Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Monaco’s Prince Albert II asked to pay back dodgy Malaysian donation
- Why I will walk
- Home Minister invites the 'American Dream' to Malaysia?
- Bersih internet campaign begins: A message to all Malaysians
| Monaco’s Prince Albert II asked to pay back dodgy Malaysian donation Posted: 29 Jun 2011 07:03 PM PDT By BRUNO MANSER FUND, BASEL / SWITZERLAND Bruno Manser Fund, the Swiss rainforest advocacy group, is calling on Monaco ruler Prince Albert II to pay back a controversial 100,000 euro donation he received last year from Malaysia's First Lady, Rosmah Mansor, for his environmental foundation, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Albert was given the cheque by Rosmah in August 2010 at an "Islamic Fashion Show" in Monaco, which was sponsored by the Sarawak government. During the ceremony, Rosmah was accompanied by Sarawak Chief Minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud ("Taib"), and her husband, the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. "The origin of the 100,000 euros is very unclear, and the fund should thus not have been accepted by Prince Albert's foundation", the Bruno Manser Fund stated on Thursday. "We suggest that Albert pays back the money to the Penan, Malaysia's most marginalized people, in order to support their struggle to defend their rainforests against logging." The Bruno Manser Fund suspects that the 100,000-euro cheque might have been funded by Taib, who maintains close ties with the Monaco ruler. Taib is the main culprit in the destructive logging of Sarawak's tropical rainforests, one of the world's most biodiversity-rich habitats. "Albert's relationship with Taib raises a lot of questions", the Bruno Manser Fund said. "Why is Albert, who is fond of his green image, associating himself with one of the world's worst environmental criminals?" In 2008, Albert visited Sarawak with one of Monaco's top private bankers and London property tycoon Achilleas Kallakis. Last year, Kallakis, a former member of the Prince Albert II Foundation, was charged with £61m of fraud in one of the most serious property frauds in UK history. The Bruno Manser Fund is afraid that Monaco's banks might be administering significant Taib corruption assets. – Ends – |
| Posted: 29 Jun 2011 02:19 PM PDT By A Malaysian Citizen Is exercising a democratic right in a democratic country now illegal? Not so long ago, I would have supported the objective of Bersih 2.0 purely on principle. The eight points are noble, idealistic and perfectly reasonable. Actually achieving the objectives, well, perhaps a little unrealistic. But there is nothing wrong with being idealistic, especially if it's balanced with a healthy dose of realism. I work on Saturdays. It is the busiest day of my working week, and one that I enjoy tremendously. Only 10 days ago, I would have been a silent supporter of the eight points of the memorandum, for there is nothing wrong with those eight points — I still don't understand what danger lies in those eight points. I would have gone to work, got on with my day, and perhaps expect to read in the news at some stage a press release along the lines of "we have taken the eight points into consideration...", without really expecting much. Personally, agreeing to the use of indelible ink alone would have been a more than acceptable first step for me. I fully expected the opposition to jump onto the Bersih bandwagon. What else would they do? I expected the government to accuse the opposition parties of doing so — because that is what political parties do, they politicise. And I fully expected certain NGOs to come out with their usual rhetoric, ranting against all sorts of things with accusations that completely boggle the mind. I am not political, although I am a voter — I vote because it is my civic duty; I vote because I can; I vote because there are millions of people in the world who would dearly love the opportunity to be able to turn up to a polling booth and make their voice heard; and, if nothing else, voting gives me the right to whinge about things I do not approve of. I do not support either side of the political divide. I personally believe both sides waste a lot of time trying to gain political mileage through petty and immature politicking. But that's what politicians do. So I ignore or laugh at the nonsense and simply try to get on with life in the most positive way I can. Having said that, I do acknowledge there are voices of reason and sincerity on BOTH sides of the political divide. I believe that real change comes from civil society. I believe that we behave better towards each other than some delinquents in the Dewan Rakyat. I believe in keeping my faith in basic human decency. I believe it is entirely possible to disagree with someone without resorting to name-calling and threats of violence. I believe that if I want to see certain changes, I must begin with myself. Has the Bersih rally been politicised? Of course it has, by both sides. Does that invalidate the eight points? Absolutely not. Rallies or demonstrations are not the Malaysian way? Rubbish. Since history is to be a compulsory pass for SPM, I suggest certain people brush up on this subject and see what a fallacy this claim is. Besides, the last time I checked, we were still a democracy — or did something change while I wasn't looking? To think, had this rally been allowed, had it even been supported by members of BN — oh, there were so many different options you could have chosen in response, and it's still not too late — the Bersih 2.0 rally could have been a peaceful non-event. People like myself would have gone on with our usual Saturday routines, lending our support in principle only. Am I afraid? Yes, I am. Do I think things could get ugly? Yes, I do. But I also have faith in my fellow Malaysians that they will try to keep things as peaceful as possible. I have faith that we Malaysians are not as divided as some would have us believe. If my faith is wrong, let it be proven wrong by fact, not by fear. I would have happily gone to work on July 9 and quietly wished Bersih all the best if not for the completely disproportionate response by the government (arrests, raids, threats, etc.), not to mention the ridiculous accusations of "illegality" among other threats that are completely illegitimate and nonsensical. It is not the Bersih organisers who have made it increasingly unpalatable for me, who force my conscience, who fill me with such depths of disbelief and disgust, who have pushed too far with fear-mongering that I can no longer sit and lend my support in principle only. Is exercising a democratic right in a democratic country now illegal? |
| Home Minister invites the 'American Dream' to Malaysia? Posted: 29 Jun 2011 12:49 PM PDT Indeed it is becoming crystal clear - by any accounts you use to validate the incidents talking shape in the country, that democracy has been finally quarantined with the ban on the yellow color. By J. D. Lovrenciear The Home Minister of Malaysia's outright ban on the wearing of anything yellow – be it a T-shirt, shoes, pants or skirts, headband, or whatsoever, is impacting shockwaves down the spine of caring, concerned citizens. The Home Minister's announcement and the immediate police action that went into over-drive with premises raided, will be ringing alarm bells all over the world for certain. The learned professor from the International Islamic University in Malaysia has in all honesty and with courage pointed out that there is no law in the country to effect such a ban. And that the highest law of a democratic nation - the Constitution of Malaysia is being compromised. The authorities are claiming that this mother of all bans on wearing anything yellow and suggesting 'Bersih 2.0' is being invoked for "national security". Simultaneously more threats are being pumped out of the government's nozzle – i.e. the police, the various pro-UMNO and BN agentries and from the corriodors of vested interests. Arrests have already started and more are expected. Those under detention are claimed to be abused with absolute disregard for human dignity and basic rights as provided for under the law. Bullying, rowdiness and vandalism against those supporting the rally for a fair, clean and just election is seen to be on the rise and unabated while some are even condoned with absolution. The media is being encouraged and protected to spew wild, fiery and seditious allegations with impunity. Parliamentary immunity is compromised. Parliamentary sessions are also being bulldozed through with utter disregard for democracy and respect for the august house. Now, all these are certainly more threatening to national security than the Bersih 2.0 rally. But how come the equation does not tally? How long more does the government of the day want to fight this induced war on its citizenry? Indeed it is becoming crystal clear - by any accounts you use to validate the incidents talking shape in the country, that democracy has been finally quarantined with the ban on the yellow color. Truly, bitter as it may be, the truth is when the citizens are denied of a free and peaceful assembly, the Constitutional rights have been hung. When the most supreme law of a nation – the Constitution, is not kept to the letter, democracy has been compromised. The world is taking stock of the current Malaysian PM's inability to deal with this development that is already deep into a crisis mode through the government's own doing. In fact, with the latest announcement by the highest authority of law enforcement – the Home Minister, Malaysia has virtually entered a crisis stage and no less. The leaders in the region are also very concerned with the way the government is reacting on a daily basis. It is not an understatement to say that many of these democratic leaders are distancing themselves from Malaysia. Civil society organizations in the region and the world are also zooming their lens on Malaysia. Painful as it may be to the ears and egos of power, the government has failed to tackle the cause and concern in a mature, transparent and respectful manner from the beginning without compromising democracy. It appears that going by the series of actions forced upon the rakyat in the interest of "national security", the Malaysian government has provided an impetus for the citizens to now join the ranks of the worldwide community of civil society protesting against perceived or real tyranny, regimes, and police state brutality. The 'American Dream' for true democracy and civil liberties that is sweeping the globe today has finally been invited by the kind courtesy of the Malaysian government, i.e. the Home Minister, with this 'yellow T-shirt and anything yellow' blanket ban.
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| Bersih internet campaign begins: A message to all Malaysians Posted: 28 Jun 2011 08:16 PM PDT
Salam! Today, Wednesday, 29th of June, from 2pm-6pm, is Bersih's day of internet activism. Our goal is to exponentially increase visible support for Bersih online, as part of our movement for a free and fair electoral system, and for a better Malaysia for all Malaysians.
We hope to use democratic tools on the internet to objectively demonstrate how many Malaysians stand united behind these goals. In the first stage of our campaign, our objectives are to: Also change your profile picture to something yellow. The only way we will achieve these goals is if as many Malaysians as possible spread the message through their social networks – Facebook, Twitter, e-mail, and so on. This marks the beginning of a web campaign that will last to the 9th of July and beyond, where every day from 2pm – 3pm, we will call on Malaysians to help spread the message. On the 29th of June from 2pm to 6pm, the theme for Facebook and Twitter is to write about "Why #Bersih?" – why it's needed, why we as individuals are choosing to walk, and why it will make Malaysia better for all Malaysians. We call upon activists to encourage positively, avoid pressuring others, and not get drawn into unproductive arguments. Ultimately, what we need are numbers to support the cause. Thank you all for your kind support – together we will change the country we love for the better.
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We call upon all Malaysians of all backgrounds, regardless of their affiliations, to join us in helping ensure that Malaysia's citizens will always retain the right to choose their government in a clean, democratic manner.| You are subscribed to email updates from Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
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