Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Karpal says Jui Meng’s intentions ‘suspect’ in Johor DAP-PKR spat
- PH claim to Sabah ‘dormant’ but KL pays annual rent
- Sulu group members old, malnourished, Hisham tweets
- DAP accuses PKR’s Chua of sabotage
- Xenophon was never included in Aussie delegation, says minister’s office
- Outstation voters will decide Kelantan’s fate
- Bizarre episode in Sabah
- We won’t leave Sabah, says Kiram
- ‘Let’s regain Sabah’
- Xenophon: Dumbfounded by Malaysian deportation
- Malaysia trip not unofficial: Xenophon
- Xenophon criticised for interfering in M'sian politics
- Australia wants Malaysia to explain Senator’s deportation
- PM: Opposition only has attractive slogans
- PKR banks on ex-deputy minister to win back Wangsa Maju
- Hindraf: Pakatan risks losing 25 seats without us
- MIC man calls on Hindraf to woo BN
- ‘Pakatan’s Allah decision is official’
- Postal voting: M’sians abroad have until dissolution of Parliament
- Australian govt to fight Xenophon deportation
- Anwar caught in another video controversy
- Australia’s former PM Rudd tells Canberra to be ‘robust’ on Xenophon expulsion
- Xenophon says Malaysian democracy in ‘dire and critical state’
- Hadi: Pakatan ties smooth but PAS will quit pact if Islam, Malays lose out
- Najib creates history as first PM to attend Dong Zong CNY
- Najib to face-off Anwar?
- Deepak to sue Rosmah, government for RM3b over business losses
- Xenophon to be deported tonight, says Anwar aide
- Pakatan has psychological edge over BN
- Aussie senator Xenophon detained at airport
- BN confident of 145 federal seats in GE13
- Prosecution wants appeal of Anwar’s sodomy in July
- Ex-Perlis mufti Asri may contest polls
- No reason to retract our statement, says MTEM
- Dr Mahathir: Malaysia's debt level still "healthy"
- Nadi Kasih launched in Sabah
- Revving up Proton's image core idea of turnaround plan: Mahathir
- Rare earth refining in Malaysia without coherent waste management concept
- Dr Pornthip says Putrajaya not happy with her
- BN will continuously deliver Sabah's progress
| Karpal says Jui Meng’s intentions ‘suspect’ in Johor DAP-PKR spat Posted: 18 Feb 2013 04:56 AM PST
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Karpal Singh urged today for intervention from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and an inquiry into Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau's claims that ex-MCA leader Datuk Chua Jui Meng (Picture) has been organising an underground campaign against the DAP in the southern state. The DAP chairman appeared, however, to back his fellow party leader in the crossfire, calling Dr Boo "the real McCoy" and in contrast, saying Chua's credibility as Johor's PKR chief was "suspect". "The credibility of Chua Jui Meng is suspect," Karpal said in a sharply-worded statement here. "His long sojourn in the MCA and by extension in the Barisan Nasional (BN), his unsuccessful attempt in 2004 at the MCA presidency and his obvious overzealous enthusiasm to regain a seat in Parliament certainly exposes a credibility problem which may appear to consume the better part of his intellect," added the well-known lawyer. Chua, a former health minister, was previously a veteran MCA leader, holding the post of vice-president from 1990 until 2004. He made two attempts at MCA's presidency but lost both times and in an about-turn in 2009, defected to PKR. In July 2010, he was appointed to the post of Johor PKR chief. But an unimpressed Karpal told Chua that a politician who "deserts his own political mother" could not be regarded with approval or prided. He said that if Dr Boo's allegation that Chua has been the "black hand" behind a campaign against DAP in Johor were true, the latter must be checked in his tracks as soon as possible. "An in-depth inquiry ought to be launched to determine who are behind the 'vicious anonymous attacks' against the DAP and also determine the 'black hand' behind these attacks," Karpal said. "The assertion by Dr Boo cannot be dismissed out of hand in the interests of the Pakatan Rakyat (PR). "I call upon PKR de facto leader, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, to intercede so that PR's chances in its front line state will not in any way be negatively affected by any act of sabotage," he added.
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| PH claim to Sabah ‘dormant’ but KL pays annual rent Posted: 18 Feb 2013 04:46 AM PST
A Malaysian policeman maintains a checkpoint on a road leading to an area in Sabah, where hundreds of followers of the Sulu sultan are holed up. In October last year, President Aquino described the territorial dispute with Malaysia over Sabah as "dormant at this point in time." In October last year, President Aquino described the territorial dispute with Malaysia over Sabah as "dormant at this point in time." While the Philippines' pending claim to Sabah is dormant, the country has never relinquished its claim to Sabah and Kuala Lumpur continues to pay a yearly rent to the heirs of the sultan of Sulu. The Philippines' claim to Sabah (formerly North Borneo) is based on the historic ownership of the territory by the hereditary sultans of Sulu. North Borneo, which used to be under the sultan of Brunei, was ceded to the sultan of Sulu in 1704 after the sultan of Sulu helped quell a rebellion instigated against the sultan of Brunei, according to descendants of Sultan Jamalul Ahlam of the kingdom of Sulu. Sabah was leased to the British colonizers of what is now Malaysia in the late 19th century. In 1878, Ahlam leased Sabah to the British North Borneo Co. for 5,300 Mexican gold pieces a year. The company religiously remitted payments until 1936, when Sultan Jamalul Kiram II, the 32nd sultan of Sulu, died. The British consul in Manila recommended the suspension of payments because President Manuel L. Quezon did not recognize Kiram II's successor. In 1950, Sultan Punjungan Kiram, crown prince of the sultanate at the time of Kiram II's death, went to the British consulate in Manila to demand the resumption of payments. Kiram II's heirs also filed a case in the Sessions Court of North Borneo, which directed the British company to resume payments. The company complied for several years, but it stopped paying when its rights to Sabah were transferred to the newly established Federation of Malaysia in 1963. The new government assumed the payment but in ringgit. Every year, the Malaysian Embassy in the Philippines issues a check in the amount of 5,300 ringgit (about P77,000) to the legal counsel of Ahlam's descendants. Malaysia considers the amount an annual "cession" payment for the disputed state, while the sultan's descendants consider it "rent."—Kate Pedroso, Inquirer Research Source: Inquirer Archives
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| Sulu group members old, malnourished, Hisham tweets Posted: 17 Feb 2013 11:34 PM PST
(The Star) - Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Monday that most of the members of the Sulu group holed up in Kampung Tanduo are malnourished. "Fact: Most of the intruders old or malnourished. Wear sarongs/slippers..a few.. hv arms," he tweeted at 9.04pm. And that was the reason that police have shown much restraint, he tweeted. He is now in Kota Kinabalu and is expected to go to Lahad Datu on Tuesday. A group of armed intruders landed at Lahad Datu on Feb 12 and are now surrounded by Malaysian armed forces at Kampung Tanduo. They insist on speaking to a prominent person. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has made it clear that he wants continued negotiations so that bloodshed is avoided.
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| DAP accuses PKR’s Chua of sabotage Posted: 17 Feb 2013 04:20 PM PST
Replace him with Wan Azizah or Anwar, says Boo Cheng Hau. Alyaa Azhar, FMT DAP today accused Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng of carrying out an underground campaign against it in the state. Johor DAP chairman Boo Cheng Hau said in a media statement that his party had lately been the target of "vicious anonymous attacks" and that he "deeply" believed that Chua was the "black hand" behind them. Boo did not elaborate on the attacks beyond saying that "some forces" had labelled DAP as an arrogant party and that a campaign had been going on for some months "with the motto 'Don't make DAP too strong.'" He said the ostensible organiser of the campaign was an NGO, but he did not name it. Boo said it was regrettable that Chua, although a newcomer to Pakatan Rakyat, was trying to dictate how the opposition bloc should work in Johor. Chua defected from MCA to PKR in July 2009. Boo suggested that PKR replace Chua with either party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail or de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, saying this would give Pakatan a better chance of capturing the state in the 13th general election. He added that Chua, instead of calling DAP arrogant, should look in the mirror and recall how arrogantly he used to belittle DAP when he was a cabinet minister. Boo rejected allegations that Johor DAP had been boycotting Pakatan events and had seldom invited PAS or PKR leaders to its functions. He said Chua was the only opposition leader in the state whom DAP had been omitting from its invitation lists. "Not only has Johor DAP not boycotted any Pakatan events, we have contributed financially to activities organised by other Pakatan component parties," he added. He alleged that Chua's "only interest" was to get a safe seat for himself in the coming election. FMT contacted Chua for his response, but he declined to give any comment.
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| Xenophon was never included in Aussie delegation, says minister’s office Posted: 17 Feb 2013 03:02 PM PST
Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Independent Australian Senator Nick Xenophon was not included in the bipartisan parliamentary delegation invited to meet with Malaysian officials this week, an official from de facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz's office confirmed today. This comes despite Xenophon's claim in the Australian media today that his visit was "not unofficial". The official said the delegation had only included Moore MP Dr Mal Washer, Senator John Williams and Hindmarsh MP Steve Georganas, according to the SMS invite forwarded to Nazri from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's office some time back. "Only three persons were listed. They never communicated about Xenophon (picture)... he was never on the list of individuals who were supposed to arrive here for the meeting," the minister's official said when contacted here. A copy of the SMS invite from Abdul Malek Hussin, Anwar's parliamentary affairs chief co-ordinator, was forwarded to The Malaysian Insider this morning. "Chief.. ada tamu from australia nak jumpa Tuesday. Dah cal azlinda for appointment. 1) Dr. Mal Washer MP of Moore., 2) Senator John Williams (Nationals Whip in the Senate and Senator for New South Wales) 3) Mr. Steve Georganas MP (Second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and MP for Hindmarsh)," the SMS said. [Translation: Chief... there are guests from Australia who would like to meet on Tuesday. I've called Azlinda for an appointment. 1) Dr. Mal Washer MP of Moore., 2) Senator John Williams (Nationals Whip in the Senate and Senator for New South Wales) 3) Mr. Steve Georganas MP (Second Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and MP for Hindmarsh)]. Nazri, who is also the parliamentary affairs minister, is often referred to as "Chief". "This was the SMS on the meeting that was agreed on," the source from the minister's office said. Earlier today, Xenophon was quoted in the Australian media as insisting that his trip to Malaysia to review the country's electoral system was official. Xenophon, who was deported from Malaysia last Saturday for posing a "security risk", claimed that Nationals Senator Williams and Liberal MP Washer had received approval from Australia's Special Minister of State Gary Gray to use their study leave for the trip. "It's not unofficial," Xenophon was quoted today as saying by Australia's ABC radio. "It was a meeting that was going to result in a report being provided to the federal Parliament in relation to the trip," he added. The Australian delegation, including Labor MP Georganas, has since cancelled their trip.
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| Outstation voters will decide Kelantan’s fate Posted: 17 Feb 2013 02:54 PM PST
The youths of Kelantan who are working in other states will decide whether Barisan Nasional or PAS rules the state. Hawkeye, FMT Kelantanese voters who are working outside the state will have a huge say on who will rule the state. Many of the state's young leave the state for jobs elsewhere since there are not many quality jobs in Kelantan. But, even if they are away they register in their hometown as voters. And most of them work in the Klang Valley, or the northern and southern regions, where economic growth is considered more impressive. State opposition leader Md Alwi Che Ahmad (picture) said the young, who are out-of-state voters, would likely become the kingmakers in deciding the outcome of the polls here. Both political sides are actively engaging voters residing outside the state, with many of them feted to dinners, religious forums, debates and social club gatherings. According to Alwi, Barisan Nasional or Umno is optimistic of a better showing this time around compared to the 2008 election. Currently, BN only holds six out of the 45 state seats. "We are projecting perhaps somewhere close to the 2004 performance when BN held 22 and PAS, 23 seats. A majority of only one seat." The optimism is growing because in 2004, PAS in Kelantan did not have any major issues confronting them, while its menteri besar and party spiritual adviser Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat was popular, he said. Succession issues Alwi said now PAS is besieged by issues, not caused by Umno, but mostly by the former's involvement in Pakatan Rakyat. "There are the issues of Pakatan's tentative approval for non-Muslims to use the Allah word, there is Pakatan's liberalism which has unsettled Muslim conservatives and there are alleged demands which threaten the constitutional fabric of the country." These are issues created by Pakatan itself, Alwi pointed out. Alwi said Kelantan PAS is also overwhelmed with the issues of succession to the ailing Nik Aziz. "In all frankness and no disrespect to him, Nik Aziz spends more time visiting the hospital than he does his office." It is believed that the state has informally appointed state PAS deputy commissioner II Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah as the state's spokesman on administrative matters because Nik Aziz is at times preoccupied with his health issues. The factions surrounding Kelantan PAS are also threatening to derail the Islamist party's hopes of a smooth succession plan. Kelantanese are one of the most parochial in Malaysia with their own distinctive culture, food, language, and customs.
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| Posted: 17 Feb 2013 02:21 PM PST
(Philippine Daily Inquirer) - Almost a week since a large group of men and women identified with the Sultanate of Sulu made a mysterious mass landing in Lahad Datu town, in Sabah, much remains to be sorted out. But the excursion's impact on the peace process with the Philippines' Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is becoming clearer by the day. The number of people involved remains undetermined. Many news reports have pegged the total at "100 armed Filipinos," with other stories bringing the number up to 200. The man in charge of the expedition, Rajah Mudah Agbimuddin Kiram, said about 1,000 of his followers left Tawi-Tawi for Sabah on February 11. A report in the Malaysian Star asserts that "the number of armed men has increased from 30 from Saturday to about 300."
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| We won’t leave Sabah, says Kiram Posted: 17 Feb 2013 02:09 PM PST
Sultan of Sulu Jamalul Kiram talks to reporters during a news conference in Alabang, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013. His followers who crossed to the Malaysian state of Sabah this month will not leave and are reclaiming the area as their ancestral territory, the sultan said Sunday, Feb. 17, 2013, amid a tense standoff. AP PHOTO/AARON FAVILA (AFP) - MANILA, Philippines—Followers of a Philippine sultan who crossed to the Malaysian state of Sabah this month will not leave and are reclaiming the area as their ancestral territory, the sultan said Sunday amid a tense standoff. Sultan Jamalul Kiram said his followers—some 400 people including 20 gunmen—were resolute in staying despite being cornered by security forces, with the Kuala Lumpur government insisting the group return to the Philippines. "Why should we leave our own home? In fact they (the Malaysians) are paying rent (to us)," he told reporters in Manila. "Our followers will stay in (the Sabah town of) Lahad Datu. Nobody will be sent to the Philippines. Sabah is our home," he said. The sultan did not directly threaten violence but said "there will be no turning back for us." Malaysian officials have said that many in the group have weapons, but Kiram insisted his followers made the trip unarmed. "If they have arms, they were already in Sabah," the sultan said. The southern Philippine-based Islamic sultanate once controlled parts of Borneo, including the site of the stand-off, and its heirs have been receiving a nominal yearly compensation package from Malaysia under a long-standing agreement for possession of Sabah. Kiram said he was prompted to send the group to Sabah after the sultanate was left out of a framework agreement sealed in October between Manila and Filipino Muslim rebels, which paves the way for an autonomous area in the southern Philippines that is home to the Muslim minority of the largely Christian nation. The sultanate's spokesman, Abraham Idjirani, later said the sultan's brother Raja Muda Abimuddin Kiram, who led the group to Sabah, had told him via telephone that the party was preparing to stay. "The objective is to reside now in that place permanently, considering the sultanate owns Sabah by rights of sovereignty," he told AFP. Idjirani said there were about 400 followers of the sultanate in the area, including about 20 who were armed. On Thursday Malaysian Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein put the number at between 80 to 100 gunmen. Idjirani said the group would not instigate violence but would resist if provoked. "We recognize the capability of Malaysia. We don't have the arms and capacity but we have the historical truth," he said, adding that the group's "fate is to see the recognition they are entitled to… or they die defending their ancestral rights." Idjirani said President Benigno Aquino's senior aides had been in contact with the sultan and were willing to deliver a letter to the Malaysian government on his behalf for negotiations.
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| Posted: 17 Feb 2013 02:00 PM PST
Former Senate president Ernesto Maceda said president Aquino should renew efforts to reclain Sabah from Malaysia. (FMT) - MANILA: President Benigno Aquino should renew efforts to reclaim Sabah from Malaysia by bringing the matter before the United Nations (UN), a move that could also prevent the outbreak of violence between Malaysian troops and armed followers of the Sultan of Sulu province. "It's time to act to regain what is rightfully ours," said former Senate president Ernesto Maceda on Sunday as he urged the government to immediately tap peaceful channels to avoid conflict. "The Philippine government should now seriously consider bringing its claim to the United Nations . . . it has been neglected and sleeping for a long time," the former senator stressed as the standoff between Malaysian security forces some 300 armed Filipinos from Mindanao, who came to Sabah last week to assert the sultanate's claim continued. The Manila Times says that a group of Muslim Filipinos had gone to Sabah to assert the historical claim of the sultanate of Sulu on the territory, which is located on the northern tip of Borneo Island. Maceda said that "renewed government efforts is the only way to stop the followers of the Sultan of Sulu from taking up arms and invading Sabah to press their claim." "The people of the sultanate of Sulu have a legitimate claim to Sabah considering that the British and Malaysian governments used to pay rentals for Sabah to the sultan of Sulu," he pointed out. Rent The senator said Philippines should press its claim on Sabah because history shows that Malaysia is only "renting" the island. "We have not actually abandoned our claim to Sabah. In fact, until some years back, Malaysia actually paid the heirs of the Sultan of Sulu a fixed amount as rental for their occupation of Sabah," Pimentel noted. He explained that the country's claim was only sidetracked by political events, particularly the outbreak of armed conflict in Mindanao, when the Moro National Liberation Front launched a separatist movement in the 1970s. He proposed proposed that teachings about the country's claim to Sabah should be added in school curricula to educate the new generation on the historical basis and current status of the claim. It is to be noted that the Sultanate of Sulu ceded to the Philippine government its title and sovereignty to former president Diosdado Macapagal in 1962. Non-committal But as of Sunday, Malacañang remained non-committal on the revival of the country's Sabah claim. Palace deputy spokesman Abigail Valte kept a discreet distance from the issue on whether the government planned to field an emissary to one of the heirs, Sultan Jamalul Kiram 3rd, to ask him to recall his followers from Sabah and on whether Manila will actively seek talks to revive its claim. Valte added that no comments are forthcoming until the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has fully briefed the executive. Meanwhile, Valte said that the safety of the Filipinos in Sabah was the government's main concern. "The primary concern now is their safety and to resolve the incident peacefully," Valte said, noting that the Philippines had received assurance from Malaysia that the government would encourage the group, which Manila has yet to identify, to leave the area peacefully.
Sabah Police chief Hamza Taib was quoted by local dailies as saying that police were negotiating with the group and expected the standoff to be resolved "very soon with the group returning to their home country." Malaysian police have set up a series of roadblocks along the route leading from Lahad Datu through palm oil plantations to the remote village where the gunmen are. Marine police were also patrolling the sea. Reports identified the leader of the armed group as Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram, former assistant district officer of Kudat during the time of former chief minister Tun Datu Mustapha Harun from 1967 to 1976. Azzimudie, who was dressed in white robes, has yet to respond to requests by emissaries to "go home." Sultan Jamalul was expected to come by boat from Mindanao, while another sultan was expected to come in from Kuala Lumpur.
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| Xenophon: Dumbfounded by Malaysian deportation Posted: 17 Feb 2013 12:43 PM PST
(ABC Adelaide) - Permanently refused entry to Malaysia on grounds he was a threat to the country's security, South Australian independent senator Nick Xenophon joined 891 Breakfast to explain his tumultuous weekend. Rejected entry on the belief that he was challenging the country's electoral system, Mr Xenophon said it was not his intention to provide support for any party running in the upcoming election, he was simply there to encourage a democratic process. "We have a situation where they have asked for our help to say 'we just want clean and fair elections'." Mr Xenophon said the deportation came as a shock as he had previously travelled to Malaysia in April and November in 2012 without incident. He said the plan for the visit was to meet with the Opposition, the Clean Elections Movement and Minister Nazri. "If we have meetings lined up with a senior minister and a senior government body, you'd think there wouldn't be a problem for me to come in. "I was there to facilitate the meetings because I had been there previously," Mr Xenophon said. Read more at: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/02/18/3692513.htm
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| Malaysia trip not unofficial: Xenophon Posted: 17 Feb 2013 12:34 PM PST
(The Australian) - INDEPENDENT senator Nick Xenophon says his trip to Malaysia, which saw him deported on national security grounds, was official. Senator Xenophon travelled to Malaysia as the head of a parliamentary delegation to review the country's electoral system. But he was detained on arrival and returned to Australia on a flight that landed in Melbourne on Sunday morning. The South Australian senator disputes media reports that his trip was unofficial. He says Nationals senator John Williams and Liberal MP Mal Washer had received approval from the Australia's Special Minister of State Gary Gray to use their study leave for the trip. "It's not unofficial," he told ABC radio on Monday. "It was a meeting that was going to result in a report being provided to the federal parliament in relation to the trip." Senator Xenophon called on Australia's government to do more to support Malaysia's electoral system. He described Foreign Minister Bob Carr's position on Malaysia's general election, due later in the year, as flawed. "(Senator Carr) says so long as the country has elections, we won't be sending observers," Senator Xenophon said. "But if the electoral process is so flawed and so corrupted ... then I think we need to look at it quite differently." Read more at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/malaysia-trip-not-unofficial-xenophon/story-fn3dxiwe-1226579998056
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| Xenophon criticised for interfering in M'sian politics Posted: 17 Feb 2013 12:17 PM PST
A handout photo taken and received on Feb 16 shows Australian Senator Nick Xenophon being detained at Kuala Lumpur's International Airport. (Bernama) - ONE of Australia's senior commentators has taken maverick independent senator Nick Xenophon to task for his "foolish or cynically self-promoting" episode in Malaysia at the weekend. Sheridan said Foreign Minister Bob Carr was right to make his response to Xenophon's deportation as low key as possible and to agree with his Malaysian counterpart that the issue would not affect relations between the two countries. "Carr should take no further action on the matter, nor is he likely to," he said. "They (Malaysia) should either have told Xenophon in advance he was not welcome or they should have let his visit pass unnoticed. "However, if anything, having an argument with an interfering Australian politician will be of some small electoral advantage to the ruling coalition. "He might reflect on the fact the side he supports contains as perhaps its strongest element the most extreme Islamist party in mainstream Southeast Asian politics. "Xenophon wants the Australian government to send electoral monitors to the forthcoming Malaysian elections. This idea is stupid and impractical," Sheridan said. Citing electoral problems in Vietnam and Cambodia, Sheridan said Malaysia "on any measure is one of the most democratic and freewheeling nations in Southeast Asia. "Its elections are certainly not perfect, but they are better than in most parts of the world. "Indeed, its very openness allows people such as Xenophon to grandstand there."
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| Australia wants Malaysia to explain Senator’s deportation Posted: 17 Feb 2013 12:14 PM PST
In this Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2010 photo, Australian senator Nick Xenophon, right, walks with Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim at the Parliament House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Photo: AP (Today Online) - "We made immediate and strenuous representations on his behalf, not only in relation to him being detained, but in terms of him being allowed to be in Malaysia," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne, where Mr Xenophon had arrived earlier. "Clearly we didn't succeed. We will continue to pursue this issue with the Malaysian government." Australia is seeking further explanation from Malaysia about why an Australian Senator, who went to Malaysia to discuss electoral reform, was denied entry and deported, Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday. Malaysia refused entry on Saturday to independent Senator Nick Xenophon, with an immigration official saying the decision was due to his participation in an illegal street rally for electoral reform last year. The Malaysian government is bracing for an election within months that is expected to be the closest in the country's history. "We made immediate and strenuous representations on his behalf, not only in relation to him being detained, but in terms of him being allowed to be in Malaysia," Ms Gillard told reporters in Melbourne, where Mr Xenophon had arrived earlier. "Clearly we didn't succeed. We will continue to pursue this issue with the Malaysian government." Mr Xenophon was part of an unofficial delegation seeking to discuss the coming elections with members of the Malaysian government, opposition, judiciary and election commission. The other three members of the delegation cancelled their trip after Mr Xenophon was detained on arrival in Kuala Lumpur. He said he had been told he had been detained because he was considered "a security risk". The Malaysian government said he had broken the law on a previous visit. Mr Xenophon was invited to Malaysia last year by opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and observed a major street rally for electoral reform in April that ended in violence. He later criticised the government's handling of the rally. "I understand the decision to deport me came from the highest levels of the Malaysian government," Mr Xenophon said yesterday, adding that he had become the first Australian lawmaker to be deported from any country. Australia and Malaysia have had a sometimes rocky diplomatic relationship. The two countries clashed 20 years ago when former Australian Prime Minister Paul Keating called former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad "recalcitrant" for boycotting the 1993 Asia-Pacific economic forum. Yesterday, Dr Mahathir said Malaysia does not need to entertain Canberra's criticism for expelling Mr Xenophon. The former Prime Minister said the Australian government was free to criticise but Malaysia's government had the right to enforce its laws. "If he comes here with no good intentions, might as well not come here," Dr Mahathir said. "If (the Gillard administration) wants to criticise, they can criticise. We don't have to entertain them," he told reporters at a Chinese New Year celebration in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Approached by reporters, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was also with Dr Mahathir at the event, said he would not comment on the matter yesterday.
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| PM: Opposition only has attractive slogans Posted: 17 Feb 2013 11:53 AM PST
(The Star) - Slogans by the Opposition may be attractive but these do not assure the people's comforts or way of life, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. In contrast, Najib said the Government Transformation Programmes had proven to enhance both the country's and the people's standards of living and morale. Malaysians, he added, could not survive only on nice slogans or huge banners. "Can the banners give your children an education? Or repair your homes? The answer is not at all. "However, the transformation programmes can help the people out. The proof is that today, some 7,000 people in the Chini state constituency have received their Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M) from the Government," he said during a kenduri rakyat in Bandar Dara Chini attended by some 20,000 people here yesterday. Najib also urged the people to evaluate the attempts by certain groups to inspire a revolution through reformasi (reformation) like in Egypt. Although these groups had used the word reformasi instead of revolution for their cause, he said there was no better word than the "transformation" undertaken by the Government. "If reformasi means demonstrasi (demonstration) and baling kerusi (chair throwing), it is definitely not good. "It is better to have transformasi (transformation) as we are doing to help the people out of concern for their needs, such as giving out BR1M, the early schooling aid and so many other forms of assistance from the Government. "The reformasi cannot give all of these," he said to loud applause from the crowd. Unlike the Opposition, Najib said Barisan Nasional had not played the people out by not fulfilling its promises. "All the Opposition's promises to the people in Selangor how many of these have been fulfilled? The monthly financial aid to single mothers was not fulfilled despite them having been in power for nearly five years. "Many Selangor folk are also disappointed with the promise for free water supply. Instead, there is no water," he said. "This is the fate that has befallen the people after believing those promises by the Opposition. However, with the Barisan government, our promises are fulfilled," added Najib.
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| PKR banks on ex-deputy minister to win back Wangsa Maju Posted: 17 Feb 2013 01:46 AM PST
Md Izwan, The Malaysian Insider PKR is banking on a former deputy minister to take back the Wangsa Maju urban constituency needed to seize federal power in Election 2013. Former Deputy Minister Land and Cooperative Development Datuk Dr Tan Tee Kwong had started reconnecting with the voters to increase his profile on the ground since incumbent Wangsa Maju representative Wee Choo Keong quit the party in 2010 and turned Independent though pledging support to the Barisan Nasional (BN) federal coalition. In a recent Sunday walkabout, Dr Tan told The Malaysian Insider that he is now more comfortable and confident after meeting Wangsa Maju residents regularly. "After two years, the walkabouts and contributions to the needy have started to show positive result," said the former Gerakan MP. He also confessed that the hardest task is to convince the voters who question his loyalty to PKR, and to assure them that another party-hopping incident will not repeat itself. "The first time I was here, almost everybody I met asked what assurance can I give them if I win," Dr Tan added. Two high-ranking PKR leaders have also acknowledged that Dr Tan was given the responsibility to take care of the area's party branch after Wee left. "(Dr Tan) was given the responsibility to restore the party's image and strengthen the election machinery," said PKR Secretary-General Datuk Saifuddin Nasution Ismail. "The possibility of him contesting (in Wangsa Maju) is there." PKR Communications Director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad also echoed Saifuddin's view of Dr Tan's chances. "A full decision is yet to be made, but that's it... maybe Tan will contest that seat," the Seri Setia assemblyman said. Dr Tan's presence was lauded by Mohammad Hamdi Mohd Said, who was part of the election machinery's backbone which contributed to Wee's win back in 2008. "Almost every week, (Dr Tan) would go to the ground to meet the residents," the Wangsa Maju PKR Youth Chief said. "After Wee left, it became a bit chaotic, but since Tan took over, situation has changed. "Tan is a true politician, and he is not shy to go to the ground, unlike Wee who did so rarely. "His character is so different to the old candidate, because in 2008 we made a big mistake by putting a parachute candidate."
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| Hindraf: Pakatan risks losing 25 seats without us Posted: 16 Feb 2013 07:05 PM PST
Meena Lakshana, fz.com Pakatan Rakyat risks losing 25 parliamentary seats in the upcoming general election without Hindraf's partnership, the Indian-based movement claimed today. Hindraf chairman P Waytha Moorthy said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration has gained traction in the Indian community, and the community was "not at war with the government as they were in 2007 and 2008." "The Najib administration has done tremendous work on the ground and if they are successful in gaining 55% of the total Indian voters, Pakatan is likely to face risk in 25 parliament seats," he said in a statement. "We have educated and empowered the people politically. They are no longer the naive community who would agree to what is promised prior to elections. "We earnestly hope Pakatan would do some real on-the-ground investigation instead of relying on information from their own diehard supporters. BN did the same mistake in 2008 and paid a heavy price," he added. Waytha Moorthy said Hindraf, with its 200 volunteers, is prepared to do the ground work for Pakatan to gain support among the Indian community. He also said Pakatan should endorse the Hindraf blueprint in which the group spells out policies that if feels would help alleviate the problems faced by the Indian community. "Hindraf has been questioned by the Indian community throughout their road shows as to the reason for Pakatan's reluctance to sign the document. We have no concrete answer to give them," he said. Waytha Moorthy repeated his claim that a strategic partnership with Hindraf would ensure delivery of 50% of the undecided Indian voters. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had previously said the coalition's Buku Jingga, a master plan of policies it would enact if it were to take over Putrajaya, would address the woes of the Indian community. Pakatan's discussions with Hindraf to form an electoral pact hit a wall after the group reportedly demanded that its representatives be fielded as candidates in seven parliamentary constituencies and 10 state seats. Waytha Moorthy clarified later Hindraf representatives are only seeking to contest in constituencies that are currently held by MIC.
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| MIC man calls on Hindraf to woo BN Posted: 16 Feb 2013 06:49 PM PST
Since Pakatan does not appreciate the efforts of Hindra, KP Samy says the movement should turn to BN instead. K Pragalath, FMT Days after Hindraf announced that its courtship with Pakatan Rakyat has soured, a former Hindraf activist wants the movement to woo MIC and Barisan Nasional. Ex-Hindraf activist KP Samy wanted the movement to reveal Pakatan Rakyat's shortcomings to the Indian community. "Hindraf should agree that MIC is the sole Indian representative. They should work with MIC to strengthen the community. "Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has been doing his level best for the past four years," said the MIC central working committee member. He also said Hindraf's efforts to build a working relationship with Pakatan was not appreciated by the federal opposition alliance that helms four state governments. "Hindraf should go back to the Indian community and reveal Pakatan's insincerity. A large number of Hindraf supporters have left Pakatan," he told FMT. Samy said that Hindraf's contribution that led to Pakatan's victory was neither valued nor recognised. He added that Pakatan should have honoured the five Hindraf leaders held under ISA and provided financial backing for the hundreds of Hindraf supporters who were detained. Instead, he said Selangor executive councillor Dr Xavier Jayakumar only announced financial assistance for Bersih co-chairperson S Ambiga when the federal government initiated a suit against Bersih. Samy also requested Hindraf to consider the Indian equity factor. "Only one race – the Chinese – have maximised their equity in Selangor. The Indians remain the same," he added. He added that in terms of positions within the government, Pakatan had only fulfilled its pledge by giving the Penang Deputy Chief Minister 2 post to P Ramasamy but in Selangor that was not the case. "Jayakumar's exco post is the eighth in the list. All the important exco positions are held by Chinese representatives from the DAP and PKR," he said, citing Teresa Kok and Elizabeth Wong as examples. Meanwhile, Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy still hoped that Pakatan would continue courting Hindraf. "Hindraf has made clear from the outset that it supports Pakatan and wishes to work closely with Pakatan to achieve its objectives of addressing the 56-year marginalisation of the Indian community in this country," he said in a press statement. He also emphasised on Hindraf's vital role in swaying Indian votes for Pakatan.
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| ‘Pakatan’s Allah decision is official’ Posted: 16 Feb 2013 06:46 PM PST
Karpal Singh says that the PAS majlis syura's decision cannot overwrite the stand taken by Pakatan Rakyat. Athi Shankar, FMT Pakatan Rakyat's decision that the term "Allah" can be used by non-Muslims is the coalition's official stand that should be respected by its allies, said DAP national chairman Karpal Singh. He said Pakatan's decision was binding on DAP, PAS and PKR notwithstanding the parties' respective stand on the issue. Hence, he said the decision by PAS' majlis syura, the party's highest decision-making body, that non-Muslims cannot use the term would not overwrite Pakatan's stand. He said Pakatan's official stand was collectively and unanimously adopted by its leaders – PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang and PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang to safeguard larger public interests and rights. He pointed out that majlis syura was just a small entity in a party that was part of Pakatan. "Mathematically, it can't overwrite Pakatan's decision. Pakatan is the bigger entity. The three Pakatan parties agreed to it unanimously. All allies should stand by Pakatan's decision," he said. He was commenting on media reports about groups protesting against the stand taken by DAP and PKR leaders, like Karpal, Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng, Anwar and Azmin Ali on whether Christians could use the term Allah in the Malay edition of the Bible. Claiming to be current and former PAS members, the groups criticised DAP and PKR leaders for stirring Muslim sentiments and undermining the Majlis Syura decision. Karpal criticised certain Barisan Nasional-controlled media for playing up the issue to irk Muslim sensitivities against Pakatan leaders like him. "Publishing pictures that are defamatory is a serious matter," he cautioned. The Allah issue aside, he said the relationship among Pakatan allies were generally good as the parties had good understanding on many common and pressing issues. He also commented on Pakatan's leadership seeking clarification from Hadi over his flip-flop on the issue following the majlis syura's decision and pressure from party grassroots. "The issue does not arise. Pakatan's stand is clear," said Karpal.
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| Postal voting: M’sians abroad have until dissolution of Parliament Posted: 16 Feb 2013 03:50 PM PST
Applications through the 1B Form received after midnight on the day of dissolution will not be processed, says the EC. (Bernama) - Registered Malaysian voters living abroad have until the dissolution of Parliament to apply for postal voting for the 13th general election. Election Commission (EC) deputy chairman Wan Ahmad Wan Omar said applications through the 1B Form received after midnight on the day of dissolution would not be processed. Since Jan 21, the EC had received 2,485 applications from Malaysians living overseas of which the highest were from Australia with 574 applications, United Kingdom (449), United States (195), China (132), Qatar (116) and United Arab Emirates (97), he told Bernama. Besides them, 2,651 Malaysian students and civils servants and their spouseshave also registered for postal voting for the coming elections. He said Malaysian citizens could refer to the guideline for filling in the 1B Form on the EC website for any question they might have regarding form completion to ensure it was done properly. Completed forms need to be sent to the EC headquarters in Putrajaya by e-mail (upup@spr.gov.my), fax (+603-8881 1201/ 1202/ 1187/ 1192) or by post. Wan Ahmad said each application would be immediately processed and the applicants would be informed of their application status. "Malaysians abroad should keep themselves updated on EC's announcements by visiting www.spr.gov.my from time to time," he said. For the first time in the country's election history, Malaysians living abroad who are registered voters can vote and be involved in determining the future of the country. Previously, only full-time students and civil servants and their spouses were eligible to use the postal voting facility. Besides being a registered voter, they must also have been in Malaysia for not less than 30 days within five years before Parliament and state assembly are dissolved. Malaysians living in Southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Kalimantan are not eligible for postal voting and are required to return to cast their votes on polling day.
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| Australian govt to fight Xenophon deportation Posted: 16 Feb 2013 03:38 PM PST
(World News Australia) - Independent senator Nick Xenophon says he'll use the Malaysian courts to try to get his name removed from the country's watch list. The federal government will continue demanding explanations from Malaysia after failing to convince authorities to let South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon stay in the country. The independent senator was detained and deported from Malaysia upon arrival over the weekend - a decision he says came from "the highest levels of the Malaysian government" because of his support for pro-democracy reform. He arrived in Melbourne on Sunday after an eight-hour return flight, saying he believed he was the first Australian MP ever to be deported and he was ready to fight such a travel ban in court. "I'm now on a watch list," he said. "I don't know how many years or decades it will be before I'm allowed to set foot in Malaysian soil, which is a great pity." Senator Xenophon had been travelling to Malaysia as the head of an unofficial parliamentary delegation to review the country's electoral system. He and other Australian MPs were to meet Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, as well as the minister in charge of parliamentary affairs, Mohammed Nazri, and members of the group Bersih - the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections. But immigration officials told Senator Xenophon there was a technical glitch with his passport when he arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday. He said he was then detained and deported upon being found to be a security risk. "I think that they've made a big mistake," he said. "This was going to be a low key visit ... I think it's spectacularly backfired on them." Prime Minister Julia Gillard said her government had immediately tried to convince Malaysia to allow Senator Xenophon into the country. "We will continue to pursue this issue with the Malaysian government," she told reporters in Melbourne on Sunday. Foreign Minister Bob Carr said he had already spoken with his Malaysian counterpart to express his surprise and disappointment at the deportation but hoped the incident would not erode bilateral relations. "I said I thought no ill could come of having an Australian senator there to observe the elections," Senator Carr told reporters at Sydney Airport on Sunday. But the Malaysian government took strong objection to foreign interference in their election campaign, he said. Local Malaysian media reported that Senator Xenophon was barred because he had attended a banned demonstration last year. "Malaysia is a free and democratic country but no one is above the law," a government-issued statement said. Former prime minister and foreign minister Kevin Rudd said Australia's response should be "robust," considering the senator's treatment. "Detaining any member of an Australian parliament, in the way in which Senator Xenophon appears to have been detained, is just unacceptable," he told Sky News on Sunday. "We are robust about our democracy and therefore we should be robust in our response to our friends in Kuala Lumpur." Senator Xenophon said his planned court appeal will likely mean he'll have to testify via video link since he was no longer allowed into Malaysia.
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| Anwar caught in another video controversy Posted: 16 Feb 2013 03:31 PM PST
(The Star) - A new controversy is swirling over Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's recent trip to Sabah to woo voters there, this time for remarks he is claimed to have made against PAS leaders. A video of his speech, being circulated by pro-Barisan Nasional bloggers, seems to show him belittling the PAS leadership to stress that Pakatan Rakyat had not changed its stand on the use of the word "Allah" by non-Muslims. Among the remarks heard in the one-minute clip are his accusations that PAS mursyidul am Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat no longer understands Islam and his description of PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang as a mere follower. It is the second controversy to hit the PKR following Anwar's visit to Sabah. The first is the alleged conferment of the Huguan Siou (paramount leader) title to Anwar that angered Sabahans, because the revered title is traditionally bestowed only on members of the Kadazandusun community. In the video clip, Anwar claims that Umno is campaigning against him, and says: "Tok Guru Nik Aziz? Tok Guru Nik Aziz also does not understand Islam now. "Ustaz Hadi Awang? He also doesn't know, he only follows." The video clip is part of a recording of Anwar's speech at a PKR Chinese New Year open house at a hotel in Sabah last week. It has been reported that Anwar and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali had called on PAS to stick to a decision made by the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council on Jan 9 to allow non-Muslims to use the word "Allah". The PAS Syura Council had on Jan 13 objected to the use of the word in Malay Bibles. In the clip, Anwar says the Pakatan leadership had reached a consensus on the issue after discussions with Hadi in his capacity as PAS president. Anwar is heard in the video as saying that Pakatan had agreed that non-Muslims could use the word "Allah" but they should not "dishonour, ridicule and smear" the sacred term. When contacted, PKR vice-president Tian Chua said Anwar clearly stated in the video that it was Umno that had been going around claiming that Nik Aziz does not understand Islam and Hadi was a mere follower.
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| Australia’s former PM Rudd tells Canberra to be ‘robust’ on Xenophon expulsion Posted: 16 Feb 2013 03:11 PM PST
Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider Australia's former prime minister Kevin Rudd condemned Australian senator Nick Xenophon's detention in Malaysia as unacceptable and urged Canberra to be "robust" in response. Xenophon (picture) arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning to call on Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, de facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz and Election Commission (EC) officials next week, but was detained at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang and subsequently deported late at night. "Detaining any member of an Australian parliament, in the way in which Senator Xenophon appears to have been detained, is just unacceptable," Rudd told Australian news channel Sky News today. "We are robust about our democracy and therefore we should be robust in our response to our friends in Kuala Lumpur," he added. Xenophon was to review the country's electoral system with a delegation of other Australian MPs and senators that would arrive later, but his colleagues have cancelled the trip in response to his deportation. Rudd said today that Australia was a "good friend" to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, but that Putrajaya's action warranted a response. "He's an elected member of the Australian Parliament and should be treated with the appropriate respect," added Rudd, referring to Xenophon.  The deportation order issued by the Malaysian Immigration Department to Nick Xenophon.- Picture courtesy of Nick Xenophon's office Alias highlighted Xenophon's remarks about the Malaysian government being "authoritarian" in handling last April's Bersih 3.0 rally for free and fair elections. In Xenophon's observation of the rally, he noted that the police had fired tear gas and chemical-laced water in what had been a largely peaceful protest. His comments were also laid down in the final report of a fact-finding mission on elections in Malaysia as part of an international polls observer group that included six others, including representatives from neighbouring Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Pakistan and Germany.
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| Xenophon says Malaysian democracy in ‘dire and critical state’ Posted: 16 Feb 2013 03:03 PM PST
Australian senator, Nick Xenophon (left) seen here with Opposition Leader, Datuk Sri Anwar Ibrahim. Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider Australian senator Nick Xenophon said today that his deportation from Malaysia yesterday revealed how "dire and critical" the state of Malaysian democracy was. The independent lawmaker was also quoted by Australian media as saying that his deportation was a "big mistake" as it had backfired on Putrajaya. "But if it means more Australians in the region are aware of how dire and critical the state of Malaysian democracy is and how Malaysian democracy is at the crossroads, then that unambiguously is a good thing," Xenophon was quoted today as saying by Australia's national broadcaster ABC News. "Australia and Malaysia are the greatest of friends. This shouldn't affect the relationship but I think if the Malaysian government thought that they were doing the smart thing, I think it spectacularly backfired on them," he added. Xenophon also said that Australia had a moral obligation to intervene in the coming Election 2013 to ensure that it was clean and fair, despite the polls having a "veneer of democracy", according to Australian newspaper Herald Sun. "Millions of Malaysians see Australia as a shining beacon of democracy in the region and seek our help for independent election observers," he said. Australia's former prime minister Kevin Rudd has condemned Xenophon's detention as unacceptable and urged Canberra to be "robust" in response. Xenophon arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning to call on Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, de facto law minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz and Election Commission (EC) officials next week, but was detained at the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal in Sepang and subsequently deported late at night. Xenophon was to review the country's electoral system with a delegation of other Australian MPs and senators that would arrive later, but his colleagues have cancelled the trip in response to his deportation. Immigration Department director-general Datuk Alias Ahmad said yesterday that Xenophon was deported and barred from entering Malaysia under the Immigration Act 8(3) because the senator had made statements that allegedly tarnished Malaysia's image.
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| Hadi: Pakatan ties smooth but PAS will quit pact if Islam, Malays lose out Posted: 16 Feb 2013 02:58 PM PST
(TMI) - Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang has said that the Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) three partners are working well with each other but PAS will not hesitate to quit the pact should Islam and Malays lose out in coalition politics. The Islamist party president's declaration last night, reportedly made in front of a 10,000-strong crowd in Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, appeared an attempt to shore up support from the country's biggest demographic group ahead of Election 2013. "If that pact does not benefit Islam and Malays, PAS will exit PR! Without a doubt," he was quoted as saying by Sinar Harian, which carried the news on its front-page today. The Malay daily reported Hadi (picture) saying there were no issues currently within the three PR partners and that he was confident their collaboration would not impact the Malays in a negative wat, who are constitutionally defined to also be Muslims. The Marang MP was also reported saying the PR political partnership with DAP and PKR had in fact empowered the Malays and Islam. "In fact, we have succeeded in making a paradigm shift with the victories of candidates like Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud, Fuziah Salleh who fought with non-Malay Muslim candidates and were won by Malay and non-Muslim voters. "That's the big change we have created," the opposition leader was reported saying. Dr Siti Mariah is PAS MP for Kota Raja while her PKR colleague, Fuziah, is MP for Kuantan. Both are urban federal seats with a mixed racial demography. Recently, an unsettled feeling among the country's biggest demographic group has been perceived to be growing amid widespread rumours that their constitutional rights were being challenged by minority groups. The issue of race and religion — which are inseparable subjects in Malaysia — have become major electoral fodder ahead of national polls that must be called by April when the ruling Barisan Nasional's mandate expires. In particular, debate over the use of the word "Allah" to call god among non-Muslims remains a hot-button topic as many Muslims nationwide believe the Arabic word to be exclusive to Islam, despite a 2009 High Court ruling it otherwise.
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| Najib creates history as first PM to attend Dong Zong CNY Posted: 16 Feb 2013 02:56 PM PST
(Bernama) - Datuk Seri Najib Razak became the first prime minister to have attended a Chinese New Year celebration organised today by the United Chinese School Committees Association of Malaysia (Dong Zong) since it was established 59 years ago. Najib (picture) was received on arrival at 9.45am at the Dong Jiao Zong Higher Learning Centre, by Dong Zong chairman Dr Yap Sin Tian and several other representatives of the association. Also present were Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong. The prime minister took part in the "lao shang" and tried his hand at Chinese calligraphy, writing the words which meant celebrating the new year together. The calligraphy session was also joined by Yap, Dong Zong deputy chairman Chow Siew Hon, United Chinese School Teachers Association (Jiao Zong) chairman Ong Chiow Chuen and Merdeka University Berhad chairman Foo Wan Thot. Najib and the more than 5,000 guests then enjoyed the spread served while watching a cultural performance that included a lion dance, and Chinese music and traditional dances. The crowd was excited with the prime minister's presence and took the opportunity to shake hands with him as he was leaving the function at about 10.30am. The celebration was organised in collaboration with Jiao Zong, Merdeka University Berhad, United Chinese Associations of Hulu Langat District, Dong Jioa Zong Higher Learning Centre, Chinese School Committee Association of the respective states and New Era College. Chow when met by reporters said the prime minister's presence was a good start towards enhancing further Chinese education in the country. "The prime minister's presence at our function shows his sincerity and we are delighted with his presence," he said.
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| Posted: 15 Feb 2013 10:11 PM PST
The stage is set for an exciting encounter between two sworn political foes. Leven Woon, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may come face to face with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak at a Chinese New Year open house in Kajang tomorrow — and deliver highly charged political speeches. The event is organised by Dong Zong, a Chinese education pressure group. Anwar today said he would not avoid meeting Najib if both were to share the same stage at the gathering. Both Najib and Anwar have agreed to attend the event. Said Anwar: "What's the problem [meeting him]? My battle is not personal, I'm not going to fight with him," he said when asked by reporters whether he would meet Najib. He was attending a Chinese New Year function at the Batu constituency here. The encounter will whip up a frenzy of interest as the two top leaders have never met outside of Parliament since 2008. According to media reports, Najib has informed Dong Zong about his attendance on Thursday. Yesterday, Anwar confirmed he would also be attending. The open house is scheduled to begin at 10am at the Dong Zong headquarters in the premises of the New Era College. Both Anwar and Najib are expected to deliver highly politically-charged speeches, should they appeared at the occasion at the same time. Anwar said he will not be worried if Najib were to announce that the government will recognise the Chinese independent schools' Unified Examination Certificate (UEC) at the function tomorrow. He said Pakatan has already pledged to recognise the UEC three years ago. "Recognising UEC is a common policy approved by the three parties in Pakatan three years ago. Najib will only now be responding to it, a month before the general election, and that is the big difference," he said. However, he added that the recognition of Chinese independent schools and UEC comes with the condition that the students must be able to master Bahasa Malaysia.
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| Deepak to sue Rosmah, government for RM3b over business losses Posted: 15 Feb 2013 03:52 PM PST
(TMI) - Carpet dealer Deepak Jaikishan will file a RM3 billion lawsuit against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and the federal government next week in a bid to reclaim losses suffered from a series of business projects that have soured. Deepak (picture) revealed his legal action plan in an interview with a news portal that was also uploaded to YouTube yesterday, a move that could hurt Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition's chances in Election 2013. He told The Malaysian Insider today that his lawyer, Sivarasa Rasiah, would provide more details on Monday. "We are launching a legal case against Datin Seri and the government of Malaysia," he said in the nine-minute clip, referring to Rosmah. The businessman was recently tangled in another court suit with Senator Datuk Raja Ropiaah Abdullah's firm, Awan Megah (M) Sdn Bhd, which he had accused of cheating him out of millions of ringgit in a land deal. Deepak's Astacanggih Sdn Bhd had agreed to buy three parcels of land in 2007 for RM13 million and a RM72 million bank guarantee for a land bond from Raja Ropiaah, who was awarded a RM100 million privatisation deal for the development of the defence research centre called Pusat Pengajian Pertahanan Nasional (Puspahanas). The land was supposed to be placed in a special purpose company called Cebur Megah as government rules does not allow land in privatised projects to be sold by the winning party. The land is still in government hands as the defence project has yet to take off. The Selangor Wanita Umno chief had allegedly sold one parcel for RM2 million in cash and a RM16 million overdraft facility in a "joint venture" with Guppyunip Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in plasticware, prompting the carpet dealer to put a caveat on the land in Bukit Raja and lodge a police report last July.
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| Xenophon to be deported tonight, says Anwar aide Posted: 15 Feb 2013 03:49 PM PST
Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider Australian Senator Nick Xenophon, who is now being held by Immigration officials as a "security risk", will be deported tonight from the Low-Cost Carrier Terminal here, an aide to Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said. Anwar's chief of staff Ibrahim Yaacob told The Malaysian Insider that Home Ministry officials have met Australian High Commissioner Miles Kupa at the airport and have decided to send Xenophon (picture) back to Australia on a 10pm flight. "He'll be deported tonight. No reasons given," Ibrahim said. He added that other Australian MPs including Mal Washer, John Williams and Steve Georganas, who were due to arrive here tomorrow, have cancelled their plans. Ibrahim had earlier said Xenophon had flown in this morning to meet Anwar as well as Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz and Election Commission (EC) officials next week to discuss the country's electoral system. Australia's Foreign Ministry has expressed its disappointment with Xenophon's detention and demanded his release. News of Xenophon's detention has also been picked up by the Australian press. "I am effectively a prisoner here," he was quoted as saying in the Australian newspaper The Sunday Mail. The paper reported the Australian lawmaker managed to slip through a phone call when he was left unattended in the interrogation room. "I'm being held in an area with all these holding cells which are full of women. They have basically told me I am an enemy of the state. They are trying to get me on the next plane out of here and back home. "I was even meeting members of the government, I mean, the whole situation is ridiculous, we are meant to be the closest of friends with Malaysia," he told the paper. "We are meant to be having a people swap deal on asylum seekers but so far it looks like the only person being swapped is me," he was quoted saying.
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| Pakatan has psychological edge over BN Posted: 15 Feb 2013 03:38 PM PST
BN's scare tactics is an admission of fear of Pakatan's growing strength, claims Penang DAP. Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: With the 13th general election just weeks away, Pakatan Rakyat has already claimed a psychological political victory over Barisan Nasional. Penang DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the scare tactics employed by BN was an admission of Pakatan's growing strength. He added that Pakatan needed to win at least 130-odd parliamentary seats to form a stable federal government. His said BN's repeated attempts to instil fear of possible chaos if the people voted for change is a psychological boost to Pakatan. This terror tactic is actually a confession of BN's own anxiety over Pakatan's growing political strength, support and ability to take over the federal reins, he said. "BN leaders actually fear and acknowledge that Pakatan can capture the government although we ourselves are sceptical about it. "This has given Pakatan a psychological edge over BN," said Chow, who is also a DAP central executive committee member, when launching the Jelutong parliamentary constituency election operation centre here today. Present were DAP Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi Chuan Aun and the constituency's three assemblymen – Jagdeep Singh Deo (Datuk Keramat), Koid Teng Guan (Sungai Pinang) and Danny Law Heng Kiang (Batu Lanchang). Also in attendance were state DAP secretary and Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik and PKR Jelutong division secretary Khairil Annuar. Chow, however, admitted that Pakatan's goal of toppling BN was not easy given that BN is not a pushover but a formidable opponent. He said Pakatan comprising of DAP, PKR and PAS must increase its current parliamentary tally to between 40 and 50 seats in the polls. "If Pakatan can win at least some 130 seats, we can have a stable and comfortable government. "More seats won, the better it is," said Chow, a state executive councillor, and also the Tanjung MP and Padang Kota assemblyman.
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| Aussie senator Xenophon detained at airport Posted: 15 Feb 2013 03:02 PM PST
The Independent senator Nick Xenophon arrived here for meetings with Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz and the Election Commission. K Pragalath, FMT Independent Australian senator Nick Xenophon who flew into Malaysia early this morning was denied entry and is being detained for "security reasons". He arrived at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal at Sepang at 6.40am and was stopped by immigration officials. "He was denied entry on security grounds and will be deported to Australia," said Ibrahim Yaacob, who is Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's chief of staff when contacted. He added that the senator is expected to be deported at 10pm. Ibrahim and Australian High Commissioner Miles Kupa have met Xenophon who is in a detention facility at the airport. According to Ibrahim, Xenophon and three other Australian parliamentarians are scheduled to have a meeting with Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz, the Election Commission (EC) and non-governmental organisations that would be observing the upcoming 13th general election on Tuesday. "He has an appointment with Nazri on Tuesday at 3pm. Since Xenophon has been denied entry, three other parliamentarians who were originally supposed to arrive here tomorrow have cancelled their trip," he said. Xenophon is no stranger to Malaysia. He previously led an international fact-finding mission to observe the Bersih 3.0 rally on April 28 last year. The delegation found that the protest was peaceful until it was provoked by the police. The group also criticised the mainstream media for their biased reports. Subsequently, Xenophon lodged police reports against three Umno-linked newspapers – New Straits Times (NST), Utusan Malaysia and Berita Harian – that described him as anti-Islam based on a critical speech he made against Scientology in 2009. Utusan Malaysia had replaced the word "Scientology" with Islam when reporting on the matter. Utusan's report was also reported in NST and Berita Harian. 'Gross abuse of power' Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim condemned Xenophon's detention, saying it is a violation of international protocol and an abuse of power. "This act of detention and deportation for partisan political reasons is a gross abuse of power. It is also clearly a violation of international protocol in the treatment of visiting law-makers from abroad, particularly from member countries of the Commonwealth," he said in a statement. He also took Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to task for the detention.
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| BN confident of 145 federal seats in GE13 Posted: 15 Feb 2013 09:36 AM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) is confident of winning at least 145 parliamentary seats in Election 2013, including recapturing several Umno seats lost in 2008, say sources. The Malaysian Insider understands that BN's projections are about 10 seats above surveys done by Malaysian intelligence agencies, which say the ruling coalition is only sure of 135 seats, five below the 140 won in Election 2008. BN now has 136 seats in the 222-seat Parliament. "We can win at least 145 seats according to briefings made to the leadership," a BN source told The Malaysian Insider. The number is still below the key two-thirds majority in the Dewan Rakyat that BN has enjoyed until the elections in March 2008, and used to push key laws without support from the opposition bench. BN will need to win 148 seats to have the super-majority in the coming elections which must be called by April 28.  Najib is also bidding for his first personal mandate in the coming general election. "PM Najib has expressed confidence that we can win in most of the seats we had lost as they are all Umno seats," said another source, who attended a briefing recently. BN's historic losses of the parliamentary super-majority and four states in Election 2008 were widely blamed on former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who resigned in April 2009 in favour of Najib. Since then, Najib has introduced a slew of initiatives and has promised a slate of "winnable candidates" to win over support for BN, which has ruled since independence as the three-party Alliance before enlarging itself to include other parties in 1974 and changing its name. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/bn-confident-of-145-federal-seats-in-ge13/
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| Prosecution wants appeal of Anwar’s sodomy in July Posted: 14 Feb 2013 05:53 PM PST
(Bernama) - The prosecution has requested that its appeal against Anwar Ibrahim's acquittal on a charge of sodomising his former aide, Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, be heard in July. Deputy Public Prosecutor Noorin Badaruddin said this was indicated to the Court of Appeal deputy registrar N Kanageswari during case management in her chambers today. However, she did not give any reason why the appeal should be heard in July. Noorin and one of Anwar's lawyers, Ramkarpal Singh, met Kanageswari in chambers today, for case management of the matter. Kanageswari has fixed Feb 22 for both the prosecution and defence to return and inform her on probable hearing dates. "Prosecution is asking for the appeal to be fixed in July," Noorin told reporters. Meanwhile, Ramkarpal said he needed to consult co-counsel whether the timeframe requested by the prosecution was suitable to them. He said the defence's immediate concern was to get the notes of proceedings in order, before the court could fix the hearing date. Both Noorin and Ramkarpal said the prosecution and defence were still in the midst of finalising the notes of proceedings. On Jan 9, last year, the Kuala Lumpur High Court acquitted and discharged Anwar of sodomising Mohd Saiful, 26, at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in Bukit Damansara here, between 3.10pm and 4.30pm on June 26, 2008. Anwar, 65, was charged under Section 377B of the Penal Code, which carries a jail sentence of up to 20 years and whipping, upon conviction. The prosecution filed on Jan 20, last year a notice of appeal against the opposition leader's acquittal from the sodomy charge. On July 9, last year, the prosecution filed its petition of appeal which contained nine grounds. The 80-page written judgment by High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah revealed that there was penile penetration but it was uncorroborated by other evidence. He said the court could not be 100% certain on the integrity of samples taken for DNA testing from Mohd Saiful as the samples could have been compromised before they reached the chemistry department for analysis.
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| Ex-Perlis mufti Asri may contest polls Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:08 PM PST
Syed Jaymal Zahiid, The Malaysian Insider Datuk Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin has admitted that he is currently discussing the possibility of contesting Election 2013 and is expected to announce his decision soon. Sinar Harian reported today that the former Perlis mufti, one of the country's most influential Islamic clerics, has been "courted" by political parties but did not disclose which ticket he will contest under. "There are talks… I will announce it in one or two weeks' time," Asri (picture) was quoted as saying. Speculation that the maverick ex-mufti could stand in the upcoming elections first surfaced when news broke that both Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) aimed to woo popular clerics into their fold, hoping to capitalise on their Islamic credentials and boost either side's standing among Malaysia's Muslim majority. Asri's name was among those mentioned apart from the present Perlis mufti, Dr Juanda Jaya. Speculation that Asri would stand in the upcoming polls was further strengthened when he posted two days ago on Twitter: "Alhamdulillah, back home there are many seats that I can stand for without any contest apart from sickness and death." Prior to that, Asri posted another message on Twitter asking the media to approach him to verify the rumour. "The media that reported I will contest, have they themselves asked me?" he said. Talk is rife that Asri may be fielded in Penanti, a state seat within the Permatang Pauh parliamentary constituency in Penang, a known fortress of opposition party PKR helmed by its de facto leader and Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. There are also rumours that Asri, now a lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia, would be made a deputy chief minister if PR retains Penang. In the past the former Perlis mufti had been linked to Islamist PAS but he denied the speculation and said he would not be joining any political party.
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| No reason to retract our statement, says MTEM Posted: 14 Feb 2013 04:03 PM PST
(The Star) - The Malay Economic Action Council (MTEM), a group of 47 Malay business groups, said its demand for Petronas president Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas to quit stays despite the national oil company's pledge to look into their grouses. Following a two-hour meeting between them on Wednesday, council chairman Datuk Syed Ali Alatas said Petronas had agreed to set up a joint committee to thrash out issues, including accusations that the oil giant had sidelined local companies in awarding major contracts. While describing it as a "positive meeting", he said the council saw no reason to retract its earlier stand that Shamsul should resign. "People can repent. For example, a divorced couple can reconcile. There is no reason to retract our statement but if they repent... then we'll see. "But now there is no change in our position. Our statement stands," Syed Ali told reporters here yesterday. MTEM would send a letter to Shamsul today (Friday) for him to confirm what had been discussed at the meeting and hopes to receive a reply by Feb 21, he said. Syed Ali had alleged earlier this month that Petronas had awarded its major contracts to foreign companies while equally qualified local companies were left out.
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| Dr Mahathir: Malaysia's debt level still "healthy" Posted: 14 Feb 2013 03:59 PM PST
(Bernama) - The ratio of debt to gross domestic product (GDP), which stands at 53 per cent currenty, is still considered "healthy" for the country as trading and revenue continue to rise, says Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "We can still pay our debts. We still can pay as we see investments yielding high profit. During my administration, a RM300mil profit made by Maybank is already considered as large. "Now, Maybank has gained RM6bil," he told Bernama in an interview. Dr Mahathir said Malaysians should remember that one of the European countries, Greece, could not pay its debts as the ratio had exceeded 100 per cent. "Greece may not be able to pay," he said. Dr Mahathir said Bank Negara Malaysia's current savings was about US$140bil compared to only about US$30bil at the time of his administration. (US$1=RM3.08) As at Jan 31, 2013, Bank Negara's international reserves totalled US$140.2bil. He said the reserves position was sufficient to finance 9.5 months of retained imports and was 4.2 times the short-term external debt. The central bank's total assets, including international reserves, stood at US$158bil. Dr Mahathir said Malaysia also has large deposits in institutions such as the Tabung Haji, Permodalan Nasional Bhd and Felda Scheme. Asked whether Malaysia's trade was still dependent on western countries despite their sluggish economy, he said: "We're no longer dependent on the West. Our exports to the West have not increased and the West also cannot afford to invest now." He said foreign investments are now coming from the East and Malaysia's trade with these countries are increasing. "Our trade with China, for example, is good and it's very high. Our trade with Asean member countries has also increased. So, we don't have to assess our economic progress based on our trade with the West," he said. Instead, the assessment should take into account the economic progress Malaysia made around the world, he said. "Our exports to throughout the world are still on the uptrend, our surplus is still growing," he said. Malaysia's total trade posted a three per cent growth last year despite global economic and financial turmoil and tepid demand. "Eventhough growth was below expected projection, Malaysia registered its highest total trade of RM1.31 trillion last year vis-a-vis RM1.27 trillion in 2011. In 2012, exports grew by 0.6 per cent to RM702.19bil, while imports expanded by 5.9 per cent to RM607.36bil. The trade surplus in 2012 was RM94.82bil, the 15th consecutive year of trade surplus for Malaysia. Among the top five trading partners, trade expansion was recorded with Asean (+8.2 per cent) and China (+8.0 per cent), while trade with the United States dwindled by 2.8 per cent.
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| Posted: 14 Feb 2013 12:50 PM PST
(Insight Sabah) - Sabah will receive RM26 million for house repairs in 26 constituencies under the program, which works out to be an allocation of RM5,000 for each of the 5,200 houses to be repaired in Sabah. About 10,000 people gathered at the Tuaran district today to witness the launching of the "Nadi Kasih Programme" by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The Nadi Kasih programme, which is part of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme by the 1Malaysia Development Berhad Foundation (1MDB) aims to repair dilapidated houses to help the poor and hardcore poor in Sabah.  Prime Minsiter, Najib Tun Razak In his speech during the launching of the Programme, Najib said that the Nadi Kasih Programme will repair a total of 200 houses in each parliamentary constituency in the state. A brainchild of the Prime Minister, the Programme began in 2011 and to date, has been allocated RM115,730,000 to repair approximately 23,000 houses nationwide. Sabah will receive RM26 million for house repairs in 26 constituencies under the program, which works out to be an allocation of RM5,000 for each of the 5,200 houses to be repaired in Sabah.  Chief Minister of Sabah, Musa Aman "The Nadi Kasih Programme is one of the many programmes initiated by our Prime Minister for the people. He is constantly thinking up ways of providing help to the people," Musa said. According to the Director of the 1MDB Foundation Programme, Dato Dr. Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman, the allocation in Sabah is the largest allocation in the country, with RM1 million being allocated to each constituency, as compared to RM500,000 allocated to each area in Peninsular Malaysia.  Dr. Shamsul Anwar Sulaiman Other programmes under the 1MDB foundation include assistance for the fishing community in Semporna and Sandakan as well as educational programmes for students in the state. In total, the 1MDB foundation has allocated RM33 million for its programmes in Sabah. -Insight Sabah
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| Revving up Proton's image core idea of turnaround plan: Mahathir Posted: 14 Feb 2013 12:38 PM PST
(Bernama) - "We cannot be always producing cheap cars. If that is the case, we will lose the confidence of Malaysians as it is a general view that cheap cars does not come with quality" Improving the national car quality and rectifying past misconceptions will be the main drivers of the proposed turnaround plan drawn up for Proton Holdings Bhd, says former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He said the plan, slated to be unveiled by next month, envisages short-term and medium-term solutions to bolster the national car maker's image, while creating new sales avenues and income streams for Proton. The turnaround plan would also see Proton paying more attention to its export market as the car manufacturer was now well aware that the domestic automotive market was getting "over-crowded" year-by-year, said Dr Mahathir, who is also Proton's advisor, to Bernama in an interview. Admitting that better quality comes with a higher price, Dr Mahathir said Proton was at a crucial juncture as it has to produce globally-competitive cars to compete with foreign car companies which formed a significant portion of Malaysia's total automotive industry volume. "We cannot be always producing cheap cars. If that is the case, we will lose the confidence of Malaysians as it is a general view that cheap cars does not come with quality," he said. Expressing confidence in Proton's new owner, DRB-Hicom Bhd, Dr Mahathir said the conglomerate was committed to boost the image of the national car company from merely a local company to a global and well-respected car maker. Dr Mahathir said the mentality of Malaysians that local cars are inferior in quality when compared with foreign-made cars must be changed. "Malaysians must understand that Malaysia is not the sole market for foreign car makers, which is in contrast with Proton. Proton relies more on the domestic market. "Foreign car manufacturers' overhead costs are very low. The money they are making here (in Malaysia) are mostly regarded as profit. "That is why these companies can afford to offer discounts of up to RM10,000 during festive seasons, prompting locals to opt for foreign cars instead of the national car," he said. Concerned over the "over-crowding" domestic market, Dr Mahathir said Proton had concrete plans to execute its export strategies in efforts to rake in higher earnings to the national car maker through an enhanced income stream. The total industry volume (TIV) registered a sales of 627,753 new vehicles last year while the number is expected to swell to 640,000 this year. Proton and Perodua made up slightly more than 50 per cent of the TIV while foreign models made the other half. Proton, a brainchild of Dr Mahathir, was established in May 1983. Early last year, DRB-Hicom bought a 42.7 per cent stake in Proton for RM1.29 billion from the government's investment arm, Khazanah Nasional Bhd, and subsequently took the national carmaker private. Prior to the takeover, Proton has already executed its turnaround plan. However, with new shareholders and a new top management team, the plan was revisited.
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| Rare earth refining in Malaysia without coherent waste management concept Posted: 14 Feb 2013 12:04 PM PST
Oeko-Institut is a leading European research and consultancy institute working for a sustainable future. The facility for refining Australian ore concentrate rich in rare earth metals of Lynas Corporation in Malaysia has several deficiencies concerning the operational environmental impacts. The environment is affected by acidic substances as well as from dust particles, which are emitted into the air in substantially larger concentrations than would be state-of-the-art in off-gas treatment in Europe. The storage of radioactive and toxic wastes on site does not prevent leachate from leaving the facility and entering ground and groundwater. For the long-term disposal of wastes under acceptable conditions concerning radiation safety a sustainable concept is still missing. These are the results of a study of Oeko-Institute on behalf of the Malaysian NGO SMSL. In its facility in Kuantan/Malaysia Lynas refines ore concentrate for precious rare earth metals. These strategic metals are applied for example to produce catalysts, Nickel metal hydride batteries, permanent magnets. A number of emerging key- and future-technologies depends from the supply of these rare earths. The ore concentrate to be refined in Malaysia additionally contains toxic and radioactive constituents such as Thorium. The NGO commissioned Oeko-Institute to check whether the processing of the ore leads to hazardous emissions from the plant or will remain as dangerous waste in Malaysia. Storage of wastes insufficient The storage of wastes, that are generated in the refining process, shall be stored in designated facilities on the site, separately for three waste categories. According to chemist and nuclear waste expert Gerhard Schmidt, there will be problems with the pre-drying of wastes that is of a high Thorium content. "Especially in the wet and long monsoon season from September to January, this emplacement process doesn't work", says Schmidt. "The operator has not demonstrated how this problem can be resolved without increasing the radiation doses for workers". Additionally the storages are only isolated with a one-millimeter thick plastic layer and a 30 cm thick clay layer. This is insufficient to reliably enclose the several meters high and wet waste masses. "For the long-term management of these wastes Lynas has urgently to achieve a solution", claims Gerhard Schmidt, and adds: "in no case those wastes should be marketed or used as construction material, as currently proposed by the operator (Lynas) and the regulator (AELB/MOSTI). According to our calculations this would mean to pose high radioactive doses to the public via direct radiation". Mass balance for toxic constituents incomplete „One of the most serious abnormalities is that in the documents relevant data is missing, which prevents reliably accounting for all toxic materials introduced", says project manager Gerhard Schmidt. "So it is not stated which and to what amount toxic by-products, besides Thorium, are present in the ore concentrate. Also in the emissions of the facility via wastewater only those constituents are accounted for that are explicitly listed in Malaysian water regulation, but not all emitted substances." The salt content of the wastewater is as high that it is comparable to seawater. This is discharged without any removal into the river Sungai Balok. Scientists question the issued licenses The scientists at Oeko-Institute evaluate the detected deficiencies as very serious. Those deficiencies should have been already detected in the licensing process, when the application documents were being checked. However the operator received a construction license in 2008 and a temporary operating license in 2012. Especially for the safe long-term disposal of the radioactive wastes a suitable site that meets internationally accepted safety criteria has to be selected urgently. A consensus has to be reached with the affected stakeholders, such as the local public and their representatives. "If it further remains open how to manage those wastes in a long-term sustainable manner, a future legacy associated with unacceptable environmental and health risks is generated", considers Schmidt. "The liability to prevent those risks and to remove the material is so shifted to future generations, which is not acceptable." Strategic role of rare earths Rare earths are important metals that are used in future technologies such as efficient electro motors, lighting and catalysts. In its study from 2011 "Study on Rare Earths and Their Recycling" Oeko-Institute showed that no relevant recycling of these metals is performed so far. Albeit recent positive developments in this direction: satisfying the prognosticated global requires the extension of the worldwide primary production. For many years rare earth metals were exclusively mined and refined in the People's Republic of China. By pointing to their own needs, China finally followed a restrictive export policy. Additionally, the mining and refining of rare earths there is associated with high environmental impacts. To establish additional primary production of rare earths outside China therefore makes sense. However, high environmental standards have, of course, to be met. But this is not the case in one of the first new facilities to be operated outside China, as this study of Oeko-Institute on the Lynas plant demonstrates.
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| Dr Pornthip says Putrajaya not happy with her Posted: 14 Feb 2013 12:02 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - Dr Pornthip (picture) told The Malaysian Insider via email yesterday that the deputy to the permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) had informed her of a message from the Malaysian government that it was "not happy with my work, especially in (the) case of TBH (Teoh Beng Hock)." Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand has said she declined to perform a second autopsy on security guard C. Sugumar as the Malaysian government was not happy with her previous work in the death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock. Sugumar's family lawyer N. Surendran said last Tuesday that the Thai forensic pathologist made the sudden about-turn after he announced that she was due to arrive next Wednesday for the post-mortem on Sugumar, who allegedly died from police brutality last month. Dr Pornthip (picture) told The Malaysian Insider via email yesterday that the deputy to the permanent secretary of Thailand's Ministry of Justice (MOJ) had informed her of a message from the Malaysian government that it was "not happy with my work, especially in (the) case of TBH (Teoh Beng Hock)." Dr Pornthip had observed Teoh's second post-mortem and testified at both a coroner's inquest and before a royal commission that foul play was likely involved in the DAP aide's mysterious death at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's (MACC) Selangor headquarters in 2009. The royal commission subsequently concluded that Teoh was driven to suicide after aggressive and relentless interrogation by three MACC officers. "I told the lawyer that I'm (a) government officer under (the) Ministry of Justice that need(s) permission from (the) permanent secretary," said Dr Pornthip, who is the director of Thailand's Central Institute of Forensic Science, which is under the MOJ. Dr Pornthip stressed that she needed to have the authority to perform the autopsy on Sugumar without any limitations, but did not specify if the MOJ had prohibited her from doing so. "Please send my message to your people that I've never wanted to (be) involved in politics. I understand that each country have (sic) their own justice system, but there should be no barrier for the people to seek justice," she said. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/dr-pornthip-says-putrajaya-not-happy-with-her/ |
| BN will continuously deliver Sabah's progress Posted: 14 Feb 2013 11:53 AM PST
At the launch of the state-level "Nadi Kasih" house repair programme in Tuaran, Najib said the best was yet to come for Sabah under the BN government. BN will uphold the interests of the state and its people, says Najib (NST) - KOTA KINABALU: PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was yesterday given a rousing welcome by some 75,000 Sabahans when he visited the districts of Papar, Beaufort and Tuaran to pledge his commitment and that of Barisan Nasional (BN) to continuously deliver progress and uphold the interests of the state and its people. Najib, who is also BN chairman and Umno president, said BN's solid track record in the state showed that the coalition was credible in fulfilling its promises. This, he said, was in stark contrast to the opposition's failure to bring progress, as only 15 per cent of the promises made at the last general election had been kept in the four states it held. "They come here to sell their promises and ask for sympathy. They pass the blame to others. But talk is easy; to deliver and to implement is another thing altogether. "The BN government has remained in power all these years because it feels the pulse of the people and delivers on its promises." The crowd warmed up to Najib when he used the word mambalut, which means good in the local Bisaya dialect, when referring to BN. He took a swipe at the opposition's tendency for making empty promises and underhand tactics, referring to such ploys as mongumbui, a Bisaya word which, loosely translated, means spreading lies. The prime minister, who was greeted with thunderous applause when he made his speeches in the districts, also announced allocations of more than RM250 million for several projects in Sabah. They include RM226 million to build a water treatment plant at Sungai Padas in Beaufort to provide clean water to the state's west coast districts and RM26 million to repair some 5,200 dilapidated houses. The Federal Government would also assist the state government in the upkeep of Beaufort Middle School, while plans are afoot to set up an Islamic college in the district. The government, Najib said, would also upgrade the Papar-Lok Kawi road in phases. In Papar, Najib told 30,000 people who gathered at the Padang Pekan Papar that they could expect more development for the state and ensure the country progressed under BN's leadership. In contrast, he said, the opposition was only good at making promises they could not deliver, including promises to appoint individuals as the chief minister and ministers should they get the support of Sabahans. "They promised the moon, the stars and in fact they even promised that one could go to heaven. They make all kinds of promises, including on posts of the chief minister and ministers." Najib said when opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the deputy prime and finance minister, he never cared for the people of Sabah. But now, the opposition leader portrayed himself as being sympathetic to them. "I heard that in the past, when he came to Sabah, he kept on banging the table ... what he asked for was not for the people of Sabah. I am not going to tell the reason for his action as the other Umno leaders here would know better about the issue." Najib also took a dig at Anwar for being conferred by a Sabah Parti Keadilan Rakyat leader the "Huguan Siou", or paramount chief title, which is often reserved for a Kadazandusun Murut leader. The issue had triggered an uproar among the Kadazandusun Murut community as they felt that it offended their cultural sensitivities. "(Tan Sri Joseph) Pairin (Kitingan) is the authentic 'Huguan Siou' while the other one (Anwar) is ...," he said three times to the crowd, who then shouted back in reply "Fake!", and to this, Najib exclaimed "Confirmed". At a press conference later, Najib, responding to a question on when Parliament would be dissolved, said BN's priority now was to meet the people and explain the government's policies and programmes. "Don't ask me when the election is. It will be when I, the party and the people are ready for the dissolution (of Parliament)." On how satisfied he was with the preparations by Sabah BN in facing the general election, Najib said he was happy with the coordination among the component parties. |
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