Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Jui Meng: Karpal ruined Pakatan unity
- Election 2013 will be won in Sabah and Sarawak, says Anwar
- Field Malay candidates in Penang, DAP told
- Bishop censures Muslim scholar’s ‘toxic’ remarks
- Wan Azizah backs Chua
- Tee Keat dropped from Pandan
- Filipino 'army' lays claim to Malaysian state
- Police chief confirms arrest of seven at Labian
- Najib sets the tone for clean elections
| Jui Meng: Karpal ruined Pakatan unity Posted: 20 Feb 2013 02:14 PM PST
(The Star) - Johor PKR chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng says he is disappointed with DAP chairman Karpal Singh and has claimed that the latter destroyed the relationship within the Pakatan Rakyat coalition. China Press reported Chua as saying that he was shocked that Karpal had brought up the issue that he was a former MCA member when the DAP leader recently suggested an inquiry into claims made by Dr Boo Cheng Hau. Dr Boo, the Johor DAP chairman, had a few days earlier released a statement in Chinese accusing Chua of being behind vicious attacks against Johor DAP. Dr Boo claimed that he "deeply believed" that Chua was the "black hand" behind all the anonymous attacks against Johor DAP. In the China Press report, when asked whether the DAP leaders had tacitly given the nod to Dr Boo to attack him, Chua said "you will get an answer by reading Karpal's statement". Chua added that PKR and PAS top leaders had never issued statements which would tarnish the relationship within Pakatan except for Karpal's remarks after the incident. Chua said he was not surprised by the criticisms made by Dr Boo and claimed that the latter had criticised him and Johor PKR several times. Chua said he had tolerated Dr Boo and Fernandez who continued to destroy the relationship among component members in Pakatan as he wanted to protect the cooperation among the three parties. Chua said Johor DAP had boycotted other parties in the Pakatan in the past few months.
|
| Election 2013 will be won in Sabah and Sarawak, says Anwar Posted: 20 Feb 2013 02:02 PM PST
(TMI) - Rural Sabah and Sarawak will play a vital role in determining the victor of Election 2013, Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said in a Bloomberg report today. Anwar told the news agency he was confident of Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) success despite the alliance's differences in ideologies, although current seat tussles between PR and component parties in both east Malaysian states indicate otherwise. "In Sabah and Sarawak, we've never seen that level of support among indigenous tribes," Anwar told Bloomberg here. "People do concede that there's going to be a substantial change in Sabah and Sarawak, enough to alter the shift in balance of power nationwide." Sabah and Sarawak are traditionally viewed as a safe vote bank for Barisan Nasional (BN), with the coalition winning 55 out of 71 seats when Sarawak held its state election in April 2011. The de facto leader of PKR also predicted a smooth transition of power should PR win Putrajaya, thanks to the changing attitude of the police force in handling political events. "The police have changed in the last few months," he said. "There's hardly been any harassment from the police in all our programmes. It's a pure change." He pointed out that the police did not obstruct the latest opposition rally, the People's Uprising Rally in January, but instead helped to "facilitate" it. In the aftermath of the rally, dubbed "KL112", it was the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) that has come under the spotlight, earning praise from the public and key leaders from both the opposition and BN for exercising restraint during the event. The police force, especially the Dang Wangi police station, had implemented a number of initiatives for the first time during the rally, in order to assist the participants and the media covering the event. Previous gatherings organised by polls watchdog group Bersih 2.0 had resulted in pitch battles on the streets between the police and protesters. Parliament will automatically dissolve on April 28 and elections must be held 60 days from then.
|
| Field Malay candidates in Penang, DAP told Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:36 PM PST
The Penang Malay Congress suggests that the eight Malay DAP leaders, who contested in the last central executive committee election, should be given state or parliament seats. Hawkeye, FMT DAP should come out with a candidates' line-up which appeals to all Malaysians and not just the Chinese, said the Penang Malay Congress president Rahmad Isahak. It should not be preoccupied with just winning in the general election but focus on how to govern in its aftermath. "Everybody wants to win in this modern age, but we should also see beyond winning. We have to ensure that after winning, we must learn to manage our victories, otherwise the moment would be shortlived." Therefore, the line-up unveiled by DAP should mirror its Malaysian-Malaysia slogan and consist of a rich blend of Chinese, Indians and Malay candidates, Rahmad said in an interview. He said this was an important consideration in view that DAP's alliance – Pakatan Rakyat wants to capture Putrajaya in the election. DAP should also bear in mind that the three Pakatan components are not on equal footing throughout the country, he claimed. "PAS is strong in the Malay heartland (Kedah) and the east coast, but not readily accepted in states such as Penang whereas PKR is only strong in highly urbanised areas like Selangor." Sabah and Sarawak are different stories altogether, he added. DAP should come up with a line-up which can forsee the possibilities that PAS and PKR candidates may not be accepted in states like Penang, which is DAP's bastion now, Rahmad said. Therefore, Rahmad is appealing to DAP supremos Lim Kit Siang, Lim Guan Eng and Karpal Singh to ensure that the party fields Malay candidates, particularly in Penang. This would safeguard DAP in an event that the Malay candidates in PKR and PAS are overwhelmed by the onslaught of Barisan Nasional. He also suggested that the eight Malay DAP leaders, who contested in the last central executive committee election, should be given state or parliament seats. They are Ahmad Ton, Harun Ahmad, Syed Solaiman Syed Ibrahim, Tengku Zulpuri Shah Raja Puji, Lt. Col Roseli Abd. Ghani, Zulkifli Mohd. Noor, Zairil Khir Johari and Dr Arifin Omar. Do not underestimate BN He said although BN is largely seen as rundown and out of sync here, Pakatan should not underestimate the coalition, which boast of over 10 parties with a membership of over three million politicians. "Do not think that the brains are with Pakatan only. BN has its fair share of technocrats and talent." He said the congress is of the view that DAP is here to stay in Penang for sometime because the voters here are simply fed up of BN and they subscribe to the belief of ABU (Anything But Umno). So, any candidate using the DAP symbol including the Malays have a chance, and the latter is important in view that Pakatan needs to form a balanced state government, which consists of all major races.
|
| Bishop censures Muslim scholar’s ‘toxic’ remarks Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:34 PM PST
Bishop Paul Tan criticises Ridhuan Tee Abdullah over his article which belittles Hindus and calls on the Muslim scholar to apologise. RK Anand, FMT After more than five decades of independence, this nation which once celebrated the harmonious existence of its diverse racial composition is now mourning the regression of race and religious ties. And this lamentable state of affairs is unravelling under the watch of a prime minister, whose clarion call of 1Malaysia is premised on cementing such relations. With the seat of federal power at stake in the next general election, the desperation for votes had driven certain quarters to exploit sensitive issues at the risk of widening communal fissures. The latest to join that bandwagon was academic Ridhuan Tee Abdullah, who penned an article which the head of the Catholic Church in the Malacca and Johor diocese found unpalatable. In sharing his thoughts on the article which belittled Hindus and Indians, Bishop Paul Tan did not mince his words when rapping the Muslim scholar's knuckles. Build, don't burn the bridges First and foremost, Tan said he was disappointed that such a learned and religious man would stoop to such a deplorable level. Speaking to FMT, he said people like Ridhuan should draw upon their wisdom and religious knowledge to build and not burn bridges between the various communities. He stressed that the issue was not one of belief but rather the simple fact of according respect to fellow human beings irrespective of colour and creed, which was the essence of all faiths. "Ridhuan painted the annual Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves as vexatious to the non-Hindu public and a provocation to the ethos of the majority religious community in Malaysia. "This is an example of toxic arguments against a harmless and pacific religious community that are aimed at stirring revulsion against them," he added. Calling on Ridhuan to apologise, the bishop argued that the academic's remarks were comparable to Perkasa president Ibrahim Ali's call to burn the Christian bibles which contained the word Allah. "In the one instance, you have a hate speech and in the other, you have an example of incitement to do something rash and provocative," he added. Ridhuan, an associate professor with the National Defence University and a familiar face at government functions and programmes, had penned the article for the Malay-language newspaper Sinar Harian. Under the provocative title "Muslims' patience has limits", he had cited Thaipusam as an example when commenting on the controversy surrounding a Tamil movie. The movie with a plot revolving around terrorism had been pulled out of cinemas following complaints that certain scenes had put Islam in a bad light. Ridhuan's article drew flak from both the opposition and ruling politicians, with MIC leader S Vell Paari demanding the home minister to take action or face electoral repercussions. The issue also received widespread coverage in the Tamil press. Observers noted that Ridhuan's article which appeared at a time when the nation was on the brink of a nail-biting general election could prove detrimental to the ruling coalition, which claims to have recaptured the hearts and minds of Indian voters, who deserted it in the previous polls. The academic had refused to respond to his critics, prompting speculation that he had been warned not to exacerbate the situation.
|
| Posted: 20 Feb 2013 01:20 PM PST
But the PKR president also reiterates a gag order on the quarrel in Johor. G Vinod, FMT PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today threw her support behind party vice president Chua Jui Meng in his spat with the Johor DAP leadership. In a statement coming two days after the top guns of both parties had ordered a gag order over the issue, she said PKR would continue to place its trust and confidence in Chua to lead the party's Johor chapter. Disagreements between the two parties broke into the news recently when Johor DAP chief Dr Boo Cheng Hau accused Chua of masterminding an underground campaign against his party. DAP chairman Karpal Singh backed Boo's allegation and called for an investigation. On Tuesday, however, both DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng and PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim brokered a truce and ordered the members of their parties to stop discussing the quarrel in public. Wan Azizah said Chua had made "immense" contributions to Johor PKR's political development since he joined the party in 2009 and should be given the opportunity to continue to work for change in the state. However, she expressed support for the gag order, saying disagreements between Pakatan Rakyat parties "should be resolved internally, as advised by DAP secretary general Lim Guan Eng". She said PKR, PAS and DAP had made "major inroads in the Johor political landscape and we have established a common understanding on the big issues. Negative media statements do not help and can be exploited by our opponents."
|
| Posted: 20 Feb 2013 12:23 PM PST
(The Star) - Incumbent Pandan MP Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat is not listed as a possible candidate under MCA to defend the parliamentary seat. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said Ong did not have the support from Barisan Nasional component parties in the constituency that he has held for five terms. "Ong doesn't have the support from his own division," Dr Chua said after attending a Chinese New Year open house organised by Pandan MCA here yesterday. "Ong's name is not in the list prepared by the division and I am dependent on the list prepared by the division," he added. He also introduced 39-year-old lawyer Gary Lim to reporters as MCA's choice of candidate for the constituency. "Gary is a new face and he does not have any baggage. "All politicians have enemies and over time you accumulate more," said Dr Chua. At the same time, he said he could not stop Ong from contesting as an independent, and that it might even benefit Barisan Nasional to split votes for the Opposition. PKR has announced that its director of strategies Rafizi Ramli would be contesting in the parliamentary constituency. At the function, Dr Chua also warned that people especially those in Selangor would be hampered with a host of problems including a water shortage if they were to re-elect Pakatan Rakyat for state government.
|
| Filipino 'army' lays claim to Malaysian state Posted: 20 Feb 2013 11:57 AM PST Steve Chao among those arrested (Al Jazeera) - Self-proclaimed Royal Sultanate army land in eastern state of Sabah, saying ancestors once ruled area. Watch video at: http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013220182943625413 More than 100 people have been left homeless by what has, until now, been a little-known armed Filipino group. The group say they say are descendants of an ancient Sulu sultan who once ruled the land they are claiming.
|
| Police chief confirms arrest of seven at Labian Posted: 20 Feb 2013 11:52 AM PST
(Borneo Insider) - Three Al-Jazeera journalists, three SAPP youths and boatman detained while attempting to head to Tanduo, later 6 released with a warning Three Al-Jazeera journalists were among seven people detained by police off waters at Tanjung Labian, near here Wednesday morning in an apparent bid to attempt a landing at Kampung Tanduo, the hideout of hundreds of followers of the Sulu Sultanate.The others caught early this morning were three Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) youths as well as the boatmen. The news was first broken by SAPP Tungku Central Liaison Committee (CLC) Chairman Suaib Mutalib, who in a statement disclosed the arrests. Later in the afternoon Sabah police chief, Datuk Hamza Taib confirmed the arrests saying the seven were spotted in a boat by a General Operations Force (GOF) team at about 8.00am. Six were later released by police after their particulars were taken down and given a stern warning not to repeat their 'ill-planned' adventure. The seventh person, presumably the boatman was detained further as his travel documents were not in order. Hamza said the three journalists and the youths had earlier tried to enter Tanduo by a land route but had failed. Hamza reminded all journalists, local and foreign, as well as all other parties, not to even try and enter the said area for security reasons. "Please let us do our jobs. Our focus is to ensure the safety of the people and we do not wish to see any unforeseen incidences happening," he said. Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/02/20/breaking-news-al-jazeera-journalists-sapp-youths-detained-near-standoff-point/ |
| Najib sets the tone for clean elections Posted: 20 Feb 2013 11:48 AM PST
(The Star) - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has set the tone for a clean and fair general election by making a public declaration to uphold integrity and reinforcing his commitment to fight corruption in the upcoming polls. The Prime Minister signed the Transparency International (TI) Election Integrity Pledge, which carries this objective, at a brief ceremony at the Perdana Putra building here yesterday. TI Malaysia president Datuk Paul Low and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deputy chief Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull witnessed the signing. Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor and Barisan Nasional component party leaders. They included MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, PBBpresident Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and MIC president Datuk Seri G. Palanivel. The TI Election Integrity Pledge is a voluntary social contract, where candidates who will be standing for the general election pledge to promote integrity, good governance, transparency and accountability in government and to uphold the rule of law. Candidates who sign the pledge agree to adhere to the Election Offences Act 1954 and its regulations and give an assurance that their actions and decisions are for the benefit of the general public and not self-serving. In signing the pledge, Najib declared that he would observe principles of truth, integrity, ethical conduct and accountability, including not accepting or giving bribes or being involved in any way in corrupt practices.  Joyful meeting: Najib shaking hands with teachers and other staff members after launching SJK (C) Chung Hua Tudan in Kuala Bertam, Miri.The pledge also committed him to uphold and give priority to the interests of the rakyat, good governance and transparency, and compliance with the country's laws and regulations. Meanwhile, a statement from the Prime Minister's Office said that once the Barisan nominees for the general election are announced, he will ensure that they all sign the pledge. "Nominees from the Barisan and component parties have gone through a review process with the MACC. It is fitting that they now take their commitment for clean and fair elections a step further by signing this Election Integrity Pledge. "The responsibility of fulfilling the pledge lies with the signatories of the pledge and it is the prerogative of the general Malaysian public to hold them accountable to it. "Let us work together towards strengthening the election process," the Prime Minister said. TI Malaysia commended Najib for signing the pledge. "He had ensured his political nominees would be screened by the MACC. "Now, taking this step further, he is encouraging them to make a public commitment for clean and fair elections," TI Malaysia said in a statement.
|
| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan