Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Deepak offers to be Pakatan’s state witness
- Tunku Abdul Aziz condemns rally
- PKR: S’gor water crisis a political sabotage
- Pensions funds facing RM75 mil loss in FGVH shares: PKR
- Lawyers send letter to MAIS over decree
- Suhakam, Bar Council to monitor rally
- Sarawak Report: What ‘sins’ did we commit?
- ‘Police boycotting MyWatch’
- STAR willing to ‘cooperate’ not ‘work under’ Pakatan
- ‘Country’s fate in your hands’
- ‘Najib has the edge over Anwar’
- In tea leaves, economist sees slender Pakatan win
- Changing national flag akin to hating own country’
| Deepak offers to be Pakatan’s state witness Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:14 AM PST
The one-time Rosmah associate says he is ready to reveal it all if Pakatan Rakyat is willing to guarantee to protect him against prosecution when they come to power. K Kabilan, FMT Carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan today urged Pakatan Rakyat to give him an undertaking that he would be protected against prosecution if they want him to expose all alleged wrongdoings of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. "I am urging Pakatan Rakyat's future prime minister, the future home minister and the future law minister… give me an undertaking for my safety and freedom," he was quoted as saying in an interview with Harakahdaily.net today. He said that he was ready to give evidence of all alleged wrongdoings that can help Pakatan topple Barisan Nasional in the next general election. However he does not want to be left standing alone, or worst, prosecuted along with the alleged wrongdoers. "I am confused now. How can I expose when the way PKR is revealing all the information is incorrect and without protecting me as a whistleblower?," he later told FMT when contacted. "They should protect me under the Whistleblowers Act. I need protection against prosecution from them," he said. "Give me an undertaking that I will not be prosecuted for my exposés. I can be Pakatan's state witness and will expose it all," he repeated. He said that if he was given such an understanding, he was willing to join forces with Pakatan leaders at the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat at Stadium Merdeka tomorrow to do his duty as a Malaysian for the nation. When asked if he had met up with any Pakatan leaders over his request, Deepak said that he was hoping to meet some Pakatan leaders tomorrow. "I am going to the rally and I hope to meet up with some of them," he said. Foreclosure notice "The current administration is politically intimidating me in order to keep me silent. "I shall not succumb and will ensure that all the truth prevails in the days ahead," he said. He revealed that he had been issued a foreclosure notice to shut down his company unless he was able to pay off his debts amounting to RM33 million within 14 days. "The legal firm which issued the notice is the firm where Najib's brother is a senior lawyer," he said. He added that the income tax department was also investigating him for alleged tax evasion from 2004 to 2009. "These are all activities undertaken by the current administration to stop me from telling the truth," he said.
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| Tunku Abdul Aziz condemns rally Posted: 10 Jan 2013 08:15 PM PST
Umno has dubbed the rally 'Taharin Square', after Shamsidar Taharin Dr Chandra said he was disturbed to learn that the appearance of a witness in a court case related to a defamation suit would be raised during the Saturday rally. (The Sun Daily) - Two internationally-acclaimed Malaysian social activists have condemned the so-called Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat (People Uprising Rally) to be held here tomorrow, which they refer to as nothing more than a betrayal of public trust and a mockery of democracy. Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim sees clearly, the hands of some opposition leaders behind the rally to obscure the truth about numerous personal problems afflicting them. On his part, Dr Chandra Muzaffar says it is a shameful act that all champions of freedom and democracy should condemn as crude, vulgar and despicable. Tunku Abdul Aziz told Bernama that the rally was actually not a protest against any critical national issue but rather a non-issue, at best, and a betrayal of public trust, at worst. "An opposition leader is again doing what he does best and that is to pull the wool over our eyes so as to obscure the truth. "The truth is that this is a matter for the man to resolve, without dragging innocent thousands into the stadium to support a cause that is both selfish and cynical in the extreme," said Tunku Abdul Aziz, better known for his various roles in worldwide anti-corruption movement and a former special adviser to former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan. "He who makes the bed should lie on it himself, but then it would not be that Opposition Leader, would it?" he asked. Tunku Abdul Aziz could not hide his contempt over the organisers of the rally. "I should have thought members of the public would have seen through this little charade but I am disappointed that there are reasonable people among us who are willing to be led by the nose to endorse an act that morally reprehensible. "The opposition will obviously stop at nothing to cause maximum chaos and anxiety in a society that has become tired of the sort of irresponsible antics that have become the opposition's weapons of choice," he added. Tunku Abdul Aziz was a strong opponent of the Bersih 3.0 rally held here last year and he showed this by resigning from the DAP which supported street demonstrations. He was then a DAP vice-chairman. "I would urge my fellow Malaysians, in particular, not to allow themselves to be hoodwinked by an irresponsible opposition bent on getting to Putrajaya, no matter what it takes in human costs, not their own, naturally." Dr Chandra, who is president of the International Movement for a Just World (Just), said if the rally became a channel for merely ventilating hate and anger based on outrageous lies and distortions, it would make a mockery of democracy and a subversion of freedom. He said he was disturbed to learn that the appearance of a witness in a court case related to a defamation suit would be raised during the Saturday rally. "If this is true, there is an attempt to use 'people power' to prevent the judicial process from taking its course. "It would be a terrible travesty of justice. Only fascists manipulate the masses against the court system," he told Bernama.
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| PKR: S’gor water crisis a political sabotage Posted: 10 Jan 2013 08:09 PM PST
PKR's Rafizi Ramli claims the Selangor water crisis is politically motivated and announces steps to combat Putrajaya and Syabas' 'sabotage'. Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli today claimed Selangor's water crisis is a political sabotage by Putrajaya to cultivate hatred among the people towards Pakatan Rakyat. Rafizi claimed Putrajaya was resorting to dirty politics under the leadership of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to garner more votes for the ruling coalition ahead of the upcoming general election. He claimed the only way for Putrajaya to get votes was to "make the people's life as difficult as possible" in Selangor. Rafizi made this statement today in response to Syabas chairman Rozali Ismail's claim on Tuesday that the water problem may extend until the Chinese New Year period. Residents in Gombak, Ampang and Pandan have been facing intermittent water supply since Dec 29 last year after the Wangsa Maju water pump house broke down. Najib had previously said that BN would do its best to wrest Selangor away from Pakatan in the next general election. Pakatan's game plan Rafizi today revealed Pakatan's immediate actions to combat BN and Syabas' "sabotage". The opposition's action plan includes:
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| Pensions funds facing RM75 mil loss in FGVH shares: PKR Posted: 10 Jan 2013 08:05 PM PST  (The Sun Daily) - PKR has claimed that two pension funds, the Employee's Provident Fund (EPF) and Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP), have collectively suffered an estimated paper loss of RM75 million as a result of buying Felda Global Ventures Holdings (FGVH) shares. The party's trade and investment bureau chairperson Wong Chen said this is because the pension funds had bought the shares despite market analysts generally recommending against the stock since Aug 9 last year. He said the funds should not be allowed to invest in risky deals as it involved the public (EPF) and civil servant (KWAP) retirement funds which should be guarded by the government. "We (PKR) believe that EPF holders and the civil servants have a right to know whether these buys, a significant portion of which is against analyst recommendations and market views, are politically motivated," he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters today. Wong provided a data from financial news broadcaster "Bloomberg" detailing the FGVH price and market analyst regarding the share trends. Almost all financial firms analyse that the shares which were now valued at RM4.60 could go lower. In the opening Initial Public Offering in June 2012. the shares were valued at RM5.39. Wong said EPF originally brought 185 million shares valued at (RM842 million) before increasing its share by 46% or 90 million shares valued at RM455 at the average price of RM5.05 after the analysts' warning. He said the current trading loss of EPF is now RM40 million. KWAP, meanwhile, increased their initial 194 million shares (RM 880 million) in December to another 59 million (RM 5.19 million) or 35% and is facing a RM35 million loss. "The situation could get worse. If the price drops to the Alliance Research target of RM3.53 (the second lowest among the 12 most recent recommendations on the stock), EPF and KWAP would have paper loss of about RM327 million and RM295 million," he said.
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| Lawyers send letter to MAIS over decree Posted: 10 Jan 2013 04:01 PM PST
(The Star) - The Selangor Islamic Religious Council (MAIS) has received a letter by a group of lawyers over the decree by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to ban non-Muslims in the state from using the word "Allah". The lawyers are claiming that this conflicted with a decision made by the High Court and Government. MAIS corporate communication head Rohana Hassan, who confirmed receiving the letter, said the lawyers attached exhibits as evidence to prove that a settlement on the matter had been reached and it should not have resurfaced. "We have not really gone through the documents as we only received them after office hours on Wednesday. "The council will issue a press statement once everything is finalised," Rohana said. MAIS secretary Datuk Mohd Misri Idris reportedly said Sultan Sharafuddin had expressed shock and regret over DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng's recent statement urging the Government to allow the word "Allah" to be used in the Malay version of the Bible. Perkasa, meanwhile, urged the institution of the Malay rulers to take action on the matter to preserve the sanctity of Islam. Its president Datuk Ibrahim Ali said it was only ideal that the institution act on the issue. Umno Veterans Club secretary Datuk Mustapha Yaakub urged the Opposition political parties to stop abusing the word "Allah" to garner votes.
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| Suhakam, Bar Council to monitor rally Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:50 PM PST
Both bodies will send monitoring agents for the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally at Stadium Merdeka tomorrow. G Vinod, FMT Suhakam will send 20 officials to monitor the Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally tomorrow, said commissioner James Nayagam. He also said that a few commissioners would be present at the location to monitor the proceedings. "Our focus will be at the seven meetings points towards the stadium," he told FMT. The rally participants for tomorrow would march from several locations to Stadium Merdeka. Among them are Central Market, National Mosque and KLCC. Nayagam said that so far, he had seen some improvements from the police and organisers in their conduct to handle the crowd expected for the rally. "Looking at the response from both sides, I don't foresee anything untoward happening," he said. Meanwhile, Bar Council said that it would also send 20 monitoring agents for the rally. "We will also assign at least three lawyers to be on stand-by, in case anyone needs legal assistance in the event they are arrested by the police," said Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee. He urged the police to exercise restrain and only use force when absolutely necessary. "We also call upon the police to put on their identification tags. Don't use water cannon, tear gas or beat up rally participants. Learn from the Bersih rallies," he added.
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| Sarawak Report: What ‘sins’ did we commit? Posted: 10 Jan 2013 03:04 PM PST
'We made clear it [Najib suffering a mild stroke] was a rumour and speculated that the most likely cause was rumour mongering by rivals.' Pushparani Thilaganathan, FMT Online investigative portal Sarawak Report has denied that it committed "unforgiveable sins" by reporting a widespread rumour that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak had recently suffered a mild stroke. Its editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown also denied being "paid" to write the article. Rewcastle-Brown had on Jan 5 posted a report headlined "Najib Stroke?" which stated that "word is seeping out that the Prime Minister of Malaysia suffered a 'minor stroke' over the weekend. Given the scandals building around him, perhaps the pressure has started to tell?" The article alluded to the scandals linked to Najib, and Deepak Jaikishan's latest revelations. Following the article, another blog The Mole.my posted an article headlined "Sarawak Report commits unforgivable sin" and accused Rewcastle-Brown of using "subterfuge, calumny and sensationalism" in her report. It pointed out that using "disinformation to fool the public are unforgivable sins for which Sarawak Report needs to atone". Rewcastle-Brown yesterday issued a statement in response to a letter from one Cecilia Victor from The Mole.my. She said: "You accuse us of 'unforgivable' sin in having made public a widespread and persistent rumour in political circles that the PM has had a light stroke. "We made clear it was a rumour and speculated that the most likely cause was rumour-mongering by rivals. "Despite the denial, the rumours that Najib is receiving medical attention for TIAs are still persisting, so it is only right that there should be an official response to them, which Najib took the opportunity of our article to supply". (TIA stands for Transient Ischemic Attack. A TIA is sometimes called a mini-stroke and is the medical term for stroke-like symptoms that occur and resolve spontaneously within 24 hours. A TIA is treated very seriously and may be the harbinger of a stroke in the near future.) Najib has since denied that he suffered a stroke. In the letter, Victor had also asked Rewcastle-Brown if she was paid to write the article. To which Rewcastle-Brown said: "No, I am not paid for the work I do on Sarawak Report. "I do find it a very sad reflection on the mentality of so many of the Malaysian establishments that they seem to find it impossible to believe that someone might be doing something because of conscience rather than for money. "I have witnessed an appalling human rights and environmental tragedy take place on the island of Borneo, driven purely by the staggering greed and ruthless selfishness of a handful of people in government. "These people have neglected their duty towards their people, but I do not intend to neglect my moral duty in making these matters public. And I am happy to do that for free." To Victor's second question as to whether SR was prepared to be investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Rewcastle-Brown asked "on what basis" this would be. "The MACC, I believe, is tasked with investigating official corruption in Malaysia, so on what possible basis would it have any remit to investigate a London-based journalist? "And what would MACC exactly be planning to investigate – the fact that I reported on a rumour that has had KL gossiping?" she asked.
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| Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:59 PM PST
MyWatch chief R Sri Sanjeevan claims that the IGP has instructed the police not to participate in programmes organised by the NGO. G Vinod, FMT Crime watchdog MyWatch today alleged that the Royal Malaysian Police has been instructed not to engage with the NGO in any of its programmes. MyWatch chief R Sri Sanjeevan said it was evident when two state police chiefs refused to attend programmes on crime prevention arranged by his NGO. "I have asked state police chiefs to send their senior officers to the forums on crime prevention scheduled for February. I also told them that our patron, ex-IGP Musa Hassan, will be one of the panelist. "Initially they agreed to it but later on, they turned down my offer saying they did not know the status of my NGO," he added. Sanjeevan also said that he attempted to assure the officers that MyWatch was legally registered with the Registrar of Societies and they would not face any problems attending the forums. "When I pressed for answers, the officers told me that it an instruction give by [Inspector-General of Police] Ismail [Omar] himself," he added. Training his guns on the IGP, Sanjeevan said Ismail's attitude towards MyWatch reflected his "true character". "We are trying to assist the police in crime prevention but Ismail is acting like this. I don't blame the officers as they are just following orders," he said. Sanjeevan also threw brickbats at Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak for keeping mum over Musa's expose on the state of the police force. In recent months, Musa had criticised his successor of being a "weak" leader and alleged that criminal elements had infiltrated the force. He also accused Hishammuddin of meddling in police affairs, an accusation the latter had denied. On a related matter, Sanjeevan said that he would hold a press conference next week to reveal the real crime statistics for last year. "It will be done in stages. We want the public to know the real crime situation in Malaysia," he said.
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| STAR willing to ‘cooperate’ not ‘work under’ Pakatan Posted: 10 Jan 2013 02:52 PM PST
Former Upko deputy president Wilfred Bumburing, now APS chief, has been urged to be realistic in his strategy to contest all KDM seats. Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The State Reform Party (STAR) Sabah chapter has officially conveyed to Anwar Ibrahim that it is "agreeable" to Pakatan Rakyat components contesting in Sabah to topple Barisan Nasional federal and state governments. STAR information chief Edward Linggu said while STAR would "cooperate" with the Pakatan coalition, it was not willing to "work under them". "This [stand] has been conveyed by our chairman in writing recently to the top leadership in Pakatan including Anwar. "In our official letter, we have also conveyed that while we suggest that Pakatan focuses on seats in the Peninsula, we are agreeable to Pakatan components contesting in Sabah to achieve a 1:1 contest to bring down BN," he said. Linggu was responding to Angkatan Perubahan Sabah (APS) president Wilfred Bumburing's comment last week that "it is difficult to talk to Sabah STAR". Bumburing had also inferred that APS should be left to lead the charge in the KDM-majority seats. According to Linggu, Pakatan component parties have been in direct discussions with STAR on seats distribution in Sabah. "Obviously Bumburing is not aware of this [direct discussion]. How will he be able to look after Sabah's rights and interests when he is not officially inside Pakatan? "He will have no say and unable to sway even Sabah PKR as he is an outsider to Sabah Pakatan," said Linggu. Urging Bumburing to be "realistic", Linggu claimed neither APS nor Bumburing had the capacity to contest in all KDM seats in the coming general election. "He [Bumburing] must not be over-confident of its [APS] capability. People are saying he is just a small fish in a big pond but thinks he is a giant and demands to contest all the KDM seats. "Even if he had taken on the entire Upko, he is in no position to demand for all the KDM seats," he said, alluding to Bumburing's previous role in Upko as its deputy president. Bumburing, who is Tuaran MP, defected in July last year. He immediately set up APS and pledged support for Anwar and Pakatan but refused to become a member of any party within the coalition.
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| ‘Country’s fate in your hands’ Posted: 10 Jan 2013 10:53 AM PST
(The Star) - MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that with the general election coming, the people should know what was best for the nation and endorse leaders who had been able to steer the economy away from uncertainties. Although Malaysia's economic fundamentals are backed by strong reserves and the country is free of any debt crisis, the present Government needs the mandate to rule for the next five years to ensure continuous growth. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said that with the general election coming, the people should know what was best for the nation and endorse leaders who had been able to steer the economy away from uncertainties. He added that the Government was optimistic that 2013 would be another good year and experts, both local and foreign, had vouched for this. "Several sectors of the economy, such as construction, tourism and manufacturing, are expected to continue to do well despite the economic uncertainties in many parts of the world. "But despite the good indicators, the country's destiny is in your hands," he said at the Air Kuning Kim Lan Association annual dinner on Wednesday night. Dr Chua said the Government had introduced sound policies to ensure the nation registered a growth of 5% last year, at a time when many developed nations in Europe as well as the United States were experiencing problems. "This goes to show that the Government's well thought out economic transformation programmes have yielded results and we expect the coming years to be good as well," he said. Dr Chua said the Opposition was not capable of managing the nation as they neither had the experience nor the ability to do so, and the fact that they were constantly at loggerheads with one another was also detrimental to the people's wellbeing. "Until today, the Opposition has been unable to produce a convincing and comprehensive economic and social development plan for the nation. "Whatever they propose such as abolishing the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) and giving every household RM4,000 a month will bankrupt this country in a matter of months," he said. Citing another example, Dr Chua said some PAS leaders were against non-Muslims using the word "Allah" but there were others in the party who said Islam allowed this. "The Opposition has been raising petty issues to hide their own weaknesses. They have been unable to even agree on who would be their choice of Prime Minister. "Such uncertainties will be bad for business," he said, adding that investors would shy away from Malaysia as there would be no political stability. "The first to be affected would be the businessmen, especially the Chinese," he said. Dr Chua said some Malaysians might be impressed with the promises made by the Opposition but they should do their homework to see if these could be realised. "Has any of you given a thought where Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will get the money to fund the programmes he has promised to carry out if they are elected?" he said, adding that the Opposition's proposal to abolish PTPTN scheme alone would cost taxpayers RM43bil. Dr Chua later donated RM10,000 to the Air Kuning Kim Lan Association while Tampin MP Datuk Seri Shaziman Abu Mansor gave another RM5,000 to enable the body to carry out its programmes.
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| ‘Najib has the edge over Anwar’ Posted: 10 Jan 2013 10:50 AM PST
Academician Sivamurugan Pandian believes the Najib factor will prevail and pull BN over the finishing line in the next general election. "It's not an overstatement to say Najib has transformed himself from being seen as a Malay leader to a Malaysian leader," said Sivamurugan, a lecturer at the School of Social Sciences in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Athi Shankar, FMT For the first time in Malaysian political history, Barisan Nasional will face the most serious challenge to its 55-year-old political supremacy. But political analyst Sivamurugan Pandian believes the Najib factor would eventually prevail and pull BN over the finishing line in the next general election. He, however, was unsure if the Najib factor can help BN regain its two-thirds parliamentary majority. Since taking over from Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2009 as the prime minister, he said Najib Tun Razak had managed to come out from the Umno's racial political sphere to become a Malaysian leader for all. He pointed out that Najib had enhanced his reputation via his walkabouts to reach out to various communities and young voters on his own. He said Najib was now perceived to be addressing problems faced by various communities on his own, rather than depending on third party, or BN coalition partners. He said Najib's direct approach and personal touch had convinced the grassroots, including young Malaysians, that the prime minister has come of age. "He has managed to erase initial scepticism on his leadership capabilities. "It's not an overstatement to say Najib has transformed himself from being seen as a Malay leader to a Malaysian leader," said Sivamurugan, a lecturer at the School of Social Sciences in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Anwar's political strength
He also complimented Najib's political rival and Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for elevating himself to be a Malaysian, rather than a Malay, leader. He said one cannot deny that Anwar's political strength was instrumental in the emergence of Pakatan Rakyat as an alternate government-in-waiting in the national political landscape. "Anwar, apart from Hindraf, was a major factor behind the unprecedented results in the 2008 general election. "He is a major factor keeping Pakatan together," said the academician. Sivamurugan has no doubt that the Najib versus Anwar factor would be decisive in the forthcoming election. Although both have good oratory skills and strong support, he believes that the prime minister has an edge in the race, and this is not just because he was helming the BN federal government. "Comparatively, Najib had delivered better than Anwar," claimed the academician. He said Najib had enthusiastically driven through his transformation plans and managed to unite and enhance cooperation among BN component parties. He said Najib had managed to standardise the administrative operations of all BN-led state governments and delivered successive people-oriented budgets to allay public fear on bread and butter issues. "Malaysians wake up each morning without having to worry about their daily meals and shelter," said the lecturer. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/01/11/najib-has-the-edge-over-anwar/
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| In tea leaves, economist sees slender Pakatan win Posted: 10 Jan 2013 10:47 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will notch a slim victory over the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) in Election 2013, according to calculations by Bank Islam Malaysia's chief economist Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin. In a report by The Straits Times of Singapore, Azrul's computations found that BN was likely to win only between 97 and 107 of the 222 parliamentary seats — insufficient to reform the next administration. But the result would also mean that PR will only gain a shaky hold over Parliament and far from the supermajority once enjoyed by its rival. The outcome was considered the most probable during the banker's presentation at the Regional Outlook Forum in Singapore yesterday, and took into account factors such as race and demographics. Later, Azrul forecast that fallout would result from the PR win, with the stock market set to respond in "knee-jerk" fashion as well as an extended period of perceived instability. He also did not rule out the possibility of "economic sabotage" by businesses and the civil service that are aligned with BN. The ruling BN government has ramped up efforts to secure a victory against its most organised opposition in the general election that must be called by April 27. In Budget 2013, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced a smorgasbord of handouts and benefits in an effort to court electoral support ahead of polls. These include a second round of RM500 cash handouts to lower income families, dubbed "BR1M 2.0", as well as an expansion of the programme to include payments of RM250 to single youths earning below RM3,000 monthly. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/in-tea-leaves-economist-sees-slender-pakatan-win
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| Changing national flag akin to hating own country’ Posted: 10 Jan 2013 10:44 AM PST
(Bernama) - In the latest incident, banners urging the people to choose flags other than the Jalur Gemilang were seen in several areas in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, including at the Abdullah Hukum LRT station in Bangsar. Azman said it was possible that this was deliberately done by certain quarters to cause disunity among the people in order to serve their own political agenda.
The attempt to change the national flag with another indirectly symbolises the hatred towards one's own country, said National Unity and Integration Department director-general, Datuk Azman Amin Hassan. He also described the attempt as unhealthy and should be viewed seriously and stopped immediately.
"The Jalur Gemilang should be proudly flown and protected by Malaysians on national occasions," he told Bernama, here, yesterday. He was commenting on attempts by certain quarters to change the national flag which symbolised national unity, with other flags.
In the latest incident, banners urging the people to choose flags other than the Jalur Gemilang were seen in several areas in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, including at the Abdullah Hukum LRT station in Bangsar. Azman said it was possible that this was deliberately done by certain quarters to cause disunity among the people in order to serve their own political agenda.
At the last national day celebration, a group of "People's Flag" activists was seen promoting another flag and earlier in 2011, Kota Alam Shah assemblyman M. Manoharan of DAP in his Facebook said the opposition would change the national flag if it comes into power in the coming general election.
Meanwhile, Umno Youth exco member Datuk Sohaimi Shahadan said the action should be stopped immediately so that Malaysians were not influenced by the craftiness of certain parties to poison the minds of the younger generation. "There is no need for us to change our national flag. Only people who are blind to the country's history and don't love the nation would try to do this," he said. In another development, Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib when contacted by Bernama said DBKL had issued orders to remove all such banners. He also advised the organisers and participants of the public rally this Saturday to abide by the rules set for the well-being and safety of the people.
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