Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- PKR says will help Deepak expose deals
- Pakatan talks over ‘Allah’ issue
- NGOs not told to keep info on discussion with EC ‘confidential’
- Exco member’s aide arrested in anti-graft sting
- Raja Ropiaah, NFC issues hurting Wanita Umno and BN, analysts say
- MACC: Facebooking during office hours a form of graft
- All’s quiet at Tamil school with only two pupils
- Taiwanese gamblers bet on cancer patients
- Muslims urged to be brave and firm in defending Islam
- DAP covering up ‘schoolboy error’
- DAP: Election fiasco an embarrassment
- No permit yet for Pakatan rally
- EC slams NGOs for revealing info on discussions
- Tear gas decision at Bersih called for, says top cop
- Is DAP bowing to Malay interests?
- LTAT: No army funds used in Boustead deal
- Bar to look into Tan Sri lawyer’s possible misconduct
- Anwar fails to strike out charges against him in Bersih 3.0 case
- Robert Phang files RM100mil defamation suit against ex IGP Musa Hassan
- DAP admits counting error left Zairil out of CEC
- SNAP’s sec-gen quits over ‘BN leanings’
- ‘Toothbrush maker financing Puspahanas’
- Disillusioned activist Sindu quits STAR
- Local tabloid marks Bieber as a country
- Non-Muslims can use ‘Allah’, Mat Sabu insists
- Despite Raja Ropiaah’s land deal, Puspahanas not in sight
- Embassy confirms huge compensation paid to Malaysian govt
- Musa Hassan zips lips in latest scorcher on Altantuya murder
- Deepak denies link to documents
- Pakatan plays down Allah issue
- Group demands jewellery expose probe, Rafizi wants to meet Deepak
- Dr M: Beware the one who hoodwinks
- Pakatan to decide on ‘Allah’ issue next week
- Musa: IGP, top brass avoided me
- ‘Jewellery documents are from Deepak’
- ‘Is S’gor selling assets?’
- Singapore 6th, Malaysia 36th best nation to be born in 2013, survey shows
- Taboo on premarital sex can lead to tragedy in changing Oman
- Black Rose book launch cancelled, available online, says Deepak
- Deepak says poorer from LTAT land deal, Ropiaah made more
- ‘Don’t use my truths to spin untruths’
- Two lieutanant colonels allowed to amend their statement of claim
- Third force likely to be kingmakers
- ‘Deepak spent millions on gems for Rosmah’
- BN: Lim fishing for Christian votes
| PKR says will help Deepak expose deals Posted: 05 Jan 2013 07:35 PM PST
PKR's Rafizi Ramli said Deepak (left) handed several documents to a PKR leader, which eventually arrived in his hands. Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Despite doubts, PKR's Rafizi Ramli says he will back Deepak Jaikishan to expose the truth in controversial projects, in the public's interest. The well-connected carpet dealer is back in the spotlight over a lucrative land deal that involved Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah's firm, the armed forces pension fund for a military project—all of which had gone sour. "Most importantly, this is not about political mileage, this is public interest," Rafizi told The Malaysian Insider in a recent interview. "Our interest is just one. "We don't want the RM160 million from the army's pension fund used for this," the PKR strategy chief said, referring to the Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) land deal. The under-pressure Deepak had called for politicians to help him in his moment of need, which he described as akin to facing "a thunderstorm and 350 km/h typhoon". The controversial businessman had earlier criticised Rafizi for revealing bank transaction records between him and two jewellery suppliers amounting to US$4 million (RM12.15 million), accusing the PKR strategy director of using him for political mileage. Deepak has denied the documents were his. He also denied meeting Rafizi to hand over the papers as alleged. Rafizi maintains that it was Deepak who handed the documents in question to a PKR leader, which eventually arrived in his hands. He said PKR was initially reluctant to help when Deepak first approached them, fearing a backlash if the party were accused of conspiring to entrap its political foes. "He wanted us to champion his cause but we didn't want to," Rafizi said. According to Rafizi, PKR only decided to stand by Deepak after government investment fund LTAT was found to be implicated in Deepak's accusations. "It was tricky for us. If there were photos of (PKR leaders) sitting together with Deepak, then people would say that we were planning a conspiracy. "Now that he has told to the world that we have nothing to do with it, that's fine," Rafizi added. Rafizi said he has informed Deepak through a third party that PKR is willing to sit down with the businessman and hear what he has to say. He also said Deepak had met party advisor, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim once, when the businessman pleaded through a mutual friend for legal assistance. Deepak had told reporters he met Anwar the night before his court suit against Raja Ropiaah for allegedly cheating him in the Bukit Raja land sale. He was subsequently represented by PKR lawyers R Sivarasa and N Surendran in the case, before he decided to throw the case without consulting his counsel, said Rafizi. Deepak's lawsuit against Putrajaya for an alleged breach of agreement over land in Bukit Raja, Selangor was withdrawn on the same day LTAT-owned Boustead Holdings Bhd reported it bought an 80 per cent stake in Astacanggih for RM30 million. Raja Ropiaah has mainatained her silence about her company Awan Megah Sdn Bhd's failure to build the RM100 million National Defence Education Centre.
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| Pakatan talks over ‘Allah’ issue Posted: 05 Jan 2013 05:02 PM PST
(The Star) - The on-off Pakatan Rakyat meeting to discuss Lim Guan Eng's controversial "Allah" statement is on again, this time scheduled for Tuesday. PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin confirmed that the top leadership of the Opposition coalition would discuss the controversy sparked by the DAP secretary-general's recent reference to it. "The Pakatan leadership is schedule to meet at PKR's head office this Jan 8 to discuss and resolve the matter," he said after attending the Pakatan Youth secretariat meeting here yesterday. Shamsul refused to elaborate, only saying that the Pakatan youth leadership would take its cue from the outcome of the leadership's meeting next week. DAP publicity chief Tony Pua confirmed the issue would be brought up during the Pakatan monthly leadership meeting. Controversy over the "Allah" word cropped up when Lim, in his recent Christmas message, urged the Federal Government to allow Christians to use the word in their Malay version of the Bible. Lim's message caused an uproar among Muslims, while some Muslim NGOs held protests in front of his Penang office last month. PAS also hit out at Lim, stating firmly that the word "Allah" should not be used by Christians to refer to God; as it would only lead to confusion for both Muslims and Christians. On Dec 27, Anwar conceded that an urgent meeting to discuss the matter was needed to resolve the issue, although discussions were held by the Pakatan leadership when the controversy surfaced in 2010. On a separate issue, PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi described RTM's decision to scrap a proposed forum, to allow its president Datuk Seri Hadi Awang to explain his infidel' label against Umno and its supporters, as a political ploy just when the general election is about to be held. He chided Umno's claim that the National Fatwa Council had issued an edict against Hadi's 1981 message (amanat Haji Hadi), saying that only the Malacca Fatwa Council had done so.
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| NGOs not told to keep info on discussion with EC ‘confidential’ Posted: 05 Jan 2013 04:40 PM PST
(The Star) - Two of the 16 NGOs involved in a discussion with the Election Commission (EC) on their role as observers in the coming general election said they were never told the content was confidential. Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian (picture) and Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) president Datuk Paul Low said they did not remember being told not to disclose the information to others. However, they also said their organisations had not leaked any information shared during the discussion. "On my part, I respected the contents of the discussion by not making it public knowledge," said Ibrahim yesterday. The EC had said some NGOs revealed information on the discussions to a political party despite being told multiple times that the contents were confidential. EC deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar had said informing a political party on the issues raised during the discussion showed the NGOs lacked impartiality. Low said TI-M had remained silent. "Throughout our discussions with the commission, we had decided that until the time we received official accreditation as observers, we would be silent," he said.
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| Exco member’s aide arrested in anti-graft sting Posted: 05 Jan 2013 10:30 AM PST
(The Star) - The aide is an office bearer of the Permatang Pauh PKR division and is now a coordinator for Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the constituency. The aide of a Penang state exco member has been arrested in an anti-graft sting. The man, in his 50s, and two others were arrested for allegedly offering a bribe and abuse of power over a sexual harassment case. They were alleged to have given RM30,000 to a woman as an inducement for her to drop a sexual harassment complaint on a top civil servant. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission director of investigations Datuk Mustafar Ali confirmed the arrest but declined to elaborate. The woman, a clerk, had earlier complained that her former employer had sexually harassed her. The civil servant was produced in court to be charged several months ago. The civil servant then sought the help from his friend, the political secretary. The latter then contacted the woman. A source familiar with the investigations said that the woman lodged a report with the commission which mounted a sting operation late on the night of Jan 3 at a restaurant in Seberang Jaya. At the meeting with the woman, three of them allegedly dropped off the hush money to her. It was only after the money changed hands and the woman was forced to sign a document promising not to continue with the court case, that anti-graft officers moved in. "They were arrested on the spot at about 11.30pm," said the source. The source added that the three were held for about 24 hours after they were first arrested. They have since been released on bail. The aide is an office bearer of the Permatang Pauh PKR division and is now a coordinator for Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the constituency. He is also said to be a powerful figure in the Penanti state constituency. The three are likely to be charged in court once the commission wraps up its investigations.
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| Raja Ropiaah, NFC issues hurting Wanita Umno and BN, analysts say Posted: 05 Jan 2013 10:28 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Scandals engulfing top Wanita Umno leaders are undermining the backbone of the ruling party and will affect Barisan Nasional (BN)'s chances in Election 2013, say analysts. The latest scandal is a lucrative land deal for a defence studies facility that has yet to be built by Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah's firm, nearly a year after the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) scandal cost her boss Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil her senatorship and a Cabinet post. "Issues that are raised by the Opposition can undeniably affect Wanita Umno's image, and we know that Umno's strong support comes from the women's wing," Universiti Utara Malaysia's (UUM) lecturer Dr Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani told The Malaysian Insider. "So, it is up to Wanita Umno to change to menangkis tohmahan (dispel these accusations)," he said of the wing whose members have been effective in canvassing votes for BN. Azizuddin said as many outside the party are watching Wanita Umno, the movement must change to ensure that they are seen to be clean and free from scandals that could hurt BN's chances in this year's general election. "It's all up to them," Azizuddin repeated. Raja Ropiaah has kept mum about her company Awan Megah Sdn Bhd's failure to build the RM100 million National Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas) in Putrajaya despite selling the government land that was swapped for the construction cost. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/raja-ropiaah-nfc-issues-hurting-wanita-umno-and-bn-analysts-say/
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| MACC: Facebooking during office hours a form of graft Posted: 05 Jan 2013 10:22 AM PST
(The Star) - Civil servants and staff of government-linked companies (GLCs) surfing social media or engaging in personal matters during working hours may be categorised as having committed corruption, said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "For instance, if a person spends three hours during his or her stipulated working hours for personal tasks, it can be deemed a form of corruption as the Government trusts and pays its employees to fully utilise the working period to complete tasks relating to the respective jobscope," said MACC deputy chief commissioner Datuk Sutinah Sutan. This also applied to those who surfed Facebook or other forms of social media, as such actions could be considered as straying from their job specifications, she said after witnessing the signing of the corporate integrity pledge by Kumpulan Melaka Berhad (KMB) at a hotel here yesterday. KMB is the first state government agency to sign the pledge aimed at creating a business environment free from corruption and upholding anti-graft principles. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam was the guest of honour at the event. Sutinah said the act of engaging in other personal tasks during work hours could be considered as contravening the employment contract and culprits could face disciplinary action if initiated by respective disciplinary boards. She noted that although such offences were not covered under the MACC Act, the commission could advise the disciplinary board on the types of actions to be meted out against errant staff of such government departments and GLCs. Meanwhile, Sutinah confirmed that the commission had started screening general election candidates following the request from both Barisan Nasional and the Opposition. Meanwhile, Cuepacs president Datuk Omar Osman urged civil servants to give priority to their duties during working hours. "While social media is a good way to encourage people to be more tech-savvy and updated on current affairs, civil servants should dedicate their work hours to their respective ministry, department or agency," he said. He also proposed a proper mechanism to define what websites, if surfed by a civil servant during working hours, could be considered straying from their job specifications. "There should be clear guidelines, not only for the workers to understand what actions can be penalised, but also for the disciplinary committee to determine what is within the job scope and what is not," he said.
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| All’s quiet at Tamil school with only two pupils Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:45 PM PST
Three's company: (From left) S. Kishare Kumar teaching his students Sharvin and Shavatha at SJK (T) Sungai Papan in Pengerang. (The Star) - PENGERANG: The start of a new year is usually the busiest and noisiest for any school but in SJK (T) Ladang Sungai Papan, there is only silence in its hall. Its Parent-Teacher Association chairman L. Krishnasamy is now pinning his hopes on the Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID) project to boost the school's fortune. The school, located in the middle of an oil palm plantation, currently has only two pupils in Year Six, outnumbered by the school staff comprising a principal, two teachers, two security guards and two gardeners. Its Parent-Teacher Association chairman L. Krishnasamy, who runs a sundry shop in the estate, said student numbers had been dwindling since the other estate workers started migrating to the bigger towns of Ulu Tiram and Pasir Gudang. "For the past few years, there has been no new student enrolled for Year One," he said, adding that the school was equipped with classrooms, an office and even a resource centre. Fretting about the school's future by year-end when it would no longer have any pupil, Krishnasamy, who has been the PTA chairman for the past decade, said there used to be over a hundred Indian families living there in the 1960s and 1970s. "Now, only a dozen people are left and most of the rubber has been replaced with oil palm. Most of the workers here are also Indonesians," he said, adding that the nearest Tamil school was 45km away in Kota Tinggi. However, Krishnasamy is upbeat that the opening of the RAPID project here over the next few year will see pupils trickling in. "There will surely be many people who will move here. We can be an option for those who intend to send their children to Tamil schools," he said. As for pupils Sharvin Raj and N. Shavatha, they do not mind being the only ones studying in the school. "We enjoy each other's company," said Sharvin, whose father, R. Ravichandran, is the school principal for the past two years.
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| Taiwanese gamblers bet on cancer patients Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:36 PM PST
(The Star) - PUNTERS in Taiwan are wagering on a macabre game to predict the date when terminally ill cancer patients die, reported China Press. The punters, with bets running up to NT$100mil (RM10mil), included the patients' family members and even the doctors. Those who wished to participate in the game had to pay a membership fee of NT$2,000 (RM200) to the bookies, who would visit hospitals to seek permission from the patients' family. The bookies would then take the gamblers to the hospital on their next visit to observe the patients. According to the rules, the bookies win if the cancer patients die within a month. However, if they die between one and six months after the bets were placed, the gamblers would be paid three times their wager. It was reported that more than 10 gaming houses, set up by senior citizens' clubs, had mushroomed in Taizhong city.
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| Muslims urged to be brave and firm in defending Islam Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:30 PM PST
(Bernama) - Muslims in the country must be brave, firm and strong in facing challenges from parties which endeavour to interfere with the position of Islam as the official religion. Dewan Negara president Tan Sri Abu Zahar Ujang (picture) said the threats and attempts to weaken Islam in Malaysia had never subsided including the attempt of late to deny Islam as the religion of the federation by those with vested interest. "Recently, there are those in Malaysian society who refute Islam's position as enshrined in Article 3 of the Federal Constitution. "They only regard Islam as an official religion, and its position that is lower than the constitution. This thinking has spread, and, if not corrected, will become a big problem for our country," he said in his speech when opening a seminar "Upholding Islam, The National Religion" (Semaian) at Pusat Islam here today. He said Muslims in the country must realise that the threat towards Islam came in many forms, including the latest, the demand to use the term Allah, which was raised again in the Malay version of the Bible, was a clear effort to weaken Islam in the country. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng in his Christmas message on his blog recently urged the Federal Government headed by Barisan Nasional to allow the use of the term Allah in the Malay version of the Bible.
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| DAP covering up ‘schoolboy error’ Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:13 PM PST
The party says the recount of the party elections was a schoolboy error and was a technical glitch. Athi Shankar, FMT It looks like the DAP is practicing double standard. They screwed up in the counting of the Dec 15 party elections. But they just brushed it aside as a technical glitch. If this had happened to a Barisan Nasional party , DAP would have been screaming 'election fraud and money politics' As far as DAP is concerned this 'technical glitch' does not affect the party's credibility or integrity. Nor does it undermine secretary general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's CAT slogan – competency, accountability and transparency. Due to this technical "schoolboy" error, candidate Zairil Khir Johari who initially received 305 votes, had suddenly garnered 803 votes. Now the latest vote count puts Zairil in 20th elected position of CEC. Vincent Wu Him Ven, who was initially elected to CEC with 1,202 votes, has now only 669 votes and is in 26th position. But he has been re-appointed into the CEC as a co-opted member. Zairil, fast emerging parachute Malay politician in the DAP, is Lim's political secretary and state-sponsored research body, Penang Institute, chief executive officer. In its Thursday report, portal RoketKini.com played down the issue claiming that the "schoolboy" error would not affect many of 20 elected positions of CEC. Some grassroots members are not happy with the recount and say the party had allegedly violated the law by amending the election results to accommodate Zairil. They are now plan to submit a resolution to the CEC to declare the party polls as null and void, and hold fresh election for office bearers. Members also want to know why it took so long to admit that the counting was flawed as the secretary general knew about the mistake the very next day.
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| DAP: Election fiasco an embarrassment Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:03 PM PST
Party chairman Karpal Singh dismissed talk that the technical glitch was a way to bring in a elected Malay CEC member. Athi Shankar, FMT National chairman Karpal Singh was frank that the technical glitch that caused miscalculations of party election results at the 16th DAP National Congress in Penang on Dec 15 was a "bona fide error." He said such electoral technical glitch was unprecedented in DAP's history and expressed hopes it would not recur in future. He however, dismissed criticisms that the fiasco had undermined the party credibility and that DAP was no longer qualified to criticise the Election Commission. "It was unwarranted criticisms … party credibility is intact.It was a bona fide error, an honest mistake. "But of course I admit it was a political embarrassment to us.We accept it," Karpal told reporters at his office. Despite mounting criticisms against the party over the fiasco, Karpal said the public would eventually understand that the DAP had "made right the wrong" and was open about it. "The CEC unanimously supported the decision to reveal the issue publicly.No CEC members objected and no one wanted to keep it away from the public eye," said the Bukit Gelugor MP. Due to the technical "schoolboy" error, candidate Zairil Khir Johari who initially received 305 votes in the contest for 20 elected positions in the central executive committee (CEC) has now garnered 803 votes. The latest count put him in the automatic 20th elected position of CEC, the DAP's supreme decision-making body. Vincent Wu Him Ven, who was initially elected to CEC at joint 5th position with 1,202 votes, has now only 669 votes and is in 26th position. But he has been re-appointed into the CEC as a co-opted member. Zairil is party secretary general and Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary. He is also the state-sponsored research body, Penang Institute, chief executive officer. Karpal dismissed cynical views that the the "technical glitch" was a leadership manipulation to bring in Zairil as an elected Malay CEC member. "There was no sinister motive attributed to the error.It's not a way to bring in an elected Malay member into the CEC … not the reason," clarified Karpal.
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| No permit yet for Pakatan rally Posted: 04 Jan 2013 04:00 PM PST
Pakatan Youth wants to hold the rally at Stadium Merdeka but so far the stadium management have not responded Leven Woon, FMT The management of Stadium Merdeka has yet to give permission for Pakatan Rakyat's Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat rally. The rally is scheduled to be held at the stadium on Jan 12. PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawai said they have filed an application with the stadium authority but have not received an answer so far. "Hence, the Pakatan Secretariat would submit a memorandum to the stadium authority on Monday to press for the permit," he said at a press conference after the Pakatan Youth meeting today. He said the government had before this criticised them for staging street demonstrations and asked them to move to stadium. "Now we are requesting for stadium, and if they failed to give us the permit, they lied," he said. Nasrudin also said the Pakatan Youth has yet to draft a back up plan because they want the rally to be held at the stadium. The rally was to show the peoples dissatisfaction over clean and fair elections, anti-rare earths and listing of Felda Global Ventures Berhad. Spearheaded by PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, the rally is scheduled to begin at 2pm on Saturday. Nasrudin said the Pakatan Youth hopes to attract 100,000 youths to the rally and would conduct a nationwide pre-rally road shows beginning next Tuesday. The entourage would travel to Kluang, Johor on Tuesday, followed by Larut, Perak (Jan 9), Gombak, Selangor (Jan 10) and Petaling Jaya, Selangor (Jan 11). Meanwhile, the Pakatan Youth would also stage a mass gathering of youths on Feb 2. Nasrudin said the opposition pact would touch on economics, politics, social and cultural and education. |
| EC slams NGOs for revealing info on discussions Posted: 04 Jan 2013 11:28 AM PST
(The Star) - The Election Commission (EC) has blasted certain non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for providing a political party with information on their discussions. Its deputy chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar described this as unethical and a clear breach of the confidentality that both the EC and the NGOs, which would be monitoring the general election, had agreed on. "We have met three times and the representatives agreed with the stipulated conditions. If they did not agree with the conditions, why not raise the matter during the meetings? "Why must they go behind us and run to a political party to voice their dissatisfaction?" he told The Star yesterday. Informing a political party on issues raised during these meetings, said Wan Ahmad, showed that the NGOs were not impartial – a vital "must have" criterion if they wanted to be objective in monitoring the elections. "The NGOs can be perceived as a political informer. This is clearly a breach of confidentiality that each of the NGOs involved is aware of. The EC had impressed on them many times that the discussions were confidential. "They are being unethical. We also want to find out who among them is the one with a 'big mouth'," said an upset Wan Ahmad. The EC, he clarified, had identified 16 NGOs to be given observer status during the elections but they were yet to be accredited. "The plan was for the commission to have a ceremony to hand over the accreditations and allow the NGOs to tell the press their work plan," he said. PKR secretary-general Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had earlier been quoted in an online portal as saying that the EC's conditions for bodies monitoring the elections did not reflect transparency and fairness as they included barring observers from the counting of ballots. Dismissing this claim, Wan Ahmad insisted that observers would be allowed in the counting area but that their number would have to be capped due to space constraints. He added that this was in line with international standard operating procedure. "Ballot counting is an important election process. How can we not allow them to observe this? But we cannot allow too many of them because of space. "Agents of candidates will also be present to closely monitor this," said Wan Ahmad. "I do not know whether the NGOs involved do not understand us or that the political party has twisted the issue." |
| Tear gas decision at Bersih called for, says top cop Posted: 04 Jan 2013 11:27 AM PST
(The Star) - City police chief DCP Datuk Mohmad Salleh said the decision to release tear gas during the Bersih rally last year was the right course of action but admitted his officers could have exercised more care. "Although I did not give the instructions to fire tear gas on the day, I stand by the decision. It was the right thing to do, given that the situation was turning ugly. "However, looking at the injuries some participants allegedly sustained from the canisters, I think the officers could have been more careful when firing," he said yesterday during Suhakam's inquiry into the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28. Mohmad was the last of 49 witnesses who testified in front of the panel comprising Suhakam vice-chairman Datuk Dr Khaw Lake Tee and commissioner Detta Samen. He also explained that while he was in charge, he had been based at the operations centre in the KL police contingent headquarters. "My team monitored the situation via real-time video feed, and had kept in touch with officers on the ground through walkie-talkies. "I did not interfere with the instructions they were receiving until the commotion, after which I issued an order via walkie-talkie to all officers to retreat immediately," he said. Mohmad added that most of the instructions on the day had come from then Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Zulkarnain Abdul Rahman, including the order to fire the tear gas. On a related matter, Mohmad told the panel that some changes had been made in police training after Bersih. "In accordance with the spirit of the Peaceful Assembly Act, we are training police officers to understand the difference between a riot and an assembly and how to act based on the situation." The panel will hear submissions from the inquiry's observers on Jan 10, before listing its recommendations.
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| Is DAP bowing to Malay interests? Posted: 03 Jan 2013 07:14 PM PST
The DAP has rectified its party election results and a Malay candidate has been elected to the powerful central executive committee. Leven Woon, FMT The DAP has rectified its party election results of Dec 15 and suspicion is rife that the party is pandering to Malay interests. In the election, not one of the eight Malay candidates were voted into the central executive committee (CEC). But last night the party announced it rectified the results and Zairil Khir Johari, a protégé of secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, secured the number 20 spot. This puts Zairil in the powerful 20-seat CEC and being the sole Malay candidate who was elected to the top post. In the recount, Zairil secured a place in CEC by garnering 803 votes. On the other hand, DAP grassroots member Vincent Wu, who initially shared the fifth spot with Anthony Loke at 1,202 votes, actually garnered 669 votes and is in 26th position. Deputy president Tan Kok Wai secured the sixth spot following the changes. Several quarters are asking why the delay in the recount as the party had known the error a day after the party polls on Dec 15. The party election returning officer, Pooi Weng Keong, said the error was caused by technical glitches when transferring the tabulated results using Microsoft Excels. He said he had reported the mistake to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng a day after the party polls, but the latter instructed that the correct results be made public after an internal audit and verified by external auditors. However, former Selangor DAP leader Tan Tuan Tat believed that the timing of such an announcement might be the party's ploy to divert public attention from an alleged land scandal involving Perak DAP leader Ngeh Koo Ham. The allegations first surfaced during Perak State Legislative Assembly sitting on Dec 21 in which Ngeh was accused of receiving more than 4,000 acres of a land from PAS-led Kelantan government as an inducement to appoint PAS assemblyman Nizar Jamaluddin as menteri besar after the 2008 general election. "Don't forget after the central executive committee election, only the issue of Ngeh Koo Ham cropped up. "The issue has been punishing, so I wouldn't be surprised if this was done to divert attention," he said. He also said the party should have conducted fresh elections in the wake of such major error. "It's definitely a big no-no for them to make such a mistake for a major event like party elections. It proves that their management skill is not up to par yet," he said. The party's poll results was criticised by various quarters as its members failed to elect any of the eight Malay candidates to the CEC, despite the party's claims that it is a multiracial party. Meanwhile, Klang DAP secretary Lee Fu Haw asked why the party did not immediately inform about the error to the delegates who were still at the party convention. "You could have announced it first and gone for the auditing later. The delay is puzzling to many of us ," he said. He, however, said he didn't think the rectifications were cooked up.
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| LTAT: No army funds used in Boustead deal Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:37 PM PST
Chua Sue-Ann, fz.com Army savings fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) has defended the recent acquisitions by its subsidiary Boustead Holdings Bhd as a commercially sound decision that does not utilise any army funds. In a statement today, Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) chairman Admiral (Retired) Tan Sri Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor maintained that Boustead's corporate exercise was based on commercial reasons and not other considerations. LTAT's statement was issued to assuage public criticism over moves by Boustead's wholly-owned subsidiary Bakti Wira Development Sdn Bhd to buy an 80% stake in Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million. After the share purchase, Bakti Wira and Astacanggih will then purchase 200 acres of land in Bukit Raja, Klang for RM130 million from Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, a company owned by Selangor Wanita Umno chief Raja Datuk Ropiaah Raja Abdullah. Mohd Anwar also stressed that LTAT was not involved in the purchase of the 80% stake in Astacanggih, a company controlled by controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan, even though LTAT holds a 60.7% stake in Boustead. Mohd Anwar also sought to clarify that LTAT's funds were not used in these two contentious transactions, as alleged by the opposition and some veteran servicemen. According to Mohd Anwar, Boustead would fund its share purchase of Astacanggih by using profits generated from previous property development projects. Astacanggih meanwhile will take on borrowings to fund the acquisition and development of the Bukit Raja land since Astacanggih currently has no borrowings, Mohd Anwar said. Retired Royal Malaysian Air Force general Datuk Abdul Hadi Abdul Khatab had earlier called on the army generals sitting on LTAT's board to speak out against the contentious deals. Abdul Hadi, who heads PKR's security committee, had also alleged that the RM160 million deal was merely for "private gain" and does not benefit current and former servicemen contributing to the fund. Mohd Anwar said that LTAT will closely monitor all its investments, including its stake in Boustead, to ensure that it brings the best returns for LTAT's contributors who are members of the Malaysian armed forces. "LTAT has full faith that the land development project by Boustead will be as successful as Boustead's other projects while being able to provide affordable housing for servicemen," Mohd Anwar said. Mohd Anwar also said the transactions will help expand Boustead's landbank and bring profits for Boustead in the long term. Boustead has pointed out that the deal will enable it to expand its existing landbank in Klang since Awan Megah's 200-acre parcel was adjacent to Boustead and LTAT's 700 acres in that area.
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| Bar to look into Tan Sri lawyer’s possible misconduct Posted: 03 Jan 2013 04:28 PM PST
We will act regardless of the personalities involved, says its president Lim Chee Wee. Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT The Bar Council today assured that it would make all necessary enquiries to ascertain the identity of the lawyers involved in the drafting of private investigator P Balasubramaniam's second statutory declaration (SD). Its chairman, Lim Chee Wee, today said that the Malaysian Bar will act in accordance with due process regardless of the personalities or circumstances. He said this in a statement in light of recent allegations by carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan that a 'Tan Sri' lawyer and his son had been involved in the preparation of the second SD. The second SD has since reversed an earlier one Balasubramaniam had signed, which implicated Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the 2006 murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. "If there is cogent evidence to suggest professional misconduct, we will not hesitate to lodge a complaint with the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board [ASDB] and prosecute the complaint," Lim said. He said it will then be the responsibility of the ASDB to adjudicate the matter and to mete out appropriate disciplinary punishment. He urged anyone with compelling evidence of professional misconduct in this matter to submit a complaint with the ASDB. "We are prepared to render assistance to any would-be complainant, in having his or her complaint properly directed to the ASDB," Lim said. "We urge those who have knowledge in this matter to be less hesitant, and more forthright," he added. He stressed the seriousness of the matter, saying it could not "be resolved on an indulgence of surmise, conjecture or deductions [simple or otherwise)". "To do so would be to sacrifice due process [including natural justice] at the altar of expediency or convenience," he said. "This would ultimately compromise the proper determination of the matter." In a previous report, the Tan Sri lawyer was revealed to be Cecil Abraham, who sits on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) panel. In exposing the lawyer's identity, former member of MACC advisory panel, Robert Phang, urged Abraham to come forward and verify the claims. However, Balasubramaniam's lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, stressed that Abraham was a "barrister of the highest integrity" and maintained that it was "unthinkable" for Abraham to have been involved in the preparation of the second SD. He also claimed that Balasubramaniam was forced to sign the second SD because of threats to the safety of his wife and children.
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| Anwar fails to strike out charges against him in Bersih 3.0 case Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:56 PM PST
(The Star) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Friday failed in his bid to strike out charges against him for allegedly violating a court order by taking part in the Bersih 3.0 rally. Sessions Court judge Mahmud Abdullah allowed a preliminary objection by the prosecution against the striking out application by Anwar. In his ruling Friday, he held that the Sessions Court had no jurisdiction to revise or review or make any declaration that the prohibitory order issued by Magistrate Zaki Ashraf Zubir prohibiting any assembly at Dataran Merdeka was invalid. "The Subordinate Courts Act does not give revisionary and declaratory jurisdiction to the Sessions Court. The Sessions Court is bound by the Act," he said. Anwar's lawyer Ramkarpal Singh said that he would appeal against the court ruling and file his notice of appeal at the High Court by Monday. Ramkarpal said that Anwar's application challenging the constitutionality of the charge under Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 was set to continue to be heard at the High Court on Jan 11. The court then set Feb 28 for mention.
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| Robert Phang files RM100mil defamation suit against ex IGP Musa Hassan Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:52 PM PST
(The Star) - Tan Sri Robert Phang has filed a RM100mil-defamation suit against former IGP Tan Sri Musa Hassan. The suit was filed at the Shah Alam High Court registry on Friday through the firm Messrs S.N. Nair & Partners. Phang claimed Musa uttered defamatory words at a press conference held by MyWatch which implied he was a dishonest, untrustworthy, unethical and a corrupt person. He claimed Musa's words were pre-meditated to tarnish his image. Phang is claiming compensatory and aggravated, exemplary damages, and other costs and relief deemed fit by the court.
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| DAP admits counting error left Zairil out of CEC Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:43 PM PST
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Malaysian Insider The DAP was forced to admit last night it botched up the vote count at its polls last month that saw Zairil Khir Johari shut out of the opposition party's highest leadership council despite a push to appear more racially-inclusive. Newcomer Zairil — one of the handful of Malay representatives out of a total 68 candidates vying for 20 seats in the DAP's central executive committee (CEC) — made the cut as an elected member after an audit of the December 15 polls showed it had wrongly chalked up the tabulation process. "The error was discovered after the congress and I then notified the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng. "Lim immediately instructed that the correct results must be made public subject to an internal audit," Pooi Weng Keong, the returning officer for the 16th DAP National Congress, told a news conference last night after its CEC meeting. The party also conducted audits of the recount, carried out within the DAP by its election strategist Ong Kian Ming and externally by TCMK Associated Chartered Accountants. National publicity chief Tony Pua told reporters the party immediately held a recount, which showed Zairil had won enough votes to be elected to the CEC. He maintained the second tallying process made a slight difference to the overall outcome of the elections. The Chinese-dominated DAP had been attacked by former vice-chairman Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim who alleged that Malays had no place in the party. Zairil, the son of former education minister, the late Tan Sri Khir Johari, won the last seat in the CEC contest with 803 votes. The 28-year-old was appointed to the CEC, as assistant national publicity secretary, after failing to be elected the first time around — a move described by the party's critics and political foes as a damage-control exercise. The political secretary to Lim, who is also Penang chief minister, said last night the recount validated his belief in the DAP as a party that stood for transparency and trust in the younger generation. He added that only political foes had looked at the party's polls from a racial perspective. "It was made a big deal by others," Zairil said last night. The CEC now has two Malay representatives, the other being Senator Dr Ariffin SM Omar who was appointed as party vice chairman.
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| SNAP’s sec-gen quits over ‘BN leanings’ Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:33 PM PST
The latest resignation could trigger a major exodus from Sarawak National Party, pushing the party further into political doldrums. Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: Speculations that Sarawak Nasional Party (SNAP) will return to Barisan Nasional were confirmed with the resignation of its secretary-general Frankie Nyumboi. Nyumboi cited "major differences" with SNAP president Stanley Jugol as the reason for his resignation adding that he did not want to be with a party that 'betrayed' its members. In a text message to FMT, Nyumboi said: "I have relinquished my post as secretary-general and have informed the president on Nov 30, 2012 via SMS at about 5.00 pm. "I do not agree with his direction to rejoin BN and the manner he had made the decision does not take into account the feelings and desire of members at large. "I do not want to be a party to a decision which betrays the general members' aspirations," he said, who is also the party's elected vice-president. Nyumboi, who was appointed in January last year as secretary-general, said SNAP was putting itself in a very insignificant position by adopting to be BN-friendly or 'leaning towards' BN. "Grassroots members have lost their trust and hope in the party and lately its image diminished significantly with its loud silence on political issues and the goings-on in the political scene. Perhaps this is just to appease (BN masters)," he said. With regard to his intention to contest the Mas Gading seat, Nyumboi said that it is still on unless the party refuses to endorse him. Under such circumstance, he foresees a "new scenario" emerging. He however declined to explain what the "new scenario" would be. The SNAP national council is scheduled to meet on Jan 16 to decide Nyumboi's resignation among others but the later knows his appointment as secretary-general will not be renewed. SNAP in BN? Nyumboi's resignation is expected to trigger mass resignations by those who disagree with the top leadership's decision to return to the BN fold and their resignations may send SNAP further into the abyss of political doldrums. SNAP was deregistered in November 2002 after an unresolved party leadership crisis which also resulted in the formation of Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP). Even though the party's deregistration was reversed by the Court of Appeal in June 2010, SNAP's membership in BN remains a mystery. It had never been sacked from BN nor quit the BN. READ MORE HERE: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/01/04/snaps-sec-gen-quits-over-bn-leanings/
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| ‘Toothbrush maker financing Puspahanas’ Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:16 PM PST
Awan Megah, the company owned by Wanita Umno Selangor chief has not spent a single sen on the 2005 project and instead gained millions, said PKR. Anisah Shukry, FMT The multi-million defence project awarded to Awan Megah Sdn Bhd is fully financed by a company specialising in the manufacturing of toothbrushes, said PKR leader Rafizi Ramli today. He said this meant that Raja Ropiaah, who owns Awan Megah, had not spent a single sen on the National Defence Education Centre (Puspahanas) project, despite having been given RM130 million and 223.33 acres of prime land in return for developing the centre. Instead, he said, the Selangor Umno Wanita chief received multiple commissions for the project from three different companies – Deepak Jaikishan's Astacanggih Sdn Bhd, Boustead Holdings Bhd (BHB) and toothbrush manufacturer GuppyUnip Sdn Bhd. "It is clear that Awan Megah is just an 'Ali Baba' company – it has no activities, no capital and just works as a middleman to gain commission, much like the Perimekar company involved in the Scorpene scandal," Rafizi told reporters at a press conference here. As proof, the PKR director of strategy provided reporters with the latest summary of Awan Megah's financial information from the Companies Comission Malaysia (CCM). The documents revealed that Awan Megah had not conducted any financial activity since 1993, and was considered a dormant company. This was despite the fact that the then defence minister Najib Tun Razak had awarded the Puspahanas project to Raja Ropiaah in 2005. Instead, copies of a private and confidental letter from the United Overseas Bank (UOB) to GuppyUnip showed it had approved a loan of RM79,250,000 for GuppyUnip in 2010. The copy, which Rafizi distributed to reporters, said the purpose of the loans was for "issuance of financial guarantee favouring Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd", "to pay Awan Megah Sdn Bhd" as well as to partly finance the "cost of earthwork and infrastructure costs on the subject property", among others.
"Worse still, the 223 acres of land is supposed to be for Awan Megah but the letter from UOB shows that GuppyUnip is covering the costs of the premium payment to the Selangor state government," he added. He said the bank document also revealed why the Puspahanas project was delayed for so long – it took five years for Awan Megah to find a partner which could provide it with the financial backing it needed. Meanwhile, even the unfinished Puspahanas' location remained a mystery to the public and Rafizi said he would attempt to visit the presumed construction site over the weekend. "I heard that in the past five years, they have not managed to go beyond breaking the ground," he said. 'She won't be able to escape' "Last Wednesday, I made a statement for Raja Ropiaah to come forward. What would be done with the millions, since it won't be used to fund Puspahanas? "To enrich her family? To enrich Wanita Umno? The culture of taking the rakyat's money for their own personal use is prevalent in Wanita Umno," she said. Zuraida said that should Raja Ropiaah choose to keep quiet over the missing funds, it would be to the latter's detriment as PKR Wanita would go all out to expose the scandals she was hiding. "We expect her to keep quiet, the way [Wanita Umno chief] Shahrizat Abdul Jalil did [over the National Feedlot Scandal]. But she won't be able to escape," she stressed.
Rafizi also explained that the reason Awan Megah needed to pull in partners such as carpet dealer Deepak and GuppyUnip to finance the project was because it was a "shell company." "Awan Megah is only a shell company, it has no expertise in construction. In fact, it has not run any activity at all, as you can see in the CCM documents. "That is why when it was awarded Puspahanas, it had to rope in another company as a partner to actually manage the construction. And this is how Deepak came in," he explained.
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| Disillusioned activist Sindu quits STAR Posted: 03 Jan 2013 03:09 PM PST
Exodus from STAR is expected with the exit of long-time Sabah human rights and consumer activist. Luke Rintod, FMT PAPAR: A well-known human rights and consumer activist, Patrick Sindu, has dropped a bombshell on surging State Reform Party (STAR). He is resigning from STAR to join another opposition party, PKR. Sindu, who was STAR chief for Papar, said he had lost confidence in the party led by maverick Sabah opposition leader, Jeffrey Kitingan. Sindu claimed there will be a mass resignation from STAR following his exit. In a text message to his friends today, the former long-standing president of the now defunct Consumer Association of Sabah (Cash) said he will be joining PKR tomorrow. "I am joining PKR at 2pm tomorrow at a PKR function at Kampung Sungkadon, Papar, to be witnessed by PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail," he said. When FMT called, Sindu said details of his reasons for leaving STAR would be disclosed in his exit speech at the Papar function. "Please come tomorrow, you will hear it [the reason] in my speech…" he added. It is rumoured that Sindu has been unhappy with the way STAR has treated him. He has been particularly annoyed that Jeffrey had excluded him from the party's long list of leaders to sign a transparency pledge with Transparency International (TI) in Kota Kinabalu a few months ago. Jeffrey had apparently chosen mostly "green horns".
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| Local tabloid marks Bieber as a country Posted: 03 Jan 2013 12:16 PM PST
(MSN News) - A tabloid pullout called Mega from the local Malay newspaper Utusan even quoted Justin Bieber as the ninth biggest country in the world.
Reader Firdaus Hassan captured a snapshot of a column that ran in a tabloid pullout named Mega from local Malay newspaper Utusan, which carried a short write-up entitled 'Interesting facts about Justin Bieber'. The write-up was published today. The snapshot went viral on Facebook today as the column showcased eight 'facts' about Bieber, as a country. The first 'fact' read as Bieber was 'freed from the ruling of Communist Party of the Soviet Union on 16 December 1991', whilst the second 'fact' listed Bieber as 'the ninth biggest country in the world with a population of 16.6 million (as of the year 2011)'. Another 'fact' read as there were 130 ethnic groups in Bieber country, including Kazakh, Russia, German and Ukraine. Many users find the error as amusing, calling it an 'epic typo' and that the editor must have been a 'Belieber'. |
| Non-Muslims can use ‘Allah’, Mat Sabu insists Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:53 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - PAS maintains that non-Muslims are allowed to use the word "Allah" to describe their gods, says PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, in a bid to allay fears among the religious minority that the Islamist party may be reversing its president's stand ahead of polls. He insisted that the latest polemic over the use of "Allah" by non-Muslims was limited to peninsular Malaysia and was never an issue among Muslims and Christians in Sabah, Sarawak and the Middle East. "The PAS' president had issued the statement in 2010 to not forbid any religious adherent apart from Muslims to use the word 'Allah'. "PAS maintains that stand," the 58-year-old told The Malaysian Insider, weighing in on the religious row after the party information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man issued a statement last month seemingly contradicting his president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang's previous remarks on the hot-button topic in mainly Muslim Malaysia. The leader popularly known as Mat Sabu (picture) noted that Abdul Hadi had already spoken out on the matter three years ago, when the debate first raged. Abdul Hadi, a respected Islamic scholar, had in a statement dated January 7, 2010 said: "In conclusion, we cannot forbid them from using the word 'Allah' among themselves, in their worship and practice, even though the meaning deviates from the original according to our language." Many Muslim Malaysians, who form 60 per cent of the 28 million population, argue that the Arabic word is a proper noun that refers exclusively to their god despite a December 31, 2009 High Court judgment saying otherwise, and ruled to allow the Catholic Church to publish the word to describe the Christian god in the Malay section of its weekly newspaper, Herald, which caters to its Bahasa Malaysia-reading congregation who mostly hail from Borneo. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/non-muslims-can-use-allah-mat-sabu-insists/
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| Despite Raja Ropiaah’s land deal, Puspahanas not in sight Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST
The carpark near the Health and Higher Education ministries in Precinct 1 of Putrajaya, which is the only known point on a map for the Puspahanas project. (The Malaysian Insider) - Senator Datuk Seri Raja Ropiaah Abdullah might have settled her legal suit and sold hotly-contested land to Boustead Holdings Bhd (BHB) but questions remain whether the Selangor Wanita Umno chief's firm has delivered a RM100 million defence education building to the government. The National Defence Education Centre or Puspahanas project ground breaking was done on November 21, 2008 but the exact location of the building is a mystery, with the only known point on a map shown to be a carpark near the Health and Higher Education ministries in Precinct 1 of Putrajaya. The unfinished Puspahanas is akin to an earlier scandal that engulfed Raja Ropiaah's Wanita Umno chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, when her family was accused of using a RM250 million government soft loan for personal investment instead of the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) project. There are no street signages in Putrajaya for the project, which her development company Awan Megah Sdn Bhd agreed to build in 2005 in exchange for some 80 hectares of land in Bukit Raja, Selangor and RM27 million. The other mystery is how BHB could buy the Bukit Raja land as the government had stipulated the land couldn't be sold by Awan Megah, which had earlier worked out a complicated deal with carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan to finance the Puspahanas construction. The controversial businessman had taken Raja Ropiaah to court when the deal fell through and she instead went into a joint-venture development with a plasticware maker. His revelations before the civil suit, which was heard at the same time as the last Umno annual general assembly, later led to a settlement where his company, Astacanggih Sdn Bhd had its 80 per cent majority stake sold to a BHB unit for RM30 million. Astacanggih has also proposed to buy Raja Ropiaah's land for RM130 million, although the deal could not be secured earlier due to restrictions from the government, which had yet to receive the Puspahanas facility. BHB yesterday cited expanding its landbank as the reason to buy into Astacanggih, adding today it was purely a commercial decision. In a filing to Bursa Malaysia, BHB said economies of scale can be achieved by combining the land with the adjacent 283.28ha land held under Jendela Hikmat Sdn Bhd, which the Boustead Group and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) jointly hold a 60 per cent equity interest. Based on its experience, BHB said it is confident the acquisition of the development land will be able to generate a return on development cost of 25 per cent from the RM160 million investment.
 An artist's impression of the Puspahanas project. Deputy Defence Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latif Ahmad declined to comment yesterday on the project, saying he did not have any information about the project that was first mooted in 1971. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/despite-raja-ropiaahs-land-deal-puspahanas-not-in-sight/
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| Embassy confirms huge compensation paid to Malaysian govt Posted: 03 Jan 2013 11:38 AM PST qSdxYDRFmy0 (Harakah Daily) - The Embassy of Japan has today confirmed that it had paid money to the Malaysian government being compensation for families of victims of the so-called 'Death Railway' project in the 1940s.  Jejak, the PAS-backed secretariat led by Bukit Gantang member of parliament Nizar Jamaluddin, visited the embassy today in a bid to unravel truth over some RM207 billion in unpaid compensation. Also present were PAS Youth vice chief Raja Iskandar Al-Hiss and Jejak operation chief Safarizal Saleh. Or watch at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSdxYDRFmy0 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Kedutaan Jepun sahkan serah wang pampasanKedutaan Jepun di Malaysia mengesahkan kerajaan negara itu telah menyerahkan sejumlah wang pampasan kepada kerajaan Malaysia untuk diserahkan kepada buruh paksa pembinaan landasan keretapi Thailand Myanmar. Namun sehingga kini, tidak ada sebarang wang diberikan oleh kerajaan Malaysia kepada mangsa atau waris mereka.
(Rombongan bergambar di perkarangan kedutaan selepas berjumpa pegawai kedutaan)
Dalam kunjungan hari ini, Sekretariat Jejak juga meminta pihak negara Jepun memberi maklumat bila dan berapa jumlah pampasan kepada buruh binaan itu di hantar ke negara ini dan siapa yang mengesahkan penerimaan itu. Sejak didaftarkan secara rasmi pada 11 Januari 2011, persatuan terbabit telah memohon beberapa kali untuk mendapatkan wang pampasan dari kerajaan Malaysia tetapi hingga kini masih gagal.
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| Musa Hassan zips lips in latest scorcher on Altantuya murder Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:47 PM PST
Amin Iskandar, The Malaysian Insider Tan Sri Musa Hassan has refused to be drawn into the latest controversy over the 2006 murder of Altantuya Shaariibuu, following the publication of a book claiming the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has inside information. The retired policeman reiterated that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was uninvolved in the explosive case that had been linked to several politicians from the ruling Barsian Nasional (BN) and had resurfaced recently in the run-up to the 13th general election. "I have nothing to comment," he told The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday for a response on allegations he has knowledge of the events surrounding the death of the Mongolian translator, for which two elite police commandos have been convicted and are facing death sentences. "I have said it many times: Najib is not involved with the murder of Altantuya. This is (Abdul) Razak Baginda's work," he said, referring to the PM's former political advisor who once had an affair with the Mongolian. "I had briefed Pak Lah that Najib was not involved in this case," Musa said, referring to the then-PM, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. A 26-page book titled "The Black Rose ― Black Rose 1.0", which describes the tangled web of high-profile personalities purportedly involved in the murder conspiracy, has been circulating on the Internet over the past few days. Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan, who is at the centre of the controversy surrounding P. Balasubramaniam's conflicting sworn testimonies on the case, yesterday admitted to being the book's author. He also said he will release a sequel. Balasubramaniam, a former policeman-turned-private investigator who was at that time hired by Abdul Razak Baginda to keep an eye on Altantuya, is seen to be a key witness to the whole saga. Deepak recently revealed his involvement in getting Balasubramaniam to make the second statutory declaration (SD), reversing an earlier statement linking Najib to Altantuya's murder. The Bar Council was chided on Tuesday for dragging its feet in investigating the identity of the mystery lawyer behind Balasubramaniam's controversial second SD. Lawyer Americk Singh Sidhu, who is acting for the former private detective, said that the Bar Council should speed up its inquiry on the high-profile case that had previously been linked to several high-ranking government officials and resurfaced recently in the run-up to the 13th general election. The Bar Council has said it is investigating the possibility of misconduct in the drafting of Balasubramaniam's second SD, which contradicts his previous sworn statement made just a day earlier over the death of the Mongolian translator. A cloud of mystery has been hanging over the identity of the lawyer who had drawn up Balasubramaniam's second SD, dated a day after his first on July 3, 2008, regarding the Altantuya murder case. Last month, Musa accused politicians, including Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, of interfering with police work.
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| Deepak denies link to documents Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:38 PM PST
He said he never met Rafizi and is uncomfortable with the way PKR has exposed the matter using his name to gain political mileage. (The Sun Daily) - Businessman Deepak Jaikishin has denied that he has anything to do with bank documents produced to the press by PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli that allegedly incriminates him. He said he never met Rafizi and is uncomfortable with the way PKR has exposed the matter using his name to gain political mileage. "The documents... are not my documents. I have never seen the documents. If he (Rafizi) said he got it from an intermediary, then who is he? "I would like him (Rafizi) to come forward and explain how he got the documents," he told a press conference at a hotel here yesterday. Deepak also called on PKR de facto chief Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to meet him to discuss the truth and not ask a 'third party' like Rafizi to politicise the matter. He said he is standing alone in the matter and is 'feeling the heat' following the expose he made recently. "If the truth matters, I invite Datuk Seri Anwar to come and present the facts of what they really are (with me). Deepak said he will consult his lawyers to give notice to Rafizi in order to know who disclosed the documents. In an immediate response, Rafizi told theSun that Deepak's denial is expected. He said that the documents were circulated by Deepak himself and as a company director he must be aware of the documents which are actually bank statements and receipts of his two companies. "We can prove that the documents come from Deepak. "He has to convince the public that the documents are not his. He gave the same documents to several people," he told theSun. Rafizi said Deepak is 'playing a game' and trying to put the media highlight onto himself for his "expose" which came on the eve of the Umno general assembly last month.
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| Pakatan plays down Allah issue Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:29 PM PST
(The Star) - Pakatan Rakyat leaders have tried to play down the controversial use of the word "Allah" by Christians, with PAS saying that the matter has been closed. The leaders of the opposition parties have yet to meet to resolve the differing stand on the issue, although Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had proposed the meeting to resolve the matter. "There has been no discussion on the matter. We (PAS) feel that it has already been resolved as all that needs to be spoken about it has been spoken," said the Islamist party's secretary-general Datuk Mustafa Ali after attending a Pakatan secretariat meeting here yesterday. Asked if a decision had been reached by Pakatan partners over the issue, Mustafa replied that he did not want to add anything to the matter. Controversy over the "Allah" issue cropped up when Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng urged the Federal Government to allow Christians to use the word "Allah" in their Malay version of the Bible in his recent Christmas message. Lim's message caused an uproar among Muslims, while some Muslim NGOs held protests in front of his office in Komtar, Penang, last month. PAS also hit out at Lim, stating firmly that the word "Allah" should not be used by Christians to refer to God as it would only lead to confusion for both Muslims and Christians. On Dec 27, Anwar conceded that an urgent meeting to discuss the matter was needed to resolve the issue although discussions were held by the Pakatan leadership when the controversy surfaced in 2010. On a separate issue, Mustafa said PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang would decline the air-time offer by RTM to explain his "Amanat Haji Hadi" if no live coverage was given.
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| Group demands jewellery expose probe, Rafizi wants to meet Deepak Posted: 02 Jan 2013 04:03 PM PST
The carpet dealer, however, has denied seeing the jewellery bills but Rafizi claimed today the documents were provided by Deepak himself through a third party linked to PKR By Boo Su-Lyn and Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Malaysian Insider A journalists group wants an investigation of PKR's Rafizi Ramli revelations about carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan's purported US$4 million (RM12.4 million) jewellery purchases for dignitaries although the controversial businessman has denied the documents. In turn, Rafizi is willing to meet the carpet dealer about the documents which were handed over to the PKR strategy director through a third party. "The Young Journalists Club of Malaysia (KWMM) is very worried about the trend of the federal opposition exposing private and confidential documents, whether owned by individuals or the government, for insidious purposes," club president Dzulkarnain Taib said in a statement today. "KWMM takes the irresponsible behaviour of an opposition leader like Rafizi (picture) very seriously, who has made baseless assumptions and allegations without strong evidence. This was done merely for political purposes and to get more votes, since the 13th general election will be held soon," he added, using the club's Bahasa Malaysia acronym. Rafizi was charged last August with violating the Banking and Financial Institutions Act (BAFIA) for allegedly exposing confidential banking details of NFCorp. The NFCorp runs the National Feedlot Centre (NFC), a RM250 million federal-funded cattle-farming project that has been at the centre of a major national scandal. Yesterday, Rafizi provided the media copies of transaction records, including one for a US$115,000 purchase of polished diamonds from Dehres Ltd, a fine jewellery supplier from Hong Kong. Another document detailed transactions worth US$3.9 million involving the purchases of rings, necklaces and earrings from Firestone Co Ltd, another Hong Kong-based fine jewellery supplier. Rafizi has said that Deepak was acting as a jewellery middleman for a local dignitary. The carpet dealer, however, has denied seeing the jewellery bills. Deepak also accused Rafizi of making the exposé for political mileage. But Rafizi claimed today the documents were provided by Deepak himself through a third party linked to PKR and suggested that the carpet dealer's outburst yesterday was caused by the party's initial refusal to "champion" the issue.
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| Dr M: Beware the one who hoodwinks Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:53 PM PST
The former premier warns Malaysians not to fall prey to Anwar Ibrahim as he once had in the past. RK Anand, FMT More than a decade ago, he was considered the protege of and heir apparent to Dr Mahathir Mohamad. But in 1998, the ties turned sour. And the rest, as they say, is history. In his latest blog posting, Mahathir claimed that he was once hoodwinked by the religious piety of Anwar Ibrahim and warned Malaysians not to fall prey as well. Now as his nemesis leads the opposition charge for the coming general election, where for the first time in more than five decades a change of government was considered possible, the former premier once again issued a dire warning. Targeting Anwar, he pointed out that the former deputy premier had not brought about positive changes during his tenure with the government. "Now as leader of the opposition, he is claiming to bring about changes. What good change did he introduce when he was in the government? "All he was interested in was getting up the leadership ladder of Umno in order to become prime minister. How he achieved his objective does not bear scrutiny," he added. Recalling the 1997-1998 financial crisis, Mahathir said Anwar, who was also finance minister then, had attempted the International Monetary Fund (IMF) solution without IMF loans. "Banks and companies were faced with the threat of bankruptcy from non-performing loans. Imports cost more. Cost of living shot up. "The track record of the minister of finance then was bad although there is a fondness of claiming success brought about by others as his success. PNB, UIA and Islamic banking were part of the claim," he added. Pakatan aping Obama Mahathir warned Malaysians that experimenting with change and placing federal power in the hands of Anwar and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang-led government would be perilous. "Many things can be destroyed in five years. We have some experience of this," he said, alluding to his handpicked successor Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, whose one term in power witnessed the opposition making significant gains in the 2008 polls. "Besides, the opposition as government will ensure that there will be no return for BN [Barisan Nasional]. Officers in the government will be used to 'gempar' [threaten] whoever tries to change the government. We know this has happened before," he said. "Already we see this person who claims to fight for free speech suing and resorting to the courts to shut the mouths of his critics. Other powers of the government will be similarly abused. Nepotism and cronyism will be employed as indeed they are in the party he now heads. "The record is there. Malaysians must not allow themselves to be hoodwinked as I was hoodwinked by the appearance of religious piety in the past," he added. Mahathir also accused Pakatan Rakyat of aping US President Barack Obama in terms of making unkept promises of change in the run-up to the elections. "Making promises during campaigns for elections is easy. Keeping them is a different matter. The best hope is that people's memory is short. They will normally forget the promises. "Give them a chance, they [Pakatan] say. BN has ruled this country for 55 years. It is time to change. They will change this into a welfare state. Everything will be free. No fees for education, no tolls, large subsidy for petrol, 20% royalty to oil-producing states etc..etc," he said.
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| Pakatan to decide on ‘Allah’ issue next week Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST
Anwar says the matter would be deliberated at the opposition pact's leadership council meeting scheduled for next Tuesday. G Vinod, FMT The Pakatan Rakyat leadership will be holding a meeting on Jan 8 to deliberate on use of the word "Allah" to represent God in Malay language Bibles, said PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim. "We have will be holding our leadership council meeting next week and I believe the matter will be raised. We will discuss this," said the former deputy prime minister. Last month, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng urged the government to allow Christians to use the word "Allah", to address God in the Malay language Bibles. However, his suggestion drew criticism from several Muslim-based NGOs which cautioned Lim not to provoke the Muslims. Lim was also rebuked by his ally within Pakatan when PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said that non-Muslims should abstain from using the word Allah in their holy books as reference to God. Meeting with Bank Negara confirmed "We have proposed to meet on Jan 17, which they have tentatively agreed. They promised to get back to us," said Anwar. The US-based financial watchdog reported that Malaysia ranked number two in terms of illicit outflow of funds in 2010, ranking second to China. The report indicated that Malaysia lost RM200 billion in that year alone. Between 2001 and 2010, Malaysia lost about RM871 billion in capital outflow. Describing it as "alarming", Anwar had since offered to meet Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz to offer solution to the matter.
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| Musa: IGP, top brass avoided me Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:30 PM PST
The ex-top cop defends his open criticism of the police force, saying that he had reached a dead end when trying to engage with the top brass and his successor the inspector general of police. Anisah Shukry and Teoh El Sen, FMT Each time Musa Hassan approached his successor Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ismail Omar, the latter would "walk away" from him, making all communication between the two impossible, the ex-IGP said. "I don't have the chance to talk to [Ismail] because whenever we meet even in public, he just walks away from me," said Musa in a recent interview with FMT. "I don't know [why]. Maybe they think I am no longer relevant," he said. Musa said this when asked if he had raised the issue of criminal elements and political interference in the police force with the IGP before announcing it to the public. Musa had dropped the bombshell two months ago during a press conference with crime watchdog MyWatch, which coincided with the opening of the Umno general assembly. His timing, as well as his new role as the patron of the NGO lead by PKR members, had led many to grill him on his motives. While the question on most people's lips is "why now?" (Musa's reply: the timing was a coincidence), others have expressed disgust at what they perceive as efforts that could destroy the police force's credibility. Musa's rival, former top cop Ramli Yusuff had slammed him for turning to the media instead of discussing the issues with Ismail in private. "You don't have to say these kind of things in the open. These are internal matters. Musa could have discussed it discreetly with Ismail, meet up with him, tell him nicely," the former commercial crimes investigation department (CCID) chief had told FMT last month. But Musa told FMT that not only did Ismail deliberately avoid him, but the top brass also refused to speak with him on the matter. "I have spoken to some police officers. But of course they are lower rung, they can't do anything about it. But the bosses, they refuse to talk to me," claimed Musa. When asked whether the current leadership of the police was open to discussing such issues head-on in a transparent manner, he said: "I don't think so." "I see Ismail [as] only a ceremonial IGP. He would only attend ceremonies," Musa remarked. He also dismissed claims by his detractors that his bombshells would destroy the credibility of the men in blue. Instead, Musa said, open criticism of the police force would encourage transparency and enhance its credibility. "I don't think so, [that making claims publicly would erode confidence in the institution]. You have to be open about this… "If you keep quiet and keep things this way… there will always be the perception of the public that you are not doing anything," Musa pointed out. "[Then] it would erode the credibility of the police and also the confidence of the people [towards the police]." 'People still want me to be involved' Ramli had also criticised Musa, now technically a civilian after having retired in 2010, for "disturbing" the police with his allegations. "When you have retired, your days are over. You don't disturb. Your successors have their own way of doing things. You are gone, so why do you want to disturb?" Ramli had said. But Musa told FMT that he still received text messages and even visits from people asking for his help in matters related to crime. He said that when people contacted him for advice or help, it meant that they still wanted him to be involved in crime-fighting. "The question mark is why people still give information to me even though I am retired, when they can give it straight to the police officer? "That's why I feel sometimes that something is wrong here. Why should people trust me? They should trust the police because I am already retired," stressed Musa. He said that despite being a civilian, he could not bring himself to deny them help as they would come to his house asking for advice.
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| ‘Jewellery documents are from Deepak’ Posted: 02 Jan 2013 03:25 PM PST
The PKR leader claims that the documents showing purchases of expensive jewellery supposedly for Rosmah Mansor came from Deepak himself, through a third party. G Vinod, FMT PKR has claimed that the documents implicating businessman Deepak Jaikishan in the purchase of expensive jewellery was from the latter himself. "Few months back, Deepak himself gave the documents to some PKR leaders. The documents were later handed to me for further deliberation," said party strategic director Rafizi Ramli today. Yesterday, Rafizi produced several documents claiming that two carpet companies linked to Deepak had purchased 19 types of jewellery worth about RM13 million in 2009. The jewellery was said to be purchased on behalf of Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor. Deepak, however, was not pleased with Rafizi's exposé and said that the documents were not his. "I've never seen the documents Rafizi is producing. Those are not my documents. He has to come forward and tell us where he got these documents from," Deepak was reported as saying. However, the businessman did not rebut the allegations made by Rafizi, saying he would seek legal advice on the matter. Rafizi said that while Deepak could claim what he wanted, the latter should however explain why his company purchased the jewellery. "If he believes the documents produced are forged, I urge Deepak to lodge a report with the authorities," he added. However, Rafizi insisted that the documents came from Deepak and PKR leaders would lodge a report with the police and the MACC on the matter on Monday. "I will cooperate with the authorities on the matter. In fact, the individual who received the documents from Deepak has agreed to vouch that he received it from the businessman," he said. Rafizi also explained why he did not pursue the matter earlier, saying that at that point of time, it was not a matter of public interest. "But when the government announced that RM160 million from Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT) would be used to purchase Deepak's company and a land belonging to Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, the whole situation changed," he said.
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| Posted: 02 Jan 2013 10:24 AM PST
(The Star) - Selangor Umno deputy chairman Datuk Seri Noh Omar has dared Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim to answer claims that the state government is selling five assets, worth a total of RM321mil. He said there were claims that the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) board of directors had agreed to sell five buildings Wisma Yakin, PKNS Shah Alam, PKNS Bangi, a building in Petaling Jaya and the SACC Mall. Noh said the reason for the alleged decision was not known and he called on Khalid to explain. "Perhaps he is selling the assets because he knows the Opposition won't win in the next general election," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby. He stressed that he was not accusing Khalid of anything but was merely challenging the Mentri Besar to deny claims of the sale. He also scoffed at Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's statement praising Khalid as an excellent Mentri Besar. He said Khalid had lied over the audit on Universiti Selangor (Unisel) when he claimed that the report had not been finalised. "His lie was exposed after the Auditor-General's Report was released and revealed that Unisel suffered losses," he said. The 2011 Auditor-General's Report revealed that Unisel was running at a loss and the performance of the university, as operated by Pendidikan Industri YS Sdn Bhd (PIYSB), was not up to the mark. The report indicated that PIYSB, a subsidiary of Mentri Besar Incorporated, had run into pre-tax losses amounting to RM198.1mil in 2010.
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| Singapore 6th, Malaysia 36th best nation to be born in 2013, survey shows Posted: 02 Jan 2013 10:15 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Singapore jumped to the sixth best place to be born in the world this year while Malaysia was 36th, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) index of 80 nations that attempts to measure which country provides the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life. Southeast Asia's third biggest economy hopped up two rungs from the 38th spot it occupied 25 years ago, when the EIU —- a sister company to the influential Economist business and current affairs magazine — first ran its "Where-to-be-born" index in 1988, edging out other nations in the region except for Singapore. A quarter century later, the Lion City has shot to 6th place, up from 36th out of 48 countries in 1988 when it tied with East Germany before the Berlin Wall crumbled.
Thailand ranked 50, the Philippines which placed 24th in 1988 dropped to 63, tying with Sri Lanka, while Vietnam and Indonesia took 68th and 71st positions respectively. Malaysia drew 6.62 out of a 10-point scorecard in the study of life-satisfaction survey, which seeks to quantify how happy people say they are based on a list of 11 economic and socio-political indicators such as a country's income per capita, cost of living, human rights, life expectancy and literacy and education levels. However, the methodology used to crunch up the numbers for its statistics has also changed from when the index was introduced. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/singapore-6th-malaysia-36th-best-nation-to-be-born-in-2013-survey-shows/ |
| Taboo on premarital sex can lead to tragedy in changing Oman Posted: 02 Jan 2013 10:06 AM PST
(The Star) - "This is not about pregnancy or abortion. This is about parents who should stop branding their daughters as sinners when they make mistakes so early in life." When unmarried 19-year-old Sama got pregnant, she ran away from home to have an abortion rather than face family wrath. The young man who got her pregnant had refused to marry her, saying he could not afford the financial burden. So she went to share a room with a friend in a university hostel in the Omani capital Muscat, 450 km (280 miles) away from her hometown of Buraimi in the north of the Gulf Arab state. The abortionist was her friend's aunt, a 76-year-old woman who boasted that she had successfully terminated over 200 foetuses in a long, illegal career. The operation in April last year proved nearly fatal for Sama. "It was extremely painful and I nearly bled to death. I stayed in hospital for a week recovering from the botched procedure," Sama, who requested that her family name not be used to protect her identity, told Reuters. Oman, a conservative Muslim country, is grappling with the strains of modernisation. Two decades of fast economic growth, fuelled by oil exports, have raised living standards and increased people's freedom of movement, giving men and women more day-to-day contact than they would have back in their tribal villages. At the same time, cultural attitudes have not shifted nearly as much: pregnancy out of wedlock is widely regarded as a sin and young women can face severe beatings at the hands of their families. In addition, a family's honour can be damaged by the disclosure of a pregnancy. The result is that a substantial number of women feel they have to abort secretly rather than bring shame to their parents, social workers say. Doctors are told by the government to obtain the permission of a patient's parents to conduct an abortion. "Young women, if the word gets out, will never find suitors after an unwanted pregnancy as the community brands them as prostitutes, because they had a relationship outside marriage," said Fatma Al Rahbi, a social worker at the Ministry of Social Development. Women in all the conservative Gulf Arab states face similar social taboos and restrictions. But Maryam Hashim, a women rights activist in Bahrain, said: "To put it in a regional perspective, Omani women issues are less open than any other Gulf countries. "Young women there are much more controlled by parents. There are no mixed boy and girl parties or gatherings. Girls are told to hang around with other girls and not boys," she said. "So it is not a surprise that now Omani girls fully capitalize (on their time) at universities and colleges, where they develop secret relationships with boys that end with unwanted pregnancies." HOSPITALS Official statistics are not available, but social workers say they believe the number of out-of-marriage pregnancies, and therefore abortions, has been increasing as Omani society becomes more mobile. Doctors who talked to Reuters at seven different hospitals across the country said about three unmarried women were rushed to the hospitals every month for treatment after abortion attempts left them fighting for their lives. Last year, it was an average of two unmarried women every month who had aborted and were admitted to emergency wings. There are 26 government hospitals across Oman. Some of these women don't make it. "It is horrible the way they are brought in. One came in the back of a taxi and was left at the emergency entrance. The other was left on the roadside in broad daylight and was picked up by a passing car. They both bled profusely and died. I estimate that there are about 50 to 70 abortions carried out illegally every year, " said Hassan Al Hajar, a doctor at Sur Hospital in the eastern region of Oman. He added that women being brought to his hospital refused to name the illegal abortionists, often because they had some personal connection to them. The result was that no charges were brought against the people who performed the botched operations. Saeeda Shamis, 37, a successful businesswoman who runs three beauty parlours in Muscat, married a Jordanian after she was disowned by her family for getting pregnant at the age of 18 with a boy next door. She had a successful abortion but was thrown out of her family home. "The word gets out very fast when you get pregnant. You find no Omani man wants to marry you, and that's why I got married to a foreigner," she said. EDUCATION Some blame the spread of higher education for pregnancies out of marriage. The government is promoting education to help more of Oman's roughly 2 million citizens find jobs and is encouraging the education of women as a way to reduce inequality between the sexes. The number of Omani students in tertiary education in the current academic year is up 9 percent since last year to 41,330, where female students make up 65 percent, according to the Ministry of Higher Education. In Oman, girls and boys are separated in primary and secondary schools but this restriction does not apply to higher education. "Now these kids meet at higher education institutes after they leave schools. They sit next to each other in the classes and they develop relationships that lead to unwanted pregnancies," said Salim Al Battash, a father of two daughters whom he said he married off before they reached the age of 18. The number of Omani women in the work force jumped by 16 percent to 41,000 in 2011 compared to a year earlier, according to official manpower data, and there are more in regular jobs than in other Gulf Arab states. Shamis said that to end or at least reduce backstreet abortions, attitudes in Omani society would need to change fundamentally. "This is not about pregnancy or abortion. This is about parents who should stop branding their daughters as sinners when they make mistakes so early in life." Doctor Hajar said that Omani hospitals are acting under the instructions of the ministry of health not to prescribe birth control pills to unmarried women. "I suspect (this is) because the health ministry fears that it will liberalise the sexual intercourse among unmarried couple," he explained. Parents agree. "You will not find a single parent agreeing to have their daughters given free contraception. If the ministry of health does it, then we will protest and make our voices heard about this. Why? Because it is against our religion to have sex outside marriage," Khalfan Al Mhedhery, a 67-year-old retired oil engineer, told Reuters. A senior official at the ministry of health, who refused to be identified because he was not authorized to talk to the press, said: "Due to religious sensitivities, we do not consider changing laws about birth control at any time. Only married women will receive contraceptive pills. "This subject is too explosive to discuss further."
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| Black Rose book launch cancelled, available online, says Deepak Posted: 02 Jan 2013 12:45 AM PST
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider The launch of a 26-page booklet titled "The Black Rose" was derailed by PKR's Rafizi Ramli's revelation earlier today, controversial businessman Deepak Jaikishan said this evening. The carpet dealer confessed to being the author of the booklet, which claims to tell the true story behind private investigator P Balasubramaniam's second statutory declaration (SD). "Yes ... Honestly, it took me one day to draft the whole thing," Deepak (picture) said in a press conference today. The businessman was planning a launch of the book today before Rafizi decided to hold a press conference this morning alleging Deepak's involvement as a jewellery middleman for a local dignitary. "I had planned to launch my book and also take the next step further on the exposures. "Unfortunately the process has been derailed by an article that has come out from Rafizi from PKR," he said, referring to Rafizi's post on his blog. Besides his own blog, Rafizi's press conference was also covered by a number of news outlets. Because of the serious allegations by the PKR politician, Deepak's legal counsel has advised him against the book launch and to contemplate his next move. Deepak told reporters that he has no intention to sell the booklet, and will make it available for free online. "I'm not here to profit from that. I'm here to tell the truth. "If you can afford to print it and distribute, feel free. I'll put there 'copyright free'," he said. As for the copies that have already been printed, Deepak said he will be gifting them to his close friends and acquaintances.
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| Deepak says poorer from LTAT land deal, Ropiaah made more Posted: 02 Jan 2013 12:40 AM PST
Zurairi AR, The Malaysian Insider Senator Raja Datuk Ropiaah Abdullah got the lion's share of the LTAT land deal through her company Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, which was contracted to build a defence facility, carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan said today. A unit of Boustead Holdings Bhd, owned by investment fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), bought an 80 per cent stake in Deepak's company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd for RM30 million as well as a RM130 million piece of land from Awan Megah last week. It is not known what happened to the facility that was to be built by Raja Ropiaah's company in exchange for the land. "I think it's unfair, it's my land. I paid for it, I get pittance and she gets the lion's share," Deepak told a press conference here today. "She got the appreciation (value) but I got nothing. I only got what I put in," he said. Deepak also noted that PKR's plan to stop the deal by asking the Selangor government to sit on the land title transfer is ironic. "If they had issued the land title then, I would've sold the land already by now," he said. Last Saturday, Rafizi alleged that a Boustead unit acquisition of Deepak's company Astacanggih Sdn Bhd was an attempt to silence the businessman. "This is worse than a bailout ... this is outright bribery to practically pay off and silence (Deepak)," Rafizi had told a press conference. The PKR strategy director also accused Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi of abusing his power by spending public money through government investment fund Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera (LTAT), which owns Boustead, to acquire the loss-making property development company. The politician added that if the recent allegations made by Deepak over the murder of Mongolian model Altantuyaa Shaariibuu had not been considered serious, it was unlikely that LTAT would have proceeded with the buyout. Deepak recently also exposed an alleged deal between Awan Megah Sdn Bhd, the company owned by Selangor Wanita Umno chief Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah, and the federal government for a parcel of land involved in the acquisition by Boustead.
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| ‘Don’t use my truths to spin untruths’ Posted: 02 Jan 2013 12:34 AM PST
Deepak Jaikishan asked those who stand for truth to support his crusade and not resort to lies and politics. Teoh El Sen, FMT Carpet man" Deepak Jaikishan today lashed out at PKR for claiming that he had bought RM13 million worth of jewellery for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor. He alleged that the documents that PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli had shown to the media today was "not mine". "Honestly, I don't know what he is talking about. I've never seen the documents Rafizi is producing. Those are not my documents. He has to come forward and tell us where he got these documents from," Deepak told a press conference at a hotel here. But when asked if the allegations being made were true or false, Deepak said that he would not comment at this moment as it was a "very fragile issue". He added that he was seeking legal advice over Rafizi's exposé today. "I was caught off guard [by Rafizi's exposé ]. I am shocked. Even if you want to put something out, it must be the truth. Be brave. Be sincere and not political," he said. Deepak denied ever seeing Rafizi though he admitted he has tried to contact him recently to work together in exposing in a proper manner. "I don't want my truth to be used by political parties. Rafizi, please don't use my crusade for your political mileage. If you are with me, then let's stand hand in hand." Deepak also asked PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim to "do it right". "He can't stand behind Rafizi and send out all these missiles because they are going in all the wrong directions. "You must be sincere and consistent," he said, adding that he was disappointed with Anwar's continual denial of having met him (Deepak) and agreeing to help him with the PKR solicitors. "I'm alone in the desert. I need support," he said. Deepak said he would invite all groups, including both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, to assist him in "exposing the truth". "But even if there is no support, I will still go forward all the way. But now I'm calling out to all sides. It can even be an Umno man or even MCA president's son Chua Tee Yong." Booklet on Rosmah tomorrow Deepak also said that his booklet "Black Rose" will finally be made public tomorrow after repeated delays. He said that the 26-page publication will be printed and given out to a selected group of friends but will be put online for public viewing and self-printing. "It is about the SD2 [second statutory declaration] and everything I've revealed, with more details," he said. He also said he had more truth to expose following this.
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| Two lieutanant colonels allowed to amend their statement of claim Posted: 01 Jan 2013 07:39 PM PST
(The Star) - The Court of Appeal on Wednesday allowed two lieutenant colonels to amend their statement of claim in a defamation suit filed against blogger Raja Petra Raja Kamarudin. A three-member bench presided by Court of Appeal judges Datuk Ramly Ali, Datuk Mohtarudin Baki and High Court judge Datuk David Wong Dak Wah unanimously allowed the appeal by Lt Col Abdul Aziz Buyong and Lt Col Norhayati Hassan to reverse the decision of a Kuala Lumpur High Court, which disallowed them to make amendments to their statement of claim. Justice Ramly ordered them to file their amended statement of claim within 14 days from Wednesday and also gave Raja Petra the liberty to file his amended statement of defence within 14 days from the date of receiving the amended statement of claim. Lt Col Abdul Aziz and Lt Col Norhayati filed the legal suit in 2008 against Raja Petra, alleging that the blogger had made a statutory declaration implicating them and Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Mongolian Altantuya Shaariibuu. They alleged that Raja Petra's declaration made on June 18, 2008, contained defamatory elements. They each sought RM1mil in damages from Raja Petra as well as exemplary damages and an injunction to prevent him or his employees from repeating the defamatory remarks. On Sept 18, last year, the High Court dismissed their application to amend their statement of claim. Lt Col Abdul Aziz and Lt Col Norhayati sought to make amendments to their statement of claim to include certain new facts. The High Court had fixed three days beginning from Jan 21, this year for hearing of their suit. The duo was represented by lawyer Sugandra Rao Naidu while Raja Petra was represented by lawyer J. Chandra.
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| Third force likely to be kingmakers Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:28 PM PST
In the battle to outdo each other, Pakatan and BN have forgotten about the plight of Malays in Penang, and it may cost them dearly in the coming election, says an activist Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: There is a possibility of Malay voters opting for independent candidates or spoiling their votes out of protest in the coming 13th general election, said an activist here. Penang Malay Congress president, Rahmad Isahak, said Malays are uncomfortable with Pakatan Rakyat policies and also not confident that BN has the support to regain the state. In the past 12 elections, the Malays rallied around Umno-BN or the opposition such as PAS and PKR. But now many may support Independents or won't bother to vote at all, he said. He added that the uncertain political scenerio gives rise to the growing posibility and presence of a third political voice (force) in Penang. The third voice is said to consist of the parties formed post-2008, or a number of community activists who pride themselves in championing what the average person here wants or fears. Such a group may become the kingmakers if Pakatan and BN cannot secure a comfortable majority in the next election, especially if the third voice manages to snare a few seats. Rahmad claimed that the Malay political stake has eroded since 2008 in Penang and it is not the fault of just Pakatan or BN. While both sides are trying to outdo each other, they have forgotten about the plight of the poor, the majority of whom are Malays, Rahmad said. "There is a perception that Penang is mostly populated by the Chinese and at times, the Malays here are indirectly overlooked, more so on the island," he said. He cited the recent example where DAP delegates did not bother to vote in any of the eight Malay candidates vying for posts in the party's central executive committee. Earlier, Rahmad said that BN appointed Teng Chang Yeow from Gerakan to head Penang BN when Umno held all of the coalition's 11 seats here. Then there was the exclusion of PAS from the state executive council line-up, leaving only two Malays, Deputy Chief Minister I Mansor Othman and state exco member Abdul Malik Abul Kassim. To make matters worse, Rahmad said there were allegations that Mansor had branded Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as an arrogant and cocky leader.
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| ‘Deepak spent millions on gems for Rosmah’ Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:26 PM PST
PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli claimed that Deepak bought 19 types of jewellery, worth about RM13 million for the prime minister's wife. G Vinod, FMT PKR today alleged that businessman Deepak Jaikishan spent about RM13 million in 2009 to purchase jewellery for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wife, Rosmah Mansor. Speaking at a press conference at the party headquarters here, PKR director of strategy Rafizi Ramli said that the purchases involved 19 different types of jewellery from Hong Kong, ranging from necklaces to rings and bracelets. "The purchases took place between March and May 2009, the time Najib became the prime minister," said Rafizi. Also present at the press conference were PKR MPs William Leong and Zuraida Kamaruddin. Rafizi also produced several documents, including invoices and bank payment records made to two luxury jewellery companies based in Hong Kong – Dehres Limited and Firestone Corporation Limited. The payments for the jewellery were made by two companies linked to Deepak – Carpet Raya Sdn Bhd and Carpet Plus Sdn Bhd. Rafizi urged the authorities to investigate, alleging that the matter was nothing short of a corrupt act. He said that it would not be difficult for an agency like the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate as each luxury jewellery is unique, with its own reference code. "For example, Deepak's company made payment for the purchase of a diamond ring, code DR 2763, worth US$1.5 million. "So we have its code and the MACC could easily trace this matter if it hauls up Deepak for an investigation," Rafizi said, adding that it would be difficult for anyone to forge a bank record. On arguments that Deepak could have purchased the jewellery for his own use, Rafizi said, "True but I don't see Deepak wearing the jewellery." He added that the matter could be a tip of the iceberg as the transactions mentioned are only those made known to PKR.
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| BN: Lim fishing for Christian votes Posted: 01 Jan 2013 03:23 PM PST
Penang CM playing up 'Allah' issue for selfish political gains, claim state BN leaders. Athi Shankar, FMT A group of Barisan Nasional local leaders today accused Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng of invoking the 'Allah' issue merely to fish for Christian votes. Acting as the group's spokesman, MCA's Bayan Baru division secretary David Yim Boon Leong said BN was dismayed by Lim's playing up the issue for selfish political gain. Yim accused Lim, the DAP secretary general, of misusing a religious occasion by raising the Allah issue in his Christmas message. He condemned Lim as a political opportunist who would stir religious sentiments with total disregard for religious and racial harmony. Lim has come under fire from various Muslim-based NGOs for urging the government to allow the use of the word 'Allah' in the Malay version of the Bible. The NGOs held several demonstrations across the country, especially in Penang, to vent their frustration and anger against Lim, who some chided as "extremist, racist and arrogant." Yim said Lim's suggestion would cause tension between Muslims and Christians, who have been living together peacefully these years. He alleged that Lim raised the Allah issue merely to divert public attention from the Kelantan land deal controversy involving Pakatan Rakyat allies, DAP and PAS. Lim playing with fire He called on Lim to focus on improving Penang's foreign direct investment statistics rather playing up religious sentiments. "Lim thought he would get support from Christians with his statement. But he did not expect Pakatan allies, PAS and PKR, would make a U-turn and attack him on it," said Yim. Yim also hit out at Lim for saying that Malaysia was not on par with neighbours Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia in economic achievements and skillful human resources.
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