Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Polls panel to remove inactive voters above 90
- 'Rally and riot, which part did you misunderstand?'
- Hindraf’s UK lawyer Imran Khan deported
- A Meek Attempt?
- GLCs upset with Nazri for misleading explanation in Tajuddin Ramli saga
- Malaysia: Disputing elections
- That Elusive Rural Support: Pakatan Needs to Think Long Term
- Airport Tax Up! Next?
- The opportunists' utopia
- A-G must still prosecute Tajuddin, says Mat Zain
- Nazri says Tajuddin intervention could save Putrajaya billions
- BERSIH 2.0: SPR Series of Untruths
- Bersih twist to church raid saga
- Senator Ezam threatens to 'burn down' news portals
- ‘No approval to operate as a church’
- Ahah! Did we not say so?
- 50 orang Islam dipercayai menyertai majlis DUMC
- Najib still an asset?
- When politicians plot, public gets shafted
- When you lie...are you not a liar?
- DAP: Nazri abusing his power
- JAIS missing the point
- Use new laws to stop merger, govt urged
| Polls panel to remove inactive voters above 90 Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:09 PM PDT
By Farrah Naz Karim, NST PUTRAJAYA: Those above 90 years of age and are considered to be "inactive" will be struck off the electoral roll. Under this approach of cleaning up the roll, which is updated every three months, the Election Commission has removed some 12,000 names to date. |
| 'Rally and riot, which part did you misunderstand?' Posted: 12 Aug 2011 12:03 PM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - PAS today took to task deputy Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar for attempting to liken the riots in British cities to the massive Bersih rally in Malaysia on July 9. The party's deputy information chief Nizar Jamaluddin questioned whether Khalid had problem understanding the difference between a 'riot' and a 'rally', which was something planned and accompanied by the organiser's request for cooperation from the police. WORLDS APART ... (Top): Bersih participants on July 9 queueing up at a store in the city centre to buy refreshments. (Bottom): Looters at a store during the riots which engulfed several British cities. Khalid had earlier remarked on his Facebook that the riots in London and surrounding cities were proof that street protests could lead to "nightmares".
(Harakah Daily) - PAS today took to task deputy Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar for attempting to liken the riots in British cities to the massive Bersih rally in Malaysia on July 9. The party's deputy information chief Nizar Jamaluddin questioned whether Khalid had problem understanding the difference between a 'riot' and a 'rally', which was something planned and accompanied by the organiser's request for cooperation from the police. WORLDS APART ... (Top): Bersih participants on July 9 queueing up at a store in the city centre to buy refreshments. (Bottom): Looters at a store during the riots which engulfed several British cities. Khalid had earlier remarked on his Facebook that the riots in London and surrounding cities were proof that street protests could lead to "nightmares". |
| Hindraf’s UK lawyer Imran Khan deported Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:58 AM PDT
By Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: Hindraf Makkal Sakti's UK-based lawyer Imran Khan was deported back to United Kingdom upon his arrival at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 1.50pm on Friday. London-based Hindraf chairman P Waythamoorthy said Imran Khan, a prominent British human rights lawyer, was forced by the Malaysian authorities to fly back to England at 2am on Saturday, 12 hours after he was refused entry to the country. "The authorities deemed Imran as a threat to Malaysia's security," said Waythamoorthy told FMT today. Throughout his ordeal, Imran was kept stranded at the immigration checkpoint. Imran was originally scheduled to leave the country only on Aug 18. His colleague, G Suresh however was allowed entry. Waythamoorthy said Hindraf was appalled by the excessive and unwarranted act of the Malaysian police and Home Ministry to deny entry to an internationally-renown human rights lawyer. He also slammed the government's act of branding Imran as a security threat. This is "absolute nonsensical and cheap stunt." The deportation confirmed Hindraf's fear that the Putrajaya administration would do a 'Bourdon' on Imran and his colleague upon their arrival in Malaysia. French human rights lawyer William Bourdon was deported by the government when he was here to give a speech pertaining to the billion-dollar Scorpene submarine scandal last month. "The refusal of entry to Imran in essence means that as far as the Malaysian Indians are concerned or their cause, the government can act in authoritarian ways against the rule of law," slammed an upset Waythamoorthy. Following orders Imran then informed the female officer that he was in Malaysia to meet his clients, who wish to engage him on a class action suit against the former colonial, United Kingdom government. The officer checked in her list of "wanted" persons and immediately told Imran that his request to entry was being refused. Upon insistence, Imran then met senior immigration officers who could not give any valid reason for refusing his application to enter Malaysia. "All that the senior immigration officer could say was that he had no problems giving Imran entry. "But the officer said his decision to bar Imran from entry came from the top most office of special branch in Bukit Aman and the Home Ministry. "The officer added that the police deemed Imran as a threat to Malaysia's security," said Waythamoorthy. He said Imran's deportation showed that the government has something serious to hide, thus it makes arbitrary decisions pertaining Malaysian Indian issues. He said Imran was coming to Malaysia to represent his clients from the underclass segment of the ethnic Malaysian Indian community. Meeting will take place tomorrow |
| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:38 AM PDT By Tony Pua The Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's meek attempt to explain the withdrawal of civilian suits against Tajuddin Ramli as an "off-site" solution epitomises the former's complete lack of political will to fight patronage, rent-seeking and cronyism in Malaysia. In fact, the "off-site" solution by Najib suggests some secret rendezvous between the two parties to thrash out a handshake deal by subterfuge. In his oft-quoted speech to foreign investors at the launch of his landmark New Economic Model (NEM), Najib said that "we can longer tolerate the behaviour of rent-seeking and patronage". However, the crude and blatant attempt to direct all Government Linked Companies (GLCs) to withdraw their multi-billion suits against Tajuddin to reclaim outstanding debts as well as other alleged misendeavours when he was the Chief Executive of Malaysian Airlines System (MAS) leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The directive proves beyond doubt that Najib is not only failing to live up to his NEM promise, he is doing the complete opposite. The Prime Minister is more than tolerating behaviour of rent-seeking and patronage, he is protecting the richest cronies who have benefited from the largese handed down by the Barisan Nasional government. In one of the most outrageous bail outs in Malaysian history, the Malaysian government paid RM1.79 billion to acquire MAS shares belonging to Tajuddin's corporate vehicle at RM8.00 per share despite its market price then being only RM3.62 per share. In addition, gross mismanagement by Tajuddin since 1994 has resulted in MAS suffering billions in losses and was laden with RM9.5 billion in debt. Despite MAS debts being whittled down via a "asset unbundling" exercise where Penerbangan Malaysia Bhd (PMB) was set up to acquire all MAS aircrafts and their associated debts, MAS never really recovered from Tajuddin's maladministration with its share price today struggling below RM1.80 per share. The attempt by Najib to withdraw all suits againts Tajuddin, and to even replace all the lawyers independently appointed by the GLCs with a well-known UMNO lawyer smacks of letting Tajuddin getting away scot free. Is Najib trying to tell us that when the respective GLCs including MAS, Telekom Malaysia, Prokhas (formerly Danaharta), many of which are listed, were poorly advised and did not know what they were doing when they filed their suits againts Tajuddin? Is the Government telling us that the existing panel of appointed lawyers, including some renown names, were wrongly advising the GLCs to claim billions of ringgit in debt and damages from Tajuddin? Were their advice so bad that they must be replaced wholesale by an UMNO lawyer? Given the billions of ringgit in rakyat's money involved, the Government must be completely transparent in its actions and not sweep everything under the carpet. The public interest in this case is paramount and must be protected at all cost. Najib must immediately withdraw the directive to GLCs to drop the suits againts Tajuddin because it is improper, an abuse of power and a corrupt practice to protect a billionaire crony. The Government must instead make public the case against Tajuddin to prove the Prime Minister's determination to eradicate rent-seeking behaviour, political patronage and cronyism. Did Minister in Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz really finish law school? I have asked yesterday for the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Nazri Aziz to be investigated under Section 2(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance No. 22/1970 where "Any member of the Administration, Parliament or State Legislative Assembly or any public officer who commits a corrupt practice shall be liable to a term of imprisonment of 14 years or a fine of RM 20,000 or both." A "corrupt practice" in this case is defined as "any act done by a member…in his capacity as such member…whereby he has used his public position or office for his pecuniary or other advantage…" When questioned on the above, Nazri retorted that I was "practising double standards". Nazri told The Malaysian Insider, "I want to ask him (Pua): When (PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang asked the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) and Jais (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) to see him and explain the recent church raid, why did he not rebuke Hadi? Because what power does Hadi have in doing so? He is not the mentri besar of Selangor and neither is he the minister for religious affairs. So why the double standards, Tony?" I'm completely shocked by the absurdity of the analogy used to accuse me of being hypocriticaland practising double standards. Firstly, PAS President Abdul Hadi Awang did not ask DUMC and JAIS to see him. Hadi asked to see them to better understand the recent controversy at DUMC. Secondly, PAS President did not give any directive to JAIS, a government body – whether to withdraw from investigation the alleged offences or to take action against any party. Thirdly, even if Hadi did in effect express an opinion on the issue, one way or another, it does not constitute a directive especially since Hadi is not a "member of the Administration" who is able to exercise the powers of his public office over JAIS. On the other hand, Nazri as a Minister is clearly a "member of the Administration" who has "used his public position or office" to unduly exercise improper influence over the actions of Government Linked Companies (GLCs) by-passing the GLCs Board of Directors, possibly to obtain "pecuniary or other advantage…" It is the exact same law used to find Anwar Ibrahim guilty of alleged abuse of power in 1999 where he was sentenced to jail for 6 years. Anwar, while holding the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, was found guilty of having "committed corrupt practice" by giving alleged directives to two police officers. If there is a relevant analogy at all, it has to be with the former Deputy Prime Minister's case. The comparison between his actions and that of the PAS President is that between night and day, which raises the question of whether Nazri is qualified to take on the role of Minister in-charge of law.
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| GLCs upset with Nazri for misleading explanation in Tajuddin Ramli saga Posted: 12 Aug 2011 11:26 AM PDT
By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider Several government-linked companies (GLCs) are perturbed by Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz's attempts to justify Putrajaya's intervention into ongoing lawsuits against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and claimed the de facto law minister was giving out misleading information. A source close to several parties named in the lengthy series of suits and counter-suits involving Tajuddin pointed out that the former poster boy for Bumiputera entrepreneurship had lost his RM13 billion countersuit against national debt restructuring company Danaharta in 2009. Among several documents obtained by The Malaysian Insider, a High Court judgment on December 7, 2009 showed trial judge Anatham Kasinather had awarded a total sum of RMRM589,143,205.57 to Danaharta, its two subsidiaries and its four managing directors named as Datuk Azman Yahya, Datuk Abdul Hamidy Hafiz, Datuk Zukri Samat and Datuk Kris Azman Abdullah. The same trial judge had also dismissed Tajuddin's RM13 billion countersuit against Danaharta and its agencies a month earlier on November 12, 2009. The source related that the GLCs and their directors were stunned with disbelief at Nazri's reasoning that an out-of-court settlement was the best solution to save the federal government billions of ringgit in legal claims. "Nazri misled the public when he said 'Our total claims by the companies against Tajuddin are only half a billion ringgit. That is why we said we should sit down and talk'. His claim that Tajuddin has the bargaining power and that the GLCs were disadvantaged is nonsense. The RM13 billion against Danaharta was also plucked from thin air," the source told The Malaysian Insider yesterday on condition of anonymity. "Tajuddin was the only one who owed money and Danaharta did not owe him anything," the source said and quizzed: "So what is there to negotiate?" Federal Court judge Tan Sri Md Raus Sharif has been put in charge of managing the ongoing slew suits involving a total 38 parties, including Danaharta and Malaysia Airlines (MAS), due to Tajuddin's appeal after losing his counter-claim.
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| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 06:08 AM PDT
EAST ASIA FORUM On 9 July around 50,000 Malaysians marched peacefully in support of free elections, defying a government prohibition and massive police effort. Police eventually dispersed demonstrators with water cannons and tear gas and arrested nearly 1,700. Several were injured (including the opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim) and one died from injury. Harrowing scenes were shown on news broadcasts around the world, and uploaded to numerous local websites. Why did this confrontation come about? After all, in recent months Prime Minister Najib Razak has crossed the globe selling Malaysia's credentials as a democratic and moderate state. Central to his message has been the assertion that elections in Malaysia are free and fair — proven, he says, by the opposition's large gains in the last national elections. It is true that in 2008 the opposition won power in five states and cut the government's national majority to less than the customary two thirds, preventing it from changing the constitution at will. The so-called electoral 'tsunami' forced Prime Minister Abdullah to relinquish power one year later. But this event is hardly proof that elections are free and fair. The opposition countered that if they had been fair the government would have lost their majority altogether. Analysts have long agreed that with government control of the three 'Ms' — money, media and machinery (meaning the bureaucracy) — the odds will always be stacked against the opposition. The formation of 'The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections', or Bersih (clean) in 2006 was an attempt by opposition parties and civil rights NGOs to pressure the government into electoral reform. On 10 November 2007 Bersih held peaceful demonstrations in Kuala Lumpur in support of this cause. Around 50,000 took part — a large turnout considering that police had declared the demonstration illegal and made every effort to prevent it. This success has been widely credited with contributing to opposition gains in the 2008 elections. After retreating into the background Bersih was re-launched in September 2010 as an entirely non-governmental organisation. Bersih 2.0 is chaired by a respected former President of the Malaysian Bar Council and senior practicing lawyer, Ambiga Sreenavasan. Its multi-racial twelve-member steering committee includes a wide cross section of leaders from the legal fraternity, human rights groups and Islamic organisations. When Bersih 2.0 announced plans for a second major demonstration on 9 July it listed eight specific objectives: Clean the electoral roll, reform the postal vote, use indelible ink, develop free and fair access to media, institute a minimum 21 days campaign period, strengthen public institutions, end corruption and end dirty politics. The objectives focus on immediate electoral reform, and the role played by the Elections Commission (EC). Although in theory the EC is an independent institution with wide powers, it has in practice acted in support of the government by, for instance, failing to maintain credible electoral rolls, allowing postal votes, which do not permit public scrutiny of voting by military and police personnel, allowing the government sole access to the mainstream media, and setting very short campaign times of around 10 days. After a recent meeting, European Union diplomats declared the EC 'not credible' as they kept referring to themselves as 'we in the government'.
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| That Elusive Rural Support: Pakatan Needs to Think Long Term Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:47 AM PDT
Looking through the 2008 General Election results Pakatan Rakyat has to work extremely hard to secure those rural votes. PKR had made a few mistakes in both Sabah and Sarawak. Among the first was the appointment of Azmin Ali (a non-Sabahan) as Sabah PKR chief. Although Azmin quit in 2009, the damage was pretty much done looking at the 2008 election results.
Famous American columnist Franklin Pierce Adams once said, "Elections are won by men and women chiefly because most people vote against somebody rather than for somebody". It is widely agreed that Pakatan Rakyat won big in the last General Election because the people were angry at Barisan Nasional (maybe they still are). But it is also a fact that Pakatan won mostly the urban seats like Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kota Knabalu. The only thing is that most of the constituencies in the rural areas and there's where support for BN are the strongest. It seems that the hatred for the ruling party exist mostly in the urban areas with the exception of Kota Bharu of course. PAS Deputy president, Mohamad Sabu in an interview with Free Malaysia Today said, "We have to work hard on dismantling Umno's hold on the rural folk and Felda. Because they have access to the mainstream media, they promote Umno's ideology. Umno will lose the urban seats, but rural seats… we need to find a way to break through to them. Umno creates a perception that they are the guardians of Malay rights. And it's very hard to change this because we have no access to people in rural areas."
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| Posted: 12 Aug 2011 04:45 AM PDT
MASTERWORDSMITH Did you know that airport tax aka passenger service charge will soon be increased? According to Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, the operator of Malaysian airports and Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) are expected to make the announcement soon. In a Bernama statement, Kong said the approval for the airport tax increase had been given as part of an operating agreement signed between MAHB and the Transport Ministry in February 2009. However, it had not been implemented and they left it to MAHB to implement it and to make the appropriate announcement. Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) is raising the tax to cover rising operating costs and finance airport expansion.
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| Posted: 11 Aug 2011 10:31 PM PDT
MAS in the hands of Tajuddin saw an unprecedented RM8 billion in the red. And the pathetic state of the national airline today has been a legacy of its mismanagement dating back to that time. MySinchew Malaysia is indeed a paradise for opportunists. Tajuddin Ramli has received an early Raya gift. All the GLCs have been "advised" to strike out their legal suits against him. In other words, MAS, Danaharta and other government-linked companies will no longer be able to seek compensation and liabilities from him through legal channels this moment on. Everything that is on-going and pending in court will now be put to an abrupt halt. But who is this Tajuddin? He is an icon of bumiputra entrepreneurship during Mahathir's time. When Mahathir was in power, this Tajuddin had his enormous wealth registered all over. From the national airline, land transport to telco (Celcom) he had a stake in everything, thanks to the bestowment of the one in control. Under Mahathir's economic doctrine of grooming bumi entrepreneurs and creating nouveaux riches, the country's wealth was distributed among a handful of people in the likes of Tajuddin Ramli, Halim Saad and Wan Azmi. Imagine, even a profitable national airline could be sold off to become the private asset of a handpicked individual. During the first half of 1990s, Tajuddin was the person to watch, and his money game saga made a textbook subject in Malaysia's corporate circle. The regional financial crisis in late 1990s nevertheless exposed all the feigned substances beneath the glorious skin. MAS in the hands of Tajuddin saw an unprecedented RM8 billion in the red. And the pathetic state of the national airline today has been a legacy of its mismanagement dating back to that time. Miraculously, Tajuddin tossed the loss-making airline back to the government, transferring all the liabilities and obligations to the nation and its people in so doing. Over ten billion worth of asset vanished in Tajuddin's hands, and yet he could still bow out in grace. After Mahatir and Daim Zainuddin stepped down, the new owners of these doomed GLCs filed applications in the court to seek compensation from Tajuddin, and that was when the MACC also stepped in to probe. Call that a belated justice or anything, but whatever amount that could be recovered was at least some consolation. But now, before the case even gets settled, the government has announced that it has reached an out-of-court settlement with Tajuddin. Reason unknown. The government fell short of explaining what had actually happened. The legal pursuit against Tajuddin attested to the fact that the rule of law was still very much in order and that no one was allowed to mess up things. To get back the money from him was to seek justice for the society, barring irresponsible individuals from shunning their obligations. The government owes the nation an explanation even if it wants to let Tajuddin off.
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| A-G must still prosecute Tajuddin, says Mat Zain Posted: 11 Aug 2011 07:12 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 12 — A former senior cop has called for charges to be brought against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli saying the withdrawal of civil suits against the former Malaysian Airline (MAS) chairman does not indemnify him against criminal culpability.Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim told The Malaysian Insider today that Putrajaya's decision to settle with Tajuddin out of court and directive to government-linked corporations to drop their cases against the latter did not mean that two police reports and another made to anti-graft enforcers were nullified. "Even if MAS and other GLCs were to drop all civil claims against Tajuddin, they have no or power to indemnify Tajuddin from criminal liabilities. For that matter, no minister or even the Attorney-General has the authority. "In fact, police have recommended that several criminal charges be preferred against Tajuddin and few others," the former Kuala Lumpur criminal investigation chief said. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz told The Malaysian Insideryesterday that he had written to GLCs earlier this month seeking for them to withdraw their suits, worth at least RM2 billion, to buy time for all concerned parties to reach a "win-win" agreement and put an end to the prolonged financial saga involving Tajuddin. He said the matter was referred to Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Husni Hanadzlah, who then directed him to pen the letter, noting that Tajuddin's case was scheduled for case management in court yesterday. "Since it involved the law and I am the minister in charge of law, Husni told me, why don't you look into this. It is not a cloak-and-dagger move... we knew this would come out somehow and there is nothing to hide. I wrote that letter using my letterhead," said Nazri. Mat Zain added today that MAS has lodged at least three reports against Tajuddin and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has "made it known to public that their investigation on Tajuddin is still ongoing." "It is also within public knowledge that sometime in March 2007, the former Director of Commercial Crime Investigation Department Datuk Ramli Yusuf had briefed then prime minister Tun Abdullah Badawi on police investigations based on MAS's reports. "The billion ringgit question is why our Attorney-General is still reluctant. I am sure Tan Sri Gani Patail is fully aware that he cannot indemnify Tajuddin's criminal liabilities despite the fact that they are in some ways connected," he said. Mat Zain, who led the police probe into former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black eye incident in 1998, said that as only the A-G could initiate criminal proceedings, it was up to Datuk Seri Najib Razak to step in and inquire into Gani's conduct. He has repeatedly attacked Gani for his failure to prosecute several high profile cases and called for the prime minister to axe the A-G.
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| Nazri says Tajuddin intervention could save Putrajaya billions Posted: 11 Aug 2011 06:57 PM PDT
Nazri said that to defend himself, Tajuddin, who is facing millions in legal claims for allegedly causing MAS to suffer losses in excess of RM8 billion during his tenure, had made a whopping RM13 billion counter-claim. (The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz has rebuked those who have questioned his authority in intervening in the Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli's civil cases, insisting today that the move could save the government billions in legal claims. The minister in the Prime Minister's Department disagreed that he had overstepped boundaries with a letter earlier this month telling all government-linked companies to withdraw their suits against the former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairman, claiming he had done so in his role as a "facilitator" for the government. Nazri also told detractors to check their facts before spewing insult against him, saying, "I know what I am doing." He accused DAP publicity chief Tony Pua of practising double standards for saying the minister should be placed under the Emergency Ordinance for issuing the letter, asking the leader why he had not urged the same when other Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders attempted to intrude on government affairs. "I want to ask him (Pua): When (PAS president Datuk Seri Abdul) Hadi Awang asked the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) and Jais (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) to see him and explain the recent church raid, why did he not rebuke Hadi? "Because what power does Hadi have in doing so? He is not the mentri besar of Selangor and neither is he the minister for religious affairs. So why the double standards, Tony?" Nazri told The Malaysian Insider. Similarly in the controversy over the Kedah government's ban on entertainment outlets during Ramadan, Nazri said DAP chairman Karpal Singh had no business ordering the businesses to stay open. "On my part, I spoke to the second finance minister and he told me why don't I explore this issue and that I may be the facilitator to urge these GLCs to sit down with Tajuddin to come up with an amicable solution. So what power did I abuse?" he asked. Nazri said that to defend himself, Tajuddin, who is facing millions in legal claims for allegedly causing MAS to suffer losses in excess of RM8 billion during his tenure, had made a whopping RM13 billion counter-claim.
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| BERSIH 2.0: SPR Series of Untruths Posted: 11 Aug 2011 06:48 PM PDT
BERSIH 2.0 is disappointed in the manner in which Elections Commission (EC) Deputy Chairperson Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad Wan Omar continues to take an approach to electoral reform that is excessively confrontational and unproductive. We have stated repeatedly that BERSIH 2.0's goal is to achieve a clean and fair electoral system for all Malaysians, not to demonise any institution or promote any political agenda whatsoever. It is thus distressing that the EC continues to make comments that are less in the spirit of working together towards cleaner elections and more in the spirit of defending an incumbent party against contenders. The only electoral result BERSIH 2.0 is interested in is a clean one. Should Barisan Nasional or any other party win a clean and fair election, then our goals will have been achieved. We are of the view that Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad and the EC should thus focus their attention on engaging with civil society to improve public institutions instead of engaging in a war of words with political parties. Recent comments that have been made threaten the public image of impartiality that the EC needs to have to maintain public confidence. It is more the job of the Deputy Chairman of a political party to make political criticisms than it is the Deputy Chairman of the EC. We had hoped that the EC could instead direct its energies to solving the massive problems facing the electoral roll that have recently been uncovered. "Mismah-gate" has revealed an alarming trend regarding the granting of voting rights to individuals whose citizenship is suspect, as has incidences such as voters named "Kg Baru", serious irregularities regarding duplicate voters as well as overcrowded addresses, and so on. Surely the EC could focus on fixing these problems promptly instead of being defensive and making these issues political when they in fact affect the integrity of all. On the issue of biometric verification, we view with grave seriousness recent reports that the police are investigating the tampering of the biometric system used to document migrant workers. This is exactly the type of systematic irregularity and vulnerability that can lead to massive electoral fraud should a biometric system alone be used to protect against phantom voters. We have yet to hear convincing arguments as to why the cheaper, simpler and more effective method of indelible ink should not be adopted. Datuk Wira Wan Ahmad's statement that all political parties have equal access to the media also requires scrutiny. Comparing party publications that have extremely limited circulations to national dailies and national broadcast services that are controlled by the ruling party is entirely misleading. Statements that opposition parties "have new media" also completely miss the point. The Malaysia we want is not one where certain parties only have access to certain types of media and not others, but one where all political parties on both sides of the divide have equal access to all types of media, bar none. Lastly, BERSIH 2.0 completely rejects any comparison of the July 9th peaceful gathering in Kuala Lumpur to the riots in the UK. Despite extremely heavy handed police action, multiple videos and innumerable eyewitness accounts from July 9th all proved beyond any doubt that Malaysians are completely capable of assembling peacefully in accordance with our constitutional rights to together call for a healthier, more democratic nation. BERSIH 2.0 has always aspired to work with all government institutions and political leaders irrespective of their affiliations, to together build a better Malaysia. We hope that the current low brow, petty bickering will be replaced by a sincere, open minded attitude of patriotic cooperation. Released by,
Steering Committee Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0)
BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee comprises of: Dato' Ambiga Sreenevasan (Chairperson), Andrew Khoo, Arul Prakkash, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Subramaniam Pillay, Dato' Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Dato' Yeo Yang Poh dan Zaid Kamaruddin.
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| Bersih twist to church raid saga Posted: 11 Aug 2011 06:20 PM PDT
An email is circulating claiming that the controversial JAIS raid could be more about politics than religion. (Free Malaysia Today) - Amidst the simmering tension over the controversial raid on a church by Islamic authorities, a conspiracy theory has surfaced linking the incident to the Bersih 2.0 rally. An email being circulated alleged collusion between Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and Selangor exco for religious affairs Hasan Ali, one of those in PAS supportive of a unity government with Umno. The email claimed that the minister wanted to teach the Christian community a lesson for backing the July 9 street protest, which dealt a massive blow to Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's administration. Last Wednesay, the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) together with the police raided the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) after receiving complaints that Muslims were present at a dinner event there. JAIS later clarified that it was not a raid but an inspection done to check if there was proselytizing of Muslims by Christians. The matter is being investigated under Section 4 of the Non-Islamic Religious Enactment 1988. Organisers of the dinner had denied the allegation, stating that the event was to raise funds for a HIV/AIDS campaign. While Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim had expressed regret over the incident, his exco Hasan defended JAIS and the latter was backed by PAS Youth. 'MCA and Umno leaders told in advance' However, the email claimed that the raid had little to do with attempts to convert Muslims to Christianity but "had everything to do with Bersih 2.0." It alleged that DUMC's pastor Daniel Ho hosted Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan and members of the polls watchdog's committee the week before. "Since last week Hishammuddin has been in touch with Hasan through their proxies on finding a way to teach Ho and the Christian community a lesson for supporting Bersih… "Hishammuddin wanted to show that he was not afraid to take anyone on. That is why the police could not produce a warrant or JAIS produce a copy of the complaint. "Hishammuddin has always thought of himself as above the law and is the law," read the email. It also claimed that Umno and MCA leaders were informed in advance of the raid and advised to prepare statements to condemn Pakatan Rakyat over the matter. "This is an effort to conceal the link between Hishammuddin and Hasan," stated the email, adding that the home minister and Umno considered Bersih 2.0 as the biggest threat to their political future. "Any support for Bersih 2.0 therefore must be nipped in the bud. The accusation of attempts to proselytize Muslims by the DUMC church is just a distraction from the actual truth," it added.
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| Senator Ezam threatens to 'burn down' news portals Posted: 11 Aug 2011 06:16 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - Umno Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Noor said today he will wage war in defence of Islam, including burning two online news portals, which he claimed to be agents against Islam.
Zulkifli, also a former ally of Anwar, echoed Ezam's warning, calling on Muslims working in the news portals to "repent". "You are being barua (running dogs) of propagandist and enemy of Islam. Don't be running dogs of kafirs (infidels) that go against us," he said. Ezam has 'big' problems with non-Muslims Several of the protesters donned masks of state exco leaders while displaying placards, one of which read "(Selangor Menteri Besar) Khalid Ibrahim is head priest".
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| ‘No approval to operate as a church’ Posted: 11 Aug 2011 06:10 PM PDT
The land occupied by DUMC in Section 13 is gazetted for industrial use and not for religious purposes, says MBPJ. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) does not have an approval to operate at Dream Centre in Section 13, a Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) official said. "When DUMC submitted an application for an approval for the building premises, it stated that its purpose was for the use of a community hall," said MBPJ's Zainun Zakaria. "You need to be specfic as to its activities," she added. She said that the land that the church stands on now was gazetted for industrial use and not for religious purposes. Zainun also dismissed a SMS circulating yesterday that the MBPJ was about to seal off the premises, saying it was false. The SMS was circulated to the media yesterday. A pro-Umno blogger claimed today that he received it from a source in MBPJ. MBPJ deputy mayor Puasa Mohd Taib also yesterday denied there was such an operation being planned. When contacted, a church spokesman said that many accusations have been levelled at the church and the current one had "half truths". Derek Fernandez, a lawyer and MBPJ councillor, however, said that while a church does not require an operational permit, it nevertheless needs to be registered as one. "An approval from MBPJ is needed. It is vetted by the sustainable development committee under the planning department. It also has to go through the state executive committee," said Fernandez. He added that the sustainable development committee is chaired by the mayor and consists of councillors, technical departments and also external agencies. Fernandez said that all buildings need a certificate of fitness, proper zoning, land title, besides paying the quit rent. "But if it is operating as a church, and the letter of approval says, 'community hall', it has flouted the Town and Country Planning Act and could be fined. Strictly speaking, the premises could even be sealed off. "An approval is needed if you want to operate a church in a place zoned as a commercial area," said Fernandez. "However, MBPJ has no problem with churches in shoplots as the state recognises the difficulty in finding a place of worship for non-Muslims. They're usually approved," he added. Fellow councillor Mak Khuin Weng said that the local authority usually does not enforce land usage rules strictly. "Where DUMC is located now, the land titles in that area are for industrial use, meaning for factories only. Having said that, the government has never enforced these land usage rules strictly. "If we were to be strict, not only will the church suffer but also the commercial areas around Section 14 and Section 19. "There are food courts and even a college operating on land for industrial use. So, you can't say you want to take action against DUMC but not against others," he said. Mak said that even the numerous bridal studios in SS2 operating from residential houses would also have to be shut down. The number of places of worship springing up in shoplots and factory areas can be attributed to a larger problem, and one that has been going on since the state was under the BN government.
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| Posted: 11 Aug 2011 05:48 PM PDT
According to Tajudin Ramli: "At all material times, I was acting as a nominee and agent of the Government and in the performance of a public duty and I was bound to act under the instructions and directions from the government." THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Do you remember these series of articles of two years ago?
1. The untold MAS story: part 1 (http://malaysia-today.net/archives/23997-the-untold-mas-story-part-1) 2. The untold MAS story: part 2 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24040:the-untold-mas-story-part-2&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106) 3. The untold MAS story: part 3 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24085:the-untold-mas-story-part-3&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106) 4. The untold MAS story: part 4 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24137:the-untold-mas-story-part-4&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106) 5. The untold MAS story: part 5 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/archives/24183-the-untold-mas-story-part-5) 6. The untold MAS story: part 6 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=24190:the-untold-mas-story-part-6&catid=71:archives-2009&Itemid=100106) 7. The untold MAS story: part 7 (http://mt.m2day.org/2008/content/view/24191/84/) 8. The untold MAS story: part 8 (http://www.malaysia-today.net/archives/24192-the-untold-mas-story-part-8) 9. The billions that MAS lost: the shit is finally hitting the fan (http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/29091-the-billions-that-mas-lost-the-shit-is-finally-hitting-the-fan) 10. UMNO's Corporate Cornucopia (http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/special-reports/35228-umnos-corporate-cornucopia-)
Okay, that is certainly a lot of reading so you can read those ten reports above in your spare time (actually there are many more but suffice you read just those ten). For the benefit of those who would like to cut to the chase or get straight to the bottom line, as they would say, this is what the issue is all about: 1. When Tajudin Ramli took over MAS, the national airline company had RM600 million in cash reserves. When he left MAS seven years later, the national airline company had a hole of RM8 billion, a gap of about RM9 billion. This was revealed in the letter to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi dated 26 March 2007 (see item 8 above). 2. The police investigation led by CCID chief, Ramli Yusuff, revealed a high level of fraudulent transactions, breaches of fiduciary duties, and breaches of various statutory duties. He then recommended that action be taken against Tajudin Ramli. 3. The basis for launching this investigation were the two police reports that MAS made -- Dang Wangi Report No. 347/02 dated 4 January 2002 and Dang Wangi Report No. 12532/05 dated 4 May 2005. It appears like this was an airtight case against Tajudin Ramli. So why would the government want to drop its case against him? Well, probably this article would explain why (http://malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/34253-umnos-hands-in-every-pie). According to Tajudin Ramli: "At all material times, I was acting as a nominee and agent of the Government and in the performance of a public duty and I was bound to act under the instructions and directions from the government." Yes, that was what he signed in his Affidavit of 18 April 2006. So can you see why the government has to drop its case against Tajudin Ramli? If they proceed with the case and this matter is argued in court, then the whole world will know that Tajudin Ramli is just the 'Ali Baba' front for some hidden hands who have thus far managed to remain hidden. However, once the hearing starts, then the 'hidden hands' would no longer remain hidden, just like the 'hidden hands' behind Anwar Ibrahim's Sodomy 2 matter who are slowly being brought to the surface. Hmm…I remember many saying that these untold stories on MAS are a figment of my imagination and pure fantasy. Do you still think this is a fantasy story and a product of my imagination going into overdrive? Yes, justice may be delayed, but it can never be denied. As I have always said, in Malaysia, 90% of rumours are always finally proven as fact in the end. And that is why Malaysians believe in rumours. I suppose when Anwar is subjected to the 'guilty unless you can prove your innocence' rule, we too can apply the same rule and say that: you are guilty unless you can prove your innocence. The evidence points to a verdict of guilty. Let the government now prove that it is not guilty but innocent. Until then, I stand by what I said two years ago. And the fact that the government wants to drop this case and sweep everything under the rug just enhances the suspicion of guilt. Over to you, Nazri, and let truth be told. After all, we are not supposed to lie during the fasting month, isn't it? Or can we? |
| 50 orang Islam dipercayai menyertai majlis DUMC Posted: 11 Aug 2011 04:12 PM PDT
Menurut presiden IKDDAS Rosdi Long, dianggarkan kira-kira 50 orang Islam dikesan mengikuti program itu namun mereka berjaya melarikan diri. (Free Malaysia Today) - Belumpun reda kontroversi pemeriksaan Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (Jais) dan isu murtad didakwa dilakukan Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama (DUMC), di Petaling Jaya minggu lalu, kini timbul pula dakwaan penyertaan orang Islam di majlis 'Thanksgiving' itu adalah melebihi angka tangkapan yang dibuat pihak berkuasa terbabit. Menurut Presiden Ikatan Kebajikan dan Dakwah Selangor (IKDDAS), Rosdi Long dianggarkan kira-kira 50 orang Islam dikesan mengikuti program itu namun mereka berjaya melarikan diri. Beliau mendakwa pihak penganjur membantu orang Islam terbabit daripada diperiksa pihak berkuasa dengan memboloskan diri menggunakan pintu belakang gereja tersebut. Namun pihak Jais berjaya menahan 12 orang Islam yang kini masih ditunggu memberi keterangan berhubung kejadian malam itu. "Mereka yang hadir dalam majlis itu dianggarkan 50 orang Islam. Yang berjaya ditangkap ialah 12 orang. Perkara itu dipercayai berlaku ketika proses perbincangan antara pihak Jais dan penganjur kira-kira sejam. Mereka kemudian dilarikan oleh penganjur dipercayai menggunakan pintu belakang gereja terbabit. "Kesemua mereka dipercayai berumur sekitar 30-an dan mereka datang secara berkeluarga. Ada yang membawa anak kecil dan adik-beradik. "Pihak operasi Jais mendapat kepastian apabila salah seorang peserta yang beragama Islam keluar ke tandas dan apabila diperiksa kad pengenalannya individu terbabit beliau beragama Islam. "Sedangkan pada awal perbincangan,pihak penganjur mengesahkan tiada orang Islam yang terlibat," katanya kepada FMT. Peserta Islam Perkara itu turut disahkan oleh satu sumber pihak berkuasa yang mengatakan wujud lebih ramai peserta beragama Islam yang menyertai program makan malam itu, walaupun tangkapan dibuat sedikit. "Ya memang lebih ramai orang Islam yang hadir majlis pada malam itu walaupun tangkapan dibuat adalah 12 orang," kata sumber. Menurut Rosdi selain daripada sikap penganjur yang menyembunyikan maklumat kehadiran orang Islam itu, elemen lain yang diragui termasuklah nyanyian 'Allahuakbar' , 'Alhamdulillah',majlis tertutup sedangkan ia majlis berbentuk kesyukuran. Malah ujar beliau tempat tersebut merupakan kawasan persendirian dan Jais berhak membuat pemeriksaan. "Selain daripada elemen tersebut, wujud penampilan urus setia yang hanya dikenali sebagai Sofea, perwatakan dan mukanya seperti Cina tetapi bila dilihat kad pengenalannya beliau adalah Islam. Tetapi wanita itu mengaku bahawa tidak mengamalkan tatacara hidup dan amalan Islam. Wanita itu turut mengakui bahawa menerima undangan untuk hadir ke majlis itu. "Itu salah satu penghinaan,sedangkan pada awalnya penganjur menafikan penglibatan orang Islam. Di sini yang kita ragu bahawa wujudnya proses untuk murtad. "Bagi menghormati majlis, pihak Jais menunggu program selesai memandangkan ada penglibatan tetamu kehormat atau VIP. Maka tidak wujud serbuan atau kekasaran yang ditimbulkan oleh penganjur sedangkan Jais dari awal lagi bertindak dengan penuh tertib," jelasnya. Rosdi juga turut melahirkan rasa kesal ekoran kejadian itu berlaku ketika bulan Ramadhan, malah sensitiviti itu tidak dijaga dengan sebaik mungkin.
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| Posted: 11 Aug 2011 03:44 PM PDT
NEW MANDALA Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mr. Najib Razak's carefully constructed international image may come unstuck. The reason, the silly deal he made with the Australian government on a refugee swap. An Australian refugee rights advocate group, led by Mr. David Manne, will challenge the Australian federal government's Malaysia solution on two arguments: (i) that asylum-seekers arriving in Australia have a right to have claims for refugee protection assessed here; and (ii) that the High Court can review Immigration Minister Chris Bowen's declaration that Malaysia is a suitable destination for off-shore processing. A full bench at the High Court of Australia will decide this. The second argument will be of interest to Mr. Najib Razak. Mr. Manne was quoted as follows in The Australian:
Thus far, Mr. Najib Razak has had the upper hand in winning admiration from the international community through a very successful international public relations campaign. However, this momentum changed on 9, July 2010, with his heavy handed clamp down of Malaysians advocating for free and fair rlections. A further blow came when Sarawak Report exposed how the Government of Malaysia was promoting itself unethically abroad.
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| When politicians plot, public gets shafted Posted: 11 Aug 2011 03:32 PM PDT
Why is the MAS/AirAsia merger necessary? Was it to help MAS or AirAsia? No one really knows as this deal is shrouded in mystery. With this latest defrauding of the public purse, how much of the taxpayers' money has gone unaccounted for? This government is neither transparent nor accountable. It does not adhere to its own catch-phrase, "People First, Performance Now". It doesn't even match up to its own Key Performance Indicators. Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today The fly-by-night people in charge of MAS are no better than a posse of cowboys. Why do we continue to tolerate the wasteful antics of our politicians who indulge in a game of real-life Monopoly and who use taxpayers' money to bail out ailing companies? In a perverse reversal of the saying "King Midas and his golden touch", it appears that whatever BN-Umno politicians "touch" will always turn to dust and ashes. This deal that is struck with MAS and AirAsia is another smack in the face for the public. What sort of responsible government allows such a merger to take place? By agreeing to this merger, the government has neglected to address healthy competition which in essence should benefit the airline customers, companies and the Malaysian economy. What about fair trading practices? Or conflict of interest? Or share prices? Maybe the Securities Commission should start probing both AirAsia and MAS about insider trading or any other irregularities. What about the jets each carrier uses, the agreements and maintenance contracts signed with Boeing and Airbus? Who honours what? However, the most scandalous revelation is that all government-linked companies, have been instructed by Nazri Aziz, Minister in the Prime Minister's department, to cease all civil suits against Tajuddin Ramli, the former chairman of MAS and settle out of court. Yet again, Tajuddin has been let off scot-free and the public, denied justice. Any court revelations now would not look good for Barisan Nasional, especially as the general election draws near. With this latest defrauding of the public purse, how much of the taxpayers' money has gone unaccounted for? This government is neither transparent nor accountable. It does not adhere to its own catch-phrase, "People First, Performance Now". It doesn't even match up to its own Key Performance Indicators. In the late 1960s and 1970s, working for MAS was both a privilege and carried great prestige. Today, there is a different portrait of the MAS employees. Many are unhappy and morale is at an all-time low. Disaffection with MAS is felt by cabin, flight and ground crews including engineering and maintenance staff. Jala's forte When Singapore Airlines (SIA) and MAS emerged from the ashes of the now-defunct Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA), SIA went from strength to strength while MAS was left in the doldrums. When former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad gave his blessing to Tajuddin to be installed as the chairman of MAS, the airline started to go downhill. Tajuddin received the support and protection from his influential patron, the former finance minister, Daim Zainuddin, which spelt further doom for MAS. In these days of rising fuel costs and tight profit margins, the airline industry is more competitive than ever. However, the Malaysian Cabinet denies putting government officials in charge of a global brand. These officials are clueless about most things and have no experience of running an airline. The first thing to effect a turnaround should have been to disband the senior management, all of whom are mere government puppets. If there was one brief moment of respite for MAS staff, it was when Idris Jala took over and was "praised" for turning the company around. But even simpletons realise that selling your best assets just to make the books look good, is not financial wizardry. Many in MAS are still angry with Jala. Asset stripping was Jala's forte. He also engaged in cost-cutting by reducing many of the privileges enjoyed by the staff without addressing the problems created by Umnoputras and BN politicians who treated the airline like it was their own private transport. Jala, having collected his performance bonus, then entered the government's bloated political élite club via the back door and became a senator and Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. So if Jala has turned MAS around, why is the MAS-AirAsia merger necessary? Was it to help MAS or AirAsia? No one really knows as this deal is shrouded in mystery. Mahathir remarked that the MAS-AirAsia merger was a "very good idea" as "AirAsia can learn about the experience of MAS and MAS can learn how to reduce costs as done by AirAsia". How prophetic. Anyone with half a brain will know that MAS is run along government lines. "You do as we say" is the norm and the person who kowtows to the government will be rewarded with a title and other benefits. And if others want to haul you to the court for non-payment of debts, the government does a good service in whitewashing and "proving" your innocence.
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| When you lie...are you not a liar? Posted: 11 Aug 2011 03:25 PM PDT
Certainly none of the first tier leaders from within both political divide in our country can meet our aspirations of the leader we want. Look all you want, seek for them even within the second tier of political leaders that we now have … you will not find them. It would seem that within Malaysia now there is a dearth of good, responsible and honest politicians. By Hussein Hamid When you do wrong it does not matter who you are. UMNO, MCA, MIC or Pakatan Rakyat. When you do wrong then you are wrong! When you lie then you are a liar. And when you profess to be a Muslim you do not fornicate outside marriage and sodomy is a sin! So for those of you who are die hard supporters of Najib or Anwar, of Pakatan Rakyat or Barisan Nasional, you must step back and listen to your heart. Listen to that beating heart, put your hand on that beating heart and ask yourself what does our country and our people need? Do our country and people need a change in Government? Do we need a Najib or an Anwar to be our Prime Minister? Does our country need Pakatan Rakyat to be in power? What our country needs are decent, responsible and honest leaders who will govern our country in our interest. Not theirs. Find these leaders and we will find our way out of this mess that our country is now in. Where do we look for these leaders? From within Barisan Nasional or from within Pakatan Rakyat? Certainly none of the first tier leaders from within both political divide in our country can meet our aspirations of the leader we want. Look all you want, seek for them even within the second tier of political leaders that we now have … you will not find them. It would seem that within Malaysia now there is a dearth of good, responsible and honest politicians. And there are some amongst you that have asked me to name one politician now in Malaysia that can meet the standards I have asked of them – accountability, responsibility and honesty. You tell me no such politician exists! My friends, they do not exist because we are prepared to accept something less than the best. We are prepared to close one eye and shut the other … read that again … close one eye and shut the other … and in so doing we get Mahathir, Najib, Muhyiddin, that Din guy and Anwar to be in position to claim that they are our leaders. They claim that they are our leaders … we do not claim that they are … at least I do not! So how has it come to this? How is it that we have a Mahathir that has ruled us for over 3 decades, an Anwar that has been sacked as DPM and has endured sodomy one and is now embroiled in sodomy two and do not forget this Najib too. Najib who has yet to explain to us his involvement in the Altantuya murder and the waste of billions of ringgit of the people's money while he was Minister of Defense? How has it come to pass that these are the people who are currently jostling for a position within the first tier of Malaysian politics? Why is there no Tun Razak, no Hussein Onn, no Tan Chee Koon and no Sambathan (to name a few)? These people are not around today because we are now prepared to accept less. Our leaders offer bribes to voters to vote for them. We tell ourselves that that is the way of Malaysian politics! Our leaders declare that they will take over the government on such and such a date and when that date passes without anything happening … we excuse his bluff as being part and parcel of Malaysian politics. And yet we fail to blame ourselves for the half past six leaders that we now have right in the first tier of our political parties! We make Malaysian politics the way it has now become. Corrupt, sleazy, always a "me first" power at all costs abyss of human beings whom we would not want our son or daughter to take as their partners in life! So where to now? I have made my mistakes too and I would be the first to say these are mistakes that must be corrected. I have begun the process, within myself, to question my stand on a number of issues. I, me and myself will now try to subjugate what are partisan interests and instead put the greater interests of country and our people first. It starts today.
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| Posted: 11 Aug 2011 03:03 PM PDT
Nazri has no power to order GLCs to stop suing ex-MAS boss Tajuddin Ramli, the DAP said. (Free Malaysia Today) - The DAP has attacked Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz for ordering government-linked companies (GLCs) to cease suing a former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) executive chairman Tajuddin Ramli. PJ Utara MP Tony Pua ticked off Nazri for using his influence as a minister to let Tajuddin off the hook. "Such an instruction from a minister's office, especially one with no authority of the various GLCs including MAS, Telekom and Prokhas (formerly Danaharta) is… highly improper and at worst an illegal and corrupt practice," he said in a press statement. He said that this move allowed Tajuddin to get away with billions of ringgit in debt, withou having to suffer any consequences. According to a Malaysian Insider report, Nazri said that he had issued a directive for all GLCs aggrieved by Tajuddin to withdraw their suits earlier this month. Denying that it was a bailout, the minister said that the move was an attempt to reach a "win-win" situation between Tajuddin and the various GLCs. Quoting Nazri, Pua said: "…the finance ministry has agreed to settle all civil claims against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli and others to be withdrawn immediately in view of the fact that the government and the finance ministry have agreed that the said cases will be settled out of court." Complete mockery This reasoning did not sit well with Pua. GLCs, he said, had their own board of directors to deal with problems, adding that Nazri had no right to be giving instructions to them. "His directive to these GLCs made a complete mockery of corporate governance in these companies, and will only turn away local and foreign investors," Pua said. He said that Nazri could be investigated under Section 2(1) of the Emergency (Essential Powers) Ordinance.
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| Posted: 11 Aug 2011 02:45 PM PDT
ART HARUN JAIS issued a statement yesterday concerning the so-called "raid" on Damansara Utama Methodist Church's Dream Centre in Petaling Jaya on 3rd August 2011. In its statement, JAIS clarified that it was not a raid as reported. Nor was there any force used during the walk about by JAIS in the Church's premises. In its own word, it was just an "inspection". Kinda like what PUSPAKON (sic) is doing on all vehicles which are sold second hand. It could then be gathered from JAIS' statement that it was a friendly thingy. You know, the kind of visit by strangers to our house unannounced just after we have dinner with some guests where our guests were questioned why they were in our house; what did we, as hosts, say before, during and after dinner; did we, as hosts, try to proselytise (did I get the spelling correct? Sorry, I have to confirm this because before the raid, I never knew this word existed, let alone know its meaning) them yada yada yada. JAIS director, Encik Marzuki Hussin said, among others:
I find this really amazing, really. Our Honourable Prime Minister flew all the way to the Vatican to meet the Pope; shook his hand; gave the Pope a book and established a diplomatic relationship with the Vatican. Then he came back to Kuala Lumpur cutting short his family holiday because he would rather be with us, the people. And what did some little Caliphs, defenders of the faith do? Yes. Together with the police, they "inspected" a private dinner hosted, not by the church, but by an AIDS organisation to say thank you for all the hard works and efforts put into the organisations by some people. The point is not whether it was a raid or inspection, JAIS. Nor was it whether you entered before, during or after the dinner. Nor also whether there was any interruption. Nor whether you all were as nice as cupcakes. That is NOT the point. The point is you had the nerve to gate-crash a private dinner on the pretext of investigating a report the details of which you were unable to give when requested. And please tell me under what authority and for what reason are the 12 Muslim guests were asked to attend counselling session with you. What counselling? Counselling for what? For having dinner with some Christians? Judging from your rationale, the Prime Minister and his whole entourage to the Vatican might have to attend counselling to ya? Sometime ago I attended a funeral of the son of a dear friend of mine in a church. I stood up when they were singing hymns and sat in silence when prayers were being said. Do I have to be counselled too? This is the kind of thing which is making Malaysia a laughing capital of the world nowadays. Some years ago I remember, there was a text message sent out by none other a mufti alleging that a number of kids were about to be proselytised (is my spelling correct?) at a church. It caused an uproar. But of course the good mufti was not hauled up for anything although recently a certain Penang lady was hauled up by the police for allegedly urging Christians to walk for whatever reason. The thing which I would like to ask is this. Is there any necessity at all to do this kind of thing?
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| Use new laws to stop merger, govt urged Posted: 11 Aug 2011 02:04 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: The government must intervene and stop the merger between Malaysia Airlines (MAS) and AirAsia because such a deal would not benefit the people and would only lead to a monopoly in the air transport industry, Sarawak DAP said. Party secretary Chong Chieng Jen said "ultimately the consumers will lose out". "The government must stop the merger. We have the Anti-Trust Act or the Competition Act which will take effect on Jan 1, 2012. "The Act will protect consumers against market abuse from cartel activities and monopolies or from unscrupulous trading practices of cartel and monopoly business. "The government can use the Competition Act to prohibit the monopoly. As a shareholder in MAS, the government has every right to stop the merger, and yet the government is not stopping it," he said. Chong, who is Bandar Kuching MP, said the whole merger exercise "is wrong". According to him, if the Barisan Nasional allows this deal to go through, it simply means that it "is not serious in protecting the right of the consumers". Chong also urged the people not to believe claims by Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha that the merger may not result in an increase in airfares. "Even though he has told us not to worry, his promise will amount to nothing. In the end, the airfares will be increased and we the consumers will be at the losing end. 'Not a merger' "I urge the government not to proceed with the merger in the interest of consumers," said Chong, who is also Kota Sentosa asemblyman. Asked whether Sarawak government should support his call as Sarawakians will suffer most, Chong said: "All governments that have the interest of the people at heart should oppose monopoly in the air transport industry." |
"We are saying here that we will launch an all-out war to defend our faith if they (anti-Islam elements) do not stop (and) use their agents - Malaysiakini and Malaysian Insider - which were biadap (rude) towards the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (Jais).
Also present were Kulim Bandar Baru MP Zulkifli Nordin and Umno Youth exco member Lokman Noor Adam (right), who was clad in a red Patriot T-shirt.
"We have no problem with non-Muslims. But we have big problems with non-Muslims who are disrespectful to us and our religion, we have big problems with non-Muslims who proselytise among Muslims.
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