Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Malays will become minority if they are divided, says Mahathir
- No affair between Saiful and DPP, says Nazri
- Kalimullah takes the stand against Matthias
- MP Gobalakrishan gets earful for comments to media
- RM1,500 minimum wage in Selangor amid record cash reserves
- NFC beef more costly than wagyu beef
- Anwar insists foul play in ‘lost RM1.4b’
- Khairy: New social contract needed
- Ngeh: Rural ministry paid RM404m for higher-priced bids
- Condo instead of cows: MACC report filed
- PKR claims NFC funded RM10m Shahrizat family condo
- ‘Umno guilty of vote buying’
| Malays will become minority if they are divided, says Mahathir Posted: 09 Nov 2011 08:31 PM PST
(Bernama) - The Malays will become a minority group who are incapable of championing their rights if they continue to be divided, said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. He said the Malays were now divided into three factions and that only through unity could they become an effective majority group to protect their interest. "Previously, the Malays were united into one party to the extent that they succeeded in opposing (the proposed establishment of) the Malayan Union," he said when responding to a question from a participant at the premier lecture by him, entitled "The Development of the Civilisation and Culture of the Malaysian Community Towards the Formation of a Progressive Nation", here today. Dr Mahathir, 85, said the voice of the Malays would be drowned if they were divided into several minority groups and needed the support of other groups to achieve the objectives of their struggles to preserve their own race.
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| No affair between Saiful and DPP, says Nazri Posted: 09 Nov 2011 06:23 PM PST
(The Malaysian Insider) - The government said today there is no evidence of an affair between Mohd Saiful Bukhari, who has accused Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim of sodomising him, and deputy public prosecutor Farah Azlina Latif, who was part of the prosecution team in the ongoing trial. Muhyiddin: Guan Eng's denial of sexual harassment by son 'not enough' Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Bukit Gelugor MP Karpal Singh that the Attorney-General has investigated claims that Saiful had a relationship with Farah Azlina. "But the claims were found to be baseless without any concrete proof," the de facto law minister said. However, the Padang Rengas MP said that Farah Azlina was removed from the prosecution team to avoid any further allegations of impropriety in Anwar's second sodomy trial that began 21 months ago. Opposition Leader Anwar had tried to strike out the sodomy charge following controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamarudin's allegations in August 2010 that Saiful and Farah Azlina were in a sexual relationship. But the High Court ruled that there was no abuse of process as the DPP's role was "limited, therefore Farah Azlina had no access to any investigation papers, including any documents." Judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah made the decision despite noting that the prosecution team had not answered the defence's affidavit concerning the alleged affair, "so the court must accept what has been said as the truth." He had also refused to call Saiful and Farah Azlina to answer allegations about their "affair" during the former deputy prime minister's trial.
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| Kalimullah takes the stand against Matthias Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:51 PM PST
(New Straits Times) - The former deputy chairman of New Straits Times Press (M) Berhad, Datuk Seri Kalimullah Masheerul Hassan took the stand today in his defamation suit against lawyer Matthias Chang, the former political secretary to Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Kalimullah, 53, testified that he filed the suit case against Chang in 2006 as the defendant had allegedly made damaging and baseless statements against him at a press conference which were published in the media. Kalimullah, dressed in a light grey suit, told the court yesterday that the article based on Chang's press conference on June 13 was written and published in the Singapore Straits Times by its then Malaysian correspondent, Leslie Lau. He also testified that according to the article, Chang had allegedly said that Kalimullah was corrupt, and that he, together with the then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's son-in-law Khairy Jamaluddin, were the powers behind the throne. "He said that I am a cobra doing work of our enemies and that I am a traitor and that he will spit on the face of those Malays who showed disrespect to Tun Mahathir," he said. When asked if he was a Abdullah loyalist, the witness responded: "He has been my friend for more than 20 years and I am loyal to my friends".
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| MP Gobalakrishan gets earful for comments to media Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:41 PM PST
(New Straits Times) - Padang Serai member of parliament N. Gobalakrishan was reprimanded by a judge for commenting in the media on the ongoing Banting murder trial. High Court judge Datuk Akhtar Tahir summoned the politician to court after he had made comments on the trial in Utusan Malaysia and TV3's Buletin Utama in August this year. The article referred to defence counsel Manjeet Singh Dhillon. Akhtar may have let Gobalakrishnan off with a stern warning, but he did not spare him from an earful. "Nobody, not even politicians, should make any remarks. Akhtar also pointed out that he did not summon Gobalakrishnan to court on behalf of Manjeet.
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| RM1,500 minimum wage in Selangor amid record cash reserves Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:20 PM PST
(Harakah Daily) - The Selangor state government said it would implement the minimum wage of RM1,500 applicable to all employees of state companies. At the tabling of the state's 2012 budget, Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said the move will cover employees of financially stable state-owned companies first before being implemented to others.
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| NFC beef more costly than wagyu beef Posted: 09 Nov 2011 05:18 PM PST
(Harakah Daily) - The cost incurred by the embattled National Feedlot Corporation to produce its brand of beef dubbed 'Gemas Gold' is apparently more expensive than the popular wagyu beef, according to a think-tank. In a statement today, Research for Social Advancement (Refsa) said NFC's Gemas Gold would cost around RM184 per kilogramme, taking into account what has been revealed by the Auditor General's Report 2010.
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| Anwar insists foul play in ‘lost RM1.4b’ Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:29 PM PST
Even if the money was spent, it should be noted down, says the opposition leader. (Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim maintained today that there was discrepancy in the use of the RM1.4 billion in contingency funds despite the government's explanation yesterday. Anwar, the former deputy prime minister, said it was wrong for the government to use the supplementary Supply Bill to approve the RM1.5 billion contingency fund. He claimed the move breached Parliament's Standing Orders. "Under Standing Order 68, contingency funds must be authorised and decided upon without debate," he told reporters at the Parliament lobby here. Anwar on Tuesday had questioned where the RM1.4 billion had gone when the 2010 Auditor- General's Report said only RM79 million of the contingency fund was left. He also asked if that was the reason behind the controversial delay in the report's release. In an immediate response, Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussin said the RM1.4 billion was accounted for and approved when the supplementary Supply Bill was tabled and debated in the March-April sitting last year. But Anwar remain adamant that there was discrepancy in the process.
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| Khairy: New social contract needed Posted: 09 Nov 2011 04:27 PM PST Non Malays would not mind affirmative action to help Malays provided a clear deadline is worked out under the new agreement, says Umno youth chief. (Free Malaysia Today) - A new social contract is needed to help forge closer ties among Malaysians, said Umno youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin. Khairy said among the issues that could be discussed in the new agreement was a clear deadline for all affirmative action policies so as not to create animosity among various races. Speaking at a forum titled 'National Unity: From Vision to Action' organised by the 1Malaysia Foundation, he said a referendum should be held to get masses to support the new deal. Also present at the forum which was attended by about 70 people, were Serdang MP Teo Nie Ching and Balik Pulau MP Mohd Yusmadi Mohd Yusoff. Touching on the Malay community, Khairy said he believed that the non Malays would not mind affirmative action to help the Malays, provided a clear deadline is given. "And after its expiration date, we can start helping people based on merit. All this can be discussed in the new social contract," said Khairy who is also Rembau MP. Touching on the New Economic Policy (NEP), he said since its inception in the 1970s, about RM52 billion worth of shares were given to the Malays but only about RM2 billion is left in the hands of the community. "Though effective, we can question its implementation as previously a lot of funds were used to bail out failed privatisation projects. "This shows that transferring wealth alone will not help the Malays. We need to create capacity and the know-how in order to sustain the wealth," said Khairy.
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| Ngeh: Rural ministry paid RM404m for higher-priced bids Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:55 PM PST
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 10 — The rural and regional development ministry spent RM404 million extra this year after 67 open tender projects were not awarded to the lowest qualified tenders, DAP's Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham said today. Ngeh, the party's deputy secretary-general, told reporters that of 209 projects planned for the year, the ministry has only awarded 129, of which only 68 were by open tender. "Although open tenders were conducted for the 68 projects, all were not given to the lowest-priced bidder except for one. Many were awarded at many times the lowest price tendered. "There are reasons to suspect the existence of rampant corrupt practices," the Beruas MP said. He listed one such project as having a lowest qualifying bid of RM7,775,000 but where the ministry eventually awarded the tender for RM41,736,809.77, a difference of nearly RM34 million or over 500 per cent the lowest price. The Perak DAP chief added that along with the 61 other projects awarded through direct negotiations and limited tenders, he estimated that "the people have lost at least RM500 million through improper awarding of these projects."
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| Condo instead of cows: MACC report filed Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:43 PM PST
By Teoh El Sen, FMT SHAH ALAM: A report has been filed with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the RM10 million luxury condominium allegedly purchased with money from the National Feedlot Centre (NFC), run by a minister's family. The report was lodged with MACC's Selangor office here by PKR-linked NGO, Jingga 13. "Jingga 13 urges MACC to immediately investigate this serious finding and the attorney-general to charge and bring those involved in betraying the trust of the rakyat to justice," said its chief coordinator Fariz Musa. Fariz alleged that PKR has solid evidence to show that the family of Women, Family and Community Development Minister Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, who allegedly holds the majority of shares in NFC, is linked to the buying of the said condominium (One Menerung) in Bangsar. "On Dec 2, 2009, NFC made four money transfers from its current account at CIMB Bank, Taman Tun Dr Ismail to Bandar Raya Developments Bhd as a full payment to purchase the One Menerung condominium," he said. Fariz said the four transfers were: RM699,870, RM694,150, RM4,199,220, RM4164,900; and the total amounted to RM9,758,140. 'We have to protect our source' Asked if Jingga 13 brought with it supporting documents for MACC, Fariz said that Jingga 13 has to protect its source, who he claimed is reliable. He also said that Jingga 13 has no details of how many units were purchased but revealed that the units in One Menerung ranged from RM3 million to over RM10.3 million, depending on the unit sizes. "This payment of almost RM9.8 million was recorded as "hutang" (debt) from National Meat and Livestocks Corporation Sdn Bhd (NMLC), which is also owned by Shahrizat's family, to NFC," he added. He alleged that this sum of almost RM9.8 million was part of the RM83 million owed by NMLC to NFC as of Dec 31, 2009. He also alleged that the sum was part of the RM250 million soft loan given by the government to NFC. "This payment for a luxury condominium on behalf of another company that is fully owned by Shahrizat's family is a form of misappropriation of the rakyat's money which was given as a loan to NFC. This is a form of criminal breach of trust," he said. "You're supposed to buy cows, but you bought a condo. There is no basis, whatsoever, for NFC to purchase a condominium and it is clearly a gross misuse of power," said Fariz, adding that Jingga 13 visited the condominium but could not obtain further information as they were chased out by security. Fariz said the latest information also disproves the statements by Umno leaders on the NFC issue, and those who manipulated and distorted facts must be brought to book.
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| PKR claims NFC funded RM10m Shahrizat family condo Posted: 09 Nov 2011 03:27 PM PST
By Shannon Teoh, The Malaysian Insider The National Feedlot Centre (NFC) paid for a RM10 million condominium belonging to National Meat and Livestocks Corporation (NMLC), a company wholly-owned by Datuk Seri Shahrizat Jalil's family, PKR said today. Its secretary-general, Saifuddin Nasution, said the luxury apartment at One Menerung, Bangsar, was recorded by NFC, a cattle farming project managed by the minister's family, as part of a RM83 million "loan" to NMLC. "They said the RM250 million loan for the project was in a tightly-controlled account. Is the condominium for cows to live in?" the Machang MP told a press conference in the Parliament lobby. Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin had said yesterday that funds from the soft loan could only be drawn after NFC tables a working paper and is approved by the finance ministry. Minister of Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Datuk Seri Noh Omar also said that only RM135 million had been drawn by the NFC as the funds have been placed in an escrow account. PKR also alleged on Tuesday that over RM84 million was siphoned off from NFC to companies controlled by Shahrizat's husband, Datuk Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail, and her children, Izran Mohamad Salleh and Izmir Mohamad Salleh. Saifuddin said today that the RM9,758,140 was transferred from NFC's CIMB account in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur to Bandar Raya Developments Berhad on December 2, 2009 as full payment for the property. "It was not from a special trust account. So the Umno Youth chief and minister's explanations are false. "If strict monitoring had occurred, surely RM9.8 million cannot be transferred to buy a luxury condo that has nothing to do with cattle farming. This is a clear breach of trust by Shahrizat's family," he said. He also questioned Khairy's defence of the project, asking if the "Rembau (MP) was involved in approving the project" in 2006 "when he was a powerful Fourth Floor Boy" under his father-in-law Tun Abdullah Badawi's administration.
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| Posted: 09 Nov 2011 01:07 PM PST
(FMT) Amanah deputy president and former Umno minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir admits BN had bought votes before and that it was common knowledge. PETALING JAYA: The cat is finally out of the bag. A senior former Umno minister admitted that his party bought votes during elections. The Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) deputy president and former tourism minister Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir said it was "common knowledge" that such corrupt practices occurred, especially among his Barisan Nasional (BN) colleagues. And now, Kadir is calling on the BN government to do away with vote buying during elections, a practice he admitted has happened in the past. "Amanah has asked that there should be no 'distribution of cash' to buy votes. It is now common knowledge that two, three, days before voting day, some political parties go about with cash (to bribe voters)," he told FMT. Kadir said it was an Amanah consensus that all government parties should be strictly prohibited from such practices to ensure free and fair elections. Asked if he was pointing to political parties from both sides of the political divide, he plainly said: "No, basically we're talking about the government parties. "Opposition parties mana ada duit (where do they have the money?) I can say that a lot of BN members are perpetuating such acts." On electoral reforms, Kadir said that Amanah fully supports the call for a "care-taker" government to take over the administration of the country at least three months before the dissolution of Parliament. "This is so all government agencies will be neutralised at this point. When election comes, government machinery cannot be used to support the ruling coalition. Government funds for election should not and cannot be used," he said. Amanah's stand Kadir also said that it was "obvious" that the opposition had very limited access to the media. "We (Amanah members) have agreed; it is so obvious that the opposition has no access to the mainstream media, that is not fair. We must ensure that there is fair access," he said. Kadir also said that the delineation of constituencies has to be properly discussed so that it would be "very fair" to all parties, and that should be the next priority. He said that Amanah, the new NGO led by Umno veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, was fully committed to "returning the country to the rakyat". "When we achieved Merdeka, it was the rakyat who got the independence, not Tunku (Abdul Rahman), not even the Sultans. Therefore free and fair elections, which were there during the time of our founding fathers, should be returned. "The spirit of our founding fathers and the rakyat's rights have been hijacked along the way," he said. He reiterated Amanah's stand that the Parliamentary Select Committee for electoral reforms should revamp the system before election is called as there is "ample" time before the government mandate expires in 2013. Khairy wants proof
"If he makes such accusations, he has to come up with proof. He has been a minister for a very long time, a very senior politician; he should furnish us with proof," said Khairy, who supported call for the general election to be called after PSC has come up with recommendations. Kadir, when asked if he would furnish proof of existence of vote buying, said he would not respond immediately as there was ample time to do so. Meanwhile, Bersih 2.0 steering committee member Wong Ching Huat commended Kadir's admittance and called for Amanah to take it one step further by pushing for investigations on "un-investigated" cases of vote buying. "I welcome his honesty. I hope that people who know about this, people who are formally involved, would come out as star witnesses," said Wong. Read more at: http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/2011/11/10/umno-guilty-of-vote-buying/
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