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Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- 17 Gelang Patah MCA leaders resign from govt posts
- Emulate Singapore's licensing on news websites: JMM
- Impose strict conditions on Malaysiakini: NGO
- Dr M, Daim will decide debate on Najib’s future, says veteran newsman
- Working towards reinstating Sarawak’s sovereignty
- Matang-Scope deal could split MCA
- Hannah Yeoh gets thumbs-up from former Speaker
- Change or be changed, US think-tank advises BN
- Another "freak" MRT accident at Subang
- Dhamendran's family claims harassment by cops, PM Dept aide
| 17 Gelang Patah MCA leaders resign from govt posts Posted: 29 May 2013 07:44 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- Seventeen members of the Gelang Patah MCA Division today resigned from their government posts in keeping with a party resolution not to have representatives in the government if the party fared badly in the last general election. Division chairman Jason Teoh said three of them resigned as members of the Johor Bahru Tengah Municipal Council, five as village heads, one as a local government and housing officer, two as welfare officers and six as members of the visiting board of the Sultan Aminah Hospital and Sultan Ismail Hospital. "The decision to give up the posts is in accordance with an MCA resolution to have no party representatives in the government following the poor performance of the party in the recent general election. "We accept the outcome of the general election and adhere to the resolution. As such, I led my MCA colleagues who held government positions to resign en bloc," he told reporters here. Teoh said the service centre of the Gelang Patah MCA Division would remain open nevertheless and efforts would be made to serve the people. Teoh said Gelang Patah constituents would have to learn to raise their problems with their new MP. DAP advisor Lim Kit Siang had beaten former Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman in Gelang Patah in the 13th general election on May 5. "Without government positions, we may not be as efficient as before. We will come up with other ways to serving the constituents," he said.
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| Emulate Singapore's licensing on news websites: JMM Posted: 29 May 2013 04:40 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- The Malaysian Malay Network Organisation (JMM) president Azwan Din Hamzah said Malaysia should learn from Singapore which wants to impose licensing on all news websites in the republic to avoid any 'disruption' to racial and religious harmony. Describing the move as the best measure to protect the sensitivity of al races, he said, it would also facilitate the government in monitoring of the news, as well as take action against those responsible for disseminating news containing seditious elements. "Whoever, including agencies, which want to provide news, can do so, but they have to apply for licence and the government should not be strict in issuing the licence, so as not to restrict the freedom of speech," he told Bernama here today. He said the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) also should play a more effective role in detecting the international IP addresses used to disseminate articles of seditious nature to the people in the country. Effective June 1, websites with 50,000 visitors from Singapore a month and which produce at least a local article a week will be required to obtain annual licence from the Media Development Authority (MDA) in the republic. An international news agency quoted a statement by MDA which required websites which are issued the licence to remove the prohibited articles within 24 hours after being told to do so. A RM50,000 bond guarantee is required for the licence. Associate Professor Dr Sivamurugan Pandian, from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said the proposed move by Singapore could be good for the republic, but not a solution in Malaysia. "If our government wants to adopt a similar approach, it can have a huge impact on some quarters as the licence is costly. "Certainly, there will emerge quarters trying to promote other ways to avoid cyber crimes or provocations through websites or blogs," he said when contacted by Bernama here today. As such, he said, if would be better for Malaysia to adopt a more proactive measure. Meanwhile, Prof Dr Ahmad Tarmizi Talib, from Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), said the plan by Singapore could be implemented by Malaysia only if experts in information technology could find a way of preventing the dissemination of such news on social webs. Imposing licence could control infringement of the laws, but would withdrawing the licence or imposing fine deter them from continuing to publish or post news which contained negative elements, he added.
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| Impose strict conditions on Malaysiakini: NGO Posted: 29 May 2013 04:30 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- Malaysiakini.com news portal must be made to register officially and strict conditions imposed on its operations to prevent it from disrupting unity in the country, suggested a non-governmental organisation. The president of Kelab Wartawan Muda Malaysia (KWMM) or Malaysia Young Journalists Club, Dzulkarnian Taib said the authorities must take immediate action on the news portal, which he claimed was lop-sided in its reporting that could adversely affect the political situation in the country. He said to curb irresponsible and unethical journalism by the news portal, the Home and Communication and Multimedia ministries must act decisively including banning and closing its operations. Dzulkarnian, who is a former chief editor of Suara Keadilan, claimed that the news portal's attempt to create disunity could be seen from its report on the statement by former Appeals Court judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah on the Federal Constitution at a 13th general election post-mortem discourse on May 12 where the statement was labelled as racist. "The former judge who is very experienced and week-versed in issues concerning the Federal Constitution had to face a police report lodged against him by an opposition leader in a concerted attempt to silent those who speak up based on the country's laws and truth," he added in a statement issued, here, today. He noted that the news portal in another report had also taken out of context the statement made by Utusan Malaysia's assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan at a forum on 'Social Media: Managing Issues and Handling Public Perceptions and Emotions' in July 2010, to the extent of painting a negative picture of Zaini. Dzulkarnain said for the two events, the organisers confirmed that Malaysiakini.com was not invited to cover but it still sent its representatives and demonstrated unethical journalism in its reporting.
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| Dr M, Daim will decide debate on Najib’s future, says veteran newsman Posted: 29 May 2013 04:19 PM PDT
Ida Lim, TMI Any open debate on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's future as Umno president and prime minister will be driven by the country's longest-serving Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Daim Zainuddin, veteran journalist Datuk Abdul Kadir Jasin said today. Following the May 5 polls where Najib led his Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition to victory, observers have said that he is now seeking to secure his position as the party leader in the Umno elections that are expected to take place this year. "Dr Mahathir, Daim and several independent bloggers will determine whether Mohd Najib's future as Umno President and Prime Minister will be openly debated," Abdul Kadir wrote in a blog post titled "Kesan Positif Sekatan dan Imbangan Selepas PRU13" (The positive effects of checks and balance after GE13), referring to former Umno minister Daim. Abdul Kadir said that the two veteran Umno leaders had even met and drawn up an action plan following the 13th general election where BN managed to hold on to power with a smaller haul of 133 federal seats, fewer than its 140-seat win in 2008. "Daim met Dr Mahathir in Putrajaya few days after the May 5 general election where they were said to have made a 'review' of the results and the short-term and medium-term measures that they will take," Abdul Kadir said. Abdul Kadir also said that BN's war room should acknowledge that it had lost out to Najib's predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his advisers, referring to the former BN chief who had retained power in 2008 despite his coalition losing its customary two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in history. "Whatever it is, Abdullah can now hold his head up high because the accusation that his performance in PRU 2008 was hambar is no longer accurate because Mohd Najib's achievement was even worse despite support by Dr Mahathir and Daim. Looking at Mohd Najib's achievement, I myself feel that (I had) over-criticised Abdullah after GE 2008. "Like it or not, Mohd Najib and his staff that run the 'Bilik Perang' (War Room) BN should sincerely, openly and transparently admit that their boasts had memakan diri (failed) and they lost to Abdullah and his Fourth Floor Boys." The Malaysian Insider previously reported that sources within BN had questioned the strategies used by the BN war room, but BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor reportedly denied on May 15 that the war room had failed to achieve its targets, pointing out that BN had won the mandate to form the federal government. On Monday, Abdul Kadir's blog carried a transcript of Daim's interview with local daily China Press, where the former finance minister blamed Najib's advisers for BN's failure to regain a two-thirds parliamentary majority, claiming that they had used the wrong strategy to drive BN's election campaign.
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| Working towards reinstating Sarawak’s sovereignty Posted: 29 May 2013 04:11 PM PDT
A movement, rumoured to be backed by the powerful in Sarawak, is demanding for full autonomy in the state based on the 18-point Malaysia Agreement. Luke Rintod, FMT KOTA KINABALU: A new civil movement from Sarawak, calling themselves Sarawak Sovereignty Movement (SSM), is demanding full autonomy for the state. The movement which was launched in April 2013, posted its schedule of demands for autonomy on its website and Facebook account, backing its claims with details of Sarawak's history. According to SSM secretary, Lina Soo, full autonomy sums up all the terms and conditions for Sarawak (and for Sabah too) agreeing to form Malaysia with three other independent countries as equal partners being Malaya, Singapore and North Borneo (Sabah) in 1963. "Brunei in its wisdom decided not to follow the crowd because Malaya did not agree to accord it 'equal partnership' status," said Soo. Singapore, she said pulled out in 1965 also after failed to to get federal to accept it as an equal partner. "The original Malaysia concept of five countries (including Brunei) had dwindled into three countries in Malaysia. "The concept was dead. The legitimacy of Malaysia is therefore in doubt," she said in a statement to FMT here. According to Soo, Sarawak's autonomous status was spelt out clearly in the 18 Points Agreement with Malaya. "These were safeguards for Sarawak having given up its independence and agreeing to form Malaysia. "Sarawak reserved its sovereign right to control its own immigration, finance and resources and requirement for 'Borneonisation' among other important conditions Sarawak's sovereignty was recognized- at least on paper," she reminded. However, the Malaysian federal government's failure to honour the terms of the Malaysia Agreement for the past 50 years is evidenced by the pillage of their resources and centralisation of control over the two states/countries. "The Kuala Lumpur control and exploitation of Sarawak oil has seen very little oil money flowing back to Sarawak but seen as being siphoned to develop Malaya. "With the growing awareness of Sarawak's diminished and disadvantaged position after giving up its independence to form Malaysia, a new generation of Sarawakians have begun agitating for Sarawak independence rights," she said. 'Deviations invite trouble' SSM, she said, is of the opinion that the Malayan government is contented that Sarawak and Sabah freely agreed to form Malaysia and they are forever a part of Malaysia. "(But) many in the two countries now are asking if Sarawak and Sabah freely made such a decision, then they are free to leave Malaysia like Singapore," she claimed. SSM which is helmed by Morshidi Abdul Rahman, was first given publicity in Sarawak newspapers last month but hardly mentioned in other media.
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| Matang-Scope deal could split MCA Posted: 29 May 2013 04:05 PM PDT
The reverse takeover (RTO) of Scope Industries by Matang Holdings has become an issue that could potentially split MCA, which is already reeling from its poor showing in the recently concluded general election, Oriental Daily News reported today. READ MORE HERE: The rats leaving the sinking shipAccording to the paper, it seems that the party leaders are split into two factions, with one faction led by party president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek who is for the deal; while the other faction, led by deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai (picture) and other leaders, are against the deal. The report says as many of the shareholders of Matang Holdings are from Johor, if the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) tomorrow does not approve the RTO, this will be a huge setback for Chua who is also the Johor MCA state chairman. (MCA's investment arm, Huaren Holdings is the largest shareholder of Matang Holdings, with a controlling stake of 10.75%.) It is understood that some leaders will use this EGM to hit out at Chua and some leaders even said they are prepared to engage in a prolonged war with Chua. Parit Sulong MCA division chairman Datuk Tan Teck Poh has been collecting proxy forms from the shareholders to oppose the deal. There are two matters which are in dispute among the party's top leadership: firstly, the deal has not been tabled, deliberated or decided in the central committee; secondly, whether the deal will benefit shareholders. Former MCA secretary Tee Hock Seng expressed his worries that if the party top leadership insist on going ahead with the deal, it could cause another split within MCA, similar to what happened during the takeover of Nanyang Siang Pau in 2001. In 2001, MCA took over Nanyang Siang Pau through Huaren Holdings in a RM230 million deal, despite the Chinese community strongly opposing the take over. This led the MCA to split into team A and team B, led by then-president Tun Ling Liong Sik and then-deputy president Tan Sri Lim Ah Lek, respectively. Tee expressed his support for Liow and other seven central working committee members' stand that the presidential council should vote on the RTO and the matter should not be determined only by a few leaders. Chua had issued a statement on Tuesday and stated that the deal was not tabled in the central committee meeting for deliberation, nor does it need the two-thirds approval of the central committee because it is not an asset-stripping transaction. In light of Chua's statement, Haw Chin Teck, director of Matang Holdings, tendered his resignation yesterday and returned his director's remuneration amounting to RM63,500 for the last three years as a sign of protest. In a statement, Haw opined that Chua had violated the party constitution, which states clearly that party assets must be registered under the party; unless the central committee gives written approval, the asset cannot be sold. Haw was appointed as director by Huaren Holdings in 2011. Teh opined that the party should set up a party asset trust council system to improve the transparency of administration of party assets. He proposed the same mechanism during Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting's tenure as party president, but the central committee did not approve the proposal. Although MCA president Chua had issued a statement yesterday to ask for a postponement of the EGM, it is expected that the meeting will still go on as scheduled in Johor Baru tomorrow. However, Matang chairman Datuk Tan Chai Ho had issued a statement shortly after to state that he will table a motion to postpone the EGM tomorrow. |
| Hannah Yeoh gets thumbs-up from former Speaker Posted: 29 May 2013 04:01 PM PDT
(The Star) - Subang Jaya assemblyman Hannah Yeoh made history of sorts by not only becoming the first woman Speaker of a state assembly but the youngest to be appointed to the post. Since the country's independence in 1957, men have been at the helm of the Dewan Negara, Dewan Rakyat and the state assemblies. Yeoh, 34, was named by Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for the Speaker's post when he led 10 executive councillors to take their oath of office before Sultan Sharafuddin Shah at Istana Alam Shah on Thursday. Khalid named Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad as the deputy speaker. Yeoh of the DAP and PKR's Nik Nazmi will be installed on June 21, when all the councillors are sworn-in on the first day sitting of the new assembly. Interestingly, both the Subang Jaya and Seri Setia state seats are under the Kelana Jaya parliamentary constituency. Yeoh and Nik Nazmi, both of whom read law in university, are second-term assemblymen, having successfully defended their seats which they won in the 2008 general election. Yeoh's Twitter account was flooded with congratulatory messages, and she responded by saying: "TQ all for the well wishes! MB's announcement is a nomination by PR leadership". Former Speaker Datuk Teng Chang Khim, who was appointed to the state executive council, said a challenging role awaits Yeoh. "We did not pick her because of her gender. Our consideration was her capabilities," said Teng, who is Selangor DAP vice-chairman. Teng said while he was the Speaker, he had assessed Yeoh's performance in the state assembly as well as in committee meetings. "She performed well in Selcat (Selangor Select Committee on Competency, Accountability and Transparency). And having a legal background certainly is an advantage," he added. Teng said one of the democratic reforms needed to be carried out would be to pass the Selangor Legislative Assembly Service Commission Enactment (Selesa) drafted in 2009, which was not passed previously "due to some obstacles". The draft defines the function and role of the executive and legislative branches of government in the state, including clearer roles and functions of the legislative assembly through the state assembly, executive council through the Mentri Besar and state exco members and judiciary under the Federal Constitution. Asked what the obstacles were, Teng said the previous exco had blocked it. "Now that I'm in the exco, I will get rid of these obstacles," he said.
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| Change or be changed, US think-tank advises BN Posted: 29 May 2013 02:54 PM PDT
(TMI) - The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) must change the way it does business or risk attack from a stronger opposition with the backing of fed-up Malaysians who have become more politically aware and adept at using social media, a US policy think-tank has said in an opinion piece published in the Houston Chronicle, the superpower's sixth-largest newspaper. In an analysis of the May 5 polls on Southeast Asia's third-largest economy, the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in its Baker Institute Blog column said that the direction of Malaysia's anti-graft agenda will be determined by how the ruling coalition responds to its newly felt electoral vulnerability. "Will it understand that pandering to special interests, money politics and crony capitalism are no longer a viable strategy? "Change is not easy in old hierarchical institutions like BN, and it has relied on corruption to raise funds and satisfy supporters for several generations. "But if BN returns to business as usual, it will risk attack from an opposition that appears resurgent, backed by a more mobilized and fed up public," said the institute, which ranks 13th among university-affiliated think-tanks worldwide, according to a 2012 study by the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Programme. The think-tank noted that Malaysia has so far managed to dodge the harmful effects of corruption on the investment climate to remain one of Asia's most vibrant economies. But it said that Malaysians had shown they were more politically aware, judging from the increased social media coverage of the polls, and were no longer willing to tolerate corruption. The results of the recently-concluded general election saw the BN retain power by a simple majority although it lost the popular vote to a resurgent opposition. BN won 133 seats in the 222-member Parliament against the opposition Pakatan Rakyat's 89 seats, drawing a weaker score than in Election 2008 and which the think-tank noted has put the 13-party ruling coalition in a precarious position unless it moves to reform the way it has conducted business by tackling corruption seriously. The Baker Institute suggested that Malaysia's anti-corruption agenda may be better served if BN could focus on reaping the results of a successful economy. "To motivate itself to implement a major change towards clean behaviour, BN should focus on reaping the rewards of a successful economy. "In order to facilitate long-term inclusive growth, the government should promote policies that will be applied fairly and transparently to all," it said in its analysis headlined "Malaysia: Looking forward" carried yesterday.
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| Another "freak" MRT accident at Subang Posted: 29 May 2013 02:43 PM PDT
(The Sun Daily) - Chef killed, restaurant owner injured in freak accident A chef was crushed to death and his employer sustained serious injuries in a freak accident in which a five-tonne scaffolding landed on their car in Jalan Subang yesterday. Kelvin Kumar, 27, who worked at a restaurant in Jalan Telawi 3, Bangsar, was killed on the spot while his employer, Anisah Abdul Rahman, 43, who suffered head and bodily injuries, was rushed to a private hospital nearby. Fire and Rescue officer Hamzah Din, who headed the rescue, said the restaurateur was driving her Peugeot and was heading to the Federal Highway towards Shah Alam with Kelvin at 4.30pm when the accident happened. He said traffic slowed down near a clock tower at the exit of Jalan Subang and the victim's car edged next to a trailer loaded with the scaffolding. It is learnt that seconds later, the scaffolding rolled off the trailer and fell onto their car, leaving both trapped in the vehicle. Firemen who arrived at the scene managed to rescue Anisah from the wreckage 10 minutes later before Kelvin's body was extricated and sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre for a post mortem. The accident caused a massive jam in Jalan Subang that stretched for about 7km for hours. It is believed that the scaffolding was being delivered to a light rail transit (LRT) construction site nearby. Another staff of Anisah told theSun that his employer, who lives in SS7 here, had left with Kelvin for a hypermarket to shop for groceries and other items for the restaurant. "I usually drive my boss (on such errands) but today she decided to drive herself and took Kelvin along as I was busy with other tasks. I never thought they would meet such cruel fate. "Over the past few days, Kelvin was also extremely quiet, very unlike his regular jovial and talkative self," said the staff, who declined to be named. -------------------------------- Read prior "freak accident" by the same contractor at: Motorist crushed to death by falling construction equipment at LRT extension site in Subang Prasarana unlikely to replace TRC in LRT contract
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| Dhamendran's family claims harassment by cops, PM Dept aide Posted: 29 May 2013 02:40 PM PDT
(The Star) - He said they were interested in meeting us but that we should keep it a secret from our lawyer and also advised me to hire new lawyers. The family of N. Dhamendran, who died in police lock-up, is claiming harassment by the police and Prime Minister's Department. However, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Paul Lowhas denied the allegation. Dhamendran's father V. Narayanasamy, 59, alleged Wednesday that he received calls from a man claiming to be from the Prime Minister's Department on two occasions. "I received a call around 9pm on May 27 from a man named Ravindran, who told me he was from the Prime Minister's Department under Minister Datuk Paul Low. "He said they were interested in meeting us but that we should keep it a secret from our lawyer and also advised me to hire new lawyers," he told a press conference at the PKR headquarters here. Dharmendran, 32, died while he was detained at the Kuala Lumpur police headquarters lock-up on May 21. He had complained of chest pains and was sent to Hospital Kuala Lumpur but died upon arrival. Meanwhile, Low confirmed that his aide had contacted the family but merely to offer his condolences. "I wanted to contact them to assure them that I will be bringing up the matter during the Cabinet meeting and asked if I could see them personally to offer my condolences. "I don't have a clue why they are saying this. This has totally been distorted. Maybe it is political," Low said when contacted. He noted that Dhamendran's family had every right to choose their own lawyer, adding that he was willing to work with PKR vice-president N. Surendran, who is representing the family, to find a solution. Dhamendran's wife, M. Marry, 26, has accused the police of delaying investigations and harassing her family. "We have a post mortem report from forensic expert Dr. Siew Sheue Feng which stated that the cause of my husband's death was multiple blunt force trauma. "Why are they still calling up my family and even my lawyer? They haven't even arrested a single cop responsible," she said. When contacted, Federal CID deputy director Deputy Comm Datuk Hadi Ho Abdullah declined to comment on the progress of the investigations. "Give us the necessary time to properly investigate this case," he said.
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