Khamis, 15 Disember 2011

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Anti-Umno group targets Malay heartland with viral video

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:25 PM PST

(The Malaysian Insider) - Frustrated by rural Malays' poor access to alternative sources of news, an anti-Umno coalition has launched an online video it hopes will break Barisan Nasional's (BN) media monopoly in key heartland areas.

Jumping between archive photos and documentary footage, the 104-minute "DN Tumbangkan BN" video by Asalkan Bukan Umno (ABU) hopes to undercut Umno's claim that it has always fought for Malaysians and the good of the country.

ABU comprises the Socialist Party of Malaysia (PSM), Parti Rakyat Malaysia (PRM), Solidariti Anak Muda Malaysia (SAMM) and the Malaysian Civil Liberties Movement (MCLM), among others.

The central theme of the video is former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's alleged abuse of the New Economic Policy (NEP) to enrich cronies, which ABU claims not only resulted in persistent poverty but also worsening race relations.

The NEP was introduced in 1971 following the bloody May 13, 1969 race riots to foster national unity by reducing the wealth gap between the races.

"Had the aspirations of the New Economic Policy been carried out, Tunku Abdul Rahman's hope that Malaysia remain a democratic, independent nation based on freedom and justice... would have been realised long ago," said the video's narrator.

"Unfortunately, the Umno-BN government, beginning with the leadership of Dr Mahathir Mohamad from 1981 until now, has abandoned the principles of the Rukunegara and played up racial and religious sentiment to ensure the people are not united so they can remain in power."

It also slammed Dr Mahathir – "the world's biggest liar" – for allegedly undermining key national institutions to stay in power, presenting as proof the chain of events which began with the deregistration of Umno in 1988 following fractious party polls.

But the video also struck a more positive note amid the Umno-bashing, highlighting the alternative vision for Malaysia held by leftist political parties which fought for Malaysia's independence from Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.

It noted that such groups, including the Malay Nationalist Party (PKMM) and Malayan Democratic Union (MDU), had worked together politically for a race-blind Malaysia even before BN's predecessor, the Alliance, was formed.

"The unity we talked about never mentioned race, as is emphasised nowadays. All we wanted was that all the trade unions, all the workers, all the women, all the organisations should join in a broad front to oppose the return of the (British) Governor to rule the country," MDU founding member Lim Kean Chye said.

Special attention was paid to the All-Malaya Hartal of 1948, which MCLM president Haris Ibrahim described as "the most graphic evidence" that Malaysians of different races have always been able to cooperate.

"It's amazing that they managed, even then without internet, to pull off something on that scale. We've never had a race relations problem in this country. It's just Umno and its sidekicks," he told The Malaysian Insider.

ABU will kick off its campaign to disseminate the video among rural Malay voters at Kolej Universiti Islam Zulkifli Muhammad (KUIZM) in Gombak tonight.

According to Haris's website, the group has already distributed some 200,000 hard copies of the video in villages in the past month alone.

 

Is it STAR in Sabah for Jeffrey?

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:49 PM PST

Once-dormant Sarawak Reform Party looks set to make a comeback through Sabah.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Speculations are rife that Sabah political maverick Jeffrey Kitingan will be announcing the Sabah chapter of the once-dormant Sarawak Reform Party (STAR) tomorrow.

STAR is headed by former assistant minister Patau Rubis. It was formed 16 years ago and has been dormant since 2008.

Yesterday, Jeffrey, who is the co-founder of United Borneo Front (UBF), announced that he would make an announcement regarding his political future amidst growing speculation that he was setting up a Sabah chapter of a Sarawak-based party.

Jeffrey, who is a former PKR vice-president, has been trying to register UBF as a political party but his efforts have ended in vain.

Rubis, who was once a member of Sarawak National Party (SNAP) and a minister in Chief Minister Taib Mahmud's Cabinet, when contacted today, said: "You can wait for the announcement tomorrow; in the meantime you can speculate.

"But speculation can be wrong," he said.

But Rubis did indicate that Jeffrey's announcement tomorrow would also coincide with the anniversary of STAR's formation 16 years ago.

STAR is expected to be officially launched early next month.

Borneo Alliance

In the past STAR had fielded candidates in both parliamentary and state elections but with no success.

Since the 2008 general election, the party has been dormant.

Observers here are of the view that Jeffrey was left with no choice but to engage STAR.

READ MORE HERE

 

Jeffrey to ‘take the political bull by the horns’

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:20 PM PST

Tommorrow Sabah's political gadfly Jeffrey Kitingan will reveal his political direction.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Jeffrey Kitingan, the evergreen local hero in Sabah and Sarawak, may be ready at last to bring some much needed clarity into his politics when the United Borneo Front (UBF), his NGO, celebrates its first anniversary tommorrow in Kota Kinabalu.

Other celebrations are scheduled to take place throughout Sabah and Sarawak in the run-up to the 13th general election.

The word is that Jeffrey has an important message to mark the occasion and will, at long last, give a glimpse of where his politics is headed.

It certainly won't be that United Borneo Front has been registered.

Registrar of Societies (RoS) Sabah Matthew Barin had recently threw a damper into the works by rejecting the registration of UBF.

It appears that "Borneo" is a taboo word with the ROS for its connotations with "nationalism of the wrong kind" as speculation over the 'UnBorn Federation' (UBF) would have it.

UBF remains, at writing, an ad hoc apolitical rights movement which works across the political divide to, among others, bring Malaysians in Sabah and Sarawak together as a Third Force in Parliament.

The Third Force will support either the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) or the opposition Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan) to form the federal government but without joining such a government.

READ MORE HERE

 

Sodomy II verdict on Jan 9

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 01:08 PM PST

High Court Judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah will deliver his decision on Anwar Ibrahim's case on Jan 9.

(Free Malaysia Today) - Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim will know his fate on Jan 9 next year after the defence and prosecution wrapped up the Sodomy II case today.

High Court judge Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah said he would deliver the verdict after hearing the final submissions this morning.

Three years ago, Anwar was charged with having sodomised Mohd Saiful Bukhari Azlan, his former aide, then 22.

Anwar pleaded not guilty to the offence, allegedly committed at a Desa Damansara condominium unit in Bukit Damansara on June 26, 2008.

The PKR de facto leader is facing a maximum of 20 years in prison and whipping, if found guilty under Section 377B of the Penal Code.

This is the second time he was accused of sodomy.

In 1998, Anwar lost his deputy prime minister's post after he was charged with corruption and sodomising his family driver.

He was freed in 2004 after six years of imprisonment when the Federal Court overturned the sodomy conviction.

It took almost a year for the Sodomy II trial to start, after a number of delays due to several applications by Anwar's lawyers that went to the Federal Court.

Among others, the main applications were to quash the charge, seeking key documents they claimed were denied, and to recuse the sitting judge.

The prosecution had called 27 witnesses, including Saiful.

Prima facie case

There were three doctors from the KL Hospital who examined Saiful two days after the alleged incident.

The prosecution also relied heavily on the findings of two chemists, Dr Seah Lay Hong and Nor Aidora Saedon, whose testimonies showed that the DNA profile of "male Y" found in the anus of Saiful was Anwar's.

On May 16, Mohamad Zabidin ordered Anwar to enter his defence after ruling that the prosecution had established a prima facie case.

He ruled that Saiful was a "credible" and "truthful" witness whose testimony was corroborated by the evidence of expert witnesses, including doctors and chemists.

READ MORE HERE

 

Every Thai student should have a tablet PC by May: Education Minister

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 12:57 PM PST

(The Nation) - The government's One Tablet PC per Child policy will be fully implemented by May, Education Minister Woravat Auapinyakul pledged yesterday.

"We will try to give tablet PCs to all students in primary and secondary school," he said, adding that vocational students would also get the tablets.

He was speaking in response to reports that due to a limited budget, the tablets would first be handed out to Prathom 1 students only. "I am looking for additional funds," he said.

In response to comments that the tablets might not be useful for some vocational subjects, Woravat said the devices would serve as a learning tool, giving students access to other materials.

The One Tablet PC Per Child policy was one of the many campaign promises made by the ruling Pheu Thai Party.

"We have set a goal and we will achieve it," the education minister insisted.

While Woravat was keen to implement Pheu Thai's election policies, he paid little attention to the New Breed of Teachers project launched by the previous government. "It's not a main policy of the current government," he said. "I will push for this government's policies first."

However, he said, he had no intention to scrap or suspend projects introduced by his predecessors and that he would look into the details of the project later.

"Today, the country must move to stay competitive in the international arena. We can't pin all our hopes on a new-breed of teachers alone," Woravat said.

Assoc Prof Piniti Ratananukul, deputy secretary-general of the Office of Higher Education Commission (Ohec), said the Thailand Education Deans Council was seeking clarity on the teacher project. "We will raise the issue with the education minister," Piniti said.

According to him, Ohec is seeking Bt278.7 million (S$12 million) to operate the project in the next fiscal year but it has yet to hear from Woravat.

According to a previous Cabinet resolution, the New Breed of Teachers Project was to be implemented this year and run until 2015, expecting to produce 30,000 new-breed teachers for the country.

"I can explain the needs for the project," Piniti added.

 

Naza joins in race for Proton

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 10:26 AM PST

Business Times understands that the Naza bid could be slightly higher than the rumoured price of RM6 to RM7 a share.

(Business Times) - The Naza Group, the country's biggest privately-held automotive group, made a closed-door presentation to Khazanah Nasional Bhd yesterday to buy its stake in Proton Holdings Bhd.

The presentation came just a day after UMW Holdings Bhd made a similar presentation to the government's investment fund.

UMW has a 25-year-old strong relationship with Japanese Toyota Motor Corp, the world's largest carmaker by sales volume.

UMW, which is majority-controlled by the government's Permodalan Nasional Bhd and the Employees Provident Fund, is also the single largest shareholder of Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Sdn Bhd, the manufacturer of Malaysia's second national car.
 
 
"They (Naza) have sent in a letter of intent to Khazanah to acquire Proton," said a person familiar with the matter.

Business Times understands that the Naza bid could be slightly higher than the rumoured price of RM6 to RM7 a share.

The other bidder for the national carmaker is DRB-HICOM Bhd, the country's biggest publicly-traded automotive company.

DRB-HICOM is controlled by Malaysia's second youngest billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.

Almost seven years ago, Syed Mokhtar had locked horns with the Naza Group for control over DRB-HICOM.

Against the odds, the tycoon came out tops and since then, his management team has helped transform DRB-HICOM into a profitable entity.

Khazanah has a 42.7 per cent stake in Proton, and has confirmed in recent days that it had received proposals on Proton from certain parties.

A bid at RM7 a share values Proton at RM3.84 billion, which is a steep premium over its current market value of slightly over the RM2.1 billion mark.

It is, however, still much lower than the national carmaker's book value of RM5.4 billion or RM9.84 per share as at end-March 2011.

The Naza pitch is a stand-alone bid, with no foreign participation.

The group has been in the automotive business since 1975, and has been one of the more successful private businesses operating in the competitive automotive business.

"It has a proven track record in the business," said the source. The Naza group — the country's largest importer of luxury automobiles such as Ferrari, Peugeot and Brabus — has in recent years, carved a significant share in the buoyant retail car market.

It currently has tie-ups with South Korea's Kia Motors, French carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroën, and General Motors, the US automotive giant. Naza has a manufacturing plant in Gurun, Kedah, which has rolled out more than 150,000 vehicles to date.

The Naza group had invested as much as RM500 million in May 2004 to set up the plant, which is its flagship manufacturing base.



Shafie: Karpal-Rama feud a time bomb

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 09:40 AM PST

(The Star) - The feud between DAP national chairman Karpal Singh and deputy secretary-general Dr P. Ramasamy shows that there is a crack in the party, Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal said.

He said the feud could be just the tip of an iceberg with a bigger fight ahead.

"When leaders of a political party quarrel openly and start calling names, what does that mean?

"It only shows that they are actually not on good terms with each other and a fight is waiting to break out just like a time bomb," he said yesterday.

Shafie said if the people analysed the on-going spat between the two DAP leaders, they would realise that it was about cronyism.

"Apparently, cronyism is practised widely in the party and that made its senior leaders upset.

"I think many DAP members are aware of this and they are waiting for someone to express it on their behalf," he said.

Karpal and Dr Ramasamy have been engaged in a tit-for-tat feud over the past week, after the former chastised the latter for allegedly offering seats to certain leaders in exchange for their support and loyalty.

In an apparent dig at Dr Ramasamy, Karpal also said the DAP had no place for "warlords".

Dr Ramasamy denied that he had offered any seat and launched a veiled attack on Karpal by saying that DAP had no place for "godfathers".

 

PKR man quits, calls DAP ‘autocratic’

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:48 AM PST

(New Straits Times) -  An opposition grouping insider called the DAP-led state government "autocratic and undemocratic" with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng constantly meddling in the affairs of the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP).

Lim Boo Chang, 56, said this after leaving Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and resigning as MPPP councillor. He was also PKR Bukit Gelugor division chief. He said Penang PKR was often sidelined by DAP, which behaved arrogantly because of its huge majority of 19 seats in the state assembly. PKR has nine, Pas one and Umno 11 seats in Penang.

He said MPPP had lost its autonomy because of Guan Eng's constant interference. Boo Chang, who served as MPPP councillor for 11 years, and the last three years as a PKR representative, cited the subterranean Penang
International Convention and Exhibition Centre (sPICE) project as an example of Guan Eng's strong-arm tactics.

Councillors were forced to act as rubber stamps as Guan Eng wanted to see his brainchild project completed, no matter what, he said. "Until now, I have not even been given a copy of the agreement signed between MPPP and developer, Eco Meridian.

"I have been a councillor for nine years  and I have never seen such an undemocratic thing happening in the council.

"The state government keeps chanting about its CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) principles, but in reality, it does not exist." Boo Chang  was one of two councillors who objected to the RM50 million that MPPP would have to pay for the sPICE project.

The other councillor, Dr Lim Mah Hui, also put on record his opposition during  MPPP's budget presentation in October  .

As for PKR, Boo Chang  said he decided to quit as he had become disillusioned with the party.

"I joined PKR in June 2008 as I was  attracted to its reformation pledges.

"However, all the promises made by their leaders have fallen short of expectations.

"The internal squabbling has also caused me to lose confidence in the party."

Boo Chang  started his political career in Gerakan in 1984, but left the party in 1999 to join MCA.

His late father, Datuk Lim Ee Heong, was a founding member of Gerakan.

Boo Chang, who was also the state PKR legal and social service bureau chief, said he had sent his letters of resignation to PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail.

The former Datuk Keramat assemblyman (1995  to 2004) said all the internal problems faced by the opposition had pushed the loose alliance to the crossroads,  but  it was  putting on a united front because of  the pending general election.

"Mark my words. It  will go its own way after the general election."

On the contrary, he said, the transformation programmes laid out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to move the country forward had impressed him.

Citing the 1Malaysia vision as an example, he said Najib had demonstrated a determination to be close to the people and unite all Malaysians.

"That is also why I have decided to quit PKR.

"I hope  those who share my views will join me in support of Barisan Nasional's transformation programme."

He  said he hoped to rejoin Gerakan, but had yet to officially inform the party's leadership.

"I have seen how Gerakan transformed after the last general election and I want to lend it a helping hand throughout the transformation process."

State Gerakan chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan said Boo Chang was welcome to join Gerakan,  but he had to  fill up a membership form.

He added that Gerakan's central working committee would decide whether to accept Boo Chang.

"As long as someone subscribes to Gerakan's ideologies and BN's policies, he is more than welcome to join us."


MIC to keep up with times

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:43 AM PST

(New Straits Times) - The MIC will be fielding more young and new faces as candidates in the next general election, said its secretary-general S. Murugesan.

This is to keep up with the growing demand for younger blood, meeting new challenges and keeping up with the younger voters, he added.

"There will definitely be a mixture of old and new faces, but we will field more younger people," he said in an interview yesterday.

On the selection of candidates, he said the party needed to consider, among other things, whether the person could deliver, keep up with the expectation of voters, was likeable and accepted by the people and enjoy good support from the constituents.

On preparations for the 13th general election, he said the party had taken several measures like appointing coordinators at parliamentary and state seats the party had held.

Their job included organising activities and getting to know the people, their problems and needs.

He said the party was also working closely with several non-governmental organisations on various issues.

On seat swapping, he said they would only consider doing so if the deal was fair.

At the same time, he acknowledged that winning some seats like Kota Raja, Subang, Kapar and Batu Caves would be tough. Nevertheless the party was ready.

"Yes, we are ready. We are prepared for battle," he added.


PAS begins to gather proposed candidate lists

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:39 AM PST

(Bernama) -- PAS has received the proposed lists of candidates for the next general election from almost 60 per cent of the states, the party's information chief, Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, said today.

He advised the states which have yet to submit the proposed list of electoral candidates to do so.

However, the party has yet to make the final decision on the choice of candidates, he added.

"We will only make the final decision close to the dissolution of parliament," he told Bernama.

Tuan Ibrahim said each of the states would usually send the names of two or three potential candidates for each parliamentary and each state seat.

Commenting of the stated desire of Kelantan PAS to reduce the number of candidates from elsewhere contesting in the state, he said it was only a proposal.

"If there are potential candidates who are good, their names can be sent to the PAS headquarters. We have no problem accepting them," he said.

Asked whether it is true that former Selangor PAS commissioner Datuk Dr Hasan Mohd Ali would be dropped as a candidate for the next general election, Tuan Ibrahim, who is also Pahang PAS commissioner, said it was only the personal opinion of certain people and not true.

"We are only receiving the lists of proposed candidates. How can Hasan be dropped? It is not true. The choice of candidates is not final yet," he said.

 

Zul asks people to reject document on PAS welfare state

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:33 AM PST

(Bernama) - An Independent MP has called on the people to reject the document on a PAS Welfare State which he claims contains sweet promises of the opposition party in its attempt to take Putrajaya in the next general election.

Datuk Zulkifli Noordin, the MP for Kulim-Bandar Baharu, said the document was engineered solely to oppose the concept of moderate Islam which formed the basis of the 1Malaysia Concept of "People First, Performance Now".

In the latest entry in his blog, he said he felt that the opposition was pressured by the approach of moderation promoted by the government helmed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Zulkifli said that in 2003, PAS had come up with the document on an Islamic State to oppose the Islam Hadhari concept introduced by then prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"But now that 2003 document has been discarded by PAS and the new document was launched by its president, Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang, on Dec 11. PAS itself rejected the document on the Islamic State and its struggle for an Islamic state on the grounds that the Quran did not make any reference to an Islamic state," he said.

Zulkifli said there was nothing to stop PAS from discarding its document on a welfare state to replace it with something else, and added that PAS's stand seemed to waver with its alignment with the DAP.

 

15 students held over 'silent' protest at KL Sentral

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:29 AM PST

(The Star) - Fifteen students were detained by the police after they held a silent protest at KL Sentral here Wednesday.

Brickfields OCPD Asst Comm Wan Abdul Bari Wan Abdul Khalid said the students, aged between 20 and 22, were from several local universities.

He said they were being investigated under the Section 27 of the Police Act.

A total of 30 students, led by Movement for Academic Freedom (Bebas) chairperson Mohd Safwan Anang, staged a flashmob at the main entrance hallway of KL Sentral in the afternoon.

The group carried placards protesting against the oppression of academic freedom in the country.

Their demands included the guarantee of academic autonomy and repeal of the controversial Universities and University Colleges Act 1971 (UUCA).

The group was asked twice by the police to disperse but refused to do so, leading to the arrest of the 15.

 

Additional exco post for Indians in Selangor?

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:22 AM PST

An additional exco seat will be the best move to reach out to the Indian community, says Selangor MIC secretary K Parthiban.

(Free Malaysia Today) - In an attempt to win the hearts and minds of Indian voters, the Barisan Nasional (BN) is planning to give an additional state executive council (exco) seat in Selangor.

The ruling coalition would also promise an Indian-held exco seat for Indians in Pahang.

"In total, Selangor will have one extra Indian exco seat, making it two Indian exco members in the state while Pahang would have an Indian exco member. The Pahang's exco is new.

"We expect this to be contained in the BN's manifesto for the next general election," a reliable source told FMT.

Prime Minister and BN chief Najib Tun Razak, the source said, has already promised the additional exco post for Indians in Selangor in his meeting with BN Indian leaders.

"But this is provided the BN takes back Selangor. He (Najib) also intends to push for an Indian exco post in his home state in Pahang. These strategies are in the pipeline and is expected to be announced during the campaign period for the next general election.

"This is BN effort to woo Indian voters," he said, adding that the BN realised that it would need the votes of the community to retain power at the coming general election.

The source said Najib was "very sensitive" to the plight of the Indian community and would offer the best to rope in the votes.

More inclusive politics

Selangor has one of the largest Indian concentrations in terms of population, constituting 13 percent of the total 5.5 million people in the state.

MIC, a BN component party and the largest Indian-based political party in the country, has over nearly three decades asked the ruling BN to allocate an extra exco seat in the state.

"At the 2008 general election, the Indians were frustrated… they wanted their voice to be heard. They deserted the BN for the first time. Although Pakatan Rakyat had a golden opportunity to remedy BN's mistake, it failed to capitalise on it.

"If Najib's promise is kept, then many Indians, if not all, will return to the BN fold. Only a small number might remain with Pakatan," said the source.

READ MORE HERE

 

Jeffrey to reveal his political future

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:16 AM PST

Speculation is growing that the UBF president will form the Sabah chapter of a Sarawak-based party.

(Bernama) - Come this Friday, United Borneo Front (UBF) president Jeffrey Kitingan will make an announcement on his political future, amidst growing speculation he would form the Sabah chapter of a Sarawak-based party.

The former PKR vice-president, who is scheduled to hold a press conference, here on that day, is expected to announce the names of office-bearers of the Sabah chapter.

It was reliably learnt that the president of the Sarawak-based party is also expected to attend the press conference while the launch of the party in Sabah is expected to be held early January, next year.

Sources said the majority of UBF members were in favour of pursuing their political struggles through the Sarawak-based party as the party subscribed to the Borneo agenda advocated by Jeffrey.

UBF has also indicated its willingness to form an alliance for all Sabahans, regardless of race and religion, to stand united to protect and safeguard the interests and rights of the people.

The newly-revived Usno became the latest entity to support the UBF and the fight for the restoration of Sabah's rights.

In what is seen as a show of support for the UBF, a prominent leader of the revived Usno is slated to join the press conference, the sources said, adding that Jeffrey was hopeful of forging an alliance with the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and Pakatan Rakyat in the coming general election.

Apart from opposition Sarawak National Party (SNAP), the other opposition Sarawak-based party is State Reform Party (Star) led by Patau Rubis.


How Do You Prove Someone's a Witch in Saudi Arabia?

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 08:10 AM PST

Call the religious police's Anti-Witchcraft Unit and get them to set up a sting operation.

(Foreign Policy) - In yet another reminder that the phrase "witch hunts" isn't only used figuratively these days, the Saudi Interior Ministry announced on Monday that it had beheaded a woman named Amina bint Abdul Halim bin Salem Nasser for practicing "witchcraft and sorcery."

The London-based al-Hayat newspaper, citing the chief of the religious police who arrested the woman after a report from a female investigator, claims Nasser was tricking people into paying $800 per session to have their illnesses cured.

So, how did Saudi authorities prove Nasser was a witch? The government hasn't gone into detail, but a look at the kingdom's past witchcraft cases suggests the bar for proving someone guilty isn't very high. Witch hunting is fairly institutionalized in Saudi Arabia, with the country's religious police running an Anti-Witchcraft Unit and a sorcery hotline to combat practices like astrology and fortune telling that are considered un-Islamic.

But institutionalized is not the same thing as codified. A top official in the kingdom's Ministry of Justice told Human Rights Watch in 2008 that there is no legal definition for witchcraft (Saudi Arabia doesn't have a penal code) or specific body of evidence that has probative value in witchcraft trials.

Instead, judges have wide latitude in interpreting Sharia law and sentencing suspected criminals. And Amnesty International claims these judges use witchcraft charges to arbitrarily "punish people, generally after unfair trials, for exercising their right to freedom of speech or religion." A Human Rights Watch researcher tells The Media Line that foreigners in particular are often the targets of sorcery accusations because of their traditional practices or, occasionally, because Saudi men facing charges of sexual harassment by domestic workers want to discredit their accusers. 

The evidence arrayed against witchcraft suspects typically revolves around statements from accusers and suspicious personal belongings that suggest the supernatural, in a country where superstition is still widespread. In 2006, for example, an Eritrean national was imprisoned and lashed hundreds of times for "charlatanry" after prosecutors argued that his leather-bound personal phone booklet with writings in the Tigrinya alphabet was a "talisman."

A year later, Saudi authorities beheaded an Egyptian pharmacist who had been accused by neighbors of casting spells to separate a man from his wife and placing Korans in mosque bathrooms. "He confessed to adultery with a woman and desecrating the Koran by placing it in the bathroom," the Saudi Press Agency reported, adding that books on black magic, a candle with an incantation "to summon devils," and "foul-smelling herbs" had been found in the pharmacist's home.

 

Malaysia's Mahathir Defends Sarawak Chieftain

Posted: 14 Dec 2011 07:59 AM PST

Charges of looting Sarawak could just be electioneering, he says

(Asia Sentinel) - Malaysia's former Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohamad, has defended Sarawak's embattled chief minister, Abdul Taib Mahmud, questioning calls by international NGOs for investigations of Taib's vast fortune.

"When an election is near, you get funny things like this coming out," Mahathir told reporters at a press conference Tuesday. "If it is just a political game to try and undermine somebody's political image then I think it is not right."

If the allegations are true, the 86-year-old Mahathir said, the authorities could be expected to take action. In May, Swiss authorities announced they were investigating accounts held in Swiss banks by the Taib family for evidence of corruption. Shortly after that, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission announced it would also investigate Taib's holdings, although observers in Kuala Lumpur said it was unlikely that the MACC would follow through, Indeed, one source told Asia Sentinel recently that the investigation had "gone cold." A Taib spokesman said the funds had been legitimately deposited and that there was no evidence of criminality.

Many political observers expect Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to call national elections in the early part of 2012, possibly in March. Sarawak, the country's largest state, is key to efforts by the Barisan Nasional, the country's ruling national coalition, to maintain a healthy majority in parliament. Both Najib and Mahathir earlier this year reportedly tried to dissuade the scandal-ridden chief minister to quit before state elections.

When Taib refused to step down, both had to criss-cross the state, campaigning for Taib's coalition. However, the coalition produced a two-thirds majority in the state assembly. Although he had publicly offered to step down, the magnitude of the victory impelled him to stay in power.

Mahathir's defense of Taib was generated by the fact that on Tuesday, NGOs from six different countries issued a joint letter demanding that Malaysia's sultan appoint a royal commission of inquiry and that authorities arrest and prosecute Taib and 13 members of his family for massive fraud, theft, corruption, illegal appropriation of land and abuse of public office. They allege that the looting of Sarawak's rich timber and other natural resources has earned Taib's family billions of US dollars through investment in as many as 400 companies in 25 countries.

They also demanded that a multi-agency task force be appointed to attempt to repatriate the vast sums from other countries to the people of Sarawak.

Research released earlier this month by the Switzerland-based Bruno Manser Fund said official documents show the Taib family stake in 14 Malaysian companies alone is worth US$1.46 billion. The fund has uploaded all of the documents onto the Internet. They can be found here. Billions more are believed to be held in other countries.

The fund said its research only covers publicly available information from Malaysia's Registry of Companies and other official documents and the total of all of the Taib family's holdings could run well in excess of that amount.

"Not counting their more hidden wealth, this puts the Taib family firmly into the category of one of the richest families in the world and makes them far richer than the Queen of England (whose assets are a mere half billion pounds)," the fund said.

In all, according to the fund, named for a Swiss environmentalist who disappeared in Sarawak in 2000 while trying to aid the Penan tribe, the family also has stakes in companies in Australia (22 companies), Bermuda (1), the British Virgin Islands (7), Brunei (1), Cambodia (1), Canada (9), the Cayman Islands (1), Fiji (3), Hong Kong (7), India (2), Indonesia (3), Jersey (1), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (1), Labuan (1), New Zealand (5), the People's Republic of China (2), the Philippines (1), Singapore (2), Sri Lanka (1), Thailand (2), the United Arab Emirates (1), the United Kingdom (4), the United States of America (6) and Vietnam (1).

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