Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Are you ready for BN? Was it a Yes or No?
- Stop Dr M before he burns M’sia, says Bishop
- A-G looking into Deepak immunity
- PKR blames Najib for Pornthip’s no-show
- Jailed for showing obscene sign at Queen
- Ex-lecturer: I’ll be contesting in Sabak Bernam
- Nurul Izzah challenges Nong Chik to a debate
- PSM to continue its bid to join Pakatan
- Valentine’s Day raid: 10, including underage couple, held for khalwat
- Muhyiddin: BR1M may be raised to RM1,000 if BN wins
- ‘Take away Mahathir’s citizenship’
- Water war spills onto Selangor streets
- Mounting anger
- MACC chief: Blame the purchasing system
| Are you ready for BN? Was it a Yes or No? Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:23 PM PST
A Gerakan leader says the crowd at the BN open house roared 'yes' and not 'no' in response to the prime minister's question. Athi Shankar, FMT Two video clips have emerged on cyber space this week showing different versions of the crowd's response to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's question: "Are you ready for BN?" at the state Barisan Nasional Chinese New Year open house on Sunday. In one clip, which was the first to go viral since late Sunday, the crowd shouted "No" thrice when repeatedly posed the question. In the other video, which emerged on Monday, the crowd was heard responding with a big "Yes". In both video clips however, the crowd screamed "Yes" when Najib asked: "Are you ready for Psy?" The open house featured South Korean singing sensation Psy's live performance on his "Opah Gangnam Style" hit. The interesting question now is which video is genuine? As expected, BN critics have used the first video clip to hit out at Najib, claiming that the people have overwhelmingly rejected BN. Critics had described the crowd's resounding "No" as a public vote of no confidence for the ruling coalition. However, local Gerakan leader Wong Mun Hoe hit back at critics claiming that the "No" video clip (below) could just be a make-believe recording by BN's rivals to hoodwink the public. The state Gerakan vice-chairman, who attended the open house, said like many others, he did not hear the crowd roaring "No". He insisted that the crowd actually roared a big "Yes" when Najib asked the question. Wong admitted that there were some shouts of "No" but it was drowned by a loud roar of "Yes".
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| Stop Dr M before he burns M’sia, says Bishop Posted: 13 Feb 2013 07:21 PM PST
The vocal Bishop Paul Tan wants the government to act against the former premier and all those who stoke racial and religious tension. RK Anand, FMT Once the object of love and veneration but now hate and denigration, Dr Mahathir Mohamad's constant outbursts have made him one of the most criticised individuals in this nation. And even on Valentine's Day, it is brickbats and not bouquets for the former premier. Ironically, Mahathir who threw scores of people behind bars without trial on the basis of national security is now considered to be a threat himself. And his unrestrained remarks on sensitive issues had earned him the wrath of a vocal senior clergyman as well. Speaking to FMT, Bishop Paul Tan urged the government to take stern action against Mahathir and all those who stoke the flames of racial and religious tension. The action, he stressed, was vital so that these persons' "evil oil does not flow to others ending in engulfing Malaysia in flames". Similarly, he said the law must come down hard on Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali and others who called or supported the burning of Christian Bibles containing the word Allah. "Action must be taken against those who for political expediency accuse Christians of trying to make Malaysia a Christian country and those who make false accusations against any ethnic group without concrete proof to enflame the already tedious and fragile fabric texture of the Malaysian society. "It is my conviction that all precautions must be taken to ensure that racial or religious riots do not break out in Malaysia. "If a person representing a party fans the already simmering ember of racial and religious tension in Malaysia, vigorous and strong action should be taken against him or her," he added. Vote for the clean and upright With the 13th general election looming, Tan, 72, called on the Christian electorate to cast their ballots with wisdom and to forgive those who had wronged them in the past. "Vote in any person whose track records prove that he/she is clean, upright,transparent and who courageously stands up for justice for all and works effectively for the good of all citizens, even the most discriminated against – the Orang Asli, the poor Malays in the kampungs, the downtrodden Indians in the estates, etc. "We should not forget either our 'modern slaves', the migrant workers, who are being ruthlessly exploited, although they contribute to the building of our country," he added. Tan said that whichever party took over the federal leadership, be it Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat, it must protect all citizens. "It must be clean from any corruption even if it is legally done, for example, the government dolling out money to win votes; equitable, transparent and upright. It is for these reasons that I fully support any protest for a just, clean and fair election, for example, Bersih's call. "Although I have not taken any partisan side in saying what I have said, I cannot not take a moral, religious and political stand for justice, cleanliness, equity and fairness. The Vatican would be happy that I dare speak out the truth, without taking any political side," he added.
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| A-G looking into Deepak immunity Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:54 PM PST
Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail says the matter will be studied carefully. Lisa J. Ariffin, FMT The Attorney-General's Chambers today confirmed it is looking into carpet trader Deepak Jaikishan's request for immunity in return for "the truth" about Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Yesterday, Deepak submitted his letter for immunity to the A-G's Chambers and had challenged Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail to respond within a month. Abdul Gani said today the matter will be studied carefully and a response will be issued within the given time frame. "We had just received it. Let us consider it carefully. We don't even know head or tail of the matter," he told FMT. He said that it was unwise to make a "split second decision" during an investigation, adding that "even he [Deepak] had given a reasonable time for us to study the case". "Let us in all wisdom clear it [the issue] properly." Yesterday, Deepak said that it was the A-G's responsibility to ensure action was taken against those responsible for the 2006 murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shaariibuu. In his letter to Gani, Deepak claimed that the details he had given to the press on Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor's role in the gruesome murder was merely a smidgen of what he truly knew. "I am willing to cooperate with the authoritative bodies in the country to provide further information on the prime minister's involvement in the abuse of power involving his family, on the condition that I am given protection from any possible criminal prosecution…" he wrote. But he told reporters today that even if the A-G's Chambers refused to take action, he was optimistic that the truth would eventually come out. "I will just hope that a change of government happens and they [Pakatan Rakyat] would take action." He added that he would do "all that is necessary" to ensure that truth would prevail.
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| PKR blames Najib for Pornthip’s no-show Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:45 PM PST
PKR 'reliably informed' that the PM communicated with his Thai counterpart, says Surendran. G Lavendran, FMT (VIDEO INSIDE) PKR has accused Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak of preventing Thai pathologist Pornthip Rojanasunan from performing a second autopsy on C Sugumar, who died last month in a case of alleged police brutality. "We have now been informed that Najib communicated with the Prime Minister of Thailand, Yingluck Shinawatra, regarding the autopsy on Sugumar," said PKR vice-president N Surendran, who represents Sugumar's family as a lawyer. "As a result, the Thai government decided that Pornthip should not perform the second autopsy in order not to undermine the relationship between the two countries." Surendran told a press conference here that he obtained the information from an "impeccable source" and had "complete confidence" in its veracity. "The information has been given to us in writing by an authoritative source," he said. Sugumar, a 40-year-old security guard, died on Jan 23. He was allegedly handcuffed and beaten by policemen and villagers in Hulu Langat. Witnesses said a policeman also rubbed turmeric powder into his eyes. A post-mortem procedure carried out at a government hospital concluded that he died of a heart attack. However, his family is demanding another autopsy by Pornthip before an inquest into the death. Subang MP R Sivarasa, also a PKR leader, told the press conference he had two demands on Najib. "Firstly, we urge Najib to come clean with his communications with the Thai government," he said. "Secondly, we want Najib to communicate with the Thai government again to allow Porntip to perform the second autopsy on Sugumar." Neither Surendran nor Sivarasa would shed further light on the source of information about Najib's communication with his Thai counterpart, saying they wanted the prime minister to respond to their allegation first.
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| Jailed for showing obscene sign at Queen Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:30 PM PST
Royal offence: Leong (right) leaving the courthouse in Penang. — Bernama (The Star) - A factory supervisor pleaded guilty to two charges of showing an obscene sign in the direction of the Raja Permaisuri Agong and a police officer at the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas here. Leong Pei Koe, 28, who was charged under Section 294 (a) of the Penal Code (Act 674) for lewd activity in a public place, was sentenced to a month's jail from the date of his arrest and fined RM6,000 under the first charge by a magistrate's court. He was also sentenced to a week's jail from the date of arrest and fined RM2,000 under the second charge of showing an obscene gesture to ASP Mohd Fakhrudin Abd Hamid. Both sentences were ordered to run concurrently. DPP Charanjit Singh prosecuted. Leong, who is said to be working in Singapore, committed the offence at about noon on Monday. He was outside the arrival hall when he flashed the sign at the passing royal entourage. One of Tuanku Hajah Haminah's bodyguards, who saw the gesture, detained him and handed him over to the police. The Queen was in Penang for a private function.
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| Ex-lecturer: I’ll be contesting in Sabak Bernam Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:22 PM PST
(The Star) - Former law lecturer Dr Abdul Aziz Bari (pic) says he has been picked by PKR to contest in the Sabak Bernam parliamentary seat in Selangor in the coming general election. The former International Islamic University Malaysia academic said he had a good chance of winning the seat, which was in his hometown. "I have been visiting Sabak Bernam for about a year now and we have been getting good response from the people. "I feel my chances are good since Selangor is being administered by Pakatan Rakyat," he said after attending a Chinese New Year anniversary dinner organised by PKR in Balik Pulau on Tuesday night. He was one of the speakers at the event. Other speakers included PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and state DAP chairman Chow Kon Yeow. Dr Abdul Aziz said the current MP, Abdul Rahman Bakri, from Barisan Nasional and his aide Rosli Busro had been sentenced to six years' jail and fined RM400,000 after being found guilty on eight counts of making false claims. "Taking into account this matter and the current national mood, I think I can win the seat, especially since Abdul Rahman only won by a majority of 1,335 votes in the last general election," he said. In the 2008 general election, Abdul Rahman polled 12,055 votes while PKR's Badrulamin Bahron got 10,720.There are about 37,000 voters in the constituency of which 83% are Malays, Chinese (12%) and the rest Indians. Dr Abdul Aziz was suspended on Oct 19, 2011 for saying that the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's intervention in a church raid controversy was "unusual and inconsistent". The suspension was later lifted but he insisted that the accusations made against him be dropped. Two months later, he decided to leave IIUM on optional retirement, after claiming political interference and that he was resigning "in defence of academic freedom". Although he had received offers from PAS and DAP, Dr Abdul Aziz joined PKR in 2011.
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| Nurul Izzah challenges Nong Chik to a debate Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:16 PM PST
(The Star) - Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar has issued a debate challenge to Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin over who is the better choice for voters in the constituency. In a letter delivered to the minister's office here, the PKR vice-president said it was in the interest of democratic practice that they had a frank and open debate regarding various claims and allegations by both sides. "If we intend to get to the bottom of issues in the parliamentary constituency of Lembah Pantai, then he should accept the invitation," said Abdullah Izhar Mohd Yusof, the director of the Complaints and Community Bureau under Nurul Izzah's office. The MP's political secretary, Fahmi Fadzil, added that a public debate would give voters a better picture of what they expected of their leaders. "This is a practice in many democratic countries in the world," he said. According to the letter, Nurul Izzah is proposing that the moderator be an academic who is accepted by both sides and that the debate focus on issues related to the Lembah Pantai constituency, Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia.
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| PSM to continue its bid to join Pakatan Posted: 13 Feb 2013 04:04 PM PST
(The Star) - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) will continue with its bid to formally join Pakatan Rakyat. PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan said the party still had confidence in Pakatan due to the coalitin's Buku Jingga policy. "And we have been working with Pakatan Rakyat for a few years," he said. PSM had sent a written request to join Pakatan last September but the application has yet to be processed. PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar had said that PSM's application would be discussed after the Chinese New Year. The Lembah Pantai MP was reported to have said that PSM's application to join Pakatan was not a small matter as it involved other issues including seat allocation and choice of flag.
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| Valentine’s Day raid: 10, including underage couple, held for khalwat Posted: 13 Feb 2013 03:56 PM PST  A suspect being escorted out of a budget hotel here in Kuala Lumpur. (The Star) - Ten, including an underage couple were detained for alleged khalwat (close proximity) following a Valentine's Day raid at several hot spots in the city by officers from Department of Federal Territory Islamic Affairs to curb vice among Muslims. "We believe the numbers are quite small and it could be because that many are away from the city due to the public holidays," its senior public relations officer Tuan Asmawi Tuan Umar, who spoke on behalf of the Jawi director, said at a press conference after the raid early Thursday. Operations Valentine's Day 2013 began at midnight around Jalan Raja Laut and Jalan Ipoh with 60 Jawi enforcement officers, with the help of police, raiding eight budget hotels and scouring the Taman Tasik Titiwangsa area. They found, among others, a 13-year-old boy with his 16-year-old girlfriend at a budget hotel. The boy told the raiding officers that the duo had "running out of cash and couldn't call their parents because they had forgotten their parents' telephone numbers." After further questioning, the boy said he was "just keeping his brother's girlfriend company at the hotel while waiting for the brother to him to come and fetch them." By 4am, the officers had netted eight others aged between 25 and 50 years old, including a couple who had RM15,000 in cash on them. All the arrested couples are looking at possible charges under the Syariah Criminal Offences Act (Federal Territories) 1997 that carries a fine and imprisonment on conviction. Three Muslim men, who were with non-Muslim women, were issued appearance notices to explain themselves to Jawi and to go for counselling. Appearance notices were also handed out to three who were alleged dressed indecently, and another three notices to three others caught drinking alcohol.
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| Muhyiddin: BR1M may be raised to RM1,000 if BN wins Posted: 13 Feb 2013 03:49 PM PST
BR1M is not a fairtale but a conviction, says the deputy prime minister. (Bernama) - The 1Malaysia People's Aid (BR1M) may be increased from RM500 to RM1,000 if the Barisan Nasional is given a new mandate, said Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. He said the BR1M is not a fairytale but a conviction that would be continued by the BN government if it is returned to power in the next general election. "Prime Minister [Datuk Seri] Najib [Tun Razak] has mentioned it two days ago in Johor. Some people asked whether there will be BR1M 3 and BR1M 4. "He [Najib] said 'yes' provided BN stays in power. Who knows if our coffers increases, the RM500 aid will become RM1,000," he said when handing over BR1M to 2,042 recipients from the Bukit Serampang state constituency in Felda Sri Jaya here, today. Hence, he urged the people, especially those in the low and middle-income groups, not to respond to good fortune with disdain by continuing to provide a strong support to the BN government to guarantee a better future. Muhyiddin, who is also Education Minister, said various measures taken by the BN government augured well for the country in the march towards a developed country. He said while the government was working hard to improve its services and fulfil its promises, the opposition was spreading lies and misleading the people that the government hardly made any efforts to develop the country. "The opposition says BN is ruthless, makes the people suffer. They say we are not helping the people. The people should not be easily duped by their promises. Whatever good things we have done, we will continue to improve them. "I am not saying that BN is 100% perfect. Even in our family, we have problems, sometime a little misunderstanding. "BN has delivered its promises, except for we have not achieved the goal of turning Malaysia into a developed country," he said.
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| ‘Take away Mahathir’s citizenship’ Posted: 13 Feb 2013 03:18 PM PST
A Selangor DAP leader says the former premier's citizenship should be taken away for implementing the illegal Project IC in Sabah. Athi Shankar, FMT The government should revoke Dr Mahathir Mohamad's citizenship for betraying the nation by executing an illegal "Project IC" in Sabah, suggested Selangor DAP leader S Ramakrishnan. He said the former prime minister deserved to be stateless for wrongly granting citizenship and voting rights to illegal immigrants in Sabah during his tenure. The Selangor DAP committee member said Mahathir's deceitful role in executing the illegal, unscrupulous and irresponsible covert operation in the Borneo state had brought disrepute to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). He said Malaysians were irked after the royal commission of inquiry exposed the former premier's 20-year key role in issuing blue identity cards to undeserving illegal immigrants. "Mahathir betrayed all Malaysians by giving citizenship and instant bumiputera status to illegal and unqualified immigrants. "If anyone should be stripped off his citizenship it is Mahathir," insisted Ramakrishnan, who heads Selangor DAP bureau for Ex-Plantation Workers and Urban Poor chairman, in a statement here today. The former Senator said Mahathir had deliberately failed to resolve the stateless status of thousands of qualified Malaysian-born ethnic Indians and Chinese during his premiership. As a result, he said some 300,000 non-Malays, especially ethnic Indians, were waiting until today to get blue identity cards and be granted their rightful citizenship rights. However, he said the Mahathir instead granted citizenships to illegal Muslim immigrants from the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and even India merely to expand Umno and Barisan Nasional vote bank. He rebuked Mahathir for attempting to justify his act of betrayal by criticising the country's first premier Tunku Abdul Rahman for granting citizenship to a million legally qualified ethnic Indian and Chinese residents of Malaya.
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| Water war spills onto Selangor streets Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:49 AM PST
(The Star) - The "water war" between Syabas and the Selangor Government has been dragged onto the streets with booklets containing point-by-point rebuttals of the state leaders' explanation being distributed. Titled Selangor Water Crisis! – Don't Get Misled – Get The Facts, but without attribution to any source, the eight-page A4-sized coloured booklet were seen in several public areas. Syabas corporate communication and public affairs general manager Priscilla Alfred denied that the water company was behind the booklet. Several prominent figures in Selangor were named in the booklet, which rebutted 15 allegations over the unscheduled water supply disruption in the Klang Valley due to the failure of the Wangsa Maju pumping station. The massive disruption reportedly affected about 500,000 people in Gombak and Kuala Lumpur when the pumphouse broke down on Dec 29 and again on Jan 1, prompting Syabas to make remedial works and declaring the crisis over by Jan 18. Two days later, Syabas placed full-page advertisements in major newspapers to rebut Selangor's claims over the water crisis. Those named in the booklet were Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, state executive councillor Xavier Jayakumar, Ampang MP Zuraidah Kamaruddin and Teratai assemblywoman Janice Lee. Priscilla said: "We will be placing several more advertorials next week." She said the distribution of the booklet was not an isolated incident. "We were alerted that two-page flyers with similar wordings were also being distributed. "We believe some of the materials were taken from our earlier advertorial." In SHAH ALAM, Khalid said the state government had decided on the amount it would offer to buy over Syabas' water assets. He, however, declined to give details on the offer, expected to be made public next week. Khalid said he would ask the central government to speed up the process. "I have written to Energy, Green Technology and Water Minister Datuk Seri Peter Chin Fah Kui about the state's intention to restructure the state water industry but there has been no reply," Khalid said. "Therefore, I will inform him again because this is not a normal takeover. It involves three parties (Syabas, the Federal Government and the state)," Khalid said after chairing the state exco meeting yesterday. In 2009, the state government made a bid of RM5.7bil but was rejected by water concessionaries. A subsequent offer of RM9.2bil was made last year and rejected byPuncak Niaga and Syabas. Meanwhile, Khalid said a meeting among Pakatan Rakyat leaders this week would discuss the dissolution of the Selangor legislative assembly. The Mentri Besar had earlier said the state assembly would be dissolved after Chap Goh Mei, which falls on Feb 24, even if the Federal Government had still not called for elections.
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| Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:18 AM PST
(NST) - SACRED AWARD: Conferment of 'Huguan Siou' title on Anwar riles Sabahans KOTA KINABALU: VOICES of anger and disgust at the conferment of the Kadazandusun Murut (KDM) title of "Huguan Siou" on Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim continue to ring loud in Sabah. Leaders of political parties, non-governmental organisations and academician said it was inappropriate for Anwar to be given and to accept the title considered sacred and exclusive to the community. "Anwar should apologise to the community," said Sabah Umno deputy chief Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said, adding that the opposition leader's decision to accept the title was proof that he was ignorant of the culture of the ethnic groups in Sabah. Salleh, who is also United Sabah Bajau Organisation president, said Anwar was interested only in power politics and insulting Sabahans. "How does he (Anwar) expect Sabahans to trust him?" Liberal Democratic Party president Datuk V.K. Liew said, to the people of Sabah, there was only one "Huguan Siou", and that was Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who is Kadazandusun Cultural Association (KDCA) president. Suman Yasambun, the KDCA secretary-general, demanded that Ranau PKR and Anwar apologise for infringing on the sensitivity and sacredness of the customs of the Kadazandusun. "It must be understood that the title 'Huguan Siou', which means paramount leader, is reserved and conferred only on a Kadazandusun leader. It insults and hurts the feelings of the Kadazandusun (when it's given to others). "He is the guardian of the customs, norms, artifacts and traditions of the Kadazandusun, which is celebrated every year through the Kaamatan celebration (harvest festival)." It was reported that Anwar was given the title by Ranau PKR at a political gathering in Kampung Paginatan on Sunday. He drew flak from Sabahans after photographs of him wearing a headgear and sash bearing the words "Huguan Siou" were posted by Ranau PKR chief Jonathan Yasin on his Facebook account. Yasin, however, defended Anwar, saying the presentation of the headgear and sash was a symbolic gesture on the part of former native chief Paulus Kimpuang. The title was first conferred on the late Tun Fuad Stephens, one of the state's founding fathers. The post remained vacant after Fuad's death in 1976 until Pairin was chosen as the leader in 1984. Centre for Orang Asli Concerns coordinator Colin Nicholas said Anwar should not have accepted the award as it was exclusive to Kadazandusun people who had made contributions to the community. "I think Anwar was either badly advised or the person who bestowed the title on him was overzealous. I don't think Anwar knew what he was getting into," Nicholas told the New Straits Times yesterday. Gerakan Suara KDM Bersatu demanded an explanation from PKR about what had happened in Kampung Paginatan. "We seek a clarification from those involved on whether there is truth to an allegation, which is hotly debated on Facebook, that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was declared 'Huguan Siou' by Ranau PKR," said its chairman, Lesaya Lopog. He said the position could be filled by a person who belonged to a political organisation but only if he was respected by the Kadazandusun. "This title was conferred on someone who is not part of the community. Why was it carried out in a political gathering and why were other KDM community leaders not consulted? "This latest episode is an insult to our already injured pride." Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Ahmad Maslan said the conferment of the title on Anwar was an insult to the community. "The title should be bestowed on someone who is either from the community or someone who has done a lot for their advancement. "Anwar does not fulfil either criterion. It's just a cheap publicity stunt that has offended Sabahans," he said during a visit to Balai Berita. Anwar yesterday reportedly denied that he had received the honour. "It's not true. I am not aware of it. There was never a public announcement of it," Anwar was quoted as saying in Miri where he was attending a talk. Bumburing, who is Angkatan Perubahan Sabah president, said the issue of the sash with the inscription of "Huguan Siou" which was presented to Anwar had been blown out of proportion. He said he hoped Ranau PKR would explain the incident, adding that he believed it was a case of the community leaders being overzealous when welcoming Anwar.
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| MACC chief: Blame the purchasing system Posted: 13 Feb 2013 09:17 AM PST
(fz.com) - It's the same story every year. The Auditor-General's (AG) Report is released, the glaring irregularities fill the news and an indignant public demands that the culprits be investigated. At this point, the heat begins to rise around the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The MACC has faced strong pressure to open cases highlighed in the AG's reports, especially after the much-debated 2006 report found that the government had spent RM224 for a screwdriver set worth a mere RM40. In 2010, the pressure intensified when the AG reported that the Marine Parks Department had spent astronomical sums for some equipment. Among other things, the department paid RM56,350 for a pair of night vision goggles worth RM1,940 and another RM56,350 for a pair of Bushnell binoculars worth RM2,827. That year the MACC opened 36 files on, among other things, non-compliance and falsification of documents involving government agencies. As time passed and too few cases were hauled to the Corruption Court, the MACC came under fire for its inability to pursue the culprits. However, MACC chief commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed defends the authority. He said his organization cannot press charges for irregularities that the AG points out if the cases stem from flawed procurement procedures and criminal intent cannot be proven. "When five suppliers submit a bid, the company with the lowest overall price will get the contract," Abu Kassim explained in an interview with fz.com. "But if you really study the list, you'll find that the company has tremendously inflated the cost of one item - like the screwdrivers - and reduced the cost of the rest." "Yet that company has still offered the lowest overall price. That is the system and I can tell you that (these irregularities) will keep recurring every year," he said. Abu Kassim has advised the government to modify its purchasing procedures by requiring procurement officers to review an itemised checklist and conduct proper market surveys so they could then negotiate prices with their chosen supplier. "So you see, it's not because we don't want to bring them to court, it's because we can't," Abu stressed. "They have followed procedure." He pointed out that the MACC had in fact charged former Deputy Director of Customs, Zameri Ibrahim, with falsifying claims in the purchase of digital cameras. In the case that was highlighted in the AG's Report 2011, Zameri was found to have submitted a false invoice to his superior for 40 DSLR cameras at RM9,000 each. However, the cameras that were supplied to the Customs Department were prosumer digital cameras valued at RM6,000 each. "We found an element of fraud and we charged him," Abu said. "So where there is a clear criminal act, we can charge them. But most of these cases are disciplinary cases, so we can't go further than that." Read more at: http://fz.com/content/macc-chief-blame-purchasing-system
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