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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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• Malaysia GE13: Anwar to contest from his old Penang seat after all
• Blogger Papa Gomo says will fight Anwar in GE13
• Three-corner fight in Bukit Gasing with Edward Lee’s son as independent
• DAP blames EC for low overseas postal voter registrations
• ‘Flood of money leaving Malaysia to reverse after BN wins polls’
• Squabbles in PR camp over seat allocation
• Anwar to announce tonight which seat he will contest in
• Wan Azizah: Contesting or not?
• ABU: Don’t be scared of BN’s fear tactics
• ABU disappointed, says Hindraf 'courting' BN
• Mutiny in Sabah Pakatan Rakyat
• Leaked papers show offshore interests of Mirzan, Raja Nong Chik
• DAP criticised over its ‘extremist’ candidate
• Azmin rejects Sabah PKR’s ‘suggestions’
• Only 6,298 overseas Malaysians have registered as postal voters
• GE13: No parliamentary seat for Jui Meng
• IC row: Will native parties quit BN?
• Is it time for change in Malaysia?
• GE13: Ghani taking on Kit Siang
• GE13: Sabah PKR grabs 7 MP seats; ignores DAP, PAS
• Najib hands out citizenship papers to Indians ahead of polls
• GE13: MB announces RM300 bonus for S'gor civil servants
• Opposition plans to abolish 1MDB unjustified, say fund recipients
• Group warns of action against phantoms on polling day
• Malaysian PM Najib predicts victory at polls
• Pakatan ‘list’ circulates on Twitter
• Social media to the fore
• GE13: SAPP eyes 40 seats and dares DAP to contest 20
• Hindraf's P. Uthayakumar to contest Kota Raja parliamentary, Sri Andalas state seats
• ‘Give us intelligent, rational new candidates’
• ‘LGE a Chinese hero, but…’
• Anwar's wife not contesting
• Ethnic Indians' concerns, focal point of Malaysia elections
• 'Izzah's Video Is A Ploy By Azmin's Camp'
• 'Umno Prayers Not Accepted': Non-Muslims Should Also Be Wary Of PAS Approach
• Man claims he was shot by police
• Insight: In Malaysia's election, a focus on rainforest graft
• Malaysia Vote May Rule on Racial Divide
• Hindraf gets good vibes from BN, wants debate with DAP
• GE13: Trouble in Raub DAP
• PI Bala's wife and children missing, claims lawyer
• Anwar to contest in Perak
• Malaysia's ruling and opposition parties say ready for polls
• M'sia polls to have new elements including use of indelible ink and early voting
• Malaysia's EC to decide on poll date, widely expected on last weekend of April
• GE13: PKR hit by yet another sex allegation
• Pakatan states to follow suit as PM dissolves Parliament
• BN to get bigger majority with Indian help, says Samy Vellu
• ‘Datuk T’s’ Shazryl Eskay due RM20m commission, court rules
• SAPP, STAR all geared to go

Malaysia GE13: Anwar to contest from his old Penang seat after all Posted: 05 Apr 2013 12:35 AM PDT Carolyn Hong, Straits Times Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim will defend his long-time Permatang Pauh seat in Penang, putting an end to his earlier hints that he may move to a seat in Perak. He announced at a rally in Penang Friday that he wanted to be with his loyal voters and supporters in this seat. "My wife had earlier disagreed with me when I told her that I was considering contesting the Tambun parliamentary seat in Perak,' he was quoted as saying by the Star in Penang. "She said the people of Permatang Pauh were loyalists and diehard supporters who had stood by her and PKR through thick and thin all these years." Datuk Seri Anwar had earlier hinted that he might leave the seat that he has held since 1982 to move to contest in Perak which the opposition Pakatan Rakyat is keen to wrest back from the ruling Barisan Nasional. The PR had won Perak in the 2008 general election but lost it to the BN a year later when three of its assemblymen defected. A PR heavyweight - the Democratic Action Party veteran MP Lim Kit Siang - will be leaving his Perak seat to lead the PR charge in Johor. Mr Anwar was speculated to be filling the vacuum in Perak. Permatang Pauh is a safe seat for Datuk Seri Anwar who had held it from 1982 until 1999 when he was sacked from government on charges of corrupt practices and sodomy. He has maintained that these charges are trumped up. The seat was held by his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail until he regained it in 2008 upon his return to active politics after he was released from prison. He won the seat in a by-election in 2008 by a landslide, taking two-thirds of the 47,000 votes.

Blogger Papa Gomo says will fight Anwar in GE13 Posted: 04 Apr 2013 10:27 PM PDT Mohd Farhan Darwis, TMI Pro-Umno blogger Papa Gomo declared today he will run against Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in the 13th general elections (GE13), raising the stakes in his personal fight against the oppostion leader. The blogger, whom PKR has identified as Wan Muhammad Azri Wan Deris, had tweeted this afternoon that he had decided to fight head-on against the 65-year-old who dreams of becoming Malaysia's seventh prime minister in national polls due soon. "I have made the decision to stand in this GE13 against Anwar Ibrahim," he said in Malay on his Twitter account, @PapaGomo, before quipping "Lawan tetap lawan" in an apparent dig at the PKR founder's famous slogan. "Certain to lose but let Anwar get indigestion," he added. However, it is unknown where the election battle will take place as Anwar announced recently he may not defend his Permatang Pauh, Penang federal seat in the coming polls. He is reported to be eyeing a seat in Perak. Papa Gomo has also been accused of being ex-policeman-turned-former convict and a "phantom" voter in the run-up to Election 2013, touted to be the tightest-race for both the ruling Barisan Nasional and the three-party Pakatan Rakyat opposition anchored by PKR. Last month, Anwar filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Papa Gomo for allegedly posting on his blog false still photographs of the PKR leader from a fake sex video.

Three-corner fight in Bukit Gasing with Edward Lee’s son as independent Posted: 04 Apr 2013 10:22 PM PDT Ida Lim and Md Izwan, TMI The Bukit Gasing state seat in Selangor will see a three-corner fight in Election 2013, with the son of its former representative Edward Lee Poh Lin (picture) to run as an independent candidate against DAP and the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. "I'll be running as an independent," Simon Lee Chung Hsin told The Malaysian Insider when contacted today. Lee, who had previously aided his late father in his duties as the Bukit Gasing state assemblyman, is expected to officially announce his candidacy in a press conference next Thursday. DAP publicity chief Tony Pua confirmed that Simon Lee would not be contesting under the party's ticket as his late father did in Election 2008, where he defeated BN's Datuk Dr Lim Thuang Seng in a massive win with a 8,812 majority. "He will not contest on DAP's ticket, he is an independent candidate," Pua said. Following Edward Lee's death in 2011, no by-election was held, leading to DAP's Subang Jaya state assemblyman Hannah Yeoh's adoption of the Bukit Gasing seat. Recently, The Malaysian Insider reported that DAP would likely field first-timer outsider Kasthuri Rani Patto, the daughter of late DAP hero P. Patto, in the Chinese-majority seat in Petaling Jaya. She had said that Edward Lee's impact continues to be felt, highlighting the "Save Bukit Gasing" campaign which he had started together with local residents in an effort to protect the Klang Valley green lung from development. BN is seeking to regain Selangor, one of the five states that the federal opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) took over in Election 2008. PR currently holds 36 seats out of the 56 state seats and 17 out of the 22 parliamentary seats in the country's richest state.

DAP blames EC for low overseas postal voter registrations Posted: 04 Apr 2013 09:43 PM PDT Ong pointed out that he received many questions from overseas Malaysians last Wednesday - the day Parliament was dissolved - about how to register as postal voters. Boo Su-Lyn, TMI The DAP blamed the Election Commission (EC) today for the registration of only 6,298 Malaysian voters abroad, or 0.6 per cent, out of about a million Malaysians living overseas. The Star Online reported EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof as saying yesterday that the low figures were "quite disappointing", despite the polls regulator providing a "convenient registration process". "The announcement for overseas postal voting was only done on January 21st, 2013, after the gazetting of the Quarter 4, 2012 electoral roll," DAP election strategist Dr Ong Kian Ming said in a statement today. "This meant that those Malaysians overseas who had not yet registered as a voter, which is probably the majority of them, were not eligible to apply to be an overseas postal voter after the announcement of the EC guidelines on overseas voting," he added. Ong also accused the EC of not "aggressively" reaching out to overseas Malaysians before January to register as regular voters first, before registering as postal voters. "As far as I know, the EC did not allocate any budgetary resources, nor did it work with Wisma Putra, to conduct an aggressive voter registration exercise for Malaysians overseas," said Ong. He also noted that advocacy group MyOverseasVote found out last July that several Malaysian embassies and consulates had received inconsistent information on who could register as regular voters through them. "This shows the serious failure on the part of the EC to communicate and implement a standard registration procedure among the Malaysian embassies and consulates," he said. Ong pointed out that he received many questions from overseas Malaysians last Wednesday - the day Parliament was dissolved - about how to register as postal voters. "This clearly shows that the EC failed in its outreach to Malaysian voters which resulted in the low number of registrations," he said. READ MORE HERE

‘Flood of money leaving Malaysia to reverse after BN wins polls’ Posted: 04 Apr 2013 06:08 PM PDT (TMI) - Money flowing out of Malaysia should reverse course after an expected Barisan Nasional (BN) win in Election 2013, according to fund managers and market analysts in the region. This comes as foreign funds pulled RM10.7 billion out of Malaysia in February due to election jitters, while at the same time pushing RM29.4 billion into neighbouring Thailand. "Elections are probably going to be held before the end of April and we expect to see funds coming back," Wee-Khoon Chong, a rates strategist in Hong Kong at Societe Generale, told financial wire Bloomberg in a report published today. "The risk-reward is still favoring the incumbent to continue another term." Investors have stayed cautious in the past few months, over the uncertain date of the next polls, and worry that a loss by long-ruling coalition BN might postpone economic reforms. Bloomberg reported that Citigroup Inc analysts Kit Wei Zheng and Brian Tan noted that a narrower win for BN compared to 2008 would raise the risk of delaying some fiscal reforms that will affect inflation, although the policy direction would stay unchanged. "If there's status quo and Barisan Nasional stays in power, there'll be a lot of pent-up demand for Malaysian ringgit assets and funds will probably find their way back onshore," said Lum Choong Kuan, CIMB Investment Bank Bhd's head of regional fixed-income research told Bloomberg. Foreign funds have preferred Thailand because of Malaysia's political uncertainties and Indonesia's current-account deficit, but they are expected to return to Malaysia where there has not been any major civil conflicts like the 2008 and 2010 Bangkok protests. "On a historical basis, the political situation in Thailand has been more volatile compared to Malaysia. In terms of stability, investors still prefer Malaysia rather than Thailand," said Lam Chee Mun, a fund manager at TA Investment Management Bhd. Maybank Investment Bank (IB) Research came up with three possible outcomes for Election 2013 in its daily report yesterday, and a win by opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR) was in none of them. Maybank IB put a BN win with a smaller majority as its baseline scenario, while keeping the status quo would be the best-case scenario. The third scenario would be a hung parliament. READ MORE HERE

Squabbles in PR camp over seat allocation Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:40 PM PDT These squabbles are not surprising, said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, who runs his own consultancy. Since 2008, when PR did spectacularly well in the polls, its membership has grown exponentially, and it now has a slate of better-qualified people. Carolyn Hong & Yong Yen Nie, Straits Times THE pressure is on the parties to finalise their candidates as nomination day may be just days away. The lobbying for seats has been intense, with open squabbles already marring the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (PR) camp, while the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) holds its cards tightly. PR said it hopes to finish the seat negotiations by today, while BN is expected to begin announcing some names from next week. PR has trickled out the names of some candidates over the last few weeks. But even the cautious rate of announcements has not managed to quell the squabbles. There were protests from the ground after the Democratic Action Party (DAP) announced its candidate - former Umno assemblyman Mohd Ariff Sabri - for the Raub seat in Pahang. He is a relatively new recruit. The Kedah DAP also complained publicly after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim picked Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) candidates for the Alor Star and Padang Serai seats, which the DAP had wanted. The worst squabble was in Johor, where PKR chief Chua Jui Meng went incommunicado after DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang was announced as the candidate for the Gelang Patah seat, which Mr Chua was eyeing. Mr Anwar's announcement of former army chief Hashim Hussein for the Johor Baru seat also reportedly caused ripples, as he was new to the party. These squabbles are not surprising, said political analyst Khoo Kay Peng, who runs his own consultancy. Since 2008, when PR did spectacularly well in the polls, its membership has grown exponentially, and it now has a slate of better-qualified people. "Things have become much more competitive now. Public office always holds a great lure for people as it comes with influence and the network," he said. He noted that PKR - the youngest party - seems to have the most problems. Its partners, the DAP and Parti Islam SeMalaysia, have a lot more experience dealing with this. The coalition, he said, will have to resolve its differences quickly, or look fractious. Umno MP in Johor Nur Jazlan Mohamed said it appeared that PR is not immune to the BN disease of fighting for seats, as its members grow to believe there is a chance for the opposition coalition to win power. On the other hand, BN has kept quiet. It is understood that Prime Minister Najib Razak has told his party leaders to give him a free hand to decide on the candidate list. He has met BN leaders over the last few days to finalise it. Sources say some states may see changes, including Johor, where the current Menteri Besar Ghani Othman has already served four terms. Mr Ghani has been speculated to be moving to a parliamentary seat, with several names tipped to replace him. Kedah is another state where there is intense lobbying for the Menteri Besar-designate post. Deputy International Trade and Industry Minister Mukhriz Mahathir is said to be a front runner. The PM yesterday urged his party leaders at a closed-door meeting to avoid the infighting that had hurt the party in 2008. Meanwhile, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission said it had completed vetting all candidates.

Anwar to announce tonight which seat he will contest in Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:28 PM PDT (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysia's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said he will announce on Friday night the seat he will be contesting in. But he remained coy about confirming widespread speculation that he was going to contest in Perak. He said he will make the announcement at a rally in Seberang Jaya on mainland Penang. He said he needed to meet his supporters in his current seat Permatang Pauh to explain why he was not contesting here as they have been with him through good and difficult times. He also said he was "heavy hearted" to move from Permatang Pauh as he has been here since 1982. Asked if he was going to contest a seat in Perak, he said "tengok dulu" (let's see). "Rationally, the strategy is to boost the support there (Perak). It's a mixed area there. "We have (Pas spiritual leader) Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat in Kelantan, (DAP secretary general) Lim Guan Eng in Penang and (DAP adviser) Lim Kit Siang in Johor," he told reporters at a mosque here. He was scheduled to attend a meeting with PKR, DAP and Pas leaders to discuss candidacy issues at 3.30pm but declined to reveal where the meeting would be held. When asked about his wife Datuk Seri Wan Azizah Wan Ismail's role in the coming election, Datuk Seri Anwar said she was keen to serve the people and assist in campaigning but not keen to be a candidate. He also urged police to look into cases where protesters caused disturbances at Pakatan's rallies and to take action against those responsible.

Wan Azizah: Contesting or not? Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:47 PM PDT PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar denies reports that party president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will not contest. K Pragalath, FMT The possibility of PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ibrahim contesting a state seat in the 13th general election "remains" open until nomination day, said her daughter Nurul Izzah. "The possibility remains until the announcement date," Nurul told FMT in a text message. Nurul's comment contradicts her father, PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim's announcement on Wednesday that Wan Azizah would not contest. Anwar had told Al Jazeera during a live interview that Wan Azizah "leads the party but decided not to contest in the election". Earlier today, Nurul dismissed Anwar's statement describing it as mere "political talk" even though the announcement was reported by the PKR media organ KeadilanDaily.com. In the Bernama report, Nurul said KeadilanDaily.com had merely quoted a statement released by the central PKR election department. "An official announcement would be made by Anwar next Wednesday. He definitely knows about the candidates' preparations," she said. Speculations about Wan Azizah contesting in this general election arose last week. Malay daily Sinar Harian reported Azizah's intention to contest for a state seat in Selangor which was unnamed since Azizah had not finalised on where to contest. "Yes, I will contest for a seat in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly but we need to discuss on a suitable seat. That would make it easier for me to conduct an election campaign and focus on the area," she told Sinar Harian. Subsequently, Selangor PKR information chief Shuhaimi Shafiei, who is also Seri Muda state assemblyman, offered Azizah four state seats to choose from the 17 that PKR currently controls. The four state seats are Seri Muda, Kota Anggerik, Seri Setia and Sementa in Kapar. Her intention to contest also created speculations that current Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali, who is also vying for the menteri besar seat, would have to give way for Azizah to be the next menteri besar, if she won. Media speculations Meanwhile, the PKR grassroots leaders in Selangor have welcomed Azizah's decision to contest in Selangor. Wan Azizah was the Permatang Pauh MP from 1999 to July 2008. She contested in Permatang Pauh after Anwar was disqualified from holding on to his MP position when he was imprisoned. In July 2008, she stepped down to allow Anwar's comeback into active politics. Her decision to step down resulted in her being disqualified to contest for a parliamentary seat until July this year. Responding to another question, Nurul also brushed off talks of Anwar moving to Perak to contest a parliamentary seat as mere "media speculations". "I think he did not mention that he is ready to contest in Perak. It is merely media speculations and I have myself received memorandum from Permatang Pauh residents requesting him to remain there," she said. She added that there was a sentimental factor for Anwar in Permatang Pauh. READ MORE HERE

ABU: Don’t be scared of BN’s fear tactics Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:41 PM PDT The EC may set May 11 as the polling date to remind the rakyat about the May 13 incident, say ABU spokesman Haris Ibrahim.  Alyaa Azhar, FMT Polls watchdog ABU (Anything But Umno) spokesman Haris Ibrahim today urged Malaysians not to be influenced by fear tactics employed by Barisan Nasional for the coming general election. "From what we have heard, the Election Commission [EC] may set May 11 as the polling date to remind the people about the May 13 incident. "This move is to scare the rakyat and to remind them to vote for stability. We urge the rakyat not to be frightened by BN's tactics. "If the EC sets the date on May 11, please do not let the BN's fear tactics influence our decision to vote. Remember that we are voting for change," he said at a press conference held at ABU's headquarters here today. Haris also urged the rakyat to reject race-based politics and expressed disappointment with Hindraf. "We are disappointed with Hindraf's new stand as it is seen to have courted BN. Why are they [Hindraf leaders] going back to BN, the same BN which has marginalised Indians for so long? "Also, we have traced an SMS which was issued by Hindraf members to boycott the general election. "We urge the Indians not to do this because it does not make sense to boycott the general election," he said. Haris also said that ABU has launched an initiative by distributing "Amaran" (warning) flyers throughout the country to foreign nationals who have been provided with MyKads for the purpose of voting in the upcoming election. Tahan squads "These flyers serve to stop foreign nationals from casting a vote in the general election, or risk facing the ire of the rakyat. "Tahan [Team Abu Halang Asing Ngundi] squads are being assembled throughout the country to safeguard the sanctity of the electoral process. "These squads will consist of ordinary Malaysians who will ensure that these foreign nationals do not vote on polling day," said ABU's Jason Sanjeev Ganeson . READ MORE HERE

ABU disappointed, says Hindraf 'courting' BN Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:05 PM PDT Nurul Iman Dimyati, fz.com Anything But Umno (ABU), a friendly opposition movement, today expressed their disappointment in Hindraf over its actions that seem to be "courting" the ruling coalition. "Repent and return to the right path (taubat dan kembali ke pangkal jalan)," ABU spokesperson Haris Ibrahim urged Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy.   Haris said Hindraf's meeting and discussion of its blueprint plan with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was seen as leaning towards Barisan Nasional.   "We are dissappointed with recent developments of Hindraf. Their recent actions, to us, seems like they are trying to court Barisan Nasional," said Haris.   ABU said it is standing up for the 40% marginalised Malaysians and the the main cause of that marginalisation was the ruling coalition's policies.   "These (Hindraf's actions) cannot be accepted by ABU," said ABU member Jonathan Jeevan.   However, he said the ABU will still leave the door open for Hindraf to work with ABU.    "If Hindraf chooses not to, then ABU's message to Hindraf is very simple – you do not represent all the Indians so do not play Umno/BN race card."   It was rumoured that Hindraf were sending out SMSes telling Malaysians to boycott the 13th general election.

Mutiny in Sabah Pakatan Rakyat Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:47 PM PDT Disclosure by 'Gang of Seven' rankles; Allies fume over what they claim is an unauthorised statement Alexander Chen, Borneo Insider The Pakatan Rakyat-Plus coalition in Sabah seems to be cracking at the seams ahead of the 13th general election. This is all due to a pre-emptive strike by a group of Parti Keadilan Rakyat Sabah veterans led by the wily Ansari Abdullah to announce a shortlist of seven candidates on Thursday. The revelation caught everyone by surprise, including Ansari's PKR colleagues as an official announcement was only expected today (Friday) at the earliest. But knowing that he was most likely not going to be in the list of candidates, Ansari and the 'Gang of Seven' jumped the gun to stake their claim. This produced a curt response from a PKR official in Kuala Lumpur: "Ansari must be out of his mind," he said when informed of the statement. An aide of DAP Kota Kinabalu MP, Hiew King Cheu went ballistic at the news he read in Borneo Insider and called to say, "that's not true. That list must be a figment of imagination by him; no that's not what has been discussed." The Angkatan Perpaduan Sabah (APS) was not amused either, with a Wilfred Bumburing assistant saying that Ansari and gang were only saying things to spite the opposition. Anthony polled a credible 7.830 votes in 2008 when he stood as a PKR candidate against eventual winner, Maximus Ongkili of the BN. "Ansari knows that Tuaran has been allocated to APS and that Wilfred is the candidate while Marudu will be contested by Maijol Mahap," he said. He added: "Ansari has never won an election so he is hallucinating. His list is one that he and his cohorts must have made up themselves. Definitely it is not an official one but disclosed early so as to embarrass the PR leadership, especially Anwar Ibrahim and Wilfred." On Thursday, Ansari told a press conference that he would be the PR choice for Tuaran and Anthony Mandiau would be re-fielded in Kota Marudu. The others he named were Dr Chong Eng Leong (Sepangar), Mazhry Nasir (Putatan), Mursalim Tanjul (Kudat), Saidil Semoi (Kota Belud) and Jonathan Yassin, the division chief for PKR Ranau, who is also his brother-in-law, though better known for having a hand in the Anwar-Huguan Siou fiasco. Tongue in cheek, he said: "In line with the promise for autonomy (by Pakatan Rakyat leadership), we have taken the liberty to release the names of the seven candidates that have been picked by the respective divisions. Eng Leong: Another luckless politician whose favourite topic is the illegal immigrants when not indulging in his favourite past-time. "We are very confident that Datuk Seri Anwar and the party leaderships of PAS and DAP will honour their commitment that matters involving Sabah will be decided by Sabahans. "This is a test of whether the party leadership is sincere in its promise to give us autonomy. We are very confident that the party will pass this test," he said. READ MORE HERE

Leaked papers show offshore interests of Mirzan, Raja Nong Chik Posted: 04 Apr 2013 03:07 PM PDT (TMI) - Mirzan Mahathir (picture) and Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Abidin are among 1,500 Malaysians with offshore companies in Singapore and the British Virgin Islands, two locations popular as tax havens for the rich. The names of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's son and the federal territories minister came up in leaked documents obtained by Washington-based International Confederation of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), according to a report in news portal Malaysiakini today. Another name that cropped up in the report was Michael Chia, the man linked with Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman over money laundering allegations. According to the report, the list of people owning these offshore firms include tycoons, parliamentarians, retired politicians and civil servants. They also include members of royal families, as well as criminal kingpins. The report stated that the leaked ICIJ files provide secret records of offshore holdings of people and companies in more than 170 countries and territories. "The hoard of documents represents the biggest stockpile of inside information about the offshore system ever obtained by a media organisation. The total size of the files, measured in gigabytes, is more than 160 times larger than the leak of US State Department documents by WikiLeaks in 2010," ICIJ was quoted as saying. According to the leaked documents, Raja Nong Chik is a prominent shareholder and director of RZA International Corporation, a British Virgin Islands entity incorporated on August 21, 2007 via Singapore. The company is a mirror of Malaysian entity Kumpulan RZA Sdn Bhd, a firm established in 1997 dealing in real estate and equities investment, the news portal reported. READ MORE HERE

DAP criticised over its ‘extremist’ candidate Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:41 PM PDT While Raub DAP division has vetoed Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz's candidacy, MCA has claimed that the latter is a threat to Chinese education. (FMT) - DAP has come under heavy criticism from all quarters for fielding former Umno Pantai Manis assemblyman Mohd Ariff Sabri Abdul Aziz as the candidate for the Raub parliamentary constituency in Pahang. Party secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had announced on Monday that Mohd Ariff, who blogs as sakmongkolak47, would be DAP's candidate in Raub in place of Tengku Zulpuri Raja Puji Shah, a popular figure among the grassroots members in Raub. Tengku Zulpuri was slotted for the Mentakab seat. Following the announcement, some 50 DAP leaders from the Raub division held an emergency meeting earlier this week and vetoed Mohd Ariff's candidacy and appealed to the party's central leadership to reconsider its decision. They claimed Tengku Zulpuri was a better candidate for Raub because he had been active on the ground for several years. Mohd Ariff, a frequent critic of Umno and its policy, only joined DAP last January. He was roped in by Umno in the 12th general election although he was a state assemblyman from 2004-2008. When contacted by FMT, Tengku Zulpuri said he understood the feelings of the grassroots members because they have been spending time and money with him to make voters understand about the Pakatan policies. "I hope the new candidate can continue with the mission," he said. However, he dodged the question on whether he still harboured hope of contesting in Raub, saying that the people in Mentakab had expressed support for him. Mohd Ariff an 'extremist' Meanwhile, MCA has also lambasted DAP for fielding Mohd Ariff whom it described as a detractor to Chinese vernacular schools. In a statement issued yesterday, MCA national youth education bureau chief Chong Sin Woon claimed that Mohd Ariff had demanded that the federal government cease providing funds to the Chinese schools. READ MORE HERE

Azmin rejects Sabah PKR’s ‘suggestions’ Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:36 PM PDT Azmin's dismissal of a candidates' list revealed by Sabah PKR leaders only highlights the growing discontent between the party's national leadership and the Sabah leaders. G Vinod, FMT PKR deputy president Azmin Ali today dismissed a Sabah PKR leader's decision to announce the party's candidates for the state's west coast region, stating that the names were "mere suggestions". "They are merely suggestions. All decisions will be made by our political bureau meetings," he said today at a press conference at party headquarters here. FMT earlier today reported that Tuaran PKR chief Ansari Abdullah had pre-empted the party's top leadership by announcing seven candidates for the state's west coast region. He said that the announcement was made in line with PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim's decision to give autonomy to the East Malaysian state. Ansari announced that he would stand for the Tuaran constituency and Dr Chong Eng Leong for Sepanggar. Others were Mazhry Nasir (Putatan), Anthony Mandiau (Kota Marudu), Mursalim Tanjul (Kudat), Saidil Semoi (Kota Belud) and Johanathan Yassin (Ranau). When unveiling the list late yesterday in Sabah PKR headquarters in Penampang, Ansari had said: "We have taken the liberty to release the names of the seven candidates that have been picked by the respective divisions. "This is a test of whether the party leadership is sincere in its promise to give us autonomy. We are very confident that the party will pass this test," he had added. Azmin's dismissal of the list today highlighted the growing discontent between the party's neational leadership and the Sabah leaders. Pakatan's council meeting Azmin, who is also Gombak MP, said that the Pakatan Rakyat presidential council would be having a meeting later today to discuss on its candidates list. "We will discuss issues concerning overlapping seats. Hopefully, we can sort out the matter by the end of the week," he said. When asked if Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng would be contesting in the general election, Azmin said: "We appreciate what he had done for the party. We have made several offers to him and I'm confident we can resolve the mattter." Azmin's reply seemed to contradict Chua's earlier statement when he said that he has yet to be offered any seats to date. Azmin also dismissed a tweet by Yusmadi Yusoff who claimed that the latter was not shortlisted to contest for the Balik Pulau parliamentary seat. "That's his view. The party will decide on him and all PKR members contesting in Penang by this evening. "Anwar will announce on which seat he will contest at the same time," said Azmin. READ MORE HERE

Only 6,298 overseas Malaysians have registered as postal voters Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:29 PM PDT (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Only 6,298 Malaysians out of over 700,000 Malaysians living abroad have registered as postal voters. "It is quite disappointing after all that we did to provide a convenient registration process for the voters' overseas," Election Commissionchairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof said. "The process is simple. Malaysians abroad can e-mail or fax over their particulars. "I would have thought there would be 100,000 or even 200,000 overseas people (Malaysians) registering to vote," he told The Star on Thursday. He said ample time had been given from Jan 21 till the dissolution of Parliament on April 3 to register. Tan Sri Abdul Aziz also said only 2,900 absentee voters would cast postal ballots. Asked whether the EC's website being down on Wednesday contributed to the low registration, Tan Sri Abdul Aziz said it was not a factor. He also dismissed suggestions that EC regulations for overseas voters were too stringent. "One must register as a voter and Malaysians staying abroad can be postal voters so long as they are registered as voters and had been in Malaysia for not less than 30 days in the last five years before dissolution of Parliament," he said. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin said certain groups, especially electoral reforms group Bersih, had called for EC to allow overseas voting, arguing that tens of thousands of Malaysians overseas wanted to vote in the coming general election. "The low rate of voter registration is a little bit disappointing especially when Bersih made a big issue out of it," he said on Thursday. Bersih steering committee member Wong Chin Huat said the poor rate was due to the late announcement of the registration of overseas voters. Meanwhile, following the crash of its website, the EC posted on its GE13 website (http://www.pru13.gov.my/) on Thursday that Malaysians can check their voter status by calling its call centre at 03-8885 6565 or SMS SPRSEMAK IC NO and send to 15888.

GE13: No parliamentary seat for Jui Meng Posted: 04 Apr 2013 02:25 PM PDT Meena Lakshana, fz.com PKR vice president Datuk Chua Jui Meng said today that he has yet to be offered a parliamentary seat to contest in the 13th general election. However, the veteran politician said he was still willing to contest if Pakatan Rakyat offered him a seat.   After going "missing" for weeks, the Johor PKR chief today held a press conference to clear the air over the squabble with DAP for the Gelang Patah seat.   Clarifying he was on leave for two weeks, Chua said though he would prefer not to stand in the upcoming elections, he had been persuaded to contest by Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.   After PKR had "lost" the Gelang Patah seat (which it contested in the 2008 general election) to DAP this time around, Chua had been hopeful of getting the Bakri seat in return. However, DAP has reportedly refused to yield the seat to PKR.   "I'm just saying I really do not have a house to go to. I was told to leave my house. Of course, the party offered various constituencies belonging to DAP but unfortunately up till now no doors have been open to me," Chua told a packed room at the PKR headquarters here.   "I wish I did not have to stand but if I was given a chance to change the country, how can I turn it down?"   "If I am offered a seat, I will contest," he added.   He also said he supported DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang's move to contest in Gelang Patah, a seat Chua had reportedly been eyeing earlier.   "I am honoured the person who is going to take over from me in Gelang Patah is Lim Kit Siang.   "He (Lim) is an honourable man who is persistent in the struggle for change in this country and I am proud to be contributing towards his struggle," he said, adding that Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman decision to go up against Lim is Umno and BN's strategy to get rid of the senior politician.   "It is obvious they don't want Ghani," Chua added.   He said PKR had been eyeing 12 Johor parliamentary seats but was finally allocated 11 with Lim's moving in to contest in Gelang Patah.   "We have very good people who will be candidates and I am not in the business to usurp anyone's seats and I will not ask anyone to step down for me to contest," Chua said, adding that after two weeks of introspection and reflection, he was of the view that he has an 'enviable' position and needed no seat to contest for power.   "If I do contest, I win. If I don't contest, I win as well," Chua said.

IC row: Will native parties quit BN? Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:19 AM PDT   (FMT) - It is pointless for native parties in the Sabah BN coalition to continue with their blind allegiance when it is now obvious that the federal government 'does not take them seriously'. Two serious developments have cropped up in Sabah which got the Barisan Nasional native partners all riled up. One is the federal government's rejection of the "united" demand of the BN partners to re-issue fresh MyKads to bona fide Sabahans. The other is the incriminating revelations of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the issuing of MyKads to the illegal immigrants. Will these two events be reason enough to compel the BN partners to leave the coalition? Sabah State Reform Party (STAR) hopes these disturbing developments will be enough to lead the parties to collaborate with genuine stakeholders committed to protecting the rights of Sabahans. With general election weeks away, STAR desperately needs to consolidate with other local parties and wrest the state administration from BN control. Straddled between giants – BN and Pakatan Rakyat – STAR and Sabah Progressive Peoples Party (SAPP) are the "bigger boys" among the locals. Both are championing local agendas: STAR has its Borneo Agenda and SAPP has Sabah for Sabahans. STAR and SAPP are backing PBS, Upko and PBRS in their collective call for the federal government to revoke and re-issue MyKads to genuine Sabahans. STAR said de facto law minister Nazri Aziz's dismissal of a "sound proposal" was telling. Nazri claimed that there were "legal implications" and that the process to re-issue fresh MyKads was "difficult". But Sabahans who have been closely following the testimonies of witnesses at the RCI in January into the issuance of MyKads to illegal immigrants in the 1990s in a citizenship-for-votes scam are not buying the tall tale. Nazri's dismissive response to Upko president Bernard Dompok's willingness to surrender his own MyKad merely confirmed suspicions about the direction the RCI was taking and the federal government's intentions. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2013/04/05/ic-row-will-native-parties-quit-bn/

Is it time for change in Malaysia? Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:17 AM PDT   (Al Jazeera) - As the nation prepares for polls, we ask if the opposition leader can shake off years of allegations and controversy. The parliament in Malaysia has been dissolved and the gloves are off as political leaders gear up for a fight over corruption, discrimination and the cost of living. "This is a crucial election for the prime minister and the ruling coalition but ... I think there is a certain degree of ... quiet confidence that the Barisan Nasional will retain power for three reasons. Number one ... the series of by-elections that were held before 2010 ... Barisan did fairly well in those by-elections .... Number two, the prime minister has introduced a series of reforms among them economic reforms .... And number three, the demands from a certain segment of our society for a greater democratic space, he's been able to respond to those demands to some extent ... " - Chandra Muzaffar, a Malaysian political scientist Parliamentary polls will pit the National Front Coalition, which is in power since 1957, against a resurgent opposition. The ruling group has already been knocked back, suffering its worst ever results in 2008 elections. And it will not be plain sailing this time either. Malaysia is geographically split in two parts - there is a narrow peninsula in the western region and that is where the capital Kuala Lumpur is. And across the South China Sea is the eastern part, forming part of Borneo island.  Malaysia is also an ethnically diverse country. Ethnic Malays make up 60 percent of the population and they are the most dominant group in politics. Ethnic Chinese form around one-quarter of the population and they hold a lot of the economic power. Ethnic Indians and indigenous peoples are among the poorest in Malaysia. In the forthcoming elections, three million first time voters - nearly one-quarter of those eligible - will have to decide who to give their support to. But who are the key political players? Najib Razak is the current prime minister, and his National Front Coalition has been in power for more than 50 years. Najib himself took over in 2009, following a disastrous election for the coalition, which lost its two-thirds majority in parliament. Najib will be highlighting Malaysia's strong economic growth under his stewardship as a reason for re-election. "I think the very fact that this prime minister has allowed the parliament to almost automatically dissolve shows that there is actually not much confidence in the many transformation programmes that he has put in place .... Despite the relatively decent economic performance of the country, many people on the street do not feel any ... significant increase in their incomes, the perception is that inequality is actually rising ... the cost of living in the urban areas continues to increase .... I think the majority of the voters feel that this is an opportune time for there to be a transition in government after 56 years of Barisan Nasional rule." - Kian Ming Ong, an election strategist for the opposition Democratic Action Party "In the last four years, all Malaysians have experienced and witnessed a huge change in the economy, the politics and socially within our nation under the government's transformation programme, which has brought tremendous change to peoples' lives and prosperity to the country," he said. "I urge all Malaysians and the parties to take note that if there is a change of power at federal or state level after the next election, [it] must be transferred peacefully and smoothly." Read more at: http://m.aljazeera.com/story/2013446582318256

GE13: Ghani taking on Kit Siang Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:14 AM PDT   (The Star) - Titanic fights are looming on the horizon, barely a day after the dissolution of Parliament with challenges being thrown to some of the biggest names in Malaysian politics. In Johor, speculation is mounting that DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang may not have the easy passage he is expecting in Gelang Patah. Several state Umno leaders have taken the radical step of asking Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman to square off with Lim. In Perak, Barisan Nasional leaders say they will make sure that PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim loses if he contests in the state. The main attention, however, is on the DAP bid for Gelang Patah, which is key to the Pakatan Rakyat campaign strategy in Johor, which it regards as a frontline state. Johor Barisan MPs believe that Ghani is the ideal and most credible candidate to fight the DAP heavyweight in what has been deemed "the hottest seat in Johor". Datuk Puad Zarkashi of Batu Pahat said Ghani would be the game-changer needed in Barisan's defence of Gelang Patah and Johor in the 13th general election. He said the contest would allow Ghani to defend his legacy in Johor. Puad, who is Deputy Education Minister, noted that Gelang Patah is the site of Iskandar Malaysia, the country's most prestigious development project which was launched under Ghani's watch. The new state capital in Nusajaya is also within Gelang Patah. "We hope he will consider it (contesting in Gelang Patah) because he pioneered all these projects. He is the most suitable person to defend what we have in Johor," Puad said. The 66-year-old Ghani has been Mentri Besar since 1995. It is understood that he had informed the Prime Minister that he did not mind offering himself as the Gelang Patah candidate. Gelang Patah is an MCA seat but a party insider said the proposal could be discussed even though MCA division chief Datuk Jason Teoh has been forwarded as the candidate. The insider agreed that the Mentri Besar was popular among the Chinese and had a good chance of winning the seat, which has 53% Chinese voters, 34% Malays and 13% Indians. Johor Baru MP Tan Sri Shahrir Samad said Ghani's style of politics reflected the "Johor way" of doing things. "DAP's racial politics and divisiveness are not going to be good for Johor. Voters should be given the choice whether they want the Johor way or DAP's racial way. "It is important for Johor to maintain and protect what has been Johor's trademark in race relations. We have been able to depoliticise issues like Chinese education. "Our Chingay festival goes back 150 years and soon the Foon Yew High School will celebrate its 100th anniversary. We are proud of these traditions," said Shahrir. The idea also had the support of Nusajaya assemblyman Datuk Aziz Sapian who said that Ghani had always enjoyed a warm relationship with the Chinese in Johor. He said Ghani also had good working ties with the Johor Chinese groups and associations which looked up to his leadership. However, Deputy Defence Minister and Mersing MP Datuk Dr Latif Ahmad said there was no need to make Lim look so important. Meanwhile, reports that Anwar was likely to contest in Perak met with swift response from Barisan, with Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declaring that the coalition would "bury" the PKR leader in the state. Ahmad Zahid, who is Bagan Datoh MP, said Anwar's intention to contest in Perak would not scare anyone in Umno and that it would be lawan tetap lawan (fight to the end), regardless of whether it is Anwar or anyone else who takes on Umno in Perak. Anwar's plan to quit Permatang Pauh for another seat in Perak has sparked speculation that he was not confident of holding on to his old constituency, which has more than 71% Malay voters, and that he was looking for a Perak seat with Chinese voters to carry him through. Officially though, his reason for moving south is to lend his weight to Pakatan Rakyat in Perak now that Lim is moving to Johor. Ahmad Zahid said Anwar would not dare to contest in any of the Umno seats in Perak because "we will make sure he is defeated".

GE13: Sabah PKR grabs 7 MP seats; ignores DAP, PAS Posted: 04 Apr 2013 11:12 AM PDT (Borneo Insider) - Our stand is that, since PAS did not contest any of these seven constituencies they have no right to contest. DAP obtained lesser votes in Sepangar and Putatan; they even lost to PKR candidates.  Parti Keadialan Rakyat (PKR) Sabah Thursday unveiled a list of seven proposed candidates for the West Coast North Zone. They are senior lawyer Hj Ansari Abdullah (Tuaran), anti-illegal immigrant activist Dr Chong Eng Leong (Sepangar), Mazhry Nasir (Putatan), Anthony Mandiau (Kota Marudu), Mursalim Tanjul (Kudat), Saidil Semoi (Kota Belud) and Jonathan Yassin, the division chief for PKR Ranau, who is also brother-in-law to Ansari. Unveiling this was Ansari who is also currently PKR Tuaran Chief in the presence of five of the seven proposed candidates and the various PKR divisional chiefs, in a press conference held at its Headquarters here. "In line with the promise for autonomy (by Pakatan Rakyat leadership), we have taken the liberty to release the names of the seven candidates that have been picked by the respective divisions. All the seven divisional heads of the seven divisions are also here. "We are very confident that Datuk Seri Anwar and the party leaderships of PAS and DAP will honour their commitment that matters involving Sabah will be decided by Sabahans. "This is a test of whether the party leadership is sincere in its promise to give us autonomy. We are very confident that the party will pass this test," he said. He claimed that all the candidates have been long identified, as far back as two years ago, and their backgrounds too have been thoroughly vetted. Ansari also declared that all the seven divisions had during their meeting held earlier reach a consensus to make clear their stands that the other PR components and allies should not contest for any of the said seven constituencies. "Our stand is that, since PAS did not contest any of these seven constituencies they have no right to contest. DAP obtained lesser votes in Sepangar and Putatan; they even lost to PKR candidates. "Neither did they contest in any of the other five constituencies, so DAP should not also lodge any claim on these seven constituencies in the West Coast North Zone. "Therefore, all the seats should go to PKR," he proclaimed. As for the APS led by Datuk Seri Wilfred Bumburing, Ansari noted that Bumburing had during the launch of APS declared that APS's purpose is not to fight for candidacy but to help the PR, and secondly, they will not take PKR members but those who left BN without any party. "Datuk Wilfred is my friend, he is an honourable man and I am sure he is a man of his words," added Ansari. Besides this, he also emphatically rebutted the notion by a certain local opposition parties that PKR/PR is just a clone of UMNO/BN. "That's not right, because in our Buku Jingga, one of the undertakings given by PR is to treat Sabah as an "equal partner" rather than just another state and whatever that has been agreed under the Malaysia Agreement will be honoured by the coalition," he contended. He was convinced that the Pakatan leadership is sincere and committed to their promise of honouring political autonomy to Sabah should it comes into power. He said this was adequately reflected in the open pledge made by the Pakatan leaderships like Anwar, Datuk Hadi Awang of PAS and Lim Kit Siang of DAP in various occasions, both in Sabah and Sarawak. He cited for example, in 15 September 2010 during the launching of PR Secretariat in Bukit Padang here, Anwar, Kit Siang and Ustaz Nasharuddin Mat Isa of PAS had pledged that all important decisions affecting Sabah will be decided by Sabahans. "And in Last September, in the Kuching Declaration signed by Anwar, Ustaz Hadi Awang and Kit Siang, once again they reiterated that Sabah and Sarawak should be treated as partners within the Federation," he said.

Najib hands out citizenship papers to Indians ahead of polls Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:36 AM PDT Sted Jaymal Zahiid, TMI Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today handed out documents to help solve the citizenship status of some "stateless" Indians, a key issue for the community, just ahead of Election 2013 expected to be held soon. The Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman said today's event, which saw him giving out birth certificates, entry permits and citizenship papers to 120 recipients of which a majority of them are Indians, showed he had kept the promise he made immediately after taking office in April 2009. "After 100 days of me leading this administration, I had promised to solve the registration problem as soon as possible. I made it one of the 12 key promises," he told about 1,000 people who attended the documents distribution event in Sentul here. "From then on, the government had worked hard to achieve that target," added the Pekan lawmaker, who will be seeking his own mandate as prime minister in the upcoming polls. He claimed Putrajaya had to date solved 219,000 cases involving citizenship documents while half of the 7,600 applications for identity documents from the Indian community from 2012 to this year had been solved. The success in achieving the "tough task", was credited to his flagship Government Transformation Plan (GTP) which changed the mindset of the relevant ministry to adopt a radical solution to the problem, added Najib. The GTP was trumpeted as one of the many achievements of the Najib administration on live television just days before the BN chairman announced the dissolution of Parliament yesterday. In its push for the country's third biggest electorate, the opposition claimed the Najib administration had failed to address the "stateless" Indian problem, alleging there are 300,000 Malaysia-born Indians still without papers as a result of racial discrimination. The federal opposition pact Pakatan Rakyat (PR) said it would gather the 300,000 in a protest in front of the National Registration Department in Putrajaya but only 300 had turned up. PR had also included in its elections manifesto the pledge to solve all 300,000 cases within 100 days should it be voted into power but Najib today dismissed the idea as "impossible". "I asked the officers of the home ministry, if it was possible to do this. They told me 'no'. Why? Because first, there are no 300,000. And even if there are, this means they have to solve 3000 cases a day. That is impossible," he said. "This is just another one of their false promises, their lies," Najib said, an argument often repeated by members of the ruling coalition to counter PR's elections pledges. READ MORE HERE

GE13: MB announces RM300 bonus for S'gor civil servants Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:30 AM PDT Meena Lakshana. fz.com Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim today announced a RM300 bonus for all civil servants working for the state government. "We agreed at yesterday's state executive council meeting that all civil servants, including members of the state executive council (exco) will be given a special bonus," he told a press conference at the Annexe gallery of the state assembly building here.    "It is a token of appreciation for all the work that the civil servants have done for us," Abdul Khalid said, adding that the bonus will be given in the nearest time.   He was responding to questions from reporters about the rate of the performances by each state executive council member since Pakatan Rakyat took over the state after the March 2008 general election.    The bonus is parallel to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's efforts in recent months to award employees from government-linked companies bonuses as an appreciation for their hard work as the nation heads towards a highly contested general election this year.   Ironically, the opposing coalition Pakatan Rakyat has always criticised Najib for dishing out funds in an attempt to woo voters.   Abdul Khalid also announced that all state assembly and exco members had agreed to only spend 50% of their annual allocation of RM500,000 until the end of elections in the spirit of good governance and effective financial management.   "This is to ensure there is sufficient funds in order for the new state government to carry out its tasks efficiently and the people's welfare is not neglected."   He said when Pakatan had taken over the state in 2008, the administration found that there were insufficient funds to run the state effectively.    "There was money but the allocations were not enough, so we had to top it up at our next state assembly meeting," he said.    "And this was in March 2008, merely three months after the state assembly members were given their annual allocations.   "It is not proper. The funds are supposed to fund them for the entire year," he said, adding he was satisfied with the work that the state had done so far to implement reforms.   Abdul Khalid also said the election candidates for all seats in Selangor has been finalised and will be announced next Wednesday by the party leadership.    He declined to divulge whether he would be retaining his state seat Ijok and Parliamentary seat Bandar Tun Razak.    He also said the Pakatan manifesto for Selangor will be announced in two to three days time.

Opposition plans to abolish 1MDB unjustified, say fund recipients Posted: 04 Apr 2013 01:28 AM PDT (Bernama) - The opposition manifesto to abolish 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is unjustified as it has benefited the people. The ten 1MDB corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes have succeeded in enhancing access to education, health and business among the target groups. Programmes to sponsor mosque officials and kampung headman to perform haj, Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Fund, 1Malaysia Mobile Clinic, 1Malaysia Youth Fund and Rumah Arau have improved quality of life in line with the aspiration of 1Malaysia Concept, 'People First, Performance Now'. Some 1.5 million people nationwide have benefited from programmes under the supervision of 1MDB Foundation with RM300 million government allocation. Muhsin Abdul Razak, 27, the recipient of the 1Malaysia Youth Fund for creative art received RM60,000 for his 'Projek Rabak' based in Ipoh. The fund will help the young generation with inclination towards painting, filming, photography and poetry. "We have a Facebook page which received 6,000 'like' and established Khizanat as an open gallery for art lovers to share ideas," said the graduate in automotive engineering from Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka. Meanwhile, Malaysian Youth Council secretary-general Mohd Zaidi Aziz said abolishing 1Malaysia Youth Fund is unjustified as the incentives help young people with creative and innovative skills. "We can't just abolish these initiatives but have to see which elements need to be improved. 1Malaysia Youth Fund is given to young people who have high skills in creative fields," he added. The brainchild of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched in 2011 has distributed about RM14.7 million to 249 recipients under 1Malaysia Youth Fund. Melvin Tah Kok Wai, 22, was lucky to be selected for the 'Experience Work' pilot programme with cooperation of 1MDB Foundation and Sime Darby Foundation which provides an opportunity for poor students to work in a university. "I worked in the Student Affairs Department as supervisor for lodging. I gained a lot of experience as well as communication skills," said the software engineering student at Universiti Tenaga Nasional. As of March, a total of 75 university students have benefited from the programme. 1MDB also provide 'Majudiri Project' to improve the quality of life and economy of small traders by providing business enhancement courses and equipment. N. Puspavalli, 36, who runs an Indian traditional cake business said the course gave her the platform to develop her business. "Now I feel more confident when communicating with customers and know how to market my products," said the single mother, one of 3,000 participants who benefited form the course. Meanwhile, Wangsa Maju (Section 1) Rukun Tetangga chairman, Ismail Abu Samah, 59, said if not for 1MDB, he would have to wait for 32 years to make the haj pilgrimage. "I was with 400 other pilgrims under the second group of this special programme," said the father of seven children who was grateful for the offer. Najib recently handed offer letters to perform haj sponsored by 1MDB to 800 people including imams, kampung headmen and chairmen of kampung development and security committees (JKKK). 1MDB also provides PTA Fund of RM20 million to enhance programmes and activities in government schools and government aided schools. It also provides educational scholarships to 900 outstanding Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia students. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim when presenting the manifesto said 1MDB should be abolished as it is duplication of the functions of Khazanah Nasional.

Group warns of action against phantoms on polling day Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:34 PM PDT "We are ready for you," Haris told Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the video message. "We, many of us, are ready to die. Are you ready to die?" Clara Chooi, TMI An activist movement has warned foreigners and phantom voters away from polling stations during Election 2013, saying they will be dealt with accordingly if they dared to sneak in their votes. Anything But Umno (ABU), an opposition-friendly polls watchdog group, said it will be deploying special squads on polling day to ensure no phantom voter, foreigner or fake IC holder would dare loiter near polling stations. "Please take this warning seriously. On polling day, ABU will be patrolling all stations and will deal with all foreigner who intend to defy this warning," ABU leader Haris Ibrahim said in the group's polls message on video-sharing site YouTube yesterday. "Please. I emphasise again – take this warning seriously." The lawyer-turned-activist also urged Malaysians to assist ABU in its efforts to prevent electoral fraud by casting their ballots early on polling day. He explained that voters could help ABU's squads by staying near the polling stations after they have cast their ballots and even accompany the ballot boxes when they are being sent to the various tallying centres nationwide. "Stay and defend the electoral process," he appealed. In the group's strongest warning yet to possible troublemakers, Haris (picture) declared that ABU members were even "willing to die" to prevent electoral fraud in Election 2013. The activist claimed of plots by the Najib team on polling day but said his team of monitors would be ready to fight them. "We are ready for you," Haris told Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the video message. "We, many of us, are ready to die. Are you ready to die?" The activist added that ABU's members were willing to "go to any length and at all cost" to ensure that the polls process would not be tampered with by outsiders. Haris also told Pakatan Rakyat (PR) parties not to squabble over seat distribution, reminding its leaders that many of their supporters would be fighting tooth and nail to ensure that the ruling Barisan Nasonal (BN) falls from Putrajaya in Election 2013. He said much of PR's support was "by default" and not out of love for the pact's three parties but due to a profound hatred towards BN and its lynchpin Umno, which he claimed have "cheated and robbed" Malaysians for years. To non-PR parties contesting against BN, Haris urged their candidates not to betray the votes given to them by the electorate by jumping ship to the ruling pact once they are voted into their seats. He said it was likely that these representatives would later be seduced with lucrative offers to jump ship to BN, but appealed that they reject them or face the consequences later. The activist did not specify what these consequences were but said in the warning that ABU's agents would hunt them down if they did not flee the country after accepting the BN's offers. "Do not succumb (to the offers) but if you do, take this advice – take what you will and leave the country. "If you do not leave, trust me... we will hunt you down and we will ensure that in the shortest possible time, a by-election will be held to fill up the vacancy that would have been caused. "Take this warning seriously," he said. READ MORE HERE

Malaysian PM Najib predicts victory at polls Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:28 PM PDT Malaysian PM Najib Razak prepares for general election, says "cautiously optimistic" of victory. (AFP) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Thursday he is "cautiously optimistic" of a "big" win on election day if his party can overcome its internal woes. Najib, who dissolved parliament Wednesday in preparation for a general election seen as the ruling coalition's toughest challenge after 56 years in power, has urged voters to give him a strong mandate to rule. "We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to win big, which means two-thirds majority (in parliament)," he said. "We have to work hard towards it and we have to make sure we minimise all internal problems within the party," Najib said, in an apparent reference to factional struggles within his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). The vote is tipped to be the closest ever, driven by concerns over corruption, the rising cost of living and high crime under the Barisan Nasional coalition which has ruled Malaysia since independence in 1957. Najib has worked hard to rebrand UMNO, which dominates the 13-member Barisan coalition, by launching a series of reforms to strengthen the economy and grant greater civil liberties. "For four years we have fulfilled all our promises," he said after chairing an UMNO meeting. Recently, ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad said Najib could face a ruling-party leadership putsch if he does not improve on a 2008 polls setback. An election commission official said Thursday that the election regulator was expected to meet next week to decide on the polling date. The vote must be held within two months from the date parliament is dissolved. Analysts speculate it would be in late April. Najib is facing his first test at the ballot box since taking over in 2009 and is under pressure to recover from the coalition's shock 2008 election result, when it lost its traditional two-thirds parliamentary majority. The resurgent opposition, led by charismatic former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim, has gained traction by pledging to tackle authoritarianism and graft and is equally confident of victory. The opposition currently holds 75 of 222 parliamentary seats and controls four of the country's 13 states. Ambiga Sreenevasan, the co-chairman of electoral reform group Bersih, said the opposition had the odds stacked against it. "No doubt the opposition goes into the race with a disadvantage. Please allow the opposition to have access to the media," she told reporters. Currently the opposition does not have access to state media. "I hope voters will come out in big numbers to dilute the discrepancies in the electoral roll," she added, referring to claims the list does not accurately represent the electorate.

Pakatan ‘list’ circulates on Twitter Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:22 PM PDT It is said to be up to date as of yesterday. Leven Woon, FMT A social activist has leaked through Twitter what he said was the most recently updated Pakatan Rakyat list of candidates for the general election. Adrian Ng, a member of the civic groups Loyar Buruk told FMT he obtained the list from a PKR insider. He posted it on Twitter last night and said it was up to date as of yesterday. According to the list, which has 63 names, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution, who is the current Machang MP, will shift to the Kulim Bandar Baru seat in Kedah. Zulkifli Noordin won it for PKR in 2008, but he was sacked from the party in 2010 and became an independent MP supportive of BN. The list names new candidates for two DAP strongholds in Perak. Former Perak assembly speaker V Sivakumar replaces Fong Po Kuan in Batu Gajah and Canning assemblyman Wong Kah Woh replaces M Kulasegaran in Ipoh Barat. Fong and Kulasegaran are said to be in the bad books of Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham and secretary Nga Kor Ming. However, Ng's tweet said Pakatan had yet to finalise its decision on the two seats. In Johor, PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub is said to be contesting for the Pulai parliament seat and former deputy army chief Abdul Ghafir Abdul Hamid, who recently joined PKR, will stand in Pasir Gudang, also a parliament seat. Johor PKR chief Chua Jui Meng is said to be running for either the Segamat or Kulai parliament seat. Chua is calling for a press conference tomorrow. He is expected to announce his election plan after disappearing from the public eye for two weeks. Sources said he was sulking over Pakatan's decision to let DAP strongman Lim Kit Siang contest in Gelang Patah. Here is the list according to Adrian Ng: READ MORE HERE

Social media to the fore Posted: 03 Apr 2013 10:18 PM PDT Pundits expect the Internet to be the main battleground in GE13 to a greater extent than in GE12.  B Nantha Kumar, FMT You could almost hear the nation letting out a collective sigh of relief yesterday when the Prime Minister finally broke what some would call the most sustained suspense thus far in Malaysia's political history. We say "thus far" because Najib's announcement of Parliament's dissolution marks the beginning of an even more nerve-wracking episode in a drama that will end only with the announcement of the GE13 results. Most of us won't bother to stay in our seats to watch the closing credits. We already know whom to thank or blame—Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and all the other communication channels that come under the rubric of social media. To be sure, the combatants will still speak at ceramahs, distribute pamphlets and stick their posters all over the place. However, the main battleground will be in cyberspace, like it was in 2008, with the difference that social media, by virtue of their wide reach through interactive engagement, afford much more coverage than what we may now call the "traditional weblogs" that were the campaign media for GE12. GE12 made history because the ruling BN recorded its worst electoral performance ever, slashing its long-held two-thirds majority in Parliament and giving five states to its rival, Pakatan Rakyat (then known as Barisan Alternatif), although Perak went back to BN after several state assemblymen left Pakatan and declared themselves independent. No one—whether he supports be BN or Pakatan or is a fence sitter—doubts that the Internet will play a pivotal role again in deciding the outcome of GE13. Najib himself recognised this long ago and was among the first top Malaysian politicians to embrace social media with a big hug. But whatever medium it decides to communicate through, BN or at least Umno is expected to once again fall back on its tried-and-true method of winning the votes of those who fear the unknown. Pundits say it will try to instil fear in those who don't have it and fan it where it is already existent. READ MORE HERE

GE13: SAPP eyes 40 seats and dares DAP to contest 20 Posted: 03 Apr 2013 05:12 PM PDT (The Star) - KOTA KINABALU: Although labelled a mosquito party, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) will be going for at least 40 seats and challenged DAP to face it in half of these seats in the general election. "DAP should contest at least 20 seats if it is strong. If it can't, it might as well not contest," SAPP president Datuk Yong Teck Lee said at a ceramah here. He said DAP had been boasting about its strength and if it believed in its own rhetoric about its performance in Penang, DAP should go for more seats in Sabah. "We in SAPP, despite being labelled a parti nyamuk (mosquito party) will go for 40 seats at least," said Yong, in an apparent reference to the seat sharing of 85 parliamentary and state seats in Sabah among candidates from DAP, PKR, PAS and two independents Datuk Lajim Ukin and Datuk Wilfred Bumburing . Besides the two men, both former Barisan Nasional MPs, the three parties in the Opposition front will get between 10 and 14 seats each. Yong said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang had conceded the three peninsula-based parties would not be able to win Sabah. Home-grown SAPP is not part of the electoral pact. "If there is no confidence about winning (in Sabah), why contest?" asked Yong.

Hindraf's P. Uthayakumar to contest Kota Raja parliamentary, Sri Andalas state seats Posted: 03 Apr 2013 03:56 PM PDT (The Star) - Hindraf's P. Uthayakumar will contest as an Independent candidate in the Kota Raja parliamentary and Sri Andalas state seats in the upcoming elections. The former Internal Security Act detainee said he would likely be contesting as an independent candidate if Pakatan Rakyat does not make way for him to contest under their ticket. Uthayakumar said the movement would also be fielding candidates for the Kuala Selangor and Kelana Jaya parliamentary seat as well as Sri Muda, Ijok, Bukit Melawati and Seri Setia state seats in Selangor. He said the candidates would be revealed after the Election Commission announces the nomination date.

‘Give us intelligent, rational new candidates’ Posted: 03 Apr 2013 03:44 PM PDT In the context of continuity and change, it must be remembered that 'change does not happen in any radical way,' says an academician. (Bernama) - SINGAPORE: As Malaysia gears towards the 13th general election, both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat have been urged to field new candidates of quality who can work together to deal with the country's upcoming economic challenges. Associate professor for the Contemporary Islam Programme at Nanyang Technological University, Dr Farish A Noor said it was vital to remember that "change does not happen in any radical way". Farish, a Malaysian, was responding to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat yesterday. Farish was asked to share his views on how important it was for Malaysia to have political continuity and economic stability. Whenever politicians talk of continuity and change, Farish pointed out: "We need to remember that change does not happen in any radical way. "Even PM Najib has said that if there is to be any changes, it ought to be done in a lawful manner, which means that the state apparatus and constitution of Malaysia will remain intact." He said this election would therefore witness both sides offering their vision for a better Malaysia, in the form of PM Najib's economic transformation programme and the opposition's economy-focused manifesto. "I'm glad to see both sides are appealing to the economic aspirations of the Malaysian electorate, and I hope that both sides will field new candidates of quality, who can work together to deal with Malaysia's upcoming economic challenges in an intelligent, rational manner. "We cannot predict the outcome of the GE, but the economic transformation programme does signal an awareness of the needs and demands of the electorate, in the context of a changing society," he added. The dissolution of the 12th Dewan Rakyat paves the way for the 13th general election. The announcement was made on the fourth anniversary to the date of Najib having assumed the post of prime minister.

‘LGE a Chinese hero, but…’ Posted: 03 Apr 2013 03:42 PM PDT Gerakan says the CM has bought his status at the high cost of social polarisation. Hawkeye, FMT GEORGE TOWN: A Gerakan leader admitted today that the Chinese regard Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng as a hero of their community but said he had won that status at the cost of disharmony among citizens of the state. Chia Kwang Chye, a vice-president in Gerakan, appeared careful not to use the phrase "racial disharmony", preferring to talk of "polarisation at every stratum of society" without elaborating on it. "The Chinese community wanted a hero and Lim somehow fits the bill," he told FMT. "But at the same time, he should also act out the virtues of a popular leader, such as uniting rather than disharmonising communities." Chia also repeated a frequently heard criticism of Lim's political style – that he is too combative against detractors. "While it may be good in some instances to be single-minded about issues," he said, "it can be counter-productive as Penang's diverse communities and critical-minded society would prefer an engaging and consultative personality rather than one who keeps talking down on them and politicises every issue imaginable." He advised Lim to tone down his aggression, saying his street-fighter style of politics gave an impression that he was superficial. He said that perception was strengthened last week when Lim, reacting to an online news report, challenged Penang BN chief Teng Chang Yeow to contest against him for the state seat of Padang Kota. "If one reads the report carefully," he said, "Teng did not challenge Lim. He just said he was ready to meet Lim in the election. Yet the good honourable chief minister thought it was an outright challenge."

Anwar's wife not contesting Posted: 03 Apr 2013 03:22 PM PDT (Straits Times) - Malaysian's opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has confirmed that his wife and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail will not be contesting in the 13th general election, Malaysian media reported. "Azizah was able to lead the party while I was in prison. She leads the party but decided not to contest in the election," he said during a live interview with Al-Jazeera on Wednesday in response to allegations of nepotism in PKR, Free Malaysia Today website reported. Aside from Dr Azizah, the couple's daughter Nurul Izzah is the party vice president and Lembah Pantai MP. Speculations about Dr Azizah contesting in this general election arose last week. Malay daily Sinar Harian reported Dr Azizah's intention to contest for a state seat in Selangor but added she had not decided on the seat. "Yes, I would contest for a seat in the Selangor state legislative assembly but we need to discuss on a suitable seat. That would make it easier for me to conduct an election campaign and focus on the area," she had told the daily. Following that, Selangor PKR information chief Shuhaimi Shafiei who is also Seri Muda state assemblyman offered four state seats out of the 17 that PKR have for her to contest. Her intention to contest also created speculations that current Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali who is also vying for the menteri besar seat would have to give way for Dr Azizah to be the next menteri besar, if she won. Many PKR grassroots leaders also welcomed Dr Azizah's decision. Dr Azizah was the Permatang Pauh MP from 1999 to July 2008. She contested in Permatang Pauh after Mr Anwar was disqualified from holding on to his MP position when he was imprisoned. In July 2008, she stepped down to allow Mr Anwar's comeback into active politics. Her decision to step down resulted in her being disqualified to contest for a parliament seat until July this year.

Ethnic Indians' concerns, focal point of Malaysia elections Posted: 03 Apr 2013 02:04 PM PDT   Watch video at: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/04/02/296185/ethinc-indians-concerns-focal-point-of-malaysia-elections/   Ethnic Indians constitute eight percent of Malaysia's population of 28 million. The British brought them into the country mostly to work in rubber plantations. Analysts say while there is now a handful of rich Indians, a large number of them still remain poor. Indian leaders say both the government and federal Opposition have not done much to improve the living standard of ethnic Indians.  The Opposition has also been slammed for failing to address the needs of the Indian community in their recent election manifesto.  But the Democratic Action Party, the biggest party in the Opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance, has come up with a declaration to tackle the grievances of Indians.  Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and the Islamist party PAS have remained silent, raising questions about their commitment to the declaration.  For the first time in the 2008 general election, Indians voted largely for the Opposition. But analysts say, the failure of the Opposition to capitalise on Indian discontent coupled with measures taken by the government may help reverse that voting pattern.  Analysts say the ruling Barisan Nasional's policies, including two rounds of cash handouts to the poor, may have helped win back rural and working class Indian support.  Prime minister Najib Razak must call for the next general election within the next three weeks, after which time his mandate runs out.  And Indian votes will surely help determine who forms the next government.

'Izzah's Video Is A Ploy By Azmin's Camp' Posted: 03 Apr 2013 01:51 PM PDT   (Malaysian Digest) - The allegation that a video exists involving Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Deputy President, Nurul Izzah Anwar is believed to have been started by the camp of the party's deputy president, Azmin Ali. Utusan Malaysia today reported that Permatang Pauh PKR's Indian Chief, N. Ponnusamy said the issue is believed to have been brought up to limit the power hold Nurul Izzah and party President Datin Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Wan Ismail have in the party. "We are confident that the video issue is the ploy of Azmin's supporters who are eager to stop Azizah and Nurul Izzah from politically flourishing in Selangor," he told Utusan Malaysia yesterday. Ponnusamy has also requested for Azmin to stop 'attacking' Wan Azizah through Ampang MP Zuraida Kamaruddin's political secretary, Mohd Fareez Kamal Intidzam. Fareez, lately, has been making several harsh statements targeted at Dr. Wan Azizah. Ponnusamy also told Utusan Malaysia that Azmin must ask Fareez to retract the letter that was sent to PAS President, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang. "Azmin must man-up and face us, instead of acting like a coward. He chose Fareez to 'attack' Wan Azizah because Fareez is his protege. On March 9, Fareez lodged a police report alleging his family and himself are being harassed for sending a letter dated March 3 to Abdul Hadi. In the letter, he claims that Azmin is more fit to head the party compared to Wan Azizah, and a change was necessary to ensure the opposition coalition will thrive in the upcoming general election.

'Umno Prayers Not Accepted': Non-Muslims Should Also Be Wary Of PAS Approach Posted: 03 Apr 2013 01:49 PM PDT   (Malaysian Digest) - PAS spiritual leader, Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat has made yet another controversial statement regarding Muslim Umno members which should also make non-Muslims wary of the 'holier-than-thou' approach he has been adopting. In a report on Utusan Online, Nik Aziz, in one of his talks last night at Kampung Jambu here, alleged that the prayers by Muslim Umno members will not be accepted by Allah as the party rejects Islamic policies. He also claims that Umno has been rejecting Allah SWT all this while by practicing a national policy that rejects Islamic-based policies in its rule. "Umno rejects Islam, rejecting Islam means rejecting Allah. This means their prayers will not bring 'pahala' (reward). How will their prayers be accepted if they reject Islam?" At the same time, he also said that if PAS members reject Islam, they too will not receive 'rewards'. "This includes PAS members who are arrogant or stingy, they too will not be 'rewarded' in what they do," he added. "In order for our prayers to be accepted, it is not easy. How can one obtain 'rewards' if one rejects Islam? Allah brought Islam to us through Prophet Muhammad pbuh, and suddenly Umno rejects Islamic policies instead opting for national ones. How will they get 'rewarded' that way?" he said. The talk was attended by some 500 people made up mostly of staunch PAS supporters. Nik Aziz also urged Kelantanese to vote for PAS in the upcoming general election. "If Umno gives money, take. They give sugar, stir it. They give you clothes, wear it. If they give you a cow, slaughter it. But when they hand you the ballot paper, make sure you vote for PAS," he remarked. On November 17 last year at a press conference in conjunction with PAS' 58th Annual Assembly in Kota Bharu, Nik Aziz claimed that UMNO is an apostate party for rejecting Islam in its party's policies. He also threw a question asking if the party is now based on Christianity, Buddhism or simply an atheist party. Prior to that, PAS, via Nik Aziz's brother, Nik Razi Nik Mat prayed for the downfall of Umno and BN in a special prayer event held at Stadium Muhamad IV.

Man claims he was shot by police Posted: 03 Apr 2013 01:43 PM PDT   (The Star) - Mahendran underwent surgery at the hospital and upon being discharged, found out he is being investigated by the Sentul police for attempted murder and is currently on police bail.  A 24-year-old man has claimed that he was shot by four men who identified themselves as policemen when he refused to get out of his car. S. Mahendran who lives in Sentul said the incident occurred at 5am on March 3 when he was leaving a restaurant in his car along Jalan Khalsa off Jalan Ipoh here. "Three men in plainclothes and on motorcycles pulled up next to me at the traffic junction and identified themselves as policemen. "They ordered me out of the car. I refused and instead asked them to show their police identity cards first," he said during a press conference held with Suaram at the Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Chinese Assembly Hall. Mahendran, who is unemployed, said he had been a victim of two robberies in 2012 and most recently in February this year and was afraid the men in plainclothes could be posing as bogus cops. He drove to a police station in Jalan Kasipillay and the trio on motorcycles trailed him there. A fourth man claiming to be a policeman also asked him to get out of the car. "I feared for my safety and decided to leave but as I was driving off, I knocked into one of the motorcycles belonging to the men. The next thing I heard was gun shots and I felt pain in my left thigh," he said, adding that the group did not pursue him. Mahendran called his father, who lives in Klang, and the father told him to get a friend to drive him to the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang. Mahendran underwent surgery at the hospital and upon being discharged, found out he is being investigated by the Sentul police for attempted murder and is currently on police bail. "I have lodged a police report on the matter and hope the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters or Bukit Aman would look into my case," he said. He added that he is astounded by the alleged policemen opening fire outside a police station and having the cheek to investigate him for attempted murder. Sentul OCPD Asst Comm Zakaria Pagan confirmed the case and said police are investigating.

Insight: In Malaysia's election, a focus on rainforest graft Posted: 03 Apr 2013 12:06 PM PDT   (Reuters) - The island of Borneo may be all that stands between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and an unprecedented election defeat within weeks for his ruling coalition. Borneo's two Malaysian states -- Sabah and Sarawak -- have been a bastion of votes for the National Front coalition headed by Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). The two states, among Malaysia's poorest despite vast natural resources, kept the National Front in power in 2008 even as a groundswell of support for the opposition deprived the government of its iron-clad two-thirds parliamentary majority. That could start to change. Allegations of corruption in recent months have dogged the chief ministers of both Sabah and Sarawak, long-time rulers who hold vast sway over some of the world's largest tracts of tropical forests. The National Front is favored to win the election that Najib must call by the end of April, extending its 56-year rule thanks to robust economic growth and its strong electoral machinery. But it could be one of Malaysia's closest elections. Corruption scandals threaten to undermine one of Najib's central messages -- that he is making Southeast Asia's third-largest economy more transparent and competitive. Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, who is also the state's top UMNO official, has been under scrutiny the past year after whistleblower website Sarawak Report published documents from the Hong Kong and Malaysian anti-corruption agencies. The two agencies started investigating Musa in late 2008. The probe was based on a tip-off that the chief minister was extracting money from businessmen seeking timber concessions and funneling it to UBS bank accounts in Hong Kong and Singapore, sources close to the investigations said. They declined to say who gave the tip-off. Read more at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/02/us-malaysia-politics-idUSBRE9310ZL20130402

Malaysia Vote May Rule on Racial Divide Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:57 AM PDT   (New York Times) - Mr. Najib sounded defensive at times as he announced the dissolution of Parliament on national television. "Don't gamble the future of your children and Malaysia," he said. "Think and contemplate as much as you can before making a decision. Because that will determine the direction of the country and also your grandchildren's future." When the prime minister of Malaysia, Najib Razak, announced Wednesday that he was dissolving Parliament, he set in motion an election campaign that will render judgment not just on his embattled governing coalition, but also on Malaysia's longstanding system of dividing the power and spoils of public life on ethnic lines. "This is a referendum on race-based politics," Ibrahim Suffian, the director of the Merdeka Center, an independent polling agency, said of the election. "The ruling coalition continues to argue that the existing system brings stability. The opposition is talking more about politics based on class, not race." The country has been led since independence in 1957 by a coalition, now known as the National Front, whose three main members are parties that define themselves on explicitly racial lines: one for Malays, the country's largest ethnic group; one for Chinese; and one for Indians. But in recent years, the cohesion of those groups has begun to fray. Chinese voters, who make up about one-quarter of the country's population of nearly 30 million, have abandoned the coalition in large numbers, and the Malays who have dominated the political hierarchy for five decades are divided. "How can you have a country based on race? It's like South Africa 30 years ago," said Nariza Hashim, a voter in Kuala Lumpur who is classified as Malay but who has Chinese, Indian and Scottish as well as Malay ancestors. Though her grandfather was an early leader of the United Malays National Organization, the Malay component of the coalition, Ms. Nariza said the country's ethnic classifications baffled her five children. "They really don't understand why you would ask someone's race on a government form," she said. The ethnic system has been reinforced over the years by paternalistic news media with close ties to the governing coalition. A leading English-language newspaper, The New Straits Times, ran an article about the elections on its front page Wednesday with a photograph of Mr. Najib waving his index finger, next to the headline "Choose wisely." Read more at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/04/world/asia/facing-tests-malaysias-leader-calls-for-elections.html

Hindraf gets good vibes from BN, wants debate with DAP Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:43 AM PDT Hindraf is looking forward to a second meeting with Najib after getting positive feedback through informal contacts. It is also challenging Lim Kit Siang to a debate on its blueprint. K Kabilan, FMT Hindraf today said that there were indications that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak would seriously look into its five-year blueprint for the betterment of the marginalised Indian community. "We think there are chances of our proposals being adopted by the Barisan Nasional," Hindraf's national adviser N Ganesan told FMT today. He said that following a formal meeting between Hindraf and Najib on March 25 at Putrajaya, there have been "informal contacts" between the parties on the matter. "Based on these informal contacts, things are looking positive. We now await our second formal meeting to take place to take this to the next step," he said. No date has been fixed for the second meeting but Ganesan is confident that it would be held very soon. "We don't know if Najib would be free in the next couple of days but we believe the high-profile meeting will take place very soon," he added. He refused to divulge more details on the informal contacts, apart from saying that the outcome of these contacts has been very favourable. "There are indications of acceptance [by the BN] of our proposal," he said. On March 25, a three-member Hindraf delegation which included Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy and Ganesan had met Najib at the Prime Minister's Office in Putrajaya. Najib had then assured them that he would be holding a second meeting with them to discuss the Hindraf blueprint for the Indian community. Hindraf's blueprint, among others, highlights issues related to displaced Indian plantation workers, the need for tertiary-level education for Indian students, job opportunities in the government sector, financial loans to Indian entrepreneurs, and the establishment of a Minorities Affairs Ministry. Waythamoorthy had embarked on a hunger strike on March 10 in order to get either BN or Pakatan Rakyat to endorse the Hindraf blueprint. He ended his hunger strike on March 31. He had previously said that Hindraf would support whichever party that endorsed its blueprint. Alternatively, he had declared that Hindraf supporters would abstain from voting if neither Pakatan nor BN was willing to endorse the blueprint. He had also expressed his disappointment with Pakatan and its leader Anwar Ibrahim for not taking them seriously despite having several meetings. With the latest development now, it looks like Najib and BN would be benefiting from Hindraf's support if he accepts their proposals for the Indian community. However, it is uncertain if he would accept the Hindraf blueprint in toto or would negotiate for some compromise. Debate challenge to Kit Siang In another development, Ganesan today challenged DAP veteran leader Lim Kit Siang to debate him on the DAP's blueprint for the Indian communtity which was launched on March 31 in Gelang Patah. Lim is contesting in Gelang Patah this time around. READ MORE HERE

GE13: Trouble in Raub DAP Posted: 03 Apr 2013 04:37 AM PDT (The Star) - Trouble is brewing in Raub DAP, with the party's division resolving to appeal against the central leadership's decision to field former Umno assemblyman Mohd Ariff Sabri for the Raub parliamentary constituency. They want party leaders to reconsider their preferred candidate, Tengku Zulpuri Raja Puji Shah, whom they claim has been active on the ground for several years. "We will submit our request through normal procedures to the party central leadership. We hope Tengku Zulpuri can stay in Raub," Raub DAP chief and Tras state assemblyman Choong Siew Oon was quoted by a news portal as saying Wednesday. An emergency division meeting held in Raub on Tuesday night was attended by 50 local leaders. DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng announced on Monday that Mohd Ariff will be fielded in Raub while Tengku Zulpuri would contest in Mentakab, a state seat under the Temerloh parliamentary seat. The announcement was said to have caught local DAP leaders and supporters by surprise as Tengku Zulpuri had been active in the constituency. Mohd Ariff was Pulau Manis assemblyman from 2004 to 2008.

PI Bala's wife and children missing, claims lawyer Posted: 02 Apr 2013 07:33 PM PDT Ram Anand, Malaysiakini Private eye P Balasubramaniam's wife, A Santamil Selvi, and her children are mysteriously missing from their family home in Rawang, Bala's lawyer Americk Sidhu revealed today. Americk said that Selvi had become incommunicado since yesterday morning. Last Saturday, a few members of the press and even police officers showed up at her home after an SMS was circulated claiming that she would file a police report to claim that her husband had been paid by lawyers to make the false first statutory declaration (SD1). Americk admitted his fears that she could be pushed to make a similar U-turn as Bala had done. In 2006, just one day after signing SD1, in which he implicated Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor in the murder of Mongolian translator Altantuya Shariibuu, Bala retracted it and signed a second SD which claimed that the first was signed under duress. Bala passed away on March 15 from a heart attack shortly after returning from self-imposed exile in Chennai. He had been campaigning for Pakatan Rakyat. Americk said on Monday, two "journalists" had appeared at Bala's house claiming that their editors had told them that Selvi wanted to make a statement. She denied this to the reporters, but seated in a black car, they were seen to be taking pictures of the house from a distance. According to Americk, neighbours had informed Bala's friend that the whole family had left the house in their car at about 10.15am yesterday and have not been reachable since then. A family friend had today visited the house to notice that the family dog was out of it's cage and roaming out in the front porch, with the front gates closed. "The neighbours are also missing and have been uncontactable all day," he said, adding that the turn of events was very "uncharacteristic" of Selvi.

Anwar to contest in Perak Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:39 PM PDT The opposition leader says he is making his move to strengthen support for Pakatan Rakyat in the state. Anisah Shukry and Alyaa Azhar, FMT Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim today announced that he would be leaving his constituency of Permatang Pauh to contest a seat in Perak. "I will have to go back to Permatang Pauh to appease them [constituents]; there was a very strong protest, but it was not my intention to disrespect the voters there," Anwar said at a press conference at the PKR headquarters here today. "Some have raised concerns, mentioned that they have been with me over these years, even when I was in prison, they were there to support me." But he said he explained to the voters there that his purpose for moving to Perak was to strengthen support there for Pakatan Rakyat, and not to "ditch" Permatang Pauh voters. "They said to me, 'now you're strong, en route to Putrajaya, don't just ditch us'. But that is not my intention. "But my relations with Permatang Pauh is quite sentimental, so I would need to engage with them and explain to them by tomorrow." However, he refused to divulge exactly which seat he would be contesting in Perak, saying that the candidates' list will be announced tomorrow after a meeting with Pakatan leaders. Candidates' list 90% ready Meanwhile, election director Azmin Ali, who was also at the press conference, said that PKR was now "definitely ready" with its list of candidates. READ MORE HERE

Malaysia's ruling and opposition parties say ready for polls Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:33 PM PDT Carolyn Hong, Straits Times It's now just a matter of weeks before Malaysians go to the ballot box, as Prime Minister Najib Razak has finally announced the dissolution of Parliament on Wednesday after months of speculation. Both Mr Najib and his rival, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, have declared themselves ready to face the 13.3 million voters. Both sides have expressed confidence about winning the 13th general election that will be the closest fought in Malaysia's history. In recent days, Mr Najib has expressed "cautious optimism" that his federal ruling coalition Barisan Nasional can regain its two-thirds majority control of Parliament, that is at least 148 seats out of a total 222. Either side needs at least 112 seats to win with a simple majority. Recently, Umno information chief Ahmad Maslan has even predicted winning as many as 160 seats. The opposition Pakatan Rakyat has also been as confident, predicting a win of about 10 seats above the minimum 112, making it around 120 to 125 seats. The BN won 140 seats in the 2008 general election, and the PR 82. Analysts, however, have been more cautious. Many believe that the gap between the BN and PR has closed significantly in the last four years, and neither side has locked in a decisive victory. Political analyst Ibrahim Suffian from the Merdeka Centre said both sides stand very close to each other in their chances. "The ruling party has the preponderance of material resources to face the battle but they are confronted by an electorate that is increasingly critical, youthful and willing to experiment," he said. The 2008 general election also showed that the unexpected can lurk unseen, as the ground sentiment had swung so decisively at that time in such a quiet manner that few had even come close to predicting the outcome. The BN suffered its worst ever electoral showing since independence although it managed to cling onto power. It lost the two-thirds majority in Parliament and five states, but later regained Perak through defections. The contest will be a close one, with a lot depending on how the campaign goes. The Election Commission will announce soon the nomination and polling dates, with speculation that nomination will take place in about 10 days' time, and polling in the last weekend of April.

M'sia polls to have new elements including use of indelible ink and early voting Posted: 02 Apr 2013 06:29 PM PDT (Straits Times) - Malaysia will introduce a number of new elememts during the 13th general election to ensure transparency in the voting process. Bernama news agency reported on Wednesday that the new elements include the use of indelible ink, early voting by police and military personnel to replace postal voting, allowing the disabled to bring along someone to help them vote and abolishing the process of protest during nomination and withdrawal of candidacy. Bernama reported that the rule on indelible ink makes it compulsory for anyone wanting to vote to have the left index finger marked with the ink before being given the ballot paper. Those who refuse to comply will not be issued the paper. The Election Commission (EC), for the first time, also introduced early voting for military personnel and their spouses, General Operations Force personnel and spouses, and policemen unable to vote on polling day. This will involve 273,819 voters, comprising 163,017 voters from the military and 110,802 from the police. Other than members of the security forces, Malaysians abroad who meet stipulated conditions will also for the first time allowed to vote early through the postal voting method, according to Bernama. But they must be registered voters and had been in Malaysian or had returned not less than 30 days in five years prior to the dissolution of Parliament or state assembly. Malaysians living in southern Thailand, Singapore, Brunei and Kalimantan in Indonesia are not qualified to use this facility and must return home to vote. The EC said in a statement that the conditions were imposed to show that there is a clear relationship between the citizens of Malaysia and the motherland. The commission also agreed to abolish the process of protest during nomination and the period to withdraw candidacy to tackle the problem of frivolous protests, said the report. With this amendment, the time required by EC to print ballot papers is shortened because it does not have to wait for the cooling-off period of three days to withdraw candidacy as practised previously. Disabled people will be allowed to name someone they trust to help them vote, on condition that the named person is a citizen aged 21 and above, but not necessarily registered as a voter. And also for the first time in the history of the country's general elections, all media workers including journalists, photographers, cameraman and technicians on duty outside the areas they registered are eligible to apply to be postal voters. The EC is also prepared to give equal access to all political parties to present their manifestos on Radio Television Malaysia, said the Bernama report. Other new elements include campaign period must not be less than 10 days and the exhibition of the Electoral Roll will be extended from seven days to 14 days.

Malaysia's EC to decide on poll date, widely expected on last weekend of April Posted: 02 Apr 2013 05:28 PM PDT Carolyn Hong, Straits Times The Election Commission is expected to meet within a week to set a date for the 13th general election and determine when formal campaigning can begin. Speculation is rife that nomination will take place in about 10 days' time, and polling in the last weekend of April. The Barisan Nasional coalition's current five-year mandate will end on April 30. Malaysia dissolved its Parliament earlier on Wednesday, paving the way for the general election that will be the hardest-fought in its history, with both the ruling and opposition coalitions in a tight race. Announcing this long-awaited event, Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a live broadcast on television that the 12th Parliament has been dissolved with the assent of the King, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah. "The King has given his consent for Parliament to be dissolved, with effect from today," he said. "I advise other state leaders to also seek assent to dissolve their state assemblies respectively so that they can hold simultaneous polls." The Negeri Sembilan assembly had already automatically dissolved on March 28, and the other seven state assemblies controlled by the BN are also likely to be dissolved on Wednesday, except for Sarawak which held its state polls in April 2011. The four states controlled by the federal opposition alliance Pakatan Rakyat have yet to announce their decision, but are expected to dissolve as well. Analysts have predicted that it will be a close election with Mr Najib fighting hard to secure a strong mandate for the BN against a resurgent opposition Pakatan Rakyat. The PR had made tremendous gains in the 2008 general election, winning more than one-third of the Parliamentary seats and control of five states. The BN now holds 137 seats to the PR's 75. There are 10 independents. There are 222 parliamentary seats up for grabs, the same as in 2008, and 505 state seats. More than 13.3 million people are eligible to vote, a huge increase from the 10.5 million in 2008. About half the voters are below 40.

GE13: PKR hit by yet another sex allegation Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:37 PM PDT (The Star) - PKR has been hit by another round of allegations of sexual misconduct after a photograph of two of its Penang leaders in a compromising position went viral. Claiming that the picture of him with the woman leader was "superimposed", Bayan Baru PKR deputy chief Tan Seng Keat criticised it as "gutter politics". However, Tan, a municipal councillor, said he would not be lodging a police report following advice from party leaders. "Certain people are out to tarnish my reputation as the general election is around the corner," he said in an interview here yesterday. "I know the leader as we are both in the same party. "They (party leaders) want me to focus on my role as the elections director for the Bayan Baru parliamentary constituency. "They don't want me to get distracted by such nonsense." The woman, said Tan, used to be an assemblyman's aide before she quit in December last year. "From what I know, she is a piano teacher at a music centre," said Tan, who is married with two children. When contacted, the woman accused "opponents of PKR" of being desperate in trying to sabotage the party ahead of the elections. "I am considering whether to lodge a police report," she said. "Even if I do, it will be difficult to trace the culprit," said the woman, who declined to reveal her marital status or age. Last week, PKR vice-president N. Surendran had said that the party would investigate images on the Internet that allegedly showed a Kedah PKR official performing an indecent act while chatting with a woman online. In ALOR SETAR, state PKR chairman Datuk Wan Salleh Wan Isa confirmed that the man was a senior member in the party. The Kedah PKR disciplinary board, he said, had initiated investigation into the lewd video.

Pakatan states to follow suit as PM dissolves Parliament Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:14 PM PDT Debra Chong, Md Izwan and Opalyn Mok, TMI The Pakatan Rakyat (PR) state governments will dissolve their respective legislative assemblies today and pave the way for simultaneous polls nationwide after the prime minister announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning. Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will seek an audience with Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah at 1.30pm at the state palace in Shah Alam, the mentri besar's political secretary told The Malaysian Insider when contacted. "Today, Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim will have an audience with the Sultan at 1.30pm at the Istana Alam Shah," Faekah Husin said over the phone. "MB will meet the Sultan for his approval to dissolve the DUN," she said, referring to the state legislative assembly by its Malay acronym. She said the mentri besar will inform the media about the state assembly's dissolution only after meeting the state ruler. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is expected to declare the northern state's legislative assembly dissolved in a news conference at 12.30pm in George Town today. Lim and State Assembly Speaker Datuk Abdul Halim Hussain first need to get the approval from Yang Di-Pertuan Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas, at the Penang govenor's Seri Mutiara official residence. The mentris besar for Kedah and Kelantan, the other two PR-run states, are also expected to follow suit and seek audience with their respective state rulers. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of the Dewan Rakyat live over national television at 11.30am, paving the way for Malaysia's 13th general election. A total of 222 federal seats and 505 state seats will be contested in Election 2013. Sarawak, which helf its state election in April 2011, is not expected to dissolve its legislative assembly. Politicians from both the ruling Barisan Nasional and the opposition Pakatan Rakyat have been talking up their chances for a bigger win than they had scored in Election 2008.

BN to get bigger majority with Indian help, says Samy Vellu Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:10 PM PDT Syed Jaymal Zahiid, TMI The ruling coalition will get a bigger majority in Election 2013 and Indian voters will help ensure that, former MIC chief Datuk Seri Samy Vellu has said just as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced the dissolution of Parliament this morning. The former minister added the opposition will not be able to "get near" the Indian voters, saying MIC is confident that Malaysia's third biggest electorate is behind the ruling coalition despite the setback it suffered in the last polls — where majority of Indian votes flocked to the opposition.  "BN should get a bigger majority this time…this is the first PM to really concentrate on other races…MIC has worked the elections at every angle and all this will strengthen the Indian vote. "The Indians are very close to BN, they want to forget the past and build a new future and to support the PM and his government. Pakatan (Rakyat) will not be able to get near the Indians," he told reporters after donating RM10,000 each to the families of police personnel killed in the Sabah conflict. Samy also expressed confidence that Najib would adopt the Hindu Rights Action (Hindraf) Blueprint, seen as a key issue to the Indian community, should he be re-elected. "He should and he will. Najib is a man of his word. He is a person who thinks before he speaks," he said. Hindraf was once seen as a potent force within the Indian community. Its massive protest against the BN government under then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2007 was crucial to the community's rejection of BN in Election 2008. READ MORE HERE

‘Datuk T’s’ Shazryl Eskay due RM20m commission, court rules Posted: 02 Apr 2013 04:04 PM PDT (Bernama) - The Court of Appeal here today ruled that businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah is entitled to receive RM20 million in commission fees from a company and its executive director for his services in procuring the controversial crooked bridge project in Johor Baru. A three-member panel chaired by Justice Datuk Ramly Ali said construing the letter of undertaking, the amount had to be paid for service rendered. He said Eskay had completed his job and the question of the project being abandoned did not arise. Ramly said the amount to be paid was not on condition that the project must be completed. The panel, also comprising Justices Datuk Mohtaruddin Baki and Datuk David Wong Dak Wah, had unanimously allowed Eskay's appeal to set aside a High Court decision in May 2011 to dismiss his civil suit against Merong Mahawangsa Sdn Bhd and its executive director Datuk Yahya Abdul Jalil. Ramly also ordered the respondents, Merong Mahawangsa and Yahya to pay RM20,000 in legal costs to Eskay for the court proceedings at the High Court and Court of Appeal. In his decision on May 5, 2011, High Court judge Datuk VT Singham had ruled that Eskay's claim was no longer valid since the proposed bridge did not materialise. Singham said Eskay was not entitled to claim payment because the project was terminated. The Malaysia-Singapore International Gateway project to replace the Johor-Singapore Causeway (dubbed the crooked bridge) was terminated by the government on April 12, 2006 despite preliminary work having been done. The government had compensated Merong Mahawangsa RM155 million for cancelling the project. Eskay, who is one of the members of the "Datuk T" trio who revealed a sex video allegedly showing an opposition leader having sex with a prostitute, filed the suit in 2002 claiming that Yahya had, in 1998, sought his help to procure the project from the government and to seek foreign funding for the RM640 million project. He claimed that Yahya had sought his help for his good ties with the government. Eskay also claimed that Yahya had suggested RM20 million as remuneration for his services. He alleged that in February 1998, he had managed to secure a guarantee from a firm, Charles E. Jay, which was based in Alabama in the United States, for a RM640 million loan as the initial requirement for the project. He said after he obtained the guarantee letter from the firm, he met the then finance minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on May 3 1998 to discuss about the proposed project. He also set up a meeting between Yahya and Anwar. Yahya, in his defence, denied using Eskay's good ties with the government as doing so was "against public policy and illegal." He also denied that Merong Mahawangsa was awarded the bridge project by the government.

SAPP, STAR all geared to go Posted: 02 Apr 2013 03:54 PM PDT Sabah is seen as the 'real' battleground for BN in the 13th general election where Najib Tun Razak is hoping to secure his two-thirds majority edge.  Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Musa Aman is expected to call for a press conference to announce the dissolution of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly later today. FMT learned that Musa's officers are already busily arranging for it, while he is at his weekly state Cabinet meeting here. The press conference is likely to be held at Sri Gaya, Musa's official residence, just a stone's throw from the palace where Musa will be meeting the Yang di-Pertua Negeri, Juhar Mahirudin, to get his official consent for the dissolution. The Sabah Legislative Assembly has 60 seats. Also at stake are 25 parliamentary seats. Sabah is seen as the "real" battleground for Barisan Nasional in the defining election. It is the state which caretaker Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak hopes will give him his much-needed two-thirds majority to lead BN for another five-year term. But the road in Sabah may be more difficult for Najib, what with Pakatan Rakyat and Jeffrey Kitingan-led State Reform Party (STAR) having gained much ground – courtesy of the Sabah Royal Commission of Inquiry looking into the citizenship-for-votes scam. Speaking to FMT, STAR secretary Guande Kohoi said it would be an "interesting elections" which could produce "surprising results". The party, he said, had been working the ground for over two years and is "geared to go". "We are headed for an interesting election with interesting and perhaps some surprising results," he said, adding that Najib's announcement of the dissolution of Parliament this morning was a relief and will pave the way for political parties to introduce their candidates openly to the voters. STAR is expected to contest in 40 state and 16 parliamentary constituencies, according to its deputy chairman Daniel Jambun. SAPP slighted but ready Jambun had earlier this month said that STAR had identified several "focused" areas where it will give its all. These included eight parliamentary seats: Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Penampang, Ranau, Keningau, Tenom, Pensiangan and Beluran. "The hot state seats are Pitas, Matunggung, Tandek, Tempasuk, Kedamaian, Tamparuli, Kiulu, Inanam, Kepayan, Moyog, Kundasang, Keranaan, Paginatan, Tambunan, Bingkor, Liawan, Melalap, Kemabong, Sook, Nabawan, Sugut, Labuk and Kuamut," Jambun said. Meanwhile, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) deputy president Amde Sidek and supreme council member Peter Marajin said it was good that the prime minister had ended his "big charade". READ MORE HERE

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