Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Putrajaya's Deafening Silence on FBC Fiasco
- Attempted arson on Penang DAP Hq
- AirAsia-MAS deal unfair to Sabah, S’wak
- BN Screwed by own PR Company?
- Arrogance has a price
- Rakyat Voices: The State of Emergency and The Emergency Ordinance
- Babi nak Rasuah
- Muhyiddin likens Bersih rally to violent UK riots
- Leaders of Quality for a new Malaysia
- Quek takes stake in American Airlines parent AMR
- WikiLeaks cable: Filipinos 'troublesome' in Sabah
- Senjata Makan Tuan (The Knife Cuts Both Ways)
- CIMB denies receiving letter from Nazri
- How Zul Noordin distorts the truth (UPDATED with Chinese Translation)
- Cops admit using preventive arrests after ban on confessions, says leaked US cable
- Remember this, Ezam?
- The Rural Battlefield
- Electoral Reform a Must Before Next GE
- Utusan editor says Muslim schoolchildren being proselytised
- Close fight likely for Kapar in next polls
- FBC under probe over conflicts in Putrajaya contract
- A-G’s Chambers objects to Bersih bid
- Ezam sowing seeds of racial tension
- JAIS raid video appears on pro-Umno blogs
- 3,500 voters over 100 years old in Sabah
| Putrajaya's Deafening Silence on FBC Fiasco Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:45 PM PDT What is in dispute here is not the practice of hiring media advisory or public affairs firms, but rather these firms use of paid content to unwarrantedly bolster the image of certain governments at the expense of objective reporting. By Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (Communications Director Parti Keadilan Rakyat) Last week, I called on the Federal and the Sarawak state Government to come clean on their hiring of the FBC Media firm to engage in an illegal public relations campaign. Putrajaya and Kuching were found to have paid FBC hundreds of millions of ringgit for strategic communications services and the production of friendly content for their governments, something clearly in What is in dispute here is not the practice of hiring media advisory or public affairs firms, but rather these firms use of paid content to unwarrantedly bolster the image of certain governments at the expense of objective reporting. While the Malaysian Insider has reported that Putrajaya has terminated its contract with FBC following the expose by Sarawak Report, there has so far been no response from either the Federal and Sarawak Governments on the FBC fiasco. Neither Putrajaya nor Kuching has denied or admitted to the allegations. Considering the international media attention that this issue has raised, their silence is truly deafening. On the other hand, the media establishments involved, such as the BBC and CNBC have subsequently acted in a way that suggests the accusations against the FBC may be credible. BBC has suspended all programming commissioned from the company and is investigating how it came to broadcast supposedly impartial content that was in fact being produced by a company on the payroll of Putrajaya. CNBC has also indefinitely withdrawn the FBC-produced World Business program. It will be remembered that this show featured Malaysian government leaders on a few occasions. Finally, Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, is launching its own investigation into claims of bias at FBC. The FBC fiasco has now attracted attention from credible newspapers across the world and is putting another dent in Malaysia's tattered image globally. Surely Putrajaya and Kuching must now disclose their role in and extent of this illegal public relations campaign. This scandal ironically comes in the wake of the censoring of the Economist magazine report on the Bersih 2.0 debacle. As a result, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was forced to concede the need to review national censorship policies. We would now like the Prime Minister to come clean on the FBC fiasco to explain how hundreds of millions of ringgit of taxpayers' money were being funnelled not towards the national image, but for the interests of his party. |
| Attempted arson on Penang DAP Hq Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:42 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider Penang DAP today claimed there was an attempt to burn down its headquarters in George Town. Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said in a post on micro-blogging site Twitter this morning that this was the second such attack on the premises. "Cowardly attack 2try 2burn down Pg DAP Hq early dis morning. Only 4days earlier red paint splashed on Hq n @nweiaik office. Reject violence!" the DAP secretary-general said. Ng Wei Aik, political secretary to the chief minister, had alerted his colleagues at about 3 this morning, claiming as evidence the torched remains of a stack of newspapers in front of the office. "Someone tried 2 torch down DAP Penang HQ around 3am. All the newspapers put outside the HQ have been burnt down. 2nd attack after 4days," the Komtar assemblyman had tweeted at about 5am. When contacted by The Malaysian Insider, Ng said the DAP was informed of the attack by a Malay man living across its headquarters on Jalan Talipon. "We believe that all the attacks are related and it is by those unhappy with the loudspeaker ban," he said, referring to the barring of the use of loudspeakers for reciting verses from the Quran before dawn prayers. The ban has been played up, especially in the Umno-controlled media, as evidence that the DAP-led state government was impinging on the rights of Muslims. However, PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Perlis Mufti Juanda Jaya have insisted that the ruling is in line with the religion.
|
| AirAsia-MAS deal unfair to Sabah, S’wak Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:33 PM PDT By Queville To, FMT KOTA KINABALU: Residents in Sabah and Sarawak are likely to end up paying more in airfares following the recent tie-up between competitors AirAsia and national carrier Malaysia Airlines. Under a share swap deal between the Khazanah Nasional Bhd and Tune Air Sdn Bhd, the holding company of AirAsia, the budget airline will own a 20.2% stake in MAS, while the government will have a 10% stake in AirAsia. Opposition Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) is concerned with the move as it has created a monopoly in the air travel industry in the country. Senior SAPP official Carrie Fong said the deal has eliminated competition and she fears travellers from Sabah and Sarawak making trips to and from the peninsula would no longer get the best bargains that came from the open battle for customers between the two airlines in the past. She sees prices of goods spiralling due to the deal. "Many goods are also transported by air and higher air fares will drive up the cost of living for us in Sabah." Many observers say the collaboration with AirAsia is supposed to help MAS, but doubt it will, if its business culture does not change. They also say the share swap deal is aimed chiefly at eliminating the threat posed by the other low-cost airline, Firefly. "(AirAsia CEO) Tony Fernandez has admitted that one of the reasons Tune Air agreed to this deal is Firefly. Firefly was stealing its domestic market share. "Out of every three Firefly passengers, two were from AirAsia and one from MAS. Some 60% of AirAsia's revenue comes from the domestic market, so Firefly was a threat," Fong said. Boon to Sabah, Sarawak With the AirAsia-MAS collaboration, there is no more competition, which essentially means the days of bargain rates for domestic travellers are over. "We Sabahans and most likely Sarawkians as well are going to be on the losing end again. Competition is always healthy as market forces should determine prices," Fong said. At present, the government investment arm owns 69% of MAS, but this will be diluted to 49% after the share swap. The deal is said to have come about when Azman Mokhtar, managing director of Khazanah Nasional, and Fernandes had a long chat on a flight to the US a few months ago. When AirAsia commenced operation at the end of 1996, it had introduced spectacularly low fares that allowed more Sabahans and Sarawakians to fly. Up to then, MAS was charging around RM800 for a return ticket to Kuala Lumpur. AirAsia, however, turned this on its head when it charged less than RM100 if passengers booked early.
|
| Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:30 PM PDT By EJ Dear BN, I really don't know who your PR advisors are, but I strongly suggest you change them. Whoever is advising you on PR matters are either clueless people who don't know what they're doing or really, really sneaky people who know exactly what they're doing. Either way they are dragging you down - abysmally. I believe the Malay name for the place they are leading you to is called 'neraka jahanam'. Some say your PR company is Jewish-American. I don't know about you, but if I've made my career from vilifying, crucifying and calling for boycotts against someone, I doubt the wisdom in hiring them to handle an important part of my business. Neither would I trust them with my national security systems, but that's a different story for a different day. First off, any public relations person, even barely qualified half past graduates from a shop lot non-MQA accredited college would be able to tell you that it is important to appear consistent. A lie, when repeated would at least look real. But a lie, when twisted beyond recognition, looks comical. For instance - let's say you start with an imaginary organization that fights for, let's say, fair and free elections. If you are going to discredit them, first off, choose your label. You don't go labeling the same (fictional, of course) organization as communist, disloyal dissidents, foreign agents, tools for the opposition AND American/European/Jewish-linked at the same time. It makes very little sense for someone who is a foreign instigator to subject his or herself to Royal decrees, much less for a communist to be seeking American funding. Neither are the Jews likely to fund an organization backed by a country's largest Muslim organization. In order to understand labels effectively, and given the similarities in techniques you appear to be trying to employ, I recommend 'Mein Kampf' by one Adolf Hitler, ISBN number 0395925037, available in most leading bookstores. Chapter 6 of Volume 2 deals extensively on how to avoid foot-in-mouth situations you often seem to find yourselves in recently. Consistency is especially important when making press statements. Thanks to online search engines, it only takes seconds now to detect how much of a Pinocchio a politician is. Consistency is also important in making a stand for or against something. You don't, for instance, call a party pro-Chinese and anti-Chinese at the same time. It doesn't make sense. Neither does saying there is nothing wrong with the electoral system, but we are going to revamp it anyway. You don't change your stance on matters as important as the medium of instruction in schools every two years, nor can you declare Malaysia a Muslim state, at the same time tell people if you vote for another political party, Malaysia will 'turn into' a Muslim state. This is beyond logical fallacy - its failed logic. Discredited politicians should not speak. Like ever. For example, let's say one of your leaders was implicated in a pornography scandal. Your PR people should ask him to refrain on speaking on issues of morality, family values and marriage, as it just sounds hollow. Especially not when half of Malaysia has seen you with your pants down (quite literally). This also serves to irritate people more (refer mosquito coil analogy below). You don't hear about Hugh Hefner being asked to preach in a church about abstinence or Bill Clinton addressing feminists. Just because a person is popular in his or her own party does not make the person popular with everybody else. Robert Mugabe has never lost control of his party, but generally is regarded as a dictator by everyone else. Likewise, within your own your own party fold, 4 out of 5 component party leaders of Semenanjung BN parties are not even elected representatives. Also, political frogs who hop between parties are generally not well-regarded by the public. (See mosquito coil analogy again). Giving too much airtime to political dropouts like the professional demonstrators who demonstrate every other Friday in front of Komtar, once a month in front of SUK Selangor and once every quarter in front of PKR's HQ doesn't really help boost your credentials either, especially when they are led by noisy stall owners with rather unusual obsessions over striped undergarments, fist fights and coffins. Throwing people in jail to shut them up is so 1980s. I hope your PR company also updated you that the Cold War is over, the Berlin Wall has come down, Aung San Suu Kyi is out of jail, Nelson Mandela has been released and panda meat is no longer an acceptable source of protein. Also, between then and now, someone invented the Internet and text messaging, so that people out of jail can almost instantly be informed of where their leaders are being held to hold candlelight vigils to irritate your police officers through the two mediums mentioned above. This makes arrest as an intimidation technique against the masses as effective as using a mosquito coil to get rid of stray dogs. Not only is it ineffective, its only serves to irritate them further. While it is great to control the mainstream media, some writers, especially the clueless ones from Utusan Malaysia should be given a crash course in any given topic before they are asked to write pieces attempting to discredit it. In the very least, they should be taught how to use Google properly. Perhaps the lack of bonus or the sacking of their former union boss, or a lack of morale of dwindling sales has somewhat affected the writers' cognitive ability. For instance, poco-poco and yoga, to most Malaysians, are as detrimental to one's faith as line dancing and Pilates. Catholics only have a Bishop (in Bahasa, called Uskup) and they don't have a High Priest, that's only found in Judaism and World of Warcraft. Christians in general aren't bible-thumping missionaries who spike your food with Jesus voodoo spells and baptize your babies when you're not looking. The Sign of the Cross isn't a mystical sigil greeting used to hypnotize you, nor do Christmas carols contain subliminal messaging urging you embrace Christianity. Well, not Jingle Bells at least. Someone should tell The Star that Muslims aren't allowed to eat pork, especially not in Ramadan, and playing down Opposition events like Bersih doesn't really help, since many of their readers attend such events anyway. It appears all this PR company is doing successfully is making you guys look foolish, confused and inconsistent. This is even worse than the previous administration where the PM's bumbling ministers mostly looked foolish and confused, but at least consistently so. Sincerely, EJ |
| Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:27 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - You would think that by now the Najib administration will act with some humility and acceptance that Malaysia has grown up faster than the politicians in its fold.
After all, since the Sarawak polls the government has been drifting, floundering, from one mistake to another. Barely a week passes by without a minister putting his foot in the mouth; without the opaque nature of decision-making laid bare. Only this past week, de facto Law Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had to defend a letter he wrote to GLCs asking them to stop all legal proceedings against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, the man who left Malaysia Airlines with a heap of debts. The minister said that an out-of-court settlement was being worked out, a point finessed unsuccessfully by the prime minister who said that it was not an out-of-court settlement but "an off-site" settlement. You would think that Nazri having been caught out with the publication of the letter would hold his tongue and be more humble. But talking about the electoral reform select committee in the Sun today he refused to acknowledge Bersih, the organisation that has forced the government to go down on bended knees and agree to electoral reform. "I don't know who Bersih is... Bersih is not a registered body," he said. He then suggested that individuals under the Bersih umbrella make suggestions to the committee as "there is nothing special about them and it is not for them to tell us what to do." He is missing the point because it is not whether Bersih is special or not. The simple fact is that without Bersih, the need for electoral reform would not have been on the agenda. Bersih is made up of individuals who have studied the election system and have suggestions to improve it. More importantly, they are Malaysians and the government of the day has an obligation to hear them out and not just pay lip service to the need to reform the electoral system. The Najib administration can either win big or lose big with this move to set up an electoral reform select committee. If it is serious and honest about making sure the select committee does a sterling job, then the government will come out with much credit.
|
| Rakyat Voices: The State of Emergency and The Emergency Ordinance Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:26 PM PDT
Join us, Saturday, 20th August 2011, 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Bring your friends, and I think yellow is a nice colour to be worn :p Hello Semua,We've had our 1st Rakyat Voices on BERSIH 2.0, and I guess we explored new ways to discuss issues. Sure, there are things that need tweaking but, all in all, we can further engage with one another and hopefully in a more participatory way. Do you know that we're under four States of Emergency that haven't been lifted yet? Many of us have been following the EO6 case and by now would have at least some idea or opinion about the Emergency Ordinance. Come over and we'll try to collectively understand the issue, share and discuss it and see if we can do something about it.
|
| Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:23 PM PDT wOFXYyxTCWM By steadyaku47 I saw this video on MIMPI SENJA blog site. Anger, shame and an overwhelming sense of betrayal overcame me as I see this BABI (or Policeman if you want to be polite and give him his due) bring shame to me as a Malay, embarrassment to me as Malaysian by asking for bribes from a Singaporean and most of all a confirmation that corruption and SAYA NAK RASUAH is alive and well in the BABI community...or as you all know it...PDRM! And it is all done as part and parcel of their every day activities...so smooth, so practised and so confident of himself that he will get what he asks for! Read more at: http://steadyaku-steadyaku-husseinhamid.blogspot.com/2011/08/babi-nak-rasuah.html |
| Muhyiddin likens Bersih rally to violent UK riots Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:22 PM PDT
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today drew parallels between the recent UK riots and last month's Bersih rally even after the prime minister distanced himself from the harsh crackdown on the march for free and fair elections. Seemingly out of step with Datuk Seri Najib Razak's new, more conciliatory stance, Muhyiddin congratulated the police for their handling of the Bersih rally after citing the UK riots as a "clear example" of how a country can descend into chaos if "elements that threaten peace and security" are not stopped. "Although it is a modern nation, there were people... who took the opportunity to riot and create chaos to fulfil certain needs that are not in line with the needs of the majority," he said at the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) College here. "The government is very proud and pleased with the role and bravery of PDRM in handling the illegal Bersih demonstration on July 9, 2011 that was, in fact, dirty (kotor)." Muhyiddin's comments today comes one week after Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said Malaysians should be thankful that police action had prevented the Bersih rally from turning violent like the UK riots. Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar has also previously said on his Facebook page that the riots in London and other major cities in Britain were evidence of the "nightmares" that could be prevented by avoiding street protests. Najib said on Monday that a bipartisan parliamentary select committee will be formed "as soon as possible" to examine the current electoral system, a key demand of Bersih.
|
| Leaders of Quality for a new Malaysia Posted: 17 Aug 2011 09:35 AM PDT By Nilakrisna James In developed countries, voters gauge the potential of their leaders over a given span of time which acts not as a campaigning period but a time of reckoning. In such countries, politicians work as a team and, together, would present their choice of candidates and their election dates several months in advance in the hope that these candidates would enter a fair level playing field to engage in public forums and debates and show their prowess as society's major decision makers. They are squared off against opponents and rival parties in a way that allows the voters a chance to make an informed choice about the type of leader they would want and the type of person who is likely to take the country from its present predicament to a more advanced and well-managed system that could remain resilient against fluctuating global economic uncertainties. The type of leaders developed countries headhunt and nurture are those who individually have the potential to take on a ministerial portfolio and be able to develop and enhance the potential of that portfolio in an international market and not just within the safe confines of their own little communities. Every ministerial portfolio in this country deals with an international base of investors and stakeholders. We engage as a nation in the development of international trade and cross-cultural understanding through rural development programmes, youth and educational exchange opportunities, international philanthropy from NGOs, government to government initiatives and international policies and legislation which could impact the local situation. It is very rare for developed leaders to want to enter the game in the hope of becoming backbenchers or winners without portfolios. In Malaysia, it is a totally different ballgame. The ambition is warped by the idea that many before have entered in anticipation of "rewards without sweat"—which reminds me of an animal rights mantra that says "beauty without cruelty"—pitching the idea that working as a minister is a chore compared to the "perks" and "projects" that many expect from positions far less demanding and glamorous. What then is this country searching for? Why are the leaders unable to read the sentiments of the internet-savvy and intelligent young voter base who are tired of leaders who pretend they understand this new age group and yet who have lost the knack to be relevant to them? It is not just a question of finding a young leader or a popular choice or someone that wins for their communities. It is a question essentially of where Malaysia needs to go between General Election No.13 to General Election No.14 and which set of leaders in parliament and State cabinets would be able to sustain their portfolio with very little funding and very few opportunities for success stories in the next five years. We are heading for one of the worst recessions this world has ever seen. By the time we reach GE 14, there will not be a single person left in Malaysia who will tolerate any more broken or empty political promises and they will no longer accept the continuous discrimination and disenfranchised situations that certain sectors are already screaming about. These will no longer be compromised for a political rhetoric or carefully crafted "feel-good" political jargon. The many people who have crossed the paths of the NGO tracks I have traversed blame the "ghosts of government past" and that we are either living the terrible consequences of previous bad decisions or we simply continue to make bad decisions. So when the people scream for change they are basically asking the government one fundamental question: if we are in this situation today because you have sat and warmed those seats for the past 20 odd years or more without successfully listening to the pain we feel inside and without lifting us into a decent civil society with decent laws and policies that respect us irrespective of race and creed, then you are unlikely to change any of this in the next 5 years while we sit through the world's worst economic crises. Therefore, are you willing to eat humble pie and make way for new leaders with new ideas who may be able to make a difference to the Malaysian community? Let there be choice and if their chosen ones fail, the people have themselves to blame. The fundamental right to vote comes with the fundamental right for every voter to have candidates presented to them equitably by parties and for them to exercise their democratic right to choose based on whatever grounds including their own personal ambitions and their own personal interests. At the end of the day, if quality is compromised over favouritism, self-interest and promises, communities will continue to stagnate and remain in their festering angry backwaters. There is a theory which suggests that well-paid politicians are less likely to seek their rewards elsewhere by compromising their own integrity and ethical standards. In a country that started with principled leaders who believe first and foremost in good governance, this theory is probably feasible and has been proven to be somewhat successful. In a country that has grown from seeds of greed and corruption, you are less likely to see this theory work because people are nurtured and conditioned in an environment where personal interest over the common good has become an accepted cultural norm. Malaysia's cultural transformation basically took shape after Mahathir vacated his seat as the Prime Minister. It was around the same time that online critics and writers embraced a newfound sense of literary freedom where voices were given a stage upon which the masses were able to engage in public dialogue without the fear of imprisonment; a freedom which Mahathir himself is ironically enjoying. Far from being a weakness of Badawi or Najib, I saw this instead as a cultural revolution in itself and revealed the strength in Mahathir's two successors that will mark their journeys as statesmen who were willing to take on the pent-up latent anger of those who took to the streets, the internet and the print media. There is no end to the flurry of furious voices who for so long had held their tongue because Mahathir was willing to lock them up and put them away, denying people the right to trials and destroying families who may have had their breadwinners in ISA. While a few Malaysians roamed this planet in unspeakable wealth, many more would struggle to put their children through universities only to find that they returned to a workforce that favoured a percentage sector. As these young people grew up listening to the spite and anger of their own parents, they harboured untold pain and suffering which no amount of political diplomacy will or can ever appease. This country is demanding a change; a systemic change that many believe means a change of the characters who have dominated the political scene for too long. People have forgotten that systemic change is also about enhancing the quality of the civil service. In Peninsular Malaysia, they are asking for a level playing field between the various races that will not allow certain sectors to gain at the expense of others. Over there, they are demanding for the right to review all laws which repress the people's right to speak the most sensitive political issues and to abolish laws which imprison without fair trials. They are demanding for fair tenders in projects that will allow the best to flourish in a culture of equal opportunities while allowing the worse-off to live in a welfare society that will provide a decent standard of living without discrimination. In Sabah and Sarawak, much of the same is expected except for one fundamental difference. We see ourselves as having a more superior position as "Borneo States" compared to the "States of Malaya". We are demanding the reinstatement of rights which pitch our playing field against the entire Peninsular on the premise that development policies in this country must respect the fact that Sabah and Sarawak are autonomous and that clear demarcations were set which spelt out the limitations of Federal control in both states in 1963. Much of what is happening in West Malaysia frustrates people in Sabah and Sarawak because we do not identify with those problems. The damage inflicted on the government and political parties in West Malaysia creates an impression in the Borneo States that the Federal powers have lost control and the consequence of such bad public perception is that many have lost trust and confidence in the policy of Federalisation that brings forth the culture and ways of West Malaysia at the expense of Borneonisation which Sabahans actually believe may bring forth greater equity and justice in their present system. The system of Borneonisation that prioritises a greater control by Sabahans over their own political and economic destiny in this State remains untested and there is also a lot of scepticism in Sabah as to whether we could trust our local leaders enough to be able to handle autonomy with greater integrity. If the system in place in this country is unacceptable to West Malaysians, the Borneo people would naturally assume that something isn't right in the way Federalisation operates in this State and as such, many would probably be prepared to throw caution to the wind and allow the fulfilment of the first fundamental political promise Malaya made to Borneo on the 9th July 1963. This begs another fundamental question we would ask the government: Why are you silent on the part of history which marks your word when your word is meant to be your honour? Najib faces an incredibly daunting task in the next General Election. He is wealthy enough not to need a job as a politician. He is successful enough not to need the validation from the people that he is a smart man. Yet, the signs have shown that Najib is not prepared to go without a fight and he is tasked with manoeuvring the greatest team from his political army to go against the might of those who have proven their economic potential in opposition-held States. Najib would not want to vacate his position until such time as we can safely say that he created his own legacy of excellence which we could measure not by the existence of big buildings and towers and rich friends but by his ability to steer this country out of a recession when the rest of the developed world is crumbling and to be able to engage in fruitful collaboration with China as potentially our biggest trading partner in the next 5 years. The leader whom China trusts and gets on with in Malaysia is the man or woman we need as the Prime Minister in the next election. He or she must be able to harness the dissenting voices in this country with a firm but kind hand and allow such dialogues to flourish while politicians continue to bring economic development to their various ministerial portfolios and improve the standard of living of the people in this country, irrespective of their financial status, their sex, their creed or their race. For every leader that Najib chooses, it would be a leader who could individually sit with him one on one to discuss the outcome of his/her portfolios, irrespective of which party that leader belongs to. If Najib is prepared to speak to strangers in his Facebook, he must be prepared to scrutinise and know the brain and ability of every leader that represents the coalition under his wing and not take other people's word for it. The captain of the ship must be able to anticipate the mutiny and the bounty. |
| Quek takes stake in American Airlines parent AMR Posted: 17 Aug 2011 05:06 AM PDT
(Dallas News) - Malaysian investor Quek Leng Chan and a series of related companies have purchased 7.3 percent of AMR Corp.'s shares, according to disclosures filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. |
| WikiLeaks cable: Filipinos 'troublesome' in Sabah Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:26 AM PDT
Under the scheme implented in the 1990s, UMNO gave Malaysian citizenship and voting rights to over 600,000 foreigners, predominantly Muslims from Mindanao and Indonesia, in return for their votes in Sabah's state assembly elections. by Jojo Malig, abs-cbnNEWS.com Migrant Filipinos are synonymous with the word trouble in Malaysia's Sabah state, according to a confidential cable from the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur that was released by WikiLeaks on Wednesday. Masidi Manjun, Sabah's Minister of Youth and Sports, told US diplomats in Malaysia that his state was "flooded with foreigners" and "singled out Filipino Muslims from Mindanao as 'especially troublesome.'" Manjun claimed that the Filipinos were "using our [Malaysia's] social services and not integrating into society," and that "vagrancy and violence" were rampant within Sabah's Filipino community, according to the diplomatic cable dated October 10, 2006 that was deemed classified by US embassy political section chief Mark D. Clark. The Sabah official, who headed government-funded think tank Institute of Development Studies, said the state's maritime and land borders are "very porous" and expressed concern that Sabah's foreign residents were starting to become politically active. "He acknowledged, however, the economic importance of Sabah's foreign population," the US embassy cable said. "With regard to Sabah's large number of illegal foreign workers, estimated to total over 750,000, Manjun said, 'We need them here, or our economy would collapse." Sabah's then Acting Police Commissioner, Mohd Bakri Zinin, also told American officials that "illegal migrants and other foreigners" account for about three-fourths of violent crimes committed in the state. "He (Samson) and his wife recently refused to attend an event that gathered public and private sector leaders on the resort island of Mabul, off the east coast of Sabah, as he feared an attack on the gathering by Mindanao-based Muslim extremists," it added. Simon Sipaun,then vice-chairman and state head of the Malaysian human rights commission Sukaham, also told US officials that the large number of Filipinos on the state's east coast represented a potential security threat "if they decide to become more politically active, or if parts of Mindanao become more autonomous." Project Mahathir Samson and another PBS state assemblyman, Ching Eng Leong, told US officials that the large number of native Filipinos in Sabah can be attributed to a program hatched by dominant political party UMNO. Under the scheme implented in the 1990s, UMNO gave Malaysian citizenship and voting rights to over 600,000 foreigners, predominantly Muslims from Mindanao and Indonesia, in return for their votes in Sabah's state assembly elections. "UMNO's control was further solidified during the 1999 state election, as UMNO granted more foreigners citizenship and voting rights under what came to be known as 'Project Mahathir,'" the US embassy cable revealed, in apparent reference to then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. According to a probe made by Suhakam on Project Mahathir, Sabah's legal resident population increased 362% to 2.6 million from 1970 to 2000. "This substantial increase in Sabah's legal residents excludes an influx of over 750,000 foreigners holding invalid identity cards and visas - or no documents at all - according to Suhakam," the cable added. "Filipinos and Indonesians move easily -- and often illegally -- between Sabah and their respective home countries," it said. In its analysis of Sabah's problems with Filipinos, the US embassy said a significant reduction in Sabah's foreign-born population could only be reversed through an UMNO-led effort to round up and deport the foreigners, whom Sabah's economy ironically relies upon. "While Malaysia periodically launches campaigns to expel illegal workers, even PBS' leaders concede this is highly unlikely to be carried out to the point of seriously harming the state's economy," it said. "The US Border Control Assessment Initiative (BCAI) focused on the Sulu and Sulawesi sea areas of Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines will enhance our understanding of the security challenges facing Sabah and ways we can assist." The Philippines has a dormant claim on Sabah that was not resolved by the Manila Accord, or the United Nations Treaty No. 8029 between the Philippines the Federation of Malaya, and Indonesia, that was signed in July 31, 1963 and the succeeding exchange of notes between Manila and Kuala Lumpur in February 7, 1966. Former Presidents Diosdado Macapagal and Ferdinand Marcos pursued the Philippines' claim on the territory but those who succeeded them did not do so. The dispute resulted in the 1968 Jabidah Massacre that was exposed by the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino, father of President Benigno Aquino III, according to Malacañang. ARMM on undocumented Filipinos in Sabah Officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said they are trying to address the "cycle of arrest and detention" of undocumented Filipinos through talks with Malaysian authorities. ARMM Executive Secretary Atty. Naguib Sinarimbo led an 8-member team in a visit to Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu last July to discuss the problem with Malaysian Parliament House Speaker Seri Utama Pandikar Amin Bin Haji Mulia. Sinarimbo "proposed a 'non-political' solution to the Sabah proprietary dispute vis-a-vis its effects on the unabated detention and arrests of undocumented Filipinos in Malaysia," according to the ARMM website. The ARMM has admitted that hundreds of Filipinos continue to go Sabah and later end up getting arrested and deported. Most of those who go to Sabah are allegedly recruited to work as domestic helpers or bar girls. "Those coming from ARMM areas, especially from Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi were found to be stubbornly returning to Sabah after deportation on the belief that the Sulu Sultanate owns the state," according to the ARMM. Sinarimbo and Mulia have allegedly approved of a plan to set up a center in Tawi-Tawi province that will provide passports and other official documents for Filipinos heading to to Sabah or other parts of Malaysia. "Other ARMM officials had earlier thought of putting up even a 'desk' in Sabah to facilitate the documentation of Filipinos working or staying in Malaysia without documents or permits. But legal luminaries opposed the concept, saying that such facility would mean an official structure of the Philippines and, thus, signify a waiver of Filipinos' claim over Sabah," the ARMM website said.
|
| Senjata Makan Tuan (The Knife Cuts Both Ways) Posted: 17 Aug 2011 12:34 AM PDT By Masterwordsmith In politics, there are no permanent friends and there are no permanent enemies. One could be a friend today, and an enemy the next day. Judging from the dynamics of the power play, the balance of power is in such a delicate position that it could tip either way. In Just Another Political Fantasty, Himanshu Bhatt of The Sun discussed the implications of the alleged invitation by Nazri for DAP to join BN. Nazri, who was quoted making the invitation by Sin Chew Daily on Aug 14, later denied he had extended such an invitation. Naturally, the DAP quarter expressed surprise at the purported invitation by an Umno leader to join the BN. In response, Penang CM Lim Guan Eng said that the offer had come "out of the blue" as no one had mentioned it before. He then reaffirmed DAP's allegiance to Pakatan Rakyat. Will we still scream? Or will we support gerrymandering so that Pakatan can stay in power? A knife cuts both ways. One day that knife may also cut us.Will we still be pro-electoral reforms then? Or will we want to 'tighten' things a bit to make sure that Umno and BN does not have any opportunity to regain its power? READ MORE HERE.
|
| CIMB denies receiving letter from Nazri Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:48 PM PDT
(Bernama) - CIMB Group Holdings Bhd said today that it has not received any letter from the government, which has been reported in the media as having been sent to government-linked gompanies (GLCs) with regards to an out-of-court settlement of legal suits involving Tajudin Ramli. According to media reports, a number of GLCs are negotiating for global settlement of all civil suits and at all level of courts against the former executive chairman of Malaysia Airlines.
|
| How Zul Noordin distorts the truth (UPDATED with Chinese Translation) Posted: 16 Aug 2011 09:27 PM PDT
In the year 638, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Umar, the third Caliph, led an army to conquer Jerusalem. The Christian leaders of Jerusalem invited Umar into the Church of Holy Sepulcher so that he could fulfil his prayers. Umar, however, refused to do so out of respect for the Christians. Instead, he chose to pray outside the church. No Holds Barred Raja Petra Kamarudin
First, see the video below from minute 6:23. At minute 6:23 in that video, the Member of Parliament for Kulim Bandar Baru, Zulkifli Noordin, said that the Caliph Umar refused to enter a church when invited to do so. This is proof, he said, that Muslims should not enter a church. He does not care about the law, argued Zul. Malaysian law may not have made it illegal or haram for Muslims to enter a church. But he is not concerned with that. He is guided by the example (sunah) of the Prophet's Comrades (Sahabat Nabi) and Caliph Umar, one of the Prophet's Comrades, refused to enter a church. This is all that matters. Zul did not offer any details on this incident he quoted. He did not clarify when and where this incident was supposed to have happened. Either he is not clear about the incident or he is intentionally trying to mislead his audience. Well, in that case, since Zul is either not too clear about the incident or refuses to clarify his statement with intent to mislead his audience, let me help with the clarification. In the year 638, after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, Umar, the third Caliph, led an army to conquer Jerusalem. The Christian leaders of Jerusalem invited Umar into the Church of Holy Sepulcher so that he could fulfil his prayers. Umar, however, refused to do so out of respect for the Christians. Instead, he chose to pray outside the church. Umar's main concern was that, if he entered the church to pray, future generations of Muslims might misinterpret his action as he had 'acquired' or 'captured' the church and had turned it into a mosque. That was why he chose to pray outside the church rather than in the church. This was to safeguard the church and not trigger a precedence where churches are taken by force and turned into mosques. That was the real reason why Umar refused to enter the Church of Holy Sepulcher to pray. He intentionally prayed outside the church to avoid any misunderstanding and conflict. He wanted to demonstrate that even though the Muslims had conquered Jerusalem, they did not disturb any churches or took these churches by force. Churches would remain churches and Muslims would have to build their own mosques if they wanted to pray. I don't wear a songkok or white skullcap like Zul. But I know my history. And that was the history of what happened when Umar conquered Jerusalem. And that was the real reason why Umar declined the invitation to enter the church to pray. It was to avoid any misunderstanding and conflict, and not as Zul is tying to mislead us. OHFXx_ITQL8 SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHFXx_ITQL8
Translated into Chinese at: http://ccliew.blogspot.com/2011/08/blog-post_18.html
|
| Cops admit using preventive arrests after ban on confessions, says leaked US cable Posted: 16 Aug 2011 07:07 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - A senior officer said in 2006 that police had to resort to using preventive detention after an amendment then to the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) barred the use of police-obtained confessions in trying defendants, according to a leaked US cable. The diplomatic note sent from Kuala Lumpur to Washington cited current Bukit Aman criminal investigation chief Datuk Seri Mohd Bakri Zinin as criticising the amendment that eliminated prosecutors' use of police-obtained confessions in trying criminal defendants. The cable leaked by whistleblower site Wikileaks and published on the Malaysia Today news portal quoted Mohd Bakri, who was then acting Sabah police chief, as saying that the amendment — which only allows for confessions made before a magistrate — "will hurt our ability to get convictions." "As a result, we'll likely make greater use of (Malaysia's four preventative detention laws), even though we know this will bring criticism from Suhakam and the NGOs," he was quoted in the document. According to the document penned by David Shear, then deputy chief of mission, the US embassy here believed in late 2006 that 700 to 1,000 Malaysians suspected of criminal activity were being detained under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) alone.
|
| Posted: 16 Aug 2011 06:19 PM PDT
Oaths are merely playthings for Malays. They will stand on a stage or go to a mosque to swear their oaths just for show. They do not mean what they swear. Oaths are not their solemn words. You can't trust these oaths farther than you can throw the 'oath-taker'. No Holds Barred Raja Petra Kamarudin I wonder whether Ezam Mohd Nor remembers back in 1999 when Pemuda keADILan went all over Malaysia to swear an oath or sumpah keramat. The oath they swore was that as long as there is a moon and a sun in the sky and as long as they have life in their bodies, they would defend justice and the truth and oppose lies and evil with their bodies and their lives. You can read the full oath in Bahasa Malaysia below. In fact, Ezam's mother also swore an oath, which was recorded on video and distributed all over Malaysia. And her oath was that she forbids (haram) Ezam from ever rejoining Umno. And the Malays believe that the oath of a mother is very powerful because, they also believe, that heaven lies below the feet of your mother. This oath by all those leaders of Pemuda keADILan, who have since rejoined Umno, was made in front of tens of thousands of people. And they toured Malaysia to make this oath. It makes one wonder about the worth of the Malay oath. If Malays were to swear an oath can we take that oath at face value? It appears like Malay oaths have no real value other than a sandiwara or stage-play for political gain. They are asking Anwar Ibrahim to swear an oath that he did not bugger Saiful and that it is not he in that porn video. What purpose would that serve? Would that be sufficient to convince us that Anwar is innocent? I fear not. Oaths are merely playthings for Malays. They will stand on a stage or go to a mosque to swear their oaths just for show. They do not mean what they swear. Oaths are not their solemn words. You can't trust these oaths farther than you can throw the 'oath-taker'. That is what oaths or sumpah keramat or whatever type of sumpah (there are many types of oaths the Malays play around with) have been reduced to. In fact, the more they sumpah, the more suspicious we become of them. Those who like to sumpah a lot appear to be those who lie a lot and who need to cover their lies with these public displays of sumpah. This is sad because now the impression created is the more you sumpah, the more you are a liar -- instead of the other way around. So, if a Malay says 'sumpah', then we can assume he or she is a bloody liar. *************************************** SUMPAH KERAMAT PEMUDA KEADILAN! Sumpah Keramat Pemuda keADILan beriltizam untuk berdiri teguh berjuang menentang kezaliman dan menegakkan keadilan dengan ikrar :- Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Rahim Menyedari, Negara Terus Dilanda Kezaliman Menginsafi, Umat Perlukan Perubahan Mengakui, Keadilan Mesti Ditegakkan Maka - atas nama kemuliaan dan perjuangan Atas nama kesucian agama Atas nama kedaulatan negara Atas nama kehormatan Rakyat Jelata Kami bersumpah - Selagi ada bulan dan matahari Selagi hayat dikandung badan Keadilan tetap kami pertahankan Kebenaran tetap kami tegakkan Kezaliman tetap kami benamkan Pembohongan dan Sandiwara tetap kami hancurkan Jiwa dan nyawa kami taruhkan Inilah sumpah kami Sumpah Keramat, Pemuda keADILan Reformasi! Reformasi! Reformasi! *************************************** Sumpah Keramat Keadilan Kedah Tarikh : 10 Oktober 1999 Masa : 9.00 malam Tempat : Padang Awam Taman Ria, Sungai Petani, Kedah.
Penceramah : 1. Sdr. Ezam Mohd Noor 2. Zahid Mat Arif 3. Hamdan Taha 4. Hamdan Taha 5. Mustafa Kamil Ayob 6. Lokman Nor Adam 7. Idrus Wan chik 8. Zuraidi Rahim 9. Gobalakrishanan 10. Low Chiew Chong
Pengerusi Majlis : Sdr. Hanafiah Man. Sembah Hajat akan diadakan ditempat ceramah yang diketuai oleh Ustaz Dr. Badrul Amin. ******************************************* RABU, 20 OKTOBER 1999. Aktiviti Jelajah Negara SUMPAH KERAMAT PEMUDA akhirnya sampai ke negeri Pahang Darul Makmur. Bertempat di Kg. Tengah, jalan antara Temerloh ke Triang, kehadiran orang ramai yang hampir 10,000 orang sekali lagi memberi kegentaran dan ketakutan kepada pemimpin-pemimpin (layakkah mereka digelar pemimpin?) Barisan Nasional, khususnya di Negeri Pahang. Seperti aktiviti SUMPAH KERAMAT PEMUDA di negeri-negeri lain, SUMPAH KERAMAT PEMUDA di Pahang juga diketuai oleh Saudara Ezam Mohd Nor, Ketua Pemuda keADILan Pusat. Diiringi oleh barisan Exco Pemuda keADILan Pusat dan negeri-negeri seperti Saudara Hamdan Taha, Saudara Idrus Wan Chik, Saudara Zakir, Saudara Gobalakrishnan, Ustaz Badrul Amin, Saudara Zahid, Saudara Hanapiah Man, Saudara Lokman Nor Adam dan lain-lain lagi.Dari Pahang pula diketuai oleh Sdr Zakaria dan Naib Ketua Sdr Soleh Mohamad.Kehadiran diserikan lagi dengan pemimpin-pemimpin barisan alternatif yang lain termasuk Ustaz Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man. Di permulaan majlis, hujan mulai turun tetapi tiada seorang pun berganjak. Ketika Saudara Lokman memulakan ucapannya, guruh pun berbunyi. Ini disahut dengan seruan "takbir!!!" oleh beliau dan disambut dengan "Allahu Akbar" oleh para hadirin. Hujan berhenti di pertengahan majlis, nampaknya Tuhan gembira kerana hamba-hambaNya pada malam ini tahan kepada dugaan. Satu isu ditimbulkan oleh Gobalakrishnan tentang mengapa sebuah lebuhraya boleh dibina oleh kerajaan menuju ke Bukit Tinggi Resort yang sudah tentunya MENGGUNAKAN DUIT RAKYAT semata-mata untuk memberi kemudahan kepada seorang yang bernama VINCENT TAN berniaga resort dan padang golfnya. Dan yang paling pelik, lebuhraya ini tidak mempunyai satu pun kaunter kutipan tol. Ini bukan sahaja satu bukti pembaziran duit rakyat, malahan juga satu tanda jelas penyalahgunaan kuasa Barisan Nasional demi kepentingan kroni-kroni pemimpinnya. Kesemua pemimpin Pemuda keADILan pada malam ini memberi ucapan yang begitu bersemangat dan bertenaga menyebabkan laungan REFORMASI dan TAKBIR tidak putus-putus kedengaran memecah dingin malam Temerloh, mungkin mengejutkan tidur Dato' Sabaruddin Chik yang sudah sedia tidak lena. Saudara Hanapiah Man mendedahkan bahawa kesemua 23 cawangan keADILan di Perak didokong oleh bekas pemimpin Umno, membuktikan bahawa Umno Perak kalau pun bukan telah hancur lerai, mungkin sudah menjadi arang yang hanya boleh digunakan untuk menulis perkataan BN di dalam warna hitam! Saudara Zahid sudah menjadi BEKAS cucu Ghafar Baba, Saudara Hamdan Taha pula terkilan kerana dua orang anak didik Anwar, Saudara Zahid Hamidi dan Sarip Jusoh kini hanya berdiam diri dan bersekongkol pula dengan rejim zalim lagi rakus, MAHATHIR dan DAIM semata-mata kerana mementingkan perut dan bawah perut mereka sahaja. Menceritakan pengalaman lima hari di dalam lokap, Ustaz Badrul Amin mengatakan usahkan lima hari, lima puluh hari, lima ratus hari, matipun beliau sanggup demi jihad menentang kezaliman ini kalau itulah harga yang terpaksa dibayar. Majlis pada malam ini diselang dengan acara kemuncaknya iaitu SUMPAH KERAMAT PEMUDA keADILan yang dibarisi oleh pemimpin-pemimpin Pemuda keADILan Pusat, Negeri-negeri dan semua bahagian di Pahang. Dari setiap baris kata yang diucap, terpancar satu semangat perjuangan yang kental untuk menegakkan keADILan di bumi Malaysia ini, sehebat bunyi guruh yang berdentum tadi. Pengakhirannya, pemimpin yang ditunggu-tunggu, Saudara Ezam menyampaikan ucapan penutup. Sekali lagi Saudara Ezam mencabar Dato' Seri Najib menafikan dakwaannya bahawa kontrak pembelian jet-jet pejuang semasa beliau menjadi Menteri Pertahanan turut diiringi dengan perjanjian bahawa penggunaan jet-jet pejuang tersebut mestilah dengan kebenaran Kerajaan Amerika Syarikat. Saudara Ezam juga mencabar TPM, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi mendedahkan kontrak-kontrak yang diluluskan oleh beliau kepada seorang yang berpangkat BAPA MERTUA kepada beliau. Kemenangan Gus Dur, seorang Kiai dalam pemilihan Presiden Indonesia sekali lagi memberi kejutan kepada jantung MAHAthir. Kalau Indonesia boleh berubah mengapa kita tidak...? |
| Posted: 16 Aug 2011 05:34 PM PDT By Douglas Tan Over the past couple of days, the Merdeka Center appears to be publishing a lot of their findings, dampening optimism that Pakatan Rakyat could potentially win enough parliamentary seats in the 13th General Election to form a new government for the first time in our nation's history. The study released by political scientist Wong Chin Huat presented on August 9th, would put Opposition gains to 100 federal seats up from 75, but short of the 112 seats needed to form the government. Looking deeper into the study, one can see that the biggest hurdle for the opposition to overcome is the rural folk, where Barisan Nasional continues to have a strong foothold. One of the studies published mentioned that urban areas are more likely to vote for PR candidates, but rural areas would favour BN candidates. This is especially true for areas with low or no Internet penetration. Even in rural areas which do have Internet connection, those who use the Internet may not necessarily be interested in political news or access alternative media. In a country in which the printed media has been monopolised by BN since independence, to tell those who have been relying on this medium for donkey years would find it very difficult to accept that they are publishing anything other than the truth. For many, it is important to maintain status quo, as many worry with a change of government, there may be potential repercussions on their daily lives. Rural folk may not even care what is happening down in the cities because it would not affect them. There is also the element of apathy, especially when the Merdeka Center came out to say that the effect of Bersih 2.0 in the rural areas were minimal at best. This is predominantly as a result of the government controlled media portraying the demonstrators as hooligans, but also due to the fact that it is engrained in our culture to accept the status quo ie. accepting what we are told without question. The fight for electoral reform, civil liberties and fundamental freedoms appear to only gather lukewarm responses at best from the rural folk. There are those who perpetuate the view that we should not even get ourselves into trouble in the first place by questioning the authorities. If we keep our heads down, and mind our own business, we shall continue to live in peace. However, I do not believe for a moment that these people do not care about their nation. For 54 years, they have believed that their government always has their best interests at heart, whereas rampant corruption and misuse of government funds continue to go unreported. The BN government know that the best way to win and retain seats in these rural areas, is to keep them in the dark as much as possible, and throw some occasional goodies at them to keep them happy and content. Now comes the time for awakening. Pakatan Rakyat need to get their machinery out to these areas to talk to the people, make the people understand, and show them that PR can be a capable and competent government. The grass-roots support in these areas cannot be underestimated. BN strongholds can fall, as seen during the Sarawak elections, and the hard work and faith must be maintained. For all the screaming, shouting and finger pointing which is done in the cities, we must not forget the real battle must be fought in rural heartland, where they are the true king-makers in the coming elections. Only when they are on board with the rest of us, can we see begin change for our beloved nation. Everyone must do their part during the 'balik kampung' period over Hari Raya to spread the word and the truth to their kampungs, and urge the need for change in our nation. We are all responsible for future and progress of our country, and God willing, we shall see change take place for the better. Salam Berpuasa.
DOUGLAS TAN is a DAP member from the Segambut Branch. He blogs at dougtan.blogspot.com |
| Electoral Reform a Must Before Next GE Posted: 16 Aug 2011 05:29 PM PDT
Najib must have been comforted by some assurance of electoral victory – and possibly a landslide one – before he would allow himself to accede to an initiative begun by Bersih 2.0. Otherwise, he would be seen to be weak by his own party, Umno, which no doubt would have players in the wings with knives behind their backs. By Kee Thuan Chye PRIME Minister Najib Razak is suddenly so generous in calling for electoral reform. He has even called for the establishment of a parliamentary select committee (PSC) to look into this. While it is still premature to say whether this will ensure effective participation by the Opposition in the process, it is nonetheless a radical change from his previous stubborn position against Bersih 2.0's demands for free and fair elections. As with much of Malaysian politics, there is probably more to all this than what appears on the surface. Najib must have been comforted by some assurance of electoral victory – and possibly a landslide one – before he would allow himself to accede to an initiative begun by Bersih 2.0. Otherwise, he would be seen to be weak by his own party, Umno, which no doubt would have players in the wings with knives behind their backs. One hopes this assurance of certain victory does not involve giving illegal immigrants the right to vote. In light of Wanita PKR's revelation that it has evidence of illegal immigrants taking an oath to vote for BN, this is disturbing. That's putting it mildly. For nothing could be so heinous on the part of our government, indeed any government, than to sell the country to foreigners just for the purpose of staying on in power. Such a move of granting citizenships to immigrants overnight would also be extremely unfair to the many who have lived in this country for decades and continue to hold red ICs. But above all, it is the sinister motive that makes it inexcusable. Talk has indeed been rife for the past few months that a project of this sinister nature is already in the works. More suspicions were raised when the Election Commission (EC) announced it would use the biometric system to identify voters as this is the system also being used by the Government in its 6P amnesty programme to register foreign workers as well as illegal immigrants. Opposition politicians are especially worried that those not qualified to vote could in the process get registered as voters. The illegal immigrants that Wanita PKR says were made to swear an oath of allegiance to Umno/BN are allegedly from the 6P amnesty programme. This sort of tactic, together with the granting of citizenships to new immigrants, has supposedly been used in Project M (also known as Project IC) in Sabah when Mahathir Mohamad was prime minister, so that the demographic and voting patterns would favour BN and entrench it as the ruling regime there. If this is being repeated now, it would reaffirm BN's ruthless tendency to stoop to underhand tactics to serve its own cause, without any regard for the people. There is also the possibility that Najib's call for the setting-up of a PSC is merely a public relations ploy, in light of what Dewan Rakyat Deputy Speaker Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar has said in response – that it would take a year before the committee can conclude discussions. If Najib had prior knowledge of that before making his announcement, then his move counts for nothing. The next general election (GE) may very well be called soon, less than a year from now. Which means it may be held prior to the electoral reform. Which means it may be held with the shortcomings of the current system still intact. How can that be satisfactory? If doing it via the PSC takes too long, even though Najib still has one and a half years left before calling for fresh polls, then another method must be sought. For example, on the pressing and crucial issue of cleaning the electoral roll, which has been found to be full of dirt and discrepancies, Bersih 2.0 chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan has suggested this: "Set up a committee, give it three months and let's just clean it up." Why not take this suggestion up? The committee could be made up of the EC, BN and Pakatan Rakyat representatives, the Bar Council and Bersih 2.0. A few other issues can also be addressed through stakeholder discussions that could take only a matter of a few months. One is the debate on Bersih 2.0's advocacy for the use of indelible ink versus the EC's proposal to use the biometric system. Another is the debate over the length of the campaign period. Bersih 2.0 is asking for a minimum of 21 days but the EC has been giving excuses against it. In the 1959 and 1964 GEs, the campaign period was as long as 35 days, and for the one in 1969, it was 28 days. A reasonable length of time is needed to let voters acquaint themselves with the candidates and their promises, but Najib has scoffed at the idea that a short campaign period is a disadvantage to the Opposition, claiming that Pakatan Rakyat campaigns "every day … with a ceramah here and a ceramah there". He, however, ignores the fact that his own ruling party gets to campaign day in day out on a much larger scale through the mass media it controls. Even during the campaign period, the ruling party has almost total access to the print and broadcasting media. Prior to the 1999 GE, Opposition parties were given at least a bit of airtime on RTM's radio stations to broadcast their manifestoes. But in 1999, the Government announced that as RTM was Government-owned, preference would be given to government parties. Since then, no Opposition party has been heard on the air. It is for this reason that one of Bersih 2.0's demands is the granting of free and fair access to the media to all political parties. As the ruling party becomes merely a caretaker government when a general election is in progress, it should not hog the media facilities but instead open them up to all political parties, including the Opposition. Resolving this issue through discussion should also not take long. Neither should the issue of reforming postal voting. |
| Utusan editor says Muslim schoolchildren being proselytised Posted: 16 Aug 2011 05:11 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - An Utusan Malaysia editor said today that Muslim primary schoolchildren are being taught about Jesus by Christian youths aiming to convert them, which is illegal under Malaysian law. Its assistant chief editor Datuk Zaini Hassan wrote in his column today that poor Malay children living in squatters along Jalan Klang Lama. Lama were singing "Yes, I know Jesus loves me" and reciting the story of Jesus Christ's crucifixion in their primary school. He said that an Indian teacher from the school, known only as Cikgu S, had informed him Malay children were being given free English classes by young Christian evangelists every Sunday. "To me, what is happening in these tuition classes is a subtle move. It is not done out of fun," he wrote in the Umno-owned newspaper today, adding that the same was true of a dinner held in Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) last week. The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) was accused of raiding and interrupting a thanksgiving dinner held by a local NGO but the religious authority said that it was acting on a complaint that 12 Muslims were being proselytised at the event. "This is not a coincidence but planned in detail," Zaini added. In his Cuit column in the Umno-owned daily, he said that Cikgu S told him how the students from Standard One to Six "could sing with vigour songs that praise Jesus." "They can even tell stories about Jesus including how he was crucified," he quoted Cikgu S as saying.
|
| Close fight likely for Kapar in next polls Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:52 PM PDT
There is no assurance that PKR will be able to retain its Kapar seat in the 13th general election. (Free Malaysia Today) - The intervention of the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM) in Kapar will turn the fight for the Kapar parliamentary seat into a close call. The seat is held by PKR's S Manikavasagam. He wrested it from MIC's Komala Devi by a 12,297- vote majority in the 2008 general election. Last month, MCLM introduced Dr Nedunchelian Vengu as the Barisan Rakyat independent candidate (BRIC) for Kapar, taking the battle for the seat to a new level. The local-born dentist, who chose to run in Kapar, has a thriving dental practice in the constituency and has been actively involved in social work for 20 years. Kapar is the largest constituency in the country with 125,000 voters. Despite PKR having won the seat with a comfortable majority, there is no guarantee that the party will retain the seat in the 13th general election. A local Umno leader, who declined to be named, told FMT that PKR would be facing a tough fight in Kapar. "Internal problems in the division and the clash between Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim and Manikavasagam are a few things that might drown the PKR 'ship' in Kapar in the upcoming election," he said. MIC could still win He said that Nedunchelian, who is better known as Dr Nedu, is a prominent figure in Kapar, especially among the Indian community. "We should understand that in 2008, PKR won the seat because of a major swing of the Indian community to Pakatan Rakyat after the rise of the Hindraf movement. "This time we cannot expect the same scenario," he said. He also said that Nedu will definitely play a major role among Indian voters. "Although Manikavasagam had done some good stuff to the Kapar people, it is still not enough," he said, adding that the current political climate favoured parties and not candidates.. When asked about MIC's contribution in the constituency, he said that the Barisan Nasional ally was a "forgotten history". "MIC has already lost ground in Kapar. The party is now riding on Umno shoulder," said. He, however, believes that Kapar could return to MIC if the Malay votes swing back to BN. He said in the 2008 general election, PKR won with a 14% vote majority, which was considered small in a constituency like Kapar. "I believe MIC will regain the seat if 5% of the Malay votes go back to Umno and 15% of the Indian votes are clinched by MIC," he said.
|
| FBC under probe over conflicts in Putrajaya contract Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:48 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is investigating FBC Media's "inappropriate outside interests" after an embarrassing exposé showed the British publicity firm had been paid by Putrajaya and Sarawak to portray Malaysia positively in programmes it produced for the public broadcaster. The BBC said in a statement to Britain's The Independent newspaper that was published today that it had not been told by FBC Media of its contract with Malaysia when it aired the company's programmes, which may be in breach of its impartiality rules. Putrajaya has now ended its contract with FBC Media after an exposé revealed Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programmes on CNBC. The Malaysian Insider understands that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) terminated FBC Media's contract in the past week, just months after another public relations firm, APCO Worldwide from the United States, met an ignominious end for alleged links to Israel. The BBC has suspended all programming from London-based production company FBC, which, since 2009, has made at least four BBC documentaries dealing with Malaysia and controversial issues such as the country's contentious palm oil industry and its treatment of rainforests and indigenous people, The Independent reported today. In its statement, the BBC said: "FBC has now admitted to the BBC that it has worked for the Malaysian government. That information was not disclosed to the BBC as we believe it should have been when the BBC contracted programming from FBC. Given this, the BBC has decided to transmit no more programming from FBC while it reviews its relationship with the company." FBC Media's dealings with the Malaysian government came to light after supplementary supply Bills showed vast payments made for a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign". The records showed that between 2008 and 2009, RM57.7 million was paid by the Prime Minister's Office to FBC Media for the campaign. The Independent said in its special report today that documents filed with the United States government's House of Representatives in 2008 show that FBC Media (UK) contracted the Washington-based American lobbying company APCO Worldwide, which it paid more than US$80,000 (RM240,000) in 2008 for the purpose of "raising awareness of the importance of policies in Malaysia that are pro-business and pro-investment as well as [showing] the significance of reform and anti-terrorism efforts in that country". The BBC's guidelines on conflict of interest state that "Independent producers should not have inappropriate outside interests which could undermine the integrity and impartiality of the programmes and content they produce for the BBC". The BBC is now investigating whether any of the FBC material it broadcast was in breach of BBC guidelines on impartiality. Global broadcasters have been scrambling to contain potential damage after the allegations of impropriety surfaced following the expose by whistleblower Sarawak Report, which claimed the interviews and other programmes produced by FBC Media had cost the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition millions of ringgit as part of its bid to shine its international image. US-based broadcaster CNN denied last week it was paid to interview Datuk Seri Najib Razak during his visit to London last month, but questions remain about the role played by its anchor John Defterios after the latter's FBC Media programme "World Business" was axed early this month by rival network CNBC. The spotlight is on the relationship between FBC Media — the British publicity firm led by media giant Alan Friedman, which still lists Defterios as its group president — and broadcasters like CNBC, CNN and the BBC. Both interviews were conducted by Defterios, which raised eyebrows over his appearance on the rival channels as well as questions over a conflict of interest on his unclear ties with FBC Media. Defterios was listed as director in the British firm on the FBC Media website before it was stripped down to a one-page fact sheet yesterday, with all information about its board members removed. The Independent said in its report today that the coverage of the workings of one of Malaysia's most important industries, shown on BBC World News's Third Eye series this summer under the title "The Power of Asia", formed part of a much bigger picture. The programme was made for the BBC by FBC Media when it was still hired by Malaysia.
|
| A-G’s Chambers objects to Bersih bid Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:45 PM PDT
The affidavit affirmed by Ambiga to support the leave application was defective, says federal counsel. (Free Malaysia Today/BERNAMA) - The Attorney-General's (A-G) Chambers is applying to strike out the leave application for a judicial review filed by the Bersih 2.0 movement to remove the order declaring it an unlawful society. The High Court will hear the A-G's Chambers preliminary objection to strike out the application on Sept 19. Judge Rohana Yusuf set the date in chambers after meeting the parties involved. On July 8, 14 members of the movement's steering committee, including S Ambiga, filed the leave application naming the Home Minister, Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and the government as respondents. They were represented by counsel Tommy Thomas, Fahri Azzat and K Shanmuga, while senior federal counsel Kamaludin Md Said, Azizan Md Arshad and Andi Razalijaya A Dadi acted for the respondents. Kamaludin told reporters that the A-G's Chambers wanted the court to strike out the application on the grounds that the affidavit affirmed by Ambiga to support the leave application was defective. |
| Ezam sowing seeds of racial tension Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:28 PM PDT
It seems like Umno senator Ezam Mohd Nor will stop at nothing to gain political mileage. Now, he is using religion to threaten the non-Muslims, all under the guise of protecting the faith. There is no doubt that Ezam has Umno's backing in terrorising the non-Malays, using Islam as his modal or capital. Otherwise, how does Umno leader Najib Tun Razak who is also the prime minister explain the gathering? Did Ezam apply for a permit? If he did not, why was no action taken against him for holding an illegal gathering? Free Malaysia Today The "leave Islam alone" threat has cropped up again. This time it is Umno senator Ezam Mohd Nor who has declared war against all those who try and convert Muslims. He said he will also burn down news portals which act as agents for infidels. Where is Ezam coming from, openly making such threats to online news portals and to non-Muslims? Will action be taken against him for disrupting peace through his incendiary remarks? Ezam is one angry man who has even threatened Muslims who abet non-Muslims in conversions out of Islam. "We have no choice but to wage war to protect the Muslim faith," he said recently in front of 500 fellow Muslims at the compound of the Selangor state mosque in Shah Alam. There is no doubt that Ezam has Umno's backing in terrorising the non-Malays, using Islam as his modal or capital. Otherwise, how does Umno leader Najib Tun Razak who is also the prime minister explain the gathering? Did Ezam apply for a permit? If he did not, why was no action taken against him for holding an illegal gathering? When the poor gather on May 1 to commemorate Labour Day and plead with the Barisan Nasional (BN) government to help improve their quality of life, these less privileged citizens are chased away or detained. The rakyat urge the BN government to reform the electoral system and what does Najib do – he uses brute force to scare them. Why the double standard, Najib? Ezam's threats were directed at online news sites Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider which he claimed adopted a strong stance against the Selangor Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) raid at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church on Aug 3. A man devoid of substance, Ezam had the cheek to say that Muslims have no issues with non-Muslims. Is that so? Has he been in deep slumber all the while when Muslims went about stomping on the severed head of a cow, all because they hated the idea of a Hindu temple being built in their Muslim neighbourhood? Was Ezam in a stupor when the Muslims were up in arms against the non-Muslims when the latter found the Muslim call for prayer by mosques a tad too loud? Has Ezam been sleeping on the job each time Malay right-wing group Perkasa issues threats to the non-Muslims, all under the guise of defending Malay rights? Where was Ezam when former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad cautioned the non-Malays that this country belongs to the Malays and that the Indians and Chinese should be thankful for having been given Malaysian citizenship? The fact is it is people like Ezam who tarnish the image of Islam, manipulating the religion to gain political mileage. Confrontations arising from sensitive issues like religion can never be solved through bloodshed, in case Ezam has now, during Ramadan – the month of repentance – decided to adopt violence as his modus operandi in cowering those who speak and report the truth. Is that the mark of a good Muslim? Ezam's threats will go no where near protecting the Muslim faith. To slaughter fellow humans under the pretext of jihad or struggle will only put Islam under a very damaging spotlight. Is Ezam not aware that Islam, like all religions, is about compassion? Sad that as a Muslim, Ezam lacks this very fundamentals his religion espouses. Fear culture Since Ezam claims "violence is the best way to protect Islam", he better deal with the truth that to slander and vow to cause harm is not going to earn him any "brownie points". The fear culture to get the non-Muslims to kowtow to the dominant race has to stop. The rakyat have had enough of threats made under the name of religion. They are just as tired of characters like Ezam and Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali who never cease to foam at the mouth in trying to act as defenders of Islam. Ezam has to grow up and tackle the issue at hand in a mature manner. Is anger not condemned by all religions, its damage always irreversible? There are decent ways and means to safeguard one's religion and violence is definitely out of the scene. Does this self-serving senator truly believe that putting other people's lives in danger is THE answer to a "safer" Islam? This latest row involving Islam has certainly riled up the non-Malays but as always they are on their own each time such threats are made. Where do the non-Malays turn to when the government itself comprises racists and bigots in the likes of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein? The latter did not bat an eyelid in picking up a keris and swaying it in the face of non-Malays, threatening them to lay off "all things Malay" and demanding that they respect Islam at all cost. Ezam has threatened to burn down online news portals. Is arson not a crime or is he now, by virtue of being an Umno crony, above the law? What has happened to the non-Malay representatives, both the MIC and the MCA? Have they no guts to chastise Ezam and demand an apology for insulting the non-Malays over a matter that could have been dealt with wisely instead of resorting to gangsterism?
|
| JAIS raid video appears on pro-Umno blogs Posted: 16 Aug 2011 04:18 PM PDT
A video of JAIS' raid on DUMC claims proof of proselytising and implicates Annou Xavier and Teresa Kok in covering up the issue. (Free Malaysia Today) - A video purportedly showing scenes of a raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (JAIS) on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) surfaced on a number of pro-Umno blogs yesterday. The six-minute clip has been presented by the bloggers as evidence of the church proselytising to the 12 Muslims who attended its multiracial thanksgiving dinner two weeks ago. The clip, which was first posted on a blog called "Screwkuat", showed snippets of JAIS officials entering the church, a man sharing his Muslim upbringing with the crowd and the officials questioning guests dressed in the Malay national costume. The man sharing his religious upbringing was accused of having converted out of Islam although he made no mention of being a Christian. A woman named Sophia – who was clad in a baju kebaya – was accused of being involved in the event organisation by inviting Muslims for the purpose of conversion. One of her guests, a Chinese women, later told JAIS that no Muslims had attended the dinner. The blogger then trained his guns on Seputeh MP, Teresa Kok, and Annou Xavier of the Catholic Lawyer's Society as conspirators in concealing DUMC's attempts to convert Muslims. Xavier is also the lawyer for the dinner organiser, NGO Harapan Komuniti, which has insisted that the dinner was for a HIV/AIDS support group. "Annou Xavier has plotted with Teresa Kok to defend the 12 but has only managed to 'control' eight so far," wrote the blogger of Screwkuat. "He also issued a letter requesting a postponement of the statement that the 12 meant to give JAIS last week." "This is an insult to JAIS and the Sultan of Selangor (Sharafuddin Idris Shah). The question is, why are the 12 being defended by a lawyer from the Catholic Lawyer's Society?" Clip an 'afterthought' The blogger claimed that in order to cover up their conspiracy, the duo had engaged Muslim lawyers who shared their views as well as secured the support of Father Goh Kiat Ping who is reputed to have an in-depth understanding of Islam. "The 12 will hold closed-door talks with PAS because Teresa Kok believes that only PAS can be used to cover up these acts of conversion," the blogger concluded. "So we will await the next statement from PAS. No wonder PAS keeps blaming Umno in this issue." In an immediate response, Xavier branded the clip as an "afterthought" to justify the raid. He pointed out that the clip was taken from a narrow angle by an anonymous person and questioned its authenticity. But he stopped short of speculating that JAIS had leaked the clip to the blogger. "What I will say is that it's very irresponsible for bloggers affiliated to a certain political party to come up with an insinuation that puts down their fellow Malaysians," he told FMT. "Investigations are still ongoing but these bloggers are acting as investigators and prosecutors." Xavier drew attention to Section 6 of the Syariah Criminal Offences (Selangor) Act 1995 under which the 12 Muslims are being investigated. "This section states that anyone who accuses a Muslim of converting and the accusation is found to be false the accuser can be liable for up to a fine of RM5,000 or three years in jail or both," he said. "This is a very serious offence and carries the same sentence as the offence of conversion. So just because one is a Muslim and with JAIS doesn't mean he knows the law." When contacted, Kok told FMT via text message that she was unable to comment due to the gag order imposed by Selangor Menteri Besar Khalid Ibrahim, pending the investigation findings.
|
| 3,500 voters over 100 years old in Sabah Posted: 16 Aug 2011 01:52 PM PDT
By Michael Kaung,, FMT KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Election Commission (EC), which is still verifying the status of some 3,500 registered voters aged over 100 in the state, will retain "active" centenarians in its electoral rolls. State EC chairman Md Idrus Ismail said the commission is verifying with the National Registration Department (NRD) whether those centenarians are still "active". He said those who are verified as "inactive" will be struck off the electoral rolls. He added that this is in line with the nationwide programme announced by EC chairman, Abdul Aziz Yusof, recently to clean up the rolls of dubious voters. Responding to recent statements by PKR Sabah and DAP on the matter, Idrus said the 3,500 names of centenarian voters were collated from the state electoral rolls over the last few months. He said ridding the electoral rolls of "inactive" and dubious voters is an on-going process nationwide. He said it wil take quite a while to obtain verification from the NRD on the status of the centenarian voters. "We cannot expect to obtain the verification and strike out the inactive voters overnight. It will take some time," said Idrus. However, he believes that some of the centenarians are alive and active. "We are verifying their status with NRD because the department is responsible in issuing the death certificates," he said in response to the PKR Sabah deputy chairperson Christina Liew's statement that more than 200 voters here are between 100 and 120 years old. Liew, who is also Kota Kinabalu PKR division chairperson, said that the party has brought the matter up with the state EC for verification but the officials claimed that they cannot do anything unless the family members of the registered voters come forward to rectify the matter Report deaths According to EC record, as of Dec 31 last year, a total of 848,473 people have registered as voters in Sabah. Abdul Aziz, in his recent statement, said that those aged above 90 and "considered" to be "inactive" will be struck off in line with the effort to clean up the roll, which is updated every three months. |
| 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 |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan