Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander
- Perak BN and MIC on collision course
- Man stabbed at Gombak political rally
- PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé
- FDIs not flowing as freely into Malaysia, says Tengku Razaleigh
- Wee: Abdul Rahman an extremist
- ‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’
| Deepak exposé: Perkasa screams slander Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:33 PM PST
PKR is using the businessman against Najib and Rosmah, says the Malay rights group. G Vinod, FMT Perkasa today accused PKR of slandering Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor through businessman Deepak Jaikishen. "Since the beginning I didn't trust this Deepak character," said Perkasa secretary-general Syed Hassan Syed Ali. "People who get involved with an immoral leader are immoral themselves." Yesterday, pro-Umno blogger Papagomo posted a poorly lighted video featuring a man who looks and sounds like Deepak speaking of the circumstances surrounding the businessman's recent press interviews, which resurrected allegations that Najib and Rosmah were involved in the bribery of private investigator P Balasubramaniam. Papagomo's posting alleged that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim was behind Deepak's exposés. The man in the video named several other PKR leaders, including vice president N Surendran and Subang MP R Sivarasa. Both Sivarasa and Surendran have dismissed claims that PKR was involved in the exposes, saying they were only representing Deepak for a court case involving a land deal that went sour. Syed Hassan alleged that PKR was losing support and had resorted to slander to regain it. "They have no choice but to resort to such attacks as their supporters are leaving in droves," he said.
Kinabatangan MP Bung Mokhtar echoed Syed Hassan's sentiments, saying Deepak had no credibility with him because he was always changing his mind. "As far as I know, Najib is very good person and a great leader," he said. "I don't care about what Deepak is saying." Sekijang MP Baharum Mohamad said Pakatan Rakyat had gone too far in its accusations against Najib and his family. "They have gone overboard on this," he said. "I believe that such slander against a person should not exist in a modern society like ours. "If there is a report lodged, the police should investigate it without fear or favour." MIC secretary-general S Murugesan agreed. "If the content of the video is proven to be true," he said, "it will show how bad Malaysian politics has become. Politicians are using proxies to attack their opponents. It's definitely not healthy for our democracy."
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| Perak BN and MIC on collision course Posted: 04 Dec 2012 04:24 PM PST
The row is over the selection of candidates and allocation of seats for the coming general election. B Nantha Kumar, FMT The Perak Barisan Nasional leadership is said to be on a direct collision course with MIC president G Palanivel over candidates and seat allocations in the state for the largest Indian-based party in the country. Sources revealed that while Palanivel is adamant on retaining several party veterans as candidates for the upcoming general election, the state BN leadership led by Menteri Besar Zambry Abdul Kadir wants MIC to put forth new and winnable candidates, especially young leaders. Zambry is unhappy that Palanivel, who is also Perak MIC chief, had insisted that several "expired" leaders be given state seats to contest at the 13th general election, due in the next four months, sources revealed. A party leader, who did not want to be named, told FMT that Palanivel's "stubbornness" may ruin MIC's chances of winning seats in the state. "I will not be surprised if Perak MIC repeat its dismal performance as in the 2008 election," he said. At the last election MIC lost all four state seats – Hutan Melintang, Behrang, Pasir Panjang and Sungkai – contested under the BN banner. "This time around, speculation is that MIC would swap two seats with other BN component parties. MIC will give up the Behrang and Pasir Panjang seats and instead take up Buntong and Trong state constituencies," said the source. The party insider claimed that Palanivel was willing to take up any seat offered by the state BN, but was adamant that the candidates must be chosen by him. The MIC chief's stand to retain some veteran leaders as candidates has irked not only state BN leaders but also party grassroots members. "Palanivel insisted on fielding veterans like State Legislative Assembly speaker R Ganesan and party veteran KR Naidu. This has not gone down well with Zambry and the state BN leadership," said the source. The source said while these two leaders were famous and popular, they did not command support of voters in the state.
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| Man stabbed at Gombak political rally Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:23 PM PST
Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider Rough house tactics, which have been a feature of Malaysian politics, went up a notch with the first stabbing at a political rally ahead of the 13th general elections. A group of people alleged to be Umno Youth members yesterday attacked a PKR rally in Gombak that left a few PKR volunteers injured, leading to swift condemnation from PKR leaders. In the attack, a PKR supporter is believed to have been stabbed with a sharp weapon on his left shoulder, the party's paper Keadilan Daily reported. Another victim, Md Haidir Samsuddin, 48, was injured in the head when hit by a stone that was hurled by the thugs. "I was then at the side of the road, controlling the situation when the Umno thugs started the kecoh (unrest). "Suddenly a big stone from across the road fell on my head," said Haidir, whose head was bleeding. PKR deputy president Azmin Ali (picture) slammed Gombak Umno Youth chief Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin for allegedly leading a group of thugs to attack the Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat rally at Gombak last night. Azmin, who is also the Gombak MP, saw his speech last night interrupted by the hurling of stones at the crowd, which then led to a scuffle breaking out at around 10pm. "I am very disappointed with this rude behaviour of Umno, and there were even those who were injured because of this samseng (gangster) attitude," Azmin told The Malaysian Insider when met after the tension between Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters died had down last night. Azmin claimed that Megat, who is the son of silat master Tan Sri Omar Din Mauju, had deliberately planned the provocation during the rally. He accused Megat and the group he led of using harsh language and throwing objects in the direction of the crowd gathered at the rally. "They (Umno) used silat practitioners to trigger provocation. "Megat himself led the group that triggered provocation and quarreled with the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) volunteers here," Azmin added. Following the commotion, a group of Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers that were on the scene quickly moved in to control the situation and formed a human shield to separate the two groups of supporters. Gombak's deputy police chief Rosly Hassan said the police had not received any reports from those who were injured and said the situation was under control. "No police report until now and the situation is under control," Rosly said when met by The Malaysian Insider at the scene of the incident. This is not the first attack on a PR rally, with a similar incident happening in Lembah Pantai where a crowd at a rally held by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was attacked. The PKR bus used by Anwar and party leaders for its nationwide pre-election campaign tour, Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat , was also splashed with paint and attacked with rocks several times. In yesterday's rally, Anwar, Tamrin Ghafar and Batu Caves state assemblyman Amirudin Shari were also present. PKR had previously called for a stop to the political violence directed at them.
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| PKR leaders deny masterminding exposé Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:17 PM PST
Subang MP R Sivarasa and party vice president N Surendran say they decided to take up the carpet businessman's case in their capacity as lawyers. G Vinod, FMT PKR leaders mentioned in the video shown by pro-Umno blogger Papagomo have denied that the party is behind the recent exposé by carpet businessman Deepak Jaikishen. In a text message to FMT, Subang MP R Sivarasa said that PKR vice-president N Surendran and himself were appointed by Deepak to represent the latter in his suit against Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Roopiah Abdullah 's company, Awan Megah, regarding a land deal. He also denied plotting any conspiracy against Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. "In Deepak's evidence in court under oath, he himself stated that Najib and Rosmah were involved in approving the sale of a 223 acre land in Bukit Rajah by her company (Awan Megah) to Deepak's company, which originaly belonged to the Defence Ministry." said Sivarasa. Yesterday, Papagomo posted a video on his website, alleging that Deepak's recent expose on Najib and Rosmah was enginereed by PKR's de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim. The two-minute clip also showed a man, purportedly Deepak, mentioning names of key PKR leaders such as PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar, apart from Sivarasa and Surendran. Sivarasa said that Deepak himself had told in an interview with an online portal that the latter had made substantial payments to "a member of Najib's family" for certain favours received. "The nature of the transaction in Deepak's suit was clearly of public interest because the value of the land mentioned is now worth about RM400 million or more. "Najib and Rosmah need to answer this serious allegation instead of using scurrilous Umno bloggers to allege a conspiracy," he said. Sivarasa said that he had approched Anwar before taking up the case due its political implications. "But I made the decision to take up Deepak's case, just as I act for all my other clients. There is no way I coached him on anything. "Deepak gave oral sworn evidence in an open court without the benefit of a written witness statement. He has also proceeded, on his own accord, to publicly disclose more serious matters unrelated to the specific issues in the court case I am handling. Those are his personal actions. "So allegations that I am angry with him are simply nonsensical. I am actually quite impressed that Deepak is prepared to risk an aggressive response from Najib and Rosmah," he added.
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| FDIs not flowing as freely into Malaysia, says Tengku Razaleigh Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:09 PM PST
Eva Yeong, The Sun Daily Malaysia is no longer attracting foreign direct investments (FDIs) as freely as it used to, said former finance minister Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, adding that the country is not investing enough to meet its aspirations. "Private investment now makes up a smaller portion of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Although we continue to maintain a relatively high national savings rate, some of those savings have gone overseas," the Gua Musang member of parliament said in his keynote address on "Pragmatism in the Face of Present Economic Outlook" at the MIER National Economic Outlook Conference 2013/2014 here yesterday. "Malaysia has become a premature exporter of capital, a characteristic that is unbecoming of a growing, high potential economy. "There is also this silent issue of capital flight, whether it is in the form of over-invoicing by corporates or personal wealth leakages," he added. On the domestic production front, he said the nation depends on a relatively narrow spectrum of growth drivers, while the government's revenue base is just as limited and the issue of fuel subsidies has to be addressed quickly. Tengku Razaleigh said the removal of petrol subsidies is imperative as it is a drag on government finances and an impediment to proper resource allocation. "In order to protect the average consumer, perhaps we can begin by applying an implicit subsidy cut on large engine capacity vehicle owners via a higher road tax," he said. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said private investment is expected to account for 30% of the country's total investments next year. "Private investment, which grew marginally by 2.5% during 2005 to 2009 period, registered a double digit growth of 15.5% in 2010 and 12.2% in 2011. "Even more encouraging, it grew on an annualised basis of 22.2% in the first half of this year," he said at the opening of the event. Meanwhile, RAM Holdings Bhd senior general manager and group chief economist Dr Yeah Kim Leng. said domestic-based sectors and services need to grow at a faster pace in order to have a sustainable domestic-driven growth. "Domestic demand has actually helped the Malaysian economy offset the global demand over the last decade and more importantly, in the post global financial crisis year of 2010 and 2011, domestic demand has actually been offsetting the negative growth from exports," he told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. "Domestic demand can help smoothen Malaysia's output fluctuations. "Use domestic demand to enhance resilience because Malaysia is such an open economy with exports contributing more than 100% of GDP. We are actually subject to a lot of these external demand shocks," he added. Yeah said next year's GDP growth will remain above 5% with RAM Ratings maintaining its forecast of 5.3% for 2013. He said the two major risks are the continuing Eurozone debt crisis that could potentially result in double dip for the global economy and the fiscal cliff. "If these two don't happen, Asia, with improving indicators from China and other emerging countries, will be in a strong position to capitalise on the regional growth and demand. "Combined with our resilient domestic demand, there won't be any major shock to our investor confidence and consumer spending," he added.
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| Wee: Abdul Rahman an extremist Posted: 04 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST
(The Star) - Abdul Rahman Maidin who recently joined PAS is an extremist, said MCA Youth chief Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong. In a Dec 4 blog post, Dr Wee had described Abdul Rahman, who is the former Malay Chamber of Commerce Malaysia deputy president, as someone with extreme racial thinking. He added that he had met Abdul Rahman at the Second National Economic Council meeting from 1999 to 2000, where he was also a participant. Dr Wee said he had never met anyone in his life that held such extremist racial views. Abdul Rahman had handed his membership form to PAS party president Abdul Hadi Awang during a Pakatan rally in Batu Pahat, Johor, last Saturday.
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| ‘Video proves Anwar is behind Deepak’ Posted: 04 Dec 2012 12:19 PM PST
A two-minute video clip of 'Deepak Jaikishan' has surfaced in pro-government blogs which points to a PKR plot to defame the prime minister and his wife Teoh El Sen, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim had met carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan to hatch a plot to defame the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor, according to pro-government blogs. Posting links to a "secretly recorded" video footage, blogger Papa Gomo said it proved that Deepak's recent explosive media interviews were the result of a plan engineered by several key PKR players. In the two-minute-long clip, a man who appears to be Deepak was speaking to a few people off camera. Aside from Anwar, he mentions several prominent PKR leader's names, including Subang MP R Sivarasa as well as vice-presidents N Surendran and Nurul Izzah. "So he [Anwar] said I give you the place, whatever you want to do I help you, but you have to help me lah, of course it is understood lah," said the man in the video. The video, according to Papa Gomo, was proof that Deepak had met with Anwar before he began his attacks against Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor on Nov 27. "In the video we hear Deepak saying that Nurul was the first person to contact him to see but for some reason he did not meet her," wrote the blogger. He alleged that Anwar had asked to meet Deepak several times in 2010 but he had ignored the PKR de facto leader until he was pressured by a bank debt that totalled RM170 million. "Deepak's real target is Senator Raja Ropiaah [Abdullah], the Selangor Wanita Umno chief who was together with Deepak previously in the real estate business," said Papa Gomo. He said that Anwar then apparently promised to provide Deepak with a lawyer (Sivarasa) for his case against Raja Ropiaah. "Sivarasa actually instructed Deepak to mention the names of Najib and Rosmah in the Raja Ropiaah trial," he added. However, "Deepak" in the video said he did not do that and "Sivarasa" was angry with him.
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