Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Listing 1,100 capable bumi firms
- Was Muhyiddin behind Najib’s turnaround?
- EPF confirms buying London office block for RM740m
- Is the PSC yet another con job?
- Swap plan undermined
- Gillard firm on Malaysia deal for asylum seekers
- Sabah BN forced to return NCR land
- General election can go ahead without full reforms, says PM
- Hi-tech electricity poachers cause TNB to lose RM500m yearly
- ‘MCMC officers behaved like thugs’ (UPDATED WITH VIDEO)
- Former top cop confirms Tajudin links
- Don't be hasty to act over apostasy, says Mahathir
- Malaysia's Najib Pledges to Examine Election Laws After Mass Protests
- Najib says 100pc meritocracy will breed ‘mediocrity’
- Najib: We are on track to meet 5% GDP growth
- 'The spate of hate crimes must be stopped’
- Dr M says Muslim fracture may tempt foreign intrusion
- ‘Don’t put gun to my head’, EC chief asks Bersih
- Over 2 million foreigners registered under 6P programme: Hishammuddin
- Sosilawati murder trial: Court orders reporter, editor to explain article
- Why the truth only now, George?
- ‘Weak’ Najib vs ‘disobedient’ Muhyiddin
- Mat Zain: Dropping Tajuddin suits raises doubt over Umno funds
- Fraudulent PR campaign blows up in M’sia’s face
- Attempted arson on Penang DAP Hq
- AirAsia-MAS deal unfair to Sabah, S’wak
- Arrogance has a price
- Muhyiddin likens Bersih rally to violent UK riots
- Quek takes stake in American Airlines parent AMR
- CIMB denies receiving letter from Nazri
- Cops admit using preventive arrests after ban on confessions, says leaked US cable
- Utusan editor says Muslim schoolchildren being proselytised
- Close fight likely for Kapar in next polls
- A-G’s Chambers objects to Bersih bid
- JAIS raid video appears on pro-Umno blogs
- 3,500 voters over 100 years old in Sabah
- Odds against ‘betting for education’ fund winning Chinese votes
- Page accuses Putrajaya of ‘buying time’, wants English-language option restored
| Listing 1,100 capable bumi firms Posted: 19 Aug 2011 08:16 PM PDT (DAILY EXPRESS) - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the concept of meritocracy will be practised in the agenda to assist Bumiputera entrepreneurs, and the Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (Teraju) is in the process of listing 1,100 Bumiputera companies capable of success, on the stock market. The Government will assist the companies and the list will be announced in two-three months time, he said, while officiating the two-day convention, Empowering the New Economic Model: A Bumiputera Economic Jihad, organised by the Gagasan Badan Ekonomi Melayu (Gabem) Universiti Teknologi Mara. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the Government will assist the companies to become bigger. "If the RM100,000 turnover this year can increase to RM1 million in three years time and if only operating within the country, the companies can then expand overseas. "This programme represents a new approach based on meritocracy among Bumiputeras with no question of cronyism but only help those who can truly succeed," he added. He said the switch in the approach towards assisting Bumiputera entrepreneurs based on meritocracy is seen as being better, as the previous method such as giving initial public offerings(IPO) through the Bumiputera quota, did not last long as the shares were resold on the market. "I want to state and you should not be shocked that of the 60 billion shares distributed to Bumiputeras at one time under the IPO, only two billion is left today. Why?" he asked. He said the Bumiputera shareholding had reduced as some investors were incapable of holding on to the shares concerned. There were some among them who sold the shares as the price increased but questioned where the profit obtained had gone. "If we want to help Bumiputera companies, they must prove their worth as committed and hard working entrepreneurs. I say to them, it is not who you are, it is not who you know but know how," he said. Meanwhile, the government is identifying the potential companies to be listed but needs some assistance in fulfilling the criteria of the Securities Commission (SC), so that it can be done. Najib also reflected on his time as the Pahang Menteri Besar when a lot of Bumiputera entrepreneurs met him, asking for his signature on project applications. "But when investigated, they were only seeking to make a profit or were 'rent seekers' and those behind them were not Bumiputera entrepreneurs," he said. He said if Bumiputera entrepreneurs did not change their attitude and work ethics, they would not progress in business, no matter how many conventions such as this was organised. "What we want are committed people, willing to strive to be successful, in line with the theme of this convention... meaning, not just the government helping, but all of you helping yourselves to succeed," he added. Najib said among the vendors to government-linked companies (GLCs) such as Telekom Malaysia Bhd and Petroliam Nasional Bhd, were those who were comfortable remaining so, not wanting to change from that status to be self-sufficient. "Logically, if they had been vendors for five years, they should be able to stand on their own, and give other companies an opportunity to be one in turn," he added. Najib also said apart from Bumiputera vendor companies, Bumiputera Class F contractors should also migrate from that category to become that of a higher class and stand on their own. However, he said there were also successful Bumiputera companies and lately, there was one which had purchased an Australian company in the oil and gas sector. "What I would like to see is, successful Bumiputeras as big entrepreneurs, with public limited companies also having their own vendor development programme to assist other Bumiputera companies. "This is not just to the extent of providing welfare assistance but also assisting with the birth of more Bumiputera entrepreneurs who can help other companies," he added. Najib said the Bumiputera entrepreneur community must not be scared of change in the global business environment. "Instead, they need to overcome the global economic changes, which is seeing the emergence of two new powers in China and India," he added. Najib said he wants the Bumiputera community to be positive in undertaking change, so that when the country attains the status of a developed nation on January 1, 2020, the Malays and Bumiputeras will be also recognised as a progressive and successful race. He said the emergence of more non-governmental organisations apart from GABEM to fight for the economy of the race was positive, providing they were on the "same ship" with the government which has a clear direction in this regard. Touching on meritocracy, he said it is needed to encourage the culture of excellence among Malaysians but at the same time, "affirmative action" for the sidelined Bumiputera community could not ignored. He said the status of children growing up in Kenny Hills in Kuala Lumpur was different from those in the interior in Kg Bantal, Pahang. Also present at the event was GABEM chairman Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik, Minister of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob and Deputy Minister in the Prime Ministers Department, Datuk Ahmad Maslan.
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| Was Muhyiddin behind Najib’s turnaround? Posted: 19 Aug 2011 06:43 PM PDT
Premier Najib Tun Razak's 'flip-flop' stand has vindicated doubts over his true intentions of setting up a Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) (Free Malaysia Today) - Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's 'flip-flopping' on his decision in relation to the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) could result in the PSC being stillborn. DAP parliamentary leader and Ipoh Timor MP, Lim Kit Siang said Najib's disclosure yesterday that the general election could be held anytime and was not bound by the work of the PSC meant that the Barisan Nasional government was not interested in putting to rest suspicions of manipulation of the country's electoral process. "Najib's flip-flop statement has vindicated doubts over the true intention of proposals for the formation of a parliamentary select committee for electoral reforms," he said in a statement issued today. Five days ago Najib had given an assurance that the PSC on electoral reforms would allay any suspicion of manipulation by the government in the country's electoral process. Najib gave the assurances after announcing that a nine-man parliamentary select committee, led by a minister would look into electoral reforms. But his statement yesterday, after the Umno supreme council meeting, has spawned fresh speculations that Najib's flip-flop stand was due to pressure from Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin. "Malaysians are asking whether Najib has backed down in four days from his implicit undertaking that the Parliamentary Select Committee would be a meaningful exercise and that general elections would only be held after electoral reforms had been effected because of the hardline pressures such as those emanating from Muhyiddin Yassin who had denied that there is any real problem with the electoral system and that only some minor tweaks are required," said Lim. Lim further concluded that the effectiveness of the PSC would rely purely on Najib's determination.
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| EPF confirms buying London office block for RM740m Posted: 19 Aug 2011 04:06 PM PDT Another investment: D2 Private sold the office block in St James's Square to the EFP for £150mil. (The Star) - The Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) has confirmed that it has purchased an office block in St James's Square, London, where one of the tenants has one of London's highest rents. The EPF told StarBizWeek that it bought 12 St James's Square for 150mil (about RM740mil) from D2 Private, the leading Dublin-based Irish property investment company. The deal was completed on Aug 11. This marks the EPF's fourth property investment in London since announcing an allocation of 1bil for British property purchases about a year ago. Including this latest purchase, it has spent 634mil. The latest purchase is centrally located in one of London's most elegant West End squares. The seller D2 bought the building in 2006 for 60mil and refurbished the classic 81,500 sq ft Georgian building for another 20mil. Eighteen months after buying it, D2 rented the top two floors to hedge fund Permal Investment Management Services at what was then considered the world's highest rental ever at between 140 and 130 per sq ft. The West End market has failed to reach rents of that level since. Only earlier this year did they pass 100 per sq ft. D2 is founded by Deirdre Foley, and David Arnold. Foley was previously a director of the Quinlan Partnership and is D2's managing director while Arnold is a well-known Irish property developer and investor. The EPF last year handed ING Real Estate Investment Management and RREEF the mandate to invest 500mil each in central London on its behalf. So far the fund has invested outside the core West End in a bid to find investments that yield more than 5%. The EPF's three other property assets include commercial building Whitefriars in central London which it bought from Union Investment for 148mil in March. Whitefriars has a annual yield of 5.75%. Property consultancy Savills brokered that deal. Prior to Whitefriars, the EPF bought One Sheldon Square in Paddington Central for 156mil, and 40 Portman Square near Oxford Street for 180mil. The two properties have yields of 5.75% and 5.55% respectively. Properties in the city of London was among the first to start recovering from the financial crisis, rising in the second half of 2009 after two years of declines erased 50% of its value from city-centre office values. The pound sterling's 22% drop since September 2007 had helped make property more attractive to foreign buyers, according to a report by Bloomberg. Since 2009, when prices of London assets begin its uptrend, spending in London's prime real estate shows no sign of abating, a deep contrast to the overall state of the UK property market which has been soft until today. In the city, investors are turning to more affordable markets or riskier properties because of the shortage of prime real estate for sale and the high prices it commands. For the first half of this year, about $12.3 billion has been spent on prime offices, shops and homes in London, the most of any city, Real Capital Analytics's research shows. Last week's disorder and looting in London has not diminished the appeal of investing in the city, according to Jeremy Helsby, chief executive officer of Savills Plc. "There's no evidence of an unwillingness to invest in London," Helsby says after the property broker reported a 52% increase in first-half profit. "I can't think of any set of circumstances of London not retaining its status as a destination for international capital," he told Bloomberg.
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| Is the PSC yet another con job? Posted: 19 Aug 2011 03:37 PM PDT
The government has a bad track record of implementing suggestions from past commissions, so how different will it be with the Parliamentary Select Committee? (Free Malaysia Today) - How effective will the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) be if it has no powers to enforce and implement its suggestion? How different will it be from past commissions whose findings have come to nought? These are the questions bugging Malaysians for Free and Fair Elections (Mafrel). Speaking to FMT, Mafrel secretary-general Shaharudin Othman said: "Before we even ask the question of who should head PSC, we should take a step back and ask why even have PSC. "Take the RCI (Royal Commission of Inquiry) on the the Lingam tape: even when they named the people involved, were there any actions taken?" he asked. "The Parliamentary Accountability Committee (PAC) is an organ in the parliamentary system which questions mismanagement. But what has it done? "Only when all the previous recommendations are looked into and some sincerity is shown in their implementation, will the PSC matter." Shaharudin said the PSC merely had the power to make suggestions which can easily be ignored by the government. "The composition of the committee hardly matters as results have not been seen based on previous government actions. "We have been living through many, many years based on promises. "If there is no drastic change in the way the government does things, then we are merely living in the climate of broken promises," he said. 'Opposition has more stake' Bersih 2.0 steering commitee member Maria Chin Abdullah also agreed. "The government must make sure that the recommendations are implemented. "This isn't about Bersih, the government or the opposition. The people will observe the progress and they are the ones who will decide at the end of the day," she said. She also pointed out that having a minister head the nine-member PSC was not going to help increase public confidence in the electoral reform process. She believed that the opposition should lead the committee as it had more at stake over electoral reforms. "If you look at all the recent allegations of electoral irregularities, it is the opposition which has been vocal about them. "The opposition should chair the committee because it has more at stake and more to lose. "The government seems to be quite happy with the current process so it reflects a bias. We hope the government will take into account public confidence. "If it goes on acting in its own interest, it will not inspire much public confidence," she told FMT. Maria Chin also noted that the nine committee members – comprising five MPs from the ruling government, three from the opposition and an independent – reflected a pro-government bias.
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| Posted: 19 Aug 2011 11:48 AM PDT By Michael Gordon and Kirsty Needham, The Age THE Gillard government's Malaysian "people-swap" agreement has been undermined by the arrests and likely deportation to China of a group of asylum seekers registered with the United Nations in Kuala Lumpur. Migration agent Libby Hogarth has written to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen expressing alarm over the arrests of around 18 members of the Uighur ethnic minority and seeking assurances on their plight. She says three of those arrested have immediate family in Australia. ''If we have had people registered with the UN and deported to a country with an appalling human rights record, what hope is there for those we send to Malaysia?'' Ms Hogarth told The Saturday Age. If the arrests and deportations are confirmed, it will undermine one of the government's central claims - that Malaysia is a suitably safe place to send asylum seekers - when the full High Court hears a challenge to the people-swap deal on Monday. Amnesty International last night claimed ''grave fears'' were held for the safety of the Uighurs and said the arrests cast doubt on a cornerstone of the people-swap deal - that those sent to Malaysia would not be refouled (sent back) to the countries from which they had fled. Amnesty's Graham Thom said the reports also raised doubts about the Gillard government's assertions that the deal would be a step towards a regional agreement and result in better treatment of other asylum seekers in Malaysia. Concerns about the plight of the Uighurs come as the federal government and Papua New Guinea yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding to reopen an asylum seeker assessment centre on Manus Island. The centre and the transfer of boat arrivals from Australia will be a ''visible deterrent to people smugglers'', the document says. Australia will meet ''all costs'' for the deal, which the Refugee Council of Australia described as a return to the Howard government's 2001 Pacific Solution. Should the High Court further delay or strike out the transfers to Malaysia, Papua New Guinea now stands as an ''extra deterrent'', government sources said. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said yesterday the government was ''determined to implement'' the Malaysian people-swap deal. Critical to the legality of the deal is the question of whether Australia is bound to ensure that protections afforded to those registered with the UN in Malaysia are real and enforceable. If this cannot be demonstrated, Australia is potentially in breach of its obligations under international and domestic law. A spokesman for the UN refugee agency, the UNHCR, said there was some confusion concerning the situation of the Uighurs arrested and that the agency was making inquiries with the Malaysian government. ''We have strongly urged the Malaysian government to allow UNHCR's refugee status determination process to run its full course,'' the spokesman said. ''We have especially urged the Malaysian government not to deport any Uighurs to a country where their human rights might be at risk.'' One well-placed source claimed the deportations had proceeded despite objections from Australian and United States officials. Australian officials said details were sketchy and declined to comment. Ms Hogarth said that if the Uighurs were accused of breaking Malaysian laws that warranted deportation, they should be tried in Malaysia and given legal assistance. Under the agreement struck with the Malaysian government, those who are sent to Malaysia ''will be provided with the opportunity to have their asylum claims considered and those in need of international protection will not be refouled''. They will also be afforded human rights. Mr Bowen has expressed confidence that the court will uphold the legality of the agreement. Under it, Australia will send 800 unauthorised boat arrivals and, in return, accept an additional 4000 refugees over four years. A boat carrying 71 suspected asylum seekers was intercepted off Christmas Island yesterday. The passengers will be taken to the island to be assessed for transfer to another country. This brings to more than 330 the number of asylum seekers who have arrived on Christmas Island since the Malaysia agreement was finalised on July 25. The government had planned to send the first group to Malaysia when the legal action began. It was not clear yesterday when the Manus Island centre would be open or whether asylum seekers would be confined behind razor wire. Mr Bowen said the centre ''will complement the Malaysia transfer arrangement''.
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| Gillard firm on Malaysia deal for asylum seekers Posted: 19 Aug 2011 11:36 AM PDT By Michelle Grattan, The Age JULIA Gillard has declared the controversial Malaysian people swap is ''a very important innovation'' in Australia's asylum seeker approach and the government is '' determined to implement it''. With the future of the deal hanging on next week's High Court full bench hearing that will focus on human rights, Ms Gillard remains confident Australia can guarantee the rights of asylum seekers sent to Malaysia. |
| Sabah BN forced to return NCR land Posted: 19 Aug 2011 10:48 AM PDT
By Michael Kaung, FMT MARUDU: A protracted native customary rights (NCR) land dispute between a private company and 1,000 villagers from 48 kampungs has finally been resolved. The natives have waited almost 14 years for a solution to their battle to wrest back thousands of acres of land from Safoda and Begaraya Sdn Bhd. Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Ongkili, who is also the district MP, said each family will receive 20 acres of land. The state Barisan Nasional (BN) government, after suffering a series of humiliating defeats in the courts over native title rights, had decided to grant each family 20 acres of land in what is seen as a "win-win solution" to the longstanding issue. Ongkili said the issue had finally been resolved with the agreement of the Land Office and Safoda and Begaraya. "The decision made in a meeting on Monday is a win-win situation for all parties. "The state government has agreed to give each of the 1,000-odd affected families 20 acres of land comprising 15 acres of communal titled land and five acres of land declared as village reserve land," he said when opening a briefing on the cultivation of cocoa, rubber and pepper for 300 Kota Marudu folk at the Dewan Komuniti here yesterday. Safoda had applied for 4,793.9ha in the Kota Marudu district which were disputed by the people of 18 villages who claimed customary rights to the land. Begaraya had been approved 40,000ha in Kota Marudu in 1997, in which 30 villages had made overlapping claims. Ongkili said the perimeter survey for the communal titles would begin next month and he hoped that by December two village communal titles would be issued. "With the land titles, villagers are protected of their right to their native customary land including from being invaded by companies. "The villagers can also start developing their land including in partnership with the land developers," he said. Ongkili also thanked the state government and Land Office for resolving the problem which had caused unhappiness among the villagers. He, together with Tandek assemblywoman Anita Baranting and Matunggong assemblyman Sarapin Magana, had been making great efforts to negotiate a solution that would protect the people's rights and welfare in the matter. Both the state seats of Tandek and Matunggong come under the Kota Marudu parliamentary constituency. |
| General election can go ahead without full reforms, says PM Posted: 19 Aug 2011 10:40 AM PDT By Mazwin Nik Anis and Martin Carvarlho, The Star Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak says the general election can be held without full electoral reforms having to be implemented. The Prime Minister said this was because some reforms could be executed immediately while others needed time to be introduced. "The parliamentary select committee has nothing to do with the (general) election. We will try to do some (reforms) immediately. "What can be done immediately, we will do it," he told a press conference after chairing the Umno supreme council meeting here yesterday. The Umno president and Barisan Nasional chairman said the party supreme council fully supported the setting up of the parliamentary committee and the Government's efforts at electoral reform. "Umno has always upheld the importance of parliamentary democracy. The credibility of our elections cannot be questioned and we have proved that there is no manipulation in votes and the electoral roll," he stressed. On the Opposition's insistence to lead the parliamentary committee, Najib said the party with the majority should lead but assured the participation of Opposition members. "That is the tradition of Westminster parliamentary democracy which they (Opposition) don't understand. "The number of representation in the committee is also based on the strength of the party," he explained, referring to Pakatan Rakyat's demand that it be represented by the same number of MPs as the Barisan. On Pakatan's statement that it had yet to decide whether to participate in the committee, Najib said it was a sincere effort on the part of the Government. "We want to reach a consensus on the type of (electoral) reforms that we should do," he said. Asked whether the committee would convene even without the Opposition on board, Najib said the matter would be decided at the appropriate time. "But we want to show the people that there is nothing for us to be worried about or hide as far as the transparency of our electoral process is concerned," he said.
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| Hi-tech electricity poachers cause TNB to lose RM500m yearly Posted: 19 Aug 2011 10:38 AM PDT
By Wani Mutiah, The Star Power thieves are employing elaborate measures and using high-tech equipment to siphon off electricity worth hundreds of millions of ringgit from Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB). In one case, a commercial property owner went to great lengths by building a secret access tunnel to the meter room so his workers could quickly remove electricity siphoning gadgets whenever a raid was conducted. TNB president and chief executive officer Datuk Seri Che Khalib Mohamad Noh said these thieves were mostly in commercial and industrial premises. "The manner in which meters are tampered with is becoming more and more sophisticated with various electronic gadgets used to register low readings," said Che Khalib, adding that this resulted in TNB incurring an estimated RM500mil losses annually. He added there were even cases when remote control devices were used to switch off electricity siphoning devices whenever meters were being monitored by TNB. Che Khalib, who visited The Star with TNB chief operating officer and executive director Datuk Ir. Azman Mohd, said the secret tunnel was found at a hotel in a northern state. "When our officers went to the premises for inspection, someone went into the meter room through the passage to remove the gadgets used to tamper with the meters," revealed Che Khalib. He said the construction of a secret tunnel to siphon off electricity gave an indication about the extent to wich the thieves would go. However, said Che Khalib, meter tampering in private residences were not as sophisticated and in some cases were made-up of crudely concealed by-pass wires. He said there were also instances whereby homeowners fixed power saving devices which they believed would reduce the amount of electricity being used. Che Khalib said there was a probability the installers of the devices tampered with the electricity meters. "But people think its the power saving device that is reducing electricity usage," he explained. Meanwhile, Azman said TNB also had sophisticated equipment to detect meters that were tampered with to register lower reading than actual consumption. "No matter how it is done, all we have to do is to just go to the meter and measure the accuracy of its reading with our equipment," he explained. The difficulty faced by TNB, said Azman, was the fact that those stealing electricity were able to do it in a manner that could not be detected by the naked eye. "Our meter readers would not be able to detect any irregularities when sophisticated methods, such as remote control devices, are used,'' said Azman. According to Che Khalib, electricity theft had many repercussions besides loss of revenue for TNB. "It also decreases the electricity supply to the area in which the theft is taking place because the actual consumption is not registered," he said. As a result, TNB may be under supplying electricity there and this causes various other problems such as the lighting being dim due to low voltage. He added tampering with electricity meters was also unsafe and could cause fires. Che Khalib said the amount of electricity that was being stolen was huge with one factory being back billed RM10mil. Che Khalib called on consumers not to entertain anyone offering to tamper with their electricity meters as TNB would detect it eventually. "Previously, we did not have enough personnel to carry out regular inspection but now we have a dedicated recovery team," said Che Khalib, who also did not discount the possibility of TNB staff offering such illegal services. However, he said TNB was also serious in countering graft within its company as it was working closely with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
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| ‘MCMC officers behaved like thugs’ (UPDATED WITH VIDEO) Posted: 18 Aug 2011 10:36 PM PDT
LFL lawyer is outraged over MCMC's insinuation that it is above the law. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today questioned a journalist over a picture she had taken during the Bersih 2.0 rally. But according to Lawyers For Liberty (LFL) coordinator, Fadiah Nadwa Fikri, the officials had behaved like thugs in their intimidation and harassment of both her and her client. Fadiah had accompanied her client, Yusriah Yusof, a photographer with opposition mouthpiece Suara Keadilan, to the MCMC headquarters earlier this afternoon. Yusriah was being questioned over her picture of Anwar Ibrahim's bodyguard, Fayyadh Afiq Albakqry, taken after he was hit in the face with a tear gas canister while shielding Anwar. The picture of his bloodied face were among the many circulated online in the aftermath of the rally as evidence of police brutality. When the investigating officer (IO) met them at the entrance, Fadiah introduced herself and said that she was accompanying her client into the investigation room. The IO denied her entry and an argument ensued. "He said that lawyers were not allowed to be present during the questioning," she told FMT. "I told him that under the Federal Constitution my client had the right to have her lawyer present and asked him what his basis was in disallowing that right." "I even asked him why she was being questioned and whether there was a report made against her. The IO said of course there is a report but he wasn't going to divulge it to me." When Fadiah pointed out that even the police released reports to lawyers, the IO apparently shot back, "That is the police, we are MCMC." Shouting match He, however, eventually reluctantly allowed Fadiah into the investigation room but then told her that he wanted to take her statement too. "I refused and told him that I am merely accompanying my client and I'm not the party under investigation," she said. "We continued arguing until he shouted 'you're a Malay, right? you're a Muslim, right?… stop asking questions!'" "I told him not to bring religion into this and to respect the law. He shouted back that if I wanted to talk about the law then I should go to the court because this was his office and he didn't want to talk about it." Before a stunned Fadiah could respond, two more officers entered the room and shouted to her to leave. While she argued with them, the IO began taking Yusriah's statement, disregarding the photographer's obvious distress. "I turned my back on the two and focus on my client," Fadiah said. "These men were in the baju Melayu complete with the sampin and they were behaving like thugs. They were talking like the law didn't apply to them." "I am shocked by MCMC's arrogance and ignorance. Even when they called my client in for questioning they never sent her an official notice. Just a casual phone call." Np8ro9esPsI
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| Former top cop confirms Tajudin links Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:24 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - Prime Minister Najib Razak should rethink any kind of settlement with Tajudin Ramli or directing the government-linked companies (GLCs) to withdraw all pending law suits against the former Malaysia Airlines chief. Former Kuala Lumpur CID chief Mat Zain Ibrahim said this was to ensure that the interests of the public are preserved, and not that of Tajudin or other politically-linked personalities.
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| Don't be hasty to act over apostasy, says Mahathir Posted: 18 Aug 2011 04:20 PM PDT
(Bernama) - Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the government should not be hasty in taking action on the alleged attempt to convert Muslims in the country into other faiths. "It has to be studied first... at times the allegation is true, sometimes (it is) not true." "If we are hasty in our investigation, then when (the action is) wrong, people will no longer believe us."
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| Malaysia's Najib Pledges to Examine Election Laws After Mass Protests Posted: 18 Aug 2011 03:10 PM PDT  By James Hookway, Wall Street Journal Five weeks after a protest that was the biggest Malaysia has seen in four years, Prime Minister Najib Razak Tuesday pledged to examine ways to revamp the country's electoral laws. More than 20,000 people gathered on the streets of Kuala Lumpur on July 9 in a demonstration that police sought to break up with tear gas and water cannons. The activists, organized by an independent group known as Bersih—the Malay word for "clean"—but also including opposition leaders such as Anwar Ibrahim, argue that the majority-Muslim country's electoral system unfairly favors the National Front. That coalition has ruled this important gas and palm-oil exporter since independence from Britain in 1957. Among other things, the protesters called for the government to update the electoral rolls and ensure equal access to state-controlled media for all political parties. The confrontation with police, which human-rights group Amnesty International called "the worst campaign of repression we've seen in the country for years," came as speculation grew that Mr. Najib, 58 years old and the son of Malaysia's second prime minister, would soon call elections. He isn't obliged to do so until 2013, but analysts say calling for an early election might provide him with an edge over his opponents. Malaysia, though many parts of its economy are growing strongly, is badly fractured politically, often along race-based lines. Mr. Najib's United Malays National Organization party claims to represent the country's majority Muslim Malay population, and in the 1970s implemented affirmative-action policies meant to help ethnic Malays catch up economically with other groups, especially the country's ethnic Chinese. Programs including quotas for access to universities and special loans for ethnic Malays have since become well-entrenched, though in recent years a growing number of Malaysians have called for change. Mr. Anwar, the 64-year-old opposition leader, is among those pushing to liberalize the economy and level the playing field for all Malaysians, and analysts say that under Mr. Najib some important aspects of affirmative action have been carefully rolled back. Political change appears to be coming more slowly. Mr. Najib's tentative offer to consider overhauling Malaysia's electoral system is his biggest concession to the protesters so far. Declaring that the system had served Malaysia well over the past 50 years, he said that he would nonetheless name a parliamentary committee to examine possible changes. "For whatever reason, some people have expressed doubts about that system, leading to calls for change," Mr. Najib said in a statement. "I have always been deeply committed to Parliamentary democracy and to all it can achieve… That is why I am building on my reform agenda to establish an independent bipartisan Select Committee that will ensure that the views of each and every Malaysian are reflected at the ballot box." It wasn't clear when, or if, the committee would recommend any changes. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, seen in a Friday photo, on Tuesday promised to examine ways to revamp electoral laws. Opposition leaders and democracy activists cautiously welcomed Mr. Najib's pledge. Mr. Anwar told The Wall Street Journal that the prime minister is "finally conceding the concerns of the vast number of citizens regarding fraud," but said the committee must include representatives from the opposition, hear the opinions of civil-society groups and address "the fundamental issues on electoral reform." Mr. Anwar, who is now on trial on charges he violated Malaysia's strict sodomy laws—a case he says is politically motivated—added that he's concerned the formation of a new committee could actually be way to slow down a revamp and deflect momentum away from meaningful change. "We already have an Election Commission that's supposed to be independent," he said. "What's stopping them from revising the list of postal voters or updating the electoral rolls?" The Bersih group that organized the July 9 protest in Kuala Lumpur also expressed wariness about Mr. Najib's plans. While welcoming his proposal, the group stressed that changes to the electoral system must happen before the next election. If Mr. Najib calls a vote before reforms can be made, "I don't think the public will stomach anything like this," said one Bersih activist, Wong Chin Huat. —Celine Fernandez contributed to this article.
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| Najib says 100pc meritocracy will breed ‘mediocrity’ Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:58 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider SHAH ALAM: Datuk Seri Najib Razak sought today to justify his administration's apparent return to affirmative action policies to boost the Bumiputera economy, saying a system based 100 per cent on meritocracy would only breed "a nation of mediocrity". The prime minister told a convention here that the government's "new system" was to use meritocracy among Bumiputeras by identifying and rewarding sincere and deserving Malay businesses while at the same time creating a more competitive environment to enhance the Malay economy. He said focussing entirely on meritocracy would not be fair to individuals living in rural and suburban areas, claiming they would not be able to compete on a level playing field with those living in urban centres. "Yes, some have said that the time has arrived that we no longer need affirmative action, some say we can scrap the quota system, we do not need this and that... and that we should practise full meritocracy. "This is not coming from the non-Malays alone but the Malays themselves, the so-called liberal Malays," Najib said in his keynote address at the opening of the "Strengthening the New Economic Model — 1 Jihad Bumiputera Economy" convention at Universiti Teknologi Mara here. "I say that it is true that the non-Malays became rich because of hard work but it is no less important to note that they became rich also because of our country's stability and a sound administration... because when they needed money, we gave it to them, even from before," he said. Najib said Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) should be partly credited for being "considerate" and "fair" to the non-Malays, resulting in an environment that enabled their businesses to thrive. "But do not now fail to be considerate to the Malays as well... they (non-Malays) should also be fair because Malays are presently at a disadvantage. "Perhaps they say 40 years (of affirmative action) is enough but a large number of living in rural and suburban areas still need government aid through rewarding policies. So depending solely on meritocracy would be unfair," he said.
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| Najib: We are on track to meet 5% GDP growth Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:20 PM PDT By Zuhrin Azam Ahmad, The Star PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak is optimistic that the country will meet this year's gross domestic product (GDP) growth target of between 5% and 6%. The Prime Minister said despite the volatile global economy, there were signs that the GDP would meet the 5% growth. "We decided to project the growth in a range of 5% to 6% as it was difficult to narrow it to one figure. "Based on the current situation, we are expecting it to be closer to 5%, and as such, we are maintaining the target," he said after chairing the National Financial Council meeting yesterday. The country's economic growth moderated to 4% year-on-year in the second quarter of the year, following a revised growth of 4.9% year-on-year in the preceding quarter due to weaker external environment. Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz said on Wednesday that based on the growth Malaysia has achieved so far, it was likely that the country's GDP for the full year would expand by at least 5%. Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said the country's inflation was manageable with the latest figures showing a slight decline. "Several steps including reducing the price of chicken had some impact on the inflation situation. What we want is to achieve low inflation with encouraging economic growth," he said. Najib also said the target to reduce the fiscal deficit to 5.4% of the GDP this year was still on track. On the meeting, Najib said the council had agreed to allocate RM318mil in 2013 including RM288mil as contribution to states based on economic development, infrastructure and well-being standards. Later, writing in his blog, Najib said all input and ideas from participants in the Roundtable Session had been submitted to the Finance Ministry for consideration in the drawing up of the coming Budget.
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| 'The spate of hate crimes must be stopped’ Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:09 PM PDT By Athi Shankar, FMT GEORGE TOWN: There are groups of extremists who are turning to hate crime to settle their political differences. And Bukit Bendera MP Liew Chin Tong thinks that this could be the reason for torching the state DAP headquarters.
He also blames acts of political violence in other parts of the country on these political extremists. He said these extremists were resorting to hate crime because they refuse to exhaust existing avenues to settle political differences. He added that these people should have adopted diplomatic channels to raise grievances, address contentious issues and find amicable solutions to problems. "No religion or civilised community would condone such hate crimes. It's a violent act of political desperation by anti-democratic elements," Liew told FMT, referring to the Penang DAP headquarters fire in the early hours yesterday. Stacks of newspapers placed at the building's front portion were torched about 3am. The incident happened just four days after their premise in Jalan Talipon was splashed with red paint. Several politically motivated hate crimes took place in the country, especially in Penang, in the past few months. Among them were splashing of green paint at the service centre of Komtar state representative Ng Wei Aik, who is also Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's political secretary. Other incidents were displaying posters defaming Lim, splashing green paint at the house of Bukit Mertajam MP Chong Eng and splashing yellow paint at Umno Cheras and Bandar Tun Razak branch premises. A rowdy protest by Suara Anak-Anak Mamak Pulau Pinang (SAMPP) disrupted a press conference held by Bersih coordinator Toh Kin Woon outside the state police headquarters in Jalan Penang on June 29.
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| Dr M says Muslim fracture may tempt foreign intrusion Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:05 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has warned that the split among Muslims in Malaysia into three groups may lead to foreign interference with the nation's affairs. National news agency Bernama reported the influential former prime minister as saying that the three Muslim groups were "warring" among themselves without using weapons like in other Islamic countries suffering disunity. He did not, however, specifically identify the groups. "Because of disunity, we have become weak," said Dr Mahathir at a buka puasa dinner in Jerlun, Kedah, last night. "We may have forgotten that 55 years ago, all Muslims in this country fought for independence and (opposed) the Malayan Union. At that time, the Muslims were weak, but we defeated the Malayan Union because we were united. "Even though we did not have money and other strengths, but because we were united, we could triumph over the Malayan Union," added the elder statesman. Dr Mahathir's remarks came as racial and religious tension heightened in multi-racial Malaysia after a series of controversial incidents this year. The Penang Fatwa Council's recent ban on loudspeaker broadcasts of Quran readings has caused furore among the Muslim community in Penang. The DAP Penang headquarters was attacked in an arson attempt yesterday, with Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng linking the attack to the ban. Selangor religious authorities also raided a church in Petaling Jaya on August 3, accusing it of proselytising Muslims at a thanksgiving dinner there. Yesterday, Dr Mahathir said that many Islamic countries were now facing problems such as internal strife, wars against foreigners, and famines. "This is what is going on in many Islamic countries. In those countries, the people are not united. In the end, Muslims become weak and foreigners take the advantage to control Muslims," he said. "If we are not united, we will become like those Muslims. We have to work hard to ensure that Muslims do not suffer a terrible fate because of our disunity," Dr Mahathir added.
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| ‘Don’t put gun to my head’, EC chief asks Bersih Posted: 18 Aug 2011 02:03 PM PDT By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 — The Election Commission (EC) has agreed to meet with Bersih 2.0 to discuss electoral reforms, but its chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof asked that the reforms movement not "put a gun to [his] head". "I told them better don't do that (put a gun to his head). You can suggest anything but some suggestions we might agree, some suggestions we might not. But don't expect we must agree everything," Abdul Aziz said today. He was speaking to reporters here at the EC office after a two-hour discussion with the Association for the Promotion of Human Rights (Proham). The first NGO to meet with the EC since the July 9 rally, Proham today submitted a report on "Human Rights and Electoral Reform" based on its findings from a public forum last month. "You must come like Proham today, we must discuss openly without condition; they (Proham) didn't put a gun to my head," he said. Bersih 2.0 is a loose coalition of 62 NGOs demanding for clean and fair elections. The election watchdog group has been pushing for electoral reforms for years, resulting in two street rallies — the first in 2007, which has been partly credited for the Election 2008 tsunami, and the second on July 9 this year, which saw the Najib administration's reformist image take a severe beating in the international media. Abdul Aziz said based on his understanding, the request for the meeting was on three new issues which he declined to disclose. "[The EC] is ready to meet with anyone to give suggestions and opinions to improve democracy and the election system. "I hear and will discuss their (Proham) suggestions with the EC panel members whether those suggestions can be made into law or accepted as policy," Abdul Aziz said. He said among the issues discussed today were the independence of the EC, as well as ways to keep track of voting with biometric systems and indelible ink.
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| Over 2 million foreigners registered under 6P programme: Hishammuddin Posted: 18 Aug 2011 05:48 AM PDT
(Bernama) - A total of 2,040,709 foreign workers and illegal immigrants have been registered under the 6P programme as at 8am Thursday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein said. He said of the total, 936,732 were legal workers while 1,103,977 were illegal immigrants. "It is an unexpected number in the context of registration because after this, we still have to carry out the process of legalisation, amnesty, supervision and enforcement. "So, I would like to call on those who have yet to register to do so as soon as possible," he told reporters after breaking fast with the Home Ministry's staff here last night. He also refuted the allegation that those who had registered would be deported to their countries of origin and described the allegation as an attempt to sabotage the 6P programme. "Some people accused that there is a problem with the biometric registration system...it is indeed a baseless allegation because if there's a problem, the number of people registered would not reach two million," he said. Hishammuddin said registered illegal immigrants from Indonesia made up the highest number at 551,268, followed by Bangladesh with 241,538. "This means that the cooperation we have with the Indonesian and the Bangladesh governments had succeeded and I would like to thank the representatives of the two governments and ensure that we will continue to work closely with them," he said. The minister said the biometric registration process had to be carried out as the government did not know the exact number of foreigners in the country. "The two million people are legal workers and illegal immigrants who have registered voluntarily before we carry out the legalisation and enforcement processes and it is possible that the number will increase," he said. Earlier, Hishammuddin also gave away hampers and "duit raya" (cash) to orphans in Klang Valley.
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| Sosilawati murder trial: Court orders reporter, editor to explain article Posted: 18 Aug 2011 05:40 AM PDT
(Bernama) - The High Court here on Thursday ordered a reporter and an editor of Utusan Malaysia to come to court to explain an article which allegedly was a personal attack on Manjeet Singh Dhillon, a defence lawyer in the trial of the murder of cosmetics millionaire Datuk Sosilawati Lawiya and her three associates. Judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir made the decision after allowing an application for the order by Manjeet who is representing the first accused, former lawyer N. Pathmanabhan. Earlier, before the start of proceedings in the trial-within-a-trial to determine whether statements by two of the accused had been made under oppression, Manjeet directed the attention of the court to the article headlined "Manjeet always smears government." Displaying a photocopy of the article, he said TV3 had also highlighted it. Akhtar said he had read the article and found the linking of the trial with politics unacceptable. "An attack on the defence is also an attack on the court, especially if it is published in the papers," Akhtar said. "I want the reporter and his editor to come to court to explain." Manjeet, in his oral application, had said all parties involved should be asked to come to court to retract their statement and apologise. He said the order from the judge should extend to all who did not respect the court. Akhtar said: "You journalists must take heed and inform people above you that this action is subjudice and you can be held in contempt of court." In the trial-within-a-trial, ASP M. Mariappan, who is attached to the Selangor Police headquarters, said the second and third accused T. Thilaiyalagan and R. Matan had been transferred from Gombak to Kuang and Kundang near here, respectively on Sept 11 last year. This was for their own safety considering that it was a high profile case touching communal sensitivities, he said. Responding to a question, Mariappan said most of those locked up at the Gombak police headquarters were Malays, and he did not want them to be involved in any conflict with the accused. Pathmanabhan, 42, and farm hands Thilaiyalagan, 20, Matan, 21, and K. Kathavarayan, 31, are charged with murdering Sosilawati, 47, her driver Kamaruddin Shamsuddin, 47, lawyer Ahmad Kamil Abdul Karim, 32, and CIMB officer Noorhisham Mohammad, 38. They are alleged to have committed the murders in Jalan Tanjung Layang at Tanjung Sepat in Banting near here between 8.30pm and 9.45pm on Aug 30 last year. The hearing continues Friday.
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| Why the truth only now, George? Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:37 PM PDT
Former Sarawak deputy chief minister's disclosure that the BN does not take heed of the Chinese community's interests a boost for DAP (Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak United Peoples Party president George Chan's 'revealing' statement that Barisan Nasional coalition does care about the Chinese was well received by the DAP. Chan, a former deputy chief minister, said that 'if DAP joined BN, it will be also useless like SUPP, MCA and Gerakan' because BN does not care about the Chinese. Chan, who lost his Piasau seat in the recent state election, was referring to an invitation by Nazri Aziz, the minister in the PM's department for DAP to join the Barisan Nasional. Nazri last week end urged DAP and PAS to join BN in an interview with Sin Jew Jit Poh. Sarawak DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jien said: "We have to thank George Chan for telling us the truth that even if DAP was to join BN, it will be useless as the BN does not take heed of the Chinese interest. "The policy is that the BN does not take heed of what the Chinese want because they don't care. Whoever joins BN, it is no use. That is the situation in BN. "This is truth and George Chan's honesty is appreaciated. But (unfortunately) it comes 15 years too late." Chong also chastised Chan and other members of the leadership for speaking the truth only after they had lost their seats and positions in the state Cabinet. "Why are you telling us now? Why not 15 years ago when you were still the deputy chief minister? "All this while, you have been telling the Chinese in Sarawak only in BN that you can achieve what the Chinese want. As the opposition you cannot do anything. "But after you lost the election and your official post you are being truthful to the people. The reason is that there was a conflict of interest when you were inside. "The only conclusion that we can draw now is that SUPP leaders only tells the people of Sarawak the truth when they lose the election and their official posts," he said.
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| ‘Weak’ Najib vs ‘disobedient’ Muhyiddin Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:32 PM PDT
Kita president Zaid Ibrahim says that all is not well in Putrajaya and warns the premier that he may see a repeat of the coup that sent his predecessor packing. (Free Malaysia Today) - Kita president Zaid Ibrahim suggested the possibility of a rift between Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin since the latter consistently contradicted the premier's policies. The former Umno law minister said voters could see Najib's leadership as weak following the failure to discipline Muhyiddin's open display of inconsistencies. "Someone asked me if there is a power struggle going on in Umno right now. I said no, only in the Cabinet. This poser was perhaps brought about by the way Muhyiddin skilfully contradicted Najib on several important issues," said Zaid in a statement today. He cited Muhyiddin's open contradiction of Najib's effort to foster racial harmony under his 1Malaysia clarion call when Muhyiddin declared he was "Malay first" and "Malaysian second". Zaid also alleged that it was a known fact that Najib would like to have Science and Mathematics to be taught in English but Muhyiddin, who is the education minister, decided against it. Almost immediately speculation that there was a split between the two spread in light of Najib's inaction but the two subsequently denied the allegation and attributed the rumours to the opposition. Zaid said several days ago, the deputy prime minister once again refuted Najib's decision openly – this time on his administration's plan to set up a Parliamentary Select Committee on polls reforms. The move was seen as an attempt to contain the likely voter backlash from Najib's administration's high-handed handling of the Bersih 2.0 rally. It was also seen as an admission that Bersih 2.0′s demands for electoral reform were valid. Muhyiddin, however, said the committee was merely to "tweak" an otherwise clean elections system.
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| Mat Zain: Dropping Tajuddin suits raises doubt over Umno funds Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:28 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 — A former senior police investigator has questioned Putrajaya's directive for all GLCs to drop civil suits worth billions of ringgit against Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli, stating that the move raises the question of whether hundreds of millions of ringgit were being held by Umno nominees. Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim wrote in an article sent to The Malaysian Insider that the former MAS chairman held RM70 million in trust for Tun Daim Zainuddin who was finance minister during Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's administration. "The question of whether the money belonged to Tun Daim, or was shared with someone else or if it belonged to Umno will become an issue. In short, the public has the right to raise 1,001 questions on this issue," said the former city CID chief. Putrajaya had directed earlier this month all government-linked companies, including Malaysia Airlines and the national debt restructuring company Danaharta, to cease all civil suits against Tajuddin, a poster boy of the Mahathir-era plan to groom Bumiputera entrepreneurs. Mat Zain today cited his privileged position as the investigating officer in 1995 when an unnamed minister and Umno supreme council member asked police to investigate money held in trust by another of Daim's nominees, former Renong chairman Tan Sri Halim Saad.
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| Fraudulent PR campaign blows up in M’sia’s face Posted: 17 Aug 2011 03:27 PM PDT
Millions spent on a public relations campaign abroad to boost Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's image and the Barisan Nasional government has turned sour. (Free Malaysia Today) - British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has suspended all programming from the London-based FBC Media after it was 'confirmed' that the TV production company had received payment to produce and air, as genuine content, at least four documentaries on Malaysia's palm oil industry and its 'treatment of the rainforest and indigenous people'. BBC in a statement to UK's prestigious daily The Independent yesterday said that "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." It is understood that prior to it's TV productions for Malaysia, FBC had already produced some 20 programmes for the BBC and had signed the BBC's standard producer guidelines which guarantee to "not accept money or other services or benefits from any individual, company or organisation with a view to endorsing or promoting such services and/or products in the series or series publicity or which could lead to doubts about the subjectivity or impartiality of the series". In a published statement to The Independent, the BBC said: "All independent TV companies who produce programmes for BBC World News have to sign strict agreements to ensure programmes meet the BBC's editorial guidelines, including avoiding any conflict of interest." BBC's World News attracts 78 million viewers a week and is available in more than 200 countries. The Independent had further flogged the fact that FBC received "almost £6 million" (RM28 million) from the Malaysian governmnent and the amount had been reflected in the Malaysian government's Supplementary Budget 2010. The report noted that the payout had been for work on a "Global Strategic Communications Campaign" in 2009. It also noted that a similar sum of RM29.34 million was also allocated to the company for the previous year and that the matter had been raised in Malaysian parliament. FBC, with offices in London, Mumbai and Rome, has however denied any impropriety in its programmes for any broadcaster. Speaking through its lawyers, FBC media said: "At no time have the television programmes made for the BBC ever been influenced or affected by our client's commercial activities".
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
| 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.
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| 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. |
| Odds against ‘betting for education’ fund winning Chinese votes Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:45 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider A Putrajaya-backed plan to pump up to RM20 million in gambling profits annually into Chinese and Indian vernacular education is unlikely to sway the Chinese vote back to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN), pundits say. The RM2.1 billion takeover of billionaire Ananda Krishnan's Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd by a consortium of Chinese tycoons led by Tan Sri Lim Kok Tay of gambling giant Genting last week, will also lead to profits channelled to "Jana Pendidikan" — a trust fund for vernacular schools. But politicians and analysts told The Malaysian Insider that the purchase will not be seen as a government effort, or worse, a case of the Najib administration abdicating its responsibility to the education needs of minorities. "I don't think this will translate into votes for Barisan Nasional at all. I fail to see any fundamental change in government policy toward mother tongue education," said Chinese educationist Kua Kia Soong (picture). DAP publicity chief Tony Pua also agreed, pointing out that "all this time, Chinese businessmen have donated to Chinese schools, so what is the difference now that its profits from a company run by Chinese?" The Singapore Straits Times had recently cited financial executives involved in the deal as saying that it could improve Barisan Nasional's (BN) standing among Chinese and Indians who swung away from the ruling coalition in the landmark 2008 election. Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is expected to call an election within the year, has been tasked with reversing losses that denied BN its customary two-thirds majority of Parliament and five state governments. The take-over of the gambling company came just before Najib announced a parliamentary select panel to review the electoral system and an end to crude media censorship this week, in a concession to the middle class and urban vote after being criticised for the security crackdown on the July 9 Bersih rally. Education has also long been a source of dissatisfaction from the Chinese and Indian community. While Malays enjoy extensive state support for education including financial grants, scholarships and enrolment quotas in public universities, Chinese and Indian schools struggle each year for funding. Kua said the government's cap on the number of state-funded vernacular schools has seen the number of Chinese and Tamil schools drop from 1,350 and 880 respectively in peninsular Malaysia at independence in 1957, to just 1,280 and 550 today despite their combined population doubling.
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| Page accuses Putrajaya of ‘buying time’, wants English-language option restored Posted: 16 Aug 2011 12:27 PM PDT By Debra Chong, The Malaysian Insider The Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia (Page) wants Putrajaya to restore 'teaching science and maths in English' option before it kicks off a new policy next year. Its vice-chairman, Sulaiman Mahran, ticked off Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin for saying the Education Ministry will study further the possibility of using two languages to teach the two subjects in national schools, as reported by state news agency Bernama yesterday. "It's only buying time until 2012 when the MBMMBI will be fully implemented," Sulaiman said in a statement, referring to the "Upholding the Malay Language and Strengthening Command of English" policy that is to take over the existing language policy for science and maths (PPSMI). The English-language lobbyist pointed out that the long-term advantages of English had been identified during the Mahathir administration but that its implementation was miscarried during the Abdullah administration. "Datuk Seri Najib's administration should repair its implementation, not dismantle it, "What should be studied deeper is MBMMBI, which is clearly defective because it reduces the students' exposure to English by 50 per cent," Sulaiman said. Prior to the Sarawak polls on April 16, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had also announced he would consider using dual languages as the medium of instruction for Mathematics and Science in schools. PPSMI was first introduced in 2003 but the Education Ministry decided last year to stop it by 2012 after consulting with teachers and parents around the country.
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"The appointment of Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah as a director of MAS after he disappeared from the corporate spotlight since 1998 strengthens such a speculation as Wan Azmi is alleged to be involved in holding RM150 million on behalf of (former finance minister) Daim Zainuddin (right).
"Anwar's police report included three letters by corporate figures Abdul Halim Saad (left) - said to hold 52 million Faber Merlin shares and 130 million Renong shares - Wan Azmi holding RM150 million for Daim, and Tajudin holding RM70 million for Daim," Mat Zain said.
He also questioned why attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail (right) had not taken action against Tajudin even though the police investigations were "crystal clear".
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