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Dr M to keep mum until reading Mat Zain’s statement
PAS wants hudud in the aftermath of Jaip officer’s murder
Sunni-Shi'ite tension biggest threat to world security, Iran says
Shafee as prosecutor against Anwar’s acquittal: Federal Court to decide November 21
No high-powered plot to remove A-G, says senior lawyer
Retract your accusations, Marina tells Isma
Rift between ulamas and liberals in PAS
‘Liberals in PAS won’t allow for unity with Umno’
IGP urges Tuhan Haron members to surrender
Support for Anwar set to split PAS polls
Questions arise over BN’s funding for heightened cyber war

Dr M to keep mum until reading Mat Zain’s statement

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 07:17 PM PST

(MM) - Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed said today that he will only comment on claims of a high-powered plot to remove Attorney-General (AG) Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail from office after reading the sworn statement by former senior police officer Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim.

He said it was difficult for him to respond to the allegations made by Kuala Lumpur Criminal Investigation Department (CID) chief Mat Zain in the latter's statutory declaration as he did not know what these included.

"I haven't seen it so I am not prepared to comment, because when reporters ask me, sometimes they do not get the facts right," he said at a press conference here.

"After I have seen the SD, I will be prepared to answer your questions at length," he added.

Last week, Mat Zain was cited by news portal Malaysiakini as saying he was part of a dinner meeting with Dr Mahathir, prominent lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah and former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department chief Datuk Ramli Yusoff on August 10.

Mat Zain, in his SD, claimed that the meeting discussed the AG's handling of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black eye incident, which happened when the latter was being questioned by police on charges of corruption and sodomy in 1998.

Also allegedly discussed was Malaysia's loss of Pulau Batu Puteh, alternatively known as Pedra Branca, to Singapore at the International Court of Justice.

The new portal reported that the SD stated that Shafee informed Mat Zain of Dr Mahathir's displeasure with Gani, who lead Malaysia's legal team in the case, for allegedly concealing some vital facts.

Earlier today, Shafee denied claims of a conspiracy to remove Gani from office, but declined to comment further on Mat Zani's allegations until he has gone through the SD himself.

 Dr Mahathir sidestepped a question on whether he was unhappy with Gani's performance, saying that there is no guarantee of success in the courts.

 "I regret very much when he fails because he represents the government, but sometimes people fail in the courts.

 "Innocent people have been sentenced to death and guilty people have gone scot-free when you go to the courts. It depends on how the case is presented to the judge," he said.

 Dr Mahathir, meanwhile, laughed off a recent report claiming that he had met with Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi over allegations that CIA agents have set up office in the AG's Chambers.

 "I heard about this. I have no proof, of course, but I heard that CIA agents have actually got an office in the A-G's office. Maybe it is true, maybe not, I don't know. The A-G has not confirmed it," he said, in trademark sarcasm.

 Last week, news portal The Malaysian Insider reported that Dr Mahathir had allegedly pressured Gani and Ahmad Zahid for a meeting, during which the former prime minister was said to have claimed that the AG's Chambers had two CIA agents under its employ.

The news portal claimed that the home minister has since agreed to launch an investigation into the allegation.

PAS wants hudud in the aftermath of Jaip officer’s murder

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 06:46 PM PST

(The Star) - PAS wants the government to implement Syariah criminal laws in Malaysia immediately, in the aftermath of the assassination of Ahmad Rafli Abdul Malek, the enforcement chief of the Pahang Islamic Religious Department (Jaip).

Syariah criminal laws would restore peace and harmony to Malaysia, said Pas Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan in a statement issued on Monday.

He said the introduction of the Syariah Criminal Code, which has been done in Brunei, would act as both a deterrent to crime and a means to restore order.

"I will raise this issue in the next Parliament sitting which will run until Dec 5. I first raised the issue when the amendments to the Penal Code were being debated, and until now they have been rejected.

"The government has only extended the jail sentences for crimes as part of their effort to stamp out crime through strengthening laws," said Nasrudin.

Ahmad Rafli died after being shot three times on Sunday after stepping out of his Indera Mahkota 2 house when he was called to the gate after three men arrived at his house in a white Proton Wira Aeroback.

Sunni-Shi'ite tension biggest threat to world security, Iran says

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 04:08 PM PST

(Reuters) - Tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims is the biggest threat to world security, Iran's foreign minister said in comments published on Monday, accusing Sunni Arab countries of "fanning the flames" of sectarian conflict.

The increasingly sectarian civil war in Syria has drawn in regional powers with Shi'ite Iran backing President Bashar al-Assad and Sunni Gulf Arab states and mainly Sunni Turkey helping the rebels. The conflict threatens to spill over into countries split between Sunnis and Shi'ites such as Lebanon and Iraq.

The sectarian tension is "the most serious security threat not only to the region but to the world at large", Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the BBC.

"I think we need to come to understand that a sectarian divide in the Islamic world is a threat to all of us."

Zarif, a U.S.-educated former Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, called for regional powers to come together to try to solve the conflict in Syria. He is the point man of President Hassan Rouhani's bid to ease tensions between Iran and the outside world.

"I think all of us," he said, "regardless of our differences on Syria, we need to work together on the sectarian issue."

But, the BBC said, without naming any countries directly, Zarif accused Sunni Arab leaders of "fanning the flames" of sectarian violence.

"This business of fear-mongering has been a prevalent business," he said. "Nobody should try to fan the flames of sectarian violence. We should reign it in, bring it to a close, try to avoid a conflict that would be detrimental to everybody's security."

Shafee as prosecutor against Anwar’s acquittal: Federal Court to decide November 21

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:57 PM PST

V Anbalagan, TMI

The Federal Court will deliver on November 21 its decision on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's appeal to stop lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah (pic) from leading the prosecution team to overturn his acquittal for sodomy last year.

A five-man bench led by Tan Sri Raus Sharif said it needed time to deliberate on the submissions before delivering the written grounds.

Anwar's argument was that only a full-time deputy public prosecutor can appear in court.

He also contended that Shafee was a potential witness during the sodomy trial and as such there was conflict of interest.

Shafee argued he was qualified to be ad hoc deputy public prosecutor because he was a "fit and proper" person as required under the law.

Whatever the outcome in the Federal Court, Putrajaya's appeal against the acquittal of Anwar for sexual misconduct will be heard in the Court of Appeal for two days from December 11.

Lawyer Karpal Singh, who is appearing for the opposition leader, told the court today only a full-time deputy public prosecutor could represent the public prosecutor in a criminal case.

"It does not matter under which provision of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) Shafee is appointed," he said.

The veteran lawyer added that Shafee was a potential witness for the prosecution during trial and he was also offered as a witness to the defence.

Karpal urged the court to also look into the issue of public perception when Shafee admitted he was in the Prime Minister's house when the alleged sodomy victim Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan was there to meet Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

"Now this person wants to represent the public prosecutor in the sodomy appeal," Karpal added.

He said no doubt the prime minister's residence was large but questioned what was Shafee doing there in the first place.

"In the eyes of the public, an adverse perception can be drawn and that is enough to show conflict of interest," he said.

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:35 PM PST

(MM) - Prominent lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah today denied claims that there was a high-powered conspiracy to remove Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail (picture) from office.

He rubbished the allegation, made in a statutory declaration (SD) by former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim, saying that there was "no reason" for such a thing to happen.

"Irrespective of what was contained in the SD, there was no such thing as a plot or conspiracy against the A-G, because there was no reason to do that," he told journalists when doorstopped here.

"Either on the issue of the black eye incident or the issue of the Batu Puteh case, there is absolutely no reason for that. If you look at Batu Puteh, what has that got to do with Mat Zain? He is a police officer. He's not an international lawyer, so why should anybody discuss with him on that issue?" Shafee added.

Mat Zain was last week cited by news portal Malaysiakini saying he was part of a dinner meeting with former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed, Shafee and former Commercial Crimes Investigation Department chief Datuk Ramli Yusoff last August 10.

Mat Zain, in his SD, claimed that the meeting discussed the A-G's poor handling of opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black eye incident, which happened when the latter was being questioned by police on charges of corruption and sodomy in 1998.

Also allegedly discussed was Malaysia's loss of Pulau Batu Puteh, also known as Pedra Branca, to Singapore at the International Court of Justice.

The new portal reported that the SD stated that Shafee informed Mat Zain of Mahathir's displeasure with Gani, who lead Malaysia's legal team in the case, for allegedly concealing some vital facts.

Shafee today did not confirm or deny that the meeting took place, but he did admit that he was at Dr Mahathir's residence on August 10.

"August 10 is three days after Hari Raya, and Dr M's open house was the very next day. I was present as is usually the case every year with Dr M to pay my respects," he said.

Shafee hinted that those named by Mat Zain as part of the dinner meeting were at Dr Mahathir's house "having muruku and everything else", but again declined to delve further into the former top-cop's allegations.

"What I can say is that Tun is certainly not involved in all this rubbish," he said, referring to Dr Mahathir.

"As for the context of the SD, I do not want to comment now because I do not know what Mat Zain said. If I can get a copy of the SD today, I will definitely call for a press conference tomorrow at noon and you can ask me whatever you want," he said.

Retract your accusations, Marina tells Isma

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:27 PM PST

The human rights activist says that she will not hesitate to take legal action against those who accuse her of being part of Comango.

G Vinod, FMT

Withdraw accusations against me or face legal action, Sisters of Islam (SIS) director Marina Mahathir told Ikatan Muslimin Malaysia (ISMA) today.

She said this in response to ISMA allegations that Marina was one of the mastermind behind local human rights coalition Comango, whose demands are labelled as anti-Islam by the Islamist NGO.

Last Friday, ISMA distributed about 70,000 leaflets in mosques around the country claiming Comango was attempting to undermine Islam by calling for the removal of Malay privileges, freedom to leave Islam and getting recognition for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual rights.

They also named Bersih 2.0 co-chairperson S Ambiga as being part of the Comango, along with Marina.

Peeved by the matter, Marina slammed ISMA, saying that the accusations levelled against her were untrue and it has tarnished her image.

"It is true that I'm a director in SIS but I am not involved in the Comango report. I take this allegations very seriously," she said in a statement.

Marina then urged ISMA and the media to withdraw the claims made or risk facing legal action.

"I call upon ISMA and its office bearers, together with the media, to withdraw the accusations made against me. The leaflets distributed last week should also be withdrawn immediately.

"If not, I will not hesitate to take legal action against all those involved," said Marina.

READ MORE HERE

Rift between ulamas and liberals in PAS

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:19 PM PST

PAS leader Hadi Awang's announcement that non-ulamas can be party chiefs appears to have turned the tide in favour of liberals.

K Pragalath, FMT

PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man's announcement to run for a vice president position has thrown a spanner in the cleric faction's campaign within the party.

What has happened among the clerics otherwise, also known as the ulamas?

It is definitely a surprising tactical move by Tuan Ibrahim to raise the heat in the race for the three vice president positions instead of the deputy president post.

Incumbent Mohamad Sabu has confirmed that he will be defending his post. With Tuan Ibrahim no longer in the deputy president race, it is up to Kelantan deputy Menteri Besar Mohamad Amar Nik Abdullah to continue the challenge for the ulamas.

In announcing his intentions Amar said he is contesting for the ulamas as he is worried that PAS' liberal stand may effect the Malay votes.

Currently there is an ongoing campaign against the professional faction within PAS.

However neither incumbents nor challengers from the ulama and liberal camps have launched stinging campaigns against one another.

This can be attributed to the election committee chairman Asmuni Awi's warning that candidates who 'put down' their opponents would be hauled up by the discipline committee.

A PAS member even wrote an anonymous letter to a local news portal, asking incumbent deputy president Mohamad Sabu to make way for Tuan Ibrahim.

The writer claimed that the split among the Malays within the Islamist party had worsened and that Mohamad Sabu was unable to arrest the problem.

There was even a debate held in Shah Alam between the ulamas and liberal factions.

So far, intensity of the campaign appears to be more heated amongst the supporters compared to the candidates.

PAS spiritual adviser Nik Aziz Nik Mat's message stating that ulamas should lead the party was used to increase the pressure – even though he said that all in PAS are considered ulamas. Hadi's recent announcement however, has seriously toned down the ulama camp campaigns.

He said that non-ulamas can be party chiefs and cited the case of Alias Abas, the second PAS president. Alias is a non-ulama.

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:13 PM PST

Since Umno and PAS are the biggest Muslim political parties in the country, it is logical for the two to unite.

Hawkeye, FMT

Unity between Umno and PAS cannot be achieved as long as PAS liberals hold senior positions in the party.

Former Penang PAS Youth head Mohamed Hafiz Nordin said the proposed move to cultivate the politics of unity or harmony between Umno and PAS will reach a deadlock if the liberals hold sway in the party.

Branding the group as "parasites," Hafiz said they have caused PAS to derail from its struggle for an Islamic state as well as curbing the party's move in spreading the teachings of Islam.

"Frankly, the biggest Muslim political parties in Malaysia are Umno and PAS," he said.

Therefore, Hafiz, who regards himself as an Islam activist, said it is logical for PAS to embrace the concept of unity with Umno.

"In Islam, to forgive is also divine and we should encourage PAS and Umno to forgive each other and move on for the sake of the congregation and the country," he said.

PAS should initiate the politics of unity during their coming "muktamar" (gathering) where a party election is on the cards.

"They can start by voting in the ulama (conservative) movement in PAS," Hafiz said.

It is believed that the ulama segment of PAS, is inclined to foster some form of ties with Umno as they are generally suspicious of Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim for his alleged tendency to lean towards a form of Islamic liberalism.

Hafiz also declared his support for Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Nik Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah in the latter's quest to wrest the deputy president post from the incumbent Mohammad Sabu.

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:06 PM PST

IGP Khalid Abu Bakar also said the police are investigating all angles in the murder case of the Pahang Islamic Religious Department official.

Alfian ZM Tahir, FMT

Police have urged members of an alleged cult to surrender at the nearest police station to assist in murder investigations involving a Pahang Islamic Religious Department (JAIP) official.

Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar in urging the 31 followers of the Tuhan Haron cult, also said that the police had identifed the locations of these members.

"We are looking at all angle so my advise is for the 31members of the cult group known as Tuhan Haron to surrender.

"My men have already moved to locate and to investigate the matter and we are taking it seriously," Khalid said.

Earlier speculations showed that the murder of the JAIP official was connected with the recent gazetting of anti-syiah laws in Pahang as the state religious authorities were planning to gazette a fatwa to curb the teaching of syiah.

The JAIP official, 49-year-old Ahmad Rafli Abdul Malek, was shot twice in the chest and died on the spot at his house in Indera Mahkota 2 yesterday afternoon.

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 11:57 AM PST

(The Malaysian Times) - Even if two of the three ulama challenging the party's deputy president and three vice-presidents secure a win, it could shake the cosy ties that the Islamic party has with the Pakatan opposition alliance, which in turn could change the landscape of Malaysian politics as it could mean that the PAS is turning back to its fundamentalist roots.

The upcoming internal polls of Party Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) look set to be dominated by an internal tussle over support for opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, whose leadership of the three-party alliance has drawn battle lines between the incumbents and challengers.

PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, 66, a cleric, is unchallenged and will retain his seat for a fifth term. But the incumbent deputy president and the three vice-presidents – all aligned with a party faction in PAS that supports Anwar and are dubbed "Anwarinas" by the media – are being challenged by the Islamic party's conservative ulama, or Muslim clerics.

The biennial elections will be held during the PAS annual assembly on Nov 22 to 24 in Shah Alam.

Singapore daily, Straits Times, in a special report today said that even if two of the three ulama challenging the party's deputy president and three vice-presidents secure a win, it could shake the cosy ties that the Islamic party has with the Pakatan opposition alliance, which in turn could change the landscape of Malaysian politics as it could mean that the PAS is turning back to its fundamentalist roots.

Pakatan Rakyat (PR), which includes PAS, Anwar's Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the Chinese-based Democratic Action Party (DAP), won the popular vote in the May general election and shrank the parliamentary strength of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

Before the 2008 general election that gave birth to the PR alliance, PAS was known as a fundamentalist Islamic party restricted to the rural Malay-belt states of Kelantan, Terengganu, Kedah and Perlis.

But now, as a member of the PR, PAS has become more acceptable to non-Muslim voters by embracing the alliance's largely multiracial outlook.

Still, there is no denying that the conservative section of PAS, led by several prominent clerics from the so-called Ulama group, is uncomfortable with the party playing a junior partner's role in PR. Some in PAS are unhappy with the alliance's plan to make Anwar prime minister, instead of Abdul Hadi, should PR win federal power.

Others complain about PAS being forced by its alliance partners to suppress its Islamic agenda, such as being stricter on alcohol sales.

Yet others are uncomfortable with what they see as Anwar's personal problems, such as a criminal sodomy charge and sex video scandals allegedly involving him.

Questions arise over BN’s funding for heightened cyber war

Posted: 10 Nov 2013 11:34 AM PST

(The Ant Daily) - Several government agencies have been using a public relations agency to wage psychological warfare via social media as early preparation for GE14.

Having learnt its lessons in the 13th general election (GE13), the Barisan Nasional is making early preparations to take on the opposition in the cyber world in the next polls.

The general consensus is that BN lost out to Pakatan Rakyat in the battle for the hearts and minds of the people via the new media.

Now, BN is leaving no stone unturned in a bid to go one up on Pakatan.

Against this backdrop, there are concerns that taxpayers' money is being used to fund media campaigns solely for the benefit of the ruling BN.

According to sources, several government agencies have been using a public relations agency to wage psychological warfare via social media as early preparation for GE14.

The public relations company, which is based in Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor, was hired by the government agencies soon after the May 5 general election, the sources said.

"The public relations agency administers various pages on Facebook, including for Friends of BN and The Rakyat Post. Their posts are in English, Malay as well as Chinese," said a source.

"In fact, web pages which seem to lend support to the opposition have also been created with the aim of misleading Pakatan supporters," the source told theantdaily.

"In the initial stages, they would appear to be criticising the government, but as the general election draws nearer, their true intention is to lead voters away from the opposition."

The Rakyat Post is the latest news portal in town, and it is believed to be financed by a businessman with close links to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The source declined to say how much the public relations agency is being paid for the job.

Kredit: www.malaysia-today.net

Isnin, 11 November 2013

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News

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