Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Wikileaks: Cable sheds some light on sex accuser Eskay
- Tumpat MP warns of Kelantan version of 'Project IC'
- PAS-Umno Merger Could Divide the Malays Even More
- WikiLeaks: How Najib overcame the Kartika dilemma
- Surendran: "Umno Has a Hand in Sex Video Conspiracy"
- Anwar accuses Hisham of slander, files counter-claim in sex video row
- Sex video: Anwar files counter-claim against Hishammuddin
- ‘No response from Najib, Musa on illegal immigrants’
- ‘Govt abused power when detaining activist’
- Lynas Corp taking advantage of lax environmental laws, says Fuziah
- Subsidy cuts focus of today’s Cabinet meeting
| Wikileaks: Cable sheds some light on sex accuser Eskay Posted: 24 May 2011 04:26 PM PDT
(Harakahdaily) - Fresh from sealing a deal with world-renowned whistle blower Julian Assange of WikiLeaks, self-exiled blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin has revealed a leaked diplomatic cable about Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, one of the men at the centre of the pornographic clip targeted at Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The cable claims that Eskay, who served as Malaysia's Honorary Thai Consul in Langkawi, had once described Malaysian territory as a 'safe haven' for Thai separatists during a meeting in February 2006 with a US diplomat Mark D. Clark, who heads the US's political section.
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| Tumpat MP warns of Kelantan version of 'Project IC' Posted: 24 May 2011 04:13 PM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, May 25: PAS said that the so-called 'Project IC' under which thousands of illegal immigrants were given Malaysian identification cards in Sabah several years ago, is now being reenacted in Tumpat, Kelantan to ensure Barisan Nasional's victory in the next general election. Tumpat member of parliament Kamaruddin Jaffar (pic) revealed a programme called 'Mydaftar" which would take place on May 28 in his constituency, a move the authorities claimed was to help Kelantanese yet to get identification cards or MyKad. "I have been informed those who will be registered as citizens will get their ICs on the same day and we suspect this operation is ongoing not only in Selangor but also other states including Kelantan. "The process to register as a citizen all within a day is the first time such an operation is done there (Tumpat)," said Kamaruddin, who called on the programme to be immediately stopped.
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| PAS-Umno Merger Could Divide the Malays Even More Posted: 24 May 2011 04:01 PM PDT By Al Jafree Md Yusop, Malaysian Digest Can this be regarded as a message that the PAS-Umno merger is approaching reality? The part that I never really understand is what's with the word 'merger'? Is Umno suggesting that PAS and Umno should merge as one political party like what Anwar Ibrahim and Syed Husin Ali did in August 3, 2003 when KeADILan merged with Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM) to become Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR)? That particular merger was supposed to end the existence of PRM but eventually that didn't happen. Or is Umno inviting PAS to be one of Barisan Nasional's (BN) component parties? Umno claimed the purpose of the merger is for the sake of the Malays and Muslims of this country. By admitting that, Umno is making it sound like they are really desperate in winning the next General Election (GE). I for one agreed that winning the GE won't be a problem for Umno, the real concern is for Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to perform better than Pak Lah's dismal performance in 2008 saw Umno's popularity at its worst ever. Najib needs to prove to everyone that his 'Tranformation' efforts are bearing fruits. The biggest fear for the BN chairman is in the possibility of the ruling coalition party performing even worse than the 2008 'tsunami'. Early indications in the form of the recent Sarawak state election showed everything is going very well so far but still it was BN's worst performance in the East Malaysian state. Najib knows that he should not take things easy but what could he possibly achieve with the proposed PAS-Umno merger/unity?On February 8, 2010, Hadi as PAS president announced that the party is ready for talks with Umno on matters in which they could cooperate, including issues involving national security, economy, religion and politics. This though was not a totally original idea for back in '73 - '78 (during Asri Muda's time) PAS was part of BN. But not everybody in the party seems to share Hadi's opinion. Early this year Shah Alam MP Khalid Samad has declared PAS will never join Umno in a "unity government", even if the Islamist party were asked to do so by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong himself. That is a strong statement coming from one of PAS' most progressive leaders. Khalid likened cooperating with Umno to working with those who ignore the Islamic practice. He also classified Umno as Muslims who patronizes nightclubs to drink alcohol and he made it clear that PAS would rather work with PKR and DAP in Pakatan Rakyat based on the Islamic principles of justice and truth rather than race alone. Khalid was actually referring to an event in December 2010 when PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat met with Umno leaders at Istana Terengganu on Christmas Eve last year at the request of the Agong for "unity talks". Umno president Najib Razak and deputy president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin were present at the private dinner, together with former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. The meeting was seen as another attempt to revive the talks on political cooperation with Umno in the name of Malay-Muslim unity. The question of political cooperation with Umno became a major campaign issue in the 2009 PAS election after it was revealed that its leaders, including PAS deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa and Selangor chief Hasan Ali, met Abdullah and former Selangor mentri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo after Election 2008 to explore the possibility of forming a unity government. Leaders aligned to Nik Aziz then accused Nasharuddin of conspiring to take PAS out of Pakatan. Incidentally, PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar has recently issued a statement reassuring that PAS will never ever collaborate with Umno.
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| WikiLeaks: How Najib overcame the Kartika dilemma Posted: 24 May 2011 03:59 PM PDT
US diplomats stated in their confidential cable that the caning of three Muslim women for illicit sex in 2010 reflected Umno's political tactics. (Free Malaysia Today) - The caning of three Muslim women in 2010 under the syariah law for committing adultery was a tactical manoeuvre undertaken by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's new administration to retain the conservative Malay voters, Malaysia-based US diplomats believed. They also felt that the caning of the three women was perhaps an attempt by Najib and his party Umno to test the waters to forecast the sentiments on part-time model Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno's caning for beer-drinking. Kartika was found guilty by a Pahang Syariah Court in July 2009 of drinking beer at a hotel in Kuantan and was sentenced to six strokes of rotan and a fine of RM5,000. The court's finding to cane her attacted wide attention, both from within and internationally, and the ruling had taken place just a year after Najib had become the prime minister. While her caning was pending for months for various reasons, the three women were caned in February 2010. "Kartika's case put Prime Minister Najib's new administration in the difficult position of balancing the competing forces fighting for Malaysia's Muslim identity. "While concerned about preserving Malaysia's image as a moderate Muslim state, Najib has been unwilling to date to criticise syariah law or otherwise downplay the seriousness of Kartika's offence for fear that it could damage Umno's Islamic bona fides," wrote a senior political officer based in the US embassy here in a confidential cable to the US State Department in Washington. Details of the confidential cable sent in 2010 were leaked by WikiLeaks to popular blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin who had published the cable in his Malaysia Today website today. "That the GOM (government of Malaysia) chose to cane three anonymous women, rather than the internationally renowned Kartika, seems to be a tactical manoeuvre by Umno to retain or lure back conservative Malay voters as well as perhaps a testing of the waters presaging Kartika's caning. "That Najib feels the need to placate the most conservative Malays suggests that his stated intent to change to a more inclusive, less Malay-centric economic and political model is facing considerable, resistance within his own coalition," added the cable. The cable must have been sent to the State Department immediately after the caning of the three women on Feb 9, 2010 as it makes no mention of the eventual outcome of Kartika's case. Following the intervention of the Sultan of Pahang, Kartika's caning sentence was eventually commuted to 20-day community service in April 2010. The three women were sentenced to be caned for committing adultery in violation of Section 23 (2) of the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Syariah Criminal Offences Act of 1997. Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussien had announced on Feb 17, 2010, that government officials had caned three Muslims on Feb 9, 2010. The three women were believed to be the first women to be caned under the law in Malaysia. Two of the women received six strokes of the cane and the other received four. The women were caned in a female prison. The US cable noted that the sentencing of women to such corporal punishment under syariah law contradicts the federal law outlined in Section 289 of the Criminal Procedure Code that states that women are not to be subject to caning.
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| Surendran: "Umno Has a Hand in Sex Video Conspiracy" Posted: 24 May 2011 03:56 PM PDT (Malaysian Digest) - KUALA LUMPUR, 25 MAY, 2011: PKR Vice President, N Surendran in an official press release today referred to Umno Information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan's statement challenging opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to prove that the allegations made by Dato Shazryl Eskay Abdullah is false. According to Surendran, Ahmad Maslan's statement is further proof that UMNO has a hand in the sex video conspiracy against Anwar Ibrahim. "Ahmad Maslan has repeatedly made false, unsupported and irresponsible statements in relation to the sex video conspiracy, intended to tarnish the reputation of Anwar Ibrahim and attempt to prejudice the public against him," he said.
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| Anwar accuses Hisham of slander, files counter-claim in sex video row Posted: 24 May 2011 03:50 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has accused Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein of slander in relation to the latter's remarks on the sex video screening on March 21. Anwar has also filed a counter-claim against the Home Minister's defamation suit against him. "We have filed defense to Hishammuddin's claims and have also filed a counter-claim to his defamation suit. "Basically slander in relation to what he (Hishammuddin) said during a press conference in Bukit Aman on March 21, and misfeasance of public office (failing to stop the screening of the sex video)," one of Anwar's lawyers K. Shanmuga told The Malaysian Insider. The Home Minister had charged Anwar of defaming him and sought a High Court order demanding that Anwar apologise for linking him to the release of the now infamous sex video. Anwar had during a press conference outside the Dangi Wangi police station on March 22, accused Hishamuddin as well as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak of being involved with the sex video screening which allegedly shows Anwar having sex with an unidentified woman. Both Najib and Hishamuddin had denied any involvement of the police and home ministry over the emergence of the sex video. Anwar is now seeking for unspecified damages from Hishammuddin for slander in relation to what the Home Minister had said during a press conference at the Bukit Aman police headquarters on March 21. He is also seeking for costs, interest and other relief deemed fit by the court. "That's right, I filed the counter-claim today. The case is up for case management in early June," Anwar told The Malaysian Insider when contacted.
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| Sex video: Anwar files counter-claim against Hishammuddin Posted: 24 May 2011 01:10 PM PDT By M Mageswari, The Star KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is seeking for unspecified damages from Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein for slander in relation to the sex video implicating him. Anwar has filed his counter-claim against Hishammuddin's defamation suit. He is also seeking for costs, interest and other relief deemed fit by the court. Hishammuddin has accused Anwar of defaming him and has sought a High Court order for the Opposition Leader to make a public apology for linking him to the release of the sex video. He wants Anwar to pay him costs, interests and any other relief deemed fit by the court. In his suit, Hishammuddin said Anwar had linked him to the tape when he spoke to the media outside the Dang Wangi police headquarters on March 22 after lodging a police report over the tape, which showed a woman and a man resembling the Opposition Leader having sex. |
| ‘No response from Najib, Musa on illegal immigrants’ Posted: 24 May 2011 01:09 PM PDT By Charles Rudai, Free Malaysia Today PAPAR: The way the opposition here sees it, the Sabah Barisan Nasional (BN) government's continued silence on the illegal immigrant issue is a tacit admission of defeat. Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) said the government has yet to revert to the 14-point memorandum it submitted after the 1999 general election on the issue. Entitled "Mother of All Threats", it had among others, proposals on how to better manage the long-standing problem affecting Sabah. Former chief minister and SAPP president Yong Teck Lee said SAPP was still a member of the BN when it submitted the 14-point memorandum. It had a suggestion for comprehensive management of maritime monitoring and a proposal to impose a RM500 bond on foreigners arriving by ferry from neighbouring countries. The bond would be forfeited if they failed to return using the ferry. "We tabled the 14 points one by one in Putrajaya in front of then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, but before we finished our presentation he fell asleep. "Yes…, he fell asleep. We have witnesses to this but what to do, he is an old man," said Yong. A similar memorandum was also presented to his deputy Najib Tun Razak and Chief Minister Musa Aman but there was no response from either. Yong believes the BN leadership feels it is no longer necessary for them to respond to the issue, especially after Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) eturned to the BN's fold in 2002. "They are reluctant to respond because it involves their 'fixed deposit'," he said. Yong said there was a window of opportunity after the 2008 general election when Sabah and Sarawak became the 'kingmakers' for the BN following its dismal show in the Peninsular. "Never before (did) Umno need Sabah more, but still they did not listen… we said that if Umno refuses to listen to us, then it is better that we leave the BN," he said. So in September 2008, he said SAPP and its leaders made a sacrifice to ditch the coalition. "A day before we declared SAPP's vote-of-no-confidence against Abdullah Badawi, I received an offer letter for a senatorship.
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| ‘Govt abused power when detaining activist’ Posted: 24 May 2011 01:07 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, Free Malaysia Today KUCHING: Malaysian Election Observer-network (MEO-net) leader BK Ong's lawyers have accused the state authorities of abusing their power and detaining Ong "as if he is a criminal". Counsel See Chee How said Ong was in Sarawak to help instil political awareness, especially on the importance of voter registration among the natives. Ong has found out that in some areas like Belaga and Baram between 20% and 30% of the population have registered themselves as voters. Sarawak, See said, needed people like Ong to help voter registration. "After all, he is spending his own money for a worthy cause. I want to see that justice is done to Ong by taking the authorities to court, and at the same time to raise the issue at the State Legislative Assembly during its meeting next month," said See, who is also Batu Lintang assemblyman. Ong was picked up by enforcement officers of the Sarawak Immigration Department yesteday morning while on his way to the Bengoh dam. He was then brought to the immigration enforcement office at Pending where he was questioned by the officers and detained before being deported to Penang last night. Contacted through SMS, Ong said the officers did not give any reason why they arrested him. "All they told me was that they have the power to do," said Ong. It is understood that Ong is one of those who have been blacklisted and who is being denied entry into the state where immigration is under its control. Unexpected defeats Before and during the recently concluded Sarawak election, several personalities who were seen to be pro-opposition were barred from entering the state. Among them were the president of Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) Harris Ibrahim, Bersih 2.0 chairman Ambiga Sreenivasan and PKR MP for Subang R Sivarasa. During the April 16 state polls, Ong was actively monitoring the campaign and is believed to have found evidence of corruption and abuse of power by the Barisan Nasional (BN). He was also highly critical of such practices.
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| Lynas Corp taking advantage of lax environmental laws, says Fuziah Posted: 24 May 2011 01:04 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — PKR's Fuziah Salleh accused Lynas Corp of adopting weaker safety standards for its Kuantan rare earths refinery, relying on lax local environmental laws to use suspect Chinese standards. The Kuantan MP based her claims on the Australian miner's previous proposal to the Terengganu state government back in 2007, which quoted standards from China for the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (Lamp). |
| Subsidy cuts focus of today’s Cabinet meeting Posted: 24 May 2011 01:00 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Subsidy cuts will top the agenda when Datuk Seri Najib Razak chairs the weekly Cabinet meeting today, with many speculating it will lead to hike for RON95 petrol and electricity rates. Cabinet sources say the government has to trim the runaway subsidy bill which could balloon to RM21 billion if nothing is done. On the table is the scheduled plan to cut subsidies for RON95 petrol and gas for independent power producers while increasing electricity tariffs in a growing economy. Labs run by Performance and Management Delivery Unit (Pemandu) last year proposed 15 sen hikes every six month for RON95 petrol but the government decided to stick to 10 sen, ensuring a slow rise in the fuel's prices. "What has happened is that the high RON97 prices has pushed more people to use RON95, increasing the subsidy bill further," a Cabinet source told The Malaysian Insider. RON95 petrol is now RM1.90 a litre while the premium RON97 fuel is floated at market price of RM2.90 a litre, making it a great saving for motorists but a bigger share of the national budget. The Malaysian Insider understands it is the same for electricity tariffs which should have been increased months ago but postponed to ensure the economy keeps growing at a quicker pace. Pemandu's proposal last year was to initially cut gas subsidy by RM4.65 per mmbtu and then set a corresponding 2.4 sen per kWh increase in tariffs in July 2010, followed by a 1.6 sen per kWh increase every six months.
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