Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- RM250 Million From Govt A Loan, Not Grant - NFC
- Zahid not in Russia to sign arms deal
- Keep it simple and indelible
- Ling trial: 12 Ministers to be called in defence
- Solar bibles: Hasan Ali insulting Muslims, says Asri
- RM70k rental for cattle condo ‘unbelievable’, say property gurus
- Freedom of faith for Malaysian Malays
- UK’s Ofcom Launches Investigation
- Rights and liberties
- WIKILEAKS: SCENESETTER FOR ADMIRAL ANWAR'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON
- Hudud mampu cegah murtad
- IGP says no report from MACC on cattle condo scandal
- Obama tells Asia, US ‘here to stay’
- Hasan Ali: Muslims being converted by solar-powered talking bible
- Cows: The perennial Malaysian newsmaker
- Malays feel Penang under Chinese rule, survey shows
- Ad with Pope kIssing Imam pulled
- Bloody clashes looming over land grabs
- SCORE will turn Sarawak into another Sabah
- SABM's Dinner Lecture No 7 - Tony Pua: Our National Debt – Will Malaysia Be the Next Greece?
- ‘Clandestine secret society’ operating govt businesses
- Evidence in ‘MACC robbers’ case missing
- BN lebih bertanggungjawab berbanding Pakatan
- Has Koh rung the death knell for Gerakan?
- Konvoi ‘Titian Kasih ke Memali’
- ‘M’sia has trade relations with Israel’
- Yasmin Ahmad’s visual marijuana
- ‘Don’t politicise Tawau ISA arrests’
- The Real Heroes in the KR1M Exposé
- Corporation paid RM26,400 to Shahrizat, says PKR
- Gerakan boss ‘forced’ out by Umno
- Koh to stay out of GE-13
| RM250 Million From Govt A Loan, Not Grant - NFC Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:59 AM PST (Bernama) - GEMAS -- The National Feedlot Corporation(NFC) obtained a loan of RM250 million from the government and it is not a grant, said its . executive chairman, Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail. He said the loan must be repaid as any commercial loan, albeit certain concessions given. The RM250 million, at an interest rate of two per cent, was repayable commencing on the third year of full disbursement of the said loan and upon completion of the construction of an export quality abattoir, he said. "Currently the loan has not been fully disbursed to the NFC. There is RM69 million of the remaining loan to be utilised," he told a press conference to address allegations by PKR on the NFC's performance here, yesterday. Mohammad Salleh said the loan was placed in Special Loans Account but a drawdown process was required before funds could be utilised by the NFC. On the allegation that the Meatworks chain of restaurants received special discount amounting to RM2.9 million in 2009, Mohammad Salleh said the same discount was received by all 70 customers it had during that time. Creating Meatworks as a brand name in selling quality meat had enabled NFC to penetrate into an already tightly managed and controlled market, Mohammad Salleh said. "People cannot believe that Malaysia can produce good quality premium meat," he added. On the higher price of NFC cattle compared to cows purchased in Malaysia, Mohammad Salleh said the NFC cows usually weighed 70-100 per cent more than local cows. Mohammad Salleh said NFC now had 150 client companies and a few of its biggest clients were Jusco, Giant and Cold Storage. NFC supplied 46 per cent of its meat to wet markets, 20 per cent to hypermarkets, 22 per cent went to processing meat for burgers and patties and only 11 per cent to hotels, restaurants and catering companies, he said. He said in the three years since its inception, NFC had managed to develop infrastructure such as feedlot, abattoir, feedstore and cold rooms. Next year, he said NFC would embark on contract farming. "We have already broken-even and expect to register a profit," he added. |
| Zahid not in Russia to sign arms deal Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:58 AM PST (The Sun) - An aide to Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has denied claims that he was in Russia to sign a deal to purchase fighter jets. His media director Kol Fadzlette Othman Merican told theSun in a text message yesterday that Zahid was invited to visit Russia by its government. "It's a long overdue visit. He was not there to sign any deal," she said. Fadzlette declined to state if any negotiations took place during the visit. It is believed that this was Zahid's first visit to Russia since being defence minister. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti had created a stir when it reported that Zahid might sign a contract to buy 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters during the visit. Zahid had recently been reported as saying that plans to purchase 18 new multi-role combat aircraft for the Royal Malaysian Air Force had been postponed due to the lack of funds. The Russian news agency cited a report in the Izvestia daily which said that Malaysian had plans to buy 18 fighters fit to carry the Russian-Indian Brahmos supersonic cruise missiles. The paper, citing miitary sources, reported that Zahid would visit the Irkut aviation plant, producing Su-30MKI fighters. Izvestia reported one such aircraft would cost Malaysia about US$50 million (RM150 million). The minister "may sign a contract to buy 18 Su-30MKM multirole fighters," the paper said. The paper had said that Zahid also plans to discuss installing new missiles, including the BrahMos, on the 18 MKM fighters that Malaysia received under the US$900 million (RM270 million) contract signed in 2003. |
| Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:55 AM PST By Azmi Sharom, The Star Why must the use of indelible ink need a constitutional amendment? If you have the right to vote under Article 119 and as long as that right is not taken away from you, there should be no problem. I HAVE always advocated respect for the Constitution and constitutionalism. I had no idea that the Attorney-General was of the same mindset. |
| Ling trial: 12 Ministers to be called in defence Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:48 AM PST By S Tamarai Chelvi, The Sun The defence in former Transport Minister Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik's cheating trial intends to call a dozen former and present cabinet ministers, including prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak and his two predecessors: Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. Ling's lawyer Wong Kian Kheong said this after the prosecution closed its case after the 25th witness, Investigating Officer Supt R Rajagopal completed his testimony at the High Court today. Senior DPP Tun Majid Tun Hamzah closed the prosecution case and offered 113 prosecution witnesses to the defence team. "We will make them available upon request," said Tun Majid. At this point, Wong said the defence will be calling Najib, Mahathir, Abdullah, Tan Sri Bernard Dompok, Tan Sri Musa Mohamed, Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Zainal Abidin, Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, Tan Sri Leo Moggie, Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid, Datuk Seri Utama Rais Yatim, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and Tun Dr Lim Keng Yaik. At this point, the judge Datuk Ahmadi Asnawi asked: "You are calling almost all the cabinet ministers?", causing those seated at the public gallery to break out into laughter. Wong explained that the charge stated that Ling cheated the cabinet and asked the court for more time to obtain instruction from Ling on other witnesses. Wong said the defence is calling cabinet members who were present at a meeting chaired by Najib, who was then Deputy Prime Minister on June 27, 2007. The meeting gave retrospective approval for the Port Klang Free Zone project development cost to balloon from RM1.08 billion to RM4.6 billion in 2007. Several other ministers who Wong intends to call were in the cabinet in 2002. Also on the list of intended witnesses is Tan Sri Ali Abul Hassan Sulaiman, who was special economic adviser for Mahathir during the period. Judge Ahmadi then fixed Dec 12 and 13 for both parties to submit at the end of the prosecution case. He also said the parties can prepare written submissions to highlight important points. Ling, 68, is charged with cheating the government by not disclosing to the Cabinet an additional interest rate of 7.5 percent per annum on the purchase price of the land for the PKFZ project, which had been fixed at RM1,088,456,000 by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH) based on RM25 per sq ft inclusive of the coupon/interest rate. He also faces two alternative charges, of cheating and intentionally omitting from the Cabinet that the 7.5 percent per annum was an additional interest rate on the land price. The offences were allegedly committed at the fourth floor of the Prime Minister's Office, Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya, between Sept 25 and Nov 6, 2002. |
| Solar bibles: Hasan Ali insulting Muslims, says Asri Posted: 17 Nov 2011 10:46 AM PST By G Manimaran, The Malaysian Insider Islamic scholar Dr Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin sniped at Selangor PAS leader Datuk Dr Hasan Ali today for "insulting Muslims" by claiming they would be influenced by Christians using high-tech devices to proselytise to them. "It is an insult to Muslims and the Islamic faith. As if Muslims who listen to Bible readings would eventually be swayed.
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| RM70k rental for cattle condo ‘unbelievable’, say property gurus Posted: 17 Nov 2011 09:29 AM PST By Lee Wai Lian, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 18 — The reported RM70,000 in monthly rental for not one but two condominiums owned by the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) has property consultants and real estate agents shaking their heads in disbelief. The experts say that the highest rental that can be expected for even the penthouse at Bangsar's One Menerung condominium is about RM24,000 per month. They also point out that even if the tenants were renting the biggest condominium unit at One Menerung, which is between 6,000-7,000 square feet, the tenants would be paying least RM10 per sq ft, which is double or more the rate at KLCC's Binjai On The Park, currently KL's most expensive condominium address. The NFC also said yesterday that the rental yield for the two condominiums had hit 12.9 per cent, which is far in excess of the industry benchmark of three per cent or less. "Who is the tenant?" asked one veteran property consultant. "It is unbelievable. To get RM70,000 for a condominium is unheard of. Usually when renters pay more than RM15,000 they expect to get a whole luxury bungalow." He pointed out that multinationals were very unlikely to have such a huge budget for rent and wealthy Arab businessmen would prefer to buy their own place rather than rent. Real estate agents for One Menerung contacted by The Malaysian Insider said that it was "not possible" to get RM70,000 in monthly rent and that it would be difficult to find anyone willing to pay even RM4 a sq ft. Figures from a valuation report on One Menerung obtained by The Malaysian Insider pegged rents for the penthouse at about RM24,000 and between RM14,000 and RM17,000 for the smaller units below 5,000 sq ft. "Nobody would pay RM70,000 for a condo," said one valuer. NFC executive chairman Datuk Mohamad Salleh Ismail reportedly said at a press conference yesterday that it bought two condominiums at RM6.9 million and rented them out at RM70,000 a month, giving a yield of some 12.9 per cent. The size of the purchased units was not reported.
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| Freedom of faith for Malaysian Malays Posted: 17 Nov 2011 05:16 AM PST NEW MANDALA Although Joshua Woo Sze Zeng's "Apostasy in Malaysia: The Hidden View," has showcased the scholarship of some renowned Muslim scholars and leaders, their perspective continues to be "hidden" to the majority Malaysians, Muslims and non-Muslims. Joshua Woo raised an important question, "Why do Muslim politicians tell us only one perspective?" Why indeed does the Malaysian government not strive to educate 1Malaysia, especially Malaysian Muslims, with progressive Islamic teachings that could promote not only faith and action, but also reason? Can't Malays voluntarily give all – heart, hands, and head – to God? They can, and should be empowered to do so. Obviously, when Tun Ahmad Badawi launched his vision of "Civilizational Islam," the Malaysian government was partially convinced that progressive Islam could help the nation flourish. Now it would be to Malaysia's advantage to further synchronize the classical and modernist Islamic teachings as ethically relevant in daily social life. Such a movement need not be de-Islamising but instead may foster a renaissance for Islam. Ignorance about what does and does not constitute Islam is hindering Malaysia's goal of becoming a fully developed nation by 2020. What are the criteria that a majority Muslim country must have in order to be a developed world player? Tariq Ramadan of Oxford University, one of the most prominent Muslim scholars in this century, wrote in Globalisation Muslim Resistance:
These are values that Malaysia can offer on the world stage, but the effort must first begin within our own homeland. The current conflict about apostasy and proselytising, among other faith and cultural issues, must be urgently and purposefully addressed in a way that is consistent with the ethos of 1Malaysia, which insists that all citizens must be treated equally and with justice. In other words, we must move away from Malaysia's previously ethnocentric model towards a more religio and ethno-relative nation. As society matures through discourse and debate on difficult issues, it will become more aware and more concerned about the impartiality and injustice of the laws relating to matters of faith, particularly in the harsh treatment of those deemed apostates. Meanwhile, the voices and writings of critical thinkers, grass roots activists and leaders are evidence of an increasing demand for nuance in conversation. 1Malaysia's spirit of solidarity is modeled in the support of key change agents who, regardless of their ethnics and faiths background, stay united in the midst of resolving contentious issues; clearly, a hermeneutic change is on its way, and no government can avoid the momentum of this change. In general, the response to converts is articulated on three levels: the grass roots movements; the federal and state governments; and the scholars and strategic thinkers. Although this description is simple and does not represent voices of all citizens, it covers the voices of the majority of the population and key players and provides a reasonable starting point. Thus far, confusion and distress have arisen from a lack of experience and humility in handling this issue, the failure of current framework to allow "hidden" information to trickle down, and poor leadership in thriving towards reasoned and harmonious responses on apostasy. It also causes the Malaysian non-Muslims (40 percent), especially the converts from Islam – who love the country and contribute tremendously to its growth – feel that they live in an "unsafe" environment. This "fear for own safety" is surely one of the contributing factors towards Malaysia's brain drain problem. In tackling this issue systematically – all three groups need to move towards the same direction while sufficient space and time are graciously allocated for each to rub against each other until tension is eased. The foremost step is to "intentionally" draw insights on what is right according to Malaysia context in order to synchronize progress. Then, to study the current situation of each group, what went right and wrong, prior to developing proper and standard procedures and remedying what went wrong. At the grass roots level, "Christianophobia" for example, can be mitigated through agreed-upon standard of dialogue discussing pressing issues, e.g. the etymologies and definitions of proselytizing, da'wa, and evangelism; differences, and boundaries. Dr. Rick Love in his paper "Ethics of Da'wa and Evangelism – Respecting the Other and Freedom in Religion" presented two principles derived from his discussion with nine Egyptian Sheikhs and two Syrian muftis: first – da'wa and evangelism should focus on a positive presentation of what one believes, not on negative attacks on the other's faith; second – converts should not be held as public "trophies" to humiliate the other faith community. Instead of harsh condemnation such as what was spoken against the Evangelical Christians during HIMPUN, these are some constructive points that Muslims' NGOs could have proposed to help Christians understand Muslims' expectation on evangelism, and vice versa. Similarly, mutually respecting dialogue can be developed with the adherents of other faith traditions. Dialoguing with love with "others" is indeed a fundamental and common value among mankind, as advocated by the World Interfaith Harmony's motto: "loving God, loving neighbours, and loving good."
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| UK’s Ofcom Launches Investigation Posted: 16 Nov 2011 09:14 PM PST SARAWAK REPORT The UK media regulator, Ofcom, has now announced that it too will launch an investigation into the activities of FBC Media and its association with the Malaysian Government, Sarawak and other regimes with public profile problems. The announcement comes at the same time as confirmation by the British Foreign Office that it has launched a money laundering investigation into Taib's assets in the UK. Ofcom not only has responsibility for BBC World, which has already just published its own report into the scandal, it also supervises the American owned stations CNBC and CNN's activities in Europe, which are both deeply embroiled in questions surrounding FBC's global news fixing scandal (see our previous coverage). The UK's Independent Newspaper has now taken a leading role in investigating the issue, which represents a level of corruption in the broadcast media on a parallel with the scandal surrounding phone hacking by certain print media. Today they reported on the revelations about the US economist Jeffrey Sachs. The Independent has also revealed that FBC was making BBC programmes praising President Mubarak during the height of the 'Arab Spring' rebellion against him in Egypt. The same programme took the opportunity to attack Malaysia's PKR opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as a supposed Muslim 'extremist' backing the popular revolt against the Egyptian dictator. Both Mubarak and Najib have now of course been exposed as secret clients of FBC. Meanwhile, the deposed Mubarak's vast assets of millions of dollars stolen from his people have now been frozen in bank accounts throughout the world. The story was also taken up today by the UK's biggest circulation newspaper the Daily Mail and also by the Guardian newspaper.
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| Posted: 16 Nov 2011 08:05 PM PST Yes, many of you were probably wondering why of late the tone of my articles have been different. Why don't I write about corruption and the sexual misconduct of government leaders like I used to? Well, there is a time for that and there is a time to talk about a coherent opposition if we seriously want to see a change of government. And now is the time to talk about a coherent opposition so that we can realise our dreams of seeing a change of government. NO HOLDS BARRED Raja Petra Kamarudin
What do you understand regarding rights and liberties? I know each of us has a different understanding of rights and liberties and many are still grappling with the issue and are trying to come to terms with what are rights and liberties and what are actually the reverse of this. If, for instance, your neighbour breaks into your home with a gang of four, robs you, gang-rapes your wife and forces you and all your children to watch, and then murders your entire family, would this not also be considered his right and liberty? I mean, in his mind and that of his gang, you are an enemy (because, although you are a Malaysian-born Chinese, you have an American citizenship) and your country, the United States, has just attacked a Muslim country and the mullahs of that country have issued a fatwah that spilling American blood is halal (kosher). So, all they are doing is to uphold their religious beliefs and since Malaysia has declared itself an Islamic country then the needs of Islam comes first. We, of course, have to now talk about morality and the laws of the land. No doubt, the hypothetical scenario above makes absolute sense from the jihadist point of view. But then we need to also take into consideration the issue of morality and the laws of the land. Morally, it is wrong to rob, rape and murder, never mind what your religious beliefs may be and never mind what you may perceive as the religiously-correct thing to do. These are universally accepted moral values and which must override religious considerations. But then what if you strongly believe that religion must instead override universal moral values and not vice versa? Don't you have a right to practice your religious beliefs even though they may violate universally accepted moral values? This is a debate that has split the religionists and the moralists since time immemorial and was why the term 'moral relativism' was coined. Moral relativism is basically the concept of morals being relative -- relative to time, region, norms of that particular society, religious values, and so on. For example, hundreds of years ago, baptising pagan babies and then bashing their heads against a rock to send them straight to heaven was morally correct. Even the Pope thought it was a great way to save the souls of pagan babies: meaning, doing them a great favour. Okay, now we come to the laws of the land. What if the laws of the land say that you have freedom of choice? Does this freedom of choice extend to all and sundry or are certain things excluded? For example, when there is a contradiction between the laws of the land and religious laws, which overrides which? And what happens when the third factor, moral values, contradicts both the laws of the land as well as religious laws? Which of the three would apply? As you can see, this is not an easy problem to solve. We have moral values, religious values, and the laws of the land. And sometimes not all three are on the same page. So what values do we adopt? Do we use our conscience as our guide (moral values)? Do we look to God for the answer (religious values)? Or do we become law-abiding citizens (follow the laws of the land)? The laws of the land are not always morally or religiously correct. For example, detention without trial is legal in Malaysia. That is a law passed by Parliament. So what's wrong if the government detains you without trial on mere suspicion that you may (or may not) have done something wrong or, even if you have not done anything wrong yet, you may (or may not) be planning to do something wrong in the future (and the ISA is a preventive law so it is legally correct to detain you on mere suspicion that you may or may not be planning to do something wrong in future). Okay, we can argue that both moral and religious values are opposed to detention without trial as well as preventive detention. We don't care what the law says. Anyway, the law is an ass, as the saying goes. So we must oppose the ISA on grounds that it is both morally and religiously wrong. But would this not make you an immoral person? You have no respect for the law that has been passed by Parliament. And Parliament has the power to pass laws. And the party that wins the majority seats in an election gets to form the government and decides its policies. And, since the voters have given the mandate to the government, are you not morally wrong in not respecting the wishes of the voters? In short, it is morally wrong for you to oppose the government that does things through the proper legal process when they have received the mandate from the voters to do so, even if what the government does is wrong. Can you, the minority, oppose the will of the majority? If the answer is 'yes', then democracy is morally and religiously wrong? But is it? So, there are two contradicting moral values here. One is your interpretation of what is moral based on universal moral values, or based on religious values, and the other is the moral value regarding the legitimate right of the government to pass laws (even bad laws) in Parliament. So, whose moral values take precedence: your morals values or the moral values of the voters who gave the government the mandate to pass bad laws in Parliament? Not an easy puzzle to figure out, is it? And this is why we face difficulties in galvanising a coherent opposition front. Some of us look at things from the point of view of universal moral values. Some apply religious values. And some respect the laws of the land (if not the country would suffer anarchy and mob rule) even if those laws are draconian and repressive until such a time when Parliament repeals those laws though the proper legal process. I apply universal moral values even if my values may oppose religious values or the laws of the land. This may make me a bad Muslim (heretic, apostate, etc.) or an anarchist (who does not respect the law of the land). So be it. If it is wrong from the universal moral value point of view then I will oppose if even if religion or the law of the land endorses it. And I strongly believe that the opposition front, too, has to agree on and adopt universal moral values as its platform for reforms. If not we will never see a coherent opposition front. Are the opposition leaders brave enough to do this? If they are not then the opposition will always remain the opposition and will never get to form the federal government. That is the long and short of it all. The opposition will never win the confidence of the voters if each of the parties in the opposition front speaks on different pages. They must all speak on the same page. Yes, many of you were probably wondering why of late the tone of my articles have been different. Why don't I write about corruption and the sexual misconduct of government leaders like I used to? Well, there is a time for that and there is a time to talk about a coherent opposition if we seriously want to see a change of government. And now is the time to talk about a coherent opposition so that we can realise our dreams of seeing a change of government. And are you, the readers of Malaysia Today, also ready to talk about this? Or are you only interested in reading articles about the sleaze of those who walk in the corridors of power? I can do that as well but rest assured that that is not going to help see a change in government or else it would have happened back in March 2008.
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| WIKILEAKS: SCENESETTER FOR ADMIRAL ANWAR'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON Posted: 16 Nov 2011 06:12 PM PST
Another of many subjects on which Mahathir has criticized Abdullah is the growing mil-mil cooperation between the United States and Malaysia, particularly with regard to the greater frequency of high-visibility ship visits. We have been pleased by the overwhelmingly positive media coverage our ship visits have received, in contrast to the quiet arrivals of past years. The flip side to this is that our visits are getting increased attention from ideological foes on the Islamic right, and from Mahahtir's opportunistic criticism. Deputy Prime Minister Najib has stoutly defended our cooperation before Parliament, and we do not see that our engagement is under threat. However, we do need to be cognizant of our increased military visibility and sensitive to GOM concerns, particularly with high tensions in the Middle East. THE CORRIDORS OF POWER Raja Petra Kamarudin
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission David B. Shear for reasons 1.4 b and d. 1. (C) Admiral Mohd Anwar Mohd Nor, Chief of Malaysian Defense Forces, will visit the U.S. from September 30 -October 12. Admiral Anwar's visit provides us with an excellent opportunity to strengthen our efforts for mil-mil cooperation, influence Malaysia's military equipment acquisitions and strengthen our overall ties with a moderate Muslim nation and economic force in Southeast Asia. 2. (C) Malaysia has been a difficult partner in the past. Malaysians nurse strong anti-colonial sentiments and (among the Malay majority) resentment over perceived ill treatment of Islam by the West. Former Prime Minister Mahathir played on these sentiments to generate political support for himself and his ambitious economic agenda. When he relinquished his post in 2003, he left behind a new economic power but also strained relations with much of the West. Today, however, Malaysia presents us with important transformational opportunities. In terms of its economic development, educational achievement, public welfare, and political stability, Malaysia stands out among Muslim-majority nations. The Malaysians project a moderate version of Islam, and, over the longer term, could lend additional support to democratic forces in the Middle East and Iraq. We also share strong common East Asian regional interests in stability and prosperity. Malaysian counter-terrorism cooperation is indispensable in defeating Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the region. Malaysia's economy is one of the most open, diverse and well-developed economies in the Islamic world and in ASEAN. Malaysia is our tenth largest trading partner, and economic ties could strengthen further if ongoing free trade agreement talks succeed. Malaysia's Moderate Islam 3. (C) Malaysia, with its entrenched majority coalition, is hardly an ideal democracy, but it can still serve as a useful model for evolving Islamic societies elsewhere. The Malay people, long known for their tolerance, have become more conservative in recent years, but Prime Minister Abdullah has enshrined the Malay political elite's continued preference for moderation in his "Islam Hadhari" or "Civilizational Islam" policy. Abdullah's key message is that Islam can become a leading world civilization again only if it embraces economic development, education, innovation and tolerance. Malaysian Foreign Policy and US--A Mixed Bag 4. (S) Abdullah champions his vision--albeit with limited impact to date--within the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which Malaysia currently chairs. Malaysia supports Abbas, the Palestinian Authority, the MEPP roadmap, and Iraqi reconstruction. However, the Malaysian public remains highly critical of our Middle East policies, and the GOM is consistently critical of Israel, with which it has no diplomatic relations. As chairman of the OIC, Malaysia recently volunteered 1,000 troops to participate in UNIFIL. After more than a month of lobbying, and apparently without the consent of Israel, UN SYG Annan agreed to allow Malaysia to send a force of 376 soldiers to support UNIFIL. At the time of this writing, it is unclear how this issue will be resolved. 5. (S) In early September, Malaysia surrendered the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement, and as past chair remains a member of the leadership troika. During Malaysia's tenure it championed policies which supported the NAM stance on the Iranian nuclear program, and engaged, often on overly friendly terms, with such problematic international players as Zimbabwe, Cuba and Venezuela. Abdullah hosted Hugo Chavez for a visit to Malaysia in August, and assured Venezuela of his support for election to the Latin American chair on the UN Security Council. 6. (C) As last year's ASEAN Chairman, Malaysia took great pride in hosting the first East Asia Summit last December. This summer Malaysia hosted the ASEAN Regional Forum and Ministerial Conference, attended by Secretary Rice and among others, LTG Frazier of the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The GOM backs the six-party DPRK nuclear talks and has criticized North Korea's truculence. The Malaysian government is publicly supportive of China's "peaceful rise", welcoming in particular China's growing imports of Malaysian products, despite lingering suspicions among some officials of China's long-term intentions. 7. (C) In Southeast Asia, Malaysia has played an important and constructive role. In August Malaysia completed its peacekeeping mission to East Timor following the armed uprising that led to deployment of Australian, Malaysian and Portuguese forces. The GOM has also taken the lead in the southern Philippines peace process, hosting negotiations and contributing observers to the International Monitoring Team in the southern Philippine. The Malaysians have urged the Thai government to resolve peacefully the unrest in Southern Thailand and are hopeful that the new junta will take a more conciliatory role in calming their northern border. Malaysia's recent success initiating regional aerial monitoring of the Straits of Malacca (the "Eyes in the Sky" program), has helped reduce piracy in the Straits. Malaysia is especially chagrined by Burma's intransigence because it championed Burma's entry into ASEAN. Having publicly criticized the Burmese regime, though, FM Hamid appears to be at a loss as to what to do next. Since the ASEAN Regional Forum, Malaysia has generally taken a hands-off approach. Bilateral Ties--Improving the Substance 8. (S) In our bilateral relations, the GOM has begun matching improvements in tone with improvements in substance. PM Abdullah has openly espoused improved relations with the U.S., and values the good rapport he established in his meetings with the President. In late May, A/S Hill conducted our first-ever Senior-Level Dialogue with Foreign Ministry Secretary General Rastam. In July, Secretary Rice also met with PM Abdullah, FM Hamid, and most recently, President Bush met with PM Abdullah on the sidelines of the UNGA in September. Last year the GOM acceded to our long-standing urging and signed the IAEA Additional Protocol; the Malaysians have also recently started sending observers to recent PSI exercises; and the GOM is preparing to implement an export control regime. An opening round in the FTA talks in June went well, but the second round in Washington in July was not nearly as successful. The third round has been postponed, and we are waiting for more positive overtures from the newly installed Secretary General for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. It remains unclear if the two parties can meet the negotiation deadlines and agree to an FTA. 9. (C) Although they keep the details closely held, the GOM has been a key regional partner on counterterrorism. Early round-ups in 2001-2002 of scores of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) suspects helped ensure there have been no terrorist attacks here. However, Malaysian extremists, as illustrated by a series of recent arrests in Malaysia's Borneo states, still have the capability to support JI operations elsewhere. We and our colleagues in Manila, Jakarta and other Southeast Asian posts have embarked on a regional effort to strengthen these countries' border controls. In 2003, Malaysia established the Southeast Asia Regional Center for Counterterrorism (SEARCCT), which runs a full schedule of multilateral training courses, many conducted with U.S. support. PM Abdullah's Challenges 10. (C) Prime Minister Abdullah's main priorities are sustaining growth in Malaysia's increasingly developed economy, fighting corruption and encouraging more open, collegial government. No one doubts his sincerity but his mild-mannered and cautious approach has led critics to question his leadership. Now two and one-half years into his five-year term, Abdullah has appealed to the public for patience in delivering reform. 11. (C) PM Abdullah currently faces a new problem: in April, former PM Mahathir began openly attacking his successor for failing to follow through with many of the former PM's initiatives. These attacks continued throughout the summer and will likely not subside any time soon. Mahathir can no longer dictate policy (unlike Singapore's Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew), but the old brawler continues to revel in public controversy. Abdullah has so far maintained an "elegant silence" and tasked others in the Cabinet to explain his decisions. At this point, Abdullah's still high popularity and the economy's continued solid growth should help ensure Mahathir's campaign fails. However, Mahathir's public insinuations that the PM and his supporters are "not Malay enough" may constrain the PM's public statements on foreign policy issues. 12. (C) Another of many subjects on which Mahathir has criticized Abdullah is the growing mil-mil cooperation between the United States and Malaysia, particularly with regard to the greater frequency of high-visibility ship visits. We have been pleased by the overwhelmingly positive media coverage our ship visits have received, in contrast to the quiet arrivals of past years. The flip side to this is that our visits are getting increased attention from ideological foes on the Islamic right, and from Mahahtir's opportunistic criticism. Deputy Prime Minister Najib has stoutly defended our cooperation before Parliament, and we do not see that our engagement is under threat. However, we do need to be cognizant of our increased military visibility and sensitive to GOM concerns, particularly with high tensions in the Middle East. LAFLEUR (September 2008)
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| Posted: 16 Nov 2011 05:54 PM PST Murtad boleh dicegah melalui pelaksanaan undang-undang Islam misalnya hudud dan salah satu jenayah hudud ialah murtad. (Free Malaysia Today) - Gejala murtad yang melanda umat Islam di negara ini mampu dicegah dengan pelaksanaan hukum hudud, tegas Exco Hal Ehwal Islam, Adat Istiadat Melayu, Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam, Datuk Dr Hassan Mohamed Ali. Tanpa merujuk kepada mana-mana negeri dalam Malaysia, beliau berkata, ini berpandukan kepada pengalaman negara-negara luar yang berjaya menangani masalah (murtad) ini. "Murtad boleh dicegah melalui pelaksanaan undang-undang Islam misalnya hudud dan salah satu jenayah hudud ialah murtad," katanya ketika menjawab soalan lisan daripada Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias (Sungai Burong-BN) pada sidang Dewan Undangan Negeri Selangor di sini hari ini. Shamsudin bertanya mengenai apakah langkah dan tindakan yang diambil oleh Jabatan Agama Islam Negeri Selangor (Jais) untuk mencegah orang Islam keluar dari agama Islam. Hassan berkata Jais komited melaksanakan beberapa pelan tindakan mengatasi gejala murtad dengan menubuhkan Unit Selamatkan Akidah pada Ogos lalu. Katanya, Jais bertindak menguatkuasa dua enakmen iaitu Enakmen Agama Bukan Islam (Kawalan Perkembangan Dikalangan Orang Islam) 1998 terhadap mana-mana individu, persatuan atau pertubuhan yang mendakyah agama selain Islam kepada orang Islam. "Jais juga menguatkuasa Enakmen Jenayah Syariah 1995 di bawah Seksyen 10 kesalahan menghina atau menyebabkan Islam dipandang hina atau mana-mana kesalahan berkaitan," terang beliau. Isu murtad menjadi hangat ekoran tindakan Jais membuat pemeriksaan di Gereja Methodist Damansara Utama, Petaling Jaya pada 3 Ogos lalu, setelah mendapat maklumat tentang percubaan untuk memurtadkan orang Islam di satu majlis makan malam anjuran Komuniti Harapan.
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| IGP says no report from MACC on cattle condo scandal Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:55 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Tan Sri Ismail Omar today deflected questions on the National Feedlot Centre (NFC) "cattle condo" scandal, saying he has yet to receive any report from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). "So far, I've not received anything yet," he said when pushed for an answer by a group of reporters who accosted him as he was leaving the Selangor police contingent's Deepavali celebration here this afternoon. The Inspector-General of Police (IGP) initially appeared surprised when asked to comment and pointed out that the matter was a Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) case. When informed that the MACC had passed the case to the police to handle, Ismail said he would have to check on the matter before issuing any statement. He left the function at the Selangor police headquarters here without further comment. MACC said on Monday it would not probe the controversial RM10 million purchase of a condominium by the federally-funded NFC project, claiming it was a case for the police to handle as it involved an offence under the Penal Code. In a statement, the agency said it had already referred the case to the police, adding that this was in line with advice from the Anti-Corruption Advisory Board to only investigate offences under the MACC Act. PKR was first to claim of corruption in the purchase of the multi-million ringgit condominium belonging to the National Meat and Livestocks Corporation (NMLC), a company wholly-owned by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil's family.
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| Obama tells Asia, US ‘here to stay’ Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:51 PM PST (Reuters) ― President Barack Obama said today that the US military would expand its role in the Asia-Pacific region despite budget cuts, declaring America was "here to stay" as a Pacific power which would help shape the region's future. China voiced misgivings about Obama's announcement of a de facto military base in Australia and has longstanding fears that its growing power could be hobbled by US influence. Obama acknowledged China's unease at what it sees as attempts by Washington to encircle it, pledging to seek greater cooperation with Beijing. The US military, turning its focus away from Iraq and Afghanistan, would be more broadly distributed in Asia, particularly Southeast Asia, more flexible and help build regional capacity, he told the Australian parliament. "As we end today's wars, I have directed my national security team to make our presence and missions in the Asia Pacific a top priority," Obama said in a major speech on Washington's vision for the Asia-Pacific region. "As a result, reductions in US defence spending will not ― I repeat, will not ― come at the expense of the Asia Pacific." He added: "We'll seek more opportunities for cooperation with Beijing, including greater communication between our militaries to promote understanding and avoid miscalculation." Nervous about China's growing clout, US allies such as Japan and South Korea have sought assurances from the United States that it would be a strong counterweight in the region. A first step in extending the US military reach into Southeast Asia will see US Marines, naval ships and aircraft deployed to northern Australia from 2012. That deployment to Australia, which by 2016 will reach a taskforce of 2,500 US troops, is small compared with the 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea and 50,000 in Japan. But the new de facto US base in Australia expands the direct US military presence in Asia, beyond South Korea and Japan and into Southeast Asia, an area where China has growing economic and strategic interests. It will also put more US troops, ships and aircraft much closer to the South China Sea over which Beijing has sovereignty disputes with several countries. China questions US deployment to Australia China has questioned the new US deployment, raising doubts whether strengthening such alliances helped the region pull together at a time of economic gloom. Chinese newspapers today ran reactions ranging from restrained to stern. One said Beijing need not worry but another accused Washington of stirring regional trouble. Indonesia, southeast Asia's largest country and long wary of any expanded foreign military presence in the region, also warned that Australia deal came with risks. "What I would hate to see is if such developments were to provoke a reaction and counter-reaction precisely to create a vicious circle of tension and mistrust or distrust," Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters. Obama said the United States would seek to work with China to ensure economic prosperity and security in the region, but would speak candidly about issues such as human rights and raise security issues like the South China Sea through which US$5 trillion (RM 15.8 trillion) in trade sails annually. China has broad claims over the sea, also rich in oil, minerals and fishery resources. Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei hold rival claims that have triggered several disputes in recent years. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pointedly visited the Philippines yesterday, saying that no claimant should resort to intimidation to push its cause. Obama also referred in his address to reforms undertaken by Myanmar's new civilian leaders, including the release of political prisoners. But he said they had to do more on human rights in order to secure better relations with Washington. Essential for US economy Obama said the increased focus on the Asia-Pacific region was essential for America's economic future. "As the world's fastest-growing region - and home to more than half the global economy - the Asia Pacific is critical to achieving my highest priority: creating jobs and opportunity for the American people," he said. In 2010, China was ASEAN's biggest trade partner, while ASEAN was China's fourth largest. ASEAN exports to China rose 39 per cent to US$113.5 billion last year. In comparison, the United States and ASEAN remain each other's fourth largest trading partners. US foreign direct investment to ASEAN was US$7.5 billion in 2010, accounting for 12.6 per cent of total FDI in the region, compared with Chinese investment of US$2.7 billion. Yesterday, Obama and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the deployment of US Marines, ships and aircraft in Darwin, only 820km from Indonesia, which will allow the United States to quickly reach into Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. Today, Obama also cited increased US naval ship visits and training in the Philippines and Singapore, working with Indonesia to fight piracy, partnering Thailand for disaster relief and India's role in regional security. He flies to Bali late today, where he will seek to underscore a focus on Asia by becoming the first US president to participate in the security East Asia Summit.
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| Hasan Ali: Muslims being converted by solar-powered talking bible Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:48 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Evangelical Christians are using high-tech devices such as solar-powered talking bibles to proselytize to Malay Muslims in Selangor, state lawmaker Datuk Hasan Ali said today. Hasan, who is in charge of the state's Islamic affairs portfolio, said the state's religious authority (Jais) had discovered that Christian missionaries were now spreading their gospel through technologically-advanced means apart from setting up welfare groups providing cash and other financial aid to single mothers and the destitute. He added that Jais's research showed Christian evangelists were spreading their faith to young Muslim students in free tuition classes and counselling sessions, besides distributing Christian pamphlets in public places, homes, universities and places that were ostensibly called "community centres" to carry out their evangelical work. The ex-PAS state commissioner disclosed this in a written reply to a question from Umno-Sungai Burong assemblyman Datuk Mohd Shamsudin Lias. According to a website called Book of Joe, the palm-sized radio-like device contains all the books in the New and Old Testaments and is fitted with batteries that will run for almost 10 hours before needing to be recharged, whether by the sun, a light bulb or a nine-volt AC adapter. It costs only US$99.95 (RM310). This latest disclosure, after a controversial August 3 raid by Selangor Islamic authorities on the Damansara Utama Methodist Church (DUMC) in Petaling Jaya, could trigger another Christian-Muslim conflict.
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| Cows: The perennial Malaysian newsmaker Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:43 PM PST Or how about hiring and training a team of expert masseurs? Apparently, the world-famous Kobe beef is so tender because each of the Japanese Wagyu cattle is pampered with daily massages. The idea here is that relaxed cows result in good beef. David Mathew, The Malaysian Insider Here are some facts about the humble cow. I have not tried this myself but apparently cows can be lead upstairs but not downstairs because their knees cannot bend properly to walk down. Also, cows spend six to eight hours eating each day. Finally, cows have excellent senses of hearing and smell. They can hear high and low frequencies better than humans, and can detect smells from as far away as 8km. From the infamous "cow head protest" in Shah Alam to the issue of the slaughtering of cows in schools and now to the maligned National Feedlot Centre project, it seems that cows are constantly in the news. So I thought it would be apt for everyone to get to know the cow a little better first. Moving on. According to the National Feedlot Corporation (NFC) website, the National Feedlot Centre is the envisioned centre of production for beef and beef products in Malaysia. The website also helpfully points out that as a high-impact project under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, National Feedlot Centre project will be instrumental in attaining the 40 per cent self sufficiency in beef production by 2010. We are also told that the NFC's mission is to lead the industry in a manner that fosters excellence and integrity, improves the feedlot business environment and ensures the success of its community. So far, so good. Very inspiring. Reading this, one wishes the NFC all the best of luck. And for some time, NFC and its parent company, Agroscience Industries Sdn Bhd, had luck on their side. That was the case until those pesky officers from the Auditor-General's office stopped by in March 2011 to determine if the project was being carried out appropriately and whether objectives were being met. Turns out, the answer was no. Instead of producing the targeted 8,000 cows in 2010, only 3,289 cows were produced. One of the main reasons cited was that the NFC had not carried out the mandated Entrepreneur Development Programme to train 130 satellite farm operators. There was another rather big problem. You see, cows eat grass. The audit visit however discovered that instead of grass, much of the National Feedlot Centre area is filled with acacia trees. All this, according to the audit report, was despite the fact that RM134.72 million had already been channelled to the NFC. Soon after the Auditor-General's Report was released, Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers raised hell, accusing the entire project of being effectively steeped in corruption and cronyism. Cue then the entrance of Rembau MP Khairy Jamaluddin who flew in to defend the project. In the face of accusations that the NFC had, via its sister company National Meat and Livestocks Corporation (NMLC), used RM10 million to buy a condo in Bangsar, Khairy responded in his blog to say that this was true. He however sought to justify the expenditure by saying that when the project was delayed due to no fault of the NFC, the management of the company had to make a decision as to what to do with the funds already channelled to it from a special borrowing account controlled by the Finance Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry. According to Khairy, the management decided that rather than leave the monies in a low-yield fixed deposit account, it would be more prudent to invest it in property. Khairy claims that this explanation is logical from a business standpoint. There is actually a word I'm looking for to describe this explanation. Oh yes, I remember now. It's actually two words — cow dung. Public money was pumped into the project for one purpose and that is to meet the National Beef Output Policy. The said policy had only two main objectives, namely to increase the number of cows and to increase the output of beef. Property investment was not one of the objectives and the government should not condone such things. Anyway, NFC's stated vision is to be a "premier world-class halal beef producer" and not a world-class halal beef producer-cum-part-time property investor during operational delays.
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| Malays feel Penang under Chinese rule, survey shows Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:40 PM PST (The Malaysian Insider) - Malay voters in Penang say the state is being run by the Chinese despite backing Lim Guan Eng over other leaders. A survey of 720 Malay voters by researchers Ilham Centre found that when the island was under a Gerakan-led administration until 2008, Malays saw the Barisan Nasional (BN) government as being led by Umno. "Lim Guan Eng (picture) is popular and respected for being humble, approachable and being on the ground. But because of the sentiment and prejudice from Umno, he is seen as a Chinese who is threatening Malays," said the study on perceptions of Malay voters towards Penang and its Pakatan Rakyat (PR) government. It said this showed the media has indoctrinated Malays to see the current administration as "a Chinese or DAP government." "It is seen as a DAP, not a Pakatan Rakyat government," the study concluded, despite nearly 30 per cent of respondents picking current Chief Minister Lim as the most popular and respected leader in the state. The Malaysian Insider reported last month that a survey commissioned by the DAP showed that less than a third of Malays now back the party, down from nearly 50 per cent just a few months after Lim took office in 2008. The DAP made a clean sweep of all seats it contested in the island and obliterated Gerakan in the process. But Umno has eroded Malay support for PR with repeated claims that the coalition is anti-Malay. Its newspaper Utusan Malaysia also claimed earlier this year that the DAP had conspired with the church to turn Malaysia into a Christian state. The DAP has tried to reach out to Malays by recruiting Malay leaders such as Transparency International Malaysia founder Tunku Abdul Aziz Tunku Ibrahim and Zairil Khir Johari. Tunku Abdul Aziz is now a vice-chairman while Zairil, son of former Education Minister Tan Sri Khir Johari, is Lim's political secretary. The DAP secretary-general is followed by Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mansor Othman, state Opposition Leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim and Penang Umno chief Datuk Zainal Osman in popularity.
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| Ad with Pope kIssing Imam pulled Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:23 PM PST (Malaysian Digest) - PARIS: United Colors of Benetton announced Wednesday it is pulling an ad featuring a doctored picture of the pope kissing a male Muslim cleric on the same day the ad was unveiled in response to criticism, CNN reported. The ad featured a fake picture of Pope Benedict XVI kissing Ahmed Mohamed el-Tayeb, imam of the Al-Azhar mosque, a prominent Muslim house of worship in Cairo, Egypt.
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| Bloody clashes looming over land grabs Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:12 PM PST The Sabah Land and Survey Department is yet to explain why it gave away a surveyed NCR land to a private company. (Free Malaysia Today) - Rampant land grabs in Sabah are making folk in rural areas restive with visible indications of impending violent clashes between the "new" owners and natives. Warning of possible bloodshed over these "illegal" land grabs, United Borneo Front (UBF) chairman Jeffrey Kitingan has urged Chief Minister Musa Aman to intervene immediately and prevent the issue from boiling over. "I urge the chief minister to use his good office to intervene immediately before serious and bloody clashes erupt between the natives, who are defending their land rights, and employees of private companies, who are driving away the natives based on the company's so-called 'approval' from the government," he said yesterday. According to Jeffrey, who is the brother of Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, two such cases needed the immediate attention of the state government. He said that one of the cases is in the Sukau area of Sandakan where at least two farmers' homes have been demolished, which prompted the villagers to confront the authorities and prevent another house from being razed. According to Jeffrey, an elected representative was seen in his car directing the demolition, saying: "'Potong lah… apa lagi mau tunggu'" (cut down… what else are you waiting for?). Declining to name the representative, he said the man quickly disappeared when more and more villagers started to arrive at the scene. "I visited the area and was surprised to see houses among matured oil palm plantation and coconut trees in the disputed area. "It had been fully planted and developed by the villagers who have occupied and applied for the land more than 20 years in 1989," he told a news conference here. The villagers claimed that they had even been supplied with fertiliser and seedlings by the Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) government, which ruled from 1985 to 1994, when they opened up their land. As in many similar cases, their land applications were registered but no titles were ever issued. According to Jeffrey, a company was allowed to apply for the same area and given approval by the Land and Survey Department leading to the current dispute. He said that the private company with its financial, manpower and material resources has the upper hand and is driving away the natives by destroying their homes and plantations and sometimes offering them money to leave. The department has so far failed to satisfactorily answer why it had approved the land to the company when it had already been applied for and occupied by the villagers much earlier, he added.
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| SCORE will turn Sarawak into another Sabah Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:08 PM PST The import of 600,000 skilled workers to support SCORE will 'impact the cohesion of the ethnic community' in Sarawak. Debating on the 2012 state budget, Bian, who is also the Pakatan Rakyat's shadow Land Development and NCR Minister, said: "As the state is short of skilled labour, the government plans to bring in 600,000 skilled workers to drive the economic activities generated by SCORE. Joseph Tawie, Free Malaysia Today Sarawak will be another "Sabah" beset with problems of immigrants if the state government goes ahead with its plans to import 600,000 skilled labourers to work in the much- talked about Sarawak Corridor Renewal of Energy (SCORE) by 2030. "This figure represents 20% of the Sarawak's population, and an influx of such a number of people will have an impact on the cohesion of the ethnic community of Sarawak," said Ba'Kelalan assemblyman Baru Bian, who is the Sarawak PKR chief. Bian, who issued the warning, was referring to Sabah which is riddled with immigrants' problems. According to the 2010 census, there are more than 1.037 million immigrants in Sabah and some 737,000 others are "Project IC" citizens. Sabah and Labuan have a population of 3.309 million. Local native-born Sabahans are now increasingly marginalised in every aspect of their lives. Debating on the 2012 state budget, Bian, who is also the Pakatan Rakyat's shadow Land Development and NCR Minister, said: "As the state is short of skilled labour, the government plans to bring in 600,000 skilled workers to drive the economic activities generated by SCORE. "What is the political impact of importing these workers when over 30% of Sarawak's labour force lacks the functional literacy to integrate into the economy? "To what extent will they be economically excluded or marginalised? How will the foreign workers assimilate into our society? "There is a need to conduct a social impact study to ensure that the economic benefits generated by SCORE are diffused to the people of Sarawak. "We are concerned that Sarawak will be another Sabah. We would like some clarification and assurance from the minister on these issues," he said. No information on Score Bian said that every day Sarawakians read news about SCORE, but todate nobody knows the actual details of the development plan including "what it is all about or what it involves". "There appears to be not much of transparency about this mega project. From reading news release and articles on SCORE, the project appears to focus on the manufacturing sector or secondary sector because it aims to use the power from the Bakun Dam," he said. He added that the secondary sector in 2006 accounted for 31.5% or RM13.24 billion of the state's GDP, according to the 2009 yearbook of statistics. "Based on these figures, I was informed that the projection for secondary GDP for 2025 is RM42 billion and this implies a compound growth rate of at least 10.3% since 2006. "However, this is not happening. The historical yearly compound growth rate during the 2002-2007 period was only 3.35%. "And according to the Chief Minister's budget speech, the state economy is expected to record a favourable growth of 4.5% in 2011. "Sarawak does not have the critical mass of skilled manpower to sustain such a high growth rate at 10.3%, because according to the 2009 yearbook of statistics, as of 2008, 33.7% of the labour force, more than 223,000 or 24%, is in the primary sector and less than 10% in the plant and machine, operator and assembler sector," Bian said.
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| SABM's Dinner Lecture No 7 - Tony Pua: Our National Debt – Will Malaysia Be the Next Greece? Posted: 16 Nov 2011 04:00 PM PST SABM is pleased to inform you that we are continuing our Dinner Lecture series with DL7 on 3rd December 2011. Date and Time |Saturday, 3rd December, 2011, 7.30 pm The programme for the evening is as follows:
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| ‘Clandestine secret society’ operating govt businesses Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:47 PM PST Was Isa Samad appointed chairman so that PM Najib can have a 'trusted person to oversee' Felda's RM7 billion cookie jar? What is relevant is whether the person assigned gets the approval of the shadowy approval committee comprising of some pro-Umno bloggers. They didn't approve of Ong but they endorsed Isa. Mohd Ariff Sabri Aziz, Free Malaysia Today A bigger rat has been assigned to look after Kumpulan Permodalan Felda's (KPF) RM7 billion ringgit kitty. And that rat is Isa Samad. Now why would anyone appoint Isa, whose track record of managing assets is suspect, as guardian to such a loot? The answer – it's the PM's wish. It is Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak's wish that Isa Samad, a close comrade in arms, be installed as chairman of KPF and 'oversee' the RM7 billion that it has. Let's discuss the PM's wishes. It is an interesting subject in itself. Remember Omar (Mustapha) Ong, an Oxford graduate and Eisenhower fellow from the 4th floor (of PM's Department)? Let me jog your memory. According to a 2009 report, Omar is the co-founder of his seven-year-old management and strategic consulting firm, which many have likened to the Malaysian version of McKinsey & Co. Najib decided to appoint him as an independent, non-executive director to the Petronas Board. Contradictions and hypocrisy The appointment reportedly drew much flak from then Petronas board members including former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Pro-Umno bloggers aligned to Mahathir also put up a spirited objection to Ong being given a seat on the Petronas Board. These very same people who objected to Najib's wishes over Ong are now supporting putting up Isa as chairman of KPF. Why? Because it's the wish of the PM. Very pious indeed. But see the contradiction and hypocrisy? The PM also wished for Ong: but his first wish was objected to vehemently while his wish to have Isa was warmly supported. So, what this actually reflects is that the PM's wishes isn't relevant at all. What is relevant is whether the person assigned gets the approval of the shadowy approval committee comprising of some pro-Umno bloggers. They didn't approve of Ong but they endorsed Isa. We can't operate government business through some clandestine secret society. Unlawful appointment of Isa Isa's position as chairman of KPF is objected on account of several reasons. The refusal of some people in accepting the coup d'état has prompted them to make a police report. The appointment of Isa goes against the by-laws of KPF. KPF is subjected to its by-laws and rulings and Najib is also subjected to the law. According to KPF regulations, nine of the committee members on the Felda Board must be elected by delegates at its general assembly. The Felda Board then appoints three additional members subject to confirmation in the general assembly of delegates. The three appointed members of the committee must either be a Felda settler or children of settlers, Felda employee, wife or their children. They also must have been a member of KPFB for at least 10 years.
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| Evidence in ‘MACC robbers’ case missing Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:44 PM PST One month after three senior Malaysian Anti-Corruption Comission officers were charged with a robbery involving close to RM1 million in KLIA, police found that evidence has gone missing. (Free Malaysia Today) - Police have lost evidence related to the high-profile robbery case where three Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers have been charged. An official police statement released late last night confirmed that RM11,700 and a wallet have gone missing from Menara 2 of the Selangor police headquarters in Shah Alam. It was learnt that the wallet also contained an MACC identification card and a credit card. A police report was made about the missing items at about 8pm on Nov 15. "The missing items is not the US$300,000 cash which was reported to have been robbed in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Sept 15. The missing cash evidence is the money which was seized and belonged to two of the three suspects who were arrested and have been charged in court," said the statement, issued by the Selangor police's CID department. Police have launched an investigation on the missing items. The case has been classified under Section 201 of the Penal Code for "causing disappearance of evidence of an offence committed, or giving false information touching it, to screen the offender" and Section 457 for… housebreaking by night in order to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment". It was learnt that there have been no arrests so far. Disciplinary action A source told FMT that the investigating officer of the MACC case had discovered the loss of the items from his office more than a week ago. "An attempt was made to investigate the missing evidence internally, but the officer was later ordered to lodged a police report on the matter," said the source. It was understood that the missing evidence was vital to the court case and these new developments could cause a discharge not amounting to acquittal for the three MACC officers facing robbery charges. It was also learnt that the police officer in charge of the items could be facing disciplinary action over what is believed to be a breach in police procedures.
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| BN lebih bertanggungjawab berbanding Pakatan Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:42 PM PST Naib Presiden PBS membidas pimpinan Pakatan terutama ketuanya Anwar Ibrahim sebagai hanya suka menabur janji kosong kepada rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak. (Free Malaysia Today) - Sekutu utama Umno di Sabah, Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), berkata Barisan Nasional (BN) lebih bertanggungjawab berbanding Pakatan Rakyat dalam menangani isu-isu berhubung negeri Sabah dan Sarawak. Naib Presiden PBS, Herbert Timbon Lagadan, membidas pimpinan Pakatan terutama ketuanya Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim sebagai hanya suka menabur janji kosong kepada rakyat Sabah dan Sarawak, sebaliknya pimpinan BN telah terbukti mengambil langkah membantu rakyat miskin di negeri itu. "Kalau ada parti pembangkang janji mahu tabur wang membantu rakyat bila ia memerintah, itu hanya cakap bohong saja. Tiada kerajaan yang baik yang akan buat begitu. "Anwar pada tahun 1994 beri janji "Sabah Baru", Sabah maju dalam 100 hari tapi bila Sabah tukar kerajaan, mana itu janji? Kini Anwar ada Buku Jingga janji Malaysia jadi negara maju, kamu fikirlah sendiri…" katanya ketika berucap dalam majlis penyampaian 26 rumah PPRT kepada keluarga miskin di Kadamaian di sini kelmarin. Lagadan yang juga Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (Adun) Kadamaian seterusnya berkata kerajaan BN adalah yang terbaik kerana akan terus beri bantuan kepada rakyat jelata dengan cara berhemah, bukannya terus "tuang duit" sekali gus, seperti digambarkan sesetengah pemimpin pembangkang yang suka memberi janji pembangunan secepat kilat. "Kita tidak tuang duit… Tak mungkin kerajaan tebang pokok yang memberi kita buah, atau sembelih lembu yang beri susu kepada rakyat kita, kerana kalau kita buat begini, selepas itu tiada apa lagi yang akan kita dapat beri kepada rakyat," kata Lagadan yang juga Pembantu Menteri Pembangunan Masyarakat dan Hal-Ehwal Pengguna Sabah. Sejak kebelakangan ini, para pemimpin PBS, UPKO dan PBRS, tiga parti yang berasas kepada sokongan Kadazandusun di Sabah, dalam ceramah-ceramah mereka, sering mengulas mengenai janji-janji pemimpin Pakatan dan juga Buku Jingga.
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| Has Koh rung the death knell for Gerakan? Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:33 PM PST Even Gerakan's foes are sad that the country's first 'bona fide' multi-racial political party is being rejected by the electorate. Yusmadi, who is the PKR International Affairs Bureau chairman, said Gerakan on the geo-political scene, is a member to the progressive movement charter but within the national context, it is muted. Hawkeye, Free Malaysia Today Many believe that Gerakan's fate was sealed when it joined the Barisan Nasional in the 80s. Now, with one stroke Gerakan president Koh Tsu Khoon has started writing his party's obituary. At a press conference today Koh said he will not contest in the next general election. This is seen as Koh abandoning Gerakan and Penang, the citadel of his party's power. This is a far cry from Koh's hey days. Koh was the protégé of then Penang Chief Minister Lim Chong Eu, serving as Lim's political secretary and chief aide from 1986 to 1990. Koh became a vice president of Gerakan in 1991 and later deputy president in 2005. On April 8, 2007, following the retirement of long-serving president Lim Keng Yaik, he took over the presidency in an acting capacity. He was formally elected president in 2008. The Penang PKR has already weighed in by saying Koh's decision not to contest will not make any political impact in Penang. Frankly, Gerakan has no choice but to reform, state PKR committee member Yusmadi Yusoff said. Yusmadi said Gerakan's political obituary is being written and called for it to exit gracefully from Barisan Nasional (BN) since they can no longer survive politically within the coalition. Yusmadi said it remains to be seen if Koh's landmark decision is the start of a sincere change or rather a political ploy to buy time. He said it was sad that the country's first "bona fide"multi-racialism political party is now staring at the possibility of been rejected by the electorate. Yusmadi, who is the PKR International Affairs Bureau chairman, said Gerakan on the geo-political scene, is a member to the progressive movement charter but within the national context, it is muted. "Why? It is because the party is entrapped by BN's own racism agenda and a policy, which does not embrace the current globalised changes, as demanded by the younger voters," Yusmadi claimed. Leave BN to survive Therefore, he urged the party to leave BN and instead join forces with fellow reformist parties in the country. He also invited Gerakan to consider joining Pakatan Rakyat, or risk becoming just a footnote in the country's political history. Penang PKR information head Sim Tze Tzin said Gerakan is now dismissed as a formidable force in the Penang political scene. Concurring with Yusmadi that the party should consider leaving BN, Sim claimed that Koh was once a unifying factor in the party. "Now with him indirectly retiring with this (landmark) decision, the warlords in the party would be out to kill each other. Factionism exists in Gerakan," Sim claimed. "Gerakan is also victimised by its positioning in BN, as the coalition is caught in a time wrap, unable to effectively change or reform.
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| Konvoi ‘Titian Kasih ke Memali’ Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:31 PM PST Tragedi berdarah Memali memperlihatkan kekejaman kerajaan Malaysia menyerang kedudukan Ustaz Ibrahim Libya di Memali, Baling, Kedah. (Free Malaysia Today) - Tragedi Memali, peristiwa berdarah dan menyayat hati yang terjadi pada 19 November 1985, akan dikenang semula menerusi penganjuran konvoi 'Titian Kasih ke Memali' oleh Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM). Konvoi yang diterajui sendiri oleh Ketua Penyelaras SAMM Badrul Hisham Shaharin @ CheguBard, akan bermula dari Seremban pada malam hari Jumaat, 18 November ini dan singgah di Pulau Pinang untuk berkumpul dengan komrad SAMM dari utara sebelum meneruskan perjalanan ke Memali. Penyelaras SAMM Segmentasi Anak Muda, Yasir Sheikh Abdul Rahman, dalam satu kenyataan media hari ini berkata, konvoi ini dianjurkan bagi memperingati tragedi berdarah Memali yang memperlihatkan kekejaman kerajaan Malaysia menyerang kedudukan Ustaz Ibrahim Libya di Memali, Baling, Kedah. "Kesudahannya, 14 pejuang Islam termasuk Ibrahim Libya telah syahid di medan demi mempertahankan Islam dan berpuluh yang lain telah ditahan serta dipenjarakan. "Status mereka sebagai syahid disahkan oleh ahli Majlis Fatwa Kerajaan Negeri Kedah, Tuan Guru Haji Yahya Junid dan Ustaz Azahari Abd Razak. Tetapi pihak kerajaan telah menuduh kematian pejuang-pejuang Islam ini adalah 'bughah', iaitu penderhaka kepada pemerintah," katanya. Menurut Yasir, tragedi Memali adalah sejarah hitam yang disorokkan kebenarannya. Pejuang-pejuang Islam yang gugur syahid ekoran mempertahankan hak mereka yang mahu di tangkap oleh Kerajaan Malaysia yang dipimpin oleh Umno-Barisan Nasional, telah dituduh dengan pelbagai label supaya pembunuhan ini dihalalkan. Tegas beliau, sudahlah mereka dibunuh dengan kejam, Ibrahim Libya dan pengikutnya dituduh pula sebagai penjenayah, mengamal ajaran sesat, pelampau, komunis, bughah dan sebagainya. Tuduhan-tuduhan ini kekal bersama sejarah dan seterusnya memberi kesan yang amat besar terhadap waris-waris as-syahid.
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| ‘M’sia has trade relations with Israel’ Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:28 PM PST International Trade and Industry deputy minister Mukhriz Mahathir says it began in 1996 and continues till today. (Free Malaysia Today) - Though Malaysia does not recognise Israel as a state because of its support for Palestine, locally-based companies nevertheless have trade relations with the Jewish state. International Trade and Industry deputy minister, Mukhriz Mahathir, confirmed this when he revealed that Malaysia has had bilateral trade relations with Israel since 1996. "Much as I despise anything the Zionist do and despite not having diplomatic relations with Israel, there is trade between companies in both countries," said Mukhriz, the son of former prime minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Mukhriz said on micro-blogging site Twitter: "Upon request from large foreign investors here, in 1996 the Cabinet instructed MITI to approve import from and export to Israel." He added that the bilateral trade is in the electronics and machinery sectors and that it involved large foreign companies operating in Malaysia.
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| Yasmin Ahmad’s visual marijuana Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:25 PM PST TV3 has named an award after her in recognition of new talent. But are her movies really that good? I know some of you really like the fact that it is about a Malay girl and a Chinese dude and fantasize about it. I do it as well, fantasizing about interracial inter…err… relationships. The thing is, though the preset of the whole story seems like a great idea, yet the movie itself, the scenes and plot feel fake. Zaidel Baharuddin, Free Malaysia Today Now before we go on, let me be very clear because it seems that some of you cannot seem to tell the difference. This article is about Yasmin Ahmad's movies and not Yasmin as an individual. I am pretty sure she is a lovely lady with a kind heart and God bless her soul. I have heard many good stories about her, so spare me new ones, I believe you already. We are here to talk about her films which many adore. So in the spirit of me being me, I am here to question that adoration which may in turn evoke some sense of insecurity in some. So yes, this is my disclaimer, so whatever you may claim later, I shall reserve the right to diss it. It started when I watched the recent "Anugerah Skrin 2011" hosted by TV3. Apart from the lousy emcees who managed to turn the whole event into one amazingly awkward night, I noticed that TV3 had a special award called "Anugerah Yasmin Ahmad" which was awarded to budding new talents. Not that there is anything wrong with that and indeed TV3 did give a good reason for it, but it got me wondering, are her movies that good? Because when I go to places where indie filmmakers and urban artsie-fartsie crowds congregate (urbanscapes sort) they seem to adore her movies quite a lot, especially Sepet. But here is the thing, to me Sepet really wasn't that good nor was Gubra. They seem simplistic and fake. I know some of you really like the fact that it is about a Malay girl and a Chinese dude and fantasize about it. I do it as well, fantasizing about interracial inter…err… relationships. The thing is, though the preset of the whole story seems like a great idea, yet the movie itself, the scenes and plot feel fake. Visual marijuana The scene is in Malaysia, a kampung nonetheless and we being the subject of what the movie is trying to potray should be able to relate to it. Growing up in a multiracial society and mingling with people of all colours and creed, I should be able to relate to the experiences in the movie or at least connect with the overall description at least. But I cannot help but feel the plastic atmosphere that surrounds the whole narrative. I felt like I was watching a propaganda movie but unlike North Korea, this one is filled with untold yearnings and dreams of a director who is altering the reality to fit her defenition of how things should be, it is like our reality is being overdosed with sugar, spice and everything nice. But isn't that what movies are all about, directors creating and realising the ideas and images they have inside their minds? That is true. However in the case of these two movies (Sepet and Gubra) rather than creating a whole new universe I get the feeling that the fantasy is being imposed upon me, rather that being built around me. Let me give you an example, a movie that I would describe as a fantasy being built around me would be something like Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland or Inglorious Basterds, we easily accept that this is the reality in which the director chooses to tell his story. On the other hand a movie where fantasy is being imposed upon the viewer would be your typical Bollywood films or something like Sivaji the Boss. Basically what most Bollywood movies do is to feed you with feel good fantasies on surroundings that otherwise would seem rather bleak and harsh, a visual marijuana one could say.
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| ‘Don’t politicise Tawau ISA arrests’ Posted: 16 Nov 2011 03:23 PM PST As the government comes under fire for using the soon-to-be abolished law to detain alleged terrorists, critics are told to let the police do their job. (Free Malaysia Today) - MCA today urged PAS and others not to politicise the recent arrest of suspected terrorists in Tawau, Sabah, under the Internal Security Act (ISA). MCA Youth secretary-general Chai Kim Sen said the Islamic party should allow the police to investigate the matter thoroughly, instead of "quickly jumping to the defence of these people". "It should be left to the police to decide whether the persons arrested are missionaries or terrorists," Chai said in a statement. He added that the police had a reason to believe that Tawau was being used as a transit point for weapons from the Philippines. FMT reported yesterday that at least 10 people were arrested in Tawau under the ISA by a special team from the Bukit Aman federal police headquarters. No further information was given by the police on the arrest. Sabah PAS had reacted by stating that those arrested were either its members or supporters, and had called upon the police to release them immediately, or charge them in court. It was reported in the local media that those arrested were suspected terrorists from Indonesia and the Philippines. "If they are indeed missionaries and PAS members, how and why does PAS count foreign citizens as among its members?" asked Chai. He also asked if it was possible for some Sabah PAS members to have been in contact with Islamic militants in Indonesia and the Philippines. "The security of our country is at stake here… PAS and its allies in Pakatan Rakyat should not politicise the issue further by making up lies and distorting the truth," he added. Meanwhile, the Abolish ISA Movement (GMI) and Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) condemned the police and the government over the use of the ISA in Tawau. GMI and Suaram also said that the number of those arrested in Tawau could be as many as 14.
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| The Real Heroes in the KR1M Exposé Posted: 16 Nov 2011 01:45 PM PST By Tony Pua via Malaysian Mirror Pakatan Rakyat members of parliament have over the past 2 weeks exposed the fact that many of the goods sold in Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia (KR1M) were not only substandard, illegal and unhealthy, many of these products were also not cheaper than products sold in existing hypermarkets. We were criticised by the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister, Ismail Sabri as being unfair by not comparing "apple to apple", that is we should not be comparing 1Malaysia products with house-branded products from Tesco, Giant or Carrefour. However, we have proven that the comparison was indeed not "apple to apple" for products such as the "oyster sauce" because the sauce from Tesco contained real oyster extracts, the 1Malaysia product had only flavouring and no oysters. At the same time, the comparison of 1Malaysia milk powder with that of Nestlé's Nespray 1+ demonstrated not only that the former is a far inferior product but also the fact that the latter was 24% cheaper. The 1Malaysia milk powder was short of at least 15 legally required vitamins and minerals, deficient in calcium and iron and provided a 802% overdose of Vitamin A, putting at real risk our very young children. Instead of facing up to the problems, IsmailSabri has chosen to go on an inflammatory rant calling Pakatan Rakyat MPs, DAP and myself racists for allegedly being anti-Malay in our exposés. Ismail Sabri said on his Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday 15th November 2011 that "tony phua DAP ni masih tk habis2 menfitnah KRIM. kini dgn tuduhan tdk berkualiti. semlm isu ini tlh dijwb oleh Mydin & pembekal IKS. jelas agenda DAP yg ingin menguburkan KRIM yg rata2 supplier nya terdiri dari IKS bumiputra. Rata2 pembeli nya terdiri dari gol berpendapatan rendah bumiputra. Mydin pun bumiputra. malangnya ada bumiputra spt nurul izah & zulkifli 'menyalak' bagi pihak DAP.." The racist accusations made by the Minister is not only completely baseless, it is the complete opposite of what the Pakatan Rakyat MPs are trying to achieve. By exposing the list of poor quality and illegal products which do not meet the minimum legal standards set out in the Food Act 1983 and Food Regulations 1985, it is Pakatan Rakyat that is truly fighting for the interest of the mostly Malay consumers at KR1M as well as other poor Malaysians. If not for our exposés, many Malays and poor Malaysians will still be consuming poor quality oyster sauce, evaporated millk, ice-cream,sardines and fruit jam sold at KR1M. What is worse, if not for Pakatan Rakyat highlighting the shocking deficiencies of the 1Malaysia children's milk powder which resulted in the product's withdrawal yesterday, a whole generation of Malay and poor Malaysian children might end up suffering from malnutrition, disease and poor physical development. It is the BN Ministers like Ismail Sabri who are more than willing to sacrifice the interest of ordinary Malays and Malaysians by giving unsubstantiated "guarantees" on the quality of KR1M products and pander to the monetary and vested interest of certain businessmen. The fact that Ismail Sabri's ministry is going to subsidize theKR1M stores to the tune of RM40 million in 2012 to sell some of these productsto ordinary Malaysians without first ensuring strict quality control over the products shows that BN Ministers are only keep to score political goals with KR1M. They are not at all interested in the welfare of Malaysians, especially the Malays, who will suffer the most. |
| Corporation paid RM26,400 to Shahrizat, says PKR Posted: 16 Nov 2011 01:39 PM PST By Karen Arukesamy, The Sun Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil received a payment of RM26,400 from the National Feedlot Corp (NFC), which is owned by her family, a Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) leader claimed yesterday. In revealing more details of the alleged mismanagement of funds in the company involving the RM250 million soft loan given by the government for cattle farming, PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution said yesterday NFC transactions showed a sum of money had been paid to Shahrizat in 2008. "In 2008, when NFC was newly set up, it had paid Shahrizat RM26,400. If it was true that the company has nothing to do with Shahrizat, she should not have any transactions or dealings whatsoever with the company," he told a press conference at the parliament lobby. However, he said there was no details of transaction. Saifuddin also highlighted several irregularities identified in the transactions of the NFC. He said NFC had also made a payment of RM398,640 to Shahrizat's husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, who owns the company, and her son Wan Shahinur Izran Mohamad Salleh, the manager of the company in 2009 for rental of the NFC office in Mont Kiara. "Shahrizat should answer why the people's money was used to pay rental to NFC directors," said Saifuddin, who also alleged that NFC donated cows worth thousands of ringgit to several Umno leaders. "In September 2009, NFC donated cattle worth RM5,281 to Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Mansor and RM2,640 to one identified as 'YB Yunus' in the documents," he said. The Yunus stated in the document is believed to be a state assemblyman. "In 2008, NFC had also sold cattle worth RM70,000 on credit to former federal territories minister Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique, who only paid the price in full in 2009," Saifuddin said. Despite all the payments and "generosity" of NFC, it has yet to pay back the RM250 million soft loan from the government, Saifuddin said. "Since the time NFC received the money, it has not made any repayments to the government, either the principle amount or the 2% interest imposed for the loan." "If it was truly a loan as claimed by the Umno leaders, then the company should have at least paid RM5 million a year in the form of interest to the government, which it had not done," he said, adding that NFC has also not recorded any liability for the 2% interest rate for the soft loan as claimed by the government. The NFC came into the spotlight following the release of the 2010 Auditor-General's Report which highlighted several concerns about the project. Following this, several other allegations about the project were highlighted by PKR, including that National Meat and Livestocks Corporation (NMLC) - a company wholly owned by Shahrizat's family - had purchased a RM9.8 million luxury condo using the soft loan from the government. The minister herself has come under increasing pressure to step down, with PKR's women's wing planning nationwide protests, and even Barisan Nasional Backbenchers deputy chief Datuk Bung Mokthar Radin calling for her to quit. However, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday said Shahrizat need not resign as she was not directly involved in the matter. However, he said the company must come forward to clarify the issue following the recent disclosures. |
| Gerakan boss ‘forced’ out by Umno Posted: 16 Nov 2011 01:35 PM PST By Tarani Palani, FMT KUALA LUMPUR: Umno has forced Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon to not contest in the next general election, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. Expressing sympathy for his predecessor, the DAP leader said: "It is an orchestrated campaign to remove him and they (Barisan Nasional and Umno) have succeeded." "What Umno wants Umno gets," he told reporters in the Parliament lobby. Lim said Koh was forced to leave as it was obvious that the latter still had intentions to contest in the coming elections as Koh retained his other positions as a federal minister and party president. "I feel sympathy for him because he has been pushed out by Umno… It is clearly a mission accomplished by Umno because they don't want him and they have carried out a campaign against him," he added. The embattled Gerakan president announced this morning that he would not contest in the upcoming elections. He would however retain his other positions as minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Gerakan president and Penang BN chairman. MORE TO FOLLOW HERE. |
| Posted: 16 Nov 2011 01:31 PM PST By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider Gerakan president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon announced today he will refrain from contesting in the 13th general election, ending the guessing game over the "ultimate sacrifice" he had promised party delegates last month. Koh however confirmed that he will continue to hold on to his political posts, including that of Gerakan president, Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) chief and BN national vice-chairman. It was rumoured he would resign as Penang BN chief today and appoint a successor to the throne. In explaining his "ultimate sacrifice", Koh said he meant that he would continue devoting his time and energy to campaign for his party's candidates in the coming polls. "When I talk about sacrifice, I am talking about time and energy for the party," he said. "I want to campaign for our candidates to win, instead of focusing on winning a seat just for myself." Koh added today's announcement was based on a "personal decision" and had received the blessings of the party's central leadership, insisting that he was not succumbing to any political pressure. "No, I am not under any pressure and I will resist any pressure. It is undue and unfounded," he said, adding that he had informed Datuk Seri Najib Razak of his decision and the prime minister had accepted it. On his political posts, Koh said he would only decide if he would resign as party president after the 13th general election. He added that by virtue of being party president, he would continue to hold on to the post of BN national vice-chairman. He also explained that under Article 23.2(A) of BN's constitution, the post of Penang BN chief was by appointment of the BN supreme council chairman (Najib), in consultation with the supreme council. "Better to follow procedure," he said. Koh added that his fate as a minister in the Prime Minister's Department lies in Najib's hands, but stressed that he would not cling to the post for personal interest. He said his decision today is the first step in the party's renewal and transformation agenda titled "Gerak Bersama Rakyat" (move with the people) aimed at readying Gerakan for the coming polls.
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