Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Guan Eng denies approving Berjaya’s Penang Hill plans
- CIA links to Gaddafi revealed
- DAP, PSM head for standoff over Jelapang
- PAS sliding down the popularity scale
- 'How will UMNO (re)-write history on Anwar Ibrahim?'
- Dr M: Pas wants DAP's trust
- Umno attacking Mat Sabu to protect own version of history, say analysts
- Umno Youth launches roadshow to attack Mat Sabu
- BN MPs get extra funds as snap polls loom
- Secret files show British, US ties to Kadhafi regime: report
- WikiLeaks' media partners blast release of US cables
- WikiLeaks report incorrect: Sabah Speaker
- Najib is ‘politically finished’
- DAP won’t give up Jelapang state seat
- Bukit Kepong ‘battle’: NGOs back Mat Sabu
- Refusal to swear in court raises questions
- Utusan wants PAS snubbed over purported communism support
- DAP leader lodges report against TV station
- PAS veep questions Rosmah’s Raya TV slot
- Merdeka Center says Najib approval rating still at ‘comfortable’ level
- Pakatan defends Mat Sabu, claims Umno rewriting history
- The sad saga of Chin refugees in Malaysia
- PSM wants Jelapang state seat
- PAS leaders play down new Kedah MB talk
- PSM members to be questioned again
- Refugee relief at Malaysian ruling
- Malaysia focuses on a hi-tech economic future
- Mat Sabu hits back, claims Umno near collapse
- PR for nuclear power window dressing, says Pakatan
- Opinion polls — Lim Sue Goan
- Rosmah at Altantuya murder 'implausible'
- ‘Strong potential for DAP in Dayak areas’
- Karpal: Mat Sabu must retract remarks
- WikiLeaks says passkeys to unredacted cables leaked
- Dr Wan Azizah: Nation still politically, economically oppressed
- Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies
- Australian High Court rules against refugee swap deal with M'sia
- Smuggled ivory tusks worth 1.6 million dollars found in Hong Kong
- Cable: Hisham blamed MCA for not containing Umno fallout
- Stop papering over cracks
- Six shortlisted for RM1.5bil school Internet contract
- Three firms shortlisted for nuclear power PR campaign
| Guan Eng denies approving Berjaya’s Penang Hill plans Posted: 03 Sep 2011 08:00 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today denied approving purported Berjaya Corporation Bhd development projects for Penang Hill, pointing out that the company has not even sent him any such proposal. He also accused the state opposition of concocting the claims, adding that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has yet to investigate a RM40 million land dispute linked to businessman Tang Hak Ju. "Penang PR (Pakatan Rakyat) state government will not be distracted by such baseless accusations and lies, but will instead press for BN (Barisan Nasional) to come clean on BN's RM300 million scandals on land scams, Pulau Jerejak and loss of MPSP (Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai) funds," said Lim in a statement today. "Instead of expressing remorse over such loss of public funds, BN has continued to brazenly lie about the Penang state government secretly approving Berjaya's development plans for Penang Hill," added the DAP secretary-general. The state-run funicular train that services Penang Hill was given a RM73 million upgrade earlier this year. The train service was halted on February 25 last year so that the old cable-run carriages, which had been in use since 1923, could be replaced with a new electric-powered system. Lim also accused Penang Gerakan chief Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan of lying repeatedly about the development of the iconic Penang Hill. "The first lie is when Teng publicly called for a people's uprising on August 26, 2011 against the Penang PR state government's revival of Berjaya's original plans to develop Penang Hill," he said. "When challenged to show proof that such approval had been given to Berjaya, Teng made a 180-degree U-turn by lying on August 29, 2011 that he never made this claim. There is now a third, newest lie by Teng that I had held secret meetings with Berjaya on reviving their original plans for the development of Penang Hill," he added. The Bagan MP stressed that Berjaya — one of the largest companies in Malaysia — has never bid for development projects for the Craig Hotel, the hawker complex and the canopy walk. "All projects on Penang Hill are carried out individually under open tender," said Lim. "The PR state government will not bow to threats from BN Penang to sue the state government for exposing their scandals, but will go for a public pamphleteering campaign to ask BN to come clean and return as much money as possible of the money lost to the people of Penang," he added. Lim said the pamphlets would reveal RM40 million dispute linked with Tang, the RM30 million Pulau Jerejak scandal, and MPSP's losses of RM230 million.
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| Posted: 03 Sep 2011 04:58 PM PDT
(New York Times) -- Documents found at the abandoned office of Libya's former spymaster appear to provide new details of close relations between US and British intelligence and the Libyan intelligence agency. Most notably, the documents suggest the Americans sent terrorism suspects at least eight times for questioning in Libya, despite that country's reputation for torture.
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| DAP, PSM head for standoff over Jelapang Posted: 03 Sep 2011 04:45 PM PDT DAP secretary-general S Arutchelvan refutes Perak DAP's 'PSM spoiler' claim and insist on contesting in the Perak state seat. (Free Malaysia Today) - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) and DAP look set to head for a clash over the Jelapang state seat in Perak with both parties not willing to compomise on their interest in the seat for the next general election. PSM first expressed its interest to contest in the state seat on Friday but that was immediately rejected by DAP yesterday. Today, PSM secretary general S Arutchelvan expressed his disappointment with Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham over his strong stand in not willing to give the Jelapang seat to PSM. He was also upset by Ngeh labelling the PSM as being spoilers for wanting to contest in the seat. "PSM can only be spoilers if we put candidates in all Pakatan Rakyat areas, but we are only asking for one (state) seat in Perak where DAP (candidate) ran away. "How can we be spoilers?" Arutchelvan asked. In 2008, DAP rep Hee Yit Foong won the seat in a three-cornered fight which saw PSM's M Sarasvathy losing her deposit. Hee subsequently quit the party to become a BN-friendly independent, leading to the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat state government in 2009. PSM is now saying that Sarasvathy stands a strong chance to trounce any Barisan Nasional candidate following the work she has done on the ground since 2008. Ngeh however had rebuffed this by stating that although Hee had defected, the voters in Jelapang – almost 90% are Chinese- were still with the DAP. "The people of Jelapang did not reject DAP, they only rejected the candidate," he told FMT yesterday. "How can PSM ask for a DAP winning seat? I hope PSM would not become spoilers (in the coming general election)," said Ngeh, who is also Bruas MP and Sitiawan state assemblyman.
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| PAS sliding down the popularity scale Posted: 03 Sep 2011 04:27 PM PDT The Islamic party is taking another hard knock over the controversial Mat Sabu's remark on the Bukit Kepong massacre. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS, which is riding high in Pakatan Rakyat, is fast losing its popularity among the Malays, with the eruption of another controversy caused by its deputy president Mohamad Sabu. Many Malays who supported the party but are not registered members are shying away from the party as it struggles to keep its position as the only party that champions the Malay and Islamic cause. Many PAS members on the ground are in a confused state as their cherished struggle is questioned by kampung folk who want to know whether the party recognises the communist insurgents whose ideology was against Islam. An Islamic party based on Islamic fundamentalism, the party is now being viewed by many of its Malay members as a "mere tool" being used to benefit its partners in the Pakatan alliance, which are the Chinese-based DAP and Malay-based PKR. Mohamad Sabu, or popularly known as Mat Sabu, stirred a hornet's nest when he allegedly said the communist terrorists led by a Malay, Mat Indera, were the heroes in the attack on a police station in Bukit Kepong, Johor, during the Emergency in 1950. All the policemen and their family members including children were massacred. This is not the first time Mat Sabu has put the party in an awkward position among the Malays who support its struggle for an Islamic state. His remarks (which he said were distorted by Utusan Malaysia) on the Bukit Kepong massacre is considered the worse statement to emerge from the party. 'Mat Sabu a rabble rouser' 'However, we do not agree nor endorse many of his statements made in his current capacity given his level of intelligence is lower than that of the former deputy president Nasharuddin Mat Isa," said a PAS member who wanted to remain anonymous when met during a Hari Raya gathering. Several PAS members joined the numerous calls made for Mat Sabu to apologise as the Bukit Kepong killings is a sensitive issue that is close to the hearts of the Malays. They said Mat Sabu should have steered clear from the incident which was recorded in history as one of the many atrocious acts of the communist insurgents in the country. They agreed that Mat Sabu's statement has somewhat damaged the party, especially when it is at the forefront in championing the Islamic cause. Support for PAS is eroding among many Malays who have yet to make up their minds on which party to vote for in the coming general election. "Many Malays who supported us in the 2008 general election have yet to fully throw their support to us as their votes in that election were just 'throw-away votes' because they were dissatisfied with the then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi," said a PAS member.
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| 'How will UMNO (re)-write history on Anwar Ibrahim?' Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:58 AM PDT
(Harakah Daily) - Sep 3: The question has been posed by PAS information chief Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, to drive home the point that history as written by human beings should not be taken as gospel truth, but must be accompanied with research, especially when history is written by victors. Tuan Ibrahim (right) was giving his take on the media frenzy which followed PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's remarks on the 1950 Bukit Kepong incident, in which a colonial-era police stations was attacked by anti-British guerilla fighter, Mat Indera.UMNO-controlled media had immediately launched an intense propaganda war, branding Mat Sabu a communist sympathiser. However, Mat Sabu clarified that he had never mentioned even the word communists, as it was UMNO's version of history which had lumped Mat Indera as communists to please British masters of that time. Tuan Ibrahim concurred with the adage that historical texts had always been biased to the victors. Such a situation is made worse by the fact that challenging such long-established distortions confounded had been risky. "However, there were those who dared to write. Still, their texts would be obliterated by the victors in the hope that future generation would idolise them and be reminded of their good deeds, all to serve their own interests," explained Tuan Ibrahim. Anwar in future Taking a cue from the latest controversy, Tuan Ibrahim further asked whether the nation's contemporary history would also suffer a similar fate. Citing the example of Anwar Ibrahim and the political issues centred around him, Tuan Ibrahim has little confidence that it would not be distorted, because "there is the interest of the ruling party to indoctrinate the mind of the next generation". "If the history of Anwar Ibrahim's leadership is to be discussed in the future, in which version will it be recorded?" asked the Pahang PAS commissioner. He said even at present, Anwar's past position as UMNO's second most powerful leader as well as the deputy prime minister had been eclipsed by government propaganda painting him as traitor, among other labels. "Where are the records about his contribution to the country's development, or his contribution in UMNO? Will the history of the BN government retain these, or will these be erased? "Or will the portrait of this former deputy to Dr Mahathir Mohamad simply disappear from UMNO's chart of past leadership?" asked Tuan Ibrahim. Similarly, he said there had already been attempts to remove the historical fact that PAS president Tuan Guru Abdul Hadi Awang had once served as Menteri Besar in Terengganu. "Such is the reality in this game of writing history," he added. Maturity According to Tuan Ibrahim, such a distorted rendition of history led to freedom fighters such as Mat Kilau, Tok Gajah, Datok Bahaman, Abdul Rahman Limbong, Tok Janggut, Datok Maharajalela, Si Puntong and Dol Said, among many other names, to be simply ommitted in history books.
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| Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:46 AM PDT (NST) - KUALA LUMPUR: Pas' support of the communists and the move to portray them in a positive manner is meant to endear the party to the DAP, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. The move would gain the trust of DAP and enable Pas to enhance its electoral gains in the next general election, he said. In his latest blog posting on chedet.cc, he said Pas, in taking this approach, had even dropped its objective of an Islamic nation and implementation of the hudud. "By cleaning up the image of the communists, Pas hopes to gain the trust of DAP and help Pas win when facing Umno in the 13th general election." Dr Mahathir believed this move by Pas was unhealthy for the loose opposition coalition of Pakatan Rakyat as the people's support, especially from the security forces and their families, would be eroded. Dr Mahathir said Pas leaders' stand on this would not affect the support for the party from their die-hard followers. "Pas nowadays is willing to turn its back against Islam because it is power-crazy." |
| Umno attacking Mat Sabu to protect own version of history, say analysts Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:42 AM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Umno's relentless media attacks against PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu shows the Malay party's desire to defend its version of history, analysts have said. The nation is engulfed by history debates following the alleged remarks by the Kubang Kerian MP at a political gathering last month about the attack on Bukit Kepong in 1950 during British occupied Malaya. Political analysts told The Malaysian Insider that Umno wanted to maintain its interpretation of history — which has been "propagated in schools and by the official media" — that it was the main force behind the nation's fight for independence. "Of course, the Umno at that time is totally different from the Umno of today, and independence came about through the efforts of various forces, including the Malayan Communist Party," said Lim Teck Ghee, the director of policy reform organisation Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI). "However, the hope is that the Umno propagandist and self-serving version would be the unchallenged and pre-eminent interpretation of that period of our history," he added. Umno Youth said yesterday it would amass all former soldiers, policemen and kinsmen of the Bukit Kepong tragedy victims in a nationwide roadshow — called the Pentas Patriot or Patriot Stage — to counter Mohamad's view of the fire-fight. Mohamad, widely known as Mat Sabu, stirred controversy when he told a Bukit Gelugor ceramah that freedom fighters attacked the police station — which killed 25 — during the pre-independence communist insurgency. The maverick politician has since been accused of being a communist sympathiser by Umno leaders and sniped at daily in Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia, despite denying that he had used the word "communism" in his speech. Umno appears determined to use Mohamad's statement to woo support from the Malay electorate, among whom communism remains a bogeyman, ahead of anticipated snap polls. Mohamad, however, has pointed out that Muhammad Indera — one of the individuals he praised in his ceramah on August 21, was already recognised as a freedom fighter by Umno-controlled daily Berita Harian on August 13, 2010.
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| Umno Youth launches roadshow to attack Mat Sabu Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:22 AM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Umno Youth will lead the offence against PAS by amassing all former soldiers, policemen and kinsmen of the Bukit Kepong tragedy victims in a nationwide roadshow to counter the Islamist party's No. 2 Mohamad Sabu's view of the fire-fight. In a statement today, Umno Youth said the roadshow, called Pentas Patriot or Patriot Stage, will include video and multimedia screenings, a series of ceramahs by speakers from its Speech Unit and special guests like "former commandos, soldiers, policemen and local historians". "It is hoped that Pentas Patriot will not only recall the history of past struggles but reignite the spirit of patriotism among people, especially the youths. "Pentas Patriot will also chronicle to our Malaysian youths events that highlights our struggle for independence while exposing how Mohamad Sabu's theory is no more than just a lie by those who refuse to accept the that our country's freedom and independence was achieved through wisdom and intelligence and without bloodshed," said a statement today from Umno Youth's office here. The roadshow, said to be held "soon", comes after the PAS deputy president triggered a controversy when he told a recent ceramah that the attack on the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950, which killed 25, was by freedom fighters. The maverick politician has since been accused of being a communist sympathiser by Umno leaders and sniped at daily in Umno-owned newspaper Utusan Malaysia despite denying that he had used the word "communism" during his speech. But Umno appears determined to use Mohamad's statement to woo support from the Malay electorate, among whom communism remains a bogeyman, and has now armed itself for war.
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| BN MPs get extra funds as snap polls loom Posted: 03 Sep 2011 11:20 AM PDT
By G Manimaran and Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 — Barisan Nasional (BN) lawmakers will get special cash allocations from Putrajaya to upgrade infrastructure and engage constituents through programmes and welfare aid ahead of anticipated snap polls within a year. The Chinese-language newspaper, Sin Chew Daily, reported that the funds can run as high as RM2.5 million for certain constituencies, but no special allocations would be made for "black" areas, where BN lost both state and federal seats in the historic Election 2008 that saw the ruling coalition ceding the two-thirds parliamentary majority that allows them to approve laws on their own. Several BN MPs contacted by The Malaysian Insider last night confirmed they will receive between RM500,000 to RM2.5 million in what is seen as Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's desire to regain a powerful parliamentary majority. A BN lawmaker said some of the allocations have already been doled out before last week's Hari Raya holidays, with the rest in stages before 2011 lapses. The Malaysian Insider understands that MPs who were allocated RM2 million have received RM400,000 before the Hari Raya break. Those who were allocated RM1 million have already received RM250,000. "Areas that BN lost in the last general election were allocated RM500,000. BN held a special briefing mid-last month about the allocation of funds," said another representative. "However, if there are more than 60,000 voters in a BN constituency, for example, the representative would be paid more than RM2 million. This was what was promised, or maybe RM2.5 million," added the lawmaker. When contacted, Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin, however, denied that there were such allocations. Sin Chew Daily reported last night that BN has classified constituencies as "black", "grey" and "white" areas. "Grey" areas — where BN and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) both hold seats or where BN won marginally — will receive between RM1 million and RM2 million. Allocations will be distributed accordingly to MPs in "white" areas where BN holds federal and state seats. The Malaysian Insider reported last July that BN lawmakers have told coalition leaders that the government must ensure more funds trickle down to their constituencies — instead of concentrating on big-ticket projects like the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) — if the ruling coalition wanted to receive a strong mandate in the next general election. While the BN representatives said they understood the purpose of the multi-billion ringgit MRT, some of them felt that development projects within "rural" constituencies should be prioritised. It was understood that some BN leaders had requested an extra RM1 million in allocation of funds, on top of the usual annual allocation of an estimated RM1 million. Sin Chew Daily also reported that BN representatives in Selangor received federal funds in August.
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| Secret files show British, US ties to Kadhafi regime: report Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:57 PM PDT (AFP) - British and US intelligence cooperated closely with Libya, with prisoners being offered to Moamer Kadhafi's regime under the rendition programme, a report said Saturday citing files found in Tripoli. British daily The Independent said the secret documents discovered in the office of former Libyan foreign minister Mussa Kussa also show that Britain passed details of exiled opponents to Kadhafi's spies. The cache further shows that it was the office of former British prime minister Tony Blair that requested that a 2004 meeting with Kadhafi in Tripoli should take place in a Bedouin tent, the daily said. There was no immediate reaction from British or US authorities to the report. The paper said the documents would raise questions about the ties that Britain, in particular, and the United States forged with Kussa and the regime as the western powers tried to bring Libya out of isolation. Kussa flew to Britain in March and defected, but despite being accused of rights violations was allowed to fly to Qatar the following month. The Independent said the papers include leters and faxes to Kussa headed "Greetings from MI6" (Britain's foreign intelligence service) and a personal Christmas greeting signed by a senior British spy with the epithet "Your friend". It also cites a US administration document, marked secret, saying that it was "in a position" to deliver a man named as Shaykh Musa, a member of the Al-Qaeda-linked Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, "to your physical custody." "We respectfully request an expression of interest from your service regarding taking custody of Musa," it quotes the document as saying. Secret CIA rendition flights transported dozens of terror suspects around the world following the 9/11 attacks, often for interrogation in third countries. Meanwhile British intelligence in a letter dated April 16, 2004 informs a Libyan security agency that a Libyan opposition actvist had been freed from British detention, the Independent said. A further document purportedly from MI6 seeks information about a suspect travelling on a Libyan passport, adding that it is a "sensitive operation". The cache also shows that a statement given by Kadhafi announcing that his regime was giving up weapons of mass destruction in a bid to shed its pariah status was put together with the help of British officials. A letter addressed to a Libyan official from British intelligence attached a "tidied up version of the language we agreed...", it said. Meanwhile the Independent said a sizeable amount of the correspondence was devoted to preparations for Blair's landmark Tripoli visit, and showed that Kussa played a role as conduit with the premier's 10 Downing Street office. In one, it sad an MI6 officer wrote to Kussa saying: "No.10 are keen that the Prime Minister meet the leader in his tent. I don't know why the English are fascinated by tents. The plain fact is the journalists would love it." Blair was duly pictured shaking hands with Kadhafi in a Bedouin tent.
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| WikiLeaks' media partners blast release of US cables Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:51 PM PDT (AFP) - WikiLeaks' media partners on Friday blasted the anti-secrecy website's decision to publish unredacted its full cache of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, saying it was the decision of Julian Assange alone. "We deplore the decision of WikiLeaks to publish the unredacted State Department cables, which may put sources at risk," said a joint statement from the Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel and El Pais. The news organisations said: "Our previous dealings with WikiLeaks were on the clear basis that we would only publish cables which had been subjected to a thorough editing and clearance process." They said they would "continue to defend our collaborative publishing endeavour", but added: "We cannot defend the needless publication of the complete data -- indeed, we are united in condemning it. "Today's decision to publish by Julian Assange was his, and his alone." Assange, the Australian who founded WikiLeaks, is living under stringent bail conditions in Britain while he fights extradition to Sweden where he is wanted for questioning over allegations of rape and sexual assault. WikiLeaks said on Friday it had published its full archive of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables, accessible through an Internet link without a password. It said it took the action after claiming the Guardian had leaked the passwords to the full cache of cables. The British newspaper denies the claim. The Guardian, the New York Times, Der Spiegel of Germany and Spain's El Pais as well as French newspaper Le Monde were WikiLeaks' original media partners and published selected cables, although with names of sources redacted. The Guardian broke off its cooperation with WikiLeaks in December over concerns about the security of sources. The United States and human rights groups have warned that releasing unredacted cables could endanger the lives of the people who had spoken in confidence to US diplomats.
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| WikiLeaks report incorrect: Sabah Speaker Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:50 PM PDT (Bernama) -- Sabah Legislative Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Salleh Tun Said Keruak has dismissed as untrue a WikiLeaks report on his purported comment over the failed bid by the opposition Pakatan Rakyat to take over the federal government on Sept 16, 2008. "I never confirmed or endorsed the purported defection of MPs to the opposition or Pakatan Rakyat. At that time, as far as I can recall, the opposition tried hard to win over MPs from Sabah but they failed to woo them. "What had happened was more of a "psy war" adopted by the opposition to destabilise the Barisan Nasional (BN) government," Salleh, a former Sabah chief minister, told Bernama after attending the Kota Belud Wanita Umno Aidilfitri open house in Kampung Siasai, here. Online portal Malaysiakini was quoted as reporting yesterday that a leaked US embassy cable had lent credence to Pakatan Rakyat leader Anwar Ibrahim's claim that a group of Sabah and Sarawak politicians had planned to defect from the BN on Sept 16, 2008, over alleged marginalisation of the two states. An entry in the cable, posted by WikiLeaks, quoted Salleh as telling US embassy officials that potentially more than half of the 25 Sabah MPs were ready to abandon the BN. The cable claimed further that embassy officials found "no expressions of support" for then Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's leadership among the senior Sabah politicians they met in a series of meetings in the state from June 18 to 20 that year.
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| Najib is ‘politically finished’ Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:43 PM PDT According to a seasoned Umno politician, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin isn't as 'stupid as he looks' and that the '3M' threat is 'something the Najib camp is manufacturing'. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today Many of us have fond memories of former Kedah menteri besar, Sanusi Junid, for 1,001 reasons. He can be comical at one time, deadpan serious at another. Sanusi, who joined Umno in 1963, used to regal many of us with his caustic remarks aimed at disarming Umno president Najib Tun Razak or discrediting Najib as it were. He related his many conversations with Najib' father, Tun Razak. One of these conversational bites was when Tun Razak was sighing about how Najib couldn't cut his teeth into politics. Sanusi would let out a half smile when he tells us of the moment when he cheekily asked: "Why Tun?" And Tun Razak replied: "Too much skirt chasing." According to the Oracle of Syed Putra, there is a growing divide between Najib, Umno and the Malays. (Incidentally, the Oracle is the alter ego of Daim Zainudin. You can almost say what the Oracle says is what Daim thinks.) According to him, the low estimation of Najib as prime minister and Umno president is no longer just confined to the man on the street whose opinions may be justifiably dismissed as idle talk. But the same opinions are being said and repeated by Umno luminaries, people of some significance, indicating a very serious perception problem. Umno leaders complaining So what is Najib doing now? Najib is seen as being busy finding ways to channel money to Chinese vernacular schools and that is alienating the Malay voters farther. He's seen as appeasing non-Malays more and more. It seems to me his way of solving problems is by paying his way through. Yet the Umno warlords from which Umno and its president depend for political power are not amused. They are NOT receiving projects for their areas. For example, the Umno leaders in Kedah are complaining. They have been asked to set the agenda to retake Kedah yet they have not been given resources to go into battle. Forget '3M' grouping Speaking of Kedah, I asked the Oracle what's his take on the 3M grouping of Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyidin Yassin and Mukhriz (Mahathir's son)? "I wouldn't give much credence to the 3M thing. For what purpose? For Muhyidin to ascend to the PM post? "He can do that by other means at his disposal. He is enjoying better credibility with his Malay first, Malaysia second attitude with the Malay hoi poloi. "To prop up Mukhriz so that Mahathir will lend his weight to Muhyidin? That is possible. "But how long can Mukhriz survive in politics by hanging on the coat-tails of his father? "It's like you said about Najib being cornered to come out with his last resort defence when attacked on his policies. "All he could muster was – he is Tun Razak's son. How long can you sell that?. "So why should Muhydin be a party to declining forces?" said the Orcle.
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| DAP won’t give up Jelapang state seat Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:32 PM PDT Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham hopes PSM would not play the role of a spoiler in the coming 13th general election. Free Malaysia Today) - Perak DAP chief Ngeh Koo Ham today brushed off calls by Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) that the Jelapang state seat be allocated to PSM, hence paving the way for a possible three-cornered contest. "How can PSM ask for a DAP winning seat? I hope PSM would not become spoilers (in the 13th coming general election) ," said Ngeh, who is also Bruas MP and Sitiawan state assemblyman. Yesterday, PSM central committee member Dr D Michael Jeyakumar said the Jelapang state seat in Perak should be allocated to PSM in the upcoming national polls. "We should get the seat. DAP got the seat and lost the (state)government," he said. PSM argued that it should get the seat since Jelapang state assemblywoman Hee Yit Foong quit the DAP in 2009 that led to the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat government in Perak. Hee is now an independent aligned with the Barisan Nasional. Ngeh also casts doubts over PSM's loyalty towards Pakatan. "PSM declared it is Pakatan-friendly but it is not bound by the decisions made by Pakatan," Ngeh said.
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| Bukit Kepong ‘battle’: NGOs back Mat Sabu Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:13 PM PDT Deputy IGP criticised for practising double standard in carrying out police investigation of the PAS deputy president. (Free Malaysia Today) - Several NGOs today criticised Deputy Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar for practising "double standard" over the controversy surrounding PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu's remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident. Last week, Mohamad Sabu, also popularly known as Mat Sabu, criticised Utusan Malaysia over its report which suggested that he allegedly praised the communist insurgents who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the Emergency on Feb 23, 1950 as heroes. During a political rally in Tasek Gelugor on Aug 21, Mat Sabu allegedly said that "nearing Merdeka, the Bukit Kepong clip will be aired". "In Bukit Kepong, the police were British policemen. Those who attacked Bukit Kepong were the true freedom fighters. Their leader was Mat Indera (Muhammad Indera)." Later, Khalid confirmed that police will investigate Mat Sabu after receiving 49 police reports nationwide regarding his alleged statement, and might charge him under the Internal Security Act (ISA). Angkatan Warga Aman Malaysia (WargaAMAN), representing 20 major Indian NGOs, came to the defence of Mat Sabu saying that people will lost their trust in the police for clearly discriminating against the Pakatan Rakyat leader. "We are not against the police decision, but why didn't the police take similar action against Utusan Malaysia, Perkasa chief Ibrahim Ali and Senator Mohd Ezam Mohd Nor for their racial statements?" WargaAMAN secretary-general S Barathidasan asked. He said that WargaAMAN itself had lodged numerous reports against Utusan Malaysia and Ibrahim for stoking racial tension, but till today the police did not carry out a single investigation. He added that the reputation of the police will be damaged if they continued to show favoritism to the Barisan Nasional. Barathidasan also fully supports the views of Mat Sabu as "substantively correct".
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| Refusal to swear in court raises questions Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:08 PM PDT (NST) - Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Mashitah Ibrahim yesterday urged opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's family to step forward and explain the reason behind his refusal to swear under oath in mosque and court. Dr Mashitah said Anwar's wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and daughter Nurul Izzah should provide an explanation on behalf of Anwar. This is because his refusal had received wide public interest. "If he (Anwar) is not guilty, he should swear under oath like what Saiful (Bukhari Azlan) had done, who had sworn under oath that Anwar had sodomised him. "The family should not defend him blindly, but instead should let the public know the reason behind it." |
| Utusan wants PAS snubbed over purported communism support Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:06 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Umno's Utusan Malaysia urged all parties today to reject PAS for purportedly glorifying communist guerrillas, saying it was "enough" that the Islamist party exploits religion to gain political mileage. Continuing its warfare against the opposition party, the Malay daily said in a column by its editors that PAS's top leaders were attempting to seek popularity by standing by deputy president Mohamad Sabu's referrence to Mat Indera as a "hero" and a freedom fighter. Mohamad, more popularly known as Mat Sabu, had reportedly described as heroes those who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the pre-independence communist insurgency in 1950. "The act of endorsing the struggles of the Malayan Communist Party (MCP) by twisting historical facts is irresponsible and should be rejected by all parties who understand clearly the violence and cruelty of the guerrilla forces then," the Malay daily's editors wrote today under the pseudonym Awang Selamat. "As such, Awang would like to advise PAS, it is enough to try and exploit religion for political gains, to a point they even revere MCP for the sake of seeking power," Awang continued. Calling himself "sad", Awang said he could not fathom what was in the minds of PAS leaders when they chose to support Mat Sabu's statements. Utusan Malaysia had carried a report on his ceramah speech last Saturday and accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists. PAS and Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have since backed Mat Sabu, who himself has denied the report and threatened to sue the newspaper. He also pointed out yesterday that Mat Indera, one of the individuals he praised in his ceramah on August 21, had been recognised as a freedom fighter by Umno-controlled Berita Harian on August 13, 2010.
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| DAP leader lodges report against TV station Posted: 02 Sep 2011 03:04 PM PDT (The Star) - State opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau has lodged a police report, denying claims by a local television station that several DAP leaders, including himself, were supporters of a murtad or apostate Facebook group. Dr Boo, who is also the state DAP chairman, said he was shocked that his picture and those of other leaders were used during a two-minute report aired at the station's news slot at 8pm on Aug 27. "It was stated in that report that we were members of this Facebook page, called Murtads in Malaysia and Singapore. I would like to reiterate that I am not part of this group," he said, demanding an apology. Besides lodging a police report, Dr Boo said he had also forwarded a complaint to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission on Thursday. A spokesman from the Commercial Crime Unit confirmed the police report, adding that the case had been referred to MCMC for further action.
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| PAS veep questions Rosmah’s Raya TV slot Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:13 PM PDT
By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider PAS vice-president Datuk Mahfuz Omar has questioned Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor's television slot for her Hari Raya message, pointing out that this was a first for a prime minister's wife. The Pokok Sena MP said Rosmah may have taken this unusual step to boost her husband Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's flagging popularity. "Rosmah is the first person in history to get her own special slot to give a Hari Raya speech besides the prime minister," Mahfuz was quoted as saying by party organ Harakah Daily. "Before this, no prime minister's wife has ever received her own slot to give a Hari Raya speech. Before this, only the prime minister had his own slot," he added. The PAS lawmaker said it was possible that Rosmah herself had demanded for the special television slot. "After all, she has huge powers as the prime minister's wife," he said, referring to allegations that Rosmah was more powerful than Najib. Mahfuz added that if Rosmah had indeed asked for the special slot, she could have done so to satisfy her aspirations, or to improve Najib's approval rating that recently fell to 59 per cent. "Maybe when Najib's and Rosmah's Hari Raya speeches are forced over and over again upon television viewers throughout Hari Raya, Najib's approval rating may jump to 95 per cent," said Mahfuz sarcastically. A survey by independent pollster Merdeka Center released last Monday found that 59 per cent of Malaysians approved of Najib's leadership, down six points in the past three months, and 13 points lower than his high of 72 per cent in May last year. Respondents said they were most troubled by the surge in inflation — which hit a two-year high of 3.5 per cent in June — and the government's heavily criticised handling of the July 9 Bersih rally for free and fair elections.
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| Merdeka Center says Najib approval rating still at ‘comfortable’ level Posted: 02 Sep 2011 12:05 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 3 — Independent pollster Merdeke Center today defended its latest survey on Datuk Seri Najib Razak's approval rating, saying 59 per cent is a "comfortable" figure considering the country's present economic condition. Its director Ibrahim Suffian said it would be "unreasonable" to expect a higher rating amid the surging inflation rate and incessant influx of socio-economic issues currently plaguing Malaysians. "In general, the survey results showing satisfaction towards the PM at 59 per cent is a position that is still considered positive and comfortable."This is because voter sentiment changes the most when a big incident occurs, one that earns wide media coverage," he said in an email statement here, likely referring to the tumultuous July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Merdeka Center's latest survey saw the prime minister's approval rating slide to its lowest point since last May's high of 79 per cent, fuelled by rising concerns over the surge in living costs and his government's handling of the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers basked in the aftermath of the results, claiming it indicated a clear voter swing towards the federal opposition, while Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders chose to stay indignant, saying the poll may not have been an accurate reflection of voter sentiment. Ibrahim disputed criticisms of Merdeka Center's sampling methods and survey accuracy, pointing out that the same system had been employed last year when Najib's rating hit a high of 72 per cent in May. "We understand the political need in the statements made. But the survey results do not mirror anything else apart from the people's sentiment towards the subject matter while the survey is being carried out. "What should be taken away from this is what measures should be taken to ensure the situation changes ... such as, improving the quality of public service," he said. The survey, released last week, involved respondents aged 21 and above across the peninsula who were selected through a random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and state of residency. Of the 1,027 polled, 59 per cent were Malays, 32 per cent Chinese and nine per cent Indians.
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| Pakatan defends Mat Sabu, claims Umno rewriting history Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:46 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Pakatan Rakyat (PR) has accused Umno of erasing the contributions of others to Malaysia's independence movement in its efforts to demonise PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu as a communist sympathiser. The federal opposition said in a statement today that the maverick politician was highlighting "the need to appreciate historical plurality" which "Umno leaders will have no part of" as the senior partner in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) "offers no room for dissenting views." "It is in Umno's interest to maintain their version of history not only because it upholds their leaders and hence their claim to power, but also because it conceals their chicanery and Machiavellian machinations in their bid to suppress adversaries and legitimate dissent over five decades of authoritarian rule. "Mat Sabu was not wrong in attempting to contest existing perceptions of history. What is wrong is the fact that Malaysians have been manipulated for years by the propaganda machinery of the BN government," the coalition's joint secretariat said. Umno has gone on the offensive since its Utusan Malaysia reported last Saturday that Mohamad had described as heroes those who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station during the pre-independence communist insurgency. PR lawmakers also told The Malaysian Insider yesterday that Mohamad's comments had allowed Umno to go on the offensive after spending months trying to contain the fallout from rising inflation and the July 9 Bersih rally for electoral reform. Utusan Malaysia had accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists but Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, has denied the report or mentioning communists and has threatened to sue the newspaper. But Umno leaders such as vice-president Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein and even former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have continued to accuse the PAS man of trying to revise history and glorify communists. PR also criticised today Umno's "systematic and decades-long effort to 'sanitise' Malaysian history so that only the contributions of those from Umno and its cohorts are recognised, while the legitimate contributions of other Malaysian nationalists and freedom fighters are conveniently erased." It cited individuals and organisations such as Dr Burhanuddin al-Helmy, Ahmad Boestamam, Ishak Haji Mohamed, Kesatuan Melayu Muda (KMM) and Parti Kebangsaan Melayu Malaya (PKMM) as others who also contributed to the independence movement.
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| The sad saga of Chin refugees in Malaysia Posted: 01 Sep 2011 08:17 PM PDT
A leaked 2006 US diplomatic cable tells about how the police extorted money from Burmese Chin refugees in exchange for their freedom. (Free Malaysia Today) - A leaked US diplomatic cable from 2006 has revealed the plight of the Burmese Chin refugees stranded in Malaysia and the urgency sought by the US diplomats for Washington to "settle large numbers of these refugees as quickly and smoothly as possible". The KL-based US diplomats also urged their government, in particular the Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM), to grant additional funding to help out the Chin refugees. "Institutional funding is needed to provide basic medical treatment and English language training for both children and working adults. "Given our pending resettlement of thousands of Chin refugees from Malaysia, modest investments in immunizations, medical care and English language training in Malaysia's relatively low cost environment would yield substantial benefits for both the Chin refugees and the United States," said the US embassy cable dated Nov 20, 2006, to the State Department in Washington DC. The cable was leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and handed over to Raja Petra Kamarudin's Malaysia Today website which published it today. The US diplomats also stated that they would work with the relevant US government agencies and the UN's refugee agency – the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) – to resettle the Chin refugees away from Malaysia quickly. The additional funding sought by the US diplomats were also to be used for basic medical and education needs of the Chins and other refugee communities in Malaysia, stated the cable. Camps close to Putrajaya The cable noted the physical characteristics of the camps, which were made out of shelters using wooden poles, plywood for elevated sleeping platforms, and fluttering sheets of plastic for roofing and walls. The cable also pointed out that "a sense of devotion to Christianity pervaded each camp". "Each camp contained a church structure (the largest and most well-maintained structure in each camp) and all of the approximately 100 square foot dwellings viewed by political officer prominently displayed crosses or pictures of Jesus." The refugees at the two camps have not been visited by UNHCR representatives during at least the past two years, said the cable quoting the refugees, and as many as seven camps containing up to 1,000 Chin refugees were erected within five miles of the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya in 2006. The interests of the Chin refugees in Malaysia were taken care by the Alliance of Chin Refugees (ACR) and the Chin Refugee Committee (CRC). The cable stated that CRC claimed to have about 17,400 members in Malaysia. Police extortion The diplomat stated that the police were aware of the presence of the camps.
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| Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:49 PM PDT PSM is asking DAP to hand over the seat where its candidate quit the party after the 2008 polls. (Free Malaysia Today) - Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) central committee member Dr D Michael Jeyakumar said the Jelapang state seat in Perak should be allocated to PSM in the upcoming 13th general election. "We should get the seat. DAP got the seat and lost the (state) government," he told FMT today. The Sungai Siput MP said PSM deputy president M Sarasvathy had been working in the Jelapang constituency even before the 2008 general election. "We only want one state and one parliament seat in Perak," he added. In the 2008 general election, Sarasvathy was defeated in a three-cornered fight which also involved DAP and Barisan Nasional. DAP rep Hee Yit Foong subsequently quit the party leading to the fall of the Pakatan Rakyat state government in 2009. Meanwhile, Jeyakumar confirmed that he would defend his seat regardless of who the MIC would field. There is speculation within MIC that secretary-general S Murugesan would be contesting in Sungai Siput, a seat long held by MIC strongman S Samy Vellu until his defeat in the hands of Jeyakumar in 2008. PSM secretary-general S Arutchelvan also echoed calls for the Jelapang seat to be given to PSM.
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| PAS leaders play down new Kedah MB talk Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:35 PM PDT Embattled MB Azizan attended a few government activities earlier today just as speculation emerges that he will be replaced. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS has played down speculation that the party intends to remove its Kedah Menteri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak due to poor health. Speculation has emerged that Azizan will be replaced soon or an acting MB will be appointed from among the state executive councillors to oversee his duties while he takes time to fully recover from his heart ailment. This is in view that the PAS-led state government needs to be reinforced ahead of the impending general election since there is also a strategic need to match the perceived inroads made by Barisan Nasional in their growing campaign to unseat Pakatan Rakyat in Kedah. PAS vice-president Mahfuz Omar said he was unaware of any moves to remove Azizan but he did acknowledge that there exist concerns among the party leaders about Azizan's frail health after he underwent an angioplasty procedure at Institut Jantung Negara. "We saw Azizan during his open-house for Hari Raya and there was nothing to illustrate that he is of poor health. He was joking and socialising well with those who visited him." Mahfuz claimed that Azizan looked better than when he was warded earlier last month. Vice-president Sallehuddin Ayub said he was not aware of any discussions or meetings among the party leaders about the move to remove Azizan. "News reports about such matters are just cheap shots levelled against PAS. I have no idea about whether Azizan needs to be removed due to his poor health. He is executing his duties now." However, Sallehudin said it remains to be seen in the future if there is a need for changes in Kedah PAS. "PAS is a matured political party. We have been around for the last 60 years and we know how to conduct ourselves." Even if there is an internal dispute over how Kedah is managed, PAS would know how to resolve the issue within our confines, he claimed. Despite what the two PAS leaders may be openly uttering about the issue, speculation continues to persist over Azizan's political future, namely from within Kedah PAS.
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| PSM members to be questioned again Posted: 01 Sep 2011 04:33 PM PDT Nine PSM members have been summoned to Arau for further investigations on Sept 5. (Free Malaysia Today) - Nine members of Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) have been summoned by the police for yet another round of questioning. This time they've been summoned under the Sedition Act 1948. A summons notice was issued under Section 111 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CDC) on Aug 11 for the nine to be present at the Arau district police headquarters in Perlis on Sept 5. Four of the nine summoned were among the 24 who were arrested on June 25 for their involvement in PSM's "Udahlah tu…Bersaralah!" campaign. They were released after a week-long remand period. The remaining five are Sungai Siput MP Dr Michael Jeyakumar, PSM's national youth chief R Saratbabu, Sungai Siput division secretary A Letchumanan and central committee members Choo Chon Kai and M Sukumaran. The five together with deputy chairman M Saraswathy were held for three weeks under the Emergency Ordinance (EO) 1969. They came to be known as the EO6. But the summons to turn up at the Arau police on Sept 5 did not include Saraswathy. She was not among among those who were picked up in Arau on June 25. Archaic law "We have given so many statements already and summoning us for yet another investigation is harrassment in our view," he said. "The Sedition Act is a colonial, archaic law that the police are using to drag us to Arau." Jeyakumar believed this latest move by the police stemmed from their refusal to admit that they had made a mistake in arresting and detaining the PSM members. "This is unprofessional and a disappointment.. " When the police enter the political arena it lowers their credibility and weakens their capacity to safeguard the nation." "We will go to Arau because if we don't they could issue arrests warrants against us but I hope they come to their senses soon. "We are prepared to co-operate but not to be bullied," he said. When asked if there was a possibility of a re-arrest following next Monday's investigations, Jeyakumar said it was possible but he hoped that the police wouldn't be "so stupid" as to do so. Illegal summon One of the pamphlets called for political reform while another was an introduction to PSM. Lawyer, N Surendran, who is representing the nine in this case said that the very act of summoning them under Section 111 is illegal as no crime has been committed. He pointed out that if a notice is issued without a crime taking place first, then the crime is committed by the police themselves and tantamount to abuse of power. "All they have done is distribute pamphlets which is not a crime under our laws," he said. "Also no police report has been provided as to why the nine are being investigated again and we don't even know who the complainant is." "This is a deliberate political persecution for an ulterior motive. The government is behaving like the dictatorship in North Korea, there is very little difference between the two now."
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| Refugee relief at Malaysian ruling Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:36 PM PDT By Nathan Partenza, The Border Mail A BORDER refugee advocate has described the High Court's scuttling of the Malaysian refugee swap deal as "excellent", saying the risk of persecution in the country was "high". Murray Valley Sanctuary Refugee Group president Penny Egan-Vine said yesterday's ruling, which means 800 asylum seekers will not be sent to Malaysia, was a relief. |
| Malaysia focuses on a hi-tech economic future Posted: 01 Sep 2011 01:33 PM PDT
By Jennifer Pak, BBC News Malaysia's central bank is forecasting economic growth of between 5% and 6% this year, which in the current global climate is better than other economies in South East Asia. But the government wants the economy to pick up speed or risk missing its target of becoming a developed nation by 2020. Malaysia's economic performance has been "relatively sluggish" over the last decade, a government report stated. It blames this poor performance on low labour productivity. The problem was identified more than a decade ago when the country began to face stiff competition in exports from low wage countries like China. At that time, Malaysian leaders said they had to move towards a knowledge-based economy. This led to the construction of a hi-tech city near Kuala Lumpur called Cyberjaya. Billed as the "Silicon Valley of the East", this was the first city to be fully connected with high-speed internet using fibre-optic cables. Officials also hoped that tax incentives and an English-speaking workforce would lure foreign companies to help turn Malaysia from a low-cost to a hi-tech producer. 'Cheap land'US computer maker Dell was one of the companies that took up the offer. Dell's Pang Yee Beng said the company was attracted by Cyberjaya's IT infrastructure Pang Yee Beng, managing director of Dell Cyberjaya, says it makes sense to be based there. "Ultimately we are looking for a place where we can get consistent service in terms of IT infrastructure," he says. "We needed a place where politically or security-wise it was stable, and then when you set up a complex facility like this you really need government support to make it happen." Today, Dell's operations in Cyberjaya include a customer call centre and a technical support team for its global operations. The four-storey complex sits in the same cluster as other multinational companies like IBM, Hewlett-Packard and AMD. But critics say Cyberjaya hasn't become the success that Malaysian leaders had in mind. An advisor to the Cyberjaya project, TJ Singh, says the government originally wanted to attract innovative global giants who could in turn mentor Malaysian companies, especially in the area of software. "What they wanted were local companies that were world class," says Mr Singh. But that didn't happen. Mr Singh says more and more multinational companies took advantage of Cyberjaya's cheap land and set up back offices for their global operations. It has succeeded in creating a big service industry, says Mr Singh, but not exactly the type of innovation that government leaders wanted to take place in Cyberjaya. Large-scale emigrationAnalysts say many companies end up doing their research and development overseas, partly because they cannot find the right talent. The government wants to see less Malaysians leave the country in search of higher paid jobs In 2010, a World Bank report estimated that about one million Malaysians were living abroad. A third of them are well educated and mainly ethnic Chinese and Indians. Economists with the World Bank say ethnic minorities feel discriminated against by the government's preferential policies for the Malays. Malaysia practices affirmative action for the Malay-majority, granting them priority in university scholarships and government jobs. These are efforts to redistribute wealth to the Malays, who are historically poorer than other ethnic groups. But in a bid to help Malays catch up, Malaysian politicians have also flip flopped on the language of instruction for sciences and maths, switching from Malay to English and then back again. Opposition lawmakers say the education system has been politicised and makes it hard for its graduates to compete globally. But there are also other reasons that Malaysian students want to leave. "When I graduate I want to work overseas because I can earn much more with the exchange rate," says Lew Pei Yen at the Multimedia University. The campus is built in Cyberjaya and designed to train and feed its graduates directly into the companies based in the hi-tech city. But most students I spoke to are eager to gain international experience. Talent agencyIt's certainly a challenge that the Rashid Mat says it is not easy to overcome. He is with Cyberview, the government company overseeing Cyberjaya's development. Cyberjaya is a new city, with numerous shops among the office buildings But he maintains that Cyberjaya is a success. "Research and development is not the core activity done here at the moment but we have not reached our full potential yet," says Mr Rashid. He adds that Malaysia still has a lot to offer multinational investors. "Our advantage is that our multilingual skills, and the talent we have here, is more globally accepted because of our multicultural mix," he says. Prime Minister Najib Razak has ambitious plans to more than double the gross national income per capita to $15,000 (£9,300) over the next decade by creating 3.3 million higher-paying jobs. As part of that, the government has continued to invest in more building projects in Cyberjaya. It hopes to build more cybercities across the country to attract the type of companies that will stem the exodus of workers. At the same time the government has set up a talent agency to recruit Malaysians back. But some analysts say fundamental changes are needed, like abolishing race-based policies and practising meritocracy in the economy. Otherwise, they warn that there may not be enough talent left to help Malaysia realise its goal of becoming a developed nation by 2020. |
| Mat Sabu hits back, claims Umno near collapse Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:19 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider PAS is close to declaring itself victors in its contest with Umno for the Malay rural vote during Hari Raya, with its deputy president Mohamad Sabu confidently saying that "Umno is going to collapse very soon". The vocal leader, who has been battling criticisms for his Bukit Kepong tragedy remarks, insisted to The Malaysian Insider yesterday that the party's Hari Raya campaign blitz had been successful in garnering more Malay support for the federal opposition. "Our ceramahs in the suraus and the mosques have been great. Very good response from the people," he said. Both Pakatan Rakyat (PR) and Barisan Nasional (BN) embarked on separate pre-polls Hari Raya campaigns during the month of Ramadan, with each trumpeting their respective agendas and messages to the Malay electorate, particularly in the Malay heartlands outside the capital. But PAS came under fire on Saturday when Utusan Malaysia quoted Mohamad as saying that the communists who attacked the Bukit Kepong police station in 1950 during the pre-Independence insurgency were heroes. The Umno-owned newspaper accused him of disparaging the country's armed forces and expressing support for communists but Mohamad, popularly known as Mat Sabu, has since denied the report and accused the Malay-language daily of fabricating the quote. The incident resulted in BN lawmakers going on the offensive after months of scrambling to control the fallout from rising inflation and the July 9 Bersih rally, hoping that Mohamad's remarks would help Umno plant seeds of doubt among the Malay electorate, for whom communism remains a bogeyman especially in the rural heartland. Despite this, Mohamad has remained confident, choosing instead to scoff at Umno's attacks against him and saying it was clear that the Malay party was feeling pressured and "desperate". "You see, I am just a very, very small person. Not a big person... but yet, they attack me... five days and five nights. They are clearly desperate," he said. He said during PAS's Hari Raya campaign, party leaders have been explaining to voters Bersih 2.0's key demands for electoral reforms, the controversies surrounding postal ballots and discrepancies found in the present electoral roll. "Other issues include corruption, the RM24 million diamond ring scandal by the prime minister's wife... they have not properly explained that yet," he said.
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| PR for nuclear power window dressing, says Pakatan Posted: 01 Sep 2011 12:16 PM PDT
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider The opposition has derided Putrajaya's plan to hire a public relations firm to boost popular support for nuclear power as more spin from an administration that they claimed was becoming known for more talk than action. PKR communications director Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the revelation that the government will pick one of three shortlisted public relations agencies to help get greater buy-in for its planned nuclear power plants showed that the Najib administration was still more concerned with form over function. "That speaks volumes about what the Najib administration is about. It's about PR," he told The Malaysian Insider. The Seri Setia assemblyman pointed out that despite the barrage of feel-good news arising from the prime minister's transformation programmes, few of the latter's much-touted economic reforms have been translated into policy. He said this was testament to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's failed leadership as "any Tom, Dick and Harry" could hire public relations firms to put across an appearance of change while real transformation had to be driven by political will. "You look at substance, reforms, nothing much. There's a lot of talk... It's easy to say the right things but it's tricky to do the right thing," Nik Nazmi said. DAP international secretary Liew Chin Tong similarly said politicians must take responsibility to communicate their ideas to the public directly as there was "no point" in hiring agencies without doing that first. "Political leaders must take charge to communicate political vision... instead of trying to hard-sell something that is not palatable," he said. Malaysia must also recognise it is not feasible to constantly increase power supply to meet the ever-growing demand for electricity and must adopt the global practice of demand management to cut down on usage, Liew added. "You have to deal with demand... so that we can have a sustainable supply," the Bukit Bendera MP said. "If the government is looking at demand management and also alternative sources of electricity, there may not be a need for a nuclear plant," PAS vice president Salahuddin Ayub said the government should be aware of the public's unhappiness over the proposed nuclear power plant, which he also felt was unsuitable for the time being given Malaysia's high potential for alternative energy. "There are other energy alternatives to petrol and coal so, for the time being, it is not very important for us to initiate this kind of industry," he said. He added that Pakatan Rakyat (PR) intends to highlight the nuclear power plant issue — which has attracted strong criticism from opposition parties and the public — at the next Parliament sitting in October. The Holmes Report, a New York-based publication that serves the public relations community, reported this week that the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC), a government body formed in January to spearhead the deployment of nuclear energy, has shortlisted three firms for the sensitive project. The invitation for an international public relations effort to boost support for nuclear energy could spark controversy after the recent row over reports that Putrajaya paid RM58 million to FBC Media to burnish its international image on various international broadcast channels. It is understood Putrajaya has now ended its contract with FBC Media after an exposé revealed Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programmes on CNBC.
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| Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:42 PM PDT
Ibrahim Suffian, Merdeka Center (The Malaysian Insider) - Opinion polls have not been standardised in Malaysia and thus, the interpretation of their results depend on your stand and point of view. The approval rating of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak rose to 72 per cent in May 2010 and Barisan Nasional leaders interpreted it as the people's support to the Government Transformation Plan (GTP) and the New Economic Model (NEM), while the Pakatan Rakyat said that the poll was not credible. However, a recent Merdeka Center poll reported that the prime minister's approval rating has dipped to 59 per cent in August. This time, BN leaders said that it did not reflect the fact while the Pakatan Rakyat said that the people have shifted to support the alternative coalition. Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim also said that an Information Department survey of 50,000 respondents showed that most people accepted Najib's leadership and the BN government. When the prime minister received 72 per cent of approval rating, some scholars predicted that the general election would be held in the end of last year. Would today's situation delay the general election to next year? BN questioned the sampling of the Merdeka Center that interviewed only 1,027 voters. In my opinion, I think the scope of investigation was not comprehensive enough. For example, they should ask about the people's support for the Pakatan Rakyat and its leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to study the inadequacies of the ruling and alternative coalitions over the past three years. The August poll showed that two issues had affected the prime minister's approval rating, namely the Bersih 2.0 rally and the rising cost of living. The improper handling of the July 9 rally has been expected to cause a rebound and now, they could only take remedial actions, particularly to accelerate the reform of the electoral system to dilute the impact. As for the rising cost of living, even though it is a global issue, the government can still implement some measures to alleviate the people's burden. The 2012 Budget is the key and in addition to proposing positive strategies, they must also ensure a strict and successful execution. In fact, BN has been devoted to improving the economy over the past three years. Unfortunately, its stand is not firm enough. For example, the NEM requires a performance-based system to enhance competitiveness. But they have actually got back to the old quota system recently. It is one of the factors affecting the confidence of voters.
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| Rosmah at Altantuya murder 'implausible' Posted: 31 Aug 2011 05:24 PM PDT
(Malaysiakini) - The presence of Rosmah Mansor, wife of premier Najib Razak, at the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder appeared "implausible", according to a United States diplomat in a secret cable sent to Washington three years ago. The diplomatic cable was dispatched by the United States embassy in Kuala Lumpur two weeks after controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin pledged in a statutory declaration that Rosmah was at the scene of the October 2006 murder of the Mongolian woman.
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| ‘Strong potential for DAP in Dayak areas’ Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:10 PM PDT
Fractured Sarawak Barisan Nasional lacks focus to aid poor Dayak community. (Free Malaysia Today) - Sarawak's geopolitical landscape has much to offer DAP if it is prepared to genuinely embrace Dayaks into its fold, said a branch-level party leader. Expressing his view at a recent Dayak Reawakening seminar held here, Leon Jimat Donald said if handled correctly, DAP, which gave the Pakatan Rakyat coalition 12 seats in the April 16 state elections, could win many more constituencies in the polls to come. He said this was considering the fact that there are 28 state and 15 parliamentary seats which are predominantly Dayaks. "If we analyze the current geopolitical landscape of Sarawak, there is a lot of room for the DAP to grow. "But we see the need for DAP to embrace the Dayaks into its fold," said Donald who is Simanggang branch chairman. He was presenting a paper entitled 'DAP as a Dayak political platform' at the seminar which was organised by the Dayak Consultative Council. Said Donald: "There are currently 28 state and 15 parliamentary seats with Dayak majorities. "These include six state Bidayuh seats, 18 Iban,and four Orang Ulu state seats. For parliamentary seats Bidayuh have three, Iban's have 10 and two Orang Ulu seats. "There are 14 state and six parliamentary seats which are Chinese majority, and there are four mixed seats in which no particular race constitutes a majority. "But unfortunately there are no mixed parliamentary seats. In total, there are 47 state and 21 parliamentary seats which the Pakatan Rakyat has every chance of winning," he said. Dayak support for DAP Donald pointed out that the opposition coalition needed to win 36 seats in the state assembly to form the state government. He noted in his paper that in the recent state election, the opposition had made giant strides in the political landscape. DAP had nearly wiped out Sarawak United Peoples Party (SUPP) in the urban areas. They had also won some seats in mixed areas much to their surprise. Together with PKR, the Pakatan coalition now have 15 seats in the Sarawak state assembly.
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| Karpal: Mat Sabu must retract remarks Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:07 PM PDT
To arrest a worsening situation, Mat Sabu must apologise for his remark on Bukit Kepong incident. DAP national chairman Karpal Singh today called on PAS deputy president Mohamad Sabu, who is better known as Mat Sabu, to retract his ill-adviced remarks on the Bukit Kepong incident that happened on Feb 23, 1950. Karpal said if Mat Sabu retracts his remark immediately, then he can arrest the negative political implications on Pakatan Rakyat from getting worse. Speaking at a press conference in Air Itam, Karpal said Mat Sabu's remarks, in which the PAS leader allegedly hailed the communist attackers as 'independent heroes', can be "very damaging" to Pakatan political prospects, especially with the general election around the corner. He said Mat Sabu's alleged remarks were also insensitive to the families of the victims. "Mat Sabu should retract immediately and maybe explain his remarks. "He should do it to assuage the feelings of families of those who perished in the attack. "On whether he wants to apologise or not, I will leave it to his good senses," said Karpal, the Bukit Gelugor MP during his constituency visit. Mat Sabu erred "In Bukit Kepong, the police were British policemen. Those who attacked Bukit Kepong were the true freedom fighters. Their leader was Muhammad Indera." Karpal also noted that the historical attack on the police station happened some seven years before Malaya gained independence from the colonial British administration. In the attack, the station was razed to the ground and 13 policemen, six Home Guards, three women and a child were killed. After the emergency was declared in 1948, he said the communist was involved in an armed conflict with the British administration. As a result, he said the Emergency Regulations 1948 was enacted at the height of communist insurgency and, the security forces all came under the British. He said the police personnel and Home Guards manning the police station had every right to repel the attack. "Therefore the attack on the police station must be viewed in its proper context," said Karpal.
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| WikiLeaks says passkeys to unredacted cables leaked Posted: 31 Aug 2011 04:04 PM PDT
(AFP) - The anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks on Thursday accused a journalist with the Guardian of leaking the passwords to a trove of unredacted US diplomatic cables, charges denied by the British newspaper. "A Guardian journalist has, in a previously undetected act of gross negligence or malice, and in violation of a signed security agreement with the Guardian's editor-in-chief Alan Rusbridger, disclosed top secret decryption passwords to the entire, unredacted, WikiLeaks Cablegate archive," it said. "We have already spoken to the (US) State Department and commenced pre-litigation action. We will issue a formal statement in due course," WikiLeaks added, in a statement posted on Twitter. The Guardian, one of a handful of newspapers that began publishing redacted cables last year, said WikiLeaks shared the documents through a secure server for a period of hours before taking the server offline and removing the files. "But unknown to anyone at the Guardian, the same file with the same password was republished later on BitTorrent, a network typically used to distribute films and music," the newspaper reported. The Guardian went on to deny, in an official statement, allegations that the password had been released through its book, "WikiLeaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy," published in February. "It's nonsense to suggest the Guardian's WikiLeaks book has compromised security in any way," the Guardian said. "Our book about WikiLeaks was published last February. It contained a password, but no details of the location of the files, and we were told it was a temporary password which would expire and be deleted in a matter of hours. "It was a meaningless piece of information to anyone except the person(s) who created the database." The Guardian instead reported that a link to the full, unredacted database was published by an unnamed Twitter user who found it after acting on hints published in several media outlets and on WikiLeaks's Twitter feed. The security breach has led to the publication of the WikiLeaks archive of 251,000 diplomatic cables online, without redaction to protect sources who spoke to US diplomats on condition of anonymity, the Guardian said. Redacted cables released over the past nine months through agreements with the major newspapers and by WikiLeaks itself have revealed confidential diplomatic assessments and potentially embarrassing comments by world leaders. WikiLeaks has defended the release of the embassy cables -- as well as the previous release of leaked Iraq and Afghanistan war reports -- as the journalistic exposure of official deception. The United States, while refusing to confirm the authenticity of any of the documents, has accused WikiLeaks of putting individual lives and US national security at risk.
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| Dr Wan Azizah: Nation still politically, economically oppressed Posted: 30 Aug 2011 04:15 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail today urged Malaysians to give meaning to what she called "total" independence by seeking freedom from political, economic, moral and social oppression.
In her National Day message, the opposition leader said that the country may have been freed from colonial British rule in 1957, but its people remained oppressed economically while its top leaders spent the nation's money on personal interests. "Independence does not necessarily translate as just freedom from colonial oppression. In fact, it covers all aspects of life, politics, economy, moral and society," she said. "Every day, we seem fated to 'sacrifice' and change our lifestyles to survive. But millions of ringgit are being spent without thinking of the impact on the rakyat," she added. The former Permatang Pauh MP called for the country to prepare an economic infrastructure that would allow the nation's wealth to be shared without racial and religious limits, adding that such a plan would form the basis for "openness" that will pave the way forward, especially for the younger generation who stand to govern the country one day. As a reminder, Dr Wan Azizah said her party sought to free the rakyat from economic pressures, to gain freedom in understanding and beliefs, to give the younger generation room to develop character and morals, and to ensure the burdens of education loans to undergraduates are managed well so that academic excellence can go on to restore the nation's pride and dignity. "Let us give true meaning to independence by freeing ourselves from the grip of oppression to build a peaceful and harmonious nation among all races," she said. |
| Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies Posted: 30 Aug 2011 04:09 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: The deceitful and insidious manner by which the state government is going about with the construction of the Baram Dam has angered the Orang Ulu communities in the dam project vicinity. Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA) chairman Pete Kallang said: "As one of those affected I just can't understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploitation. "Why, it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our well-being and opinion. "This could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties. "In doing this, it seems the construction of the dam is to be implemented whatever the findings or recommendations that would eventually be available if and when the EIA or SIA is done," he said. Kallang added that during a recent meeting with the affected locals, he was shocked to hear the headman saying that the government would not build the dam. "The reaction by this particular headman reflects the effectiveness of the discreet process practised in building the dam. "The dam construction is one dark secret kept away from those living in Baram. "If it is occasionally mentioned by the proponents, the subject would be down-played, and watered-down with downright euphemism. Civilization under threat "We learned from newspaper reports and information dripping from the project supporters speaks of an affected area covering 38,900 hectares (389 sq km) or half of the size of Singapore island. "It will be constructed of around 180 meters above sea level and will generate 1,200 MW of electrical power. "At least 90% of the land mass which will be flooded by the dam reservoir will be the Native Customary Rights (NCR) land. "Relocation of the 20,000 people to make way for the Baram Dam will definitely result in a permanent social damage. He said the Kenyah and Kayan people traditionally live in longhouses and mass relocation of the people will no doubt spell the end of the traditional social structure. According to Kallang the construction of the dam is a 'senseless' exploitation of resources "which is primarily driven by avarice coupled with immorality'. "But for us who are directly and adversely affected parties, no one can blame us in thinking that this is a calculated, intentional and purposeful manoeuvre to wipe out our races. "The dam will not only cause the colossal environmental devastation and severe consequences on the ecosystem, but it will also rage a permanent degeneration of the ethnic identity and heritage of the natives who live in the region. Only big companies benefit "These are also the same majority groups of people who are most affected by the Bakun Dam which has just been commissioned.
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| Australian High Court rules against refugee swap deal with M'sia Posted: 30 Aug 2011 03:21 PM PDT (AP/Bernama) - Australia's highest court has ruled that Australia cannot send asylum seekers to Malaysia as part of a new refugee swap deal. The High Court reached a 5-2 majority decision on Wednesday to make permanent an injunction that has stood since Aug 8 and prevented Australia transferring 800 asylum seekers to Malaysia in return for Malaysia sending 4,000 registered refugees for resettlement. The decision is a blow to Prime Minister Julia Gillard's government, which struck the deal with Malaysia to deter thousands of asylum seekers from Middle Eastern and Asian countries from attempting to reach Australia by boat. The court said in a statement that Malaysia has not signed the U.N. Refugee Convention and the deal with Australia did not legally bind Malaysia to recognise the status of refugees under its domestic law. It also said Immigration Minister Chris Bowen had no legal power to remove from Australia asylum seekers whose refugee claims have not yet been determined. The case was brought to the court by 41 asylum-seekers who had appealed against their forced transfer to Kuala Lumpur from Christmas Island, "The Australian" newspaper said. They were to be the first group of asylum-seekers to be moved to Malaysia after the government's formal signing in July of the deal to send 800 boat people to Malaysia, in return for 4,000 confirmed refugees. If the Australian government now abandons the refugee swap deal, it will still be bound under the deal to accept the 4,000 refugees from Malaysia, while being unable to send 800 asylum-seekers there for processing.
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| Smuggled ivory tusks worth 1.6 million dollars found in Hong Kong Posted: 30 Aug 2011 02:14 PM PDT By MonstersandCritics.com Hong Kong - Customs officers in Hong Kong said Tuesday they had seized 794 African elephant tusks worth an estimated 1.6 million US dollars smuggled in a ship container from Malaysia. The tusks weighing 1,898 kilograms were found hidden beneath stones in a consignment declared as non-ferrous products for factory use, the city's customs department said in a statement. The illegal shipment was seized Monday by customs officers acting on intelligence and a 66-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the find, according to the statement. Trading in endangered species carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a fine of 640,000 US dollars under Hong Kong law. Smuggling undeclared goods carried a jail term of up to seven years. |
| Cable: Hisham blamed MCA for not containing Umno fallout Posted: 30 Aug 2011 01:00 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein had suggested in 2007 that MCA was at fault for being too weak to manage the reaction of non-Malays to the racially-charged rhetoric of the 2006 Umno general assembly. Hishammuddin — who was the Umno Youth chief then — had told diplomats from the United States that Umno's race rhetoric was necessary to vent the frustrations of the Malays, according to a leaked US cable released on Malaysia Today. According to the diplomatic note sent to Washington, Hishammuddin had also told the US ambassador here that Washington should expect similar anti-US rhetoric occasionally, but that those on the receiving end of these attacks should not fear as the government would not allow it to get out of hand. "The country's 'racial splits are now more pronounced,' and Malays still do not feel on par with other races. The Malay youth became overly emotional regarding matters of race and religion, and needed to 'release pressure,' as they did during the November 2006 Umno General Assembly (which featured heated racial rhetoric that was broadcast on national television). "Naturally, there would be a reaction to such venting. In the case of the Umno general assembly, it was a shame, Hishammuddin added, that the MCA had not been strong enough to manage the reaction," said the cable leaked by whistleblower site WikiLeaks and published today on the Malaysia Today news portal. According to the wire that appears to have been written by then ambassador Christopher Lafleur in early 2007, Hishammuddin argued that other parties in Barisan Nasional (BN) needed to understand the emotional background behind Malay frustration and look beyond the heated words. "The Malay relationship with the US featured 'the same dynamic,' and from time to time the US would be the object of emotional public criticism. "'This will never get out of hand, the government will not allow it,' Hishammuddin assured the ambassador, but the US would need to adopt a long-term view similar to that of Umno's national coalition partners," Lafleur wrote.
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| Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:57 PM PDT
By Charles Santiago, FMT As the nation marches towards its 54th Merdeka celebrations, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition government continues to lead the nation with no accountability. Not even a semblance of it lurking in the shadows. Umno's leadership has failed the people making it unlikely that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's bruises would disappear anytime soon. Najib's self-styled unity slogan, 1Malaysia, and public claims of a united nation only go to show the premier's disconnect from ground reality. What is worse is that the simmering racial and religious tension in the country is carefully engineered by Najib & Co. In Malaysia, stirring racial and religious sentiments have become fashionable ways of ensuring the ruling elite's continued hold on power. Playing up issues of apostasy, indulging in smear campaigns against opposition politicians, openly playing double standards, using the police to instil a climate of fear among the people, engaging in backdoor deals to win the next election are some of the crucial issues gripping the nation. But just like over the years, we see the government preparing an ambiance of pomp and glamour to usher in the country's 54th year of independence from British rule. Najib has even thought out a costume and colour theme for the celebrations. It is delusions to believe that a fusion of dances and colourful parade would make brewing discontent on the ground go away. Najib must know, by now, that this is no child's play. Getting out of control In reality, we have seen some leaders promising bloodshed over unverified allegations of proselytisation by some churches. These vile-mouthed villains have no qualms reading out statements which stoke racial sentiments outside police stations. While the government acts with lightning speed to nab opposition politicians and human rights activists for alleged illegal gathering, they ignore the ramblings of these political leaders. Government-owned print and electronic media are given a free hand to further fan racial flames in the country. Opposition newspapers and alternative media have to resort to self-censorship or have their publishing licenses revoked. The online media are constantly harassed for writing the truth. Government channel, RTM1, has falsely linked myself and my colleagues Ean Yong Hin, Boo Cheng Hau, Tan Kok Wai, and Parti Sosialis Malaysia's Dr Nasir Hashim to a Facebook group called the "Murtads in Malaysia and Singapore". Checks with my Facebook friends have shown that many were added to the group as the administrator of these groups do not need permission before doing so. But the irresponsible reporting by the television station caricatures the extent of dirty politics in the country. Government leaders certainly know stirring racial sentiments could get out of control. The nation had borne witness to the riots of 1969 and 2001. But potentially damning issues are fashioned by Umno leaders to frighten the Malays and bring them back to the party fold. Blatant cover-ups The government's only concern is about winning the four states ruled by the opposition and ensuring two-thirds majority in Parliament. In order to see that materialize, government's leaders are injecting venom into our political veins without caring two hoots about the consequences of their actions. Playing up racial sensitivities is not their only devious plan. It is also registering permanent residence (PR) holders and illegal immigrants to shore up its voter bank. The Election Commission is nonchalant about revamping the electoral system and is aligned with the government, raising questions about the integrity of the electoral body. Although the EC and government are waltzing together, locked in each others' arms, the people are getting fed-up with decades of abuses which are ingrained in the electoral system. Their dissatisfaction was candidly marked when tens of thousands of people defied police orders and rallied on the streets, despite the presence of stern-looking cops and baton-wielding anti-riot policemen, to call for free and fair elections on July 9.
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| Six shortlisted for RM1.5bil school Internet contract Posted: 30 Aug 2011 12:46 PM PDT By B K Sidhu, The Star PETALING JAYA: Six companies are in the running for the RM1.5bil five-year contract to provide Internet access and a virtual learning module (VLM) platform for the 9,924 schools in the country under the 1Bestarinet project, sources said. The six are said to be Celcom Axiata Bhd, Jaring Communications, Maxis Bhd, YTL Communications, Multimedia Synergy Corp and both Telekom Malaysia Bhd/Time dotCom Bhd, which submitted a joint bid. The access job comes with an option to extend the contract period for another five plus five years, totalling 15 years, and this would include installation, maintenance and provision of a VLM. Though the Government is looking at RM4.5bil as the absolute sum for the 15-year contract, those in the know claim the bids received thus far ranged from RM2bil to RM6bil. At RM4.5bil, it works out to RM1.5bil for every 5 years or RM300mil for each year. A decision on the winner is expected sometime in the middle of next month, sources said, adding that the Government should insist on proof of concept before deployment to avoid issues and problems arising later. The plan is to roll out access to at least 7,000 schools by Jan 1, 2012. The poser now is which company should win the 15-year contract. "Even before 1Bestarinet came about, some of the parties vying for the contract have been lobbying for it. Whatever the decision, it should be based on merits and the focus should be on deliverables as we cannot afford a repeat of the Schoolnet episode. Choose those that can deliver, those that have the financial muscle, the capacity and capabilities and not those that compromise on quality for profits," said a source. "The last thing we want is our future generation being deprived of basic Internet access because of some companies which can't have enough profits from the project and the Government is committed because the contract would be binding for 15 years,'' added the source. IBestarinet came about as a result of the Pemandu national key economic area lab series as there is a need to provide Internet access to all schools in the country since the earlier project to wire up schools, Schoolnet, did not meet the objectives set. To recap, Schoolnet was born in 2004 to wire up schools using wireless or fibre technology but it had major constraints and did not live up to expectations in terms of speed and capacity, and also due to lack of specifications and integration. Hence, in May this year, the Education Ministry called for a tender bid for the wiring up of all schools under the 1Bestarinet project and in the tender's posting it was clearly stipulated that the tender was open to all local companies with preference given to bumiputra tender bids registered with the Finance Ministry under some codes stipulated. This tender bid which opened on May 5 saw over 80 companies collecting the tender documents. At its closing on May 31, it is said that only 19 companies submitted their bids. The six shortlisted are from the 19 that submitted bids. Given its past experiences with Schoolnet, the ministry had spelt out certain conditions for 1Bestarinet. It wants the future network to be scalable to cater for growth and to evolve with technological evolution. It should have a VLM which will allow teachers and students, among others, to have a platform to write plans and share ideas. The Internet speed has to be constant and cannot be based on "best effort.'' For urban areas, the access speed is 2Mbps to 10Mbps, and for rural and remote schools 1Mbps to 4Mbps. All sorts of technologies can be used, be it fibre or wireless technologies including Vsat, wireless, WiFi, but the link to the school should be via fibre. "The Education Ministry will also have an inbuilt checking mechanism to ensure that the vendor delivers as per specifications,'' said a source. |
| Three firms shortlisted for nuclear power PR campaign Posted: 30 Aug 2011 11:45 AM PDT
By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider The government is searching for a public relations agency to help build public support for nuclear power, as part of a plan to make the country ready for an alternative energy source by 2013. The Holmes Report, a New York-based publication that serves the public relations community, reported this week that the Malaysia Nuclear Power Corporation (MNPC), a government body formed in January to spearhead the deployment of nuclear energy, is understood to have shortlisted three firms for the sensitive project. "It is understood that a formal pitch is yet to take place. A source involved in the process said that fees had not been confirmed, but were expected to be in the seven-figure range," the report said. The invitation for an international public relations effort to boost support for nuclear energy could spark controversy after the recent row over reports that Putrajaya paid RM58 million to FBC Media to burnish its international image on various international broadcast channels. British media regulator Office of Communications (Ofcom) is probing programmes made by FBC Media for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) It is understood Putrajaya has now ended its contract with FBC Media after an exposé revealed Malaysian leaders routinely appeared in paid-for interviews on global television programmes on CNBC. The Malaysian Insider understands that the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) terminated FBC Media's contract earlier this month, just months after another public relations firm, APCO Worldwide from the United States, met an ignominious end for alleged links to Israel. Global broadcasters, including CNN and CNBC, have been scrambling to contain any potential fallout after allegations of impropriety surfaced following the exposé by whistleblower Sarawak Report. The latest plans to launch a publicity campaign for nuclear power also comes in the midst of public concern about nuclear safety, spurred by the ongoing crisis at the nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan. According to briefing notes obtained by the Holmes Report, public relations counsel is being sought to ensure that stakeholders are able to make an informed decision about the proposed plan by that date. "The bottomline: Malaysia has to be nuclear-ready and get [the] mandate of the public by 2013, when the government will make the final decision and reveal the site," reads the brief, according to the report. The Holmes Report also said boosting public support for nuclear power to above 50 per cent is a priority, along with managing concerns and issues.
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The British Foreign Office said: ''It is the long-standing policy of the government not to comment on intelligence matters.''
It also said that the continued public attention to such allegations also could damage Najib's chances, who was then deputy prime minister, of replacing Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as the country's new leader. 
Raja Petra was eventually charged with defaming Rosmah, Norhayati and Abdul Aziz on July 17, 2008. 
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