guarantee for a land bond from the Wanita Umno leader, who was awarded a RM100 million privatisation deal for the development of the defence research centre called Pusat Pengajian Pertahanan Nasional (PUSPAHANAS). But she had sold one parcel for RM2 million in cash and a RM16 million overdraft facility in a "joint-venture" with another company specialising in plasticware, prompting the carpet dealer to put a caveat on the land in Bukit Raja and lodge a police report last July. "This is my land... I want to develop it," Deepak told The Malaysian Insider, hours after he spoke to several other news portals about the matter. The Malaysian Insider contacted the Wanita Umno leader but she did not respond to the calls. The 40-year-old businessman (picture) said he has written to government leaders and officials about the matter but has yet to receive a response. The police have also been dragging their feet, he added. "We want her to sign over the power of attorney for the land... but she hasn't," Deepak said. In his police report dated July 9, 2012 at the Pudu police station, Deepak said the Wanita Umno leader and her company had committed a criminal breach of trust by not handing over the land titles to him and also selling his land to another party. He said his company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd had signed a deal on May 16, 2007 to buy the three parcels of land measuring 89.281 acres, 88.629 acres and 45.420 acres from Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, which was given the privatisation deal on June 8, 2005. But Deepak said he never got the land or the title deeds, and had filed a lawsuit in December 2011 against the Wanita Umno leader, Awan Megah, the Selangor Land and Mines Office and the Ministry of Defence to get what was due to him. He also found out last July that Awan Megah has signed a "joint-venture agreement" with Guppyunip Sdn Bhd on July 9, 2010 to develop one of the parcels he had bought. "I am unsure if she has sold the same piece of land to others too," he said, adding he hoped the police would get to the bottom of the case.
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| Mother gets custody of children in Muslim convert case Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:26 PM PST
(Bernama) - A kindergarten teacher will have custody over her three children who were converted to Islam by her Muslim-convert former husband. This is because Muhammad Ridzuan Abdullah, or K. Patmanathan as he was known before conversion, has lost his chance to appeal to the Federal Court the decision of an Ipoh High Court which granted custody of the children to M. Indira Gandhi. A five-member panel led by Chief Justice Tun Arifin Zakaria dismissed Muhammad Ridzuan's application for leave to appeal. Ridzuan, 43, had sought leave to appeal to the Federal Court as his appeal to set aside the High Court's decision was thrown out by the Court of Appeal on April 17 this year following failure by his previous lawyer to file the records of appeal on time. The Court of Appeal had struck out his (Muhammad Ridzuan's) appeal against the decision of the High Court granting custody to Indira, after it (the Court of Appeal) refused to grant him extension of time to file in the records of appeal. Muhammad Ridzuan filed his notice of appeal on March 11, 2010 and was required to file in the records of appeal within eight weeks from the filing of the notice of appeal but his previous lawyer did not do so. The records of appeal were filed a year later. Justice Arifin also ordered Muhammad Ridzuan to pay RM10,000 in legal costs. The other judges on the panel were Federal Court judges Datuk Hashim Yusoff, Datuk Ahmad Maarop, Datuk Hasan Lah and Datuk Jeffrey Tan Kok Wha. On March 11, 2010, the Ipoh High Court granted Indira the custody of Tevi Darsiny (Ummu Salamah), 15, Karan Dinish (Abu Bakar), 14 and Prasana Diksa (Ummu Habibah), four, but allowed Ridzuan to visit his children once a week. The court ordered that Prasana Diksa, who was with Ridzuan, be returned to Indira while the other two children, who were with Indira, remain in the 37-year old mother's (Indira) custody. Ridzuan embraced Islam in April 2009 and subsequently converted his children to Islam without Indira's consent. On April 24, the same year, Indira obtained an interim custody order from the Ipoh High Court for temporary custody of her children. On October 29 the same year, Ridzuan, who was represented by lawyer Anas Fauzi, obtained a court order from the Syariah Court giving him custody of the children. Lawyer K.Shanmuga, one of the lawyers in Indira's legal team, told reporters that the Ipoh High Court would mention tomorrow Indira's judicial review application to quash the conversion certificate. He added that contempt proceedings against Ridzuan would be initiated for not adhering the High Court order to return Prasana Diksa to the mother.
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| Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:21 PM PST
Upko warned its political brothers in Parti Bersatu Sabah to stop asking for its seats. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: A Sabah Barisan Nasional component party's view that a 'convincing' BN victory can only occur if the state and parliamentary seats are aligned to a single party has come under heavy criticism by United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (Upko). In not so many words, Upko secretary-general Wilfred Tangau told his political brothers in Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) to zip it. "Tuaran and Bingkor seats are not up for grabs. PBS should just focus its energy and resources on working closely with other BN component parties. "Stop talking about claiming seats that have been traditionally allocated to other component parties," he said alluding to recent calls from PBS for certain seats to be given to them. Upko, led by Bernard Dompok is a spin-off from PBS. During PBS' 27th annual congress recently, its Tuaran and Bingkor divisions had suggested that the seats be given to PBS because "it was easier to administer the parliamentary constituency" if the state seats were allocated to the same party. There are some 40,761 voters in Tuaran parliamentary constituency. Tuaran has three state seats – Tamparuli (14,291), Sulaman (16,076) and Kiulu (9,773). Tuaran parliamentary seat is currently held by former Upko deputy chairman Wilfred Bumburing. Bumburing defected in July to form his own platform Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) which had aligned itself to Pakatan Rakyat. PBS is now staking a claim on the seat. PBS already holds Tamparuli and Kiuli state seats under Tuaran parliamentary constituency. The third state seat is Sulaman held by Umno's Hajiji Noor. In the last election, PBS' Jahid @ Nordin Jahim polled 6,775 votes to win the Tamparuli seat with a 5,758 majority, while Hajiji (Umno) garnered 7,065 votes to take the Sulaman seat with a 3,482 majority and Lovuis Rampas (PBS) won the Kiulu seat with a majority of 2,279. Meanwhile Bingkor, which is under Keningau parliamentary constituency is currently held by Upko's Justin Guka. Keningau MP is PBS president Joseph Pairin Kitingan. Pairin is also Tambunan assemblyman.The other two seats are Liawan (Umno) and Bingkor.
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| Scorpene inquiry stumbles upon money maze Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:15 PM PST
(fz.com) - The French judicial inquiry into alleged corruption in Malaysia's purchase of two Scorpene class submarines have stumbled upon a complex money trail due to the slew of companies involved in the procurement transaction. French lawyer Apoline Cagnat, who is acting on behalf of human rights group Suaram, said during a briefing in Singapore that the financial documentation in cases of suspected corruption is usually very complicated to navigate particularly of it involves multiple jurisdictions. "It is complicated to trace the companies and will take time because it (corrupt practices) is supposed to be hidden," Cagnat reiterated to Malaysian reporters via Skype after she conducted a briefing on the Scorpene inquiry in Singapore today. The live webcast of Cagnat's briefing to Singapore press and several Malaysian opposition politicians was held in Kuala Lumpur by Solidariti Anak Melayu Malaysia (SAMM), a PKR-linked organisation. Cagnat's briefing was initially scheduled to be held in Kuala Lumpur but the event was moved to Singapore at the eleventh hour when she did not receive a response from Malaysia's Ministry of Home Affairs to guarantee her safe passage into Malaysia. Cagnat is among the lawyers acting for Suaram, the organisation that filed the complaint in France which kicked off the judicial investigation over allegations of corruption in Malaysia's purchase of the Scorpene submarines from French defence contractor Direction des Construction Navales Services (DCNS). French prosecutors have raided DCNS's offices and seized various documents include some which purportedly detail payments made to two companies set up by former political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, who is said to be a close associate of prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Perimekar Sdn Bhd, a company controlled by Abdul Razak, stands accused of receiving RM540 million or 114 million euros for its "support services" which Suaram and the opposition claims are kickbacks for the submarine deal.
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| Sultan: Learn from 1988 judicial crisis Posted: 26 Nov 2012 05:11 PM PST
(fz.com) - The Deputy Yang di-Pertuan Agong has reminded the legal profession and the judiciary "to never ever go back to the few years of darkness in our country's history" following the 1988 judicial crisis. "We must continually learn from our mistakes and build on our success in honour of the men and women of Malaysia who stood their ground for the good of their country during that difficult period," said Sultan Muhammad V of Kelantan. He said this in his keynote address at the 3rd Asia-Pacific Regional Forum Conference, organised by the International Bar Association, here yesterday. Those present included Chief Justice of Malaysia Tun Arifin Zakaria, Chief Judge of the High Court of Malaya Tan Sri Zulkefli Makinuddin, International Bar Association president Akira Kawamura and Malaysian Bar president Lim Chee Wee. Sultan Muhammad V said that his father, the then Sultan of Kelantan, Sultan Ismail Petra, stood up for the rule of law. "As his young Tengku Mahkota or Crown Prince, I proudly watched as my father stood his ground during the 1988 judicial crisis," he said, without elaborating. "We shall not dwell on the past here today but we must learn from it so that the same mistakes will never be repeated," he said. He added that without a strong, stable and fair government, a fair and independent judiciary, and a legal profession committed to the rule of law and not politically motivated, "all the progress and growth we have achieved and hope to continue to achieve will mean nothing." The deputy king praised recent legal reforms such as the repeal of the Internal Security Act, the introduction of legislation allowing for the right for peaceful assembly, and amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act. "All these reforms by the present government with the assistance of the relevant stakeholders in society are a move in the right direction but more can be done. "Some of the legislations we have amended and repealed may need to be re-looked at as the initial amendments may not have achieved all that was initially intended," he said.
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| Deepak: I regretted getting involved in Bala's SD Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:27 PM PST
Nigel Aw, Malaysiakini Businessperson Deepak Jaikishan regretted his involvement in getting private investigator P Balasubramaniam to make a second statutory declaration (SD) which reversed an earlier one linking Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. In an interview with Malaysiakini last night, Deepak said he had only become involved at the request of a female friend associated with the parties who would be affected by the fallout of the first statutory declaration. THIS NEWS ITEM WAS LIFTED FROM MALAYSIAKINI WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION.
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| MCA’s use of hudud may backfire Posted: 26 Nov 2012 04:02 PM PST
PAS state deputy chief Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin says MCA's attempt to frighten non-Malay voters may become a liability to BN. Humayun Kabir, FMT PAS is claiming that MCA is using the hudud issue to drive away the Chinese from voting for the opposition. But the Islamist party adds that MCA chief Dr Chua Soi Lek's constant questioning of hudud will be a liability for Barisan Nasional. PAS state deputy chief Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin said, "He [Chua] is a liability to BN and the more he criticises hudud, the more plus points for Pakatan Rakyat in winning the coming general election." "Chua's statement on the hudud issue has angered the Muslim community as religion is a very sensitive issue to Muslims,'' he said. This will drive Malays who are equally divided in loyalty to both BN and Pakatan, to make a U-turn and give more support to Pakatan in the coming polls, he claimed. He told this to FMT after attending a function in Changat Jering on Sunday. Nizar said that support for MCA from the Chinese community is eroding fast as seen in the recent two protest marches. He was referring to the United Chinese Schools Committees Association of Malaysia or Dong Zong mammoth gathering in Petaling Jaya to protest against the National Education Blueprint The other gathering was the 300km march from Kuantan by the Himpunan Hijau group protesting against the Lynas Advanced Material Plant in Gebeng (Kuantan) . Nizar said that MCA which had depended on the Malay votes for winning its seats will receive a double blow from both the Chinese and Malay voters in the coming polls. "MCA is using an old school of thought on hudud to frighten the Chinese community into voting against PAS and Pakatan, which is not working as they have recognised us as a party for all," said Nizar, a former menteri besar. He pointed out that even the Minister for Islamic Affairs, Jamil Khir Baharom, had stated recently that hudud will not have an impact on non-Muslims in Malaysia. Jamil had been reported as saying that the punishments under the Islamic penal code comes under the jurisdiction of the Syariah Court which applies only to Muslims.
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| Selangor’s Talam White Paper a ‘grey paper’ Posted: 26 Nov 2012 03:47 PM PST
MCA's Chua Tee Yong claims that the White Paper tabled by the Selangor state government on Talam Corporation's debt restructuring exercise left many questions unanswered. G Vinod, FMT The White Paper tabled by the Selangor state government on Talam Corporation's debt restructuring exercise is a "grey paper" as it left out many pertinent issues. Speaking at a press conference here, MCA's Young Professional Bureau chief Chua Tee Yong said among others, the state government did not explain why it engaged a private valuer to assess Talam's assets instead of the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH). "The state government also did not give details on how much was paid to the private valuer for its work. Surely they did not do it for free," added the deputy minister. Last week, the Selangor state government tabled the White Paper on how state authorities went about restructuring Talam's multi-million ringgit debt. Among the issues mentioned was on the state's decision to go ahead with valuation made by Suleiman & Co of RM375 million for land belonging to Talam instead of JPPH's valuation of RM113 million. The reason given was Suleiman & Co's valuation was more comprehensive as it took into consideration of the land's pending conversion into a mixed development status while JPPH valued them on its status as agriculture land. Chua said that the state government went against its own regulation by referring the matter to a private valuer instead of JPPH. "If the land was supposed to be valued as a mixed development property, why didn't the state government advise JPPH to value it as such? All these are not explained," he added. Chua also pointed out that another valuer engaged by the state government gave two differing numbers, in the span of one year, but the authorities went ahead with the valuation.
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| Don: Economy shows signs of kleptocracy Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:24 PM PST
Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas of the Department of Sociology, National University of S'pore (fz.com) - Farid emphasised that corruption is not one of the many problems that Malaysia faces but the major problem that spawns other problems in other areas such as crime, the environment and education. An academician said the Malaysian political system shows signs of "kleptocracy", which he saw as a systemic practice of corruption embedded into the state and politics. "There is corruption in all countries," said Associate Professor Syed Farid Alatas of the Department of Sociology at the National University of Singapore. "The question is whether we are a country where corruption is the dominant means of doing business. In other words, is Malaysia what I call a kleptocracy?" Farid was speaking at a forum entitled "Eradicating Corruption: How Successful Have We Been?" held in conjunction with the launch of an interim research report on anti-corruption initiatives in Malaysia. He defined kleptocracy as a state dominated by kleptocrats who engage in corruption as a major, if not principal, means of capital accumulation. He also noted that corruption in a country like Malaysia isn't a random or occasional phenomenon and could well be the fifth factor of production. "Key kleptocrats are not mid or low level civil servants who extort or accept bribes to make a living but high-level politicians and bureaucrats who engage in corrupt activities as a means of accumulating capital," Farid added. He then sought to move away from the usual indicators of Malaysia's level of corruption - like the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) and the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – opting instead to base his views on objective rather than perceptive criteria. The CPI score is predominantly based on the opinion of experts or business executives and not of the common citizens, and has been criticised for being skewed by the experiences of these groups. Farid pointed out that there are many other issues that reflect the realities in Malaysia that suggest flaws in the way laws have been implemented or with the laws themselves. "There are many aspects of a country's development that point to a constant or even increasing rate of corruption," he said. "For example, Malaysia doesn't seem to be able to build decent roads. Many believe that the reason for our poor roads is because substandard materials are being used and that somewhere along the expenditure and procurement chain officials and contractors are making money from government contracts." Farid then questioned why taxis that ferry passengers to the airport are not allowed to bring passengers home as is the practice in every developed and even underdeveloped country. He further said that corruption is experienced by the ordinary Malaysian in rising crime rates, fragmentation of natural forest cover, the "sorry state" of the education system and the unemployability of fresh graduates. "Corruption is not a crime like other crimes," Farid stated. "In other crimes the impact of the criminal act is restricted to the victim whereas corruption has far-reaching consequences. In a sense, corruption is a weapon of mass destruction." Read more at: http://fz.com/content/don-economy-shows-signs-kleptocracy
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| Puteri must wake up from deep slumber Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:10 PM PST
(Free Malaysia Today) - The movement just did not have the leadership capability to reach out to the youngsters using the new media as the platform. Its failure has somewhat driven the youngsters to the other side where its use of the new media has been effective in influencing the young blood. The Umno general assembly is a chance for Umno young women's wing to make itself visible and relevant again. Puteri Umno is not making much of an impact these days. It seems to be hibernating, oblivious to the political storms buffeting Umno and its leaders. The movement was set up in 2001 to primarily engage with youngsters, particularly women aged 35 and below and who are either in college or working. Initially it was full of enthusiasm and drive under the leadership of Azalina Othman Said who helmed the movement from 2002 to 2004. It even "stole" the limelight from Wanita Umno. But over the years the movement has lost its energy and, under the current leadership of Rosnah Shirlin Rashid, it seems to be out of touch with reality. It has gone into deep slumber. It is not connecting with today's youngsters who number about three million and who are first time-voters in the coming general election. It is hardly heard of in the country's vigorous political scene as its activities are not mentioned much in the public domain. The movement's failure in engaging with the youngsters probably prompted Umno president Najib Tun Razak to reach out to the youngsters himself through the alternative media such as Facebook, Twitter and so on. In recent times, when Najib came under heavy fire from the opposition, the Puteri Umno brigade is nowhere to be seen to defend the big boss. Political observers believe this silence is not good for Umno's image and credibility. At a time when Najib sorely needs the support of its members to help him move forward in his transformation programmes against the opposition onslaught, the Puteri movement is just not there to repulse the attacks. The movement also does not seem to be moving with the times. It is not seen using the new media such as blogs or online news portals to reach out to the female youngsters and connect intellectually with them to woo them over to Umno and Barisan Nasional. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2012/11/27/puteri-must-wake-up-from-deep-slumber/ |
| Rosmah Mansor defends controversial 'public morality' clause Posted: 26 Nov 2012 12:09 PM PST
(Phnom Penh Post) - In the wake of the controversial endorsement this week of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration, the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak defended her country's insistence on preserving the document's "public morality" clause, which rights groups have condemned as subjective and discriminatory against women and sexual minorities. Datin Seri Paduka Rosmah Mansor told the Post in an exclusive interview the clause was something Malaysia "wouldn't, or shouldn't, compromise... on high morality." "To me... human rights [are] the rights of an individual based on what you believe in, based on your culture and your religion. Fine, you want to recognise [LGBT rights], you think that's right, you don't want to follow what is in your bible, fine, I'm not condemning that... But this is the way we want to run our country. Based on... high morality. "You know why HIV and AIDS occur... how it is being spread. Now the number of people suffering from HIV is alarming. What is it you want? Do you want to allow this... or do you want to contain it – then this is the way we all should live." In September, the Sin Chew Daily and foreign media outlets such as The Huffington Postreported that the Malaysian Education Ministry had supported a "guideline" for parents in how to identify gay and lesbian children — claims the Malaysian government denied. But Rosmah maintained: "You have to nip [homosexuality] in the bud. "If you don't, when the time comes and you have to stop [homosexuality], you will find it's too late." Rosmah's claims have drawn the ire of human-rights groups around Southeast Asia. Dr Yuval Ginbar, a legal adviser and ASEAN expert with Amnesty International, told the Post three of the declaration's general principles, one of which was the "public morality" clause, severely hampered human-rights protection. The Southeast Asia Women's Caucus on ASEAN declared in September that public morality had not been defined in international human-rights standards and its interpretation in daily life had been largely based on dominant political, cultural and religious regimes. Ivy Josiah, executive director of the Malaysian NGO Women's Aid Organisation, said it was "disappointing to hear teachers will be encouraged to conduct witch-hunts in schools looking for signs as to who is gay. This, in effect, is an endorsement of promoting hatred." Cambodian Center for Human Rights president Ou Virak labelled Rosmah's comments "outrageous". "Come on, it's 2012 – these are bogus and extremely homophobic claims that HIV is a result of homosexuality – the world knows this is not true," he said. "This confirms our fears about the declaration – that these clauses were included to give governments excuses to not uphold universal principles of human rights." Thilaga Sulathireh, from the ASEAN LGBT Caucus, said Malaysia's views on public morality and homosexuality were archaic and economically and politically motivated. Contacted for comment yesterday, the Malaysian embassy forwarded the request to the prime minister's office, which did not reply by press time.
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However, Deepak (left) declined to elaborate on the identity of this female friend.
Balasubramaniam (right) re-emerged on Nov 12, 2009 in the form of a five-partYouTube 
In July this year, Balasubramaniam, who briefly re-emerged in Kuala Lumpur, told Malaysiakini that Deepak had tried to bribe him 
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