Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- ISA repeal in March, says Najib
- Pakatan and hudud: A consensus that wasn’t
- Anwar: Pakatan will not implement hudud law
- PAS raises hudud issue as political ploy: Muhyiddin
- PAS invites Umno, muftis to hudud forum
- DPM: Umno's election candidates will be chosen based on popularity
- Cease the hudud debate, says Bar Council
- Report: MIC still in ‘critical’ condition
- Muhyiddin: Bahasa for science and maths stays
- Guan Eng apologises to Johor Sultan
- Voters want new Umno candidates for polls, says Muhyiddin
- "Malaysian Insider" apologizes to Tajudin Ramli over article
- Pakatan, too, must come clean on ‘covert funds’
- PM: Govt Treats All Schools Equally
- Soi Lek should not be BN candidate because of sex scandal, says Tee Keat
- Government mulls web portal for policy feedback
- Any DPP can charge A-G, says Mat Zain
- Asia stocks fall in worst month since Oct 2008
- Hisham defends meeting with Perkasa
- Malays must earn respect with 21st century mindset, says PM
- Selangor Umno warned against arrogance
- Maximum 40pc pay rise as Putrajaya reverts to single-tier civil service
- Perkasa wants Sime Darby to drop E&O share buy
- Military training for media covering war, disasters
- ‘Name the 1,000 companies’
- Stocks, commodities fall on euro crisis fears
- The lazy country
- Hudud held back by lack of consensus
- Police: No sabotage or terrorism link to Empire Gallery blast
- Indians ‘kingmakers’ in 130 state seats
- Namewee calls Utusan ‘trash’
- Sodomy II: Anwar tells PM, wife, to explain meeting with Saiful
- ‘Anwar’s moles digging Najib’s grave?’
- Pakatan leaders likely to close ranks
- Oct 18 hearing for Anwar’s application on tax payable
- Ex-MAS chairman in out-of-court settlement with Malaysian Insider
- Can hudud be applied to non-Muslims?
- Najib gets a drubbing over ‘Community Chest’
- Explosion rips through Empire Gallery, four hurt
- PM: Break away from Bumi quotas
- Suspected teenage robber shot dead in Taman Tun Dr Ismail
- Pakatan practising hypocrisy, says Chua
| ISA repeal in March, says Najib Posted: 30 Sep 2011 12:47 AM PDT By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — The Internal Security Act (ISA) will be repealed in March after two replacement laws are drafted, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today. The prime minister told reporters that his promised reform timetable would instead begin with the repeal of the Banishment and Restricted Residence Act when Parliament reconvenes next week. "Next week I will begin the process but ISA will be done in March as we need to draft two new laws," the Umno president said after chairing a supreme council meeting this evening. He also said that amendments to the Police Act to allow for freedom of assembly other than street protests, will likely be tabled in November. Najib announced a raft of reforms including the lifting of three states of emergency in his Malaysia Day address, and vowed to give Malaysians greater liberties. He had promised on Tuesday that his Cabinet would meet this week to decide on the timing of reforms with the first round to begin in the upcoming Dewan Rakyat sitting.
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| Pakatan and hudud: A consensus that wasn’t Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:34 PM PDT
PAS insists on the "right to have an intention", but DAP says it's a futile agenda. (Free Malaysia Today) -- Pakatan Rakyat may have formally reached a consensus on the hudud issue, but the dust is far from settling, with PAS and DAP adamantly sticking to their opposite views. After a lengthy meeting on Wednesday, Pakatan leaders decided that further discussions on hudud would have to be in line with the opposition bloc's common ideology and policies. It was really a stalemate decision. The matter has been put on hold because PAS remained insistent on eventually imposing hudud in Kelantan and DAP remained opposed to the idea. PAS representatives from Kelantan, including Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat, have since said that they would continue to harbour the intention of instituting the hudud provisions of Islamic law in the state. "No one can be denied the right to have an intention," Kelantan executive councillor and PAS vice president Husam Musa said when FMT asked him to comment. Does he agree that Kelantan PAS is now like a thorn in Pakatan's side? "No," he said. "Of course there will be difficulties. And we have to accept the current situation. But if you have intentions of buying gold and have no money now, you wait till you have money." Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah, one of the deputy PAS commissioners for Kelantan, said he did not think that his party's position as adversely affected Pakatan's image. "Technically," he claimed, "Pakatan's stand allows the state government to pursue its hudud agenda. "When you speak of its implementation, there are many aspects to it—how and when, for instance. There are steps to follow that will take time. When Pakatan talks about discussing the matter further, I believe this is what it means. "We never said that we will implement it today or tomorrow. People cannot make their own assumptions."
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| Anwar: Pakatan will not implement hudud law Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:31 PM PDT
(The Edge) -- The Pakatan Rakyat opposition will not implement hudud laws as called for by PAS because it is not in line with the common policies of the coalition, the Federal Consitution and their Orange Book agenda, said Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. He said the Pakatan leadership respected PAS' stand on the issue but at the same time accepted the views of the DAP, which opposed hudud laws, Bernama reports. Asked to comment on Nik Aziz's statement, Anwar had supported the implementation of hudud in Kelantan, saying that it would not infringe on the rights of non-Muslims. He later clarified that the view he expressed was his personal opinion. Following this, DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng had pointed out that hudud was not part of Pakatan's common policy.
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| PAS raises hudud issue as political ploy: Muhyiddin Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:20 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- The move by PAS to raise issues on the implementation of the 'hudud' law is a political ploy to regain the people's support, especially the Muslim voters, said Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The Deputy Prime Minister said PAS realised that the support of Malay voters for the party had been badly affected following its decision not to set up an Islamic state and instead opting for a Welfare State. "It is a political ploy by PAS because it notices that support for the party has been badly affected lately. Some of its supporters are not happy with the party," he said after attending a gathering with the people at the grounds of Masjid Jamek Kampung Sungai Bunyi, here today. Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president and the Education Minister, said PAS must explain to the people instead of deceiving them by claiming that it would not implement the hudud law. He was commenting on the statement by the Opposition Pact Leadership Council yesterday that they would not implement the hudud law as proposed by PAS because this was not in line with their joint policy, Federal Constitution and the Orange Book agenda. Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the opposition pact respected the PAS stand on this matter but at the same time, it accepted the differing stand of the DAP in opposing its implementation. Muhyiddin said PAS realised that if it insisted on implementing the hudud law, it would face strong opposition from component parties of the pact such as the DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR). "PAS should explain and should not deceive the people by saying it won't implement (hudud law) because it knows that if it insists on implementing (the hudud), it will face opposition from the component parties, DAP and PKR," he said. Earlier in his speech at the gathering, Muhyiddin said a new approach was needed by the government in administering and bringing development to the country in view of the country's demographic composition where 60 per cent of the population were young people. "The young generation have their own mindset that is different and they also realise that they have their own rights. With the existence of the Facebook, Twitter and Internet, the style of administering the country now is different," he said. Muhyiddin also announced an allocation of RM2 million for the construction of a new mosque for Kampung Sungai Bunyi.
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| PAS invites Umno, muftis to hudud forum Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:19 PM PDT
(Bernama) -- After its proposal to implement hudud was rejected by the opposition coalition partners, PAS has invited Umno and muftis to a forum on the Islamic laws. PAS information chief Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the forum could create awareness and avoid confusion on hudud among the people. "As hudud touches on Muslims directly and it is incumbent upon the government and Muslims to implement the Islamic laws," he said in a statement posted on PAS portal today. The Pakatan opposition yesterday announced that it would not implement hudud as called for by PAS as it is not in line with the common policies of the coalition, the Federal constitution and their Orange Book agenda. Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was quoted as saying that the Pakatan leadership respected PAS stand on the issue but at the same time accepted the views of the DAP, which opposed hudud. Tuan Ibrahim proposed that the hudud forum to be opened to public but no date was set.
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| DPM: Umno's election candidates will be chosen based on popularity Posted: 29 Sep 2011 07:16 PM PDT
(The Star) - Umno's candidates for the next general election will be chosen based on their popularity with the people, said Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. He added a person's past posts or positions within the party would be immaterial to their selection as election candidates. "If Umno likes the candidate but the people don't, then this cannot be a basis to keep the candidate. "Even when a candidate has been a division chief for a long time, or had previously won uncontested, the feedback we have received from some people is that they want someone new'," he said. "The most important thing is whether the candidate can be accepted and can win," he told reporters after attending a dialogue session with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) academic staff and students here. Muhyiddin, who is also Umno deputy president, said that the party's candidates would be a mix of the young and "not so young". "There needs to be a mix; it will be a problem if they (candidates) are all new or all old. "We need candidates who are young, energetic, qualified and lovable, as well as those who are more experienced," he said.
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| Cease the hudud debate, says Bar Council Posted: 29 Sep 2011 05:36 PM PDT
Its implementation is impossible under our legal framework, according to council president Lim Chee Wee. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Malaysian Bar Council has called for a stop to all rhetoric concerning hudud, saying its implementation is impossible under Malaysia's current legal system. In a media statement issued today, Bar Council chairman Lim Chee Wee said debate on the matter had caused "confusion and divisions" among Malaysians. In explaining how the hudud provisions could not fit into the current system, he said: "The Federal Constitution only allows the states to enact laws creating offences by persons professing the religion of Islam against the precepts of Islam, and the respective punishments for such offences. "With respect to the nature of such offences, these offences cannot include matters within the legislative powers of the federal government. "Therefore, there can be no replication of any of the offences within any federal law with a different degree of punishment only for Muslims." He said federal law and its principles determined the scope of punishment for offences against the precepts of Islam. He pointed out that the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) Act 1965 clearly listed the punishments to be meted out and that these existing punishments did not contain elements of hudud. Quoting from the 1965 act, he said syariah courts could not exercise jurisdiction "in respect of any offence punishable with imprisonment for a term exceeding three years or with any fine exceeding RM5,000 or with whipping exceeding six strokes or with any combination thereof". He also quoted from the Ninth Schedule of the Federal Constitution, which places "criminal law and procedure, internal security and public order" under the federal list. Hudud mainly concerns penal laws. It would therefore fall under federal jurisdiction, not the state, Lim said. He referred to the 1988 case of Che Omar bin Che Soh v Public Prosecutor, where the Supreme Court held that "laws in Malaysia do not have to conform to Islamic principles" and that Malaysia was indeed a secular state.
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| Report: MIC still in ‘critical’ condition Posted: 29 Sep 2011 05:27 PM PDT According to a report by the Prime Minister's Office, only three out of the nine Parliament seats the party is eyeing for are considered safe bets. (Free Malaysia Today) - A report from the Prime Minister's Office reveals that MIC is still in a precarious position. The party, which now has a new president after 30 years in G Palanivel, will probably be facing its toughest election battle yet. It must regain the ground it lost in the last polls. In the 2008 general election, MIC only won three parliament and seven state seats out of the nine and 19 contested. Last year, MIC's P Kamalanathan added another MP seat to the stable when he defeated PKR candidate Zaid Ibrahim in the Hulu Selangor by-election. According to the report from the PM's Office, only three out of the nine Parliament seats could be considered safe for MIC. The three were Cameron Highlands (Pahang), Hulu Selangor (Selangor) and Tapah (Perak). Party vice-president and Deputy Minister in the PM's Department SK Devamany is the incumbent Cameron Highlands MP whereas another vice-president and Federal Territory and Urban Well-Being Deputy Minister M Saravan holds the Tapah seat. Speaking to FMT, a senior officer from the PM's Department, who declined to be named, said that MIC would face an uphill task in the next election. "Palanivel is expected to maintain all of the winners in the last election in their respective seats despite earlier rumours of Devamany being dropped to make way for the president and Saravanan to compete in Kapar," he said. As for the other seats, the officer classified Segamat (Johor), Teluk Kemang (Negrei Sembilan) and Sungai Siput (Perak) as "semi-critical". The other three seats Subang, Kapar and Kota Raja were expected to be retained by the opposition. Segamat is a crucial seat as it housed MIC deputy president and Human Resources Minister Dr S Subramaniam. The trouble with this constituency, according to the officer, was the 51% Chinese voters. The latter are predominantly pro-opposition.
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| Muhyiddin: Bahasa for science and maths stays Posted: 29 Sep 2011 05:18 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has waded into the fierce debate over the use of English in teaching science and mathematics in schools, saying Malaysians cannot afford to "sacrifice" Bahasa Malaysia for other languages. The education minister said that while the government recognised the importance of English as an international language, Bahasa Malaysia will continue to be used as the main teaching tool in national schools. "We cannot sacrifice our national language for another language." "I am a strong proponent of English, we should strengthen the command of English and (at the same) continue the use of Bahasa Melayu as the main language in schools," Muhyiddin said today during a dialogue session with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) students and academic staff. The deputy prime minister said Malaysians needed to cultivate an attitude where they treated Bahasa Malaysia as a "unique" language, and if no importance was placed on it the language risked being lost. "As a country which has achieved its independence, we have to strengthen Bahasa Melayu." Muhyiddin argued his case by saying that research conducted by Unesco found that schoolchildren were more receptive in learning new subjects using their mother tongue. "Some people do not understand any other language apart from their mother tongue. The important thing is knowledge, and what is the simplest medium to attain it? "Unesco research found that people learnt things better via their own language, their mother tongue," he said. The DPM also stressed that as far as the government was concerned, Bahasa Malaysia will continue to be used as the medium to teach science and mathematics in schools.
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| Guan Eng apologises to Johor Sultan Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:55 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - Lim Guan Eng apologised today for offending the Sultan of Johor, stating out that he had no intention of discrediting the state. The Penang chief minister insisted however that his statements were misrepresented by the Barisan Nasional-controlled media. "Out of respect to the Johor Sultan, I wish to fully apologise. I have no intention whatsoever to discredit Johor or any other state," the DAP secretary-general said in a statement today. Lim had allegedly said during a luncheon talk with the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore on August 12 that Singaporeans would likely get "kidnapped" in Johor. Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar said in an interview with the New Straits Times that he was offended by Lim's remarks but did not "want to react, because as a Ruler, I shouldn't be dragged into politics." But the Bagan MP said "I feel that what I had said has been misrepresented by the BN-controlled media. I will pursue this matter in court to determine the truth."
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| Voters want new Umno candidates for polls, says Muhyiddin Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:51 PM PDT (The Malaysia Insider) - Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin today admitted voters generally want new Umno candidates for the next general election, saying that feedback received by the party showed that some people are tired of the "old" names. The Umno deputy president however stressed that there would be a mix of young and "not-so-young" candidates who will contest in the upcoming polls. "Winnable candidates, the most important thing is whether the candidate can be accepted and can win, even though that candidate has been the division chief for a long time, won uncontested and became MP before. "But when we ask people they say 'Ah that person has been around too long we are tired, we want someone new.' That is the feedback we get," he told reporters here. Muhyiddin, who is deputy prime minister, said there will be a balance between candidates who are "young, energetic, qualified, lovable" and those who are experienced and are useful to party. "Even though Umno likes a (particular) candidate, but people don't like, this cannot be a basis to keep a candidate. "Whether a candidate holds posts in the party is immaterial. What matters is whether the candidate can win," he said. He acknowledged that there may be dissatisfaction among Umno leaders who are not chosen or are dropped as candidates, but maintained that the party leadership will be able to keep things under control.
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| "Malaysian Insider" apologizes to Tajudin Ramli over article Posted: 29 Sep 2011 04:00 PM PDT
(Bernama) - The "Malaysian Insider" news portal today apologized to former Malaysia Airlines executive chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli for posting a baseless and defamatory article on him. The Malaysian Insider Sdn Bhd, its chief executive officer Jahabar Sadiq and reporter Shazwan Mustafa Kamal handed the statement of apology to lawyer Lim Kian Leong, who represented Tajudin, through their lawyer George Miranda before High Court Judge Harminder Singh Dhaliwal in chambers. Miranda told reporters that all parties concerned had signed the statement and that several terms which could not be disclosed had been discussed as well. In their apology, the three parties expressed regret for all the inconvenience caused to Tajudin following publication of the article, he said. They also agreed to retract the article and acknowledged that it was baseless and defamatory in nature, he added. Today's out-of-court settlement was a result of Tajudin's RM200-million defamation suit against the portal on Aug 18 in which he named The Malaysian Insider Sdn Bhd, Jahabar and Shazwan as the respondents.
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| Pakatan, too, must come clean on ‘covert funds’ Posted: 29 Sep 2011 03:45 PM PDT
UM Professor Terence Gomez says monetisation of politics is a dangerous trend and little has been done to curb it. (Free Malaysia Today) - Just like Barisan Nasional, Pakatan Rakyat must be honest about its funding if it wishes to see true reform of an election system marred by money politics. Professor Edmund Terence Gomez of Universiti Malaya claimed that the opposition has so far failed to come clean on the source of its finances, saying such practices is a major hindrance to having a clean election. "I have met with Pakatan leaders and told them that they must disclose their funders. They said they can't do that or BN will go after them (funders). Fair enough. "But when I asked them about covert funds, they were silent," he told about 200 students at the Parliamentary Elections and Funding forum held at Sunway University here. Gomez said Malaysia is witnessing increased "monetisation of politics" and widespread allegations of "covert funding" of political parties and politicians in an attempt to influence policymakers for vested interests. This included possible funding by "the underworld". "This is dangerous. Whoever funds them have control over them," he said. Malaysia is also among the few countries in the world where political parties are allowed to have extensive involvement in businesses. The ruling coalition is known to appoint close associates to key positions in government-linked companies while top corporate figures are known to have close relations with leaders from the ruling parties This creates a deep conflict of interests and corruption is rife where politicians fight for high positions in order to dictate policies to profit and finance their war chest to maintain power. Gomez also spoke of "secret" or "special" funds by top politicians which should be outlawed. He cited the admission by Dr Mahathir Mohamad who confessed in his blog that he held RM1.4 billion in cash and assets to finance BN's election machinery when he was prime minister. "And RM200 million from the amount was in cash. Look at the kind of money we are talking about," said the political scientist. There are also allegations that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim has similar "secret funds" and although the court had cleared him of the accusation, the stigma remains as nothing had been done to curb its existence, added Gomez.
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| PM: Govt Treats All Schools Equally Posted: 29 Sep 2011 03:26 PM PDT (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak reaffirmed that the federal government under his leadership treats all streams of schools in Malaysia equally without discrimination. He said the government would continue to support and assist both public and private education institutions in Malaysia. "Let me reaffirm that my government is the people's government and we will treat all streams of schools in Malaysia equally without discrimination," he said in his opening speech during Han Chiang College's "Golden Achievements Awards" ceremony here on Thursday. The text of his speech was read out by Information, Communications and Culture Minister Dr Rais Yatim. Najib also said the unity of all Malaysians would assist the country to pull through the world economic crisis and set a good example to other countries in the world. "I believe that if we work together with no racial discrimination, we would be able to move towards a fair society and become a developed country in 2020," he said. However, Najib said educational institutions could also put in more effort to advocate racial harmony to make Malaysia a better country. "I always uphold liberal education. For instance, in 1998, when I was the Minister of Education, I approved the establishment of Foon Yew High School's new campus in Kulai, Johor. "Today, Foon Yew High School has become the largest Chinese school in Malaysia with nearly 10,000 students," he said, adding that Han Chiang College was set up a year later in 1999. He said the establishment of Foon Yew High School in the south and Han Chiang College in the north proved that the government was open and supportive of Chinese education in Malaysia in line with its democratic education policies. "I would like to congratulate Han Chiang college on its efforts and tremendous achievements in educating and nurturing talents for the country for the past ten years, especially in cultivating media pactitioners," he added. |
| Soi Lek should not be BN candidate because of sex scandal, says Tee Keat Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:51 PM PDT By Shannon Teoh The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Former MCA president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has said his successor Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek is not a "winnable candidate," pointing out that the former health minister's 2007 sex scandal will be a major liability in the general election expected to be called soon. Dr Chua, who deposed Ong as MCA boss in a fractious power struggle 18 months ago, has yet to confirm his own candidacy despite revealing this week that several current leaders will not run in the coming polls. Rumours have been swirling since February that Ong(picture) will also be dropped but the Pandan MP told The Malaysian Insider in an interview this week that Dr Chua's 2007 sex video scandal will continue to plague the MCA president and Barisan Nasional (BN). "Is he a winnable candidate? I don't think the Malaysianpublic can accept him. Of course, he wants to run. He has been saying five divisions want him to contest and many including him will say that personal misconduct or immorality is no excuse to deny him the right to contest. "But they are not deep-diving into winnability. If he were to contest, it will be an acid test of the values of the electorate," Ong said. Dr Chua stepped down as health minister and MCA vice-president in 2008 after admitting he was the man featured in a secretly recorded video which showed him having sex with his lover. But he made a comeback later to win the party's deputy presidency after the MCA's top two leaders resigned due to its poor showing in Election 2008. The party won just 15 of 40 federal and 31 of 90 state seats it contested. The party subsequently sacked Dr Chua in August 2009 over the sex scandal, sparking an extraordinary general meeting where a vote of no confidence in Ong was passed. Dr Chua became MCA president in March 2010 in fresh elections where he saw off Ong and former president Tan Sri Ong Ka Ting. The MCA holds what is likely to be its final general assembly this weekend before federal polls are called.
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| Government mulls web portal for policy feedback Posted: 29 Sep 2011 02:45 PM PDT By Lisa J. Ariffin, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — A web portal for the public to freely provide feedback and criticisms of government policies may soon be set up. "This web portal enables the general public to voice their opinions, ideas and criticisms towards government policies. It can also be a means for people to voice out aspirations and expectations of the ruling government," Deputy Minister of Information, Communications and Culture Datuk Maglin D'Cruz (picture) said today of his initiative. "I believe by allowing the people to share their dreams for the country, we will be able to get more input from the ground level where all Malaysians can be heard and policies tailor-made to suit our time and our diverse culture and ethnicities in line with creating a truly 1 Malaysia," he added. A poll entitled "Should we have a channel (web portal) to express our opinion freely without fear?" will be set up to gauge the response of people to the initiative. When asked whether the poll is needed, D' Cruz said, "We want to see how many people will accept this. We just don't want to open something and it's just a doormat. We want to make it effective." "Like when the government wants to implement something, we will always ask the people first. We cannot just implement it." D'Cruz said the web portal will be different from other online forums as the ministry will contact the relevant authorities and agencies to convey any concerns raised by Malaysians. "Now they are voicing out but there is nobody attending to them. So the group is getting bigger and bigger," he said.
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| Any DPP can charge A-G, says Mat Zain Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:30 PM PDT
(TMI) KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — A former senior police officer called today on deputy public prosecutors to show the "courage and will" to charge the Attorney-General with abuse of power. Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim dismissed the notion that Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail is the sole Public Prosecutor as section 376(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) allows his subordinates to bring criminal charges against anyone to court. "Any DPP has the power to prosecute the A-G if they want to, anyone amongst them who has the courage and will. No one can stop them, not even the prime minister," the retired city criminal investigation chief said. Mat Zain has repeatedly accused Abdul Gani (picture) of abuses of power, beginning with the 1998 Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's black eye. He has also claimed that an independent three-man panel had investigated criminal allegations against the A-G and one of them concluded the A-G had tampered with three expert reports in the black eye RCI. "After all, it was just a DPP and not the Solicitor-General or the head of the Prosecution Department of the A-G's Chambers who closed the investigation on the A-G," Mat Zain said in a statement today. Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/any-dpp-can-charge-a-g-says-mat-zain/ |
| Asia stocks fall in worst month since Oct 2008 Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:30 PM PDT (Reuters) - Asian stocks fell today, extending the worst monthly performance since the most volatile days of the global financial crisis in October 2008, with Chinese shares racking up sharp losses. The euro fell and was on course for the biggest monthly drop in nearly a year, with parliamentary approvals of new powers for Europe's bailout fund having little lasting impact. Fears of a spiralling European debt crisis and a slowing global economy that would hit Asian exports caused investors to slash their bets on risky assets in the September quarter. Markets in Asia, considered by investors to have superior fundamentals compared with developed markets in the West, were not immune, with institutional investors continuing to hedge against further Asian currency weakness, including the yuan. Mainland Chinese stocks listed in Hong Kong fell 3.3 per cent, underperforming the rest of the region, with investors selling off bank shares. Even a rare batch of strong US economic data led by falling jobless claims failed to cheer up Asia, with traders focusing on China's September PMI data to gauge how the world's export powerhouse is holding up in the face of a slowing global economy. Official Chinese data to be released tomorrow may show a pickup in factory activity though input prices will be closely watched for inflationary pressures at a time when officials have declared that fighting inflation was a top objective. In Asia, stocks in Japan, Australia and Korea were steady to slightly lower with only Hong Kong shares among the major losers, dropping about 1.8 per cent, as investors locked in profits. While window-dressing by fund managers buying some of the quarter's outperforming issues to improve their books has helped support shares this week, gains may be hard to get in the future as broader macro concerns still remain. "Window-dressing tends to support the market at the end of quarter, and some relief about Europe's situation after the German vote is also giving buyers more confidence," said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management Co. MSCI's index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.3 per cent after rising for three consecutive days. For the month, it is down more than 13 per cent, its biggest monthly drop since October 2008. US stock futures were down 0.6 per cent after ringing up decent gains yesterday. Bonds crack In what has been another tough month for money managers with market movements largely dictated by the ebb and flow of headlines from Europe, emerging market bonds have suffered the most as investors cut positions to protect portfolios. EPFR Global data shows emerging market bond fund outflows gathered pace in the week to September 28. A total of US$3.2 billion (RM10.2 billion) of net outflows was recorded from emerging market bond funds, compared with the previous week's outflow of US$692 million. Hard currency bond funds saw US$1 billion of outflows while local currency bond funds saw US$1.6 billion in withdrawals. In Asia, some of the biggest jump in bond yields have been in markets where foreign positioning has been the most crowded like Indonesia and Malaysia while the bustling international pipeline for bond issuers in Asia has come to a grinding halt. Currencies have also been hard hit. As the flight to safety pushed the dollar higher against other currencies, investors such as long-only funds and banks who bought these bonds on an unhedged basis, betting on more FX gains ran to hedge positions, further exacerbating their drops. Even a recent drive by Chinese authorities to fix the yuan's midpoint higher has failed to impress markets. The renminbi is trading at the bottom end of a trading end against the dollar and the offshore yuan is trading at a rare steep discount against the onshore rate. Elsewhere, the euro hovered above a eight-month low versus the dollar after German Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition party voted yesterday to enhance the European Financial Stability Facility's powers. Having worked through to US$1.3679 at one stage, the single currency settled back at US$1.3554 with investors worried about the many problems ahead for the euro zone. "There is still a lot of uncertainty ... Economic growth in Europe and the US is not that good and that will put pressure on the euro and give a bid to the dollar," said Joseph Capurso, strategist at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Worried investors gave the thumbs up to safe-haven bets like gold and Treasuries with the former extending gains by a percent to hold US$1,632 per ounce. US crude futures rose above US$82.50 per barrel in electronic trade today, extending yesterday's gains. |
| Hisham defends meeting with Perkasa Posted: 29 Sep 2011 01:25 PM PDT
(The Malay Mail) Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein has defended meeting Malay rights group Perkasa over the abolishing of the Internal Security Act (ISA) 1960. Yesterday Perkasa met with the minister to hand over a memorandum on the group's demands relating to the two new laws replacing the ISA. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had announced during his Malaysia Day address the government would repeal the Act and introduce two new laws during the next parliamentary sitting. Hishammuddin denied he was politically biased by meeting Perkasa and explained the ministry had met other groups as well. "I am meeting with all the groups and not only Perkasa. We have been engaging with the Bar Council when we were looking at the amendments. So there's nothing peculiar about meeting Perkasa. "I felt that it is important that Perkasa understands where we are going forward. What our content is and what we are striving for," he said during a Press conference. He added Perkasa's perspective was important in formulating the new laws. "It (abolishing the ISA) is something we will do without fear or favour but we need to balance it with the bigger national interest and the views of groups and NGOs will become very useful to us," he said. Hishammuddin also stressed Perkasa had been very "rational" in its approach and warned the issue should not be politicised. Hishammuddin's meeting is bound to draw flak from the public as the Malayrights group had been very vocal about protecting the draconian Act. Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali had recently said the group would reject the new laws if it did not retain the "preventive spirit" of the old Act. "We want preventive elements to be retained because two aspects of the ISA — prevention and rehabilitation — had been most effective in tackling security issues in the country," he reportedly said. Utusan Malaysia had also called on the government to preserve the role of the ISA in the new laws. "Surely, if the United States had to resort to enforcing laws allowing detention without trial, (Malaysia's) new (anti-terrorism) laws to be enacted soon should also play the role of the ISA, which is to protect the peace and security of the country," wrote its senior news editor Zulkefli Hamzah in his column. Yesterday, Ibrahim told reporters the group had in its memorandum, proposed the government establish a high-powered committee to bypass the courts to decide on who should be detained without trial. "If we use the court system, it will take a long time. "It is better if we set up this high-powered committee, comprising the police chief, Attorney-General, Suhakam and anyone else who is credible." |
| Malays must earn respect with 21st century mindset, says PM Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:49 AM PDT By Yuen Meikeng and Rahimy Rahim, The Star SERDANG: The Malay community of the 21st century should have the courage and confidence to succeed on their own, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He said they should not depend on Government protection if they want to succeed. |
| Selangor Umno warned against arrogance Posted: 29 Sep 2011 11:36 AM PDT By Teoh El Sen, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Umno is wrong in thinking that it can recapture Selangor for Barisan Nasional without MCA's help, according to Yap Pian Hon, who is BN's information chief for the state. He warned Umno against underestimating MCA's influence among Chinese voters, adding that no single BN component party could "go it alone" in the coming general election. "Sometimes people talk big," he said in response to reports quoting Umno sources saying MCA was rapidly losing Chinese support. "What is being said may be merely a perception." However, referring to reports that Selangor Umno was seeking to take over seats traditionally associated with MCA, he said they were "mere speculation". "The seat counts remain unchanged at the moment," he told FMT. Out of the 56 state seats, 35 are for Umno to contest, 14 for MCA, four for Gerakan and three for MIC. Yap called for "more unity" within BN, adding that Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak "wants more politeness and for leaders to respect one another". He said the current political landscape did not allow for petty internal struggles. "In this day and age, we cannot have leaders with arrogant attitudes. That must be done away with. We cannot be shouting at each other to solve problems." Yap admitted that the Chinese community regarded MCA as weak, that it is afraid to go against Umno. "They call MCA the running dog of Umno, that we are always begging Umno to be a component party," he said. "Our side has never had the chance to rebut this. We've actually achieved a lot through consultation with Umno – for example, getting Tunku Abdul Rahman College built to help the Chinese community get higher education." Yap, who is also publicity chief for MCA Selangor, also admitted that it would be an "uphill battle" for BN to retake Selangor in the coming election, adding that much would depend on the work of grassroots leaders. He said the fight would be even tougher if BN went to the polls without MCA in a state where Chinese voters account for a substantial portion of the electorate. The Chinese make up about 34% of voters in Selangor. Malays account for 49% and Indians about 14%. "MCA has been here for 60 over years," he said, "and I can tell you that if you don't have the support of the people, you can close shop.
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| Maximum 40pc pay rise as Putrajaya reverts to single-tier civil service Posted: 29 Sep 2011 09:52 AM PDT By G. Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — Putrajaya is to implement a new pay scheme for the country's 1.3 million civil servants that will see salaries jump by up to 40 per cent next year, sources say. Datuk Seri Najib Razak is expected to announce a return to a single-tier system when tabling Budget 2012 next week after more than 15 years of grumbling from public sector employees who say the current triple-tier system is unfair.
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| Perkasa wants Sime Darby to drop E&O share buy Posted: 28 Sep 2011 05:33 PM PDT By Syed Mu'az Syed Putra, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Perkasa called today for Sime Darby to cancel the 30 per cent purchase of Eastern & Oriental (E&O) as the government-linked company (GLC) already has expertise in real estate development. "We are confident that Sime Darby does not need the services of other companies," said the Malay lobby group's information chief Ruslam Kasim after handing over a memorandum protesting the move to Sime Darby. Sime Darby's acquisition of the 30 per cent stake in E&O is being probed by the Securities Commission (SC) following allegations of insider trading that also involves the husband of the SC chairman. Perkasa's memorandum called the planned RM776 million purchase at a 60 per cent premium over the market price a betrayal of trust. "It represents the fall of moral responsibility and credibility of Sime Darby, damaging the image of the government for failing to monitor (Sime Darby's) operations. "The rise of such corruption will damage the government's efforts to transform the entire sector," the memorandum said. Just before the Hari Raya break, Sime Darby announced it wanted to buy a 30 per cent block (involving 273 million shares and 60 million irredeemable convertible secured loan stocks) in E&O at RM2.30 per share from three vendors.
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| Military training for media covering war, disasters Posted: 28 Sep 2011 05:23 PM PDT (Bernama) - Media personnel being assigned to war zones or disaster areas will be required to undergo training with Defence Ministry's Territorial Army Media Team to prepare them physically and mentally for the tasks ahead. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the decision was reached at the Cabinet meeting on Sept 28. "The training session will ensure that media personnel are aware of safety aspects when undertaking their duties," he said at an Aidilfitri gathering with non-governmental organisations here tonight. He said media organisations should be willing to send their staff for the training ahead of their assignments abroad. The minister also called on organisers of humanitarian missions to equip the teams with safety equipment, including bullet-proof jackets. Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid said the Burundi army should pay compensation to the family of BernamaTV cameraman, Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, who was killed in a Sept 2 shooting incident in Somalia, in which Burundi troops were believed to be involved. The African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia (AMISOM) has apologized over the incident and sacked the four soldiers who are to be sent back to Burundi to face trial. Noramfaizul, 39, was killed after the vehicle he and other Malaysian media personnel were travelling in to return to their hotel in Mogadishu came under fire. The media team was covering a relief mission to help famine victims in Somalia. |
| Posted: 28 Sep 2011 02:39 PM PDT By Joseph Tawie, FMT KUCHING: The government's decision to do away with the 30 percent Bumiputera equity quota has received the opposition's conditional acceptance. Welcoming the move, Sarawak DAP, however, insisted that the government reveal the names of the 1,000 companies which the government would help to grow bigger and better. "We want to know the 1,000 companies. Are they related to Umno or to Barisan Nasional politicians? "How many of these companies are based in Sarawak, and who are the shareholders? "Are there Ibans, Bidayuhs, Lun Bawang, Kayans and other natives of Sarawak holding shares in those companies?" asked DAP secretary Chong Chieng Jen. Chong, who is the Kota Sentosa assemblyman, was reacting to the move announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. Najib said that the 30 percent quota had not served its purpose. He said that it instead hampered Bumiputera companies from developing. He said the government would instead adopt a different approach to support Bumiputera companies in order to make them more competitive. What are the criteria? Najib also said the government would help more than 1,000 companies which have been identified through Teraju (Bumiputera Agenda Coordinating Unit) to become bigger and better. Said Chong, who is also Bandar Kuching MP: "The government's move is a small step forward. But we want to know the selection process and the criteria." He said that Najib has been making some major announcements purportedly to reform the whole system in the country. But in terms of impact, it did not truly reform or change the system for the better. Citing the move to repeal the Internal Security Act (ISA) as an example, Chong said: "I see the move by the government towards reform as very insincere. "You only make the announcement to repeal ISA but, on the other hand, you are going to replace it with two new laws. "And those detained under ISA will continue to be detained after the announcement," he said. GST still on the cards Chong also cited the GST (goods and services tax) as yet another example of the government's insincerity. He said it was common knowledge that the GST is a regressive tax policy. "GST taxes people from the lower income group. Previously, they don't have to pay income tax, but with GST the poor people will indirectly pay taxes. "After making the announcement, the government received adverse reactions and opposition from the people. "The government claimed it listened to the opinions of the people and deferred the Bill. "Since the announcement, I have been attending Parliament and still GST is on the order paper. It has never been removed. "The government is just waiting for the right time to implement it, which I believe will be after the general election provided it is given a strong mandate to govern," Chong said.
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| Stocks, commodities fall on euro crisis fears Posted: 28 Sep 2011 02:18 PM PDT (Reuters) - Asian shares and commodities fell today on growing worries that Europe's intractable debt problems will plunge the world into a second global financial crisis. Copper fell three per cent, gold slipped towards US$1,600 (RM4,800) an ounce to stand more than US$300 below its record high earlier this month, and commodities-related stocks such as global miner Rio Tinto were dumped on worries that demand will weaken as the international economy slows. The past week has seen a broad sell-off of commodities, equities and emerging markets bonds and a rally in the dollar that has been reminiscent of the rout surrounding the collapse of Lehman Brothers investment bank three years ago. "It seems periods of optimism are getting shorter and the pessimism is getting longer," said David Land, analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. "This is being driven by the clear realisation that while there are many plans as to how to deal with the Euro situation, the reality of getting agreement will be that much harder." Tokyo's Nikkei share average fell 1 per cent, while MSCI's broadest index of Asia Pacific shares outside Japan dropped 0.8 per cent, with its materials sub-index shedding more than two per cent. S&P 500 index futures were mildly negative, after Wall Street's broad benchmark dropped 2.1 per cent yesterday. "The market situation is still tough, with worries about global growth," said Fujio Ando, senior managing director at Chibagin Asset Management in Tokyo. The latest source of nervousness was a vote in Germany's parliament at 0900 GMT today to approve new powers for the euro zone's €440 billion (RM1.76 trillion) rescue fund. While opposition votes will ensure the bill passes, a big rebellion within Chancellor Angela Merkel's own centre-right coalition could weaken her politically and cloud future policy making at a time when financial markets and other nations are urging euro zone leaders to act boldly and decisively. The euro was a little firmer around US$1.3555, while the dollar rose 0.2 per cent against a basket of currencies. "You would suspect weakness until Germany votes, given that it is the big guy that has to fund it," said Gavin Stacey, head of Australia and New Zealand research at Barclays Capital. "The euro is most likely to continue its trend deterioration until it gets really bad, forcing a resolution to come." Commodities continued to slide, with copper, which is highly sensitive to expectations for global growth, falling to US$7,036.75 a tonne. US crude oil futures fell 0.6 per cent to US$80.70 a barrel and Brent crude lost 0.4 per cent to US$103.37. Gold , which has seen a shift from a negative to a positive correlation with riskier assets over the past week or so as investors seeking safety have turned their back on the metal in favour of the dollar and US Treasuries, fell 0.2 per cent to around US$1,605 an ounce. Japanese government bonds were in demand for their safe haven appeal, with the benchmark 10-year yield falling one basis point to 0.995 per cent following similar moves in Treasuries, where the 10-year yield dipped back below two per cent yesterday. |
| Posted: 28 Sep 2011 10:35 AM PDT Lazy people should be made to bear the consequences of their own doings. Greece is not the only lazy state on this planet. By Tay Tian Yan (MySinchew) The menace that Greece poses to the world today is comparable to the threats of Alexander the Great to conquer the world 2,000 years ago. Alexander the Great launched his tireless assaults across thousands of miles of terrain, much to the fright of the world. Today, the self-destructive Greeks are taking global finance system for a ride, and vows to trample stock markets worldwide. The trumpets heralding an imminent downturn of global proportions chill the bones of many. Two millennia ago, the Greek troops scourged a vast mass of land stretching all the way to India, but the debt crisis of modern-day Greece has a spillover effect that easily wraps up the entire planet. Just as governments across the world are cracking their heads to seek workable solutions to fix Greece's problems, and entrepreneurs and investors lamed under the mounting pressure thanks to the debt crisis of the Mediterranean state, the Greeks respond by holding one after another street parties. Greece's transport workers, civil servants, teachers, etc. take to the street for massive strikes, which are pretty common in that country, some having their dates scheduled all the way to next month. The objective of the demonstrations and strikes is to protest against the government's decision to trim wages, pensions, benefits and subsidies as well as an intention to perk up taxes. The measures adopted by the Greek government have been made to satisfy the demands of IMF and other creditors. Their rationale is straightforward: Greece needs to fix its own house before it can secure foreign assistance. The Greek economy has headed downhill since its admission into the Eurozone club. Nevertheless, the government has remained lavishly generous and its people addicted to all the benefits and enjoyments befitting the people of a developed state. Everyone wants a comfortable life, and the government has to issue bonds to meet their needs so that they can continue with their extravagant lives and the government continues to get a ticket to rule. As such, the government hires a multitude of civil servants. One in ten employed Greeks draws his salary from the national coffers, complete with all the perks. In addition to easy work, they can advance their retirement benefits after they turn 40. In the event they pass away, their children can inherit the annuities. The private sector is just as lucrative. The government continues to fork out medical subsidies, education, food and accommodation bills. You don't need to worry about the taxes, for the enormous underground economy offers a way out for tax evaders through bribes. Over the decades, Greece has evolved into a Lazy Country, where the people are unproductive, the government incapable and the country uncompetitive. When the mountain of debts begins to fall apart and all the prosperity turns into bubbles, the people remain recalcitrant with their good old life. They would rather take to the street than to soberly accept a more simplistic and thrifty lifestyle. They believe they can go on with the good life by holding on to the Euro Big Brother Germany or holding the world for ransom. But, the world has already got sick of Greece. Many economists feel that Greece should be thrown out of the Eurozone, or allowed to go bankrupt. Only utter destruction could give Greece a ray of hope for regeneration. Lazy people should be made to bear the consequences of their own doings. Greece is not the only lazy state on this planet.
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| Hudud held back by lack of consensus Posted: 28 Sep 2011 08:16 AM PDT
Islamic law cannot take place without DAP's agreement, agreed Pakatan leaders tonight. (Free Malaysia Today) - PAS' hudud dreams in Kelantan remained just that today after Pakatan Rakyat agreed that it has to have a consensus among all three partners – PAS, PKR and DAP – for the Islamic law to be implemented. At the same time, the pact also agreed not to stop PAS from raising the hudud issue again. More importantly, Pakatan noted that any implementation of the Islamic law in Kelantan, or even nationwide when Pakatan comes to power, would need a constitutional amendement first in the parliament. "Pakatan respects the PAS initiatives and aspirations (to implement the hudud in Kelantan), but we have to reach a consensus… DAP is opposed to that and PKR and PAS respect that decision," said Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim after a lengthy Pakatan meeting tonight. He said that Pakatan respected PAS' and PKR's support for the implementation of hudud in Kelantan just as it respected DAP's opposition to it. "However (a change to Islamic law) requires a Pakatan Rakyat consensus and an amendment to the (Federal) Constitution, and DAP's position is that they are not supportive of that particular proposal," he told reporters at the PAS party headquarters in Jalan Raja Laut. The meeting, attended by all Pakatan top leaders, started at about 9pm and ended almost after midnight. Anwar was the only leader who spoke at the press conference. The PKR supremo said that Pakatan's leaders acknowledged the existence of the Second Syariah Kelantan Criminal Enactments 1993 and the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Enactments 2003. "Both enactments are already there, but there is a need to refer to Pakatan Rakyat because it involves federal constitution amendments… As it stands, the matter is a non-issue," he said. Anwar said the need for a Pakatan consensus on the matter does not mean PAS will be stopped from talking about implementing hudud laws. "This is not an Umno-controlled Pakatan Rakyat. We respect the right of people to present their case, ask questions and raise the matter… To deny PAS to articulate their position is not fair," he said. Victory for DAP Kelantan menteri besar and PAS spiritual leader Nik Aziz Nik Mat immediately said that the state was ready for hudud laws, a move which was supported by Anwar in his personal capacity. However DAP was opposed to the idea as it claimed that implementation of Islamic laws was not part of Pakatan's common policy framework.
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| Police: No sabotage or terrorism link to Empire Gallery blast Posted: 27 Sep 2011 09:52 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider SUBANG JAYA, Sept 28 — The police have ruled out sabotage and terrorism as being behind this morning's explosion that ripped through Empire Gallery here, confirming the blast was caused by a gas leak that could have been due to negligence. Deputy Selangor CPO Datuk A. Thaiveegan told reporters at the scene that the complex, which comprises a 12-storey office suites tower, five-storey shopping mall, a nine-storey SOHO (small office home office) and a 10-storey hotel, will be closed to the public indefinitely. "Many have called to ask if the incident was caused by sabotage or terrorism. From our early investigations, no proof was found to indicate this. "Meaning, there was no sabotage and no link to terrorism. We regard this as an accident, which could have been caused by negligence," he said. Fire and Rescue Department personnel, police, its forensics unit and the Energy Commission (EC), he said, will press on with investigations to discover what caused the leak. "We know it was a gas leak ... but what caused the blast? There must have been a spark," he said. He also confirmed that the police would be stationed at the mall throughout investigations to prevent any looting from the damaged mall outlets. In the 3.30am incident here, a gas explosion ripped through the mall, causing severe damage to at least five floors. Some 170 hotel guests and 10 SOHO tenants had to be evacuated, while four individuals sustained minor injuries. Hundreds of security and safety personnel, government agency officers, engineers and architects were deployed to monitor the chaotic scene, which had calmed considerably by this afternoon. At press time, the authorities were still inspecting the scene and have yet to allow the mall's management and experts to enter the premises.
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| Indians ‘kingmakers’ in 130 state seats Posted: 27 Sep 2011 06:21 PM PDT
A PKR survey revealed that urban and semi-urban Indians are still partial to the Pakatan Rakyat coalition (Free Malaysia Today) - A PKR leader is of the opinion that the Indian community is still very much aligned to Pakatan Rakyat and will be the kingmakers in 130 state assembly seats. Malacca vice-president G Rajendran said that a recent survey by an independent team indicated that 60 percent of Malaysian Indians, who were mostly from the urban and semi-urban areas, were fed up with the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration. He claimed that the team, which included him, had visited 62 parliamentary constituencies where the respective Indian communities had played a major role in deciding the winning candidates in the historic 2008 general election. "We've been doing the survey for the last six months. The feedback is favouring Pakatan," he told FMT. According to him, Indians will play a pivotal role in the coming general election. "The survey revealed that the outcome of 130 state assembly seats in Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Johor, will be determined by Indian votes," he said. (A parliamentary constituency has three to four state assembly seats.) Rajendran said currently the BN leaders are playing a "psychological war" with the Indian community. They are pitting the Indian community against Pakatan leaders by saying the community is unlikely support the opposition party. "These are utter lies… the Indian voters still have faith in Pakatan. "Pakatan has excellent state governments in Kedah, Kelantan, Penang and Selangor respectively," he added. Rajendran pointed out that only 15% of the Indians are now living in estates and rural areas, based on the survey. "This is the group that MIC is focusing on. They (MIC) are hoping that by sorting out this group's simple needs it is enough to win at the ballot box," he said, adding that this group was still true loyalist to BN. Rajendran, however, believes that despite MIC's forays, the rural Indians are unlikely to turn against Pakatan in the 13th general election, even though the community is facing numerous problems to vote. "Many of the voters have no transport to go to the voting centres. "Some do not have identity cards and others are too complacent or are not interested to vote," he said. He added that that there should not be a comparison between a by-election and a general election, where in the former, the BN can give its full attention to the rural areas where Indian reside. He also said the BN would also have trouble convincing the 20% Indians who lived in urban areas to vote for the ruling regime. "BN cannot 'touch' them (urban Indian) at any cost. "Thus, the remaining 65% of the Indians who live in the semi-urban are now seen as the real threat to both sides," he said.
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| Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:59 PM PDT
Rapper and Nasi Lemak 2.0 director comes out with a scathing YouTube video in response to attacks by Umno-owned Utusan Malaysia (Free Malaysia Today) - In his usual acerbic style, rapper Wee Meng Chee (better known as Namewee) has come out guns a-blazing against Utusan Malaysia for their attacks on him. Through a YouTube video entitled "Namewee F–k Utusan!!!", the Nasi Lemak 2.0 director slammed the Umno-owned newspaper for claiming that he had offended the Malays. "(The role of the) newspaper is to report, report! You are judging people. You don't write to shiok sendiri (please yourself)." "That kind of newspaper runs down Malaysians, runs down the people… You have a pen, you have a keyboard and you're considered a reporter," he belted out sarcastically in Malay, along with a series of expletives. "Trash newspaper! Scum of society! Trash writer!" he added. Wee was responding to an article entitled "Bukan Nasi Lemak 2.0, soalnya Namewee" (It's not Nasi Lemak 2.0, the question is Namewee) by Utusan feature writer Fauziah Arof. Fauziah stressed that she would not watch Wee's Sept 8-released movie even if she was given free tickets. In several volleys against the rapper, she claimed that he had offended Malaysians, especially the country's "Malays and Muslims". The newspaper said it was strange for Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz to receive Wee without taking action against him. Fauziah also claimed that the rapper was given "too much face" and rubbished Wee's support of the 1Malaysia concept. "Who is this Namewee, and what is so special about him?" she asked, adding that she had no problems with local films, and was willing to spend money to watch "Malay films". In his nearly three-minute-long video, Wee did not appear to be amused with Fauziah's words.
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| Sodomy II: Anwar tells PM, wife, to explain meeting with Saiful Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:47 PM PDT
(The Malaysian Insider) - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's defence team insisted today the prime minister and his wife are relevant witnesses for the opposition leader's ongoing Sodomy II trial. In his affidavit-in-reply to Datuk Seri Najib Razak filed today, Anwar said he needed the PM to come to court not to show he was involved in a "conspiracy, but to get clarification" on the latter's meeting with Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan on June 24, 2008, just two days before the alleged sodomy act took place. Anwar raised similar points in a separate affidavit-in-reply to Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, saying he wanted her to explain because she had given a witness statement to the police officer in charge of the ongoing sodomy case, DSP Jude Pereira. The High Court is set to hear tomorrow, Najib's and Rosmah's twin applications to skip the trial, which resumes on October 3. "Datuk Seri Najib has said, 'subpoena, I'll come'," Anwar told reporters at court this afternoon. He repeated he was disappointed the PM was reneging on his word. "They have said they are not relevant witnesses and their evidence is not material to the case," Anwar's lawyer, Sankara Nair said, referring to the PM's and Rosmah's affidavits. "We are saying it is," Sankara added. Both Najib and Rosmah were subpoenaed last month after they refused to take part in closed-door interviews.
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| ‘Anwar’s moles digging Najib’s grave?’ Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:40 PM PDT
An Utusan Malaysia columnist suggests that the opposition leader's loyalists may have infiltrated strategic government bodies to topple Najib. (Free Malaysia Today) - Utusan Malaysia, the daily which is no stranger to controversies, has now claimed that Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim's loyalists may have infiltrated strategic government bodies. And their motive, according to the Umno-owned publication, was to provide the opposition with confidential information to undermine Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. However, columnist Zaini Hassan who wrote the article titled "Musang berbulu ayam dalam badan-badan strategik kerajaan?" (Wolves in sheep's clothing in strategic government bodies?) did not name the agencies involved. He also stated that he was not sure if this was a mere coincidence or a well-crafted plot. But if it was the latter, the writer warned that it was a dangerous situation which could jeopardise the current government. "The information I received shows that it is real and evident," he said. According to Zaini, the information he had obtained revealed that the "enemies within" were feeding the opposition with confidential information pertaining to Najib such as details on the costs of the prime minister's official trips and holidays abroad. The article also suggested that certain strategic bodies now appeared incapable of performing their tasks following the presence of these "elements". Zaini's informant had stated: "I do not wish to provide more examples, but see for yourself how a federal government agency (the name kept confidential) with the important task of defending the policies of the government and to make the public understand (about these policies) so that they would support the prime minister, could absorb and even use the intruments of the opposition working to 'kill' the prime minister." "This is the victory of Anwar Ibrahim, delivered by his strongman in that particular organisation, and (who) is still slowly bringing in (more of) Anwar's people. The applications to bring in new officers are pending with the JPA (Public Service Department) and SPA (Public Service Commission)." On Najib's overseas trips and holidays, the informant had asked how could the opposition obtain such detailed information in an expeditious manner.
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| Pakatan leaders likely to close ranks Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:35 PM PDT
Opposition coalition will most likely reach an accommodating and conciliatory stand to appease Kelantanese and also the larger segments of Malaysians, say analysts. (Free Malaysia Today) - Despite hogging the headlines the last two weeks, the hudud controversy is unlikely to break the opposition coalition but instead will force it to focus on common policies, say political analysts. They were asked to comment on the possible outcome of Pakatan Rakyat's meeting tonight which will be attended by the top brass of the coalition, like PAS president Abul Hadi Awang and DAP chairman Karpal Singh. Political analyst James Chin said that the hudud issue has been lingering since the Islamisation process which former primer Dr Mahathir Mohamad started in the 1980s. "The current controversy is merely a political game which has little impact on the electorate. It's being blown up by the mainstream press in order to break up Pakatan," said Chin. He does not foresee a break-up of Pakatan but rather the controversy will force the coalition to focus on common-ground policies such as the welfare state. Chin said that social justice was part of Islam's message, adding that there would be little compromise on behalf of PAS, the Islamic party in the coalition. The controversy surrounding hudud began when PAS spiritual leader and Kelantan Menteri Besar, Nik Aziz Nik Mat, said that he would want to implement hudud in Kelantan. His call was backed by PKR de facto leader, Anwar Ibrahim, last week. Alarmed, DAP openly criticised PAS over the matter with Karpal vehemently voicing his opposition, saying that Pakatan leaders had agreed to support a secular state. Nik Aziz likened DAP to "a small child who is scared of ghosts", saying that hudud had nothing to do with non-Muslims and thus DAP had no reason to oppose it. This locking-of-horns between two coalition stalwarts, Chin said, was normal as both bigwigs of the coalition were trying to "play to the gallery of their supporters". "Do you expect Karpal to say otherwise? Or do you expect the spiritual leader of an Islamic party to say that he does not support hudud?" asked Chin. When asked if the voters were savvy enough to understand that this was a political game, the Monash University lecturer nodded in the affirmative, saying people knew that matter was an old one and a non-issue. Another political analyst, Abdul Aziz Bari, echoed Chin's sentiments, saying that tonight's meeting will be "conciliatory and accommodating" as there were larger issues to focus on. "Judging by the cordial meetings among the coalition's secretaries-general a few days ago, I think it is going to be conciliatory and accommodating to all. They will appeal to the Kelantanese and to the larger segments of Malaysians," he said.
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| Oct 18 hearing for Anwar’s application on tax payable Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:26 PM PDT
(The Star) - The High Court has set Oct 18 to hear an application by Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to review the taxation imposed in his RM100mil defamation suit against former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Deputy registrar Farah Hana Hashim set the date after meeting Anwar's lawyer S.N. Nair in chambers yesterday. Nair said Dr Mahathir has also filed for a cross review of the taxation amount. "A senior assistant registrar has ordered Anwar to pay RM120,000 to Dr Mahathir (over the suit at the High Court stage). We are disputing the taxation amount," he said. On Jan 27, 2006, Anwar filed the suit against Dr Mahathir for allegedly portraying him as a man with no morals who was dangerous to Malaysian society. The High Court had struck out Anwar's suit with costs on July 4, 2007. On Oct 20, 2009, the Court of Appeal threw out an appeal by Anwar because the memorandum of appeal was not in Bahasa Malaysia. Last year, the Federal Court had dismissed the point of law raised by Anwar's lead counsel Karpal Singh in his leave application to appeal over his RM100mil defamation suit against Dr Mahathir. The point of law raised was whether the grounds of judgments which were written in English, are invalid.
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| Ex-MAS chairman in out-of-court settlement with Malaysian Insider Posted: 27 Sep 2011 04:57 PM PDT
(The Star) - Former Malaysia Airlines executive chairman Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli confirmed on Wednesday to record settlement with The Malaysian Insider in his defamation suit against the online news portal. The terms of settlement will be recorded on Friday before the High Court judge Justice Harmindar Singh Dhaliwal. Tajudin had named the proprietor of The Malaysian Insider Sdn Bhd, The Malaysian Insider chief executive officer/editor Jahabar Sadiq and its reporter Shazwan Mustafa Kamal as defendants in the suit filed on Aug 18. In his lawsuit, Tajudin claimed the defendants had published defamatory words about him on their website in an article titled "MACC clears A-G of graft allegations" on May 31. The words in the article meant that MAS lost RM8bil during his tenure as its executive chairman between 1994 and 2001, he said. In his statement of claim, Tajudin contended that the words also implied that complaints had been lodged against him for the loss and that he was dishonest in his dealings with MAS, saying the words suggested he had abused his position for his own pecuniary advantage and acted unprofessionally. Alternatively, he said, the words also meant that he had perpetrated a fraud on MAS by making secret profits in transactions involving MAS and was guilty of improper conduct and should be subjected to investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). The defendants, he claimed, had replied in a letter dated June 20 that the words were not defamatory and that they had multiple sources to the words, of which some were in public domain. He had earlier sought general damages of at least RM200mil and other relief deemed fit by the court.
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| Can hudud be applied to non-Muslims? Posted: 27 Sep 2011 02:44 PM PDT (FMT) - SUNGAI PETANI: The debate on hudud took a new twist with a Kita MP saying it can be applied to non-Muslims. Nibong Tebal MP Tan Tee Beng said Kita president Zaid Ibrahim told him recently that non-Muslims can be subjected to the same punishment under the hudud criminal code enactments. Tan said that currently the Syariah (Islamic) laws being practised in Malaysia are on civil and family legislation, which mostly governs individual Muslim family matters. It manages family laws such as marriages, divorce settlements, custody of children, family will, properties disbursement, family disputes – all mainly personal or private legal issues. However, hudud is defined as a set of public punishments to mete out justice to the various types of crimes committed. This falls under the realm of public domain, meaning that everybody, regardless if they are Muslims or non-Muslims, can be subjected to hudud if they are found guilty of committing a crime. The Federal Constitution must be amended to accommodate facets of hudud criminal code in it, Tan said. 'I Was Shocked' For now, he added that the matter is polemic as hudud can only be adopted if the Federal Constitution is amended. It can be passed by certain states, which see a need for it but it cannot be applied unless the Federal Constitution is amended, Tan said. "I was shocked when I was informed that hudud can be applied to non-Muslims. I think Pakatan Rakyat is not telling the whole truth. It has resorted to half-truths."
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| Najib gets a drubbing over ‘Community Chest’ Posted: 27 Sep 2011 02:38 PM PDT By Tarani Palani, FMT PETALING JAYA: Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has received a drubbing for claiming credit for the private sector initiative to provide funds for vernacular and mission schools. DAP leader and Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said: "He has no right to boast because the funds are from the private sector. He should not mislead the public into thinking that it was provided by the government or Barisan Nasional". On Monday, Najib announced that a minimum of RM100 million of gambling profits would be channelled to these schools annually through a fund called 'Community Chest'. It will be funded primarily by the profits of gaming company Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd, returns from its investments and public donations. Kok also took Najib to task over his statement that NGOs and government linked parties will have a say in how the funds will be allocated. "Najib said, 'the funds will be distributed in close consultation with the government… parties like MCA, Gerakan and MIC as well as NGOs… to ensure that it will be distributed fairly'. "The message he seems to be sending is, "if you support MCA, Gerakan, MIC and BN-affiliated NGOs, I will reward your school with education funds" "It is much the same message as his infamous "You help me, I help you," speech during the Sibu by-election," said Kok in a statement. Staying apolitical Vernacular schools have complained about unequal treatment from the government and Kok said Najib's attempts at associating himself with the funds will not deceive the public.
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| Explosion rips through Empire Gallery, four hurt Posted: 27 Sep 2011 02:08 PM PDT By Debra Chong & Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider SUBANG JAYA, Sept 28 — Four people were hurt in an early morning explosion at the Empire Gallery shopping mall here, which was heard from as far away as Bangsar. Eyewitnesses described a scene of chaos, with police, ambulances and the fire brigade still on the scene. Police tracker dogs were also present, as were Fire and Rescue Department personnel from stations across Subang Jaya, Shah Alam, Damansara and Puchong to investigate the incident. Subang Jaya OCPD ACP Zainal Rashid Abu Bakar told reporters at the scene that the blast was believed to have started in the basement and involved a gas pipeline. "We have yet to determine the cause of the blast but damage is extensive, affecting the parking lot and many outlets on the basement level and even the ground floor," he said. "Our forensics team is still investigating. We have not been able to enter certain parts of the mall . . . the damage is too bad and the areas are sealed off." He confirmed that a distress call was received at 3.45am concerning the explosion at the mall, which is at the entrance of Subang Jaya from the Federal Highway. Zainal Rashid said four people were injured — two Nepalese security guards and a couple. They received minor scrapes and bruises. Rescue workers are still combing the basement in search of more victims. The security guards, who were initially trapped in the basement, have been sent to hospital. The couple, sales executives Daryl Chua, 27, and his girlfriend Hibbie Tan, 23, were taken to hospital in an ambulance but have since been discharged. Nearly the entire stretch of the front portion of the newly-built mall was blown out, damaging a number of cafes, restaurants and clothing stores including Tangs and Starbucks Coffee.Chua told reporters that he was walking with his girlfriend to an parking payment station a few steps from Starbucks when the explosion occurred about 3.30am. "We were at La Bodega earlier for dinner and then we were just hanging out outside my car and talking," he said. "Just as we were heading to the Autopay, there was a loud 'boom', like in the movies. I thought it was a bomb." Chua said he was "literally lifted off the ground" and thrown sideways several metres from the blast, lightly grazing both his arms. The sound of breaking glass, falling debris and metal, and sirens broke the earlier silence, he said, leaving him in a momentary state of confusion and panic. "And then the flames came up. It was all over, the entire front of the mall was razed. I thought I was going to die," he said. When the scene calmed slightly, Chua said he carried Tan, who had sprained her leg, to safety and noticed passers-by and nearby residents rushing to the scene. His car, a black Volkswagen Golf GTI, was severely damaged.
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| PM: Break away from Bumi quotas Posted: 27 Sep 2011 11:30 AM PDT (Bernama) Datuk Seri Najib Tun Abdul Razak said today that there was a need to "run away" from quotas for Bumiputeras but they must continue to be supported to grow. "You must run, go away from quotas. But you must support them (Bumiputeras) in a way that will allow them to grow from small and medium enterprises to get bigger and to become even regional champions," he said at a question and answer session at the Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2011 here. He feared that "if you give them quotas, they will rest on their laurels and eventually will not gain the expertise to manage businesses." Najib said that one past criticism he had of the quota system was that the right kind of people was not being promoted. The affirmative action must now be based more on meritocracy. Najib alluded to the Bumiputera Agenda Coordinating Unit in the Prime Minister's Department which had identified more than 1,000 companies that would be assisted to grow. Stressing that the government was serious about carrying out reforms, he said: "This coming Parliament session, you will see a slew of new legislation or actions." |
| Suspected teenage robber shot dead in Taman Tun Dr Ismail Posted: 27 Sep 2011 11:28 AM PDT (TMI) The suspects were distracted with picking up the items, giving the police officer time to draw his weapon and fire three times at his assailants. A senior police officer shot dead a 19-year-old, one of the six men who allegedly were attempting to rob him in Taman Tun Dr Ismail here, last night, Bernama Online reported.During the 9.45pm incident, the superintendent of police who had returned from dinner, parked at his residence and was about to leave his car when he a group of men with parang accosted him. He fled leaving some valuable items, according to City police CID chief Datuk Ku Chin Wah. The suspects were distracted with picking up the items, giving the police officer time to draw his weapon and fire three times at his assailants. Ku was recounting the events at the crime scene to reporters. The incident at Lorong Burhanuddin Helmi 6 ended the life of a 19-year-old youth, while rest escaped in their motorcycles. The body has been sent to Kuala Lumpur Hospital while police have launched a manhunt for the five other men.
Read more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/suspected-shot-dead-in-taman-tun-dr-ismail/ |
| Pakatan practising hypocrisy, says Chua Posted: 27 Sep 2011 11:26 AM PDT (Free Malaysia Today) MCA launches fresh attacks on Pakatan for the latter's action to put a lid on the hudud controversy. KUALA LUMPUR: Pakatan Rakyat's gag order on the hudud debate drew instant flak from MCA which described the instruction as proof of the bloc's blatant hypocrisy. Its president Dr Chua Soi Lek said the opposition had "conveniently" tried to conceal its weakness by gagging its leaders from openly discussing the prickly issue that has reignited past hostility between PAS and the DAP. "It is their right (to issue the gag order) but every time they (Pakatan) have problems, they resort to using gag orders while preaching greater democracy, transparency, accountability and openness," he told reporters at the party's headquarters here. Chua, a former health minister, pointed out that Pakatan state leaders in Selangor had issued a gag order following a controversial raid by the state's Islamic Affairs Department (JAIS) on a church in Damansara recently, adding that going mute on the issue has not solved the debacle. "The issue is still unresolved. Until now we don't know if there was actually an attempt to convert Muslims to Christians," he said. The raid triggered animosity and heightened tension between Muslims and Christians amid efforts by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to improve relations by forging diplomatic ties with the Vatican last month. But while the issue slowly took a back seat, Kelatan Menteri Besar Nik Aziz Nik Mat gave non-Muslim the shivers when he said his party plans to implement hudud in the east coast state. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/09/27/pakatan-hiding-its-weaknesses-says-chua/
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