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• Gov't will defend use of word 'Allah', says Najib
• Philippine intrigue could be behind Sulu incursion, say sources
• Lahad Datu: A Wag The Dog Operation?
• Malaysian universities not in the Times list of World’s top 400 universities
• Umno Incorporated (part 3)
• SEE WHAT WE ARE UP AGAINST
• Twenty bodies of gunmen recovered after large-scale operations in Sabah: Sources
• 10,000 Tausugs to sail to Sabah
• Kenyataan akhbar Ruslan Kasim desak Anwar saman media Filipina
• Najib umum RM600 juta bagi usahawan bumiputera
• Anwar mum over Sabah conspiracy allegations
• Government will defend use of ‘Allah’ word, says Najib
• Two time-bombs in Sabah
• Report: Total defeat for Sulu group in Sabah dawn attack
• Protest against Tian Chua
• PKR to contest 90 seats
• Aquino’s spokesman says all was done to avoid bloodshed in Sabah
• Army begins mopping-up operation
• Malaysian-trained MNLF fighters join Sulu army
• Strike misses Kiram
• ‘Sabah uprising’
• 'No surrender' in Sabah - Kiram
• Tunnel vision in Penang highway agenda
• Surat Niat Kepada Konsortium Zenith Sdn. Bhd.
• Wikipedia Page Edited To Describe Sabah As Sultanate’s
• KL sends ‘cavalry’ to Sabah; toll hits 27
• Ground troops moving into Tanduo; air strikes over
• Tortured, Beheaded and Mutilated
• Elderly Woman Killed by Suspected UMNO Vehicle
• “Democracy” in Malaysia – Neither Free nor Fair
• Fixed deposits? No, Pakatan considers Indians as liabilities!
• Umno Incorporated (part 2)
• Aquino says Sabah is a conspiracy
• Anwar Ibrahim’s welfarist manifesto makes decision difficult
• End Sabah clash in ‘brotherly way’, MNLF warns Putrajaya
• Army rushing reinforcements to help police deal with latest landings
• Tian Chua: I didn’t insult our commandos
• Manila now says up to Malaysia to handle Sulu militants
• I was adviser to ‘real’ Sulu sultan, says Umno Youth exco man
• Nur Misuari offers to mediate
• Suaris Interview: The Future of Malays #6
• NEM at ground level: Same old model, no paradigm shift
• Nazri: BN will 'gladly' hand over power if people's mandate lost
• Fighting in Sabah rages
• Sabah, Merdeka and Aquino
• Did the police walk into a trap in Semporna?
• When does Malaysia’s debt become a problem? Just the facts please!
• Hindu Malaysia Agenda -Rally
• Fourteen killed in stand-off between Philippine sultan and Malaysia
• Malaysia Blocks PH Ship On Humanitarian Mission

Gov't will defend use of word 'Allah', says Najib Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:35 AM PST   (Bernama) - "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the government would defend the use of the word "Allah" in accordance with Syariah principles.  He said the Syariah principles encompassed five points - preserving and caring for religion, life, intellect, lineage and property - which were pursued by the government.  A study showed that Malaysia occupied a prominent place among Islamic countries in terms of compliance to and championing the objectives of Syariah principles, he said. "In terms of religion, we defend the faith, the sanctity of Islam and the word 'Allah', as advocated by the Quran. We do not play politics in this matter, by agreeing with others in one instance and reversing the decision later.  "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here.

Philippine intrigue could be behind Sulu incursion, say sources Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:34 AM PST   (The Malaysian Insider) - A bid to undermine Philippine President Benigno Aquino in the republic's midterm elections in May and control the bicameral legislature is said to be a reason for the Sulu Sultanate's incursion of Sabah, say sources. The Malaysian Insider understands Philippine politicians want to put pressure on Aquino ahead of the 2016 presidential elections to get a pardon for his predecessor, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who is under house arrest for electoral sabotage. Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, who ordered the armed incursion to claim Sabah last month, ran as a senator as part of Arroyo's Team Unity in the country's 2007 elections. He lost by some 800 votes. "Some want to undermine Aquino in the midterm legislative elections to enable them to control of the Senate and the House before the 2016 presidential election. "This will ensure that Arroyo will get pardoned later," a diplomatic corps source told The Malaysian Insider. Several political commentators have already taken Aquino to task over Malacanang Palace's handling of the situation, saying the first-term president was not backing the sultanate's claim to their ancestral lands. "This is just pure politics and the Sulu claim is also politics," said a source based in the Philippines. Aquino has said Manila will look into the claim for Sabah, but said the Sulu sultan and his followers should respect Malaysian law and not carry out the incursion. He also said the Philippines did not allow private armies, ensuring the so-called Royal Sulu Sultanate Army was illegal. Coincidentally, Putrajaya had also blamed Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of being in contact with the Sulu royalty before Jamalul Kiram's brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, landed in Lahad Datu with armed followers on February 9. But the Filipino militants have denied any links with the opposition in Malaysia, where a general election is due to be held before end June. Malaysian security forces moved in yesterday to end the standoff with Agbimuddin Kiram's group holed up in Kampung Tanduo, Lahad Datu. Fighter jets screamed through the air as artillery pounded the village before soldiers moved in to flush out the militants. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/philippine-intrigue-could-be-behind-sulu-incursion-say-sources/

Lahad Datu: A Wag The Dog Operation? Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:32 AM PST   No one from UMNO dares to deny the close relationship that they had (or still have) with the Sulu sultanate people.   Tulang Besi  We have to support our troops 100%. They are being professional and just following orders. However, the people giving those orders are the ones that we have to question. Especially in light of so many facts proving close ties between UMNO leaders and the Sulu Sultanate whom are based in Manila. We now have in our hands several pictures of current and former leaders of UMNO with the current Sultan of Sulu, of which his brother is still at large and operating in Lahad Datu Sabah and the leader of the incursion. We have pictures of: 1.0 Najib Tun Razak with the Sultan of Sulu 2.0 Aziz Shamsuddin (the man where IC for illegal immigrants were produced direct from his own house) 3.0 Shafiee Afdal 4.0 Abdullah Badawi, the former PM Now, UMNO is trying to argue that the Sultan operating out of Manila is not a legal entity. Yet, why is the Government of Malaysia paying secession money to the same person that they have labelled to be illegal? In there words, the people that the Malaysian government is fighting in Lahad Datu are the same people that Malaysia is paying cession money to on annual basis (click here, here and here) Also, we have all come to know about the IC project given to illegal immigrants of which the majority of them are Malays from the South of Phillipines. The same race and religion of the Sulu Sultanate. That explains the picture of Aziz Samsuddin and the Sultan of Sulu. Thick as thieves they are. We also now know that many of the Sulu Sultanate Royal family are leaders of UMNO at the grassroot level in Sabah. In fact, representatives from the Sulu Sultanate even attended the UMNO General Assembly in 2012. In short, no one from UMNO dares to deny the close relationship that they had (or still have) with the Sulu sultanate people. That explains why the first thing UMNO did was to accuse Anwar as being the mastermind behind the Sulu incursion. The entire might of the UMNO media machine was used to slander Anwar Ibrahim up to the point when Anwar declared that he is starting a RM100m suit against TV3 and Utusan. In truth, the Sulu Sultanate categorically denies any connection with anyone in the opposition parties in Malaysia whether from Pakatan Rakyat or not. I cannot shake the nagging feeling that this is just another drama ala "wag the dog" to spruce up sympathy in preparation for the upcoming elections. (Remember the saying "if you can't get the dog to wag his tail, then wag the dog")   Read more at: http://www.malaysiawaves.net/2013/03/lahad-datu-wag-dog-operation.html

Malaysian universities not in the Times list of World’s top 400 universities Posted: 05 Mar 2013 08:29 AM PST     Second time in a row for Malaysia to not make it into the Times List of the World's top 400 universities Two Singaporean institutions made it in the top 100 Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) ranked 98th in Top 100 Universities under 50 category Not a single university in Malaysia appeared in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings this year. Except for Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) which managed to place 98th in the Top 100 Universities under 50 category. Two Singapore institutions are among the top 100. The National University of Singapore (NUS) ranked 29th and Nanyang Technological University at 86th. The top ten are seven US-based and three UK-based universities, with the California Institute of Technology stealing the show at 95.5 points. NUS got 77.5 points whereas Nanyang 59.4 points. Thailand's King Mongkut's University of Technology is the only other Southeast Asian University in the list, at 351st place. According to Times Higher Education website, the universities were judged according to 13 performance indicators from five areas – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. Moreover, universities were judged according to disciplinary mix, citation counts and research. Read more at: http://afterschool.my/malaysian-universities-not-in-the-times-list-of-worlds-top-400-universities/

Umno Incorporated (part 3) Posted: 05 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST On 3rd August 1999, a 'Settlement Agreement' was signed between Nazri Abdullah and Mohd Noor Mutalib, the majority shareholders of Realmild at the time, and the company, Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd. The purpose of the Agreement was to 'write-off' the RM148 million 'shareholders' advances' -- which was shown as RM182 million in the 1997 Annual Report but got reduced a year later. Hence RM34 million had somehow 'disappeared' over that one-year or so. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin When Munir Majid (picture above) approved the injection of Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd into MRCB it was based on projected profits of RM70 million expected from projects in-hand and RM42 million from projects yet to be secured. It was the first time ever that the watchdog Securities Commission gave an approval based on the mere speculation that MRCB would most likely secure projects in the future. More importantly, the 'injection' actually ended up as a reverse takeover. The whole exercise was touted as a management buyout (MBO) and the four people involved -- known Umno cum Anwar Ibrahim cronies (just like Munir Majid himself) -- were Abdul Kadir Jasin, Mohd Noor Mutalib, Ahmad Nazri Abdullah and Khalid Ahmad (picture below). This was clearly not just a simple 'Ali Baba' exercise but a case of Ali Baba and his forty thieves. After the RM800 million Realmild MBO (see part 2 of this series), they injected the whole thing into MRCB and ended up getting a company worth more than a billion for nothing. That is the beauty of selling a bigger company with large liabilities to a smaller company. You clear your liabilities (the buyer takes over your liabilities) and you end up getting shares in the enlarged group free-of-charge. One year after Anwar Ibrahim fell out of favour and ended up behind the walls of the Sungai Buloh prison, Realmild changed hands. Anwar was now out so his nominees -- Dato' Ahmad Nazri Bin Abdullah and Mohd Noor Bin Mutalib -- were forced to sell off their interests in the company to another Umno nominee. And this is where it begins to get even more interesting. The former head of the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce, Abdul Rahman Maidin (picture above), alleged that he lost RM40 million on the 7.101 million Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd shares he purchased, which were said to actually belong to Umno and not to the people he bought the shares from. What happened thereafter appears to be very hazy. On 3rd August 1999, a 'Settlement Agreement' was signed between Nazri Abdullah and Mohd Noor Mutalib, the majority shareholders of Realmild at the time, and the company, Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd. The purpose of the Agreement was to 'write-off' the RM148 million 'shareholders' advances' -- which was shown as RM182 million in the 1997 Annual Report but got reduced a year later. Hence RM34 million had somehow 'disappeared' over that one-year or so. But where did this RM182 million (or RM148 million) come from and whose money is it? And where did this RM182 million (or RM148 million: less the RM34 million 'discount') go after that? Furthermore, what do they mean by 'shareholders' advances'? Apparently, this money was siphoned out to pay off Rahman Maidin's debts of RM84 million. Hence did he really lose RM40 million as he claims or did he, in fact, make RM148 million (or RM182 million according to the 1997 accounts) as what the accounts and the Settlement Agreement show? In return for this write-off, the outgoing shareholders of Realmild would receive 49% equity in Radicare Sdn Bhd, a company that was given the government concession to equip and commission hospitals and provide hospital support services that included clinical waste management, cleansing services, linen and laundry services, facilities engineering maintenance, and biomedical engineering maintenance. Now, in the hearing more than two years ago, this Settlement Agreement was not declared. And it was not declared mainly because this was a cover-up for a fraudulent exercise to siphon out money. It was meant to camouflage an illegal transfer of funds. And you can read below the details of the Agreement, which definitely requires further explanation. More puzzling is the statement in Realmild's June 1999-2000 accounts where it states in Note 27: "Subsequent to year end the company disposed its entire equity interest in an associated company Radicare (M) Sdn Bhd, for a consideration sum of RM2." This means Realmild's interest in Radicare was sold for only RM2. But the Settlement Agreement states a figure of RM147,970,621.40. So, is it RM2 or RM147,970,621.40? This can only mean that RM147,970,621.40 was paid but only RM2 went to the company. The balance must have gone into someone's pocket -- in this case that would be Rahman Maidin since he denies that he was Umno's nominee or that the interest he held in the company actually belongs to Umno. Something is terribly not kosher here and it looks like everything has not been fully declared in the court hearing of 2010. Rahman says one thing but the accounts show something else. And there are too many unexplained issues that have remained unexplained. Was the Settlement Agreement, therefore, kept from public knowledge because it was a cover-up for some missing money and hence leading to something illegal?   Umno Incorporated (part 1) Umno Incorporated (part 2)

SEE WHAT WE ARE UP AGAINST Posted: 04 Mar 2013 10:10 PM PST SEE HERE AND CLICK TO ENLARGE

Twenty bodies of gunmen recovered after large-scale operations in Sabah: Sources Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:48 PM PST Ambulances drive towards an area where the stand-off with Filipino Sulu gunmen and Malaysian security forces was taking place in Tanduo village on Tuesday, March 5, 2013. Twenty bodies of the Sulu gunmen have been recovered in a remote coastal village in Sabah after large-scale operations by the Malaysian security forces on Tuesday to flush out the militants holed up there for weeks, according to local media. -- PHOTO: AFP  (ST) - Twenty bodies of the Sulu gunmen have been recovered in a remote coastal village in Sabah after large-scale operations by the Malaysian security forces on Tuesday to flush out the militants holed up there for weeks, according to local media. News portal Malaysiakini and Utusan Malaysia daily both quoted sources as saying that the bodies were found during the army's mop-up operations after the airstrike and mortar strike Tuesday morning. The authorities have yet to confirm it. Police chief Ismail Omar said at a press briefing in the afternoon that the house-to-house checks were still going on, and it was not known if some of the gunmen had fled to other villages. "The movement of the operations is being done with great caution, taking the terrain into account," he said. There have been conflicting reporters on whether the leader Raja Muda Azzumudie is among the dead. The New Straits Times also reported that fresh rounds of explosions have been heard around Kampung Sinakut, which is about 6km from Kampung Tanduo where fighting took place Tuesday morning. Malaysia had sent seven army battalions to eastern Sabah to flush out the militants after a gunfight over the weekend killed at least 26 people, including eight Malaysian policemen. The battle came after a long stand-off with the group of over 100 armed Filipinos who had landed in Sabah on Feb 9, to "reclaim" their ancestral land as followers of an heir to the Sulu Sultanate of southern Philippines. Sulu had controlled parts of Sabah hundreds of years ago. Malaysian forces began moving in last week after failing to persuade them to leave.

10,000 Tausugs to sail to Sabah Posted: 04 Mar 2013 06:43 PM PST (Agencies) - ZAMBOANGA CITY: Thousands of Tausug from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi have sailed to Sabah to reinforce members of the so-called royal army of the sultanate of Sulu who are fighting it out with Malaysian security forces, a Moro National Liberation Front official said Tuesday. "We can no longer prevent our people. We are hurt and many of our people, even the non-combatants, are going to Sabah to help the sultanate," Habib Hashim Mudjahab, chair of the MNLF's Islamic Council Committee, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer by phone. Mudjahab said at least 10,000 Tausug from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Zamboanga on Monday night started to reinforce the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III now holed up in a coastal village in Sabah via the Philippines' so-called "southern backdoor," a route regular traders are familiar with. He said the reinforcements "sailed in small numbers so they can easily penetrate Sabah unnoticed." 'It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice.' "The naval blockade is of no use; our military should have known that. We did that before at the height of Marcos regime. We can easily go to Sabah and blend with the people there," he added. He was referring to a naval blockade thrown up by the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to ensure armed sympathizers do not joined the beleaguered men in Sabah as reinforcements. Days ago, Mudjahab said, he advised several MNLF commanders against going to Sabah to help a group of about 200 men who landed in a coastal village in Lahad Datu on Feb 9 to assert the sultanate's claim to Sabah. "I told them to hold on to their ranks and avoid getting emotionally affected with the situation. But our President Noynoy (President Benigno Aquino III) kept issuing statements favoring the Malaysians, which made our people agitated. The President must realize that for the Tausugs, being pushed to the wall, fighting for a cause, is dying with victory," he said. He said with three old heirs of the Sultanate, "who have no history of rebellion, living quietly on their own, now leading the cause in Sabah, is something great for the Tausugs." "It is about pride and honor, and our people are ready to sacrifice," Mudjahab said. Ajil Jaffar, 50, an oil palm plantation worker in Kota Kinabalu and who was among those repatriated to the country on Sunday, said he wanted to return to Sabah. "I want to help them. It's our honor to be with the sultan so that this deportation and abuses will stop," he said. A retired educator in Tawi-Tawi, who asked not to be identified by name, said the sultanate of Sulu represents an extension of their rich heritage. "They are the first Filipinos. The sultanate of Sulu was already there even before Philippines existed," he said. Amirah Lidasan of the non governmental group Suara Bangsamoro said the status of the sultanate of Sulu was unfinished business that "keeps on nagging us." "We have a bloody history of Moro people getting killed while defending the homeland. It also speaks of the Philippine government's giving in to the interest of foreigners instead of its citizens," Lidasan said.

Kenyataan akhbar Ruslan Kasim desak Anwar saman media Filipina Posted: 04 Mar 2013 05:01 PM PST KENYATAAN MEDIA 1. Kita cabar Anwar Ibrahim saman akhbar Inquirer News, The Manila Times, Al Jacinto, agensi berita Reuters dan Badan Perisikan Tentera Filipina sebab mereka buat laporan mengatakan Anwar Ibrahim antara 3 dalang dibelakang percerobohan Lahad Datu. 2. Kita juga cabar Anwar Ibrahim saman Presiden Benigno Aquino sebab beliau mengesahkan bahawa ada 3 kumpulan yang menjadi dalang atau tali barut dalam konpirasi serangan di Sabah. Antara 3 konspirator ini satu adalah pihak dari Malaysia yang sanggup jadi tali barut untuk menghacur negara sendiri. 3. Anwar Ibrahim perlu hentikan 'sendiwara saman' sebagai taktik lapuk untuk tutup mulut orang ramai. Anwar Ibrahim sepatutnya memakai rambut palsu jika tidak mahu Badan Perisik Filipina mengecam beliau semasa pertemuan dengan Nur Misuari. 4. Kita meminta Anwar Ibrahim perjelaskan siapakah yang membiayai semua kos untuk membuat serangan di Sabah. Sudah pasti operasi saperti ini memerlukan perbelanjaan yang amat besar. 5.Selama ini pun kita memang mengenali Anwar seorang manusia yang pakar di dalam mempergunakan orang lain. Dia juga jenis suka guna taktik baling batu sembunyi tangan. Ini amat jelas apabila belum apa-apa lagi orang kanan Anwar, Tian Chua telah menyalahkan pihak UMNO yang merancang sandiwara seperti yang berlaku di Lahad Datu tersebut. Terima kasih. RUSLAN KASIM Ketua Penerangan Perkasa

Najib umum RM600 juta bagi usahawan bumiputera Posted: 04 Mar 2013 03:15 PM PST (Bernama) - Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berkata, kerajaan akan memperuntukkan RM600 juta dalam usahanya memperkasakan lagi usahawan-usahawan Bumiputera sekali gus melonjakkan penglibatan mereka ke arena global. Ketika mengumumkan dana tambahan itu, Perdana Menteri berkata, RM400 juta akan dikendalikan oleh Unit Perancang Ekonomi (EPU). "Sebanyak RM100 juta akan dikendalikan oleh Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) untuk pembangunan korporat bagi pertambahan ekuiti Bumiputera," kata beliau sebelum merasmikan Perhimpunan Usahawan Bumiputera 2013 di sini semalam. Sementara itu, kata beliau, RM100 juta akan diberi kepada Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad bagi membantu usahawan Bumiputera mendapat lokasi strategik di pusat beli-belah ternama bagi memasarkan jenama antarabangsa. Najib yang juga Menteri Kewangan turut mengumumkan kenaikan had pinjaman kepada usahawan di bawah kendalian Mara dan Tekun daripada RM50,000 kepada RM100,000. Selain itu, beliau turut menaikkan had pembiayaan di bawah kendalian Mara daripada RM500,000 kepada RM1 juta. Najib berkata, dana tambahan yang dikendalikan oleh EPU itu akan digunakan untuk program-program strategik seperti memperkasakan usahawan Bumiputera dengan pendekatan yang berinovasi agar usahawan-usahawan itu dapat memperluaskan pasaran serta menyediakan infrastruktur yang lengkap. Selain itu, Perdana Menteri berkata, kerajaan menggalakkan agar usahawan Bumiputera dapat meningkatkan prestasi dan kemahiran masing-masing supaya dapat terus berdaya saing dan tidak mengharapkan bantuan kerajaan semata-mata untuk berjaya. Sekiranya seseorang usahawan Bumiputera itu mempunyai kebolehan, tanpa tandatangan sesiapa pun mereka layak untuk bersaing mendapatkan kontrak, kata Najib. "Kita tidak mahu pengusaha-pengusaha sebegini sebab kalau kita beri (kontrak) berdasarkan mereka yang buat begini, maka kita tidak akan bangunkan satu budaya baharu dalam kalangan usahawan Bumiputera," kata Najib. Beliau turut memberi contoh kontrak Transit Aliran Ringan yang diberi baru-baru ini, sebanyak 45 peratus daripada jumlah nilai kontrak telah diperuntukkan kepada usahawan Bumiputera berdasarkan merit kerana mereka telah dikenal pasti sebagai layak dan berkebolehan dalam melaksanakan projek-projek yang diberikan.

Anwar mum over Sabah conspiracy allegations Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:55 PM PST (Asia News Network) - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has refused to clarify foreign news reports of his purported links to a Sabah opposition politician alleged to have a hand in the armed intrusion in Sabah, saying the matter is being dealt with by his lawyers. When told that media reports in the Philippines had implicated him, Anwar said: "There are many media in the Philippines. Which one are you referring to?" Anwar was speaking at a press conference to specifically address the foreign armed intrusion of Sabah. When told that the claim was made by the Philippines Daily Inquirer, Anwar said he had read the article and there was no mention of him being linked to the issue. The Philippines Daily Inquirer, in a report last Friday, quoted Filipino army intelligence sources as saying that a Sabah politician allied to a Malaysian opposition leader had recently met with representatives of the Sultan of Sulu. When asked whether a Royal Commission of Inquiry should be set up to clear his name, Anwar merely dismissed the claims as accusations made by Umno. Anwar said he merely wanted to highlight its impact on the nation's security and sovereignty. He accused the government of having failed to deal with the armed intrusion swiftly, including failing to provide accurate information resulting in rumour mongering and fear among the rakyat. He called on the prime minister to convene roundtable talks with the opposition leadership, Home minister and Defence minister, followed by an emergency Parliament sitting to discuss the issue. He also called on Malaysians to put aside their political affiliations and support the nation's security forces. Meanwhile, a picture of Anwar holding a discussion with Moro National Liberation Front founding chairman Nur Misuari is being circulated in cyberspace. However, it is not known when and where the picture was taken.

Government will defend use of ‘Allah’ word, says Najib Posted: 04 Mar 2013 02:39 PM PST Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the government will defend the use of the word "Allah" in accordance with syariah principles. He said syariah principles encompassed five points — preserving and caring for religion, life, intellect, lineage and property — which were pursued by the government.  A study showed that Malaysia occupied a prominent place among Islamic countries in terms of compliance to and championing the objectives of syariah principles, Najib (picture) said. "In terms of religion, we defend the faith, the sanctity of Islam and the word 'Allah', as advocated by the Quran. We do not play politics in this matter, by agreeing with others in one instance and reversing the decision later.  "We are unwavering in the matter of the word 'Allah'. The government of today will defend the use of the word," he said at a gathering of Muslims, including Islamic scholars and leaders, at the Putra Stadium in Bukit Jalil here. About 16,000 people attended the event, including the poor and needy, among them petty traders, taxi drivers and students getting "zakat" aid from the Federal Territory Islamic Affairs Council.  Najib also said that through the National Key Result Areas (NKRA), the government had given emphasis to reducing the crime index since 2009.  He said measures were taken to improve the quality of education, and this included the implementation of the National Education Blueprint 2013-2025.  On the aspect of moral decadence, he said the government focused on inculcating noble cultural values and countering free sex, incest and lesbianism, gay sex, bisexuality and transgenderism.

Two time-bombs in Sabah Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:53 PM PST Lim Mun Fah, Sinchew.com The deadly clashes in Sabah after the intrusion of a Sulu army took place at the most sensitive period when the country is counting down to the general election. Inevitably, it has triggered all kinds of speculation while showing us how some netizens simply comment and criticise in this Internet age. Many people do not know the history of Sabah and have no idea about the gunmen claiming to be the Royal Army of the Sulu Sultanate, let alone the army's historical grievances with the Brunei Sultanate, Spain and the British colonial government. They just simply commented and criticised. Of course, it is now a democratic era and no one can stop netizens from commenting on the issue. However, remarks made with a lack of basic historical knowledge and international perspective will easily tend to be superficial and turn out as a tool to vent emotions.  Therefore, when the government negotiated with the Sulu army, some questioned why the government did not just open fire and annihilate them; and after an outbreak of clashes, some people wondered why the police force, not the military, was deployed. Some ridiculed when they heard that a few policemen were killed and some even related the issue to a conspiracy theory and questioned why we do not just give it back since it is other people's territory. Frankly speaking, not all netizens have commented pointlessly. Many people would like to know the answers to some questions and the government needs to clarify them as soon as possible. However, we should always remember a non-negotiable principle, that is, Sabah is part of Malaysia, and territory and sovereignty are sacred and inviolable. The Sulu Sultanate is a collapsed administration and is now only part of the Philippines. As for Sabah, it has joined Sarawak and Malaya, also Singapore at that time, to form Malaysia, with the recognition of the United Nations. The Philippines has also given up its territorial claim based on this unalterable fact. History is not a black-and-white picture. In fact, all countries today are result of historical agreements, despite some agreements being unfair. There are only about 200 countries in the world today; if countries are formed based on religion and language (there are about 8,000 languages in the world), it would be an unimaginable chaotic scene. Therefore, the problem to be resolved is not whether more independent countries should be built based on religion or language, but whether the existing countries can respect and be fair to every one of their citizens, regardless of race, religion and language. The Lahad Datu standoff is undoubtedly a great challenge to the government's crisis management capabilities. The quality of any decisions and actions of the government could bring impact to the next general election. Regardless of the election results, the Sabah state government and the federal government must face up to the Sulu Sultanate's threats in the future.  How are they going to prevent the Sulu army from intruding Sabah again? How are they going to solve the bitter fruit of illegal immigrant issue (According to the Philippine media, at least 8,500 Filipinos are staying in Sabah.)? The people will continue to feel ill until the two time-bombs are dismantled!

Report: Total defeat for Sulu group in Sabah dawn attack Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:49 PM PST (TMI) - The armed Sulu intruders who had been in Sabah for over three weeks suffered a total defeat in an attack by the Malaysian army early this morning, the Star Online reported today, citing police sources. "The Sulu armed group was totally routed by Malaysian security forces' overwhelming firepower unleashed at 7am Tuesday (today), police sources said," the news portal said. No Malaysians were killed in the attack but the numbers of those who had died or were wounded among the Filipino militants was unknown, the Inspector-General of Police said at a 11.30am media briefing today, the news portal reported. The Star Online also said that the situation in Sabah's east coast, where armed foreigners from the Philippines had clashed with Malaysian authorities, was reportedly under control. Malaysian security forces have been placed on high alert due to purported threats of retaliation by the armed men who claim to be the royal army of the Sultanate of Sulu, it said. A spokesman for the Sulu group, Abraham Idjirani, today reportedly said they are safe and are ready to fight back despite the bombs and gunfire that had rained on them this morning. The Malaysian army launched an attack on the Filipino intruders at Kampung Tanduo, Felda Sahabat in Lahad Datu at 7am today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak confirmed in a statement today. The Star Online reported that fresh fighting began between the Sulu gunmen and security forces early this morning. Soldiers are already on the ground in the village, it added. Gunshots were heard and fighter jets were seen circling around the Felda Sahabat plantation. Explosions were heard for 40 minutes in Kampung Tanduo, the daily reported. READ MORE HERE

Protest against Tian Chua Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:46 PM PST (The Star) - A group of retired policemen gathered at the National Monument to protest against PKR vice-president Tian Chua's remarks over the Lahad Datu standoff. About 100 of them also sang the national anthem at the 10am gathering. Chua allegedly said in KeadilanDaily.com that the shooting incident in Lahad Datu was a conspiracy by the Umno government to divert attention and frighten the people. Former Deputy Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Samshuri Arshad said the statement insulted and belittled the sacrifice of the policemen who were injured and killed. "The fact that he could think of their deaths as a farce for a political drama is simply unacceptable," he said. Former IGP Tan Sri Norian Mai and former CID director Tan Sri Mohd Zaman Khan also took part in the protest with retirees from the police VAT69 troop, Squad 69 and Special Branch. The group also carried placards that said: Tian Chua pengkhianat negara (Tian Chua is a national traitor), Tian Chua manusia tak berhati perut (Tian Chua is heartless), and Tian Chua perlu minta maaf (Tian Chua must apologise). They later lodged reports against him at the Dang Wangi police station. Meanwhile, Penang Wanita Umno has also lodged three police reports against Tian Chua. Its chief Zabariah Wahab said leaders from three divisions - Permatang Pauh, Bayan Baru and Bukit Gelugor - had lodged reports at their respective police stations. "Our heartfelt condolences to those who lost their loved ones in the gunfight," she told reporters at Menara Umno in Macalister Road yesterday. At the press conference, Zabariah and other leaders tore pictures of Tian Chua.

PKR to contest 90 seats Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:40 PM PST (The Star) - PKR will get the lion's share among the three parties in the Opposition pact of the 222 seats in the Dewan Rakyat at the coming general election. PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (picture) the matter had been decided by Pakatan Rakyat leadership council. He said his party would field candidates in about 80 seats while the DAP would be going for between 46 and 50 seats. PKR, however, would be going for 90 seats, he told The Mole news portal. A recent report from the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (Asli) stated that DAP would be the biggest winner in the Opposition coalition, as it had the chance to win between 35 and 40 Parliamentary seats, compared to the 28 it won in 2008. Tuan Ibrahim said that since the number of seats allocated to DAP was the least, there was no possibility of a leader from the party being appointed prime minister should Pakatan took over Putrajaya. He had previously stated there was no certainty that PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would be appointed to the post. Urging PAS members to ensure victories for the party's candidates, Tuan Ibrahim said the party would discuss with its Opposition partners on who should take over as prime minister even if it won big in the general election. DAP and PKR both want Anwar as prime minister.

Aquino’s spokesman says all was done to avoid bloodshed in Sabah Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:39 PM PST (The Star) - President Benigno Aquino III's spokesman said Tuesday the Philippines had done all it could to avoid a violent end to a stand-off in Sabah, as Malaysia launched an assault on Filipino gunmen there. A total of 27 people have been reported killed in clashes since the followers of Jamalul Kiram III, an heir to the Sultan of Sulu, landed there on February 12 by boat. "We've done everything we could to prevent this, but in the end, Kiram's people chose this path," Aquino spokesman Ricky Carandang said of the gunmen, who are claiming the state for a now defunct Filipino Muslim sultanate. Carandang said Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario remains in Kuala Lumpur for talks with his Malaysian counterpart on the security crisis. Meanwhile, a Manila spokesman for Kiram, the self-proclaimed Sultan of Sulu, said the leader of the gunmen reported to him by telephone that a firefight was underway in Sabah. "There is nothing to be done about that now," spokesman Abraham Idjirani said, stressing that the men's earlier announcement that they will fight to the end remains unchanged. "We are not intruders. They [Malaysians] are the ones occupying our ancestral land," he said. The Sulu sultanate's power faded about a century ago but it has continued to receive nominal Malaysian payments for Sabah under a lease deal inherited from European colonial powers.

Army begins mopping-up operation Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:31 PM PST According to residents living close by, they heard the sound of jets just before the explosions. (FMT) - LAHAD DATU: Malaysian forces are reportedly conducting a mopping-up operation after they launched a dawn assault on the armed group of Filipinos who killed eight policemen over the weekend. The assault at Kampung Tanduo was preceded by the sound of bombs exploding and the sound of jets roaring overhead. Even as the offensive was going on, Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar told a news conference here today that the police and army have achieved their objective in the operation code-named "Ops Sulu". Also present was Chief of Defence Forces Jeneral Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. Ismail confirmed that the security forces launched the offensive against the intruders whom he referred to as terrorists and were met with return fire. He said there were no casualities. He said there was no civilians in the area of operation when the offensive was launched. Government officials announced that the operation to retake Kampung Taduo, an area taken over by about 200 members of the Royal Army of Sulu claiming allegiance to Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, took place at 7am. According to residents living close by, they heard the sound of jets just before the explosions. Many of them are reported to be fleeing the area. Kampung Tanduo is bracketed by two other seaside villages a few kilometres away and most of the villagers residing there have abandoned their homes and can be seen on the highway between Kampung Tanduo and here. Artillery rounds were heard pounding the area before soldiers went in and the sound of shooting erupted. There has been no sound of fighting since 10am. The sea fronting Kampung Tanduo is reportedly clear of any vessels. Police units were seen rushing towards Tungku area at around 10am and troop movement was seen Cenderawasih in Sahabat 7. Unemployed MNLF insurgents? Felda Sahabat is said to about twice the size of Singapore. Plantation workers in the area have been told to stop work and move out as security forces spread out around the rows of oil palm trees in the plantations surrounding Kampung Tanduo. Some of the workers said they have been unable to get out of the vicinity because of the cordon that has been thrown around the area. READ MORE HERE

Malaysian-trained MNLF fighters join Sulu army Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:27 PM PST A MNLF leader claims that their forces have a huge arsenal hidden in Sabah's rugged terrain. (Agencies) - MANILA: Malaysian security forces are now facing battle-tested, Malaysian-trained commanders of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who know Sabah like the palm of their hands. Hadji Acmad Bayam, former chief propagandist of the MNLF, revealed this yesterday to the Manila Bulletin, adding that these MNLF forces may have at their disposal a huge arsenal, which they hid deep in Sabah's rugged terrain when they returned to the Philippines after their rigid training. Among the firearms are Belgian-made G1 and FAL, which the late Libya leader Colonel Moammar Gadaffi supplied through Malaysia. Bayam said he was confident the Malaysian authorities were not able to find the hidden MNLF firearms because they were kept very well by the MNLF commanders who stayed behind in Sabah. During that training, Malaysian military trainors even joked about the firearms at the MNLF training camp on Jampiras Island, off Sabah, as they turned over Gadaffi's weapons' supply. "We are not even sure if the firearms we are giving you will not be turned against," the Malaysian trainors had said in a jest. "Well, speaking of self-fulfilling prophecy," Bayam said, recalling the jokes of the Malaysian trainors. Now, Filipinos in Sabah, who are not part of the forces of the Sultanate of Sulu, have already joined the fighting in reaction to what they perceived as Malaysian "atrocities" for killing Imam Maas and his four sons at 7:50 p.m. Saturday. He recalled that Malaysia's leadership had even suspected the then chief minister of Sabah, Tun Mustapha, a Tausug from Sulu, of "conspiring" with MNLF Chairman Nur Misuari to secede the oil-rich island. "You know, if Mindanao is to Manila, Sabah is to Kuala Lumpur," said Bayam, explaining that Mindanao and Sabah are the "milking cows" of the Philippines and Malaysia, respectively, for their rich natural resources. Bayam, who yielded to then President Fidel V. Ramos, stayed in Sabah, Malaysia, for nine years before the peace talks with the Ramos administration in 1993. Bayam stayed in Sabah on-and-off, in 1976-79, in 1980-1986, among other dates. Breaching the blockades Further, he said many of the seasoned rebel commanders and rank-and-file members chose to remain on Sabah island to live there. Majority of them are from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga Peninsula, but there are also Maguindanaons, Iranons, and probably Maranaos, he said. A few days ago, he said one of the MNLF foreign-trained commanders belonging to the Top 90 Batch, told him that he was enlisting Tausug warriors and others for reinforcement to the Royal Security Force (RSF) of the Sultanate of Sulu. "I was trying to contact him yesterday but his phone cannot be reached anymore. I guess he was able to penetrate the Malaysian and Philippine sea-borne blockades in their respective borders. Bayam described the commander "as soft-spoken but firm and true leader-fighter in actual shooting war." However, he requested that the commander's name be not made public. Last Sunday, Abraham J Idjirani, spokesman of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, said 40 people from Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Zamboanga Peninsula breached the blockades and reached Lahad Datu, Sabah, scene of the standoff that erupted into a firefight. He said there are many others who are now trying to go to Sabah and help the sultan's followers led by Rajah Muda Agbimuddin Kiram. Bayam said that with the way the situation in Sabah is going on, he sees no turning back.

Strike misses Kiram Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:26 PM PST Kiram and his men are holed up in a place far from the airstrikes, according to Philippine website PhilSTAR.com. (FMT) - MANILA: The airstrike launched by Malaysian fighter jets in Lahad Datu todau missed the forces of Agbimuddin Kiram, the spokesman for the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo said. Spokesman Abraham Idjirani said Kiram called him about 7.30am and then again at 9.30am and reported that forces of the Malaysian military and police commandos attacked a position that they (armed group) had previously occupied. Idjirani also said Kiram reported that the fighter jets started circling Lahad Datu last night, the Philippine website PhilSTAR.com reported. "[He told] us that the Malaysian forces and the police commandos, about seven battalions, attacked the place suspected of being Kiram's camp," he said. Idjirani said the Malaysian jets bombed a position previously held by the forces of Kiram but has now been occupied by Malaysian forces. Idjirani said the incident could have been a case of "friendly fire". He said Kiram and his men are safe and are holed up in a place far from the airstrikes. As tension remains high in Lahad Datu, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F del Rosario met today with Malaysian government officials in Kuala Lumpur to discuss a peaceful resolution on the issue. A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs said Del Rosario met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman and Defence Minister Ahmad Zamid Hamidi at midnight. Also present during the meeting were Philippine Ambassador J Eduardo Malaya, Malaysian Foreign Ministry secretary-general Mohd Radzi Abdul Rahman and other embassy officials. Del Rosario flew to Kuala Lumpur yesterday evening.

‘Sabah uprising’ Posted: 04 Mar 2013 01:20 PM PST Sultan's followers kill, capture Malaysian cops (PhilStar.com) - MANILA, Philippines - Filipinos enraged by a Malaysian raid on a religious leader's house in Sabah retaliated Saturday night, attacking an army convoy and overrunning a district police headquarters, the sultanate of Sulu announced yesterday. Five Malaysian security officers were killed and four ranking Sabah officials were held captive by the Filipinos in Semporna, where the violence has spread from the coastal town of Lahad Datu, according to the Sulu sultanate. Kuala Lumpur confirmed only two police deaths. Sultanate spokesman Abraham Idjirani described the escalation of violence as an "unorganized, spontaneous uprising" by Filipinos residing in Sabah. Idjirani said that as of noon yesterday, armed followers of the sultanate were in control of Semporna. The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) said reinforcements from Mindanao also breached the Malaysian security cordon in Sandakan, another part of Sabah, and ambushed two truckloads of men belonging to the Malaysian Territorial Army Regiment. "The reinforcements were able to wipe them out," said Habib Mujahab Hashim, chairman of the MNLF'S Islamic Command Council. Hashim, who said he was authorized by the Sulu sultanate to speak on the situation in Sabah, said the reinforcements used improvised dynamite or timbak isda for the ambush. The dynamite is normally used for blast fishing. Both the MNLF and the Sulu sultanate said tension was building up even in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah's capital. Idjirani said the "uprising" was triggered by the raid at 7:30 p.m. Saturday by Malaysian paramilitary forces on the home of Imam Maas, who was suspected to be harboring Alepiuya Kiram, a brother of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. When the militia, belonging to the Malaysian Police General Operations Force, failed to find Alepiuya, they allegedly fired on the house, killing the imam and his four sons and wounding another village elder called Imam Jul in another house. Idjirani said enraged residents then took to the streets, attacking the police and military headquarters in Semporna. The villagers captured a ranking police official, two military commanders and a civilian official of Sabah, Idjirani told a press conference at the sultan's home in Taguig City yesterday. Kiram reportedly told his brother, who is leading the uprising in Sabah, to "take care of the captives," who will be presented before an international body "to answer for the killing of innocent people." Up to 12 followers of the sultanate who holed up in Lahad Datu were killed by Malaysian security forces last week. The sultan's army also killed two Malaysian policemen. During yesterday's press conference, the sultanate showed photos of the Malaysian officers slain in Semporna. The sultanate said more reinforcements from Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and Sulu were arriving in Semporna, a district near Lahad Datu where from 100 to 300 followers of Kiram arrived on Feb. 9 to reiterate the sultanate's claim over Sabah. On Saturday, Malaysian forces started rounding up Filipinos in Sabah, heightening the tension. Authorities reportedly shut down the cell sites in Lahad Datu, cutting off the sultanate's contact with Kiram's brother Agbimuddin, described as the crown prince or raja muda. "The fighting for now, I will consider it an uprising," Hashim said, attributing it to the "harsh treatment" of Filipinos by Malaysian authorities. An estimated 800,000 Filipinos live in Sabah, which the sultanate of Brunei gave as a gift to the Sulu sultanate in the 17th century. In the 19th century, the Sulu sultan leased the land to the British North Borneo Company, although the British said the land was ceded. Malaysia continues to pay the Sulu sultanate 5,300 ringgits – about P70,000 – annually in what Kuala Lumpur describes as "cession fee" but is considered rental by the sultanate. MNLF members are with the sultan's group in Lahad Datu, but Hashim said his group was not participating in the attacks.

'No surrender' in Sabah - Kiram Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:07 PM PST   (Rappler) - The fight for Sabah is also for the "entire" Filipino people.  MANILA, Philippines - No surrender. The Royal Sulu Army will not capitulate to the Malaysian forces, and vowed to fight until the end to highlight their claim to Sabah. Abraham Idjirani, spokesman of Jamalul Kiram III, said that the group, currently holed up in Kampong Tanduo in Lahad Datu, is willing to fight to the end, based on his conversation with Raja Muda Agmibuddin Kiram, the leader of the gunmen in Sabah. "Sabi niya if this is the last stand we could do, let it be. But as a guerilla fighter now, we will find our way to sneak out from all dangers in order to survive," said Idjirani, quoting Raja Muda. Abraham Idjirani, spokesperson for Jamalul Kiram III. File photo by Jerald Uy He said the assault, which started early Tuesday, March 5, is an "overkill," citing that over 10,000 Malaysian security forces are fighting around 200 fighters. Read more at: http://www.rappler.com/nation/23094-no-surrender-in-sabah

Tunnel vision in Penang highway agenda Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:52 AM PST   The state government claims its hands are tied over public transport, which they say comes under the federal government. But Pakatan leaders think they have a real chance of taking over Putrajaya, and public transport is in its manifesto. So why is the Penang government in a big hurry to tie itself down with a highway-based solution instead of promising better public transport if it captures Putrajaya? Anil Netto  Yesterday, representatives of Penang Forum raised serious concerns with the Penang state government over the three highways and tunnel project. During a two-hour meeting with state government representatives, including the Chief Minister, and the press, the activists (including me) registered their serious concern and opposition. By building more highways and a road-based tunnel, the state government will be facilitating the movement of more cars instead of encouraging people to use public transport. The Pakatan's manifesto promises better public transport. But the state government plans to spend RM27bn in the coming years, according to Penang transport master plan estimates. Out of this, RM17bn will be for highways and only RM10bn for public transport. Surprisingly, the state government seemed unaware of these figures, which have not been disclosed to the public. It is a great pity that most of the money will be to create even more dependency on private motor vehicles. Building highways and a road-based tunnel is at best an expensive short-term solution – funded by toll collection from the public and luxury property development (watch what happens on the 110 acres of reclaimed land used as 'compensation' for the project). What happens when these get congested? We will be back to square one or even worse. The Jelutong Expressway itself is rapidly filling up – and that is even before the second Penang bridge is completed! Similarly, the Penang Bridge, with a new additional lane, is becoming increasingly congested. So too the highway on the mainland leading to the Sungai Dua toll booth. The state government says the highways and tunnel will only proceed if the EIA is approved. But how independent is the EIA process when consultants are appointed by developers and contractors? And we still don't have a state-wide hydrological study. The EIA process is likely to be a rubber stamp. The public has not yet been told who the local partners are in Zenith Consortium (apparently, there are five companies involved). Who are the real local players, the individuals, hiding behind the corporate veil? Amazingly, this information – an important part of the deal – has not yet been provided to the public. There were only two bidders for the tunnel package out of the four tenders received. Of these two, the successful bid was for RM6.3bn for all three highways and the tunnel. (The other was RM6.6bn.) Only two parties from the entire world bid for the tunnel? Why? And the winning bid from the five-company consortium is to be awarded a lucrative 30-year concession based on the Penang Bridge toll rate. Is the public aware that the Penang Bridge toll collection has raised many times the initial investment cost of the bridge? So this tunnel concession is a highly lucrative award that will reap a bonanza for the foreign and local partners. The state government claims that "the people want these projects". (Or is it the case that Big Business wants these projects?) But "the people" are not being presented with serious alternatives. They are being told these highways and tunnel are the solution to the congestion. Of course they will choose what they are being told is the solution. But they are not being given a real choice between sustainable public transport and more highways. In fact, the Penang Transport Masterplan consultants' own public survey showed that a large majority of the people want a public transport-based – not a highways-based – solution. Why is the state government ignoring this? Some believe these highways and tunnels are more in line with a vision of Big Business property development and construction contracts than of sustainable transport. (Look at the editorial inMalaysian Insider.) The state government seems to think that three highways and a tunnel (road-based rather than rail link) will take Penang into the 21st century. This is a fallacy. It will take Penang backwards to the 1970s, when highways were seen as symbols of progress. The reality of the 21st century is that climate change, fossil fuel depletion and higher fuel prices will become even more serious. Congestion will also ruin the environment – which has been the selling point for Penang. Under these circumstances, why is the state government putting in infrastructure to create even more dependency on private motor vehicles? At a time when cities in Europe are discouraging and making it more difficult for people to use private motor vehicles and are putting in infrastracture for sustainable transport solutions, the Penang state goverment wants to take us in the opposite direction! The state government claims its hands are tied over public transport, which they say comes under the federal government. But Pakatan leaders think they have a real chance of taking over Putrajaya, and public transport is in its manifesto. So why is the Penang government in a big hurry to tie itself down with a highway-based solution instead of promising better public transport if it captures Putrajaya? I find this incomprehensible. Why not campaign on a platform of promising public transport improvements instead of pledging highways and a tunnel? This way it can show there is a real difference between BN and Pakatan. Read more at: http://anilnetto.com/society/public-transport/highways-and-tunnel-vision-a-big-step-backwards/

Surat Niat Kepada Konsortium Zenith Sdn. Bhd. Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:48 AM PST   Tidak Benar Sama Sekali Bahawa Projek RM6.3 Bilion Akan Dijalankan Oleh Syarikat RM2 Bila Sebenarnya Modal Berbayar Keseluruhan Adalah Sebanyak RM 4,549.2 Juta. Sebagai Pengerusi Lembaga Perolehan Negeri Pulau Pinang serta Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Teknikal dan Kewangan masing-masing, kami rasa kesal bahawa proses pemilihan tender yang dijalankan secara terbuka dan telus untuk 3 lebuhraya utama daripada Tanjung Bungah ke Teluk Bahang, Bandar Baru Air Itam ke Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu (LCE) Persiaran Gurney ke Lebuhraya LCE  dan sebuah terowong bawah dasar laut daripada Persiaran Gurney dan Bagan Ajam telahpun dipersoalkan oleh pihak tertentu. Kos projek ini dianggarkan oleh kerajaan sebanyak RM8 bilion. Akan tetapi selepas proses tender terbuka secara kompetitif dijalankan sejak 14.11.2011, surat niat telah dikeluarkan pada 6.2.2013 dengan harga lebih rendah iaitu sebanyak RM6.3 bilion, yang terendah di antara semua pembida yang diterima. Projek ini agak tersendiri dan unik kerana kos RM6.3 bilion dibiayai bukan dengan bayaran wang tunai tetapi menerusi "land swap" sebanyak 110 ekar di tanah tebus guna di Tanjung Pinang. Memandangkan bayaran dibuat menerusi "land swap" dan bukan secara bayaran wang tunai, maka adalah perlu kontraktor berpakaran bekerjasama dengan pemaju. Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd adalah sebuah special purpose vehicle (SPV) yang merupakan konsortium usahasama di antara syarikat kontraktor berpakaran dengan pemaju seperti berikut:-  Zenith Construction Sdn Bhd bersama China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd sebanyak 70% ekuiti dengan modal berbayar sebanyak RM 3.5 juta dan RM 4 bilion masing-masing; Beijing Urban Construction Group 10% ekuiti dengan modal berbayar sebanyak RM 541 juta; Sri Tinggi Sdn Bhd 10% ekuiti dengan modal berbayar sebanyak RM 3.7 juta; dan Juteras Sdn Bhd 10% ekuiti dengan modal berbayar sebanyak RM 1 juta. Keseluruhan modal berbayar keempat-empat syarikat adalah RM4,549.2 juta yang memenuhi kriteria kerajaan negeri yang meletakkan modal berbayar minima RM381 juta. Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd mempunyai modal berbayar RM2 kerana ditubuhkan khas untuk ini (SPV). Sekiranya tidak berjaya dalam tender maka syarikat ini akan dibubarkan.   Sebaliknya bila berjaya maka setiap rakan kongsi atau pemilik saham mestilah menandatangani surat penerimaan secara langsung dengan kerajaan negeri. Surat niat atau "letter of intent" dikeluarkan kepada Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd pada 6.2.2013 dan kesemua pemilik saham secara berasingan juga menandatangani surat  penerimaan. Dengan kata lain bukan hanya sepucuk surat penerimaan tetapi terdapat 4 lagi (5 kesemuanya) surat penerimaan untuk memastikan ia dijalankan oleh syarikat induk masing-masing dan bukannya hanya dengan Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd. Oleh itu adalah tidak benar sama sekali bahawa projek RM6.3 bilion akan dijalankan oleh syarikat RM2, bila sebenarnya modal berbayar keseluruhan untuk keempat-empat syarikat yang jalankan projek ini adalah sebanyak RM4,549.2 juta. Apabila kontrak formal dimuktamadkan iaitu selepas perbincangan butiran lanjut pada beberapa bulan lagi, semua syarikat rakan kongsi diperlukan untuk menandatangani surat perjanjian untuk memastikan projek ini dijalankan oleh syarikat induk yang berprestij. Perlu ditegaskan bahawa China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd dan Beijing Urban Construction Group adalah syarikat pembinaan gergasi di Negara China yang telah menjalankan projek besar keretapi, terowong dan juga Stadium Olimpik"Bird Nest" di Beijing. Sebagai rumusan, proses penilaian teknikal dan pemilihan tender dijalankan secara profesional oleh jawatankuasa yang dipengerusikan masing-masing oleh Pegawai Kewangan Negeri dan Setiausaha Kerajaan Negeri tidak melibatkan YAB Ketua Menteri. EXCO negeri hanya merestui syor bahawa tender dikeluarkan kepada Konsortium Zenith BUCG Sdn Bhd yang dibuat semasa ia dibentangkan kepada mesyuarat EXCO pada 30.1.2013.   Dato' Farizan bin Darus, Pengerusi Lembaga Perolehan Negeri Pulau Pinang   Dato' Mokhtar bin Mohd Jait, Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Teknikal dan Kewangan

Wikipedia Page Edited To Describe Sabah As Sultanate’s Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:44 AM PST   (The Star) - Wikipedia was not spared from the cyber attacks that have sprung up following the standoff in Sabah. Details about "Sabah" was edited and the state was described as being "part of the Sultanate of Sulu". Results from a Google search on the word "Sabah" at press time yesterday revealed a preview to the Wikipedia page which states: "Sabah is illegitimately considered one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is said to be its easternmost state but in fact, it is part of the Sultanate of Sulu. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo." However, the full Wikipedia page on Sabah described the state as "one of the 13 member states of Malaysia, and is its easternmost state". A Google spokesperson said the preview, or Knowledge Panel results, came from its Knowledge Graph, which is an index of hundreds of millions of real-world entities including open sources like Wikipedia. "When a user searches for a query, our algorithm takes information from the Knowledge Graph and presents it in the panel. "We want to make sure the information we provide is as accurate as possible, so we've included a link so you can tell us when we may have an inaccuracy in our information," the spokesperson said. Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Syed Ismail Syed Azizan said his department had been alerted. "I have instructed my Federal Cyber­Security and Mul­ti­media Investi­gation Division to investigate," he said. The alteration on Wikipedia follows the cyber attacks that have raged between Malaysian and Filipino hackers over the weekend, mirroring the Lahad Datu standoff in Sabah. Apparently, the first online attacks were made by Malaysians, hours after a skirmish erupted between the police and Sulu gunmen on March 1.

KL sends ‘cavalry’ to Sabah; toll hits 27 Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:32 AM PST   (Global Nation, Inquirer) - It is Malaysia's worst security breach in years and Prime Minister Najib Razak has authorized an investigation into reports that the political opposition is involved. A similar investigation is going on in the Philippines, where the administration of President Aquino sees a conspiracy involving opponents of a peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that is in the final stages after the signing of a preliminary agreement last October. Malaysia on Monday sent hundreds of military troops to Sabah to help police neutralize armed followers of the sultan of Sulu who have killed eight police officers in the country's bloodiest security crisis. Twenty-seven people have reportedly been killed since fighting between the followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III began in Tanduao village in Lahad Datu town on March 1. Of the dead, 19 were followers of the sultan who were killed in skirmishes with police that shocked Malaysians unaccustomed to such violence in their country. The main group of the sultan's followers comprising 200-odd men and women, including about 30 who are armed, is cornered by Malaysian security forces in a small area in Tanduao, where they landed on Feb. 9 after crossing by sea from Tawi-Tawi in southern Philippines to stake the sultanate's claim to Sabah. It is Malaysia's worst security breach in years and Prime Minister Najib Razak has authorized an investigation into reports that the political opposition is involved. A similar investigation is going on in the Philippines, where the administration of President Aquino sees a conspiracy involving opponents of a peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that is in the final stages after the signing of a preliminary agreement last October. Najib, who has vowed to root out the intruders, authorized a "doubling" of police and armed forces deployed in Sabah. "An additional two Army battalions have been dispatched to Sabah," Najib was quoted as saying by state news agency Bernama. Public attention focused on Monday on how to minimize casualties while apprehending the Sulu sultan's followers surrounded by Malaysian security forces as well as an undetermined number of other armed Filipinos suspected to be in two other districts of Sabah within 300 kilometers of Lahad Datu. Sabah Police Commissioner Hamza Taib said Army reinforcements from other states in Malaysia would help bolster public confidence by patrolling various parts of the state's eastern seaboard. "The situation is under control now," Hamza said. "There will be cooperation" between the military and the police, he said. Hamza declined to elaborate on specific strategies or on a call by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad for lethal action. FILIPINO FATALITY Villagers in Kampung Simunul in Semporna look at the body of a man believed to be from Sulu who was killed during a shootout with Malaysian forces. MALAYSIA'S THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK   "There is no way out other than launching a counterattack to eliminate" the intruders, Bernama quoted Mahathir as saying on Sunday. "Although many of them will be killed, this cannot be avoided because they had attacked Sabah, and not the other way around." Najib declared over the weekend that security forces were authorized to "take any action deemed necessary." The intruders, led by the Sulu sultan's brother Agbimuddin, have rebuffed calls for them to leave, saying ownership documents from the late 1800s prove the territory is theirs. Mysterious group It remains unclear whether the armed Filipinos who ambushed a police team in Semporna town on Saturday night are part of the Lahad Datu group. The clash in Semporna, where five Malaysian policemen and two intruders were killed, and a police claim that they were pursuing yet another group of armed men in a nearby town has sparked fears of further infiltration by Filipinos from Sulu. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66729/kl-sends-cavalry-to-sabah-toll-hits-27

Ground troops moving into Tanduo; air strikes over Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:27 AM PST Updated 10:00pm Malaysian fighter jets took to the skies for aerial bombing for about ten minutes as the still of the morning was shattered by the tremendous explosion heard by journalists covering the stand-off from Sahabat Felda Residences, close to Tanduo.  Lahad Datu, Sandakan and Tawau hospitals ready to accept casualties BORNEO INSIDER TEAM FELDA SAHABAT [LAHAD DATU]: Ground troops are said to be moving in on Tanduo for mopping up operations to search and take out any surviving remnants of the Sultan of Sulu's followers. Air strikes and artillery fire which began at 7.00am have ended 40 minutes later, said our sources on the ground, and troops have been on stand-by enter the sprawling seaside village. In the meantime, hospitals at Tungku, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sandakan are on full stand-by to accept casualties that will be air-lifted to the nearest hospital that warrants the situation. An army medical camp had earlier been established just outside the Felda Sahabat area. At 8.30am, 90 minutes after the air force struck, military trucks were seen ferrying troops from Cendrawasih where they were based and headed for Sahabat 17 – the closest point to Tanduo. Elite military and police squads were also on the ground and are believed to be involved in the shootouts with the gunmen. However, reporters at the scene in Felda Sahabat are crying foul that they have been "tricked" by the police who are refusing them entry to Sahabat Residence where they are based. These reporters and photographers including an RTM crew, had been told to go to Cendrawasih to "shoot" Nuri helicopters ferrying in troops, but after completing their jobs, they were then barred from returning. "We have been stopped at the roadblock into Sahabat Residence," complained a national media personnel bitterly. "But others can go in and out freely". Just before Tungku, police set up a massive roadblock to prevent anyone from entering Tungku and the nearby Felda Sahabat village. No vehicles are being allowed in at all. At the Felda Sahabat gate, at least one foreign journalist and several local journalists have been refused entry into the area. "Contact the OCPD for permission," was all those guarding the roadblocks would say. And no prizes for guessing correctly that the OCPD could not be reached. Meanwhile, Malaysiakini, another online portal reported that a 10:17 desptach from the ANC News Channel, InterAksyon.com reported that bombs were being dropped about a kilometer away from where Abjimuddim Kiram and his men are located. Leader Abjimuddin said his group could not yet determine if the bombs were meant to target them or their followers, but they remained safe and secure and were ready to fight back. Meanwhile in Manila, a group of protesters have arrived at the Malaysia embassy to condemn the attack. Earlier at 10.15am: Abjimuddin, leader of the intruders, vented his anger at the Philippine government in a radio interview with InterAksyon.com, the online news portal of Philippine TV channel TV5. "The government is ordering the arrest of our companions even if we haven't done anything bad," he said. "It's like we aren't Filipinos." Meanwhile, Abraham Idjarani, spokesperson of the sultanate, tells radio station dzBB that Abjimuddin had phoned to inform them of the start of the assault. "There is nothing to be done about that now," Idjirani said in a separate interview with AFP. He stressed that Abjimuddin's earlier announcement that they will fight to the end remains. "We are not intruders. They (Malaysians) are the ones occupying our ancestral land," he says. Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/03/05/heavy-artillery-bombardment-on-sulu-raiders-hideout/

Tortured, Beheaded and Mutilated Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:24 AM PST Alexander Chen, The Borneo Insider SEMPORNA: Reports reaching The Borneo Insider suggest that at least three of the policemen killed in Semporna after clashes with an armed group, were tortured and their bodies mutilated. One was also beheaded. However, the bodies of three others, who were believed to have died after being hit by the crossfire, were left untouched. A group of 19 policemen, who were in the raiding party at Simunul on Saturday night, who were initially reported "missing" and then "trapped" was probably held hostage by the gunmen at several houses in the area. They were said to have been relieved of their guns as well as hand phones. This group too was left unharmed, though at least one of them suffered wounds, probably in the Saturday night shoot-out. But police are not willing to confirm anything, especially the torture and mutilation of the three policemen, except say that the 19 others who were initially "trapped" had been released unharmed. On Saturday, armed intruders were initially spotted at Lorong 4 and Lorong 5 in Simunul, a cluster of water villages, comprising mainly Suluk and Tausug people, with or without Malaysian documents. Police were called in and about 50 policemen were said to have walked into an ambush where a shootout also took place. On Sunday, police said six policemen and six armed men were killed in the shootout. On Monday, the bodies of three of the gunmen were still seen at various places in Simunul while there was no sight of the other three bodies. It was only after 1.00pm Monday that some 30 residents of Kampung Simunul took the initiative to remove the bodies of the three intruders and handed it over to the authorities. Village headman Ramli Saraman said they had to remove the bodies because the stench had become unbearable. Ramli advised the villagers not to believe rumours spread by irresponsible people because they could worsen the situation. "I was told by villagers that the intruders will burn down Simunul but I told them not to believe as I keep in touch with the police." He said villagers are not compelled to evacuate their homes because it is their right as individuals adding peace has returned to the kampung. Later, when met by reporters, some Simunul villagers sad they were horrified on hearing that one of six dead police personnel was beheaded and two others were tortured. "It is against our religion to behead anyone. It is terrible, it's cruel,'' said fisherman Azmi who has been living close to Lorong 5, Simunul where the shooting began. "We are Suluks living here for more than 50 years. They (armed men) are bad people ,'' said a woman who was referring to the gunmen. Their sentiments were shared by other villagers who claimed that they have also heard that one of the gunmen had recorded the beheading on his mobile phone and had sent a clip to the police. However, no confirmation was available on the phone clip or the torture of the three who had gone with a team of 56 to check out information that Sulu Sultan sympathisers had stored weapons in one of the stilt houses. Read more at: http://borneoinsider.com/2013/03/05/tortured-beheaded-and-mutilated/

Elderly Woman Killed by Suspected UMNO Vehicle Posted: 04 Mar 2013 11:13 AM PST   Lipstiq.com  An old lady riding a motorbike after work in a rubber estate was killed by a four-wheel drive, suspected to be a vehicle used by UMNO members. According to sources, the driver in the car fled the scene, while two passengers got down and bringing down the 1Malaysia flag and party logos before running off. The elder woman's husband, who was trailing behind her motorbike witnessed the entire incident, broke down in tears as his wife died on the spot due to loss of blood. The tragic accident occurred yesterday morning near the main road from Jalan Lekiu. At that time, the old couple was on their way back home after work in the rubber estate riding their own bikes separately, before the accident happened. The old man said that a 4-wheel vehicle passed him at a very high speed and before he knew it, the car rammed into the back of his wife's motorbike. A 300-meter long skid mark was left on the scene as well. Relatives rushed to the scene after receiving the news and cried uncontrollably when they saw the old lady lying in a pool of blood. The old man who remained beside his wife's body waited until the police came for investigation then only he left with his motorbike alone. Manjung district police chief Assistant Commissioner Jaafar Baba said they will investigate the case as soon as possible but he will not be giving out any details of the case yet. When asked whether the family of the deceased or the drivers report about the accident, he is unwilling to respond and stressed that the police will handling the case according to procedure. The deceased's grand child posted the incident on her Facebook profile as well, with hopes that justice will be served. Read more at: http://www.lipstiq.com/2013/03/04/elderly-woman-killed-by-suspected-umno-vehicle/

“Democracy” in Malaysia – Neither Free nor Fair Posted: 04 Mar 2013 10:58 AM PST   The view that Malaysia cannot be defined as a democracy is found in ALL of the widely accepted classifications and rankings of countries according to their level of democracy. These would include the Freedom House "Freedom In the World" Reports, the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Economist's Democracy Index" ranking and the Polity IV scores designed by political scientists, just to mention a few.  Lim Kit Siang  The position of Barisan Nasional (BN) has always been to insist that Malaysia is a democracy on the basis that we have regular elections and that opposition politicians are elected to the legislature, be it in the federal parliament or the state legislatures. Since the 2008 general elections, BN politicians have used the example of the opposition winning control of an additional four state legislatures in Kedah, Penang, Perak and Selangor as additional 'proof' that Malaysia is indeed a democracy. This kind of simplistic thinking and arguments from the BN exemplifies the root of the problem faced by our country. We set our own 'benchmarks' and then proceed to congratulate ourselves by giving patting ourselves on our backs when we have 'achieved' them. Democracy is not 'merely' about elections While we are not like North Korea or China where opposition political parties and elections are not allowed, all reasonable and rationale people would agree with the proposition that we are nowhere near being a full-fledged democracy like the United Kingdom or the United States or more recent additions to the ranks of democratic countries such as South Korea and even Indonesia. Democracy is not merely about elections. It is much more than that. It must include the protection of civil liberties and political rights. There must be guarantees for many important freedoms which are crucial for the functioning of democracy not just in its form but more importantly, in its substance. This would include protection for the freedom of the press and freedom to assemble freely. This would include proper checks and balances in the system such as parliamentary oversight and executive accountability. This would include having an independent civil service and independent government agencies such as the Election Commission, the Attorney General's Chamber and the Anti-Corruption Agency as well as an independent judiciary. Unfortunately, the BN have overlooked all these other crucial components of democracy. Some politicians have even remarked that if the electorate doesn't like the 'rules of the game' set by the BN, they can always vote the BN out. This, of course, totally ignores the fact that the electoral playing field is grossly skewed in favor of the BN through undemocratic means that have been institutionalized in the 56 year rule of the current regime. The view that Malaysia cannot be defined as a democracy is found in ALL of the widely accepted classifications and rankings of countries according to their level of democracy. These would include the Freedom House "Freedom In the World" Reports, the Economist Intelligence Unit's "Economist's Democracy Index" ranking and the Polity IV scores designed by political scientists, just to mention a few. The most well-known of these rankings is the Freedom House Freedom in the World rankings which categorizes countries into "Free"," Partly Free" and "Not Free" classifications. These rankings, which started in 1972, have listed Malaysia as a "Partly Free" country since 1972. We have not improved our 'democratic' scores even as many of our neighbors in South East Asia and other parts of Asia have established or starting to establish themselves as "Free" countries. South Korea achieved this distinction in 1988 and Taiwan in 1996. Mongolia, which is better known in Malaysia for other matters, was categorized as a "Free" country in 1991. Indonesia, which experienced the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, achieved the "Free" classification in 2005. Even for those who argue that Malaysia at least holds somewhat competitive elections, Freedom House provides an instructive comparison. Out of 195 countries in the Freedom of the World Report in 2013, 117 or 60% were classified as 'electoral democracies'. This included some countries that were in the "Partly Free" category. Malaysia was not one of them. Indeed, Malaysia did not fulfill all of the conditions to qualify as an electoral democracy including: A competitive, multiparty political system; Universal adult suffrage for all citizens (with exceptions for restrictions that states may legitimately place on citizens as sanctions for criminal offenses); Regularly contested elections conducted in conditions of ballot secrecy, reasonable ballot security, and in the absence of massive voter fraud, and that yield results that are representative of the public will; Significant public access of major political parties to the electorate through the media and through generally open political campaigning. In other words, the BN fails even on the ONE issue – that of competitive elections - which it uses to argue the case that Malaysia is a democratic country. In the Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index 2011 ranking of 167 countries, Malaysia was ranked 71, tied with Zambia. Under this index, Malaysia was also categorized as a "Flawed Democracy". However, it is not only these rankings on Democracy where Malaysia performs poorly in spite of the protestations among many BN politicians that Malaysia is indeed a democracy. Malaysia also performs poorly in other measures of important components of democracy, of which Press Freedom is a crucial characteristic. The Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders, showed that Malaysia's 2012 ranking had fallen 23 places to 145 out of 179 countries, which is an even lower position the previous low in 2002. The Press Freedom Index reported that: "Malaysia (145th) also presented a sorry record, falling 23 places to a position below the one it had in 2002. Despite an all-out battle by rights activists and online media outlets, a campaign of repression by the government, illustrated by the crackdown on the "Bersih 3.0" protest in April, and repeated censorship efforts, continue to undermine basic freedoms, in particular the right to information." In the Freedom House Global Press Freedom Rankings 2012, Malaysia was similarly ranked at a low level coming in at 144 out of 197 countries and was categorized as "Not Free" joining luminaries such as Cambodia, Jordan, Madagascar and Pakistan. While corruption (or the lack thereof) is not a direct measure of a country's democratic credentials, it is an important measure nonetheless in terms of measuring the quality of institutions and the presence of strong checks and balance in a country. On this count, Malaysia has performed at an equally appalling level. Malaysia's Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking fell from 36 in 2001 to a low of 60 in 2011. It improved slightly to 54 in 2012 but is still a long way off from the ranking of 33 achieved in 2001. Even then, we fell far short of the levels of transparency in all of the developed democracies including the Nordic countries, New Zealand and Australia, just to name a few. To reiterate, by all international measures of democracy, Malaysia cannot be understood or classified as categorized as a Democratic country. Malaysia has been classified as a 'Partly Free country', a 'flawed democracy', a 'hybrid regime', a 'dominant party authoritarian regime' or a 'soft authoritarian regime' and an 'autocracy' but no respected political scientist or international organization has ever put Malaysia among the ranks of what is commonly accepted as Democratic countries. Has Democracy Flourished under Najib? A few BN politicians may retort by arguing that the trajectory of the country is heading in the right direction in terms of deepening and furthering democracy under Prime Minister Najib. They would point to the Political Transformation Program (PTP) which has led to the amending and / or abolishing of various repressive bills and orders including the Internal Security Act (ISA), the Universities and University Colleges Act (UUCA) and the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). They would also point to the establishment of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Electoral Reform under Najib's watch. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, these so-called reforms are typical of BN's practice of preferring form over substance. Indeed, instead of taking definitive steps towards establishing democratic norms, they instead gloss over substantive measures in favor of making cosmetic changes. Furthermore, without the necessary political will behind these reform steps, the powers that be often fail to implement even these basic legislative changes. For example, the Security Offences (Special Measures) Bill (SOSMA) which has replaced the International Security Act (ISA) has received criticism from various sources. The Bar Council President, Lim Chee Wee, in April 2012, expressed his concern that the definition of 'security offences' under Section 3 of the SOSMA bill was still too broad. In addition, the Bar Council also expressed concern that under Clause 4(5) of the SOSMA bill, police officers above the rank of superintendent are empower to decide whether to detain a suspect for 28 days for investigation purposes, without having to refer the case to the court, instead of being subjected to judicial oversight. In terms of practice, a recent detainee under SOSMA, Mohd Hilmi Haslim, who is a cafeteria assistant at the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex, was denied access to legal representation by the police even though the law only allows the police to deny such access for only 48 hours. In the same vein, although the amendments to the UUCA now allow university students to join a political party, a student is still prevented from being involved in political party activities within a campus. These amendments also empower the board of directors of a university or the registrar general to determine if the society or organization that a student intends to join is 'unsuitable to the interest and well-being of the students or the university". These restrictions is deemed by the Bar Council to be 'unnecessarily restrictive, unreasonable and disproportionate barriers to a student's freedom of association under Article 10(1)(c), and freedoms of speech and expression under Article 10(1)(a), of our Federal Constitution.' We saw the lack of sincerity on the part of the BN government in even following the spirit of these amendments when the Ministry of Higher Education sent out a circular to private and public institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley area dissuading students from attending the Himpunan Rakyat on the 12 of January, 2013. More recently, it was reported that the International Islamic University cancelled a student organized forum on the upcoming general elections without specifying the exact reasons. One should remember that Professor Abdul Aziz Bari, a respected constitutional lawyer, was suspended by IIU in 2011 for expressing his professional opinion on a constitutional issue involving a member of the Royalty. Instead of expanding the freedom of expression and intellectual thought of students as well as faculty, we continue to see overzealous administrators shackling the minds and voices of those within the ranks of our institutions of higher learning. What is considered as normal and even sacrosanct in all universities in democratic countries is seen as potentially destabilizing and sensitive in our own institutions of higher learning. In terms of the amendments to the PPPA, the Center for Independent Journalism (CIJ) has expressed that these changes are not sufficient and are 'far from adequate to ensure that the media is free to report fairly and accurately'. Furthermore, CIJ states that 'The fact that publishing permits must still be granted and the minister has a right to revoke or suspend these permits means that the government still has effective control over the Malaysian print media'. In practice, the Home Ministry still refuses to grant Malaysiakini a printing permit even though the Kuala Lumpur High Court has ruled that the Ministry's decision not to grant Malaysiakini a printing license and 'improper and irrational' as well as 'unreasonable'. The abysmal lack of real progress in terms of political reform by PM Najib is borne out not only by these concrete examples but also in international reports. Since Najib assumed the premiership in 2009, Malaysia's Civil Liberties and Political Rights Scores in the Freedom in the World reports published by Freedom House has remained stuck at 4 out of 7 (1 meaning the most free, 7 meaning the least free). In terms of human rights, the Human Rights Watch World Report 2013 states that Malaysia is 'backsliding on rights'. The government's use of various agencies in order to investigate Suaram, one of Malaysia's leading human rights organizations, ostensibly on the grounds of 'accepting foreign donations to undermine the Malaysian government' was highlighted. This report also stated that the investigations into Suaram were 'prompted by Suaram's decision in 2010 to become involved in a French judicial investigation examining alleged corruption in Malaysia's purchase of submarines from a French defence company'. In terms of media freedom, the EIU's Democracy Index 2011 report notes that Malaysia is one of the 40 countries where there has been deterioration in the scores for media freedom since 2008. In addition, Malaysia continues to be ranked as "Not Free" by the Freedom House Freedom of the Press index and by the Reporters Without Border's Press Freedom Index during Najib's 4 year premiership. Perhaps a greatest blemish on Najib's political reform record is the heavy handed crackdown by the police on the Bersih 3.0 gathering of peaceful protestors on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on the 28th of April, 2012. The heavy handed and disproportionate response by the police in reaction to the breach of one of the police barricades at Dataran Merdeka received widespread condemnation both domestically and internationally. The irony of this disproportionate response was that it happened just weeks after the introduction and passing of many of these so-called political reform bills in a history setting parliamentary session where the clock was 'frozen' at 12 midnight in order to rush through these bills. What sort of political reform can this be if they are half hearted in its intent and substance and worse of all, not backed by the sufficient political will to make sure that they are implemented? If Najib's Political Transformation Program (PTP) were to be given a KPI score, like the ones issued by the Government Transformation Program (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Program (ETP), the score should be an undisputed FAIL. How can genuine democracy thrive in Malaysia? The evidence presented thus far suggests that the BN government has failed to live up to its Vision of a Malaysia 'fostering and developing a mature democratic society', set out by former Prime Minister Tun Mahathir, who, of late, seems to have forgotten his own Vision 2020. Najib has lacked the political will and courage to implement genuine political reform that will lead the country on the path to a genuine democracy. The superficial and cosmetic legislative measures have not been backed up by concrete action. Most worryingly, Najib refused to and still refuses to answer the question on whether he will guarantee that there will be a peaceful transition of power in Putrajaya if Pakatan Rakyat were to capture a majority of parliamentary seats in the upcoming general election. If Najib is not willing to guarantee one of the basic and fundamental guarantees of a functioning democracy – a peaceful transition of power from one government to another – how then can we expect a genuine democracy to be established, much less thrive, under a BN government? The only way forward, it seems to me, is that we must replace the current BN government in the 13th general election as the first step towards firmly establishing Malaysia as a democratic country. Once in power, Pakatan Rakyat will have the burden of delivering on its promises including the promises of genuine legislative reform so that the components and characteristics of democracy can be institutionalized, in form as well as in substance. We have made such promises in the Buku Jingga and most recently, in our first ever Pakatan Raykat Manifesto. If we do not deliver on these promises, then the people of Malaysia will do what voters in other democratic countries have done with regularity – which is to replace one government with another. This is what genuine democracy will look and feel like. But this will not happen until the current BN government is kicked out of power with a resounding mandate from the people. The 2008 general elections opened the door for many possibilities which Malaysians could not have imagined happening in their lifetimes. The 2013 general elections will be the historic opportunity for Malaysians to throw open the floodgates for a genuine democracy to thrive in our country. Then only can we safely say that our country has achieved the ranks of a truly democratic country with a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

Fixed deposits? No, Pakatan considers Indians as liabilities! Posted: 04 Mar 2013 10:54 AM PST   Najib and his administration have been rolling out initiative after initiative for the Indian community in quick succession over the past few years. It therefore came as no surprise that a recent poll showed that 74 per cent of Indians now back Najib. PM Sivalingam  I refer to M. Manoharan's article in Malaysiakini on 27 February 2013, titled 'Indian M'sians are nobody's fixed deposit' I couldn't agree more with M Manoharan when he says Malaysian Indians are nobody's 'fixed deposit'. The Indians have a mind of their own and have the wisdom to evaluate the claims and promises of BN and Pakatan Rakyat. I also agree with him that they will exercise their votes judicially in GE-13. But I couldn't DISAGREE more with him when he claims to know the Indian mind. He gives them no credit when he says Najib's plans for the community are not being appreciated. Najib and his administration have been rolling out initiative after initiative for the Indian community in quick succession over the past few years. It therefore came as no surprise that a recent poll showed that 74 per cent of Indians now back Najib. If Manoharan wants more evidence, he need look no further than the Unity Pongal celebrations organised by MIC at Dataran Merdeka last month. A record crowd of 120,000 attended the function where Prime Minister Najib was also present. That was an historic occasion, by any measure. Dataran had never before seen such a large crowd for any event, before or since independence. The rapturous roars that greeted Najib's speech spoke volumes about how Indian support was returning to Najib, MIC and BN. The crowds came from the length and breadth of the peninsula. Numbers like that don't lie, but people like Manoharan do when they claim otherwise. Indians in droves are giving the thumbs up for Najib. Indians, in equal numbers, are abandoning the Pakatan. In 2008, Indians thought their future would be safe with Pakatan but four years later their interests have not been promoted by any of Pakatan-ruled states. Instead, whatever they had had, were taken away. See what happened in Kampung Buah Pala in Penang in 2009. When Anwar failed the residents, it was Najib who came to their rescue. The Selangor State government has destroyed seven temples, and grants to Tamil schools have been nominal at best, compared to the large contributions by Najib. If more proof is needed about the marginalisation of Indians by Pakatan, look no further than the Pakatan Rakyat convention in Shah Alam a few days ago when the coalition unveiled its manifesto. On the main stage during this political facade, not a single Indian was present. There were no place even for the handful of Indians leaders within the opposition coalition. There was no room in the proverbial Inn even for Manoharan, a State Assemblyman in Selangor. If the Indian leaders can be so rebuffed, what chance does the average Indian have for his grievances to be heard? It's not difficult to understand Pakatan leaders' aversion to Indian causes. Pakatan is reluctant to be drawn into a position where they may feel obliged to give equal billing to Indians, alongside their dominant ethnic communities. It is therefore in the interest of these dominant communities to keep Indians at arms' length. So, the Indians are not Pakatan's 'fixed deposit'. They must therefore be permanent liabilities.

Umno Incorporated (part 2) Posted: 04 Mar 2013 12:00 AM PST In January 1993, Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd, a private company controlled by the management of NSTP and TV3, acquired 48 per cent of NSTP and 43 per cent of TV3 in a deal worth a whopping RM800 million -- it might still be the largest management buyout in Malaysia to date. Realmild was then controlled by four individuals closely linked to Deputy Premier then Anwar Ibrahim -- namely Abdul Kadir Jasin, Mohd Noor Mutalib, Ahmad Nazri Abdullah and Khalid Ahmad. The four were executives in the NSTP group, two of them -- Kadir and Nazri -- headed the English and Bahasa Malaysia sections respectively of the newspaper group. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin In 1992, Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's Finance Minister, approved the management buy-out (MBO) of New Straits Times Press Holdings Bhd (NSTP), the largest media group in the country, and also public-listed TV3. Anwar directed Munir Majid of the Securities Commission to approve the injection of Realmild into MRCB, which led to Realmild Sdn Bhd controlling four listed companies -- MRCB, Malakoff, TV3 and New Straits Times Press Bhd. *************************************** MRCB's chequered past colours its future (KinBiz, 21 February 2013) -- MRCB started out as Perak Carbide Sdn Bhd in 1969. In the early days, Teh Hong Piow, the Public Bank founder was among the shareholders of Perak Carbide. Perak Carbide was renamed MRCB in 1981 after a change in its core business from the production of carbide to property development and investment. In the 90's MRCB morphed into a political animal, controlling New Straits Times Press Holdings Bhd (NSTP), then a giant publishing company, the largest media group in the country, and also publicly traded TV3. The MRCB story is often used to exhibit how corporate Malaysia works. In January 1993, Realmild (M) Sdn Bhd, a private company controlled by the management of NSTP and TV3, acquired 48 per cent of NSTP and 43 per cent of TV3 in a deal worth a whopping RM800 million -- it might still be the largest management buyout in Malaysia to date. Realmild was then controlled by four individuals closely linked to Deputy Premier then Anwar Ibrahim -- namely Abdul Kadir Jasin, Mohd Noor Mutalib, Ahmad Nazri Abdullah and Khalid Ahmad. The four were executives in the NSTP group, two of them -- Kadir and Nazri -- headed the English and Bahasa Malaysia sections respectively of the newspaper group. The four flipped Realmild's assets into MRCB in a reverse takeover. Some say the corporate moves were an attempt by Anwar, manoeuvring to control the media before the impending Umno vice presidential elections in 1993. With its political clout, MRCB grew to own such choice assets such as 20.2 per cent in Commerce Asset Holdings Bhd which owned Bank of Commerce Bhd (now CIMB)—via NSTP, a chunk of power generation companies like Malakoff Bhd, Sepang Power and Port Dickson Power among a whole host of other large assets. In 1996, MRCB and Keretapi Tanah Melayu formed a joint venture to develop 77 acres of prime land in Brickfields which is MRCB's flagship KL Sentral, and two years later the government even forked out a support loan of RM336 million to build the station. However things took a turn for the worse in 1998, when Anwar fell from grace and when the Asian financial crisis started to bite. Lacking in political clout, MRCB's downward spiral was a painful one exacerbated by the financial crisis of 1997-1998. For its financial year ended August 1999, the company suffered losses of about RM1.45 billion from RM235.39 million in revenue. As at August 1999, MRCB was saddled with short-term borrowings of RM923 million while the company long term debt commitments were RM473 million. On the other side of the balance sheet MRCB had cash and bank balances amounting to RM38 million. For the year ended August 1999, MRCB's interest payments on borrowings was RM118 million, about three times the company's net profit. After Anwar's fall from grace in Sept 1998 when he was removed as finance minister and deputy prime minister and charged with sodomy, Abdul Rahman Maidin, a close associate of former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, was brought in to run MRCB in July 1999. Daim had been collared in by then Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad to help deal with the financial crisis. Daim headed the powerful National Economic Action Council then. But the slide continued. Daim himself appeared to have a rift with Mahathir and some of those who were close to him were removed from their position after their stakes in key companies were taken over by the governments. This included Halim Saad of Renong, Tajudin Ramli of Malaysia Airlines and Celcom (then under TRI) and Rahman Maidin at MRCB. MRCB management went into professional hands with Abdul Rahman Ahmad and Shahril Ridza Ridzuan becoming managing director and executive director respectively in 2001. Eventually MRCB was acquired by EPF in an apparent rescue of the group. The EPF ended up with a chunk of MRCB's stock in a debt for equity swap, after Realmild was unable to service borrowings from EPF. A large portion of EPF's shareholding was obtained in January 2005, when the pension fund acquired a 20 per cent block of shares increasing its shareholding to 30.35 per cent then. Realmild ceased to be a major shareholder after that. Shahril eventually became CEO of MRCB and left end-2009 after eight years. Following that Mohamed Razeek Md Hussain Maricar took over but left in August last year. Since then, MRCB has been without a CEO. Shahril himself became chief investment officer at EPF in 2010. Under professional management, much was achieved at MRCB and the KL Sentral development has attracted much interest and has seen property prices climb. But it looks like now EPF has embarked on a path to inject entrepreneurship into MRCB. This has happened through the proposed injection of Nusa Gapurna which has about 33 acres of prime land located in Petaling Jaya, Old Klang Road and Subang pegged with a gross development value of RM5.7 billion. Part of the plan is for Salim to eventually become managing director of MRCB. EPF in a statement to KinBiz said: "The model is similar to that of SP Setia or Mah Sing, where an entrepreneur holds a significant stake and works on behalf of all the institutional and minority shareholders. "The ultimate combination for the EPF is economically neutral as it had a 40 per cent stake in both businesses and will continue to have approximately the same stake in the combined entity going forward." EPF as a related party cannot vote on this deal, meaning it will be left to the minorities to decide. Analysts and observers however question the move to bring in Salim and ask whether Salim has the right credentials to run MRCB. After all it can be rightly argued that MRCB has far more expertise developing properties than Salim himself. So why opt for him at this juncture? Umno Incorporated (part 1)

Aquino says Sabah is a conspiracy Posted: 03 Mar 2013 10:35 PM PST (Rappler.com) - MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – President Benigno Aquino III is not changing his position to call on Filipinos holed up in Sabah to surrender. There is no room for any negotiation if they continue to bear arms, he said. "Hindi pa rin nagbabago ang panawagan ko sa angkan ni Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Hindi risonable ang pang-unawa kung nakatutok ang iyong armas sa mukha ng kausap (My call to the family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram has not changed: it is not reasonable to ask for understanding, if your weapons are pointed at the faces of those you are speaking with)," Aquino said. "Kung gusto mo talagang umusad ang usapan, tanggalin mo muna ang banta sa kaligtasan ng iyong kausap," the President added. Amid criticism of how the government handled the standoff, Aquino said the Sabah situation is a result of a conspiracy. "Mulat tayong may mga taong nagkuntsabahan upang humantong tayo sa sitwasyon na ito. Isang sitwasyon na walang agarang solusyon. Ilan po sa kanila ay nakikita natin habang ang iba naman ay nagkukubli pa rin sa dilim (We are aware that there are those who conspired to bring us to this situation—a situation that has no immediate solutions. Some of their identities are clear to us, while others continue to skulk in the shadows)," the President said in a press conference on Monday, March 4. Aquino said Sultan Jamalul Kiram III alone could not have ordered the move. "Hindi kakayanin ng angkan ni Sultan Jamalul Kiram III na gawin mag-isa ang gaintong pagkilos. Kapansin-pansin din ang nag-iisang linya ng kritiko para gatungan ang malubha nang sitwasyon (The family of Sultan Jamalul Kiram could not possibly have settled on this course of action alone. We have also noticed how our critics have stuck to a single messaging line to exacerbate a situation that has already grown dire)," the President said. Aquino blames them for putting the lives of about 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah in danger. "Alam natin ang delubyong tadhana ang may gawa at kung alin ang sinadya. Ang masakit ngayon, pinili ng ilang tao na mangyari ito at sadyang nilagay sa panganib ang napakaraming Pilipino (We can differentiate events that the turbulent winds of fate have caused, from those that have been orchestrated. What is regrettable is that there were those who chose for this to happen, and, in so doing, chose to place many Filipinos in danger)," he said. Aquino has a message to the so-called conspirators. "Sa mga taong nasa likod nito, ngayon pa lang sinasabi ko sa inyo, hindi kayo magtatagumpay. Pananagutin natin ang nagkasala sa bansa (To the people who are behind this, even now, I tell you: you will not succeed. All those who have wronged our country will be held accountable)," he said. Citing intelligence reports, Aquino said they have already identified "persons of interest" involved in the plot to move against Sabah. Cases are already being prepared against them, he added. The President did not name names but he mentioned a "connivance allegedly by certain members of the past administration in the formation of this (armed group), which is a violation of the Constitution and various other laws of the land." Asked if the conspiracy could lead to former President Gloria Arroyo, Aquino responded: "You are asking me for a conclusion that I wish I had right now. But, again, unless we have the evidence that can be brought before a court that will prove the case, I will not make an accusation," he said. Aquino said the government is aware that the situation could get worse, but that the other option is a peaceful end to the conflict. Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario is now on his way to Malaysia to work for a possible peaceful resolution to the situation. Aquino also downplayed the reported crackdown on Filipinos in Sabah. It is "alarmist," Aquino said. Aquino said the response of Malaysia against the Filipinos in Sabah should be put in context. "Let us be frank with each other: If the situation were reversed, and armed groups entered our own community, would it be possible for us to do nothing? Would we not ask the government for help? Whatever your nationality may be, if there exists a threat to your safety, you would naturally retaliate and find a way to remove your citizens from harm's way," the President said in Filipino.

Anwar Ibrahim’s welfarist manifesto makes decision difficult Posted: 03 Mar 2013 06:30 PM PST Wan Saiful Wan Jan, TMI I congratulate Pakatan Rakyat (PR) for launching its manifesto recently. PR has always wanted to shift Malaysia's political debate from one that is obsessed with race and religion towards policy. By launching their manifesto early, PR under Anwar Ibrahim shows continuous commitment to making our country a more mature democracy. I am very impressed with what PR has achieved over the years. Unlike Barisan Nasional (BN) which has access to the vast federal government machinery, PR has very limited resources. Yes, PR may be able to tap into the resources of a few states — and they do — but that is miniscule compared to what BN can access at the federal level. Therefore it is no mean feat for PR to come out with something as major as this manifesto. Clearly they are preparing for government, and they are very serious in wanting to transform Malaysia. If all our politicians are as committed to mature policy debates as the PR leaders, Malaysia would be a much better country. Dubbed as "The People's Manifesto", the document contains some wonderful proposals to enhance our political freedom. My favourite one is actually the very first thing listed in the manifesto — "eliminating racial discrimination and the incitement of antagonism between community groups to ensure the people's unity and harmony". This is a promise that all parties will make, but, I think BN has failed miserably to show commitment to this important agenda. I have not seen strong enough attempts by BN's top leadership to even dissociate themselves from the many inflammatory statements and incidences that have taken place over the last few months. Thus my hope on this aspect is with PR. PR dedicated a whole section to describe how they would improve the way government is run and improve our political freedom. There are clear promises to remove political interference from the civil service, make elections more clean and transparent, reform the judiciary as well as the MACC and the police force, strengthen Parliament, restore media freedom, and enhance academic freedom. These are reforms that our country very much need. Unfortunately that is where the good news ends. If one were to analyse the document from a liberal perspective, one would quickly find that the overall spirit of the manifesto is quite scary. Frankly, with this manifesto, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's coalition looks set to make Malaysia a welfare state, and catapult us firmly to the left. The vision underpinning this manifesto is actually very well summarised in a line on the very last page of the document, in an imaginary letter written by a common Malaysian after 10 years of PR government. The sentence reads "Most importantly, I am proud that the Malaysian administration has proven its ability to distribute and create prosperity for everyone." Perhaps it is just a Freudian slip, but the positioning of "distribute" before "create" explains exactly what this manifesto is about — i.e. a welfare state redistributionist agenda that puts more emphasis on how to spend rather than how to create wealth. The list of handouts, subsidies and costly initiatives is a long one. And it looks like under PR the tentacles government will be everywhere in our lives. Let's have a look at just some of them. In the workplace, PR will increase minimum wage to RM1,100 per month. If that's not enough to increase unemployment, PR will encourage employers to remove low-skilled workers by creating a RM2 billion fund "to provide automation incentives." I hasten to add that BN is the biggest culprit in this issue because it was the BN who introduced minimum wage in the first place. In dealing with an ageing society, even if you are a millionaire, PR will give you RM1,000 every year once you reach the age of 60. They call this a "Senior Citizens' Bonus Scheme." This is the first time I heard about people getting a bonus simply for ageing. To attract votes from the armed forces, PR promises to provide several types of handouts. They will create a RM500 million fund to assist the participation of ex-soldiers in economic activities. They will increase the government's contribution to Armed Forces Fund Board (LTAT) from 15 per cent to 20 per cent so that ex-soldiers have higher pension fund. And non-pensionable veterans will be given RM2,000 per year. READ MORE HERE

End Sabah clash in ‘brotherly way’, MNLF warns Putrajaya Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:55 PM PST (TMI) - A Filipino separatist group has cautioned Putrajaya against sending more troops to Sabah, and called for the United Nations (UN) and Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) to intervene in the standoff there that has turned deadly, Manila-based paper The Philippine Star reported today. The call was made by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who also offered itself as the mediator between the Malaysian government and the Sultanate of Sulu, but which insisted that the Philippine government should be excluded from the dialogue. MNLF chief Nur Misuari also warned Datuk Seri Najib Razak against persecuting people of Moro descent in Sabah, asking the prime minister to "please tone down his voice". "The blood of our brothers in Sabah is sacred," Misuari said here. "I hope Najib will not persecute our civilians in Sabah as it will trigger bigger trouble and it will drag us into war, and I don't like that." Misuari, who claimed that his grandnephew is a relative of Najib's, asked for the conflict to be resolved in a "brotherly way... to the best interest of everybody." The MNLF leader also admitted that some of the men involved in the armed incursion were his relatives and the front's members, but has denied instigating the conflict. "How can that be? I was in Africa for more than a month with my wife and I have nothing to do with the move of the sultan," he said, adding that sending "only 200" armed men is not "his style". He then reiterated his clan's claim over Sabah and Sarawak, calling the states "original properties of his great, great grandfather". Two days ago, a MNLF leader had warned that the Lahad Datu standoff could widen into a civil war engulfing Sabah, since more than 8,500 Filipinos, mostly Tausugs or Suluk tribesmen, were residing in Sabah and potential supporters of the Sultanate of Sulu. "I am afraid there will be a civil war in Sabah because thousands of Bangsamoro are residing in Sabah," Gapul Hajirul, political chief of MNLF said. "Our Tausug brothers and sisters of Sulu and the Samals in Tawi-Tawi were saddened and are hurting by the turn of the events," he was quoted as saying.

Army rushing reinforcements to help police deal with latest landings Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:30 PM PST (The Star) - SEMPORNA: Two new flash points involving armed intruders erupted in the east coast of Sabah as the army and police mapped out a strategy to storm the Sulu group of Raja Muda Azzimudie Kiram at Tanduo village. The army is rushing reinforcements to help the police deal with the latest landings of about 10 men in military gear sighted in Kunak, following the killing of six policemen and six intruders in a gun battle at the Simunul water village in Semporna on Saturday night. Sighting of armed intruders were also claimed by villagers in Kinabatangan and elsewhere but, so far, the police have denied the reports. At Kampung Senallang Lama, about 7km from Simunul, a former Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commander who was armed with an M16 assault rifle and a grenade launcher was said to have rounded up villagers as hostages at a mosque. He was killed by local youths. In the meantime, a tense situation engulfed Semporna as thousands of families fled town and a lockdown enforced around Simunul, where a Tiger platoon strike force was sent. At a 7pm press conference in Lahad Datu yesterday, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Ismail Omar declared the Semporna incident has been resolved and there had not been any hostage situation. He said the bodies of the six police personnel were recovered at Simunul. The police had declined to initially verify villagers claim that a mother with her child as well as several police personnel might be trapped or held hostage by the armed Sulu group. Assuring the people that the situation in Sabah was under control, Ismail told the media at Felda Sahabat 16 in Lahad Datu that he has asked the military to help strengthen security in Semporna and the state. Present at the press conference was Armed Forces chief Tan Sri Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. On the purported sightings of about 10 intruders at about 10pm on Saturday in Kunak, where they were seen entering Kampung Long Malor and Kampung Dasar Lama, Ismail said three of them were armed and were in fatigues that were similar to that worn by the Sulu group at Tanduo village. Describing the intruders as "not strong", Zulkifeli said that he has sent two more army battalions to Semporna and Kunak as a public confidence builder. Classifying the intruders as criminals, Zulkifeli said they came in small boats over a few days from the southern Philippines island of Sibutu, which was only a 25-minute boat ride to Semporna and that was why the security forces were unable to detect them. "I believe they came in civilian clothes and, upon entering Sabah, they grouped up and put on their military fatigues. "We found two bags with civilian clothes,' he said, adding that they could have entered on Feb 11 or Feb 12. On claims by the MNLF of an uprising of the Tausugs known as Suluks in Sabah if Azzimudie's group was attacked in Tanduo, Zulkifeli said: "Even though they are Tausug, they are law abiding people."

Tian Chua: I didn’t insult our commandos Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:21 PM PST Zurairi AR, TMI PKR vice-president Chua Tian Chang denied today ever making derogatory remarks undermining the police commandos involved in the Lahad Datu stand-off. Chua, popularly known as Tian Chua, claimed that the incident had been manipulated by cybertroopers to generate hate against him and other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders. "This was a faked story and absolutely untrue," said Chua (picture) in a press statement, explaining that he was not in Puchong here yesterday where he purportedly made the remarks. "I was actually in Johor, and in all of my speeches, I stated my confidence and support for our security forces and their officers." According to Chua, some pro-BN blogs have quoted him as describing the deaths of the security forces as "mati katak" (died in vain) in a Puchong rally yesterday. The blogs also asked their readers, especially police and army officers, to deliver text messages to him expressing their disapproval, Chua said. Chua had also reportedly told the KeadilanDaily online portal on March 1 that the shooting in Lahad Datu was believed to be a "planned conspiracy of the Umno government" to divert attention and intimidate the people. A group of around 100 retired policemen gathered in front of the National Monument here today to protest against alleged remarks by Chua, in an event described as the first time police retirees and former IGPs have ever gathered to express their discontent and displeasure. The police veterans carried placards saying "Tian Chua pengkhianat negara (Tian Chua is a national traitor)", "Tian Chua manusia tak berhati perut (Tian Chua is heartless)", and "Tian Chua perlu minta maaf (Tian Chua must apologise)". Several reports today said that groups of police retirees and officers are lodging police reports against Chua over his alleged "seditious remarks".

Manila now says up to Malaysia to handle Sulu militants Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:16 PM PST Clara Chooi, TMI The Philippine government said today the fate of the self-proclaimed royal Sulu army in Sabah now lies in the hands of Malaysia's security forces, appearing to suggest that a peaceful end to the prolonged standoff is no longer possible. In an interview with the Philippines' ABS-CBN News Channel this morning, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda pointed out that the over 200 gunmen claiming to be followers of the Sulu Sultanate have continued to hold their ground in Sabah, refusing to lay down arms even after violent skirmishes since Friday left 28 dead. But according to the channel's report on its website www.abs-cbnnews.com, Lacierda would not say if he agreed that the "window of opportunity" for a peaceful resolution to the standoff had closed because the deaths had involved Malaysian security personnel. "Malaysia has stepped in. They have fatalities on their side. They want to resolve this on their terms. Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib Razak said before the whole incident happened, baka pwede pa pero (it may have been possible but) now, serious offence has been committed," he told Mornings@ANC, according to the report. Adding to the tangled web, Lacierda confirmed the Philippine government's suspicion that the Kiram family are working with outside "collaborators", but was unsure who they are. He pointed out that during early negotiations between government representatives and Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, is leading the rebel group in Sabah, Jamalul kept "changing goal posts". "First of all, they wanted the government to press the Sabah claim. What did the President say? We will study the claim. I have formed a task group to study the claim," he was quoted as saying. At one point, Lacierda said, an agreement that would call an end to the standoff was nearly reached but a phone call changed everything. The Philippine government is now attempting to find out if collaborators are indeed involved in guiding the Kiram family on its claims, the spokesman added. Lacierda also repeated that the Philippine government had appealed several times to the Kiram family, urging the Sultanate to order its men home in order to discuss its proprietary claims over Sabah. READ MORE HERE

I was adviser to ‘real’ Sulu sultan, says Umno Youth exco man Posted: 03 Mar 2013 05:09 PM PST Zurairi AR, TMI Umno Youth executive councillor Lokman Noor Adam today denied having links with self-professed Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, whose brother is leading an armed incursion into Lahad Datu, Sabah. His denial follows the distribution of a photograph of Lokman's business card on Twitter and Facebook, where he carries the title of "Advisor to The Crown" of the Sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo, and the honorific "Datu Sri Panglima" usually bestowed by the Sulu royalty. "I admit I was elected by the real Sulu sultan, Sultan Roodinod, son of Sultan Julaspi Kiram, as his advisor around the year 2005 to deal with the Malaysia government regarding their welfare," Lokman said in a press release here. Roodinod was recognised by the Malaysian government as the legitimate claimant to the Sulu Sultanate in 2008, for being the heir to Jamalul Kiram II who was proclaimed sultan in 1894. Roodinod family's claim has been challenged by rivals with allegations that Jamalul Kiram II died in 1936 without leaving any children. The last sultan of Sulu officially recognised by the Philippine government was Mahakuttah Kiram, who died in 1986. His eldest son Muedzul-Lail Tan Kiram was crowned sultan on September last year, and is one of the many claimants to the throne. Lokman said he has not contacted Roodinod since 2007. The panel member of the Department of Special Affairs (JASA) also claimed that he advised the sultanate voluntarily, and has never received any payment for his services. According to Lokman, Julaspi was rescued by the Malaysian government in 1959, and lived in Sabah before the government gave him a residence in Lorong Maarof, Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur. READ MORE HERE

Nur Misuari offers to mediate Posted: 03 Mar 2013 03:19 PM PST The Sulu sultanate claims that villagers retaliated after the police stormed Simunul village and killed an imam and his four sons. (FMT) - KOTA KINABALU: Nur Misuari, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman, has signalled that he is willing to help in talks to resolve the standoff in Sabah between an armed group of Filipino intruders and the Malaysian forces. "It is my message to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that I am ready to send my grand-nephew who is his cousin to open up talks," Misuari told reporters at the celebration of his 71st birthday here on Sunday. A Philippines-based website, Rappler.com, quoted the erstwhile friend of Malaysia as saying that he is also willing to personally go to Malaysia to help end the crisis. Denying allegations he is funding the armed men involved in the Sabah standoff, he said he was offering to help out of concern for the children and women in Lahad Datu who "are now facing starvation and danger." He said Malaysia had not responded to his offer. He added that they would also not call for the surrender of those who opted to "return to their home" but would instead urge the Philippine government to act on the issue. "This is an active claim. I want the Philippine government to act with determination. These men would not go there and sacrifice their lives if only the (Philippines) government had handled this issue," Adju was quoted as saying. Misuari once enjoyed good ties with Malaysia which had allowed the MNLF to seek sanctuary in Sabah during president Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. Malaysian security forces however arrested him in Sabah in 2001, after he fled Sulu following a botched revolt in the province. The arrest led to his detention in the Philippines. The site also quoted Samsula Adju, a member of the so-called Bangsamoro National People's Parliament as saying the move made by Sultan Jamalul Kiram III to send his men to Sabah only shows that the Sabah claim is very much alive. Villagers provoked Meanwhile supporters of the Sultan of Sulu in the east coast of Sabah hit back at the Malaysian security forces on the weekend after they were allegedly provoked. At a press conference in Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III's home in Taguig City, a spokesman for the sultanate, Abraham Idjirani said the Malaysian police had shot dead an Islamic religious leader and his four sons and injured another imam in Simunul village in Semporna. Said Idjirani: "The violence spread to Semporna after Malaysian policemen pretending to round up undocumented Filipinos stormed Simunul village in search of relatives of the sultan." He said the Malaysian police shot dead a religious leader known as Imam Maas and his four sons whilst wounding another imam known as Jul after they were found to be helping Kiram's relatives. He said the killings had angered the villagers, who then attacked the authorities and seized four Malaysian officials, whom he described as "highest" military officers, a policeman and an influential civilian. READ MORE HERE

Suaris Interview: The Future of Malays #6 Posted: 03 Mar 2013 01:10 PM PST   PAS has two fundamental flaws. First, it is confused on whether to be a political party, meaning one that aspires to one day hold power and lead the country, or a religious entity. The two are not necessarily incompatible but PAS has yet to choose which one has the greater priority. The price for this blurring of objective is that the organization does not excel in either.   M. Bakri Musa  Suaris Interview: The Future of Malays Part 6. What is your view on PAS and its leadership? Do you think that their policies and struggles would usher or obstruct Malay/Muslim development in our country?   [The original in Malay appeared in www. Surais.wordpress.com on Feb 20, 2013.]   MBM:  The leaders and policies of PAS do not impress me. That however, is irrelevant. More pertinent is that those leaders and their policies will cause Malays and Muslims to regress. Whether we would enter Paradise under PAS, only God knows, and He is not telling me or anyone else.   PAS has two fundamental flaws. First, it is confused on whether to be a political party, meaning one that aspires to one day hold power and lead the country, or a religious entity. The two are not necessarily incompatible but PAS has yet to choose which one has the greater priority. The price for this blurring of objective is that the organization does not excel in either.   Second, PAS is not democratic. The highest and ultimate authority lies not with its members, as it should be, rather an unelected Council of Ulamas. Worse, that council is restricted only to ulamas. Where is it written that only ulamas have the ability, wisdom or privilege to lead?             In a democracy, the ultimate power must lie with voters or members. Were PAS to govern, would its ministers be answerable to Parliament or the Council of Ulamas? Which body has the higher and ultimate authority? According to our constitution, it is Parliament; to PAS, the Council of Ulamas.   This is no small matter. Consider the current crisis in Iran where its unelected Majlis Syura is in conflict with the elected Parliament. I have no problem with the Ulama Council being merely advisory. The Ulama Council must respect and defer to Parliament. There is no place for anointed leadership in a democracy. Sovereignty lies with citizens.   On another level, PAS is consumed with labels rather than content. Its leaders are obsessed with hudud and the Islamic State but fail to declare what they mean by those terms. Which Islam state do they hold up as a model? Iran and Saudi Arabia?   Likewise with hudud; as non-Muslims are spared, criminals would be punished based not on the crimes they commit rather their faith. A Muslim committing adultery would be sentenced to death by stoning; a non-Muslim would suffer only the fury of their spouse. A Muslim caught stealing would have his hand chopped off; a non-Muslim would suffer merely a fine or jail sentence. Is that just? If it is not just, it cannot be Islamic. PAS has yet to address let alone reconcile this conflict.             The party's greatest weakness is that its leadership core singularly lacks management talent. The skills needed for running a modern state are very different from that of being an ulama. The training, academic qualifications and experience of our ulamas are very narrow. They have never been exposed to the behavioral sciences, while their understanding of modern science and technology is abysmal. Their mindset is equally circumscribed.             As for their political skills, PAS leaders have not shown the ability and aptitude for cooperating with like-minded players, specifically their fellow partners in Pakatan even on already agreed-upon goals. They behave little kids; play ball my way or I'll take it away. They view compromise as a sign of weakness. They forget that politics, as Bismarck wisely observed, is essentially the art of the possible.   Kelantan reflects the management talent or lack thereof with PAS. After leading it for decades, cholera, which has been wiped out elsewhere, is still endemic. Low level of public health is directly the consequence of managerial ineptitude. The people of Kelantan, overwhelmingly Malays, remain the poorest in the nation. Again that reflects the limitations of a PAS administration.   I have tremendous respect for Tok Nik Aziz as an ulama but voters elected him to be chief minister, not chief ulama. He should be humble enough to acknowledge his significant limitations as an administrator. That is his major weakness and fault. Had he been aware, or humble enough to be made aware of, he would have sought competent advisors.   Consider Reagan, revered as one of America's greatest presidents. He readily acknowledged his intellectual and managerial limitations but he was very confident of where he wanted to take his nation. So he recruited the most talented and accomplished individuals to his cabinet so they could help him achieve his goals.   There are many such Malaysians, Kelantanese specifically. Why couldn't Tok Aziz co-opt a few of them? Perhaps they could not recite the Koran and do not wear big turbans and flowing robes but if they are competent executives, that should be good enough. Frankly I could not care less even if they were not Malays or Muslims. You want someone to make sure that the rubbish is picked up regularly and the welfare of citizens taken care of.   PAS is obsessed with the Islamic State. Many, and not just non-Muslims, disagree with that. Yet PAS remains stubborn. Wouldn't it be more meaningful and productive if PAS leaders were to understand and appreciate the reasons for the lack of enthusiasm and outright opposition? The greatest fear is that Malaysia would become another Iran or Saudi Arabia. Even Tok' Aziz's wife would oppose that. Imagine, women not allowed to drive!   How do your allay their fears and make them see your viewpoint? One thing is certain. If you label them as apostates or kafirs, that would surely alienate them.   PAS should focus on content and not be consumed with labels. Work with your Pakatan partners to get rid of corruption, abuse of power, and those laws that denigrate the human condition. Those are all wrong from the Islamic perspective. Do that and we that much closer to an Islamic state. To me, an Islamic state is one where there is peace, justice, prosperity, free of corruption, and abuse of power. Never mind the label.   Clearly UMNO today has strayed far from our Islamic ideals. Corruption, cronyism, and abuse of power are the antithesis of things Islamic. They cannot be mollified with the building of ornate mosques or having gala Maulad Nabi parades.   The upcoming general election will be a choice between a party that has a wee bit of competence in statecraft but is riddled with greed, corruption and abuse of power among its leaders, UMNO, versus another that is sorely lacking in managerial capability but whose leaders are pious, honest, and not obsessed with materialism, PAS. Which would one choose?   Of course we all would like the choice of competent, honest and efficient leaders, but Allah has not given us that.   Elections are like multiple choice tests, you select the best answer from the list given. Given the choice we have, I would unhesitatingly pick PAS over UMNO. We can easily train someone to be better executives or help them by supplying those talents. It would be considerably more difficult if not impossible to change someone's inner core of greed, corruptness, and repeated breaches of faith. Leaders with those ugly traits would continue to get worse, if given the power and opportunity.   This upcoming election is an opportunity for Malaysians to deny the corrupt, the cheaters, and the greedy that power and opportunity.     Cont'd:  Suaris Interview:  The Future of Malays #7:  Touching on the economy, while to date Malays have made some progress nonetheless the new generation considers that as insignificant. They demand a bigger share of the cake, at least 30 percent. How can we achieve this target?

NEM at ground level: Same old model, no paradigm shift Posted: 03 Mar 2013 01:01 PM PST   From pork consumed by non-Muslims to the provision of pharmaceuticals products, rice and other food items vital for all Malaysians, from basic supplies to luxury goods, this problem is the norm in the nation's business life nurtured under Mahathir's NEP and now nourished by Najib's NEM. Lim Teck Ghee, CPI No business person is immune from the big and little 'Napoleons' that are in cahoots with their business cronies. When the New Economic Model (NEM) was first unveiled by the government, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak promised that it would be market-friendly, merit-based and transparent. Three years later, most business people have discovered that it is the same old model in new packaging — still not market-friendly, not merit-based and opaque. It is turning out to be little changed from the corrupt-ridden, crony-dominated, patronage-driven, racist-oriented system of doing business that came with Dr Mahathir Mohamad's extension of the New Economic Policy (NEP). Last week, I had dinner with my brother, a commodity trader in Canada. He was on his annual Chinese New Year trip back, when he combines a family reunion with meetings with business clients. His line of trade is pork, which Malaysia imports at the considerable quantity of over 15,000 tonnes annually from around the world. When I asked him how his business was in Malaysia, he said that it was down. He had finished a meeting with his main client and returned disappointed as the client had wanted to substantially reduce his purchases. I was surprised by this disclosure since his client is a major meat importer, and from all accounts, the importation business in pork is booming according to trade data. My brother explained that this slash in imports was not because of reduced demand or the client's lack of business acumen. According to my brother, he heard the common refrain "cronyism, corruption and rent-seeking at the highest level". He offered to introduce me to his client so I could find out the real situation. Politicians make profit from semi-monopoly My informant's storyline and details (he asked that his identity be concealed to protect his business) is depressingly similar to that of other long-established practices of the NEP where the right to importation and the issue of licences has become a gold mine for the politicians, bureaucrats and the coalition of distributors who control them. It is a tale of how pork importation has degenerated from a freer market with few entry barriers to a semi-monopoly controlled by a business-political mafia and which involves the highest level of leadership in the ministry and agency responsible for the welfare of its constituency and the consumers. According to my informant, complaints made to the relevant authorities, including the Prime Minister's Department and MACC on the issue of import licences, quotas and the tight control by the cartel, the Malaysian Association of Pork Importers (MAOPI), fell on deaf years. Apparently the MAOPI, under the leadership of two Datuks, is closely linked to the political and bureaucratic wielders of power. So powerful is this new cartel and the hidden hands that support it that even the MCA — for whom the issue of unfair pork importation licences and quotas is critical to the party's political support — has been powerless to help my informant and his colleagues. Incidentally, the MCA president's son who holds the position of Deputy Minister of Agriculture is either impotent or refuses not to antagonise the more powerful vested interests involved in the operation of the scam. This is giving him the benefit of the doubt that the MCA and the deputy minister are themselves not beneficiaries of the scam. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/04/nem-old-model-in-new-packaging/

Nazri: BN will 'gladly' hand over power if people's mandate lost Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PST   Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas member of parliament (MP), reminded that there had been a smooth handover of power in the five states which Pakatan won in the last general election. "We won't form the government by cheating or any other improper means... There was no unrest, no attempt to resist (handing over power) because we do not want to form the government if we don't get the mandate of the people. Why should we?"  Barisan Nasional (BN) has no qualms about handing over power to the opposition should it lose the people's mandate in the upcoming general election.   Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz gave this assurance today, saying they (BN) will follow the rules.   "We will gladly hand over and we will not stay one second more (than we should) if we lose the mandate of the people.   "We have shown that we faithfully stick to the rules and results," Nazri said in his speech at the International Conference on Malaysia 13th General Elections organised by the office of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.   Nazri's comments come amid Anwar's calls for the ruling coalition to guarantee a smooth and peaceful transition of power should Pakatan Rakyat win the most seats at the general election.   Additionally, Nazri's remarks reflect BN's confidence going into the 13th general election which is widely seen as the most hotly contested race in Malaysia's history.   Nazri, who is the Padang Rengas member of parliament (MP), reminded that there had been a smooth handover of power in the five states which Pakatan won in the last general election.   "We won't form the government by cheating or any other improper means... There was no unrest, no attempt to resist (handing over power) because we do not want to form the government if we don't get the mandate of the people. Why should we?" Nazri said.   After the 2008 general election, BN lost control of Penang, Kedah, Selangor and Perak while the PAS-led government continued to rule Kelantan.   However, BN returned to power in Perak in 2009 following the defections of three Pakatan assemblymen which swung the balance of power in the state.   According to Nazri, BN refused to accept several MPs who quit PKR into the ruling coalition's fold even though these independent representatives were pro-BN.   "We never attempted to induce them to join us unlike the Sept 16 fiasco to buy over MPs so that there can be a change of government.   "If you believe in electoral democracy, you don't do that. BN won't buy over MPs from the other side," Nazri said, referring to Anwar's failed takeover of the federal government on Sept 16, 2009 by engineering the crossover of a bloc of BN MPs.   During his speech, Nazri also stressed that elections in Malaysia has always been conducted in a free and fair manner, even if the system was not perfect.   Nazri maintained that the present government has been open to suggestion and is committed to reform in order to ensure future elections will continue to be free and fair.   "There is always room for improvement. If we didn't believe there was room for improvement, we would not have allowed the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) on electoral reforms," Nazri said.   Read more at: http://fz.com/content/nazri-bn-will-gladly-hand-over-power-if-peoples-mandate-lost

Fighting in Sabah rages Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:36 PM PST   (Inquirer, Global Nation) - Supporters of the sultan of Sulu struck back on Saturday night, killing five Malaysian policemen and seizing four local government officials in an attack that indicated an escalation of violence to other parts of Sabah after the killing of 12 of the sultan's followers in a clash with Malaysian security forces in Lahad Datu on Friday. Abraham Idjirani, spokesman for the sultanate of Sulu, said an Islamic religious leader and his four sons were killed in the fighting in the seaside village of Simunul in Semporna town, 300 kilometers from Tanduao village in Lahad Datu, the site of a 3-week-old standoff between Malaysian security forces and a group of followers of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Idjirani said two "highest" military officials, one police officer, and one "highest civilian" officer were being held by Jamalul's supporters affiliated with Alianapia Kiram, a brother of the sultan. Reports coming from Malaysia said two supporters of the Sulu sultan were killed in the shootout with policemen. Idjirani said the group of sultanate followers led by Agbimuddin Kiram, another brother of Jamalul, had "occupied and controlled" Semporna, which is populated by Filipinos from Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Basilan and the Zamboanga peninsula. Alim Hashim Mudjahab, chairman of the Islamic Council Committee of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), told the Inquirer in Zamboanga City that supporters of the sultan attacked a police station in Semporna on Saturday night. "They freed more than a hundred Filipino Muslims who were arrested on Friday and they even captured the Malaysian police chief and his colleagues," Mudjahab said. "We are worried because it seems that these reports are not important to the Philippine government," he said. In Tawau, Mudjahab said, followers of the sultan attacked a convoy of Malaysian military trucks, "hurling dynamite commonly used for fishing." "As we are talking now (11 a.m. Sunday), tension is spreading as far as Sandakan and there are reports that some Tausug residing in Kota Kinabalu are ready to fight the Malaysian authorities," he said. Mudjahab said he received the information from "MNLF supporters in those areas." But Lt. Gen. Rey Ardo, chief of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said he had not received information about an escalation of Friday's violence in Lahad Datu to other parts of Sabah. Police raid Idjirani said the violence spread to Semporna when Malaysian policemen pretending to round up undocumented Filipinos stormed Simunul village in search of relatives of the sultan. He said the policemen shot one Imam Maas and his four sons and wounded one Imam Jul when they learned that they were taking care of the sultan's relatives in the area, Alianapia and Amir Bahar. The killings angered the villagers, who attacked the authorities and seized four Malaysian officials. Idjirani said the sultanate of Sulu blamed the fresh violence on the Malaysian government, which, like the Philippine government, refused to deal with the Kirams on their claim to Sabah. Read more at: http://globalnation.inquirer.net/66539/fighting-in-sabah-rages

Sabah, Merdeka and Aquino Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:29 PM PST   Is it possible to understand Muslim Mindanao without looking at Malaysia? Perhaps not. This stern neighbor has played its hands rather wisely: feeding a Filipino rebellion on one hand, and helping end it on the other.  Glenda Gloria, Rappler  Sabah has been home to thousands of Muslims who once fought for independence under the Marcos dictatorship. It was their refuge when the military continued to pummel them with bombs and bullets in Mindanao. Sabah was always part of their real -- and imagined -- community. Before colonizers carved out superficial boundaries in that part of the world, the Muslims of Sabah, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu were one community that freely traded goods with each other, paid unhampered visits to one another, and spoke the same language. The imperious Sultanate of Sulu reigned over these islands. Thus while Manila has consistently put the Sabah claim on the back burner, the reality is that to many Filipinos, Sabah has long been theirs. They grew up on the island, got married there, raised their kids, and put up businesses. An estimated 65,000 Filipinos carry passports as "political refugees" in Sabah. In the capital city of Kota Kinabalu, I once asked a former member of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) why he had chosen to live there. "It's our land. These are my brothers," he said. They call themselves "Suluks" not Filipinos. At the height of the MNLF's secessionist campaign in the 1970s and 1980s, Muslim rebels sought refuge in Sabah. In Sabah they mapped out plans to bring down the Marcos military to its knees. In its lush jungles they trained young recruits in guerrilla warfare. While Nur Misuari toured the Middle East to raise funds for his movement, his young commanders held clandestine meetings in Sabah to plot the war against Marcos. Which begs the question, why would Malaysia tolerate this when it could not even put up with a ragtag group of old guards now holed up in Lahad Datu? The answer partly lies not in Sabah or Sulu or Tawi-Tawi but in another place that keeps the dark secrets of a bungled special operation to invade Sabah: Corregidor Island. Jabidah, Ninoy Aquino In March 1968 -- 45 years ago this month -- the Philippine military shot dead young Muslim recruits whom they had trained to invade Sabah as part of Ferdinand Marcos' adventurous pursuits at the time. The underground plot was named Oplan Merdeka (freedom in Bahasa Melayu). Trained under a commando unit called Jabidah (the name of a beautiful woman in Muslim lore), they were recruited from Muslim provinces such as Sulu, Tawi-Tawi and Basilan. Army officers led by then Maj Eduardo Martelino first taught them the rudiments of warfare on the sleepy island of Simunul, Tawi-Tawi. A picturesque town, Simunul is home to the first mosque in the Philippines built in the 14th century. It is also a breath away from Semporna, an island off Sabah. Last month, it was in Simunul where followers of the Sultan of Sulu prepared to sail to Sabah to begin the standoff. Back then, Simunul lacked the environment for rigorous training. Thus the Army boarded its recruits on a ship to the forlorn, tadpole-shaped island of Corregidor. Promised a monthly allowance, the recruits waited patiently for cash to send to their parents back home. It never came, triggering widespread demoralization that culminated in a petition addressed to Marcos. The Army was ordered to fix the problem, but the situation was doomed. The young Muslims mutinied against their training officers. Oplan Merdeka was about to be exposed. The government panicked and ordered the Army to silence the recruits forever in what is now infamously known as the Jabidah massacre. A few survived (including one who would tell the story), but more than two dozen got killed, their bodies burned before being thrown into the sea by the Army's elite forces on board a presidential helicopter. The senator who did his own sleuthing and pushed for a high-profile congressional probe on the massacre -- and Merdeka -- was no less than the President's father, then Sen Ninoy Aquino Jr. The Jabidah massacre was the spark that lit the Muslim rebellion. It also changed Malaysia forever. Times were different then. The Philippines was ahead of its neighbors and was in the best position to claim Sabah. Malaysia seemed an easy target at the time: the Federation had just been born in 1963, Singapore had just broken away, and Indonesia was becoming a problematic neighbor. Malaysia took Jabidah to heart; never again would it be vulnerable to its neighbors. Sabah began getting the attention it deserved through projects and a huge budget. To spite Marcos, Malaysia welcomed MNLF rebels to its fold to the extent of arming and providing them sanctuary. Eventually the rebels got integrated into Malaysian society. This didn't cause problems in multi-ethnic Malaysia. Because while Marcos unleashed his sword to defeat Muslim rebels, Mohammad Mahathir took the more sophisticated path -- discouraging Islamic extremism by mobilizing and spending state resources to allow moderate Islam to flourish. Teaching Misuari a lesson Its porous borders, however, made it difficult for Malaysia to stop the entry of job-hunting Filipinos. The number of undocumented Filipino workers in Sabah reached 400,000 at one point. This would not have been a problem if not for the 1997 financial crisis that forced Malaysia to deport Indonesian and Filipino workers. In 1999, Zamboanga City felt the brunt as it witnessed the arrival of a few hundred deportees via commercial ships. The situation called for bilateral cooperation. But then President Joseph Estrada had just thrown his support behind Mahathir's jailed opponent at the time, former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, and this severely strained the excellent ties that both countries enjoyed under the Ramos administration. The situation turned for the worse in 2000, when Abu Sayyaf bandits kidnapped tourists on one of Malaysia's prime islands, Sipadan, brought them to Sulu, and earned millions of dollars in ransom. Malaysia deported about 700 Filipinos from Sabah after the incident, but denied it was a retaliatory move. And then something happened in 2001 under the Arroyo government. Malaysia's old friend ran into trouble. Misuari quarreled with the Arroyo administration and incited a revolt in Sulu. When the military moved against him, he counted on one ally to save him from getting jailed. On a pump boat, Misuari escaped to Sabah. Malaysia is a friend. Or so he thought. Shortly after reaching the shores of Jiamperas in November 2001, the Muslim leader who once awed the Islamic world was handcuffed and detained by the Malaysian police. He was deported to the Philippines in January 2002, briefly detained on charges of leading a botched revolt in Sulu. Malaysia's move proved how it regarded Misuari and how aware it was of its bigger priority -- to co-opt another rebel movement that was being lured by radical Islam. Thus its decision to host the peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Read more at: http://www.rappler.com/thought-leaders/22943-sabah,-merdeka-and-aquino

Did the police walk into a trap in Semporna? Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:27 PM PST   A spokesman for Sultan Sulu said that its forces on Sabah had taken hostage a Malaysian police officer, two soldiers and a government official.  Michael Kaung and Azman Habu, Hornbill Unleashed Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar says his men may have been lured in by decoys and fired upon as they entered the water village. Police searching for a group of gunmen in Kampung Sri Jaya in the Simunul area in Semporna may have walked into a trap that was set for them. According to sources, the gunmen appeared ready for the police raid and opened fire as the police were on the narrow single-plank walkways linking the various houses on stilts. Six policemen, including an officer, and six unidentified gunmen were killed during the firefight that occurred around 7pm yesterday. Police have encircled the village, one of many that are perched on stilts over the sea, to track down remaining gunmen. Inspector General of Police Ismail Omar confirmed that his men may have been lured in by decoys and fired upon as they entered the water village. He said that police had moved in based on a tip off that there were armed men in the vicinity. "Based on this information, a police team from the Semporna district police headquarters entered the place but were ambushed when they arrived," he told a press conference in Felda Sabahat Residence, Lahad Datu today. The Semporna shooting comes just after the killing of two policemen on Friday in Lahad Datu, where a shootout with armed intruders loyal to the Sulu Sultanate took place. Ismail said police were unsure if the two incidents are linked. He also said the police had arrested three men, one armed with a knife, who were trying to slip through a security cordon around Kampung Tanduo in Lahad Datu late Saturday. They are being interrogated. The death toll has now climbed to 26 in two days with eight policemen killed in the line of duty both in Lahad Datu and Semporna.  Friday also saw 12 gunmen loyal to the 74-year-old Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III killed. This group had 'invaded' Lahad Datu on Feb 12 to stake a claim on Sabah. A source said that police are also "keen to get in touch with Mohd Akjan Ali Muhammad, the businessman who proclaimed himself as the 'Sultan of Sulu' in 2011. Akjan is also a former Umno member who has the loyalty of a large number of Filipinos in the state. Akjan, according to sources, however cannot be located. There are also unconfirmed reports that the General Operations Force (GOF) centre in Kinarut near here, a complex that was contracted to Akjan, is on heightened alert as is much of the police stations throughout Sabah. There is a large Filipino refugee settlement in Kinarut, a small town located about 20 kilometres south of Kota Kinabalu. Read more at: http://hornbillunleashed.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/42460/

When does Malaysia’s debt become a problem? Just the facts please! Posted: 03 Mar 2013 12:05 PM PST Anas Zubedy  Since March 2008, Malaysians find it harder and harder to get non-partisan balance and factual point of views. Each time we read an article whether it is about politics, education, and economics and even bread it would likely be colored with politics – one side trying to paint the other as worst as possible and show off that they are the smarter one. Facts and figures are twisted, half-truths made like solid analysis, hoodwinking the innocent public. All these have made many Malaysians on the verge of giving up on politicians and their cohorts. One such example where half-truth was made as though it is an intellectually factual economic paper was the recent writing by 'an enemy of the state' who go by the name of Pak Sako. I consider him or her an enemy of the state because he or she prefers non-peaceful options like what happened during BERSIH 3 rather than the peaceful and productive action during #KL112. He or she constantly writes article to create panic, negativity and hatred. This fella is tarnishing the name of a national laureate who has left us and the fact is we are not even sure if this person masquerading as Pak Sako is a Malaysian! In the article about our national debt (http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/27/govt-debt-to-reach-rm1-trillion-by-2020/) this Enemy of the State, tried to deceive and alarm readers by focusing on 2 main themes. Firstly, noting our debt in Ringgit so it will look enormous to the average reader instead of the more exact approach by observing percentage over GDP and secondly, by forecasting a sharp increase in debt within the next few years second guessing that the government will continue the current populist agenda even post GE 13. This Enemy of the State did not even offer any comparative figures with other economies!!! I wanted a more non-politically biased point of view so I asked a close associate who is knowledgeable about economics and not into politics to explain the economics of debt without any partisanship. Just the facts, please.  The following is a balanced explanation. At the end of the article, I will also provide a comparative debt ratio of countries all over the world so readers can see for themselves. Here we go. If like the US, government is expected to bail out the banking sector debts apart from its own debt, then we need to compare how much revenue government has to cover for any banking debt crisis and government debt crisis. To do that the formula will be as below; Malaysia p.a. (3rd qtr 2012 figures) Gov. Debt (RM484b) + Private Sector Debt (RM77b) DIVIDE BY Gov. Revenue (52b) So Malaysia has a Debt cover of 10.8x (times) How does this debt cover "debt gearing" as per accounting term compare with other countries? In 2011, a comparative data with other country figures are as below; Ireland 43x Japan 37x United States 16x United Kingdom 14x Spain 11x Portugal 10x Netherlands 10x France 10x Germany 9x Greece 8.5x Australia 8.4x Italy 7.5x So the debt gearing might look high and of concern, but is almost on par with Germany, France & Netherlands and even lower than US and UK. But we may also realise that the problem countries like Italy, Greece have slightly lower gearing, and we are on par with problematic Spain. Are all debt gearing the same? It all depends on the income generating capacity and economic efficiency to service that debt. Just like companies and individuals, we can borrow to fund productive ventures and invest for income potential or borrow for current consumption i.e. welfare programs by government or cover large public spending deficits etc.    Example : Greece debt gearing figure may look good in comparison to Germany, but Greece is having a debt crisis while Germany is not because Germany has managed to consistently run a current account surplus (income positive) for the last decade  compared to Greece which has more consistently run a current account deficit (income negative). So same with Italy & Portugal, even though have similar "gearing ratio" with Germany. With Malaysia, as long as we get more money/trade flowing into the country, the better we are at servicing our debt. However, since the last 2008 global economic crisis, the government had to spend more on the local economy to help cover the decline in current account surpluses, but it has still consistently been in surplus territory and beginning to show a trend reversal (if CPO prices & manufacturing export figures recover) Japan is not in the news for any debt crisis, even though very high gearing of 37x, because they borrow heavily from internal country funds rather than foreign (9% of Public Debt), where Malaysia is even lower at 3.6% of Public debt from foreign sources (BNM). Local sources like retirement funds and deposits are more stable source than fickle foreign lenders. And most importantly Japan still consistently runs a current account surplus (however increasing trend/historical high in foreign borrowing, as more foreign funds are needed to fund trade surpluses that have shrunk due to CHINA issues)   With regards to Malaysian banking sector loans disbursed are for more productive business working capital/loan uses (52%), compared to US (only 15% business loans – while 35% for real estate loans etc ). In terms of government debt as per our Gross National Production (GDP),  our revenue capacity, globally we are still below the critical 100% level.   And if future trends are a concern, IMF forecast (2011 figures) suggests that Malaysia Debt per GDP ratio will be incremental to a still comparatively safe 60% level by 2016 (please refer the table below). Conclusion So as long as we can maintain our GDP growth, and get business growing rather than hinder it, then we should be okay. At the end of the article, The Enemy of The State suggested that,"Tackling debt ought to be a major subject of political discourse in Malaysia."  Any thinking and caring Malaysian should want the government to be vigilant with our debt. But the major subject of political discourse in Malaysia should be tackling these enemies of the state who are doing a disservice to the country by deliberately propagating lies and half-truths just to win some votes. Politicians and the rakyat from both sides of the political divide including those non-aligns must not support them. 'When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do, sir?'                                                                                       John Maynard Keynes Note : 1. Current Account Current Account is the sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid). The balance of trade is typically the most important part of the current account. And a current account surplus is usually associated with trade surplus. However, for the few countries with substantial overseas assets or liabilities, net factor payments may be significant. Positive net sales to abroad generally contribute to a current account surplus as the value interest or dividends generated abroad is bigger than the value of interest or dividends generated from foreign capital in the country. Net transfer payments are very important part of the current account in poor and developing countries as workers' remittances, donations, aids and grants and official assistance may balance high trade deficits. 2. Gross government debt (sortable; in percent of GDP)     Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database of September 2011

Hindu Malaysia Agenda -Rally Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:57 AM PST   Some 72 Hindu based NGO's in Malaysia have decided unanimously to organize a Hindu Malaysia Rally on 16thMarch, 2013 at Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall, Kuala Lumpur from 3pm to 6pm. The main aim of this rally is to highlight demands of the Hindu Community in 5 key areas; mainly constitutional dilemma, conversion problems, Education, Economy, Social and Religion.  A task force committee has been formed and all efforts are done to gather an audience of 10,000 Hindus on that day.   For many generations, the Hindu Malaysian Community has toiled hard and contributed enormously in developing the economy and bringing prosperity and progress to the country.  Unfortunately, the very community which has contributed so much has been left far behind.  Thus, in view of the coming 13th General Election, Hindu Malaysians have the opportunity to position them to ensure that their rights and needs are taken care which in turn will strengthen the Malaysian Nation.  In about 62 Parliamentary Constituencies and 148 State Assembly Constituencies, Hindus form a significant section of voters who can determine the outcome of the General Election.   "The right time has come for Hindu Malaysians to show our solidarity once again by participating in the rally. We owe this duty to the community and our future generations because the Government of the day will decide on policies which will shape the future direction of the nation" said Dr.R.Rupa Saminathan, the organizing secretary of the rally.

Fourteen killed in stand-off between Philippine sultan and Malaysia Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:50 AM PST   (World Socialist Website) - Both the Philippines and Malaysia are currently in the thick of election campaigns. Najib and Aquino have responded to the stand-off with apparent reluctance and political embarrassment, each seeking to preserve local political alliances in the lead up to elections.  Fourteen people died in Sabah, North Borneo, during an exchange of fire between Malaysian security forces and the followers of the leader of a southern Philippine political dynasty, the Sultan of Sulu. There are conflicting reports, but it is clear is that 12 of the Sultan's followers and two Malaysian policemen died during the half-hour firefight on March 1. On February 11, around one hundred people, with 30 to 40 small arms, sailed from the Sulu archipelago in the southeastern Philippines and entered Lahad Datu, in eastern Sabah, one of the 13 member states of Malaysia. They were led by Agbimuddin Kiram, who was sent by his brother Jamalul Kiram, one of two claimants to the title of Sultan of Sulu. Kiram is asserting an ancestral claim to the entire state of Sabah, a claim that has the longstanding endorsement of the Philippine government. Malaysian security forces surrounded the remote village where Kiram and his supporters landed. Over the two weeks leading up to the shoot-out there was a bizarre and complicated stand-off between the governments of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, Philippine President Benigno Aquino, and the forces of the sultan. Both the Philippines and Malaysia are currently in the thick of election campaigns. Najib and Aquino have responded to the stand-off with apparent reluctance and political embarrassment, each seeking to preserve local political alliances in the lead up to elections. Najib's ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) has been steadily losing political ground, in the face of an increasing downturn in Malaysia's export markets. Sabah is one of the Malaysian states in which the United Malays National Organization (UMNO)-led BN is most vulnerable, as it is one of five states where BN has lost in the past to the opposition Peoples Alliance (PR) coalition. The initially hesitant response from Kuala Lumpur to the Sabah stand-off was dictated by Najib's desire to preserve political ties with sections of the local elite, who rely heavily on hundreds of thousands of Filipino migrant workers employed in Sabah's palm oil plantations. A souring of relations with the Philippines might jeopardize this supply of cheap labor. UMNO has, through a calculated practice of preferential economic and political policies, deliberately cultivated its support base among the ethnic Malay population. The opposition PR has charged UMNO with selectively granting citizenship in Sabah to Muslim Malay populations, such as so-called illegal Filipino immigrants, under the auspices of 'Project IC' in a bid to shore up its political support in the state. Philippine President Aquino meanwhile is seeking political advantage for his Liberal Party coalition in the upcoming midterm elections in May. The incursion of the sultan of Sulu's forces into Sabah places at risk the recent peace deal between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for the establishment of an autonomous political entity known as Bangsamoro, intended to end decades of hostilities on the southern island of Mindanao. The Bangsamoro peace deal was brokered by Kuala Lumpur under Prime Minister Najib. The peace deal was made at the instigation, and with the full support, of Washington, which has an eye to both the possibility of placing military bases within the autonomous Bangsamoro region, as well as to its use as a platform for cheap labor. At the same time, however, members of the rival United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) coalition in the Philippines have begun to seize upon the opportunity afforded them by the Sabah stand-off to engage in political grandstanding, calling upon Aquino to defend Philippine national sovereignty and to assert the historical claims to Sabah. The opposition parties in the Malaysian PR, particularly Anwar Ibrahim's Keadilan party, have denounced Najib for "compromising the security and safety of Malaysians" and said there is "no valid reason whatsoever for our Malaysian Armed Forces not to act to defend our country against the armed Sulu invaders." They called for a crackdown on "foreigners" in Sabah, who were becoming "a security threat to those born in Malaysia." This retrograde appeal to nationalism is an attempt to undermine UMNO's moves to expand its base of support in Sabah. Under this mounting opposition pressure, Najib issued a deadline to Aquino for the sultan's forces to leave Sabah. Aquino, reluctant to appear to be relinquishing Philippine territorial claims, but under a great deal of pressure from Washington to push the peace deal with the MILF forward, equivocated. He said the Philippine government did not recognize Jamalul Kiram as rightful sultan, as there were several rival hereditary claims to the title. He thus avoided directly addressing the question of the territorial claim. Read more at: http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/03/02/phil-m02.html

Malaysia Blocks PH Ship On Humanitarian Mission Posted: 03 Mar 2013 11:43 AM PST   (Manila Bulletin) - The Philippine government has appealed to Malaysia to allow its humanitarian mission to enter Sabah to assist Filipinos affected by the bloody clashes between the Sulu Sultanate's army and Malaysian forces following reports that Malaysian border authorities have blocked the entry of a Philippine ship seeking to provide assistance to Filipinos living in Sabah. Deputy Presidential Spokeswoman Abigail Valte said Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario has sent a note verbale to the Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines seeking permission for the Philippine contingent that will extend humanitarian and consular aid to Filipinos in Sabah. "We have been asking for full access to those who are in custody and we were asking for the go-signal to be able to treat the wounded, to provide consular assistance," she said over government radio. "As of today, the ship remains at the border ready to be deployed as soon as we have the signal to do so," she added. She said the government's main concern is the safety of the 800,000 Filipinos living in Sabah who may be affected by the gunfight in the area. Amid the rising death toll, President Benigno S. Aquino III earlier called on the Filipino gunmen pressing claim over Sabah to surrender to avoid bloodshed. Aquino expressed concern about the welfare of other Filipinos whose lives are put at risk by the action of the Sulu sultan's followers in Sabah. Valte said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has opened a "humanitarian corridor" in Sulu to assist families of the slain Filipino gunmen. The social workers will provide counselling and other assistance to families of those who perished in the gunbattle in Sabah, according to Valte. Malacañang once again appealed to the loyalists of Sultan Jamalul Kiram III holding fort in Sabah to reconsider their defiance and surrender immediately "to preserve life." Valte assured that the territorial claim on Sabah, which the Sultanate of Sulu has been fighting for, is now under study by the Philippine government. "Surrender is the best way at this point to preserve lives of the people who are there," Valte said in Pilipino over government radio. "I don't think anybody would really say that somebody needs to die for this. There is no need for more people to die. We have other ways on how to discuss and pursue their proprietary claim," she added. Valte said no one has the right to endanger the lives of the 800,000 Filipinos in Sabah and the Republic just because of a proprietary claim by the Sultanate of Sulu. The fate of the Filipino gunmen in Sabah, on the other hand, is now in the hands of the Malaysian authority, according to Valte. "That is up to the Malaysian authorities. It is not a secret that they have control of the situation there at present," she said when asked if the Filipinos who surrender will be arrested or given safe passage back to the Philippines. The Malaysian government earlier warned it would take drastic action against the Filipino gunmen if they don't surrender. At least 12 Filipinos were reportedly killed in the violent encounter with the Malaysian troops seeking to end the standoff that started early last month in Sabah. President Aquino has called on Kiram's supporters to surrender without conditions to avoid violence but the Sulu sultan has rejected this request. Valte said the invasion of the sultan's followers in Sabah was the "wrong method" to pursue their ancestral land since it was putting the lives of other Filipinos at risk. She also compared the incident in Sabah to a home invasion where intruders demand to be heard. It is difficult to talk with intruders especially if they are armed, she added. Allaying concerns the government has abandoned its claim over Sabah, Valte said the President has already ordered a study into the historical and legal context of the decades-old claim to the land. Malacanang, meantime, could still not confirm if the President has already contacted Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak about the situation in Sabah. When asked if the President has appealed to Malaysia not to kill the Filipinos in the disputed territory, Valte said the Philippine government has been "continuously coordinating" with the Malaysian authorities and the Kiram family to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict in Sabah. She said the President continues to monitor the situation in Sabah and remains in contact with concerned government officials. Meanwhile, senators yesterday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to intensify dialogues and diplomacy with Malaysia as it pursues an immediate resolution to the crisis that erupted in Sabah. Sen. Loren Legarda said the DFA should ensure that collateral damage among Filipinos in Sabah is minimized following the reported clashes between the Malaysian police and supporters of Sulu Sultan Jamalul Kiram III in Sabah. Sen. Francis Escudero said the country's interest should be detached from the private claim of the Sulu Sultanate since involving the whole nation in it may affect the Philippines' good relations with Malaysia. "My personal view is that the Sabah claim is a personal issue involving the Sultan of Sulu," Escudero said. "It's a private right and a private claim. He cannot say, however, that Sabah is part of the Philippines," he pointed out. (With a report fro Hannah L. Torregoza)

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