Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Malaysian student injured in London riots
- PAS Youth supports church raid
- Haris resigns from Bersih 2.0
- Dr M: Congrats for ‘destroying’ Umno
- PKA inked PKFZ deal before official Cabinet nod, says witness
- Azmil out of MAS in share swap with AirAsia
- Donald Lim vows to quit if MCA fails in Selangor
- Khairy questions Idris Jala’s track record
- 'New media used to spread lies'
- Witness interview: Duo object to Anwar’s presence
- Inter-faith group says Jais raid an attempt to create religious strife
- Court blocks expulsions to Malaysia
| Malaysian student injured in London riots Posted: 09 Aug 2011 04:41 AM PDT
(Bernama) - A Mara-sponsored accountancy student was injured during riots in North London yesterday. Rural and Regional Development Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, however, said the Selangor-born student, Asyraf Hazlan, in his 20s, only sustained jaw injury and was currently being treated at the Royal London Hospital. "The student was not involved in the riots, but was attacked by a group of rioters when trying to get out of a subway train. He was heading to North London to break fast with a friend when the incident occurred. "He was also beaten and robbed but was later taken to hospital where he would probably undergo a minor surgery," he told reporters after breaking fast with the ministry's staff at the Institute for Rural Advancement (Infra) here today. Mohd Shafie said Asyraf's family had also been informed about the incident. The minister said Mara had also taken precautionary measures to relocate its students from the high-risk areas to Leicester Square to ensure their safety. "They are also advised not to go out aimlessly except to run important errands. Mara Education Director and staff will also monitor the situation there with cooperation from the police," he said. During the event, Mohd Shafie also presented 'duit raya' and prayer items to 120 orphans and 40 Orang Asli children from Gombak, Selangor.
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| PAS Youth supports church raid Posted: 09 Aug 2011 12:28 AM PDT
(The Star) - The Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) used its prerogative to raid a function at the Damansara Utama Methodist Church last week, PAS Youth said, adding the movement backed the action. PAS Youth chief Nasrudin Hassan said it supported the Jais action on the principle that the department was keeping the akhlak (conduct) of the Muslims in check. "Basically, the role of Jais is to protect the sanctity of Islam. "There should not be any doubt on the action it took. Instead, it should be supported," Nasrudin said after meeting Selangor executive councillor Datuk Dr Hasan Ali at his office here Tuesday. Saying Dr Hasan had shown him strong "evidence" that led to the raid, Nasrudin said he was satisfied with the explanation given by the state exco member. Urging critics not to be prejudiced, Nasrudin said Jais was merely carrying out its duty.
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| Posted: 08 Aug 2011 06:40 PM PDT
He says it's time for him to refocus his attention on his ongoing campaign. (Free Malaysia Today) - Lawyer-turned-activist, Haris Ibrahim, today announced his resignation as Bersih 2.0 steering committee member – exactly one month after the July 9 rally took over the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Haris, who was involved in the first Bersih rally in 2007, said his decision was based on the need to separate Bersih's non-partisan stand from his personal political leaning. "If you noticed, I had not written anything on my blog (The People's Parliament) in the run-up to the rally," he said. "This is because Bersih 2.0 has been non-partisan from its inception to its launch." "But Haris Ibrahim via my blog has always been anti-BN. Not because I love the opposition but because BN and Umno have long been the bane of this nation." Haris explained that he found it increasingly difficult to express his thoughts on his blog without his writing being misconstrued as Bersih's point of view. The frustration led him to contemplate his post-Bersih step and he decided that it was time he turned his attention back to pursuing his ongoing "DNBN Kuburkan BN" campaign ahead of the 13th general election. "My involvement in this campaign would have created a perception problem for Bersih 2.0," Haris said. "The committee understood that I'm passionate about this campaign and that I will continue giving my full support to Bersih from the outside." "The rally has been successful and the steering committee is in the good hands of (Bersih 2.0 chairperson) Ambiga (Sreenevasan), so no worries there." Asked whether he had anticipated this predicament ahead of the rally, Haris said that he had given very little thought to where he would plant his feet when he first got involved in Bersih. "Politics in this country has been so fluid," he added. "It was very hard to say where things were going back then and where I would be turning my efforts to." He also laughed off speculation that he had chosen his resignation date to commemorate the one- month anniversary of the Bersih 2.0 rally. "Not at all, it has nothing to do with the date," he said. "My resignation wasn't even pre-planned."
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| Dr M: Congrats for ‘destroying’ Umno Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:55 PM PDT
By RK Anand, FMT PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has responded to the speculation that he is once again working backstage to bring the curtain down on another political career – that of his protege Najib Tun Razak. The former premier complained about a FMT report which portrayed him as being the force behind the alleged move to replace Najib with current number two Muhyiddin Yassin. Mahathir also congratulated those who had expertly used psychological tactics to "destroy" Umno and possibly sow suspicion among party leaders and members. The former Umno president said that efforts were underway to weaken the ruling party ahead of the next general election. Last week, FMT reported that Penawar, an organisation comprising former Umno MPs, had voiced disatisfaction over Najib's leadership and wanted him to step down. The next day, Penawar's head, Aziz Shamsuddin, a former political secretary to Mahathir, had denied the report, despite refusing to comment the day before. 'Najib may be suspicious of Muyiddin and me' Mahathir, credited with playing a key role in ousting former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and prior to that, ending the careers of three deputy prime ministers during his 22 year reign, said the FMT report may now led Najib to doubt Muhyiddin and him. He warned that if Najib suspected Muhyiddin, Umno would crack, with some backing the president and others throwing their weight behind Muhyiddin. "The strategy was to claim that Penawar held its meeting to undermine Najib and that Muhyiddin and myself are the hidden hands. Of course, Najib would become suspicious of us and Penawar. "The report also spooked Penawar and other NGOs that Najib would be suspicious of their meetings and expose them to the accusation that they were Mahathir's people," he added in a blog posting. Mahathir said such reports would make the Malays afraid of politicking and the opposition would achieve its aim of seeing the race becoming disunited and not being able to defend its rights. 'Malay or Malaysian first' The former premier also noted that a reporter had recently asked Najib if he was a Malay or Malaysian first, landing the latter in a spot. Mahathir alleged that the question was deliberately posed to put Najib in a dilemma. "If he had answered that he was more Malay, then he would be called a racist just like how Muhyiddin and myself were accused. And if he had said 'Malaysian', then he would be seen as not sharing the view of his deputy," he said.
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| PKA inked PKFZ deal before official Cabinet nod, says witness Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:53 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — The Port Klang Authority (PKA) bought Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) land from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) before the port regulators were officially notified of the Cabinet's consent for the purchase, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's graft trial heard today. Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor, a former deputy secretary-general for planning in the Transport Ministry, told the High Court that the sales and purchase agreement was signed on November 12, 2002, but PKA only received an official extract of the Cabinet decision on November 20, 2002. He also said the sales and purchase agreement was not revealed to the PKA board before it was signed by then-PKA chairman Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh and witnessed by then-PKA general manager OC Phang. Abdul Rahman, 61, who had been in the civil service for three decades, added that Phang signed an offer letter to KDSB on November 6, 2002, which was the same day that the Cabinet gave the green light for the purchase. "This RM1.088 billion agreement... as a board member, would an agreement like this usually need board approval?" asked deputy public prosecutor Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah. "Yes, it would," answered Abdul Rahman. Abdul Rahman testified yesterday that the Finance Ministry (MoF) preferred the government to compulsorily acquire the land in Pulau Indah, rather than buying it back. The then transport minister, Dr Ling, had written a letter on April 3, 2002 to then-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, proposing the federal government compulsorily acquire 1,000 acres on Pulau Indah at a price of RM25 per square foot (psf) to develop a mega transportation hub in Port Klang, known as the Regional Distripark Centre. Dr Mahathir had agreed to Dr Ling's proposal in a letter dated five days later. Abdul Rahman said yesterday the purchase price of RM25 psf had been arrived at by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) based on the land cost, which included costs for reclamation, basic infrastructural development, instalment payments and bond issuance. Dr Ling is charged with deceiving the government by concealing the fact that the 7.5 per cent interest rate was surplus to the purchase of Lot 67894 at RM25 psf — amounting to a total of RM1,088,456,000 — despite knowing that JPPH had already taken interest into account when it valued the land.
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| Azmil out of MAS in share swap with AirAsia Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:51 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - MAS managing director Tengku Datuk Azmil Zaharudin lost his job today after the airline's shareholders finalised a share swap with Asia's largest low cost carrier, AirAsia. The Malaysian Insider understands that an executive committee led by Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof will manage the state carrier while day-to-day operations will be handled by Khazanah Nasional Bhd executive director and MAS board member, Mohd Rashdan Mohd Yusof. Azmil will join Khazanah as an executive director effective September 12, 2011. Under the share swap, AirAsia's main shareholder Tune Air Sdn Bhd will swap 10 per cent stake in the budget carrier for 20.25 per cent share of the ailing flag carrier in the agreement called a "Comprehensive Collaboration Framework". Before the share swap, Tune Air was the biggest shareholder in AirAsia with 26.28 per cent stake while Khazanah held a total of 69.33 per cent share of MAS. The MAS board will also see some new faces, namely Land & General Bhd founder, Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah, former IJM chief executive Datuk Krishnan Tan, Astro chief executive Datuk Rohana Rozhan and David Lau from Shell Malaysia, who will act as independent non-executive directors. Rashdan, popularly known as Danny, was part of the BinaFikir consultancy that engineered the wide asset unbundling (WAU) restructuring that made MAS a virtual airline in 2002. BinaFikir was then led by Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, who is now managing director of Khazanah, the majority shareholder in MAS.
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| Donald Lim vows to quit if MCA fails in Selangor Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:25 PM PDT
According to figures from Election 2008, of the over 1.5 million registered voters in Selangor, the Malay electorate makes up 50.7 per cent, while the Chinese make up 34.7 per cent, Indians 13.9 per cent and others 0.6 per cent. (The Malaysian Insider) - Selangor MCA's embattled chairman Datuk Donald Lim has pledged to relinquish his post if the Barisan Nasional (BN) party fails to capture more seats in the frontline state in the coming polls. The deputy finance minister acknowledged the uphill task ahead of him but told The Malaysian Insider that he was confident the party's state chapter would perform better than it did in 2008. "But I have said, if we cannot get better results than the last time, I will step down as Selangor MCA chairman. "As far as Selangor is concerned, this means that I cannot handle it well," he conceded, when met on the sidelines of a breaking fast function with Cabinet ministers at the prime minister's Seri Perdana residence here last night. Lim however said his post as MCA vice-president was a separate matter and did not reveal if he would relinquish the position as well. The MCA was nearly wiped out from Selangor during Election 2008 and only won two of the 14 state seats and one out of the seven parliamentary seats it contested. Lim was among the many casualties, losing his Petaling Jaya Selatan parliamentary seat to PKR's Hee Loy Sian who had a 5,706-vote majority. Earlier yesterday, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek conceded that some leaders in the party's Selangor chapter were "lazy" and said he knew who they were but insisted that this may not spell the party's demise in the country's richest state. He was commenting on The Malaysian Insider's weekend report on the MCA's lacklustre leadership in Selangor, in which one party leader predicted a total wipe-out for the party come the 13th general election. State MCA leaders had told The Malaysian Insider that while Umno may be brimming with confidence that it can recapture Selangor in the next elections, there are fears that a lethargic MCA could lose the game for the coalition. They also pointed the finger at Selangor MCA chief Lim for the party's sluggish state in Selangor. But in his defence, Lim told The Malaysian Insider that he knew the Selangor electorate well and labelled them as mostly "anti-establishment". "I have been in Selangor for a long time... I have been a division chairman for quite a while and, of course, I understand Selangor very well. Who is who in Selangor, we know. "Yes, it is not easy and we have to face reality so we have to place the best candidate. We cannot guarantee things but if we can field a winnable candidate, I believe people will give us a chance," he said. He admitted that the Selangor Chinese electorate was among the one of the most discerning catchment of voters in Malaysia and attributed this to their level of education and access to information.
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| Khairy questions Idris Jala’s track record Posted: 08 Aug 2011 05:14 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Khairy Jamaluddin ridiculed today Datuk Seri Idris Jala's track record during his tenure as Malaysian Airlines Bhd (MAS) boss as well as the minister in charge of Putrajaya's Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu). The Umno Youth chief posted on micro-blogging site Twitter that "running a beleaguered premium flag carrier needs more imagination than being able to give a slick ppt presentation or unbundling its assets." "I think one of Idris Jala's best career move was leaving MAS to become Minister. He didn't actually need to run MAS beyond 'turnaround'," the Rembau MP added, referring to questions raised over Jala's record as MAS chief executive. The imminent share swap between the national carrier and thriving budget airline AirAsia has cast the spotlight on Jala's four years at MAS. After being appointed to the position by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in 2005, he implemented a turnaround plan from a nine-month loss of RM1.3 billion in 2005 to a record profit of RM850 million in 2007. But Khairy's (picture) tweets today reflected criticism levelled at the minister in the Prime Minister's Department, that he achieved healthy figures through asset stripping, a strategy that he has repeated as part of the administration's Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The ETP, which aims to double per capita income by 2020, will see "non-core" government and government-linked-company assets being divested, a move some say reflects the Treasury's need for additional cash.
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| 'New media used to spread lies' Posted: 08 Aug 2011 04:55 PM PDT
(New Straits Times) - The opposition's use of new media has enabled them to instigate sections of society to participate even in unlawful activities that give them political mileage. Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said this was particularly damaging as many of the issues propagated through this media channel were untrue. He said while the government had exhausted all its avenues to reach and explain to the people about the demonstration, it was not easy as the power hungry were willing to go the distance in pushing to attain power without going to elections. Conceding that handling the run-up to the July 9 demonstration was difficult as the opposition had triumphed over the use of the new media, Hishammuddin said the ruling government must catch up on their use of the medium. "It couldn't be clearer that there are quarters who would not hesitate to seize any opportunity and compromise everything for their narrow political ambitions. On the repercussions and lessons to be learned by those arrested and released by the police every time street demonstrations are held, he said those taken in by the police would have their particulars recorded in the police system. |
| Witness interview: Duo object to Anwar’s presence Posted: 08 Aug 2011 03:57 PM PDT
Former IGP Musa Hassan and another ex-top cop refuse to be interviewed by the defence team in the presence of Anwar Ibrahim. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's bid to interview potential witnesses for his sodomy trial hit a snag after two witnesses cancelled their session with the defence team at the Jalan Duta Court this morning. Ex-Inspector-General of Police Musa Hassan and former Bukit Aman commercial crimes department deputy director Mohd Rodwan Mohd Yusof both backed out at the last minute after objecting to Anwar's presence during the interview. The interviews are being held by Anwar's defence team to determine if the two were suitable to be witnesses in the ongoing trial. Musa and Rodwan were spotted in court today but investigating officer Supt Jude Blacious Pereira was the one who informed Anwar's lawyers of their decision. Anwar's defence counsel Sankara Nair said: "Legally he (Anwar) has the right to be there. It is his basic right as the accused. Take for example if our client can't afford lawyers, then is he to be denied his right to interview witnesses when he is his own defence lawyer?" It was understood that the prosecution, led by Solicitor-General II Mohd Yusof Zainal Abiden, had written to the court to seek further direction from judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah over the issue. Following that, justice Mohamad Zabidin has fixed tomorrow morning to hear the matter with both prosecution and defence team in chambers. "He (Anwar) has to be there as we may need to seek certain instructions. This, I have to emphasise, has never happened before in my legal practice," Anwar's lead defence counsel Karpal Singh was reported as saying. Karpal said he wanted to correct the perception that the defence was prolonging the case, since the objection was raised by the prosecution. Six more interviews tomorrow It was learnt that another six witnesses were scheduled to be interviewed tomorrow. Yesterday, the High Court allowed an application by Anwar to interview 15 witnesses, including Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor. In his decision, Mohamad Zabidin said that it was the duty of the prosecution team, which provided the witnesses, to make sure that the witnesses attended the interview. However, he said that the defence had the right to interview the witnesses on the condition that they were willing. Aside from Musa and Rodwan, Anwar also wanted to interview Hasanuddin Abd Hamid, the owner of the condominium unit where the incident allegedly occurred, and 10 alibi witnesses. The 15 witnesses were among the 25 the defence wanted to interview to prepare for its case. At the close of their case, the prosecution offered 71 witnesses, of whom the defence chose to interview 25.
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| Inter-faith group says Jais raid an attempt to create religious strife Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:46 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — A non-Muslim inter-faith group said last week's raid on a church dinner was part of a "systematic and deliberate attempt by many of those who walk the national corridors of power" to create conflict among the different races and religions in Malaysia. The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism (MCCBCHST) also urged the federal government to investigate the fiasco including reports by Umno-linked Berita Harian and Harian Metro that "Muslims questioned that night confirmed that they had been asked to convert." "These reports... did not identify the claimants nor state the basis for their making such statements. Such witnesses must be made available to an independent inquiry, which must be instituted immediately... to corroborate such evidence and to verify it. "If the newspapers in question are found to have published false statements likely, or meant, to incite religious or racial hatred between Malaysians, the authorities must initiate the necessary action to punish them to the full extent provided for in our laws," it said. In a statement last night, the group also said that the raid by the Selangor Islamic Religious Department (Jais) over alleged proselytising of Muslims "sets a dangerous precedent and makes a mockery of the sanctity and inviolability of all religious places." It listed various other incidences this year where other communities were made to be at odds with the Malay-Muslim majority, beginning from the use of the word "pariah" to describe Indians in the "Interlok" novel used in schools. It said these "insidious efforts" — including the seizure of Malay-language bibles, unproven allegations of attempting to establish a Christian state and profiling of Bersih leaders as traitors attempting to "wage war against the Agong" — threatened the peace and harmony earned over half a century since independence. READ MORE HERE.
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| Court blocks expulsions to Malaysia Posted: 08 Aug 2011 10:40 AM PDT By Greg Ansley, NZ Herald Australia's High Court has blocked the Government's controversial refugee swap deal with Malaysia for two weeks pending a full-bench hearing of an appeal by asylum seekers who were to have been flown from detention on Christmas Island yesterday morning. Justice Ken Hayne extended an interim injunction because of doubts about Malaysia's ability to uphold the asylum seekers' human rights, and because the country is not a signatory to the United Nations refugee convention. The last-minute injunction to prevent any departures yesterday was granted on Sunday afternoon. Despite Government claims that it has the power to make the agreement, Hayne said there were "serious questions to be asked and answered" about the deal and that the injunction would be extended to allow the full bench to consider the legality of the policy in a special sitting. The decision is a major blow to the Government, whose continued failure to find a solution to the continuing arrival of boats from Indonesia is one of the most inflammatory of a cluster of thorns piercing Prime Minister Julia Gillard's fragile minority Administration. Gillard said the option of a new facility in Papua New Guinea remained open. She turned to PNG after earlier proposals for one in East Timor collapsed. Gillard said that although negotiations had been interrupted by a political crisis in PNG, Australia would continue its discussions, but she declined to comment further or to place any deadline on the talks. The decision also came as a group of recently arrived asylum seekers on Christmas Island continued a hunger strike to protest at their impending move to Malaysia, with reports of self-inflicted harm by others. The group was among 55 whose arrival after the controversial refugee-swap was signed placed them among the first of more than 100 now subject to deportation. Under the deal, 800 asylum seekers will be sent from Australia in exchange for 4000 officially recognised refugees held in Malaysia. The group includes five children with parents or older relatives, and 14 unaccompanied children, whose likely removal to Malaysia has outraged refugee and human rights advocates. On Sunday, as lawyer and Refugee Immigration Legal Service director David Manne won a stay of yesterday's planned deportation of 16 single men, the navy intercepted another boat carrying 50 passengers, including four unaccompanied children. The inclusion of children in the deal - seen by the Government as an added warning to people smugglers - has been condemned by critics and Unicef. The Government haspromised only consideration on a case-by-case basis - and warned that the deportation of children would be filmed and posted on YouTube as a deterrent to refugees. Manne argued that children were guaranteed protection under international obligations that made Immigration Minister Chris Bowen their legal guardian, and questioned Malaysian human rights record towards refugees. After Sunday's interim injunction, Manne said that a number of his clients held strong fears for their safety in Malaysia. "Malaysia has a long-standing record of very serious mistreatment of asylum-seekers and refugees including, as we know, arbitrary arrest, arbitrary detention, beatings, whippings, canings and even deportation." The Opposition has continued its attack on the Government. "The Malaysia deal is not a solution," said Nationals leader Warren Truss. "It's a mess, a horrible, unnecessary mess." |
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