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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• EC: Some parties giving wrong info on voting process
• Tunku Aziz asks ROS to suspend DAP over party polls
• Why it is kinda stupid to compare Malaysia with Korea
• Is Chandra Muzaffar evil when he speaks sense?
• Muzzling the judiciary
• Jackie Chan to join PM in fund-raising programme
• Columnist claims Misuari helped Sulu siege to derail Bangsamoro peace deal
• Accused: I was asked and paid
• Lagi skandal video ‘Anwar’ didedah (VIDEO INSIDE)
• BN says confident of turnaround in Penang vote
• PAS: Expect nine states to come under PR
• GE13: Pak Lah may yet contest in polls
• GE13: Anwar may contest in Perak
• Mereka yang menipu tentang Anwar akan disaman hingga bankrap, kata peguam
• Hindraf providing CPR for Indians
• DAP to continue iron grip over Perak?
• Anwar sues blogger for RM100 mil
• ‘Blank cheque offered to retract sex allegations’
• Pakatan Rakyat's chances in GE 13
• A big fat 'F' for Fail: The ETP has failed to meet its targets
• GTP - It's easy to improve when you're shit
• Our Leaders and their followers need to know: All the glitter and promises galore cannot ...
• Ini Kali Lah, if toothless MACC acts -- Taib Memang Kena!
• JOM Balik Undi – Join a Carpool
• Will Najib stay and battle or leave?
• Indians: A lost cause?
• MCA - its final struggle
• Kit Siang's ambition
• Covert video an attempt to meddle in Sarawak's politics - Wan Junaidi
• Future dim for PI Bala’s family
• MACC to ‘act accordingly’ on new video expose evidence, says director
• Conjecture, imagination and suspicion
• Stop the Buku Jingga lie
• 'Rulers are above politics'
• Umno, MCA yakin pengundi Cina pertahan BN di Johor
• Dr Boo in tight spot over Kit Siang’s candidature
• MP Serdang dicabar saman Tan Tee Beng
• Anwar says may not defend Permatang Pauh seat
• GE13: Big battle for the silver state
• ‘Kiram target of Malaysian hit squad’
• Anwar mulls contesting in Perak
• ‘Husam may lose in Putrajaya’
• They want to frame me, says Taib
• Parliament dissolved? Not true
• GE13 – Make the right choice
• Arkib buktikan Ketua Penceroboh Sulu sebenarnya rakyat Malaysia
• Who or what is Malaysia’s most threatening enemy?
• Puluhan ribu risalah fitnah sedia diedar di Perak
• PKR claim Azzimuddie is Malaysian
• When the Fog of War lifts on Lahad Datu Standoff!

EC: Some parties giving wrong info on voting process Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:54 PM PDT   (The Star) - Several political parties and non-governmental bodies have been providing people with wrong information about the entire voting process, said deputy Election Commission chairman Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. Labelling it as "ajaran sesat(misleading information)", he said the EC had received news that some groups were giving such misinformation during their ceramah. "There are voters who come to the polling stations and question certain procedures. But we are merely acting based on rules and regulations. So, voters should follow the necessary instructions, procedures and laws for the general election. "It only takes three minutes for a person to vote, unless he or she creates chaos and refuses to follow instructions," he told reporters after chairing a special session with election and police officers in the state here yesterday. He also warned voters not to create problems at polling centres, adding that voting was a simple process. The EC, stressed Wan Ahmad, had nothing to hide when it came to the election process, pointing out that 17 NGOs had been appointed as observers for the polls. "These are professional and credible NGOs, who will be monitoring the entire election process. So, what else is there to question? "Besides, we are also allowing observers from foreign countries. The EC is doing its level best to ensure the highest level of transparency when it comes to the election process. "If there are people who don't follow rules and regulations, leading to a dirty election, it will be not due to the EC or the process but because there are those with bad intentions."

Tunku Aziz asks ROS to suspend DAP over party polls Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:52 PM PDT   (The Star) - Former DAP vice-chairman Tunku Aziz Tunku Ibrahim has urged the Registrar of Societies (ROS) to suspend DAP pending its investigations into the party's central executive committee elections in December. "The ROS has a duty to protect the interests of the membership as a whole and can direct DAP to hold fresh elections so that a legal committee can be constituted," he said yesterday. Tunku Aziz, who quit following "irreconcilable differences" with the party leadership last May, said the alleged irregularities were of public interest. He also claimed that investigation by ROS was being hampered by the reluctance of party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng to cooperate in the matter. "His cavalier approach towards his duty and his feet-dragging have given rise to imputations of motives, which affects the standing and reputation of the party," he alleged. Tunku Aziz was commenting on several complaints lodged by DAP members to the ROS since January, urging for action against the party over the CEC election debacle. On Jan 14, two DAP life members submitted a similar request to the ROS, followed by former Taman Megah branch chairman Lee Chee Cheng, who lodged a police report on Jan 24 and subsequently to the ROS on Feb 8, claiming that the election results were invalid. In January, the party had admitted to a tabulation error in the results, which saw Zairil Khir Johari move up from the 39th to 20th position, giving him the last spot in the CEC. He is the sole Malay candidate in the CEC. Lim, said Tungku Aziz, could no longer come out with glib answers for the unsuspecting public to explain the conduct of the CEC election. "If Lim cannot take the heat (of the complaints), he must get out of the kitchen," he said. Tunku Aziz said although there were 2,576 delegates who were eligible to attend the convention to elect the 20 CEC members, only 1,823 were given the opportunity to vote. "We want the party to ensure that the remaining 753 delegates would also be given the right to take part in the voting process again," he said.

Why it is kinda stupid to compare Malaysia with Korea Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:47 PM PDT   Anas Zubedy   I am all for learning from others. I also believe in benchmarking. But in order to learn and benchmark from others with much sense, we must compare apples with apples. In the last few years, it is vogue to compare Malaysia with South Korea. Suggesting that they have moved forward far better than us and as such we must been doing rather badly. They somehow feel that we screwed up and should have been more like South Korea.   Some of our politicians and their supporters are perhaps using this comparison to win votes through half-truths. Let us just for a while suspend our intelligence and agree with them. Let us list down what we need to have in order to become like South Korea. 1.    We need a communist North Korea (complete with Soviet back-up) to taunt us so that America will adopt us like a favourite son. Being an ally to the USA, Korea received enormous sum of aid, first from the US and then from another ally, Japan. Accordingly from 1946 to 1978 they received USD 60 billion from the US. During the same period the entire African continent received only USD 68.9 billion. Indirect aids and support were also forthcoming with preferential treatment in most areas between the two countries, in trade, social and cultural. 2.    We need to almost completely disregard the environment in the first 20 – 30 years of industrialization. Many do not know that until recently, the tap water in Seoul is completely unsafe for consumption! While we in Malaysia can still boast about our 'oldest rainforest', Korea has almost completely destroyed their original forestry. Air quality has been a major challenge for decades with acid rain, sulphur oxides, and annual yellow dust .The environmental degradation was made worst by the damage done by US military bases – from oil spills, noise pollution, water contamination from waste water and chemical. 3.    We need to throw away democratic rule till about the 80s. In South Korea, the civilian government took over the military one rather recently, in 1987.  Yes we need an authoritarian military to rule the country with 'kuku besi' type of management. It was bloody. Assassinations of head of states and all that would have become part of our political history.   Read more at: http://letusaddvalue.blogspot.com/2013/03/why-it-is-kinda-stupid-to-compare.html

Is Chandra Muzaffar evil when he speaks sense? Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:45 PM PDT   uppercaise  There is little doubt that Chandra Muzaffar is probably the most reviled and vilified public intellectual today. Every few months, with another Chandra article, comes another anti-Chandra riposte that is largely character assassination. Yet sometimes he makes sense. The trouble is, he mixes the common-sense words with an apologia for the current Barisan Nasional, together with his series of attacks on Anwar Ibrahim's integrity. And every time he does, there is an explosion, in various forms. The latest attack by Choo Sing Chye, widely reproduced around the opposition web, is an attempt to hoist Chandra by his own petard by recalling what Chandra the social reformer had written in years before. Other attacks on Chandra come with reminders that this widely-respected social reformer of the 1970s and 1980s turned his back on Anwar Ibrahim and Parti Keadilan and wheeled into the embrace of Mahathir Mohamad and the Barisan Nasional. In trying to look up the background about this latest attack (Chandra's work is very low on the personal horizon, there's too much going on), I came across Chandra's piece in February: …when a government is overthrown in a democracy there is no guarantee that its successor will be able to ensure the triumph of good, clean governance partly because the scope for radical, holistic change in a competitive party system with deep, vested interests is limited…   A little bit of common sense Makes sense to me.   If Pakatan Rakyat takes power this year, it will inherit a government system that has been morally, institutionally and personally corrupted by half a century of twisted Barisan Nasional rule. Changing the system will take time. Pakatan leaders will need to change the workings of the civil service, get anti-corruption agencies to work professionally, get lawyers and judges to restore honour in the judicial system, restore honesty in the workings of the federal and state governments, and at municipal councils. It's a huge mountain to climb. On top of that, every Pakatan politician getting into power must face their own challenge to personal honesty and integrity. Because nothing succeeds like success, Pakatan politicians will be wooed and sweet-talked by new business and corporate friends, people with money to spend and the will to spend it when it matters, in order to make more money. To take one example, every arms merchant will try to take advantage of public anger about Altantuya and Scorpene submarines to push out DCNS. Is Pakatan angry about DCNS, about Altantuya's murder, about RM580mil kickbacks — or is Pakatan being supported by competitors of DCNS? That's how the world works. It is only common sense to always keep that in mind. Chandra is not the first to observe that changing the people in power does not automatically mean an end to corruption. All through history, people have found that the revolution is eventually perverted by the very people who rode the wave into power. Thus, the people must remain on their toes. Read more at: http://uppercaise.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/chandra-muzaffar-speaking-sense/

Muzzling the judiciary Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:37 PM PDT   Over the past half a century the lines of separation of powers between the three have been blurred by numerous amendments to the constitution affecting some 700 pieces of legislation.  Bob Teoh, Sin Chew Daily Is our parliament muzzling the judiciary or the judiciary muzzling itself? This poser was highlighted by a recent High Court ruling where the court itself decided it has no power to review or provide remedy to bad laws made by the legislative. We are taught in a parliamentary democracy there are three branches of government, the legislative, executive and the judiciary, all acting to keep each in check and balance so none encroach into the sanctity of the Federal Constitution as the supreme law in the country. However, over the past half a century the lines of separation of powers between the three have been blurred by numerous amendments to the constitution affecting some 700 pieces of legislation. Some of these seemed to go beyond the scope or ultra vires the constitution. These are mainly in the areas granting powers of absolute discretion to executive action. To make matters worse, these executive powers are not subject to judicial review. In other words, the judiciary is muzzled. This is no doubt a violation of the supremacy of the constitution. But this did not stop the judiciary from playing its role in providing remedies to those seeking it. It is not uncommon then to see that the judiciary in some instances has refused to be muzzled. We have seen the courts intervening and providing remedies even in cases under the draconian (now defunct) Internal Security Act. In the area of press licensing under the Publications and Printing Presses Act (PPPA), the minister has the absolute discretion to grant or to revoke such licenses. This executive action is not open to judicial review. However, in rare instances, the courts have intervened and provided remedies in the public interest. A case in point is the high profile Catholic Herald case. The High Court in Kuala Lumpur decided in 2009 that the minister was wrong in imposing a condition that the Malay version of the publication is not allowed to use the word 'Allah' otherwise its publishing licence would not be renewed. The judgement is currently under appeal. There have been some attempts at law reforms. For instance the ISA has been replaced by another law. The PPPA has also been amended, where among other things, the absolute discretion of the minister in press licencing has now been removed. The decision of the High Court in Shah Alam recently is indeed a setback. Has the judiciary muzzled itself? In an application brought Klang MP Charles Santiago for a review of the principal and supplementary electoral rolls for his parliamentary constituency was dismissed by the court. He said that he had raised sufficient grounds to show the existence of phantom voters in the electoral rolls. The court said it was bound by the Section 9A of the Elections Act 1958, in that it cannot review a gazetted electoral roll. It said the Federal Court previously ruled that a gazetted electoral roll is final and cannot be questioned in court. Responding to the decision, Santiago said the court had failed to address the key issue that Section 9A is ultra vires the Federal Constitution. Section 9A, which was introduced into the Elections Act 1958 after the High Court in Kota Kinabalu declared the Likas by-election of 2001 null and void as there were discrepancies in the electoral roll. As a result, former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee lost his seat but he regained it with a larger majority in a subsequent by-election.

Jackie Chan to join PM in fund-raising programme Posted: 21 Mar 2013 12:35 PM PDT   (The Star) - Action superstar Jackie Chan(pic) will join Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in a fund-raising programme at the Stadium Darul Makmur tomorrow. Chan is expected to auction off three watches and a painting at the event to raise funds for SM Chung Hwa here. He is also slotted to perform on stage. A host of performances, including those by local artistes and Taiwan singers, have been lined up. Some 20,000 people are expected to attend the event. Entrance tickets as well as those for the 1,000 tables have been snapped up since last week. The organiser hopes to raise RM10mil for the construction of the school. To date, some RM6.5mil has been collected from various quarters, including MCA, private firms and individuals. Meanwhile, scores of contract workers are working around the clock on the final touches for the Jelajah Janji Ditepati roadshow at the Padang MPK2 field here, also scheduled for tomorrow. As of 6pm yesterday, some 130 canopies of various sizes had been erected by the Kuala Lumpur-based contractor. Najib and Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob are expected to officiate the programme at 9pm. A fireworks display is also scheduled near the end of the programme.

Columnist claims Misuari helped Sulu siege to derail Bangsamoro peace deal Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:54 PM PDT "We say it is autonomy but to the MILF, it is independence. Why else do they have a territory and an army? And they are recruiting their own police force." Clara Chooi, TMI Despite his repeated denials, Muslim rebel leader Nur Misuari had likely helped instigate the Sulu siege in Sabah to slow down the Bangsamoro peace deal or derail it entirely, a former Philippine military general alleged today. In his column in the Manila Standard Today, Florencio Fianza claimed that Misuari, the founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), had involved himself in the incursion after realising that should the Bangsamoro peace deal fall through, he would be "swept into the dustbin of history". "After all, he is the original fighter," Fianza wrote, referring to Misuari's establishment of the MNLF Muslim separatist group at the height of the Islamic insurgency in southern Philippines in the late 1960s. Misuari (picture) has been repeatedly linked to the armed incursion on Sabah by followers of the Sulu sultanate, with talk that the rebel leader was upset at having been sidelined in the Bangsamoro peace deal brokered by Malaysia between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), a splinter group of the MNLF. Reports have claimed that the armed incursion by the Kirams of the Sulu sultanate, to whom Misuari has openly declared himself friendly with, would likely put the Bangsamoro peace deal on the back burner and even hamper bilateral relations between Malaysia and the Philippines. But Misuari, despite agreeing with the sultanate's reason for staging the incursion, has insisted several times that he had no hand in the Kiram clan's siege over the north Borneo territory called Sabah. A group of over 200 armed men led by the "crown prince" of the sultanate, Agbimuddin Kiram, had landed in Sabah on February 9 to stake the "royal family" claim over the state, citing historical records dating back to the 17th century. To Fianza, what the Kiram family had done was to revive a longstanding issue of differences between the Tausugs or the Suluks and the Maranaws in the southern Philippines, which he said his government should have long dealt with. The retired general pointed out that in the MILF-GPH (government of the Philippines) peace deal, the creation of the Bangsamoro would have essentially allowed the predominantly Maranaw-dominated MILF to rule over the Tausugs of Sulu. Fianza said this was "unthinkable" to the Tausugs. "My best educated guess is that Nur Misuari, in spite of his denials, had something to do with the intrusion," the columnist wrote. "Realising that he (Misuari) is slowly being swept into the dust bin of history with the creation of the Bangsamoro, he helped instigate the intrusion as a last-ditch effort to perhaps slow the process down or derail it." READ MORE HERE

Accused: I was asked and paid Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:45 PM PDT (Bernama) -- The High Court here today was told by one of the men charged with engaging in terrorism in Sabah that he was asked and paid to do so by someone. Hooland Kalbi, who spoke in the Bajau language and translated by the court interpreter, said this in the trial of the eight Filipinos charged with the offence, including two of them who were also charged with waging a war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. He also said he was foolish for doing so, but judge P. Ravinthran told the court interpreter to explain to him (accused) that it was not necessary for him to say that as his plea would only be recorded after he had obtained a lawyer. At today's proceeding, Ravinthran gave all the accused the opportunity to tell the court the charges made against them and also told the court interpreter to explain to the accused the punishment involved. Hooland was among the eight Filipino charged in the High Court here today with engaging in terrorist activities in Sabah. This is the second time that a charge for waging a war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is made in the country after an incident by the Al Maunah group at Bukit Jenalik Sauk, Perak, in 2000. Meanwhile, Timhar Hadir, who is also charged with engaging in terrorism, told the court that he entered Malaysia last February using an international passport. He was prevented from saying more by Ravinthran without consulting his lawyer. Another accused charged with the same offence was Habil Suhaili, who took quite sometime to understand the charge made against him. Habil, believed to be in his 60s, was not worn the straight jacket like the other accused. The charge was read to him several times in Suluk. Habil said he did not commit the offence, but was told by the judge that his plea would not be recorded. The first accused, Atik Hussin Abu Bakar, who spoke in Bajau, sought the court to explain the charges made against him. Besides being charged with engaging in terrorism, he is also charged with waging a war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. The other four accused, Lin Mad Salleh, Basad Manuel, Kadir Uyung and Lating Tiong, said they had nothing to say. Basad is charged with engaging in terrorism and waging a war against the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while Lin is charged with engaging in terrorism. Kadir and Lating are charged with protecting the terrorist group. All the accused were not allowed bail. Meanwhile, journalists and photographers covering the case were strictly monitored by armed policemen. Only one journalist from each media organisation is allowed into the court and they are only allowed to bring in their note book and pen. No foreign journalist is seen covering the proceeding today.

Lagi skandal video ‘Anwar’ didedah (VIDEO INSIDE) Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:34 PM PDT Video selama 1:20 minit itu disiarkan penulis blog pro-Barisan Nasional Papa Gomo dengan audio dan berwarna. Jamilah Kamarudin, FMT Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim dikaitkan lagi sebagai individu dalam satu skandal video dengan seorang lelaki yang didakwa seorang mahasiswa berumur 19 tahun. Video selama 1:20 minit itu disiarkan penulis blog pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) Papa Gomo dengan audio dan berwarna memaparkan individu mirip Anwar berbual dengan lelaki yang dipercayai memasang rakaman kamera secara tersembunyi. Anwar: Susah la you…you know I tolak dari Segambut immediate…? Lelaki: Ada apa kat Segambut? Anwar: Daripada rumah I lah (ketawa) Lelaki: Yalah betullah mana boleh percaya. You fikir kalau you in my shoes percaya tak? Anwar: …Walaupun kadang-kadang I punya twitt banyak masuk Lelaki: Hah yalah tu la I cakap betul ke you punya twitt… Ini merupakan pendedahan rakaman kedua yang cuba mengaitkan Anwar dengan skandal salah laku dalam tempoh seminggu selepas beberapa gambar sepasang lelaki berpelukan yang didedahkan dalam blog rajagoyang360 Sabtu lalu. Tindakan menyiarkan video terbabit juga dikatakan selepas Papa Gomo mendakwa Anwar tersalah memfitnah dirinya sebagai pemilik blog Raja Goyang dan enggan menarik balik saman RM100 juta. 'Saman RM100 juta' "Saman RM100 juta yang difailkan Anwar Ibrahim memberikan satu peluang besar buat Papa Gomo untuk mendedahkan lebih banyak kegiatan jijik Anwar serta membawa saksi saksi lain dalam perbicaraan ini termasuk Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, China Doll, dua orang mahasiswa yang diliwat, Zulkifli Nordin, bekas pengasas PKR Ng Lum Yum, Zahid Mat Arip, Datuk S Nallakaruppan, N Gobalakrishnan dan seorang pemimpin kanan PAS," katanya dalam blog beliau. READ MORE HERE XC1TYCbnuzM&sns=tw  SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC1TYCbnuzM&sns=tw

BN says confident of turnaround in Penang vote Posted: 20 Mar 2013 07:16 PM PDT (TMI) - Given no chance of eating into Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) commanding position in Penang, Barisan Nasional (BN) now believes it can make waves on election day. PR now controls 29 out of the 40 state seats in Penang, with Umno holding the remaining 11 constituencies. Gerakan and the MCA lost in all the seats they contested in 2008. But The Malaysian Insider understands that BN is confident of pulling off an upset based on its own ground reports and a recent survey of voter sentiment by a non-governmental organisation. The reports show BN leading in 14 Malay-majority seats, largely at the expense of PKR and PAS. PAS is an incumbent in one seat, PKR in nine while DAP is currently holding 19 constituencies which are mainly in Chinese-majority areas. But BN's ground reports suggest that it has chance at snaring some DAP seats despite the prevailing anti-BN mood among Chinese voters throughout the country. Some of the Chinese-majority seats BN thinks it can win are Padang Lalang, Pengkalan Kota, Bukit Tambun and Datok Keramat. Datok Keramat, currently held by Jagdeep Singh Deo of the DAP, is a 58 per cent Chinese-majority seat with Malays making up 34 per cent and Indians 10 per cent of voters. In Election 2008 Jagdeep only won the seat by a 1,855-vote majority. BN is confident of winning a majority of the Indian and Malay votes. It would, however, be a surprise if BN can grab Padang Lalang, also held by the DAP, as the constituency is a 84 per cent Chinese-majority seat. Pengkalan Kota, with a 95 per cent Chinese majority, is another seat that would need a major swing for BN to win. Bukit Tambun, now held by PKR, is another Chinese-majority seat with voters from the community accounting for 70 per cent of voters. READ MORE HERE

PAS: Expect nine states to come under PR Posted: 20 Mar 2013 06:59 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - In a sign of confidence that the Barisan Nasional hegemony would end after the coming general election, PAS election director Dr Hatta Ramli has predicted that nine states would fall to Pakatan Rakyat. Hatta argued that this scenario was the real reason behind prime minister Najib Razak's 'delay tactic' in announcing parliament's dissolution. Yesterday, the Prime Minister's Office strongly denied a rumour that the parliament was dissolved, paving the way for the much-awaited polls. Describing the delay as unprecedented, Hatta said the public's mood for change was apparent when there was a sense of relief at the news of dissolution. "That's why when they got the news (about parliament dissolution) yesterday, they felt relieved. Then all were disappointed when it did not happen," Hatta told Harakahdaily. The Kuala Krai member of parliament said the people should not be faulted for spreading such rumour as the wait has been too long. Meanwhile, PAS deputy Murshidul Am Haron Din ticked off Najib over the delay in dissolving the parliament. "Najib's action in not announcing the date of election is hurting the people," said Haron, who said the 'guessing game' affected people's lives.

GE13: Pak Lah may yet contest in polls Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:14 PM PDT (The Star) - Former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi may yet defend his Kepala Batas parliamentary seat as Umno has not made any decision about looking for a successor. Sources said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had promised Abdullah that a decision on the seat would be up to the latter, but till today, the two men have not met to discuss the matter. Many of Abdullah's supporters expressed surprise when it was reported two days ago that Abdullah had been dropped from the Barisan Nasional line-up. However, sources said this was untrue as the list was still being drawn up and Najib had decided to leave the matter of Abdullah's seat to the last minute. "Abdullah will definitely win the seat if he contests. Najib's priority is to win as many seats as possible and why change if Pak Lah is sure to win," said a party insider. The Star reported on Tuesday that Najib would field up to 40% of new faces and many of the veteran politicians, including former Cabinet ministers, would be dropped. However, sources said several ex-ministers were considered to be winnable candidates under the formula touted by Najib. It was also reported that many of the new faces would be fresh faces. Most of them would either be women or men below the age of 40.

GE13: Anwar may contest in Perak Posted: 20 Mar 2013 04:12 PM PDT (The Star) - Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is mulling the possibility of contesting a parliament seat in Perak if he decides not to defend his Permatang Pauh seat in the coming polls. "There is a likelihood that I will stand in Permatang Pauh but no final decision has been made as there are proposals that I stand in Perak or Selangor," he said at a press conference here. He said he was considering the proposal and was more inclined to contest in Perak if he wanted to move. Asked if his daughter, PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah would stand in Permatang Pauh instead, Anwar said Nurul would defend her Lembah Pantai seat. He earlier confirmed that PKR secretary-general and Machang MP Datuk Saifudin Nasution would contest in Kulim Bandar Baru, Kedah, the party's strategic director, Rafizi Ramli, would contest in Pandan, Selangor, and vice-president Fuziah Salleh would defend her Kuantan seat. He also announced that PKR Sarawak chief Baru Bian would stand in Limbang, Ali Biju in Saratok, Abu Sui in Ulu Enggan and Abang Zulkifli in Batang Lupar. Asked why the Pakatan's presidential council, comprising himself, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang and PAS Datuk Seri Hadi Awang, did not make a joint announcement of the Opposition's candidates list, Anwar said that Pakatan had decided to make staggered announcements instead. The move, he added, would allow voters to familiarise themselves with their respective candidates rather announcing the entire list at a later date. DAP had recently announced that anti-Lynas activist Wong Teck would contest in the Bentong parliamentary seat while on Monday, Anwar announced that DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang would contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat. On a separate issue, Anwar said his lawyer would pursue a RM100mil defamation suit against blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, over a March 16 posting of single black-and-white photograph showing the naked back of a man in a hotel room. The post also provided a link to another blog page called Aksi si Raja Goyang which published 13 photographs showing two men groping and kissing each other, purportedly screen grabs of the same video. Anwar has since denied he is the man in the video with his lawyers issuing a letter demanding the blogger publish a full withdrawal and apology while also refraining from further publishing articles of a similar nature. On Tuesday, Wan Muhammad demanded Anwar to withdraw his demands and apologise within 48 hours, failing which, he would release more photographs.

Mereka yang menipu tentang Anwar akan disaman hingga bankrap, kata peguam Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:41 PM PDT Ida Lim, TMI Peguam Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim hari ini berkata kliennya akan menyaman mereka yang menyebar berita fitnah ke atasnya sehingga bankrap, selepas memfailkan saman ke atas blogger pro-Umno "Papa Gomo" yang mendakwa Anwar terlibat dalam sebuah video seks. "Kita akan ambil tindakan undang-undang, kita akan bankrapkan mereka jika mereka berterusan melakukan penipuan ini," kata peguam Anwar N. Surendran memberitahu wartawan di Kompleks Mahkamah Kuala Lumpur hari ini. Sebelum itu, beliau berkata akan memfailkan lebih banyak saman ke atas "Papa Gomo" atau Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris jika beliau terus membuat material fitnah di dalam blognya www.papagomo.com. "Setiap kali Papa Gomo membuat tuduhan fitnah, gambar lucah, video fitnah, kita akan saman beliau sehingga bankrap," kata Surendran. READ MORE HERE

Hindraf providing CPR for Indians Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:32 PM PDT Wealthy, middle class, and educated Indians must find ways to help Hindraf solve the problem of working class Indians. By Suguman Narayanan, FMT The best analogy that I can provide to illustrate the situation of working class Indians is that of a man who just experienced a heart attack. When someone suffers a heart attack, he or his family will channel all resources to saving his or her life, other concerns become secondary, at least for the moment. That is exactly what Hindraf is doing—providing CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) for working class Indians. Can Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat see themselves doing anything like this? In the past, some Indians have fought for Indian rights. Some went unnoticed while others gave up half way because of fear or were bought-over. Today one man took it beyond limits never experienced before. One man decided to sacrifice his life for the cause. That man spent five years away from home, lonely and cold in a little cramped apartment. He could not watch his kid growing up. How many of us are willing to be physically separated from our spouses and kids? This man took the challenge. He never gave up. Today he has decided to give his life for the cause. He is no other than Hindraf chairperson, P Waythamoorthy, who is currently staging a hunger strike. The strike is in its 10th day and is fast taking a toll on his health. Soon his organs will fail! Hindraf is merely asking for the minimum. The request for a RM4.5 billion budget to solve immediate problems faced by Indians may seem like a huge amount. If you read the Hindraf Blueprint, you will realise that the demands are extremely minimal. For instance when RM4.5 billion is spread across 57 years (due to 57 years of neglect), it amounts to RM79 million a year. The annual national budget of the federal government is RM250 billion. Can you honestly say that what Hindraf is asking for is excessive– hardly 2% of the annual national budget. It is not about race Is what Hindraf asking for unreasonable? I do not need to elaborate on what this means compared to the enormous amounts spent elsewhere. It's a no-brainer. Now, is it unreasonable for Hindraf chairperson Waythamoorthy staging a hunger strike? Is it too much to demand for a 1.8% budget for a community of 8% (The percentage of Indians in Malaysia could probably be larger than 8%)? READ MORE HERE

DAP to continue iron grip over Perak? Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:29 PM PDT The Chinese-dominated party is expected to do so by holding on to a majority of state exco positions should Pakatan win the state.  K Pragalath, FMT Should Pakatan Rakyat form the state government after the 13th general election, DAP is expected to continue its strong grip in Perak by holding a majority of the state executive councillor positions, speculated Malay daily, Sinar Harian. Columnist Yusof Harun said this in his column 'Berpatah Arang' based on the political arrangements made in 2008. In the aftermath of the 12th general election, DAP won 18 state seats out of a 59 state seats. PKR's seven seats and PAS' six was adequate to enable the formation of a Pakatan government in Perak. Despite having majority state seats, the party could not hold the coveted menteri besar position due to the Perak state constitution requirement. Hence it held six out of 10 state executive councillor positions to determine the decisions of the state government. The state government back then was led by PAS' Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin who Yusof described as just being a puppet from a party that craved power. The article also emphasised on more Malay representation in the state executive council line-up to reflect the voters. In 2008, Perak had 55.2% Malay voters, 32.4% Chinese and 12.4% Indians. Since then the Malay voters have increased to 58%. Meanwhile in a separate report, Selangor BN leaders were reported to have said that they are well prepared even if Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim contested a parliamentary seat in Selangor. They said this in response to Anwar's announcement that he is considering to contest either in Perak or Selangor. Malay daily Utusan Malaysia meanwhile highlighted the growing dominance of national level Pakatan leaders in Johor politics. READ MORE HERE

Anwar sues blogger for RM100 mil Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:21 PM PDT Suit is filed to prevent the blogger from continuing his slander against Anwar, says the opposition leader's lawyer. Alyaa Azhar, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today filed a RM100 million defamation suit against pro-Umno blogger Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, better known as Papagomo, for implicating the former in another alleged sex scandal. Speaking to reporters before filing the suit at the Kuala Lumpur High Court registry here today, Anwar's lawyer, N Surendran said that they decided to go ahead with the suit after giving Papagomo 48 hours to apologise through a letter of demand sent recently. Surendran said the suit was filed to deter Papagomo, claimed to be a Umno henchman, from continuing to slander the opposition leader. The blogger posted explicit photos taken from a video grab of a man resembling Anwar kissing and fondling another man, on his blogsite on Mar 16. Anwar has since denied that the man in the video was him and has said that this was the work of Umno. READ MORE HERE

‘Blank cheque offered to retract sex allegations’ Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:17 PM PDT Rahim Thamby Chik claims that businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah has been offered 'any amount' to retract his allegations against Anwar. Leven Woon, FMT Businessman Shazryl Eskay Abdullah is being offered "any amount" to retract his previous allegation implicating Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim in a sex video, claimed Rahim Thamby Chik. Rahim, who together with Eskay and Perkasa's Shuib Lazim, had revealed the sex video in 2011. The former Malacca chief minister claimed that the offer was made to Eskay via a man believed to be Anwar's runner. "First he was tailed, then he was contacted and given such a offer. All he needed to do was to sign a statutory declaration and make u-turn on his previous allegation. In return, he would receive any amount that he wanted," Rahim told a press conference. Eskay was however absent and Rahim said this was due to security reasons. The video in question showed a man resembling the opposition leader having sex with a woman. Anwar has since denied that he was the one in the video. READ MORE HERE

Pakatan Rakyat's chances in GE 13 Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:52 PM PDT   Unlike 2008, Idealism is not going to be a dominant feature of the 2013 elections, pragmatism is. PR has not sufficiently differentiated itself from BN but BN has consistently proved that it is stronger. When the differences between two sides is not pronounced, the pragmatic inclination in people will generally sway their decision in support of the side that appears stronger.  An opinion of Nehru S.M, private citizen If the elections is called soon, I think the the list of factors that favors a Pakatan Rakyat victory in GE 13 is short. First, there is Anwar Ibrahim. Anwar Ibrahim has always attracted people with his aura of a hero and a underdog, but heroes need a strong villain and underdogs shine brighter in defeat. Since Dr. M's retirement and the opposition's substantial victory in the 2008 election, Anwar Ibrahim's heroic aura has generally been on the wane. Then there is the theme of change. The opposition represents the side that represents change in Malaysian politics and Malaysians are as a whole still pro change. However, a nation's inclination to change is powered chiefly by hopes of future profit. That the opposition has been largely unable to decide on how they are going to cut the profit pie as different segments of Malaysians clamor for their share would probably dampen Malaysians' eagerness for change. Third is the case of corruption. People might be against corruption, but in popular imagination, a person who steals 50 ringgit is a thief, but a person who steals a a billion ringgit is a great man. That the opposition generally exposes multibillion ringgit corruption cases has the unfortunate effect of elevating the personal prestige of those they seek to diminish. Also, too big a corruption case lacks emotional appeal. A thousand ringgit theft off a mother of 5 pulls the heartstrings of an average voter in a way that a 100 billion of illicit cash flow out of the country never could. Then there is the case of institutional reform to increase efficiency and correct past wrongs. This is probably the weakest of opposition promise because in truth, voters either don't really know what it means or they don't care. Chiefly, it excites only academics. Lastly, to curb the abuses in power amongst government officials. While outwardly, Malaysians generally are against the abuses of power by govt officials, especially by the police, but in principal, we are are not as against it as we appear to be. The truth is, we have always known that suspects are probably tortured during police investigations and that bribery is not an uncommon way to conclude business with government agencies, and we are ok with it. If we have any complains about about abuses of power, it tends to be about the scale. As strange as it sounds, Malaysians in general only disapprove of bribery and torture in custody if it is done without finesse and moderation. Also, the across board revolutionary fever that helped PR in gaining a foothold in the corridors of power in 2008 has cooled off. 5 years on, the belief that change will bring something better, or that the fight for change is a holy cause, or that change can be brought forth quickly and without much difficulty has largely dissipated. Unlike 2008, Idealism is not going to be a dominant feature of the 2013 elections, pragmatism is. PR has not sufficiently differentiated itself from BN but BN has consistently proved that it is stronger. When the differences between two sides is not pronounced, the pragmatic inclination in people will generally sway their decision in support of the side that appears stronger. Also, that the PR campaign has the misfortune of being viewed outside of the middle class, tertiary educated and Chinese electorate largely as a middle class, tertiary educated and Chinese agitation isolates their appeal and will cost them support. The Sulu army's incursion and the death of Malaysian army personals also does not favor the opposition. People have a natural inclination of forgetting their differences and rallying together when faced with external threats and this favors the incumbents. Also, the fact that all of the fallen army personals are Malays also rattles the "we are in this together through thick and thin" idealogy that is promoted by the opposition. Since the Malays would now feel that they have sacrificed more, they are less likely to be attracted to the idea of equal sharing promoted by the opposition. Combined together, and barring any drastic changes, not only do I think that PR's chances of winning is slim, but that BN is going to win with an improved margin.

A big fat 'F' for Fail: The ETP has failed to meet its targets Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT   Rather than address the core issues impeding growth, PEMANDU continues to practise perception manipulation and deception in its efforts to hoodwink Malaysians into believing it has reached or exceeded its targets.  REFSA (Research for Social Advancement)  This is a statement by not-for-profit research institute REFSA (Research for Social Advancement) released on Wednesday, 20 March 2013. ————- We are dismayed to find perception manipulation and deception still surrounds the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The mainstream media today is full of praise and claims of excellent performance and transformation. This is exactly the opposite of the true picture. Today, REFSA draws attention to 3 points: Real national income growth has been pedestrian at under 5% per year, well below the 6% targeted by the ETP. PEMANDU is manipulating perception by trumpeting nominal GNI (Gross National Income) numbers, which include inflation, and in US$, which are irrelevant to the vast majority of Malaysians; PEMANDU still cannot get its basic math and data right. It said (nominal) GNI per capita hit US$9,970 in 2012, but also said it was RM30,809 and the exchange rate was RM3.058:US$1. However, at that exchange rate, RM30,809 is equivalent to US$10,075. It is shocking that this high-powered unit cannot even get the basics correct; Based on Department of Statistics data, nominal GNI per capita grew an average of just 7.4% per year from 2009 to 2012, which is less than the 8.2% per year average growth rate registered from 2001 to 2010. PEMANDU and the ETP came into force in 2010. In short, the ETP and PEMANDU have failed to increase our GNI per capita above its long term growth trajectory.  Failed: Reaching the target to grow national income by 6% per year "Propelling Malaysia towards becoming a high-income developed nation" as promised by the ETP requires Gross National Income (GNI) to grow by 6% per year. PEMANDU [1] gave much prominence to this 6% per year growth target in its "A Roadmap for Malaysia" report that launched the ETP with much fanfare in 2010 [2]. However, the just published 2012 Annual Report of the ETP makes not a single reference to the fact that the ETP failed to meet this crucial 6% per year growth target last year. The fact is, real GNI grew by a pedestrian 4.3% in 2012 [3], well below PEMANDU's aspirations and even lower than the 4.9% recorded in 2011. Whatever happened to the 6% growth target trumpeted by the ETP on its launch?  Source:  Executive Summary, Economic Transformation Program – A Roadmap for Malaysia, 2010 (page 5). Read more at: http://refsa.org/comment/a-big-fat-f-for-fail-the-etp-has-failed-to-meet-its-targets/

GTP - It's easy to improve when you're shit Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:24 PM PDT   "I've improved by three spots compared with the mid-semester's class ranking," I thought while paddling, convincing myself: "I did better this time, Papa won't be mad."   Jonathan Fernandez  THE longer I stared at it, the wider my smile grew. Soon enough the grin was ear to ear. "I did it!" the jubilant voice inside my head proclaimed.   After tucking the academic report card into my schoolbag, I hopped on my bicycle and excitedly headed home. "I've improved by three spots compared with the mid-semester's class ranking," I thought while paddling, convincing myself: "I did better this time, Papa won't be mad."   I had never cared how my mother would react. I was a mama's boy and I'm not at all ashamed. In fact poor Amma was as scared as me and my two younger siblings on "Report Card Day". All it would take was for any of us three to screw up and all of us would get a lashing, yes, even Amma – because she was "in-charge" of everything at home.   I slowed down as I approached the house. I then see a silver Honda Accord parked nicely in the shade of the old mango tree. My heart rate raced and something told me that it was not because of my Lance Armstrong antics.   Reality was creeping in, and it hit me: "Shit, Papa's home."   I unlock and unlatch the gate as quiet as I can, somewhat convinced that doing this was going to make any difference to the results on the card.   After parking my bicycle at the usual spot of the house compound, with a nonchalance Don Corleone would have been proud of, I stepped into the hall – where my brother and sister were already seated on the sofa with Papa flipping through their cards with a cane between his legs. Yes, he was shirtless, too. Because who wears a top when you're going to blow your top off, anyway, right?   All he needed to do was give me this piercing glare and my hand automatically, and a bit uncannily, reached out for my report card from my schoolbag. I pass it to him.   "What rubbish is this?" he asked with such a frightening calm. "Why are there so many Cs and Ds?" My legs were rooted; my body felt numb – all familiar sensations that I would feel all 26 times in my 13 years of schooling on the bi-annual report card days.   Desperately, I looked around ... Amma was nowhere to be seen. Siblings had come home earlier and would have gotten their share of the shelling already. Amma knew better than to stick around for Round Two. She had probably been in the kitchen at that time in order to avoid being unfairly dragged into this mess. I was left to fend for myself this time.   "Pa, look, I did better than last sem. Last time I finished 29th in class, this time I got No. 21."   If that was supposed to be my lifesaving excuse, then it failed big time and did the exact opposite. Until this day, I have never seen any face which had the "Do I look like I give a f***?" expression so obviously painted on it. Needless to say, he wasn't impressed, not a single bit.   Infuriated, he responds: "Don't ever give me that reason again. Anyone can improve once the person has hit rock-bottom. It's easy to do better when you're performing well below expectations.   "Next year you're going to sit for your PMR. You need to buck up and start fulfilling your potential ... because I know that despite how much your looks suggest it, you're actually not stupid. If you don't start changing, I'm sending you to a boarding school!" he threatened.   Papa had a point at that time, a point still applicable today. Papa should have a word with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his administration about their so-called improvements based on the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) report. The Pemandu results are sure to drive him up the wall.

Our Leaders and their followers need to know: All the glitter and promises galore cannot ... Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:19 PM PDT   If anyone cries of an allegation – or even goes beyond all reasonable doubt to help unravel the stink, our mainstream media takes the proverbial stance of 'see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil'.   J. D. Lovrenciear  As we inch to our probably, most fiercely-to-be-fought general elections, the exposes of corrupt deeds and intentions are heart-arresting. Because one is innocent until proven guilty, all exposes remain as mere allegations until and unless due justice can ever be dispensed without fear or favor. But ask any humble simpleton on the street, "Is Malaysia not corrupted?" and you better be forewarned for the surprised frown you will get. What is mind-boggling however is the torrent of denials that cascade from the implicated crooks and the rebuttals of poison darts aimed at the whistle-blowers by the die-hard supporters. It is either we have lost all sense and understanding of the true essence of patriotism or those who support suspicious crooks and 'alleged' nation-robbers  are just as guilty as they may be siphoning parasites on the branch of corruption and greed. So how do we clean this nation and ensure a fair, democratic and equitable distribution of the nation's heavenly endowed resources and wealth so that all caring and hard-working Malaysians prosper and bask in the sunshine of progress and development? As it is, already Malaysians are on the dole - this is despite the claims by the powers that be that Malaysia is registering very healthy growth rates! The yardstick of sufferings brought about by corruption and greed is in the very grandiose and seemingly sensitively caring actions the PM of Malaysia is peddling. Take the case of the cash hand outs by the BN-administered government. It makes a mockery of aid and assistance. RM500 per year works out to RM41.67 per month. That is a distasteful RM1.39 per day handout to the recipient.  Holy of holies! What kind of beggars are Malaysians made out to be? Even a street bumpkin can stretch out his lazy hands and pocket a good RM30 to RM50 a day begging along Chow Kit, mate! Then you have a coffee table book launched by the Who's Who of Malaysia with a categorical proclamation that it would do well for all Malaysians for a 100 - 200 years to come. And we clap our hands in jubilation, while corporations snap up hundreds of books – making it into the Malaysia Book of Records for sales! And we proclaim that we may in all likelihood attain developed nation status well before the deadline of 2020? You have a video expose on land grabs, and you cannot even hear a whisper from within the corridors of power? Restricted ammunition was used to annihilate a sole, helpless fragile woman from a foreign land, and we are still waiting for justice to appease humanity? Cows go missing but we have no qualms in singing "what's wrong in parking a half-million ringgit car in my porch"? We let a water-village to mushroom over decades, and only now you hear of the need to place that large-scale dwelling under security vigilance? Take a look at the way the many more whale-size court cases are being dragged at snail's pace within the Palace of Justice. If 'sandiwara' is not the right word then pray tell what is. There was a time when we were led to believe that Malaysia is a corruption free nation. That was the time when we looked and jeered at our neighboring countries for all the sordid corrupt dealings. But today, we are at a point where our neighbors have fought well and are in the process of cleaning up the messes and putting transparent accountability on the table for all to view. Their media is the catalyst for that change. But can we say the same for ourselves now?   If anyone cries of an allegation – or even goes beyond all reasonable doubt to help unravel the stink, our mainstream media takes the proverbial stance of 'see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil'.   The on-line media on the other hand has been labeled as untrustworthy anyway by the powers that be. And the authorities who are the vanguards of good conduct and law enforcement, will stand sheltered behind that often quoted statement that we cannot act until a report is lodged. If we can get away by saying 'semua-nya ok' and that infamous edict, 'tutup satu mata'; if we can state without batting an eye, 'aiya, who is not corrupt lah'; when we accept the mantra of 'if he is doing it why I cannot eh?' – then let us face the truth squarely: When our neighboring nations make progress having won their battle fighting corruption and greed with a resolute, national will and conscience, we Malaysians may in all likelihood be sinking with the very yoke of patronizing this sin against an entire nation – past, present and future while the handful laugh all the way to the bank. For as long as we are in denial, we are busted! For as long as we sing that rhyme, 'we have delivered on our promises of grandeur and progress; we will deliver more' when we cannot even lift a convincing finger to arrest the very disease that is depriving Malaysians and reducing them to a point that they have to accept RM1.39 a day of handout, we need to know that we are losers. Let truth be told: all the glitter and promises galore cannot whitewash the sins of corruption and greed. And it is that working rakyat who finally will have to pay that painful price.

Ini Kali Lah, if toothless MACC acts -- Taib Memang Kena! Posted: 20 Mar 2013 01:02 PM PDT   Taib survived the 1987 elections and at least seven million hectares of timber concessions allegedly came to be controlled subsequently by Taib's family, henchmen and cronies (of which no less than five million hectares came under the domination of the top five robber baron timber lords who had reimbursed the state government money used for the elections).  Joe Fernandez The Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has been uncharacteristically quick to say that they will look into video reports apparently implicating long-serving Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud in allegedly shady land deals which, from all accounts, have resulted in considerable lost revenues to the state and Federal coffers while virtually robbing the affected kampung folks of their Native land. http://bit.ly/16ESEVU http://www.globalwitness.org/insideshadowstate/ The Global Witness's investigative reporting has turned up evidence on film which the authorities will be unable to ignore or sweep this time – Radio Free Sarawak is already going to town with the expose video -- under the carpet: (1) that Taib abused his considerable powers in illegally seizing land from the Natives and allocating them to family members, among others, for only a modest premium payable to the state government; (2) that such land was subsequently sold by his family members and/or others to certain other parties for hefty sums; (3) that only 10 per cent of the purchase price was allegedly paid in Sarawak and the rest in Singapore where a "China Wall" helps to evade the Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) in Malaysia; (4) that documents were reportedly "falsified" by the lawyers involved – created is the word used -- to show that the lands were held majority by a simple villager picked at random but only on paper. In fact such properties were majority owned by foreigners, an infringement of the laws in Malaysia. If the lands seized were state land occupied by squatters, as claimed by Taib's cousins in the video, why the need to register in the name of a simple villager?; and (5) that Taib allegedly received kickbacks indirectly from such deals.   Singapore will have to probe Global Witness video expose The MACC cannot ignore that tax evasion for one is a serious offence and that the state government too may have lost in terms of premiums. All these revenues lost would have to be recovered. The police and the state government too would have to probe that landowners lost their properties in the said deals. There's also the issue of circumvention of the laws on locals having majority ownership of land. These lands, now in the hands of plantation companies, would have to be returned by the Court and/or the state government to its rightful owners. The companies can only go after whoever misled them into purchasing the said lands. However, they themselves are guilty of circumventing land ownership laws and being a party to tax evasion. The authorities in Sarawak and Singapore, the latter priding itself on having a squeaky clean reputation, have to bring in the two Taib cousins, the lawyer, another party, all featured in the Global Witness video evidence, and other parties named by these suspects. Already, the Sarawak Bar has publicly pledged to investigate the lawyers and/or lawyers featured/named in the Global Witness video.   Taib made cousin Norah MP showing no feud with Rahman Taib will have to be roped in for his statement and the Government Departments concerned investigated and Abdul Rahman Yakub, Taib's predecessor maternal uncle, called in as a material witness known to the errant parties. Taib, in his defence, pointed to his widely-publicised "estranged relationship" with his uncle and implied that he couldn't therefore be handing out favours to his cousins, Rahman's children, also his mortal enemies. Taib appears to be blaming Rahman for the Global Witness report. That theory doesn't hold water unless everything featured in the Global Witness video was play acting in a giant conspiracy of sorts against Taib and in the process thereby implicating themselves in criminal wrong-doing. Yet, there are credible reports based on documents that at the height of the so-called feud, Taib was busy giving out and/or renewing timber concessions to his cousins, the daughters of Rahman. One daughter, cousin Norah Abdul Rahman, is now even tipped to take over from Taib as Chief Minister, according to Rahman apologists. How did Norah become Tanjung Manis MP if there's a feud between Taib and Rahman, as the Chief Minister claims? Tanjung Manis is the Halal Hub of Sarawak.   Rahman laid out the plunder of Sarawak plan for Taib The 1987 Ming Court Affair, cited by Taib apologists in his defence, was not the result of any so-called feud between Taib and Rahman. The Ming Court Affair - I was there -- was the result of the Malays in the Bumiputera wing of Taib's Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) rebelling against him for not doing enough for the Malay economy (read PBB Malays). The wing includes Muslim Melanau, Taib's community after his Christian Melanau grandfather converted to Islam. The Sarawak Malays are mainly Bidayuh living along the coast of the 1st Division and mainly Iban living along the coasts of the other Divisions who converted to Islam several hundred years ago. The Pesaka wing is Dayak including non-Muslim Melanau. Between 1981 and 1987, Taib had evidently managed to antagonize PBB rebel members by one-sidedly supporting and giving contracts and concessions to a new group of crony capitalists who were mostly Foochow Chinese, from or close to the Sarawak United People's Party (Supp), and mainly involved in the timber and construction industries. Ironically, it was his uncle who had started this trend, to become Chief Minister in 1970. He had to depend on the support of Supp and thereby thwart the James Wong-led Sarawak National Party's (Snap) attempt to come back to power in the state.   Rahman bought time for Taib to call for snap elections The PBB rebels made the cardinal mistake of consulting Rahman on their plans to throw out his nephew by introducing a no confidence motion against him in the state assembly. Rahman, to buy time for his nephew and thereby arousing the suspicions of quite a few rebels, suggested that they be led by him and meet secretly at the Ming Court Hotel in Kuala Lumpur to plan their moves properly. In the meantime, it emerged that Rahman quickly tipped off Taib who got the Governor's consent to dissolve the state assembly for a snap election and thereby stave off the no confidence motion. The rebels, growing uneasy in KL, wanted to return quickly to Kuching but Rahman kept stringing them along to buy time. The rebels under the label Permas, joined by Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS) led by Leo Moggie Anak Irok, felt betrayed by Rahman but had to put on a brave front in public. Privately, they were kicking themselves since they were far away from the state assembly in Kuching where they had planned to introduce the no confidence motion against Taib. There was no reason for them to assemble in KL for any meeting. Taib obtained 28 seats in the snap election that followed, while the Opposition managed a credible 20 i.e. PBDS 15 and Permas 5. Taib was saved by the seats of Supp, a party which he subsequently tried to neutralise by inviting PBDS to return to the state Barisan Nasional (BN).   Taib's road to wealth unlimited with 1987 state election After the elections, Permas leader Nor Tahir's house in Satok, Kuching, was raided by Federal authorities who found and confiscated more than RM90 million in unaccounted for cash. Nor Tahir was a former Forestry Minister, a post taken over by Taib. Nor Tahir passed away not long after that of an apparent heart attack. It appears that some RM150 million of state government money shifted out from Bank Utama after nomination day and may have been used by PBB to fund his election campaign. One deal allegedly struck was that five timber barons would each pay fork out RM30 million, to reimburse the RM 150 million, if BN won the elections. In return they would not only get to keep the concessions they already had but they would also be given many more - and Taib would also make much more, the RM30 million each being just a small down-payment. Taib survived the 1987 elections and at least seven million hectares of timber concessions allegedly came to be controlled subsequently by Taib's family, henchmen and cronies (of which no less than five million hectares came under the domination of the top five robber baron timber lords who had reimbursed the state government money used for the elections).   Taib may have to step down before 13th General Election The so-called feud between Taib and Rahman, the Ming Court Affair revealed, was a sandiwara (drama) to identify their political enemies and eliminate them. Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad himself once openly referred to the so-called Taib-Rahman feud as a sandiwara. The Democratic Action Party (Dap) and the Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) are beating the drums of war on this theme in the wake of the Global Witness expose video. Many Malays, caught up in the so-called Taib-Rahman feud, were eliminated by this sandiwara. Now the karmic cycle has turned full circle, and Taib once again faces the grim prospect of yet another MACC probe against him. It won't be that easy for him this time to get off Scott free as there are many names, including family, implicated with him from Sarawak to Singapore and beyond. If he's innocent, what about the others involved including family?   Heads will have to roll after Global Witness video expose If the others are found guilty, how can he be innocent since everything, advertently or inadvertently, began with him approving the land deals at stake? There's every possibility that Taib would have to step down as Chief Minister if the 13th General Elections are further delayed. He has once again, as in the 2011 state election when the BN lost several seats to Dap, PKR and an independent, become a hot potato and a definite political liability. MACC, the Sarawak state government, and the Singapore authorities would not need too much time to get to the bottom of the matter and bring charges against all the errant parties. The results of the Sarawak Bar Council probe are expected to be known within a matter of weeks.   Joe Fernandez is a mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.

JOM Balik Undi – Join a Carpool Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:57 PM PDT   Malaysians in Singapore, numbering between 300,000 and 500,000 according to various sources, have no choice but to brace themselves for the long journey home in order to vote in the GE13. Hence this initiative by BERSIH Singapore, to help ease the pain of the travel for the polling day.   JOM Balik Undi  It is totally outrageous when it became clear in Sep 2012 that the Election Commission has no intention whatsoever to implement overseas voting for Malaysians before the 13th General Elections, in contempt of the recommendations of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Electoral Reform (PSC). The EC Chairman and his Deputy have deliberately made empty promises to overseas Malaysians when in reality it has been thirteen months of inaction and deceit. Malaysians in Singapore, numbering between 300,000 and 500,000 according to various sources, have no choice but to brace themselves for the long journey home in order to vote in the GE13. Hence this initiative by BERSIH Singapore, to help ease the pain of the travel for the polling day. Together we can make a better Malaysia! WHAT IT IS Basically we match Malaysians, who intend to drive home to vote and have empty seats, (the DRIVERS) with Malaysians who would benefit from the empty seats (the PASSENGERS). For the DRIVERS, you can help making it possible for a few fellow Malaysians go back to vote while optionally have the passengers help you defray some of the transport costs. For the PASSENGERS, you can go back to vote at zero or reduced transport cost with more flexible timing. This service does only basic 'match-making', leaving the nitty-gritty (eg. exact pick-up timing and location) to the DRIVERS and the PASSENGERS to sort out between themselves. All we ask from you is to be nice with each other and honour the details you have submitted here. Read more at: http://balikundi.bersihsingapore.com/carpool/

Will Najib stay and battle or leave? Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:53 PM PDT   Is the Lahad Datu incident a planned disturbance to allow Najib to declare a temporary state of emergency to enable him to clamp down on the opposition leaders? Awang Abdillah, Free Malaysia Today  Umno was caught off guard when the people punished it in the 12th general election. The disastrous results of the 2008 general election alarmed former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The 2008 results showed that the opposition may be able to unseat the Umno-led government in the 13th general election, propelled by people's power. This reality is playing itself out in the latest political developments engulfing Najib. In Sabah, the people there are very dissatisfied with the federal government policies, especially on the issue of large numbers of foreigners being given instant Malaysian ICs. Even with the instant ICs, there is no assurance that these foreigners would vote for Umno-Barisan Nasional in the coming polls. In which case the much vaunted BN fixed-deposits of Sabah voters – locals and Filipinos – alike are now ready to punish Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Umno. In Sarawak, with Taib Mahmud still at the helm, the political scenario could turn fluid where the BN component parties would adopt a wait-and-see approach, depending on the outcome of the election. The Chinese voters are ever ready to punish Najib and Taib by voting out Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP). The natives may jump on the bandwagon to vote in Pakatan Rakyat in a number of constituencies. In Peninsular Malaysia, the BN component parties, especially Gerakan and MCA, are as good as dead. Within Umno there are two factions trying to outdo one another. Planned disturbances? Come election time, there would be acts of sabotage and counter-sabotage against candidates of both factions. The Chinese, Indian and Malay voters are ready to punish Najib, Umno, Mahathir and his Perkasa. Najib, as such, is being engulfed by uncertainties and threats of people's punishment. He has to prepare a contingency plan that will empower him to clip the opposition's wings. This will probably be carried out in between the dissolution of Parliament and the election dates. Once the dates are announced many believe Najib may deploy the false flag tactic by creating superficial controlled disturbances in certain parts of the country and blame them on the opposition. This is just an excuse to declare a temporary state of emergency to enable him to clamp down on the opposition leaders and subsequently lift it. These Najib-hatched "incidents" would give him an excuse to declare a state of emergency later – thereby suspending polling temporarily – accuse and consequently arrest the Pakatan leaders. Because Najib is now so hard-pressed, he may choose the general election date with a two-pronged strategy: remind the Malays to stay united under Umno or lose political power; and scare the other communities of race riots unless they support the BN. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/21/will-najib-stay-and-battle-or-leave/

Indians: A lost cause? Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:50 PM PDT   They'll have to decide if they want stick to the tsunami they helped create in 2008 or revert to BN which is still treating them unfairly after 55 years. Ali Cordoba, Free Malaysia Today  The third largest community in Peninsular Malaysia is the Indian community, but it is one of the least protected and is the community that suffered the worst forms of ostracism and racism in the country. Will this change with Pakatan Rakyat in power? Grouped under the MIC, the Indians have seen very little light at the end of the tunnel so much so that they were forced to pursue their own quest for recognition and assimilation as Malaysians. Many of the stories we hear about the Indians in Malaysia are as heart-breaking as the Tamil and Hindi movies on the silver screens in local cinemas. While these Bollywood movies almost always end with a hero rising and establishing justice and equality, in Malaysia the stories end with jail terms, deaths in custody or in joblessness. Do Malaysian Indians need a national hero who would brave the vagaries of life and politics to represent and fight for them? The Hindraf promoters would tell you they are, like other Indians, ostracised and bullied due to their brave attempts at representing Indians on the political scene. A typical conversation between a new "Malaysian" from a western African nation and an Indian staff in a bank, ends with the Indian woman asserting that her rights and freedom are not guaranteed in Malaysia. She would politely inform the African man that her fate was even worse than the migrants who flood the country every year. Migrants better off Indonesian migrants will be granted ICs (red or blue) in the long run while Nigerians and Western Africans are now being granted long-term visas and/or Permanent Residence status – which is the red IC – while Indians are still struggling to get ICs. While the West African man protested that he was jobless despite having a long-term "spouse" visa, the Indian woman retorted that she managed to get a job only after lobbying some politicians. She added that she was not working in a sane or fair environment, where some of her colleagues would at times behave like bullies or show disdain for her colour and creed. It was never safe for an Indian, man or woman, she added, to hold a job in Malaysia because of the ostracism against Indians and people of her pigmentation, which she would insist included the Africans and even other Muslims who are not Malays. Despite the odds, the resilient Indian community has survived and remains ever hopeful. It wants a greater and fairer share of the economic pie. It wants equality, more freedom and recognition of its rights in the country. Most young Indians do not understand that in a deal made in the 1950s and consolidated in the 1960s, the non-Malays were relegated to either "second or third class" citizens. The Indians fell into the latter category. They had to struggle at all levels of society to get better jobs, better education and the freedom to be who they want without prejudice. From the days of VT Sambanthan, the fifth president of the MIC and one of the founding fathers of Malaysia, the lot of the Indians has not really improved Gone are the days when the Alleycats dominated the Malaysian music charts, gone are the local Indian heroes in the local television programmes, and the innuendo continues. There's no great Indian political leader left in the country, perhaps due to desertion of the Indian cause. Or is it that, with the stringent Malay-Chinese dominance, the Indians are being sidelined for good in local politics, thus affecting the community's quest for survival in modern Malaysia? Just like the Malays and the Chinese, Indians in Malaysia are politically divided. Under Sambanthan, there was strong unity of the Indians under the MIC banner and this led them to support the BN for ages. Until the formation of Hindraf, it was impossible to tell whether the Indians would support an opposition party or group, but in 2008 the Indians took a drastic step. The vast majority voted in favour of Pakatan. That move appears to have backfired somewhat with BN acting adamantly against pro-opposition faces. Did this vote for the opposition cause a fall-off in favours for Indians within the BN? Did the BN go on to sideline the Indians by cutting off job opportunities for them and giving them to migrants from India and Nepal, for example? Or is it that the Indians are fed up with low level jobs? In a country where the Indians have to question whether they have the "right" to fight for their own welfare and whether they have enough freedom to speak and vote for whomever they want, the future for them does not seem bright. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/03/21/indians-a-lost-cause/

MCA - its final struggle Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:41 PM PDT   Chua Soi Lek is prepared to destroy MCA by denying the party and their Chinese supporters the latter's preferred choice of candidate and thus their only likely MCA representative in a BN cabinet, all because he, Chua Soi Lek, personally fears Ong TK challenging his party position at some future stage. KTemoc Konsiders  Malaysiakini's Soi Lek to resign if Tee Keat fielded reported: MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek is said to have told the party's central committee meeting yesterday that he would resign if the BN fields arch-rival Ong Tee Keat in the Pandan parliamentary constituency. Quoting sources, China Press today reported that, apart from Ong, secretary-general Kong Cho Ha and vice-president Ng Yen Yen(right), are not on the list of MCA candidates for the impending general election. Ong Ka Chuan, former secretary-general and elder brother of former president Ong Ka Ting, will not be asked to defend the Tanjung Malim parliamentary seat. As for Chua himself, a minister before he stepped down in 2008 due to a sex scandal, the Chinese daily claimed that he will contest but that the seat has yet to be revealed. Let's leave his threat to resign aside for a few seconds and assess the alleged intentions of MCA (meaning CSL) to drop Kong Cho Ha and Ng Yen Yen out in GE-13. I have to acknowledge these would be bloody wise moves as the two MCA ministers are smelling badly like decomposing rats in a sewer. can become tourist guide mah wakakaka Naturally the Ong brothers have been CSL's intra-party enemies so dropping Ong Ka Chuan is a no brainer in the same way as had been his publicly voiced decision, though by indirect inference, to drop Ong Tee Keat when he named Gary what's-his-name as the MCA choice for Pandan. Internal party strife has been the malaise that has stricken MCA for eons, in a way unlike other political parties' internal strife, even that as acrimonious as UMNO's Mahathir (now Najib) versus Anwar. While other parties seem to emerged from their intra party struggles more or less without much loss of strength, MCA has through its regular fratricides become incrementally weaker and consequentially politically less relevant. Chua Soi Lek has shown his mean spiritedness in taking action to marginalize Ong TK when the latter is the most popular MCA politician, probably the only one, among Chinese Malaysians. Read more at: http://ktemoc.blogspot.com/2013/03/mca-its-final-struggle.html

Kit Siang's ambition Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:39 PM PDT   (Sin Chew Daily) - Even though if Lim loses, he has passed the baton to his beloved son while his own political career has passed the peak. He has nothing to lose but will only gain a historical status.  DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang has, after all, engaged in politics for half a century. He is indeed a daring veteran politician of Malaysia, just like Lian Po, a prominent military General of Zhao during the Warring States period of China. Reputable Lian Po was an outstanding general who had fought in battles for decades. He was still ambitious even in his old age. He was a semi-retired general when he was 70 years old. However, since there was no general to lead the troops to fight against Qin, someone actually suggested Lian Po. The emperor of Zhao frowned and asked, "Is the old Lian Po still able to eat?" He then sent someone to find it out. Lian Po knew that the emperor was trying to find out his condition, he thus invited the scout to stay for a meal. He ate a bucket of rice and ten pounds of meat in front of the scout and made a horse riding performance to prove that he was still very strong. However, the scout was bribed by his political enemy. He told the emperor that Lian Po could still eat, but he went to release himself for three times during the meal. The emperor then thought Lian Po was no longer capable and thus, he dared not to field him for the battle. Zhao was later defeated by Qin during the Battle of Changping. Lim Kit Siang is as ambitious as Lian Po and he is more fortunate compared to Lian Po as he does not have to report to a superior like the emperor of Zhao. Although he is already 72 years old, he can still contest in the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat as he wishes. He is outstanding enough to convince everyone. Comparatively, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would not lead the fight in Sabah while PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang would not contest in Pahang to expand the influence of PAS. Lim posses a significantly different vision and courage. Lim wishes to lead the DAP to lay a bridgehead in Johor and expand the party's influence to the state. Although it is an old trick, the most important point is, it works. The DAP cannot simply assign someone to lead the vanguard but must have a political star who can attract attention and gain voters' support. Gelang Patah has been chosen as the fighting location while Johor will be the battlefield. Sentiments and election results of the whole state will be affected. In particular, Johor is the last turf of the MCA. Today, however, the strong wind of anti-ruling in the Chinese community could even root out old trees. If fact, it is a sure win strategy for the DAP, as well as for Lim himself. Johor constituencies basically have balanced racial ratios. However, Gelang Getah has more Chinese voters, about 53% of the total voters. With DAP's momentum and Lim's charisma, it should not be a problem to gain 70% or even 80% of Chinese votes. He can win the seat as long as the number of Malay and Indian votes is not lower than 25%. Once the trend is set off in Gelang Patah, it could drive victory in other Johor constituencies, including Kulai, Kluang, Tanjung Piai, Pasir Gudang, Tebrau, Muar, Segamat and Bakri. Even though if Lim loses, he has passed the baton to his beloved son while his own political career has passed the peak. He has nothing to lose but will only gain a historical status. Although his eyesight and hearing have turned weak, certainly Lim, who has just celebrated his 72th birthday, still can eat well.

Covert video an attempt to meddle in Sarawak's politics - Wan Junaidi Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:33 PM PDT   (Sin Chew Daily) - "What they are doing is not appropriate, underhanded, ungentlemanly, unethical and uncivilised. This kind of politics should not happen in Sarawak, we should use appropriate politics to cater to certain issues, not through a sting operation, covert recording and methods" Dewan Rakyat deputy speaker Datuk Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has described as unethical a covert video produced by Global Witness implicating Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud and his family in alleged shady land deals. Wan Junaidi said the posting of the video clip on YouTube by the London-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) was an attempt by a foreign group to meddle in the state's politics. "What they are doing is not appropriate, underhanded, ungentlemanly, unethical and uncivilised. This kind of politics should not happen in Sarawak, we should use appropriate politics to cater to certain issues, not through a sting operation, covert recording and methods," he told Bernama, here, today. The video clip, entitled "Inside Malaysia's Shadow State" which went viral, depicts Global Witness investigators posing as foreign investors recording snippets of their conversation with Taib's cousins, Norlia and Fatimah Tun Abdul Rahman, and lawyers under the pretext of purchasing Sarawak land for hefty profit. Wan Junaidi said everyone was aware of the strained relationship between Abdul Taib and his cousin Norlia, whose logging concession was withdrawn by the state government in 1987 or 1988. Norlia and Fatimah are daughters of former Sarawak chief minister Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'kub, who is Taib's uncle.

Future dim for PI Bala’s family Posted: 19 Mar 2013 11:21 PM PDT With Balasubramaniam's death, his wife and three children are now in dire financial state. Anisah Shukry, FMT The nation reeled in shock last week as private investigator P Balasubramaniam abruptly passed away, just days before declaring he would continue to seek justice for the murdered Altantuya Shaariibuu. But as the shock wears off and Malaysians move on, his family is left picking up the pieces of a shattered life – a life already strained five years ago, when Balasubramaniam's declarations regarding the prime minister forced his family to flee the country. Now, with Balasubramaniam dead, his wife, A Santamil Selvi, and three teenaged children are stranded in Malaysia with diminishing funds and a rapidly dimming future. Funeral expenses, education fees and mortgages are weighing heavily on the widow's mind, who is currently homebound in accordance with Hindu tradition. "I visited Bala's wife last night to talk about how her family was coping – she showed me her IOUs, how she is well in debt. She has even resorted to pawning the items she owns," Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gow Burne told reporters today. "Unfortunately, despite Bala's sacrifice for the country, his family is now in serious trouble." In a bid to keep the bereaved family afloat, Loh is now initiating a fund-raising campaign and is appealing to the public to donate any money they can spare for the widowed Santamil Selvi and her fatherless children. "The priority is for Bala's children to be given the opportunity to finish their education, and to ensure that someone who sacrificed all he had for the nation, would not have his family left in poverty," said Loh. Balasubramaniam's lawyer, Americk Singh Sidhu, said the funds would immediately be used to help Santamil Selvi and her children return to India, where they had been residing for the past five years. "His children must go back to India as they have been schooling there for five years. It would be too difficult for them to adapt to the school system here, especially after all the trauma they recently went through," said Americk. "The funds will also go towards basic requirements such as food, clothes, mortgage, education… Monthly expenditure can easily reach up to RM15,000," he added. Urgent monetary woes The lawyer dismissed rumours that Bala had received RM5 million for retracting his claims that Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were linked to Altantuya's murder . "If Bala had never revealed the truth, then maybe he would have got the RM5 million. But he stuck to his stance that the first statutory declaration was the truth, and the funding stopped," said Americk. Americk also clarified that the RM750,000 businessman Deepak Jaikishan had given the family in 2008 had already run out as the family had no other source of income. "Bala and his wife have not been working for five years. Because they are Malaysian citizens, they were not able to gain employment in India." READ MORE HERE

MACC to ‘act accordingly’ on new video expose evidence, says director Posted: 19 Mar 2013 09:44 PM PDT By Zurairi AR and Mohd Farhan Darwis, TMI Ongoing investigations against Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud will continue following new leads that have emerged, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) said today. This follows a 16-minute covert video revealed by Global Witness (GW) implicating Taib (picture) and his family with shady land deals, which surfaced in the media yesterday. "The investigation has been ongoing. With the new evidence that has emerged the MACC will act accordingly," its director of investigation Datuk Mustafa Ali told The Malaysian Insider by text message here. The corruption watchdog had two years ago confirmed that they were investigating Taib over allegation of timber corruption. "We are investigating Taib Mahmud and whatever our action is, we cannot reveal at this moment," MACC commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed was quoted as saying in June 2011. Civil society groups had earlier today demanded an immediate response from Putrajaya and MACC, which they claimed had been toothless in probing the Sarawak chief minister over his alleged ill-gotten riches. The group of civil society organisations had also asked for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on the matter before the 13th general elections which are expected very soon. "This is very terrible for Malaysia ... (We need) nothing less than RCI. We call the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to call an RCI to investigate this issue," Sarajun Hoda, a representative of reform movement Aliran. Meanwhile, the Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) has indicated that they will investigate and act against the lawyer featured in the GW clip. The Sarawak lawyer, identified as Alvin Chong, allegedly represented sisters Fatimah Abdul Rahman and Norlia Abdul Rahman who were recorded in the video describing potentially illegal deals. Both are daughters of former state chief minister Tun Abdul Rahman Ya'akub and first cousins with the incumbent CM Taib. "AAS will take appropriate action after due inquiry. One of the possible courses of action is to refer any complaints received on this matter to the Advocates Inquiry Committee," a spokesman from AAS told The Malaysian Insider. READ MORE HERE

Conjecture, imagination and suspicion Posted: 19 Mar 2013 08:56 PM PDT Long before 1970, the Chinese, led by Siew Nim Chee, the economic adviser to Lim Goh Tong, approached the Finance Minister, Tan Siew Sin, to propose a sort of economic policy to help the Malays. The Chinese realised that sooner or later there would be turmoil in the country if the economic imbalance between the Chinese and the Malays were not addressed. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin Yesterday's article, The Chinese and Indians screwed up, was a good experiment in readers' mentality, comprehension skills, and IQ level. Firstly, I cut my normal 3-4-page article to just one page in response to some readers who complain that they cannot understand long articles. If they feel that a 3-4-page essay is too long to understand, imagine what they would say if I wrote a 200-page thesis. This thesis would probably be lost on most of them. Apparently, even if the article is a short one-page article they still do not understand what I am saying, as most of the 146 comments have proven. Hence it is not the length of my articles that is at fault but the brain of the readers that is to be blamed. Short article or long article, they still do not understand what they read. Secondly, yesterday's article was in response to the whining, moaning, bitching, grumbling, lamenting and complaining regarding the New Economic Policy (NEP). When I revealed what happened in 1982 and then what happened again in 1992, most readers were caught off-guard. They were not aware about the 1982 and 1992 episodes. However, not wanting to admit their ignorance, they started posting comments that were way off the mark. And most of these comments were not based on facts or eyewitness accounts but were based on conjecture, assumptions, guessing and speculation. I was there in 1982 and 1992 and was involved with what happened. Those who posted comments were not, but they still posted comments as if they knew what happened for a fact. Thirdly, everyone assumes that the failure of the NEP was solely and entirely the fault of Umno and the Malays. Now that I reveal that the Chinese and Indians had been given an opportunity to correct the faults in the NEP and even end it and replace it with something else, but they did not do so, the readers deviate from the issue and raise all sorts of lame excuses such as the fear of Operasi Lalang, about Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad being a dictator, that even if the Chinese and Indians speak up no one would listen, and so on. Let me tell you something else that most of you are probably not aware of. Long before 1970, the Chinese leaders, led by Siew Nim Chee, the economic adviser to Lim Goh Tong, approached the Finance Minister, Tan Siew Sin, to propose a sort of economic policy to help the Malays. The Chinese realised that sooner or later there would be turmoil in the country if the economic imbalance between the Chinese and the Malays were not addressed. Siew Sin, however, did not take up the idea and when May 13 erupted in 1969, those Chinese who were in the know and who had tried to do something actually blamed Siew Sin for the race riots. That's right, while you blame Umno and Tun Razak Hussein for May 13, the Chinese who had attempted to avoid such a thing as May 13 blamed Siew Sin for not listening and for not doing what the Chinese had proposed. Ironical, don't you think so? When Dr Mahathir took over as Prime Minister, he tried to get the Chinese to 'take over' the job of reducing the economic imbalance between the Malays and the Chinese so that the government could end the NEP in 1990. The Chinese, however, thought that this is not their job to nurture the Malays. Let the government worry about the Malays. Why should the Chinese worry about it? The Bumiputera share of the 'corporate pie' in 1970 before the implementation of the NEP was just 1%. Hence the target was set at 30% although the Bumiputera population was 60%. By the time Dr Mahathir took over in 1981, the Bumiputera share had grown to 4% -- or 19% if you include the 15% share of the trust agencies and GLCs. By 1990, it still remained at the same level as in 1981. In short, it had stagnated mainly because of the economic slump of 1985-1987. The main question and bone of contention then was can the 15% share of the trust agencies and GLCs be added to the 4% personal share of the Bumiputeras considering that the trust agencies and GLCs belong to the government and therefore to the nation? For example, does Petronas belong to the country or to the Malays? That was one main disagreement between the Malays and the government. The government says that the Bumiputeras own 19% of the corporate pie while the Malays insist it was only 4% -- since what is owned by the nation does not belong to the Malays individually. Nevertheless, while the argument was about whether it is 4% or 19%, whatever the case may be it was still short of the 30% target. In 1991, the Malay Chamber of Commerce wanted to organise the Third Bumiputera Economic Congress to discuss the NEP. Dr Mahathir summoned the Committee to his office to inform us that the government will take over the organising of the Congress. I was in that delegation to the PM's office and was appointed as the spokesman. I was told to protest the move by the government to 'hijack' the Congress. However, there were no two ways about it. The government will take over and there was to be no further discussion on the matter. Furthermore, we were told that the government was going to invite everyone to participate in the Congress. When we were told this we protested. I stood up to argue that how can we call it the Bumiputera Congress when the non-Malays were going to be part of the Congress and would decide on what the new post-NEP policy was going to look like? But Dr Mahathir's decision was final. The government will be organising it and the non-Malays were going to be part of it. Accept that or the government will proceed without the involvement of the Malay Chamber of Commerce. We were mad as hell but could not do anything about it. Clearly the Malay Chamber had lost its monopoly on the NEP. The non-Malays were now going to have a say in what happens post-NEP. And that was when many of us in the Malay Chamber swung over to Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah's Semangat 46. Dr Mahathir and Umno had 'abandoned' the Malays and had opened up the new policy post-NEP to the non-Malays. This was a betrayal of the Malay cause; the way we saw it then. And Dr Mahathir was no longer regarded as the trustee of the Malays. Surprisingly, Dr Mahathir had 'given the non-Malays a knife' but they did not use it. Dr Mahathir was in the mood to end the NEP and replace it with something else. We did not know what that something else was going to look like but surely with the non-Malays having a say in what it was going to be could not be something favourable to the Malays. But the non-Malays did not pick up the knife offered to them. Dr Mahathir was clearly very angry. His response was that the government had given us the opportunity to sort this out amongst ourselves and since we had failed to do that then we have given the government no choice but to unilaterally decide what the new post-NEP policy was going to look like. In 1990, Barisan Nasional won only 53.4% of the votes and 70.55% of the Parliament seats (and lost Kelantan to PAS-Semangat 46). In 1992, the Third Bumiputera Economic Congress was held. In 1995, Barisan Nasional won 65.2% of the votes (the highest ever: even better than in the 'historical' 2004 general election) and 84.38% of the Parliament seats. The 'message' from the 1995 election result was that the people were happy. Hence I decided to leave the Malay Chamber of Commerce. It was futile to continue if the people were happy with the government and all our effort regarding what to do with the NEP, or post-NEP, had gone to waste. Now you know why I get very vocal and abrasive with people who shout and scream about the NEP. And don't even try to give excuses as to why all this happened. I know what happened. I was there. You were not. And all your comments and views are based on conjecture, assumptions, guessing and speculation.

Stop the Buku Jingga lie Posted: 19 Mar 2013 07:12 PM PDT Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy pens his political thoughts while on his 11th day of hunger strike. By P Waythamoorthy, FMT Today is the 11th day of my hunger viratham (hunger strike). I continue to feel weaker with each passing day. The variety of visitors is broadening. Among the visitors yesterday were several politicians. I would like to thank all the politicians who visited me to show their concerns for my condition during my viratham. However what I would also like to tell all my politician friends is that the time spent in coming all the way to the temple in Rawang to visit me probably is better spent in lobbying within their respective political parties to get their bosses to endorse the Hindrag Blueprint. This is the best way for them to show concern. The condition for my going off the hunger strike is very clear: The Malaysian government led by Najib Tun Razak must endorse Hindraf's 5-Year Blueprint in a binding manner to commit to a plan of implementation of all the six proposals in the blueprint as long as they remain the government, or The government-in-waiting of the Pakatan Rakyat led by Anwar Ibrahim must endorse the blueprint in a binding manner and commit to its implementation, should they be forming the next federal government. My request to my politician friends is to help us to realize the blueprint. Today I would like to lay out some of my thoughts on Pakatan's Buku Jingga and Hindraf's Blueprint. It is a lie to say that the Buku Jingga covers Hindraf blueprint proposals. Xavier's photo opportunity visit I would like to make mention of an incident with one PKR politician Dr Xavier Jeyakumar who visited me yesterday. When asked by one of the other visiting wellwisher as to why Pakatan was reluctant to sign the blueprint, he replied with a question of his own: "Why should we sign your blueprint when it is all in our Buku Jingga?" The wellwisher then requested Xavier to show where exactly the Buku Jingga covered the Hindraf blueprint proposals. She got silence for the answer. We were left wondering if Xavier had made that long trip just to convince me to drop our demands for the blueprint endorsement because Pakatan had it all covered. Isn't it making a mockery of my basic purpose for the hunger strike, which Xavier made an occasion of, to visit? He being a professional politician just came for the photo opportunity, that is all. If he really felt as he answered, then there clearly was no other purpose for his visit. In any case, I would like to make it very clear that the Buku Jingga consists of the Common Policy Platform of the parties representing the Chinese interests and a section of the Malays and the Pakatan Agenda which covers eight broad areas and a 100 day action plan. In all these, what you get other than broad statements of intent are some targets. There is no serious discussion in the Buku Jingga about the plans for realising any of these. Another great lie The Buku Jingga broad statements and goals just cannot cover the specific proposals of Hindraf's blueprint. It is apples and oranges. Pakatan politicians have to stop lumping together what is logically incompatible. It is a lie. There is no way any Pakatan politician can answer the lady yesterday to show where the blueprint proposals are covered in the Buku Jingga. They are not! The NEP had the stated goal of poverty eradication and economic restructuring so as to eliminate the identification of ethnicity with economic function. The NEP policy document much like the Buku Jingga stated their intentions in these kinds of broad statements, but then we all know how much of a lie the NEP had become. It became a vehicle for hijacking the national resource – sapu bersih. In fact NEP was initiated in 1970, just the time the massive displacement of the Indian plantation workers began. Instead of eradicating poverty for the Indian plantation workers, they were pushed deeper into a poverty trap by the development plans arising from the NEP. RM1.1 trillion were spent in the 10 development plans in the name of NEP. How much of that went to eradicating poverty among the displaced estate workers? READ MORE HERE

'Rulers are above politics' Posted: 19 Mar 2013 07:05 PM PDT Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah (left) speaking at Istana Iskandariah in Kuala Kangsar yesterday. With him Raja Kecil Besar Perak Raja Datuk Seri Iskandar Dzulkarnain (centre) and Perak finance officer Datuk Ghazali Jalal. ROYAL REMINDER: Do not drag palace into partisan politics, says Raja Dr Nazrin (NST) - ALL parties and groups with political leanings have been reminded not to drag the palace into their partisan politics just to shore up their image. Perak Regent Raja Dr Nazrin Shah issued the stern reminder following actions taken by certain political quarters who manipulated the content of his royal addresses and speeches to push their own political agenda. Without naming anyone but pointing out that he had been informed that such manipulation had been taking place lately, he said the tone of his speeches was altered to imply that it was he who had delivered them. "This was done to increase the influence of the political groups and degrade their opponents. "The act gives an incorrect impression and can create misunderstanding among a large number of people as though I have directly expressed support for a certain group and derided the other group. "Any act that links my name and person to gain political support can actually be deemed as having dragged the palace into partisan politics. "This is improper and has breached manners of civility and prudent political order," he said in his address at Istana Iskandariah here yesterday. He said this in his speech when officially launching "Meletak Kerja" (start of work) in conjunction with the upcoming Sultan Azlan Shah's 85th birthday celebrations at Istana Iskandariah. He said political parties and groups should not desecrate the nation's cultural customs and traditions in the excitement of garnering political support. "The royal ruler and the throne will remain above party politics, will be neutral and will not favour any political groups." He pointed out that the same message was stressed in the Perak Royal Council's 151st meeting on March 12 where council members were reminded to be vigilant and careful with their words and actions so as not to misrepresent the role of the royal institution. Council members had been reminded to reflect on their independent nature and not to be involved in programmes organised by political parties for their own political aims, he added. "With the current political scenario becoming increasingly fragmented, council members need to be smarter and make intelligent interpretations so that the (Perak) royal institution and the (Perak Ruler's) council are able to maintain an independent image and stay above partisan politics. "The ruler has never expressed support for or against any political parties. "I have instructed council members instead to take on the role of wise men who can play the role of mediators to resolve problems within the community."

Umno, MCA yakin pengundi Cina pertahan BN di Johor Posted: 19 Mar 2013 06:56 PM PDT (Bernama) - Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed hanya menggeleng kepala tanpa mampu mengulas secara spontan apabila dimaklumkan bahawa pembangkang terutama DAP bercita-cita besar menawan 15 daripada 26 kerusi parlimen di Johor pada pilihan raya umum ke-13. Berfikir sejenak, anggota Parlimen Pulai itu berkata DAP silap besar jika gagal memahami sikap unik masyarakat Cina di Johor yang berdiri teguh memberi sokongan kepada Barisan Nasional (BN) sejak sekian lama. "Daripada satu kerusi (2008) kepada 15 kerusi parlimen? Saya tidak tahu dari mana mereka dapat benda ini (jangkaan kemenangan besar). Ia tidak realistik," kata Nur Jazlan, 47. Terbaharu, penasihat DAP Lim Kit Siang diumumkan akan bertanding bagi kerusi Parlimen Gelang Patah, dan seterusnya mengepalai jentera pakatan pembangkang di Johor. Tidak hairanlah veteran pembangkang berusia 73 tahun itu dikatakan begitu kerap berkunjung ke Johor. Jika diikuti entri blognya baru-baru ini, beliau ada menyebut 15 kerusi parlimen yang menjadi fokus pembangkang di Johor - Bakri, Segamat, Tebrau, Kluang, Kulai, Batu Pahat, Pulai, Johor Baharu, Penggerang, Semberong, Labis, Muar, Ledang, Simpang Renggam dan Gelang Patah. Pada 2008, calon BN Tan Ah Eng mengalahkan calon Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Zaliha Mustafa di Gelang Patah dengan majoriti 8,851 undi setelah memperoleh 33,630 undi. Nur Jazlan berkata BN tetap yakin dengan pengundi Cina. Menurutnya, generasi terdahulu masyarakat Cina Johor dijemput oleh Sultan Johor pada akhir 1800-an untuk terlibat dalam aktiviti perniagaan dan perdagangan di negeri ini. "Mereka (masyarakat Cina Johor) tidak dibawa masuk ke negeri ini oleh British, berlainan dengan kawasan negara ini. Sebab itu mereka ada 'sense of belonging' (semangat kekitaan) di Johor," katanya yang juga Pengerusi UDA Holdings. Masyarakat Cina Johor, katanya, juga berintegrasi dengan kehidupan penduduk tempatan, menguatkan lagi sikap unik mereka berbanding rakan-rakan mereka di negeri lain. "Sebenarnya DAP dan Pakatan Rakyat telah menghina masyarakat Cina Johor dengan menolak sikap dan pemikiran unik mereka," katanya. Keyakinan Nur Jazlan berasas. Ketika BN tidak begitu cemerlang di negeri lain pada tahun 2008, BN cuma tewas kerusi parlimen di Bakri kepada calon DAP tetapi terus menjadi kubu kuat BN, menguasai 50 kerusi dewan undangan negeri (DUN) berbanding DAP (4) dan PAS (2). Malah BN memperoleh majoriti lebih tinggi pada pilihan raya kecil di kerusi DUN Tenang pada Januari 2011, meskipun pilihan raya berlangsung pada musim banjir, apabila calonnya menang dengan majoriti 3,707 undi berbanding sebelumnya 2,492 undi, kedua-duanya menewaskan calon PAS. Pemimpin parti-parti komponen BN Johor menyedari keghairahan pembangkang untuk menggempur benteng utama BN itu. Bagi mereka ia lebih merupakan perang psikologi menjelang pilihan raya. Ketua Bahagian MCA Gelang Patah Jason Teoh juga bersetuju sikap unik masyarakat Cina Johor akan menggagalkan cita-cita besar DAP bersama sekutunya PKR dan PAS. Teoh yang juga naib pengerusi MCA Negeri berkata, nafsu besar pembangkang untuk menguasai sebahagian besar daripada 26 kerusi parlimen di Johor pada pilihan raya umum ini tidak lebih hanya 'cakap-cakap kosong politik.' "Itu satu kenyataan am daripada pembangkang yang tidak mempunyai bukti. Sebagai negeri kubu kuat BN, MCA Johor telah mengekalkan penyokong-penyokong tegar yang mengambil berat tentang parti," katanya. Selain itu, pembangkang juga perlu mengambil kira fakta bahawa Johor merupakan negeri yang mempunyai anggota MCA paling ramai. Teoh yang disebut-sebut sebagai bakal calon BN di kerusi panas Parlimen Gelang Patah berkata BN selama ini berjaya membela isu-isu yang dekat di hati pengundi Cina seperti ekonomi, perniagaan, pendidikan dan keselamatan. Anggota Parlimen Johor Baharu Tan Sri Shahrir Samad pula berkata tsunami politik yang terjadi pada PRU-12 yang menyaksikan pengundi Cina beralih kepada pembangkang telah lenyap hasil kerja keras kerajaan pimpinan BN. DAP yang kini menganggap dirinya sebagai 'Taiko' dalam pakatan pembangkang, katanya, tidak lagi boleh bergantung kepada jangkaan tsunami politik 2008 akan berterusan. "Keadaan sudah pun berubah (berbanding 2008) dan BN di Johor bukan duduk diam, kaku dengan keadaan yang dirasakan penting tetapi sebaliknya kami sudah merubah cara dan pendekatan kami." "Ia (usaha keras BN Johor) telah berjalan sejak empat tahun lepas dan sebab itu kini kami sudah bersiap sedia untuk berdepan dengan pilihan raya umum," kata beliau. Bagi Ketua Penerangan Umno Datuk Ahmad Maslan pula, selain tsunami politik 2008 telah lama berakhir, di Johor, kepimpinan BN berjaya menguruskan ekonomi dengan kebanjiran pelaburan serta mewujudkan peluang ekonomi yang cukup menarik untuk memenangi hati pengundi pada pilihan raya akan datang.

Dr Boo in tight spot over Kit Siang’s candidature Posted: 19 Mar 2013 06:50 PM PDT (Bernama) - DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang's decision to contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat and spearhead the party's Johor election machinery has been likened to a vote of no confidence against state DAP chairman Dr Boo Cheng Hau. Gelang Patah Umno division head Datuk Abdul Aziz Sapian said Lim's candidature would cause dissatisfaction not only among Dr Boo's supporters in Gelang Patah, but also Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members. "It's clear that DAP top leaders have lost faith in Dr Boo to lead the state election machinery by sidelining him. The cracks in Johor DAP are worsening," Abdul Aziz told Bernama. Kit Siang's candidature was confirmed by PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in Skudai last night. Abdul Aziz, who is also Nusajaya assemblyman, said PKR members would be angry for they had lost a seat they had been contesting in previous general elections. "Dr Boo's supporters may not be able to accept the decision for their boss had been openly embarrassed," said Abdul Aziz, adding that this was the culmination of cold relationship between Dr Boo and Kit Siang and his son, Lim Guan Eng, who is DAP secretary-general. Dr Boo, who is also Skudai assemblyman, had been eyeing for the Gelang Patah seat to unseat incumbent Member of Parliament Tan Ah Heng of Barisan Nasional who won by a majority of over 8,000 votes in 2008. Dr Boo had been embroiled in an open verbal war with Johor PKR chairman Datuk Chua Jui Meng over the right to contest the Gelang Patah seat. However, Dr Boo declined comment when asked about Kit Siang contesting in Gelang Patah.

MP Serdang dicabar saman Tan Tee Beng Posted: 19 Mar 2013 06:46 PM PDT (Bernama) - Anggota Parlimen Serdang Teo Nie Ching hari ini dicabar supaya mengambil tindakan guaman ke atas Anggota Parlimen Nibong Tebal Tan Tee Beng yang mendakwa Teo dan pembantu peribadinya terlibat dalam penyelewengan wang sewaan Pusat Perkhidmatan Anggota Parlimen Serdang. Bekas juruaudit DAP cawangan Serdang Baru Yap Kon Min berkata pihaknya mahu Anggota Parlimen Serdang daripada DAP itu mengambil tindakan guaman terhadap Tan, juga daripada DAP, dalam tempoh tujuh hari mulai hari ini, dan jika tidak Teo mesti meletak jawatan sebagai Anggota Parlimen Serdang dengan segera. Katanya ini berikutan sehingga kini, Teo tidak mengambil apa-apa tindakan guaman terhadap Tan sejak Anggota Parlimen Nibong Tebal itu membuat pendedahan perkara itu lapan bulan yang lepas.     "Sebagai seorang peguam, kata-katanya mesti dikotakan tetapi kata-katanya itu tak serupa bikin. Adakah dakwaan MP Tan itu benar?     "(Ini) Demi maruah MP Teo sendiri dan pengundi-pengundi di Serdang, demi polisi CAT (Cekap, Akauntabiliti dan Telus) kerajaan pakatan rakyat Selangor, khasnya parti DAP. Jangan malukan pengundi-pengundi di kawasan Serdang kerana wakil rakyatnya cakap tak serupa bikin," katanya kepada pemberita di sini hari ini. Pada Jun tahun lepas, Tan mendedahkan Teo dan pembantu peribadinya, Chan Huan Guan terbabit dalam penyelewengan wang sewaan pusat khidmat berjumlah RM16,000 sejak 2009 hingga Jun 2011.     Teo, dalam sebuah akhbar berbahasa Cina, mendesak Tan supaya memohon maaf kepadanya yang jika tidak berbuat demikian, tindakan guaman akan diambil.     Teo telah menghantar Surat Tuntutan kepada Anggota Parlimen Nibong Tebal berhubung perkara itu yang turut meminta Tan menarik balik dakwaannya.     Bagaimanapun, Tan dalam satu sidang akhbar telah mengoyak surat itu dan terus mencabar Teo supaya mengambil tindakan guaman terhadapnya.

Anwar says may not defend Permatang Pauh seat Posted: 19 Mar 2013 06:17 PM PDT By Mohd Farhan Farwis and Emily Ding, TMI Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim may leave his Permatang Pauh seat and contest in Perak or Selangor instead. "There is a likelihood, but it means… I haven't made a definite decision because there have been suggestions that I should go down to Perak or Selangor, and I'm weighing the possibility of going down to Perak," he said today, in response to media questions at a press conference in PKR's headquarters. Anwar (picture) did not say, however, who would replace him in Permatang Pauh. When asked whether PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar would replace him in his current constituency, he said: "She's focused on Lembah Pantai, why disturb her? Let (Datuk Raja) Nong Chik alone disturb her ok lah," he said. Anwar also announced five PKR candidates who would contest in Sarawak. They are Baru Bian in Limbang, Ali Biju in Saratok, Roland Engan in Barak, Abun Sui in Ulu Rejang, and Abang Zulkifli Abang Engkeh in Batang Lupar.

GE13: Big battle for the silver state Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:17 PM PDT Barisan Nasional is going all out to retain Perak after ousting the Opposition from a short-lived victory. The Star PERAK remains a hot state in this general election and all eyes are on whether Barisan Nasional can continue its grip on the state. The Opposition wrested the state in the 2008 polls with a combined number of 31 seats won by the DAP, PKR and PAS as against Barisan's 28 seats. But their victory was shortlived after three assemblymen – Datuk Hee Yit Foong (DAP-Jelapang), Osman Mohd Jailu (PKR-Changkat Jering) and Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (PKR-Behrang) – quit their respective parties and Barisan regained control of Perak in less than a year after a court battle. While some political observers believe the anger over the power change has since subsided, the resentment towards the trio continues. Jelapang is likely to go back to DAP and Hee's political shelf-life is essentially over. But the scenario may be different in Behrang and Changkat Jering. With a weak PKR and the Malay rural vote returning to Barisan, the ruling party is set to take back the two seats. The Opposition bench was further reduced to 27 seats in June 2010 when Malim Nawar assemblyman Keshvinder Singh, who won on a DAP ticket, quit the party to become another Barisan-friendly independent assemblyman. Come nomination day, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir and Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah, who is Tambun MP, will be among the most-watched candidates. There has been speculation that Dr Zambry will vacate his Pangkor state seat and move to the Federal level, while Husni will contest a state seat and take over as mentri besar. Two parliamentary seats that will be watched are Ipoh Timur, where Lim Kit Siang is the incumbent, and Batu Gajah, now held by cili padi Fong Po Kuan. Lim has moved to Johor and will contest the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat, and he is likely to take Fong with him. Lim's transfer is taking away his party's focus in Perak but it will still be tough for Barisan to take back the two seats from DAP. There are 59 state seats in Perak, and Umno is confident of winning up to 32 seats – impro­ving its tally by five from the previous polls. The MCA, which fielded candidates in 16 seats in 2008, won only Chenderiang through Datuk Dr Mah Hang Soon. It hopes to retain this seat and regain four more – including Teja and Keshvinder's Malim Nawar, besides Kepayang. Pokok Assam, which the DAP won, is said to be another seat where the MCA has a "fighting chance". MCA president and state MCA chairman Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek, with Dr Zambry's help, has resolved long-standing land issues that had plagued some 1,500 farmers, including ornamental fish breeders in the state. Many of them are in Teja and Malim Nawar. The state government has also given 1,011ha of land to nine Chinese independent schools while Dr Mah is said to be instrumental in getting representatives from the school boards and the private sector to set up a joint venture in oil palm plantation. The venture, the first of its kind in Malaysia, saw the schools jointly getting RM3mil a year for 30 years, beginning last year. Meanwhile, the MCA has also set up a team to take care of the electorate in Malim Nawar. It is headed by Kampar MP Datuk Lee Chee Leong as the state seat comes under his parliamenatry constituency. In Kepayang, Perak MCA secretary Datuk Tan Chin Meng continues to serve the people despite losing to little-known Loke Chee Yan of the DAP. There is talk that Perak DAP secretary Nga Kor Ming has offered to stand in Kepayang but his bid has reportedly irked party colleague and Ipoh Barat MP M. Kulasegaran. The state seat is within his parliamentary area and Kulasegaran is said to be eyeing it for his assistant, Nga and Kulasegaran have not been on good terms with both men often seen attacking each other. In a way, they have paved the way for the MCA to increase its chances of winning Kepayang. The MIC does not have any state seat in Perak but the MCA, in the Barisan spirit of cooperation, is said to be also willing to give it the Buntong seat if its ally has a winnable candidate. Meanwhile, at parliamentary level, the MCA is confident of retaining Tanjung Malim, Kampar and Lumut while it also sees Gopeng, which it lost to the PKR's Dr Lee Boon Chye, as a winnable seat this time around. In Gerik, incumbent MP Datuk Tan Lian Hoe from Gerakan is not certain if she will be fielded again there as there is talk that Umno also wants the seat. In Beruas, where Perak DAP chairman Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham is the incumbent, could also prove to be tough for Perak Gerakan chief Datuk Chang Ko Youn to oust him. Political observers say the chances of the Gerakan winning any seat in this election is anything from slim to nil. There are 24 parliamentary seats in Perak; with the Barisan holding 13 via Umno (eight), the MCA (three), Gerakan and MIC (one each). The other seats are held by the DAP (six), PKR (three) and PAS (two).

‘Kiram target of Malaysian hit squad’ Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:09 PM PDT The sultanate's spokesman says Malaysian commandos are in the Philippines to liquidate the Kiram family. (Agencies) - MANILA: The Sulu Sultanate revealed an elaborate assassination plot against its leader, Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, and members of the royal family. Abrahim Idjirani, spokesman of the sultanate, said a Malaysian colonel named Sunny Ng had entered the Philippines with four Malaysian commandos with a mission to liquidate the Kiram family and their supporters. Speaking at the Kirams' residence in Taguig City, Idjirani said the Malaysian commandos have enlisted the help of the New People's Army recruits from Quezon to carry out the assassination. The mission, Idjirani said, was relayed to them by a Filipino lawyer who was approached by Malaysian businessman named Kenneth Lee to talk to the Malaysian assassins. The lawyer, whom Idjirani refused to name, previously worked as a legal counsel of Pastor Saycon, the sultanate's political adviser. "In the light of this development, we would like to ask the government: Have we surrendered the sovereign control of our country that we allow a Malaysian hit squad to perform its terrorist acts in the Philippines?" Idjirani told reporters. Idjirani said Ng's group met Saycon's former lawyer at the Genting Palace, a restaurant at the Resorts World in Pasay City around noon on Monday. The Malaysian squad stayed at the Maxim's Hotel, also located at Resorts World. Ng had asked Lee to trace the home address of Sultan Kiram, who in turn contacted the lawyer. "The lawyer told us that he is willing to confront the Malaysians and stand as witness against them in court," Idjirani said. Kiram urged the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the military to investigate into the reported assassination plot by Malaysia. "We have to call on the policemen and the NBI to investigate this matter. Unless they believe that we are foreigners, it's their responsibility to protect us because we are Filipinos," Kiram said.

Anwar mulls contesting in Perak Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:06 PM PDT The opposition leader is considering moving out of his traditional stronghold in Penang in the coming general election. G Vinod, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim may contest a parliamentary seat in Perak in the coming general election. He said this when questioned on whether he would defend his Permatang Pauh parliamentary seat in Penang. "Some say I should go to Perak or Selangor but I am thinking of the former. But no decision has been made. I'm still considering it," said the PKR supremo. However, Anwar dismissed speculation that he might move to Lembah Pantai, where his daughter Nurul Izzah is the incumbent MP. "Let her stay in Lembah Pantai. Why would I want to disturb her? [Raja] Nong Chik [Federal Territories and Urban Well-Being Minister] is already disturbing her enough," he said, with a chuckle. Earlier this week DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang was announced as the candidate for the Gelang Patah parliamentary seat in Johor, moving away from Ipoh Timur. Anwar made the announcement when addressing a 10,000-strong crowd at a field near Sutera Mall, Skudai, for the 47th DAP party anniversary celebrations on Monday. Speculations are rife that top guns from Pakatan Rakyat would be moved out from their strongholds to tough seats, in order to increase the chances of winning federal power. Anwar has been the Permatang Pauh MP since his days in Umno until he was sacked from the party in 1998 and jailed on corruption charges. Nevertheless, the constituents backed his wife, PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail in three general elections until she relinquished the seat in 2008, to make way for Anwar. He won back the seat with over 15,000 votes majority in the by-election. Anwar also announced that Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian would be contesting for the Limbang parliamentary seat in the general election. He also announced other candidates; Ali Biju ( Saratok), Roland Engan (Baram), Abun Sui (Hulu Rejang) and Abang Zulkifli (Batang Lupar) "These are other people we have decided for now. We will announce on other candidates later on," said Anwar. READ MORE HERE

‘Husam may lose in Putrajaya’ Posted: 19 Mar 2013 05:01 PM PDT Malay daily Sinar Harian says the parliamentary seat is a BN stronghold and the potential PAS candidate must offer something substantial to win over urban Malay voters. (FMT) - If PAS fields Husam Musa as its candidate for Putrajaya, chances are he would be doomed as Putrajaya is a Barisan Nasional stronghold, reported Malay daily Sinar Harian. Husam is currently Kelantan state exco, Salor assemblyman and PAS vice-president. He was Kubang Kerian MP from 1999 to 2004. Yesterday, Sinar Harian reported Husam's willingness to contest the Putrajaya parliamentary seat currently held by Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor who is also Umno secretary-general. Jayum Jawan of the National Council of Professors, however, did not totally discount Husam's chances of winning as he is well-versed in issues affecting the middle class. Jayum, who is deputy head of the council's politics, security and international affairs, said Husam is a man of integrity and stands a good chance if PAS and Pakatan Rakyat pick him for the seat. "The urban Malay voters needs to be served with food for thought if PAS truly wants to capture Putrajaya parliamentary seat," said Jayum. 'Nizar's move not official' Berita Harian, meanwhile, reported Perak PKR chairman Muhammad Nur Manuty's displeasure over PAS' move to announce Nizar Jamaluddin as a candidate for Changkat Jering. Nur Manuty, who was named as candidate for Bagan Serai parliamentary seat, said that the decision to field Nizar in Changkat Jering was not the official stand of Pakatan. READ MORE HERE

They want to frame me, says Taib Posted: 19 Mar 2013 04:57 PM PDT A video detailing the inner workings of a land deal along with ways to circumvent government policies has riled Chief Minister Taib Mahmud. KUCHING: Against mounting speculations of a bid to oust him, a visibly angry Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud has dismissed as "naughty" a 16-minute covertly recorded documentary which included interviews with his estranged cousins – the Rahman sisters – and lawyers over a land deal. Even as one of the lawyers in the video vehemently denied volunteering information, claiming that he was "trapped", Taib said the secret video was an attempt to "frame" him and that the "evidence" was subjective. "You look at that [video]. I think it is a bit naughty of them to use their big power to blacken my name. "They want to create something … [then] create something more credible. They are trying to frame people like me with evidence from [just] anybody… with evidence that can be interpreted [either way]… even you can say [to someone] 'you come [with me] I go [to] see chief minister but is it me [asking] or something … " Taib said in response to London-based NGO Global Witness' incriminating video, excerpts of which were aired over Al Jazeera on Monday. In the video documentary, Global Witness posed as a foreign investor seeking to buy land for oil palm plantations in Sarawak. The ensuing interviews, caught by a hidden camera, detailed how the sale process would be handled, how the natives will be dealt with, taxes avoided and how "personal kickbacks" would allegedly be paid to Taib. But Taib has questioned the authenticity of the video and allegations that he had intermediaries working for him. Said Taib: "Back in the 1980s, I was in charge of forestry… I made a public declaration and I said nobody is my intermediary because I don't believe in deals. Everything got to be done according to government procedure." Asked if the video evidence was proof of corruption, Taib retorted: "OK. If that's what is so-called proof. "[But] could it not be someone trying to promote themselves to become an agent to get favours from me? [In which case] it has nothing to do with me, right?" 'Easy' access to Taib Neither admitting nor denying the allegations in the video, Taib continued to say that he had estranged ties with his uncle, former Sarawak chief minister Rahman Yakub, and his cousins. In the tape, Rahman's daughters allegedly claimed they had "easy" access to Taib and that all land transactions were legitimate as it came via directives from the Chief Minister himself. When asked about the women, Taib spewed: "Do you know that cousin? "Did you find out what was the relationship between their father and me… is it friendly or not? "We were fighting at one time. [Surely] that cousin cannot be my most trusted… but it's up to you." Taib was referring to the 1987 attempt to oust him by Rahman. The bid was branded as the Ming Court Affair. Two years earlier, Taib had removed Rahman from the position of governor of Sarawak – which incidentally he gave Rahman – following a fissure between uncle and nephew over Rahman's "influence" over state matters such as land development permits, government contracts and timber licences. With Rahman out of the way, Taib has lorded over Sarawak and its vast lands since. Much of Sarawak's rainforest has allegedly been deforested under the pretext of development, largely displacing the indigenous communities. READ MORE HERE

Parliament dissolved? Not true Posted: 19 Mar 2013 04:53 PM PDT A SMS from an unknown source creates a stir that Parliament would be dissolved today. (FMT) - A SMS message, claiming that Parliament has been dissolved today, created a buzz among Malaysians this afternoon warranting the Prime Minister's Office to dismiss it as a rumour. "Khabar angin yg menyatakan Parlimen akan dibubarkan hari ini, oleh Perdana Menteri @NajibRazak, tidak benar sama sekali (the rumour that Parliament will be dissolved today by the Prime Minister is not true)," the Prime Minister's Office said in a Twitter message at about 1pm today. This was followed by another Twitter message from the Prime Minister's press office stating: "Talk that the Parliament will be dissolved today allegedly by the Prime Minister is false." The nation is eagerly waiting for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to dissolve Parliament to pave the way for the country's 13th general election. Analysts, politicians and political pundits have all predicted the dates on the impending polls, with many saying that Parliament would be dissolved this month. The current Parliament term ends on April 28. However, Najib is very unlikely to go the full stretch and is expected to call for election anytime now. This morning, a SMS in Bahasa Melayu caused a stir that Parliament had been dissolved. The SMS read: "Following is the full transcript of the Prime Minister's statement at a special press conference at the Prime Minister's Office, Putrajaya at 12.35 this afternoon; "I wish to announce about the dissolution of Parliament, after having an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong today. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has consented to the dissolution of Parliament effective today to pave way for the 13th general election. "The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has signed the Parliament dissolution consent declaration. With that, state governments are also advised to dissolve their state assemblies effective today. The Election Commission has been informed of this development." Below is the original text which was spread via SMS: READ MORE HERE

GE13 – Make the right choice Posted: 19 Mar 2013 04:44 PM PDT The choice at GE13, to me, is clear. A new government will assuredly give us reform. By Kee Thuan Chye Voters, you have to decide soon. The 13th general election has to be held at the latest within two months of April 28, when the current government's term expires. It may even be called next month if Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has the gumption for it. Meanwhile, if you haven't decided yet which coalition – Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat – should win federal power for the next five years, consider this. After 55 years of ruling this country, where has BN got us? The country is more divided than ever. We have been polarised on racial and religious lines for decades, but now we are divided by political leanings as well. What about our economic progress? According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates, Malaysia's GDP per capita based on the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) methodology amounted in 1980 to US$2,331. South Korea's was lower at US$2,302, and Taiwan's was slightly higher at US$3,571. But in 2011, South Korea's figure rose to US$31,220 (an increase of 1,255%), Taiwan's to US$37,716 (up 956%), while Malaysia's stood at US$16,240 (up 596%). What happened? How did South Korea overtake us and in 2011 record a figure that is double that of ours? Some people say the GDP (PPP) per capita is not so comprehensive, so let's look at per capita income instead. In 2011, South Korea's per capita income was US$22,424 and Taiwan's was US$20,083. How much was Malaysia's? US$9,656. Again, half that of South Korea's, and also Taiwan's. Najib pledges to make us a high-income nation with a per capita income of US$15,000 in 2020. By that time, what do you think the per capita incomes of South Korea and Taiwan would be? Furthermore, would US$15,000 still qualify as high income then? By the way, our neighbour, Singapore, that used to be part of Malaysia, has a per capita income of US$46,241, which is almost five times ours. And they don't have natural resources like we do. In the last few years, the government has hardly been talking of making Malaysia an advanced nation, which is the goal of Vision 2020, tabled in 1991. It has been more than 20 years since, enough time to consolidate efforts to attain the goal, but we are apparently not near it. The talk these days is only about becoming a high-income nation instead. That's not the same as becoming an advanced nation. Corrupt practices and economic leakages Clearly, wastage, leakages, imprudent government spending and, above all, corruption have retarded our growth. And the problem is compounded by the ruling party itself being mired in corruption. Is BN therefore likely to address this issue in a serious and concerted manner? Has it been doing so, apart from hauling in a few culprits from time to time? Shouldn't we bring in a new government that is not so entrenched in this system of corrupt practices and economic leakages? If we should, the 13th general election may be the only time to do it. Because if BN wins again, it is likely to gerrymander the electoral boundaries afterwards to its advantage and make it even harder for the opposition to win future general elections. In which case BN will be ruling Malaysia for many more years to come. Would it then be likely to bring reform? Or would it rather continue to maintain the status quo to ensure it holds on to power and reap the rewards of being in government? However, if the opposition coalition, Pakatan, were to win, what would be the biggest benefit to Malaysians? I think it would be the concretisation of the reality that a two-coalition system can work and is here to stay. And isn't this what we need? If not for the March 8, 2008, electoral result, would we be feeling as important as we do today as the people who decide who should govern us? Would we be feeling that our votes do count? Would the government be listening to us as much? A two-coalition system provides for a stronger opposition, and this is always good for applying pressure on the ruling party to do what is right and what is of benefit to the rakyat. When BN had its two-thirds majority, it enjoyed a monopoly. It could push anybody aside and any laws through Parliament. It could be arrogant. Even now, it still is but less so. Do you think that if BN were not voted out come GE13 so that it would experience what it's like to be in the opposition, it would be able to reform itself in order to serve the people better rather than its own interests? Look at Umno, the biggest party in the BN coalition. It is dominated by warlords – big ones and small ones. To them, losing their fiefdom is losing almost everything. Holding office, even a relatively small one, opens the door to potential riches for the office holder and his supporters. The bigger the office, of course the greater the wealth. He will therefore not want to give it up. That is why Umno's leaders are going around appealing to the party's members not to sabotage candidates selected to stand at GE13; the leaders know that those who are deprived of the opportunity will be envious of those who supplanted them, and they will be motivated to seek revenge against the latter. This may be cutting off their noses to spite their faces because the act of sabotage can result in a defeat for the Umno candidate and therefore the party, but they don't care. The point is, they lost their chance to stand – and with it their passport to wealth, like the extra percentage they load onto the costs of public projects to line their own pockets with or the kickbacks they get for giving approvals. Their supporters, who will also lose out in terms of influence, business opportunities, etc, will go along with their act of sabotage. Why else is our prime minister merely half-hearted in weeding out corruption? Because it's too deeply rooted within his own party. So how can we continue to give our votes to such a party or its coalition partners, like the MCA, the MIC, Gerakan, PBB, PBS, etc? READ MORE HERE

Arkib buktikan Ketua Penceroboh Sulu sebenarnya rakyat Malaysia Posted: 19 Mar 2013 01:27 PM PDT   (Keadilan Daily) - KEADILAN mendedahkan bukti secara dokumen yang menunjukkan Raja Muda Sulu, Agbimudin @ Azzimuddie Kiram yang mengetuai pencerobohan di Lahad Datu, Sabah sejak bulan lalu, sebenarnya rakyat Malaysia dan pernah menjadi kakitangan awam. Pengarah Strategi KEADILAN, Rafizi Ramli berkata, ia dibuktikan melalui dokumen 'Senarai Kakitangan 1975, Perkhidmatan Awam Sabah' yang diperolehi dari Jabatan Arkib Negara Sabah. "Dari maklumat itu, disahkan bahawa Agbimudin tersenarai sebagai Pegawai Tadbir Muda di Pejabat Daerah Kudat bermula 1 Mac 1974 dengan gaji RM610 sebulan," katanya pada sidang media di ibu pejabat parti, hari ini. Rafizi yang turut melampir salinan dokumen itu yang memiliki cop Arkib Negeri Sabah bertarikh 4 Oktober 1983, berkata, pendedahan itu mengesahkan hubung kait penceroboh  Sulu dengan projek IC yang melibatkan Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. "Wujudnya tokoh dari kumpulan bersenjata ini di kalangan warganegara mengesahkan keresahan rakyat betapa pemberian kerakyatan untuk tujuan politik tanpa proses sah mengancam keselamatan negara," katanya. Sebelum ini, media sosial terutama facebook kerap memapar pelbagai gambar individu yang dikaitkan dengan Kesultanan Sulu bersama-sama pimpinan Umno BN. (Berita Lanjut Menyusul) Short URL: http://www.keadilandaily.com/?p=47872

Who or what is Malaysia’s most threatening enemy? Posted: 19 Mar 2013 01:15 PM PDT J. D. Lovrenciear  The Lahad Datu 'intrusion' or 'invasion' or 'guerilla attack' (or whatever label you prefer to ascribe to the mess in Sabah) is not Malaysia's ultimate enemy. The vested claims over Sabah do not make a foreign or neighboring nation or nations the threatening enemies of Malaysia. The politicians who are now engaged on an over-drive mode to annihilate their opponents as we gingerly inch to a General Election not knowing when, are not the priority enemies of Malaysia. The host of NGOs who are unearthing seemingly endless irregularities and creating more awareness among Malaysians are not the devastating enemies of Malaysia although often times we may be led to believe so by the masters of the nation. The citizens who are getting involved in various protest marches demanding clean and fair elections, for example, are not the enemies of security and stability. There was a time when we had real enemies from outside of the nation. In the bygone decades we witnessed the Communist threat and then followed by the Insurgency – these were the real enemies of Malaysia, coming in from outside of the sovereign borders of this young nation. But today we are tethering on the edge of knowing there is truly an enemy of State.  The expose by the Global Witness on how horrifying land deals (or land grabs, to be precise) are struck in Sarawak – implicating the Chief Minister and all those aligned under his canopy, provides an edifying lesson to all Malaysians.  It is not about wheteher this expose is  a paralyzing truth or lie. In fact it is even beyond the confines of mere allegation given the content, presentation and the extensive coverage on the global media terrain. That precious awakening is that Malaysia's real enemy is not from outside but an enemy who is tunneling its way east and west, north and south of the country right here from within. The real enemy goes beyond individuals. It has well crossed beyond the walls of corporations and organizations too.  That real enemy is corruption and greed.Corrupted and greedy individuals, corporations, organizations. Period. Anything else is only the tip of the iceberg. denying this truth or down-playing it is akin to coating gloss to the rotting filth of decadent human greed. What does the Tun Dr. Mahathir have to say about this recent red-hot expose by Global Witness?  What do all his entourage of patronizing leaders as well as puppets have to say?  What do the subservient followers of the UMNO Baru have to say?  What do the BN component party leaders have to say? Maybe Malaysians will be reprimanded for jumping the gun. "Listen you silly, willy Malaysian citizens.  Who is Global Witness? Do you know? They are our nation's enemies out to destroy Malaysia's progressive and transforming track record." And if you persist in asking what really is going on in Sarawak, be ready for another lesson. "Do not be sucked in by all these lies. The actors in the video posted by Global Witness are fake, look-alike artists on hire. And do you know who is behind all these?" Who, ask the naïve Malaysians. "Aiyaa, the opposition political parties lah. They are so desperate that they will lose in the GE-13 and so they have hired this 'apa nama – Global Witness' to come up with this video." In the face of this expose there surfaces yet another truth -- for as long as there are no principle centered leaders, followers, professionals, congregations and organizations that can converge and emerge in solidarity to plug the corruption and greed on this Malaysian soil, the country remains susceptible to the irreversible damage that is being created by the enemy from within, i.e. the world's and humanity's worst enemy – corruption and greed. Indeed the video by Global Witness is the mother of all exposes on the nation's state of greed and corruption. Woe be thine, if we choose to find solace under that infamous statement so often heard from Malaysian politicians: Who isn't corrupted? Or how about: Even the USA is corrupted lah. Yes, there is no utopia on earth. But the gravest sin against humanity is corruption and greed.  And the greatest disgrace to humanity is to steal right under their innocent, unknowing eyes and return to society a pittance act of charity or a trumpeted CSR (corporate social responsibility) razzmatazz. The bottom line is, no society can ever progress and remain sustained under uncontained corruption and blatant, widespread greed. It is only a matter of time before the entire nation sinks into the deep recesses of a distinct divide of rich and poor, on a ratio of 80:20, respectively.

Puluhan ribu risalah fitnah sedia diedar di Perak Posted: 19 Mar 2013 01:03 PM PDT   Jawatankuasa Strategik dan Isu PAS Perak hari ini mendedahkan agenda jahat pihak tertentu dalam menghadapi PRU13 yang akan diadakan pada bila-bila masa. Muhammad Faeez Azahar Koordinatornya, Salman Saleh berkata, pihaknya mendapat banyak maklumat tentang kontena diseluruh negeri Perak yang membawa risalah berbaur fitnah. Menurutnya, puluhan ribu risalah fitnah itu sudah siap dicetak dan dipercayai akan diedarkan kepada masyarakat pada pilihanraya nanti setelah mendapat arahan.   Katanya, risalah fitnah dalam bentuk buku kecil bertajuk "Drama Pecah Panggung; Box Office" itu ternyata merbahaya kerana ianya terkandung pelbagai fitnah yang bersifat perkauman dan penipuan. Jelas Salman, risalah tersebut dianggap haram kerana tidak mempunyai terbitan daripada mana-mana pihak. "Kami mengesyaki risalah tersebut dikeluarkan oleh pihak pro Umno-BN kerana ianya diedarkan bersama satu risalah berbentuk buku bertajuk 'Mengorak Negara Ke Hadapan" yang tertera dibelakang buku itu cetakan oleh Ibu Pejabat Barisan Nasional," katanya dalam satu sidang media di Pejabat PAS Perak, dekat sini hari ini. Hadir sama ialah ahli jawatankuasanya, Salman Saleh, Hafez Sabri dan Safarizal Saleh. Mengulas lanjut, beliau yang juga Setiausaha Jabatan Pilihanraya PAS Perak mendesak Kementerian Dalam Negeri dan pihak Polis merampas risalah haram itu kerana ianya bercanggah dengan undang-undang negara. Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) juga katanya turut harus mengambil tindakan sewajarnya agar risalah tersebut tidak diedarkan dalam pilihanraya nanti. "Kami desak pihak bertanggungjawab mengambil tindakan sewajarnya kerana cara kotor serta jijik ini menyalahi undang-undang dan akan memecah belahkan masyarakat di Negara ini," tegasnya lagi.

PKR claim Azzimuddie is Malaysian Posted: 19 Mar 2013 12:59 PM PDT   (fz.com) - In a shocking revelation, PKR has claimed that Raja Muda Azzimuddie Kiram, the self-proclaimed crown prince of Sulu and leader of the armed group that intruded into Sabah, is a Malaysian. In a press conference today, PKR strategist Rafizi Ramli claimed Agbimudin @ Azzimuddie Kiram was a public officer at the district office of Kudat. Azzimuddie Kiram had led his followers, who numbered around 200 and were armed, to Lahad Datu on Feb 9 and holed up in Kampung Tanduo. Following three weeks of failed negotiations, the Malaysian government launched Ops Daulat offensive against the Sulu terrorists on March 5 after they killed eight policemen in Lahad Datu and Semporna on March 1 and 2. The death toll currently stands at 10 Malaysian security forces (including two soldiers) and 63 terrorists. More to follow at: http://fz.com/content/pkr-claim-azzimuddie-malaysian

When the Fog of War lifts on Lahad Datu Standoff! Posted: 19 Mar 2013 12:55 PM PDT   Patriotism in Sabah begins with Sabah and does not end with Malaysia.   Joe Fernandez  We have not heard the last of the Lahad Datu Standoff if it degenerates, as it appears more than likely now, into prolonged guerrilla warfare as in the southern Philippines, but perhaps more low-key. There's a huge security vacuum in Sabah.   Witness the fact that 1.7 million foreigners, mostly illegal immigrants, flooded into Sabahby 2005 alone to dwarf the 1.5 million local population as Putrajaya looked the other way in a wink wink relationship with rogue elements. It's unprecedented in world history.   An estimated 800,000 of the foreigners including illegal immigrants are Suluks, many with MyKads which in the absence of state government sanction as the initiating party on a case by case basis, they are not entitled to obtain and not eligible to hold in Sabah. They may be matched in number only by the Bugis from Sulawesi in Indonesia. There's no love lost between these two large immigrant groups, the local Suluks in particular in the east coast having a strong sense of proprietorship, but that's another story.   Nature, according to the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle, abhors a vacuum. (Aristotle was a student of Plato, a Greek philosopher, and a teacher of the Macedonian Alexander the Great who became King of the Greeks. Plato, in turn, was a student of Greek philosopher Socrates.)  The reasons for Lahad Datu, given the fog of war, may keep changing during the course of such a conflict.  The first casualty in a war is the truth.   Beheadings, mutilations a Public Relations disaster of highest magnitude   However, to accuse Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim of having a sinister hand in Sabah and Sulu is a simplistic notion, if not cheap politics of hitting below the belt, which will not camouflage Putrajaya's sins in Borneo and the southern Philippines. It will not cover up the fact that the Administration has blood on its hands on both sides of the Sulu Sea. Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) vice president Tian Chua was right to imply Putrajaya's bloody hands in his numerous statements reported recently on Sabah.   It cannot be denied that the current security situation in Sabah was created solely by Putrajaya which is responsible for the matter. For starters, they dillydallied for three weeks in an act of extreme weakness if not desperation and to play politics with the issue because security in Sabah until recent days was under the Prime Minister's Department -- so more illegal immigrants can come in and enter the Electoral Rolls -- and not under the Police or Armed Forces.  Who trained the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and gave them safe havens inSabah? MNLF leader Nur Misuari's recent statement on these issues must be taken seriously as he, more than Putrajaya, gets the benefit of the doubt in a balance of probabilities. By the same token, we don't know whether the Sulu terrorists admitted to carrying out beheadings and other mutilations in Sabah during the on-going Lahad Datu Standoff. The Suluks have more to lose for such dastardly acts, if true. It would be a Public Relations disaster of the highest magnitude; play into Putrajaya's already bloodied hands, and turned the local population against them.   The truth, as usual, may be somewhere in between.   There may be rogue elements involved, if not on one side, then the other.   Or, it could be a distasteful display by the population within that specific locality for any number of reasons.   We can only await a special Parliamentary session on the crisis, a Royal Commission of Inquiry or a White Paper with bated breaths. Meanwhile, Tian Chua's sedition case should be stayed and not be used for cheap politics by the Najib Administration.   Malaysia has no stomach for war in Sabah after southern Philippines   In a reversal of the high stakes cheapo war game played for so long in southernPhilippines by Malaysia, Sulu "terrorists" in Sabah or from Sulu -- or freedom fighters in their language -- will have safe havens in the southern Philippines if the flare-up in Sabahcontinues. They will also have access to arms, men and material from the MNLF and its breakaway Abu Sayaff, noted for its kidnappings along the east coast of Sabah.  Malaysia will have no stomach for such a war after being allegedly engaged, overtly and covertly, in the long-simmering conflict in the southern Philippines.   If push comes to shove, and if there are no "beheadings" and similar atrocities on the part of the militants, the people of Sabah will not back Malaysia in a war against the Suluks, whether in Sabah or from Sulu. Put it down to their historical grievances over the unfinished business of Malaysia in Sabah and Sarawak and their ties to the Suluks. The Suluks, if they take advantage of the widespread anti-Malaysia feeling in Sabah and Sarawak, will be like the fish swimming in a sea of popular support. Patriotism in Sabah begins with Sabah and does not end with Malaysia. The "heirs" know that possession is nine-tenths of the law when it comes to the negotiating table for a diplomatic and political solution. Even so, the Suluks in Sabah or from Sulu would have to unconditionally surrender any territory seized when the country (Sabah) regains its independence.   Defunct Sulu Sultanate no leg to stand on in Sabah   The "heirs" of the defunct Sulu Sultanate -- citing marginalisation and disenfranchisement -- may grab at least Felda Sahabat centred around the Tungku Township in Lahad Datu, this being part of the territory in the Sabah east coast which covers the waterways where Sulu used to extort tolls from the terrified traffic along them. This would force The Issue on Sabah & Sarawak: the UN would have to address the fact that No Referendum was held in Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Malaya on Malaysia. Already, the UN has offered in the wake of Lahad Datu to intervene in Sabah. The Cobbold Commission in 1962 was not a Referendum but a sampling of community leaders. Ironically, only the Suluk and Bajau communities polled agreed to Malaysia. The others, including the Orang Asal, were against the idea of Malaysia in Borneo to facilitate on demographic grounds the merger between Chinese majority Singapore and non-Malay majority Malaya. Singapore held a Yes or No Vote on independence through merger with Malaya viaMalaysia. Brunei stayed out of Malaysia at the 11th hour largely because of a rebellion in the sultanate against the idea of Malaysia. The defunct Sulu Sultanate, of course, does not have a leg to stand on in Sabah or parts of it.   It has no private property rights to Sabah or any part of it.   It cannot claim sovereignty over Sabah.   Suluk marginalisation, disenfranchisement does not equate Sabah claim   All the "heirs' have is the 1939 Mackasie Ruling of the High Court of Borneo which recognises their right to collect RM 5, 300 per annum collectively from the Sabah Government. This is a token or fragment of history having largely only symbolic significance. The defunct Sulu Sultanate's so-called transfer of sovereignty over Sabah not so long ago to the Philippines Government by Power of Attorney -- now expired -- is a nullity from the very beginning in international law.   The sovereignty of Sabah rests with its people.  The Sulu Sultanate died out, recorded the Madrid Protocols of 1877 and 1885, when its last Sultan died without leaving a male heir. Spain which was ruling the Philippines gave up all or any territorial claims in North Borneo under the Protocols with the United Kingdom and Germany. Read:   http://www.lawnet.sabah.gov.my/Lawnet/SabahLaws/Treaties/Protocol%28Madrid%29.pdf The Suluks in Sabah, claiming marginalisation and disenfranchisement since 1963, given the continuing influx of Bugis illegal immigrants in particular and Usno being deregistered to make way for Umno, is another matter altogether. This cannot be related to the so-called Sabah claim.   Sabah became British colony after World War II   The Brunei Sultanate has denied giving any part of Sabah to the Sulu Sultanate.  Read:  http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/special-reports/54937-sabah-and-the-sulu-claims  http://www.bt.com.bn/golden-legacy/2013/03/07/sabah-and-sulu-claims  The entire land area of Sabah belongs to or potentially belongs to the Orang Asal under Adat as Native Customary Right (NCR). Adat and the Orang Asal came long before the Sulu Sultanate's "Agreement" with the British North Borneo Chartered Company which obtained a Crown Charter from the Queen of England to rule Sabah on her behalf. Sabah was never conquered in a battle or war by any party except by the Japanese during World War II, and this too was an unprovoked war in Sabah and therefore amounted to war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. The Japanese in Sabah were "defeated" by the British and subsequently surrendered. So, by a legitimate Act of Surrender, War and Conquest, Sabah became British Territoryuntil it was returned to the Orang Asal and other Sabahans on 31 Aug, 1963 by self-determination. Even so, the Colonial Office in London agreed to purchase Sabah from the British North Borneo Chartered Company for 1.2 million pounds sterling.   Sarawak independent for 150 years under a Rajah   Malaysia (Malaya) does not have leg to stand on either in Sabah or Sarawak. Sabah and Sarawak, two independent countries, were dragged by the Malayan and British Governments against their will into Malaysia on 16 Sept 1963.  Sarawak became independent on 22 July, 1963 after a brief period of British colonial rule after World War 11 during which the Japanese occupied the country. Sarawak was an independent country under a Rajah for over 150 years before the Japanese marched in.   In an interview with Veronica Pedrosa of al Jazeera on Sun 17 Mar, 2013 at his home in Mindanao, Nur Misuari -- tagged the original Muslim rebel by the station -- said Malaysiahad no right to be in Sabah and Sarawak. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2013/03/201331421944766446.htm l He challenged Malaysia to appear before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and prove its case on Sabah and Sarawak.  He said that Malaysia was a colonial occupying power in Sabah and Sarawak and accused it of using the MNLF-breakaway Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as an instrument of its colonial policies.  He said peace would only come to the southern Philippines when Malaysia is removed from the equation.  He expects MNLF-Manila peace talks to resume sometime this month in Jakarta. On Sabah and Sarawak, Nur Misuari hinted that Malaysia "will be inviting some crisis" if it does not end the colonial occupation of these countries. The chickens are coming home to roost   Even so, pending UN intervention; the Registrar of Societies (ROS) should allow the registration of Usno to pacify the Suluks in Sabah.  It should also rule that the parti parti Malaya have no business being in Sabah andSarawak. This is a violation of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement, one of the many constitutional documents making up the unwritten Constitution of Malaysia. It would become clear once the fog of war lifts that the presence of such parties in Sabah is among the reasons, albeit indirectly, for the Lahad Datu Standoff. The chickens are also coming home to roost after the Election Commission, on the directive of a self-serving Putrajaya, naively divided the Electoral Rolls in Sabah as composed of Muslim Bumiputera, non-Muslim Bumiputera, Chinese and others.  The so-called Muslim Bumiputera on the Electoral Rolls is packed with illegal immigrants at the expense of local Muslims. The non-Muslim Bumiputera category tries to drive a wedge between the majority Christian Orang Asal and minority Muslim Orang Asal when they are related to each other.   Further Reading: http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/55007-malaysia-a-failure-in-sabah-sarawak http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/55144-sabah-security-in-fits-and-starts http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/guest-columnists/55148-jeffrey-wants-orang-asal-allies-as-force-to-be-reckoned-with-in-mainstream-politics   Joe Fernandez is a mature student of law and an educationist, among others, who loves to write especially Submissions for Clients wishing to Act in Person. He feels compelled, as a semi-retired journalist, to put pen to paper -- or rather the fingers to the computer keyboard -- whenever something doesn't quite jell with his weltanschauung (worldview). He shuttles between points in the Golden Heart of Borneo formed by the Sabah west coast, Labuan, Brunei, northern Sarawak and the watershed region in Borneo where three nations meet.

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