Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Join us! Ambiga tells BN parties
- Hackers now target PM Dept’s website
- Anwar clarifies Bersih rally remark
- Stop the lies and allow Bersih to rally
- Now Putrajaya hands LRT deal to UK firm ahead of Najib visit
- PAS may reconsider flotilla mission due to UMNO 'hijacking'
- Anwar: No Bersih Demo If PM Can Guarantee Fair Elections
- Bersih rally go-ahead not up to Anwar, says Ambiga
| Join us! Ambiga tells BN parties Posted: 19 Jun 2011 06:01 PM PDT
Walking with us on July 9 for a level playing field will help salvage ruling government's dented credibility, says Bersih 2.0 chairperson. (Free Malaysia Today) - Coalition for Free And Fair Election (Bersih) 2.0 chairperson S Ambiga extended her invitation to BN component parties to join the 'Walk For Democracy' on July 9. "We have extended invitations to all parties and the opposition has responded," she said. "The invitation is still open for BN component parties." Ambiga said this when addressing an audience of 700 activists, civil society and NGOs members at the launch of the Bersih 2.0 rally at the Kuala Lumpur Chinese Assembly Hall last night. She added that it would be good for BN to join the assembly on July 9 as it would raise BN's credibility to win on a free and fair election. Ambiga who is former Bar Council president also had a message for the police force. "We will give full cooperation to the police on July 9. We know that the police are planning to take action under Police Act but you cannot bar my right to assemble and walk as enshrined under the Federal Constitution," said Ambiga. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim meanwhile threw a gauntlet to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak that if he can assure free and fair elections, he would ask Ambiga to call off the Bersih rally. Ambiga, in a swift retort, said the rally was "not about me" and it was not in Anwar's place to make such a call to halt the people's demand for a fair and free electoral process. The July 9 rally is the second such rally by Bersih, the election watchdog. Up to 50,000 took part in the first one in 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. Police armed with tear gas and water cannons dispersed the crowd at several locations in the city then. The rally has been credited for the Pakatan Rakyat's record gains in the 2008 general election. The opposition pact swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats. PAS has promised to bring about 300,000 protesters this year in hopes that it will galvanise support for the opposition in the next general election, expected to be called within a year. Perkasa and 164 other NGOs as well as Umno Youth have said they will march on July 9 to counter the Bersih rally. Perkasa earlier yesterday kicked off its counter-protest to Bersih 2.0 by burning images of Ambiga and warning the Chinese to stay indoors as "anything could happen".
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| Hackers now target PM Dept’s website Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:56 PM PDT
After crippling over 41 websites in its first attack, hackers now have set their eyes on Prime Minister's Department's official website on July 4. (Free Malaysia Today) - After crippling over 41 Malaysian government's websites on June 16, computer hackers now threaten to hack the Prime Minister's Department's official website next month. In a Youtube posting titled Ops2.mov, the hackers, known as 'Anonymous' said the attack targetted at www.pmo.gov.my would take place on July 4, at 1.37pm. The video was uploaded to Youtube on Friday. Alleging that the Malaysian government was abusing human rights by blocking sites such as Wikileaks and The Pirate Bay, Anonymous warned the Malaysian authorities that it would make July 4 a day to be remembered by crippling the nation's infrastructure. "We are Anonymous, We are Legion, We do not forgive, We do not forget. Expect us," the posting said. Last week, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said Anonymous hacked 51 government websites and crippled 41 out of it but no official data were compromised.
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| Anwar clarifies Bersih rally remark Posted: 19 Jun 2011 05:39 PM PDT
Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he was misquoted earlier and that he supports Bersih's march for a free and fair election. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will join Bersih 2.0 and chairperson S.Ambiga and march in the July 9 mass rally calling for a clean and fair election. Anwar was yesterday reported as saying that he would call off the Bersih rally if the government guaranteed free and fair election. But Ambiga reiterated that it was not for Anwar to decide to call it off. Today Anwar clarified his statement. "What I said which was taken out of context was clearly this, had the electoral process be fair, just and clean there is clearly no need for Bersih (to organize a rally)". "I agree with her. There has been some misunderstanding. I support Ambiga's position that the Bersih rally should continue," he told reporters at a press conference in Parliament. "But it reflects utter failure of the administration because they (are) continuing the fraudulent act and procedure," he said. Yesterday Anwar, in his winding up speech at the PKR election convention, was reported to have said: "I will call Ambiga and tell her to call off Bersih, if Najib can promise free and fair elections tomorrow." Anwar added today that he was a democrat and was able to face some disagreement. "I am a democrat, in a way it is good to disagree with me and I can agree with her. I am not an Umno leader," he said.
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| Stop the lies and allow Bersih to rally Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:34 PM PDT By Charles Santiago, Free Malaysia Today Sometimes it suffices to say that the Malaysian government wants to organize the Malaysian body politic in a manner that it serves the interests of the ruling elite and their cronies. But it's this same ambition or rather greed which triggered massive protests across Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Now, why am I saying this? In Malaysia, we have an array of preventive laws including the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), which allows for detention without trial, to silence dissidents. Media organizations have to toe editorial lines blatantly dictated by Umno leaders. Any journalist who dares to push the boundaries faces the sack or is subjected to internal investigations. We are said to be a democratic nation but clearly with reservations. For example, the police could use violence to break up peaceful rallies as more than four people constitute an illegal assembly. Furthermore, they enjoy absolute power or we would not have mounting cases of trigger happy by the force or deaths in police custody. Clearly, government institutions and preventive laws are used to keep the society under the grips of the ruling elite. No one is allowed to question them and those who were brave enough to do would be severely disciplined. Precisely for these reasons do we need a clean electoral system which enables the rakyat to exercise their voting rights to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the government and make durable changes. Free and fair elections are the fundamental aspects of a vibrant democracy. The people are entitled to vote in a system which is based on integrity as opposed to one open to abuses, including vote buying, gerrymandering, vote rigging and phantom voting. The recent elections in Sarawak caricatured rampant vote buying, particularly in rural and poor areas. In short, there must be no manipulation from the ruling government to ensure their longevity in politics. And election results must tally with the will of the people. In Malaysia, this is hardly the case. Stop the lies With this in mind, I pledge my support for Bersih 2.0, a coalition of 62 non-governmental organizations which focuses on meaningful electoral reforms to ensure that peoples' voting rights are not marred by unscrupulous politicians and an unequal system. Bersih has lobbied the Election Commission to reform postal voting, use indelible ink, clean up the electoral roll, allow all parties access to the media and introduce a minimum 21-day campaign period. The commission has strongly resisted any idea for reforms. In fact, recent media reports indicate that they have closed the doors to Bersih 2.0 permanently. Complaints lodged against vote buying during the Sarawak state elections were also dismissed in a nonchalant fashion. This entrenches the public notion that government institutions are structured in a way to back the rich and powerful and ensure they are able to maintain their dominant position in society. Weeks before the scheduled protest on July 9, we have seen responses from Umno Youth and Perkasa leader, Ibrahim Ali, who doesn't miss any opportunity for self-promotion. Both organizations have condemned the Bersih rally and planned simultaneous protests to pledge loyalty to the existing electoral process. We welcome their rallies as freedom of assembly and expression form the crux of any democratic nation. What we denounce are the lies they go on spreading about Bersih 2.0. The propaganda is cleverly tailored to tarnish the credible effort by the coalition. It's about time that Umno and Perkasa understand that criticizing government policies does not, mind you, in any way project disloyalty to the country. Bully-boy tactics The deputy prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, has gone on a verbal tirade to allege that the Bersih 2.0 rally is an attempt to topple the government. Information, Communications and Culture minister Rais Yatim has expressed belief that the recent attacks on local and government websites were inadvertently linked to the planned rally. These are false and unproven allegations aimed at confusing the public.
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| Now Putrajaya hands LRT deal to UK firm ahead of Najib visit Posted: 19 Jun 2011 01:32 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — A Finance Ministry committee has changed its mind by awarding the contract for the Kelana Jaya light rail transit (LRT) extension to a consortium led by British firm Colas, after controversially ordering a deal last week with another joint-venture. But the committee's latest decision continues to ignore the recommendation of LRT operator Syarikat Prasarana Negara Berhad for the contract to be awarded to a third company in the frame. The Singapore Straits Times reported today that the joint-venture between Colas and CMC Engineering Sdn Bhd would be awarded the project, citing senior industry executives and government officials close to the tender as its source. Last week The Malaysian Insider reported that a finance ministry committee ordered Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd to award the deal to the Hartasuma Sdn Bhd-Bombardier joint-venture, whose RM890 million bid is nearly 50 per cent higher than the RM610 million quoted by the LRT operator's choice, Ingress Corp Bhd-Balfour Beatty Rail Sdn Bhd. This new about-turn, if confirmed, comes ahead of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's official visit to London next month where he is hoping to meet his British counterpart David Cameron. The Singapore Straits Times quoted political analysts and industry executives as saying that the "behind-the-scenes intrigue shows how opaque and non-transparent practices that have long characterised large public-sector contract awards remain the order of the day in Malaysia." Calling the LRT deal "a strong test case" for Najib's administration, the ST said that the decision to override Prasarana would "likely to dull Kuala Lumpur's efforts to attract much-needed foreign investment." The project will extend and upgrade of electronic and mechanical systems for the Kelana Jaya line that will now stretch another 17km to Subang Jaya. Prasarana is spending some RM7 billion for the extension of both the Kelana Jaya and Ampang LRT rail networks. The Ampang network will be extended by another 17.7km.
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| PAS may reconsider flotilla mission due to UMNO 'hijacking' Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:24 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 20: A last minute decision to remove a speaking slot for PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu during the launching of the Malaysian chapter of the multinational aid flotilla seeking to break Israeli blockade on Gaza has led to questions over the mission's domestic political intentions. CENSORED ... The banner at the launching event on June 18 showing a change of mind by organisers Speaking to reporters, Mohamad Sabu said he decided to skip the launching ceremony of the Lifeline4Gaza (LL4G) aid team to Occupied Palestine on June 18 after organisers removed him as one of the speakers. Mat Sabu lamented that the LL4G, which plans to send Malaysian participants to join the second flotilla, was being hijacked by UMNO and its NGO Aman Malaysia. RARE HANDSHAKE ... Then PAS president Fadzil Noor and Dr Mahathir Mohamad, at an event to voice support for Palestine, 2002 The programme on Saturday night in Cheras was to feature him alongside prime minister Najib Razak and UMNO Youth head Khairy Jamaluddin, in what was seen as an effort to symbolise Malaysian political unity when it comes to supporting the Palestinian cause, as was demonstrated in 2002 when the late PAS president Fadzil Noor and then UMNO president Dr Mahathir Mohamad shared a stage to condemn Israeli atrocities. Mat Sabu said the organisers had initially wanted PAS Murshidul Am Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat to represent the Islamic party, but the Kelantan Menteri Besar could not make it. Shah Alam member of parliament Khalid Samad had then suggested Mat Sabu to represent the party. He said he was initially allocated 20 minutes to give a speech on the Palestinian issue, but his slot was halved to 10 minutes, before being taken off altogether. In his trademark cynicism, Mat Sabu (left) recalled his joy at being seated "on the same stage as the prime minister". "Of course I was so happy to be on the same stage with the prime minister," he said. "But when my name was dropped, I was disappointed, because it was supposed to be a joint event." On Saturday, many in the audience were disappointed by Mat Sabu's absence. As if to add salt to the wound, organisers covered a piece of cloth on part the backdrop banner on the stage where the names of the PAS deputy president and Khairy were mentioned. 'Second thoughts' Mat Sabu, however explained that he was not disheartened at being denied the chance to speak. "But I did not go there because it seems UMNO was hijacking the programme," he said. Meanwhile, Khalid (right) who would represent PAS when the humanitarian mission departs on Jun 26, said he was having second thoughts. When contacted, the PAS central committee member, who agreed to Mat Sabu's view that the programme was being hijacked by UMNO, said he was considering his options.
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| Anwar: No Bersih Demo If PM Can Guarantee Fair Elections Posted: 19 Jun 2011 11:04 AM PDT
(Bernama) - SHAH ALAM -- The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections (Bersih) will be asked to call off its planned illegal street demonstration for July 9 if the prime minister can guarantee free and fair elections in the country. Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim said he was willing to ask Bersih chairman S.Ambiga to cancel the plan right away if Najib Tun Razak could give the assurance. "If the prime minister can guarantee this and a clean electoral roll as well, we don't need to hold a mass procession," said the Parti Keadilan Rakyat de facto leader when winding up his speech at the party's General Election Convention, here, yesterday. Bersih plans to hold an illegal demonstration to demand for free and fair elections, the electoral roll to be cleaned up, postal voting to be reformed, using of undelible ink for voters, and free and fair access to the media. Anwar, in his speech, also expressed regret over accusations by some quarters that he was behind the planned demonstration. He also reminded party members dissatisfied with the choice of candidates for the general election to bring up the matter through the right channels and not to lobby him to determine the candidates.
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| Bersih rally go-ahead not up to Anwar, says Ambiga Posted: 19 Jun 2011 10:49 AM PDT
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 — The decision to continue with the planned Bersih 2.0 rally will be made by civil society groups and not any political party, its chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan declared last night. The Bersih chairman distanced herself from a comment made earlier by PKR de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who said he would ask Ambiga to call off the July 9 rally if the prime minister could guarantee free and fair elections. "With due respect, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, this decision is not yours," Ambiga said to applause from nearly 600 supporters at the launch of Bersih 2.0 here. "Sorry, PKR, civil society will lead the assembly." Utusan Malaysia and Malay rights group Perkasa have accused Bersih of being an opposition tool to bring down the Barisan Nasional (BN) government through undemocratic means. They allege that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) will use the rally to trigger an uprising similar to the popular protests that toppled Egypt's Mubarak regime and now threaten governments in Libya, Syria and Yemen. PR component parties and activists are gearing up to march on July 9 in the second such rally by election watchdog Bersih. The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital's street, before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons. The 2007 rally has been credited for the PR's record gains in Election 2008, where the opposition pact was swept to power in five states and won 82 parliamentary seats. PAS has promised to bring some 300,000 protestors this year in hopes that it will galvanise support for the opposition in the next general election, expected to be called within a year. Perkasa and 164 other non-governmental organisations as well as Umno Youth have said they will march on July 9 to counter the Bersih rally.
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