| Police to act against rally-goers Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:33 PM PDT (The Star) - KUALA LUMPUR: Police have warned that they would take appropriate and necessary action including preventing and obstructing anyone from participating in the Bersih 2.0 rally planned for July 9. Acting City Chief Police Officer Senior Asst Comm Amar Singh said police would take such action in the interest of public safety. "The rally is illegal as no one has applied for a permit. "Even if they did apply, we will not approve it in the interest of public order and safety. "Those intending to carry on or participate in the rally will be courting trouble and will have to face the music if caught," he stressed. SAC Amar said they were concerned as there were two other groups opposing the Bersih 2.0 rally and he feared things might get out of control, which could pose a security and public order situation. He said that besides traffic coming to a standstill, businesses in the city could be badly affected. "The situation in the city could be tense and we cannot allow that to happen. "I appeal and urge the organisers of the rally, including those opposing it, to heed police advice and to call off their plans," he added. SAC Amar said to date, police have received more than 800 reports nationwide demanding for police to act against those organising and planning to participate in the rally. In a related case, the Serdang MIC lodged a police report urging the Home Ministry to act against the organisers of the Bersih 2.0 rally as well as against Perkasa and the Umno youth. Its division chairman N. Rawisandran, who lodged the police report with the Kajang police yesterday, said every effort must be taken to prevent any untoward incident. In JOHOR BARU, police thwarted an attempt by members of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) to hold an illegal gathering and distribute flyers on the upcoming Bersih 2.0 rally in Kangkar Pulai. And, in shah alam, police confirmed that a man distributing leaflets at Shah Alam Uptown, identified as Khairul Anuar, was arrested. |
| Police thwart Bersih’s first roadshow Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:45 PM PDT By Boo Su-Lyn, The Malaysian Insider
SHAH ALAM, June 25 — A Bersih 2.0 roadshow was cancelled last night after police mounted roadblocks here and arrested PKR Youth deputy chief Khairul Annuar at the electoral reform gathering here. Khairul, who wore a yellow Bersih T-shirt, was handcuffed when he approached an empty stage at Uptown in Section 24 here that was barricaded with police tape. Former Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) president Syed Shahir Syed Mohamud, who was the scheduled speaker at the event, did not turn up while no one else could be seen wearing Bersih T-shirts. Several businessmen at the Uptown market told The Malaysian Insider that their customers were not allowed in by police at the roadblock, which was located at the turn-off leading to Section 24. "The businessmen are unhappy. We should have been operating since 8pm, but no one is coming in," said Firdaus Zakaria last night, who sells men's wallets, bags and belts. "There are usually a lot of customers on Friday and Saturday nights," added the 28-year-old businessman, as other stall owners echoed his remarks. Acting Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Amar Singh Ishar Singh said earlier yesterday that authorities were planning to derail the July 9 Bersih rally and its two counter-protests scheduled for the same day. Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on the day in Kuala Lumpur to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly. Umno Youth and right-wing group Perkasa have also promised to carry out separate rallies to rival Bersih's. READ MORE HERE. |
| Malaysia No. 2 in Asia-Pacific for cargo theft Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:42 PM PDT By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — Cargo theft in Malaysia is now the second highest in the Asia-Pacific by value and looks to increase as more cargo from Singapore, the world's busiest port, is routed overland through the Malay peninsula, the New York Times has reported. The US daily, quoting figures compiled by the Transported Asset Protection Association, said more than US$22.7 million (RM68.9 million) worth of goods was reported stolen from Malaysian ports, airports, warehouses and trucks from 2007 to 2010. Only Hong Kong reported higher losses, but the refusal of Malaysian police to share data with the association and the reluctance of companies to report losses that could impact insurance premiums mean that the total value of goods stolen here is likely higher. While transporting goods through Asia-Pacific countries is generally safer than other parts of the world like the Americas, Africa and Europe, "there's little question that cargo theft and supply chain risk have increased throughout Asia", the New York Times quoted FreightWatch International as saying. "Malaysia, which lies along a number of important trading routes, is a particular concern," the paper added. "The country is increasingly becoming a key thoroughfare, as more companies ship their goods to and from neighbouring Singapore... which is connected to much of the rest of Southeast Asia by road through Malaysia." FreightWatch International singled out Malaysia and the Philippines as countries in Asia that report frequent occurrences of in-transit cargo hijackings with violence or the threat of violence. Weapons used to hold up trucks include guns and knives. READ MORE HERE. |
| Bar Council says ‘shocked’ with sex video screening in court Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:39 PM PDT By Syed Mu'az Syed Putra, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — The magistrate's court should not have screened the sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim yesterday because the "Datuk T" trio had already pleaded guilty to the crime, says the Bar Council. Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee described that the court's decision in allowing the video to be shown as "shocking" and "extraordinary." He stressed that there was no reason to do since those accused of screening the video had readily admitted to the crime. "There is no need to because they have already pleaded guilty; I am surprised why the sex video was shown in court. "This is an extraordinary procedure, I am shocked as to why it happened... if a person has already pleaded guilty there is no need to (reveal the evidence)," Lim told The Malaysian Insider. The lawyer said the court's action was inconsistent with standard procedures in such cases, where evidence is only revealed during the course of a full trial and when the accused maintains his or her innocence. Former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim, all of whom make up the "Datuk T" trio, were fined yesterday for their involvement in the screening of the sex video at Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel here on March 21. READ MORE HERE. |
| KDM membership in Umno a moral surrender Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:24 PM PDT By Daniel John Jambun Datuk John Ambrose, the Umno head for Penampang, has claimed that the Umno KDM task force has been in existence from the very beginning of Umno in Sabah, initially led by Tan Sri Kasitah Gadam and Datuk John Ghani, and yet the state Sabah BN Youth Treasurer, Bahrul Razha Chuprat does not recognize it, hence insisting that the movement be endorsed by the coming Umno general assembly, saying "We, the youth leaders, need to know whether this KDM task force has been given the blessing by party President Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak. And whether only a certain group of party leaders or all leaders can use it." Wait, who is supposed to endorse this, the Umno assembly or the umno president? Already, there is confusion about the matter in the state BN. Interestingly, John Ambrose, trying to justify his membership in Umno, had implied that KDMs who are in Umno should no longer be seen as traitors to the KDM community. And so now there is suddenly a new interest to revive the Umno Sabah KDM task force to garner more support from the KDM people. As a move in this direction Umno gave away a token gift of RM50,000 to poor students in nine schools in Papar last month, with the nice rationale from the task force's Treasurer Datuk Peter Anthony that "There is nothing wrong in wanting to help those in need" – yes, especially if you have an axe to grind (LOL)! But then, is this money for poor students taken from the government's (the people's) coffer, from the Umno bank account, or from the private sector? If it is from the government why is it not distributed by the Papar's YBs under the state or federal budget, and why is this being doled out by Umno for Umno's campaign purpose? Has Umno the right to use the people's money for its own campaign? If it is from the private sector the Department of Inland Revenue should look into the account of this Santa Claus. I cannot help smelling a rat in the whole thing. This sudden generousity by Umno through the KDM task force has raised several very important questions. Why this move to revive the task force suddenly after ruling Sabah for 17 years? Is Umno abandoning the BN spirit in Sabah, and now thinks that the KDM-based parties (PBS, Upko and PBRS) are no longer necessary for BN? Is Umno saying that these parties have failed to get the support of the KDMs for the BN, and now Umno is stepping in to get these KDMs to come into BN through Umno instead? Is Umno preparing to rule the state all by itself after getting the KDM support, and by that time it can say to PBS, Upko and PBRS that "Now, you can leave BN if you want!"? It looks like it. Umno has become so arrogant that it thinks it can rule the state all by itself soon, as indicated by its moves to ask for KDM and Chinese seats to be given to it in the next general election. Even Datuk Marcus Mojigoh had said, "Go ahead, take my seat!" and Tan Sri Joseph Kurup had threatened to reevaluate its position in BN if Umno insists on taking his sole and precious Pensiangan seat. Does this mean Umno is trying to pinch away support from the KDM-based parties? But Umno itself had started whining recently accusing "other BN components" of pinching away its members! So is Umno saying it is alright for it to do this kind of thing to its fellow BN components but won't stand for it if the other components do the same to Umno? There is a name for that kind of attitude – hypocrisy! Another issue to the whole thing is the matter of morale for the KDM community. Let's not forget what Umno does at every Umno general assembly. The number one emphasis is always for the future of the Malays – Malay this and Malay that – Malay future, Malay special rights, Malay privileges, Malay shares, Malay rulers, and of course, Malay superiority and supremacy. How does a KDM Umno member feel in the middle of those shouting and holding up of the kris during the general assemblies every year? Even just by watching the whole thing on TV, there is a whole lot of alienation and blatant discrimination against non-Malay members from Sabah in the whole tone of the assemblies. I can never forget the time Datuk John Ghani speaking with high spirit in one of the assemblies in his Kadazan costume because it was to incongruent and against the spirit of the KDMs. Datuk John, thankfully, has since withdrawn from the whole charade. At one time Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek left the assembly hall saying, the whole thing did hurt his feelings. So far no KDM Umno leader had ever said anything about how they felt. I bet many are not happy, even ashamed of their own political struggle in Umno, but they are too cowardly to say it. Some may even try to psycho themselves into thinking that they are Malays. But we all know that the rationale of it all, even when using the "rumpun Melayu" rhetoric, KDMs are still KDMs, and Umno is still a Malay party from the Peninsular. Before independence there were no Malays in Sabah. Let's us not forget that Umno was established for the cause of the Malay history and struggle, with the unending shout of "Hidup Melayu!" and "Takkan Melayu hilang di dunia!" At one time many people suggested that Umno be change to United Malaysia National Organisation but it was rejected outright by those who believe that, do or die, Umno must remain as a Malay vehicle forever. It is only inSabah that Umno has compromised on the terms of its membership by allowing non-Malays to become members (including Chinese!) all for political expedience. But the moment they step off the plane inKuala Lumpur, they become anomalies among the Malays, and seen only as political instruments (or traitors) for the conquest of the stubborn Land Below the Wind. We can see that now, because of our own weaknesses, we are splintered into so many political parties. Our own leaders who were too corrupt and easily swayed could not even unite us under own political umbrellas. The Huguan Siou has been a failure and is no longer fighting for our future. If only he had focused solely on uniting the KDM and not got himself embroiled in politics by leading another KDM party, our fate would have a lot different. Is it too late for a revival of a true Huguan Siou leadership? Maybe, maybe not, but PBS is too much in a dilemma today to do what is right, which is to sever its ties with Umno/BN once again and start a new revolution. This is all despite the fact that it was Umno who robbed power from PBS and thereafter caused so many of our problems in Sabah. It implemented the infamous Projek IC and caused a drastic increased our population within a few years, and worse, it made Sabah the poorest state in Malaysia. Whatever the KDMs' excuse for being in Umno, we know very well that the arrangement will always lead to self-destruction for the community in the end. Many reason that "We need to move forward," but joining Umno is a moral defeat and surrender for us. History has proven it, but we never seem to learn anything from the hard and painful lessons. |
| Muslim body urges leaders, royalty to condemn death threats Posted: 24 Jun 2011 11:35 AM PDT (Harakah Daily) - KUALA LUMPUR, Jun 25: A body representing Muslim professionals in the country has expressed outrage over the death threats on leaders of electoral reform group Bersih, and calling on both political leaders and royalties to condemn such an act. "The silence of the national leaders in the face of this racist and deplorable death threat is also cause for concern. All Malaysians who love this country must unequivocally condemn this dastardly and cowardly act of extreme provocation," said a statement by Muslim Professionals Forum.
"The royal houses whose existence depends on continued peace in Malaysia must also be in unison in unreservedly condemning this vicious threat to the very fabric of our pluralistic society," it added, responding to racist remarks and death threats targeted at Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan by parties opposed to the July 9 rally in Kuala Lumpur.
The statement, signed by MPF chariman Dr Mazeni Alwi among others, reminded that while rhetorics were part of democracy, it did not however mean one could resort to violence "Regardless of one's feelings about the correctness or otherwise of the planned gathering on 9 July 2011, nobody other than the insane or racial supremacist will be in agreement with the obnoxious wave of highly coordinated text messages aimed at Dato' Ambiga and her like minded colleagues," it said. GETTING PERSONAL ... Two middleaged supporters of Perkasa showing leaflets condemning Ambiga [pic courtesy of The Malaysian Insider] UMNO's sister organisation Perkasa had earlier said it would gather its supporters on July 9 hoping to clash with the Bersih rally, which in 2007 attracted more than 50,000 people in the city.
Calling Ambiga a "dangerous Hindu woman", Perkasa leaders backed by pro-UMNO members of parliament also raised the spectre of a racial riot should organisers press on with the rally. This was followed later by a lengthy and racially-toned message to Ambiga's phone, threatening to kill her.
'Dereliction of duty'
Calling on the authorities to act, MPF warned that any failure to apprehend those behind the threats "will be dereliction of duty of the highest order" and would render the '1Malaysia' slogan meaningless.
"Unless genuine political will deals firmly with such racial supremacist provocations, the slogan 1Malaysia will paradoxically be long remembered as an era of 'heightened racial tension' and 'intense religious conflict'," it stressed. Earlier, several other Muslim scholars and groups have condemned Perkasa over its racist comments, and said the Bersih rally had noble aims in line with Islam. READ MORE HERE. |
| Funny Business in Hong Kong Posted: 24 Jun 2011 11:31 AM PDT By Sarawak Report MACC Investigators have a headache in store for them when they turn to Hong Kong, such is the tangled web of Taib family shareholdings. However, delving into these business concerns will throw up some intriguing coincidences, as Sarawak Report's own researches can already demonstrate. We can also demonstrate how a number of Taib-linked companies are now owned or being managed out of the BVI by one of the Philippine's top bankers Franciso C Sebastian, who started his career as a Financial Advisor in Hong Kong. We suggest that investigations in Hong Kong hold the key to tracing the early development of Taib's international web of global investments as the profits from felling Sarawak's rainforests escaped abroad. The Shea Kin Kwok connection The first job that needs doing is to interview Mr Shea Kin Kwok. Shea was long regarded as a mysterious businessman with several links to Taib family companies. However, Sarawak Report has now confirmed that he was in fact the paid secretary to Taib's brother Onn Mahmud. His job was to manage Achi Jaya company affairs out of Hong Kong, in particular to control the Achi Jaya linked companies into which payments were being made.  The Hong Kong Company Register shows a number of companies, including Regent Star listed under the ownership of Shea Kin Kwok and a fellow employee Kho Eng Beng This activity became public in April 2007, when the shipping kickbacks scandal broke after the Japanese tax authorities prosecuted timber exporters for not declaring millions of dollars paid to Regent Star Company Ltd, which was one of the companies directed by Shea Kin Kwok out of his office in Connaught Road. The Japanese timber exporters explained they had been forced to pay the kickbacks to Regent Star in order to get their shipping licences. READ MORE HERE. |
| Vandals strike in Perlis in bid to 'provoke' Bersih Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:04 AM PDT 
(Harakah Daily) - A spate of vandalisation of private properties here has Perlis PAS sounding a warning of attempts to paint a negative image on the electoral reforms rally planned in Kuala Lumpur on July 9. In one incident, vandals spray-painted the word "Bersih 2.0" on a Toyota Camry car parked near a supermarket here, while a wall nearby was painted "Joint Bersih 2.0" [sic] in large letters.
A stone's throw away, another wall was sprayed with the graffiti "Hidup PAS" ("Long Live PAS").
Perlis PAS, saying the party's supporters were not behind such acts of vandalism, cautioned against attempts to create tension among people in the state.
State PAS deputy commissioner Azmir Azizan described the acts as "provocations".
"This kind of acts could be the work of some mischievous children or quarters encouraged by certain organisations, and are part of attempts to portray Bersih negatively and sow the seeds of hatred among the public.
"Perlis PAS is not involved in such acts and the PAS leadership will never allow its members to carry out such silly and uncivilised actions," he said. 
'Agent provocateurs'
 Azmir (left) called on those attempting to create provocations to stop doing so, saying the people were clear on the objectives of Bersih.
"We advise these agent provocateurs to stop their extreme acts. The more you provoke, the more people will be coming to Kuala Lumpur on July 9.
"Bersih is a peaceful assembly with the noble aim of demanding fair elections," he added.
He also called on those victimised by such provocations to lodge police reports.
Prior to this, UMNO Youth said it would hold its own rally coinciding Bersih's, while UMNO's sister organisation Perkasa said its members would gather on the same day to clash with Bersih supporters.
Perkasa leader Ibrahim Ali had also raised the spectre of a racial riot should Bersih go ahead with the rally. His supporters called Bersih chairperson Ambiga Sreenevasan "a dangerous Hindu woman" and stomped on her photo, attracting condemnations from Muslim scholars, politicians and NGOs. |
| GLCs won’t indulge Bumi agenda, says Azman Mokhtar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 10:03 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The federal government's committee on government-linked corporations' performance said today it will not bow to pressure to implement pro-Bumiputera policies that will undermine their own operations. The Putrajaya Committee on GLC High Performance (PGC) moved to allay fears that recent pressure from Malay hardliners would derail the Najib administration's commitment to liberalise the economy and put in place merit-based policies. PGC secretariat chief Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar said today that it had "active and proper" programmes for Bumiputeras, which were part of a national development agenda under the New Economic Model (NEM). He added that these would be inclusive, and see growth with equity for all communities. "It is important that these companies are not a burden on themselves or on their shareholders or the public. They should be part of the solution and not the problem. "Our programmes are not just for Bumiputeras but all local vendors," said Azman, adding that GLCs were also fair in terms of employment. Putrajaya has come under heavy pressure recently from Malay hardliners with regards to contracts from the RM50 billion Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit project, and the proposed Pudu Jail redevelopment plan under UDA Holdings, which could be worth up to RM4 billion. The agency tasked with ensuring Malays have a bigger stake in urban economic activity came under fire recently from right-wingers in Umno and Perkasa as well as Utusan Malaysia for allegedly abandoning the Bumiputera agenda after it chose not to appoint Bumiputera joint-venture turnkey investors for the proposed Bukit Bintang City Centre (BBCC). Azman, who is also Khazanah Nasional managing director, added that GLCs were strictly merit-based with their contractors even though it was an unpopular policy. "It is merit-based, you must deliver. Sometimes it is unpopular but we are strict with them," he told reporters at the GLC Open Day launch today. |
| Undaunted, Khairy says July 9 march still on Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:56 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - Umno Youth will not let the withholding of police permission dissuade it from holding its July 9 rally to counter Bersih. Instead, movement chief Khairy Jamaluddin said the rally was now growing larger, with MIC Youth and PPP members set to join its ranks. MCA Youth has opted out, however. Election watchdog Bersih 2.0 is planning a massive rally on the day to push for electoral reforms, with PAS aiming to galvanise all one million of its members to take part in the assembly. Aside from the Umno Youth-led assembly, Malay rights group Perkasa is also planning a separate counter-protest. Authorities maintain they will deny permits to all three and have repeatedly warned they will treat the rallies as illegal assemblies. The first rally in 2007 saw up to 50,000 people take to the capital's street before they were dispersed by police armed with tear gas and water cannons. |
| Saya sokong Dr Mahathir Posted: 23 Jun 2011 09:41 PM PDT 
Saya sokong Dr Mahathir, at least with regards to his statement that Muslims should project the correct perception of Islam to gain respect from the non-Muslims instead of shouting and screaming that non-Muslims must respect Islam while threatening to murder all those who do not show respect to Islam. NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin Muslims Need To Project Actual Islamic Way Of Life To Gain Respect - Dr Mahathir SHAH ALAM, June 24 (Bernama) -- Muslims should play an important role in projecting the actual Islamic way of life to the world so that the religion would be respected by the other communities. Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said by projecting the positive traits and fairness of the religion, "I am certain it will at least reduce opposition to the religion or fear among the non-Muslims against Muslims and Islam." "To the extent that we are regarded as terrorists who kill without mercy . We are accused of many things. As a result, we are attacked and oppressed. This is the fate of Muslims currently," he said at the ground-breaking ceremony for the Malaysian Islamic Welfare Organisation Complex (Perkim) building for Selangor costing RM30 million, here today. Dr Mahathir, who is also Perkim national president, said Muslims should always correct themselves so that they become successful people in the present world and hereafter. For the Muslims in the country, who form the majority of the Malaysian population, they should implement and determine the system of administration according to the actual Islamic teachings which would bring justice and prosperity to everyone, he said. Dr Mahathir said if the country's administration did not provide justice to everyone as required by Islam, and denied the rights of others and oppressed them, it would give a bad impression on Islam. Dr Mahathir said Muslims in the country must be united and avoid factionalism or enmity between one another. The Selangor Perkim Complex would be built on a 0.56-hectare site and would comprise two blocks with a main hall, office space, shop lots, surau, library, seminar rooms, lecture halls, hostel and a kitchen. *********************************** Now, now, now! Stop foaming at the mouth and start going berserk when I say that I agree with what Dr Mahathir said today. I certainly support what he said in that Muslims are Islam's greatest enemy (at least he implied it) and that Muslims must be good Muslims for the non-Muslims to respect them and Islam. And note that one of the charges of my ISA detention in 2008 was because I had said exactly what Dr Mahathir is saying (although I can bet my sweet ninny that the government is NOT going to detain Dr Mahathir for what he is saying). Dr Mahathir said: Muslims should always correct themselves so that they become successful people in the present world and hereafter. Dr Mahathir also said: Muslims in the country, who form the majority of the Malaysian population, should implement and determine the system of administration according to the actual Islamic teachings, which would bring justice and prosperity to everyone. Dr Mahathir further said: if the country's administration did not provide justice to everyone as required by Islam, and denied the rights of others and oppressed them, it would give a bad impression on Islam. Okay, do you REALLY need me to explain what Dr Mahathir meant? I mean: have I not been talking about this same matter, over and over again, over the last 35 years since the mid-1970s? Are you not tired of hearing me harping on the same issue and sounding like a stuck record? No, no need for me to add anything more to what Dr Mahathir has so eloquently espoused. Let me KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). The majority of Malaysians are Muslims, as Dr Mahathir said. And the majority of government leaders and civil servants are Muslims as well. And most of the incidences of abuse of power and corruption are perpetuated by the Muslims in the government and civil service. So, need I say more? Need I explain how Muslims should demonstrate good Islamic values so that the non-Muslims will respect them and Islam? KISS: keep it simple stupid. Stop corruption. Stop abuse of power. Stop fraud and cheating. Stop robbing the rakyat of their right to a government of their choice through a free, fair and clean election. Stop racism and discrimination. Stop! Stop! Stop! That's all it takes for the non-Muslims to respect Muslims and Islam. It is so simple it makes me laugh. You don't have to be a genius to figure it out. And stop threatening and persecuting Malaysians who wish to march on 9th July 2001, which even the ex-Mufti of Perlis says is the correct Islamic thing to do. Then, and only then, will the non-Muslims start respecting the Muslims and Islam. Kapish? |
| Sex, Lies and Videotape in Malaysia Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:58 PM PDT 
Three who exposed Anwar video – if it was him – are happy to plead guilty Anwar's strategy may have backfired, since it allowed the three, who appeared in court Friday, to deliver what they said was an analysis by experts from Dartmouth College in the United States that the video was authentic. Thamby Chik's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah later told reporters that the experts said it was "99.99 percent certain" that the man in the video was Anwar. Asia Sentinel Three men known collectively as "Datuk T" pleaded guilty Friday in a Kuala Lumpur magistrate's court to screening a videotape in March allegedly featuring Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim having sex with a Chinese prostitute earlier this year. The three are former Malacca Chief Minister Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, a stalwart of the United Malays National Organization, Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, formerly a close friend of and fundraiser for Anwar, and Shuib Lazim, former treasurer of the Malay supremacy NGO Perkasa, which is closely aligned with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. The three said they had made the video to demonstrate that Anwar wasn't qualified to be prime minister. The three are Datuks, a minor honorific about equivalent to the British title of squire and the lowest level in the country's list of titles bestowed on businessmen and others. They entered the courtroom wearing broad smiles and waving to the crowd. Anwar, his family, his political party Parti Keadilan Rakyat and the opposition coalition Pakatan Rakyat have continued to insist that a stunt double made the film, which was shown to reporters under mysterious circumstances at a prestigious hotel. They have been demanding that charges of distributing pornography be lodged against the three over the video, which has since pretty much gone viral across Malaysia. That strategy may have backfired, since it allowed the three, who appeared in court Friday, to deliver what they said was an analysis by experts from Dartmouth College in the United States that the video was authentic. Thamby Chik's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah later told reporters that the experts said it was "99.99 percent certain" that the man in the video was Anwar. "Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said was quoted as saying in local media. Anwar's allies insist that whether the video was or wasn't tampered with, it wasn't Anwar in the picture. In fact, the video so far appears to have done little damage to Anwar's reputation. He has been ensnared for months in a long-running trial for allegedly having homosexual sex a then-23-year-old aide. He was imprisoned for six years on similar charges in a trial that is universally regarded as having been trumped up. READ MORE HERE |
| Second Epistle to the Church in Malaysia Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:47 PM PDT 
To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God. By Thomas Lee Seng Hock One of the saddest things in the Church in Malaysia today is perhaps the passive and paranoid culture gripping both the leadership and members in the matter of the church's responsibility, role and relationship in society.
Many Christians are confused, perplexed and bewildered in the face of challenges in the process of nation-building, particularly in the area of politics. They seem to live in fear of almost anything perceived by them as being anti-establishment, and cling persistently in dread and apprehension to the dictated status quo even if the state of affairs is authoritarian, harsh and oppressive, and violate their rights to freedom of worship and freedom of expression.
Take the case of an incident which involved an article I wrote on the history of a church. To put the history in its context I had to narrate certain political events that took place in the nation. The church leaders became so intimidated by the mere mention of certain opposition personalities that they insisted on removing what they considered as "sensitive" or "seditious" parts.
The joke is that what is written is common knowledge and is included as part of the nation's history. Certainly, such paranoia is unwarranted and reflect poorly not only on the insecure mental condition of the leaders but more so on their personal faith in the higher power of Jehovah-Elyon and their poor understanding of biblical dialectics on issues concerning the church and state.
It is so unfortunate and sad that such foolishness still exists in this age of the incredible universal mass medium Internet. The Christian faith is not just a matter of the heart, it concerns the head too. It involves the totality of body, mind, soul and spirit. The whole person is involved. We are to "love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). And the Christian, being a person who has been saved, redeemed and is now a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), must be one who is committed to a comprehensive worldview encompassing an acknowledgement and high view of Almighty God as Creator and Father, the belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as the real and ultimate ruler of the whole universe, the empowerment of the blessed Holy Spirit to the realization and fruition of the will and purpose of God in creation, history and our destiny as his people.
To behave in fear and trembling in the face of challenges and contending situations conveys an expression of insecurity of faith. Even in the face of persecution involving suffering, imprisonment, detention under the Internal Security Act (ISA) or even death, we should not waver from our faith and principles, but hold high our heads in dignity as the people of God.
As the apostle Paul said, "For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs -- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." (Romans 8:15-17).
The Lord Jesus has given us a mandate to be salt of the Earth and light of the World (Matthew 5:13) and it is obligated upon us as his followers to exercise these two roles of being salt and being light.
Salt is an element that can be used for preservation, and, as salt of the Earth, Christians are to play their role in preserving the truth of God on Earth. Salt is also used as a cleansing agent, and, hence, Christians must be cleansing agents in society, getting rid of the dirt in the immoral and corrupt political culture in the nation. Salt is also used for giving flavour to food. As such, Christians are to provide a distinctive taste of quality living to those who are lonely, sick, bed-ridden, old, poor, widowed, orphaned, abused and abandoned. Salt is also used for healing. It is therefore the mission of the Christians to bring about healing to those who are sick, not only physically, but spiritually. Many people are in the grip of demonic superstition and are living like spiritual goons and zombies, and they need the healing touch of loving, caring and concerned Christians to get relief from their demonic bondage.
When describing Christians as the light of World in his Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus explained: "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:14-16)
The whole purpose of a light is just that, to provide light. The Christians, being the light of the World have the task of shinning in the dark, dark World to expose the dark evils hovering around the people. The Lord Jesus himself is the true Light of the World. He has declared: "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12). Christians merely reflect the light of the Lord Jesus in their life, lifestyle and work.
As the light of Christ, Christians must expose the evil, immoral and corrupt culture in society, especially in the area of politics. We are not to hide our light but to be visible, vigilant, vocal and vibrant in society, expressing and demonstrating our opposition to what is unrighteousness, unjust, unfair, immoral and corrupt. We cannot close an eye to the improper hanky-panky in the political arena.
Of course, as a church, we need to be non-partisan in our political stand, but that does not mean we cannot make value judgment on the agenda and practices of any political party based on our understanding of the biblical teaching on truth, justice, honesty, equality and sins. We need to exercise our citizen role by examining, evaluating and critically analyzing the platforms and manifestos of the contending parties in an election before casting our votes.
As the light of the World, we are like the beacon from a lighthouse guiding souls through the troubled waters of the sea and the storms of life. We cannot deviate on this responsibility. This is especially true of the pastors, elders and church leaders. They should lead by example, not diverge from the biblical injunctions in fear and trembling. Like the apostle Peter who was brought before the authorities on some unjust allegations, they should be brave and bold to declare: "Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a cripple and are asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed." (Acts 4:8-10) And in Acts 4:19-20, Peter and John challenged the authorities: "But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." That, my brothers and sisters in Christ, is what leadership in the church is all about, not like what the Cantonese call the "sook thau woo kyai" (tortoise who withdraws its head when coming across an obstacle).
The Bible tells us that "In him (Christ) was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." (John 1:4,5)
And Paul said in his letter to the Philippians, "For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for him" (Phil 1:29). And in his letter to the Romans, Paul said: "we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:37-39).
So, my dear sisters and brothers in Christ, you should be bold and brave in taking a stand for the truth, and reject all immoral and corrupt leaders, who practise cronyism, nepotism, bribery, and injustice. If you belong to a party headed by such a leader, than you either work to remove him as the leader, or quit the party. You cannot remain and be part of the evil, immoral and corrupt leadership. Your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who is the Way, the Truth and the Life demands that you cannot associate with the wicked leadership.
God bless you real good. |
| Bersih denies it’s anti-govt Posted: 23 Jun 2011 08:34 PM PDT 
... if the government is for free and fair elections, says Haris Ibrahim in FMT RAW's maiden broadcast "If the government is going to wake up to the need to clean up, and effect these reforms, why would anyone be against the government? We say again and again, Bersih is not pro-Pakatan Rakyat. Neither are we anti-Barisan Nasional. We are pro-reform." He said Bersih sent invitations to both sides of the political divide, but "it's not our fault if BN chooses to stay away". Teoh El Sen, Free Malaysia Today A Bersih 2.0 leader today sought to correct a misconception that the movement is anti-government. "If the government stands for free and fair elections, then we are not anti-government," said Haris Ibrahim, who sits on the steering committee of Bersih 2.0. "But if the government is going to stand in the way of free and fair elections, we are against anyone who is against free and fair elections." He made his remarks in an interview on FMT RAW, a half-hour online broadcast that made its debut at 3pm today. Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin recently accused Bersih of having a "dirty political agenda" in its plan to rally Malaysians for a "Walk for Democracy" on July 9. In the interview with FMT reporter Stephanie Sta Maria, Haris said the conduct of the recent Sarawak election underlined the need for electoral reform in Malaysia. He added that a post-mortem showed that "it was corruption upon corruption upon corruption". Elaborating on Bersih's purpose, he said: "We are just acting against anyone acting against the interest of the rakyat. We have eight simple demands. I think they are all legitimate demands. "If the government is going to wake up to the need to clean up, and effect these reforms, why would anyone be against the government?" "We say again and again, Bersih is not pro-Pakatan Rakyat. Neither are we anti-Barisan Nasional. We are pro-reform." He said Bersih sent invitations to both sides of the political divide, but "it's not our fault if BN chooses to stay away". nOujvlBn5bE SEE VIDEO ON YOUTUBE HERE: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOujvlBn5bE Pre-emptive arrests He renewed his invitation to all parties to participate in the rally. "Join us," he said. Referring to plans by Perkasa and Umno Youth to hold their own rallies, Haris said he respected their "right to peacefully assemble and I hope they respect ours". However, he accused the two organisations of attempting to taint Bersih's objectives with their racial rhetoric. "Every time they get involved in something like this, they bring in the race issues." But he added: "Malaysians are more mature, and are not so easily swayed by race rethoric, thank God." On the possibility of police action against the rally, Haris said Bersih was hoping that the police would realise that their function was to facilitate. "Article 10 of the Federal Constitution guarantees the rakyat the right to peacefully assemble," he said. It supersedes the Police Act, which was enacted by Parliament. READ MORE HERE |
| Sex Video: US Experts Confirmed It's Anwar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:59 PM PDT 
(Malaysian Digest) - US video experts consulted by the Malaysian police have identified the man in the controversial sex video screened by Datuk T as Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a magistrate's court was told this morning. Counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said that US video experts had compared images of the man in the video with a photo of Anwar and confirmed that both were identical. "This means that A and B is the same person," he said.
The result of the examination conducted by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire was raised in the facts of the case read out today after the Datuk T trio of Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and Datuk Shuib Lazim pleaded guilty to their involvement in the screening of the video on March 21.
Eskay, together with former Perkasa treasurer-general Shuib, were jointly charged with possession and distribution of pornography under Section 292(a) of the Penal Code.
They had allegedly committed the offence between 10:30am and 12pm at the Carcosa Seri Negara hotel on March 21.
Rahim, however, was charged under section 109 of the Penal Code for abetting Eskay and Shuib in "openly" screening the pornographic material. All three pleaded guilty to the charges. All three were slapped with fines under section 292 of the Penal Code.
Shafee further said that according to the June 4 report by professors Hany Farid and Lorenzo Torresani from Dartmouth College there is a 99.99 percent match of the male in the video clip to a known photo of Anwar based on facial recognition analysis.
"Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl (Eskay)," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said said when reading the facts of the case this morning.
As such, he told the court that Anwar should be charged under sections 192, 193 or 199 of the Penal Code for lodging a false report, denying his identity in the video.
In the statement of facts, it was also stated that the sex tape was taken in an apartment in Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.
This was uncovered when Shuib gave his statement to the police on March 25.
"The police took a CCTV recording from the apartment and also found that Anwar was with Eskay at the lobby of the apartment on Feb 21," said the statement of facts.
It was previously reported that Eskay had told reporters that the video was taken in a spa in Kuala Lumpur instead.
The court also heard how Eskay met Shuib and Rahim to expose the sex tape.
Eskay had met Shuib at the end of February with the recording in his thumbdrive, with a video said to be of Anwar engaging in various sex acts with a Chinese national believed to be a prodtitute.
They then decided to meet Rahim, considering that the recording was "sensitive" and had "national interest", before all three agreed to screen the video to members of the media.
Rahim then called one Kamarulail Sulaiman to book a room at Carcosa Seri Negara, an exclusive hotel in the hilly outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, while Eskay contacted The Star's chief reporter Sirajinisa Habibu Mohd to round up the other reporters at the hotel for a story of "high national interest".
"Sirajinisa then invited other reporters, who then turned out to spread the word to other reporters," said the statement of facts.
Earlier, the trio's counsel had listed down their clients' credentials to prove their credibility as upstanding Malaysians.
The court also screened the 21-minute recording to ensure that the evidence had not been tampered with but magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani ordered the pornographic portions to be fast-forwarded.
In appealing for a lenient sentence for Rahim, Shafee pointed out that the ex Melaka chief minister was a first-time offender, that he had not caused any injury, his action was not for the purpose of obtaining profit and was in fact more for "public benefit".
"We cannot let these men leave here thinking that justice was not served. We must show that justice has been done. Use your discretion wisely to look at their three cases here, in particularly my client, who only came in to assist in securing the room in Carcosa.
"He was driven by compassion to expose probably the biggest fraud in Malaysia," he said.
Eskayl's lawyer Mohd Zamani Ibrahim agreed with his colleague's submission, saying that his client had even performed the "sumpah laknat" to prove that he was not lying.
"Until today, Anwar has not responded. What he did was for public good," he said, adding that Eskay was also a close associate of Anwar's since 1996.
Lawyer Suhaimi Salleh, arguing for Shuib, appealed for a light sentence for his client, saying that by pleading guilty the latter had saved time and money. He also said that Shuib is a pensioner, a senior citizen and a diabetic. |
| Sex video: New clip on "possibilities" man is not Anwar Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:49 PM PDT 
A 40-minute clip has emerged showing the "possibilities" of identifying the man in the Datuk T sex video which implicated Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. The clip, more of a documentary on why the man in the video is not Anwar, was narrated by PKR's Sungai Petani MP Datuk Johari Abdul. It was shown to reporters during a press conference at the PKR headquarters Friday. "The video will be uploaded on Youtube," said Johari. "We plan to make copies of the video to be sold to the public," he said. |
| Now what? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 06:11 PM PDT
So what you and I -- the rational and intelligent bunch of Malaysians -- think is not important. We have already formed our opinions anyway and we know who to vote for in the next general election. Nothing is going to change our minds. It is what the simple-minded and God-fearing Malays in the Malay heartland think is what matters. And what are they going to think now that it has been 'proven in court beyond any shadow of doubt' that Anwar is the man in the video? NO HOLDS BARRED
Raja Petra Kamarudin What Othman Wahab and Lim Kit Siang said in the two pieces published in The Malaysian Insider today makes sense (see below). They make sense because Othman and Kit Siang speak rationally and argue intelligently. But this matter is not about making sense and arguing intelligently. It is about the perception game and psy-war. And in the perception game and psy-war nothing makes sense. I, in fact, already anticipated what is going to happen today in my earlier piece: Ever heard of the phrase 'collateral damage'? And was I right or was I right? Anyway, enough of 'I told you so'. What is done is done. Let us now explore what is going to be the upside and downside of this whole episode. The government's reputation has been damaged by this episode -- in particular that of the Police and the Judiciary. But then, so what? What else is new? Their reputations had already been damaged big-time 13 years ago back in 1998 during the Sodomy 1 episode -- and then ten years later in 2008 when the Sodomy 2 episode erupted. How can you damage any further what is already damaged beyond repair? So, have they lost anything? Can they lose anything that they don't have? The 'Datuk T' trio pleaded guilty and 'paid the price' for their crime. It was a small price to pay though. (Shazryl Eskay Abdullah was fined RM3,000 or three months' jail, Shuib Lazim was fined RM1,500 or two months' jail, while Rahim Thamby Chik was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail.) Now these three Datuks have suddenly become 'Malay heroes' (not criminals) for 'standing tall' and being 'brave' and 'righteous' enough to 'reveal the truth' and expose Anwar Ibrahim's 'transgression' in the true Islamic spirit of amar makruf, nahi munkar. (This is what the perception game and psy-war is all about, in case you did not realise this by now). If I were in their place I would not have paid the fine but would have chosen the jail sentence instead. Then they would really be heroes. After all, it is only three months, two months and one month respectively. And for the three months and two months jail sentences there is a one-third remission on the sentence (but not for the one month jail, I think). It's a pity they are not brave enough to refuse to pay the fine and chose to go to jail instead. Okay, what 'good' has come out of all this? As far as the pro-opposition supporters are concerned this just goes to prove that the Police and Judiciary are working for Umno -- as if they did not already know that and are not convinced enough yet? For the pro-government supporters this proves that what Umno said about Anwar all along is true after all -- that he is an immoral person who talks about Islam until he foams at the mouth but is in reality a Munafiq and Fasiq, a type of person whom Islam considers worse than a Kafir (infidel). But what is more important -- and this is what this perception game and psy-war is all about -- is that they now have something 'solid' and 'concrete' to tell the simple-minded and God-fearing kampong people. And this is what is more important to Umno, the simple-minded and God-fearing kampong people. You see; there are two groups of people who are going to determine who gets to form the next federal government. The first group are the voters from East Malaysia (Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan control 57 of the 222 seats in Parliament). The second group are the voters from the Malay heartland. And the second group is what Umno is concerned about. The East Malaysian seats are safe because the opposition in East Malaysia is in a mess (as the recent Sarawak state elections and the ongoing political developments in Sabah have proven). Anyway, Umno has only 11 of those 57 East Malaysian seats so it matters not to Umno -- they will leave it to the 'locals' to sort out Sabah and Sarawak. What Umno really wants is the seats in the Malay heartland, which PAS and PKR captured back in March 2008. First, look at the following chart. 
Can you see that in the 2008 General Election Umno saw 30 of its seats disappear? It managed only 79 seats or 35.6% (about one-third) of the total number of seats in Parliament. This means Umno, on its own, can't form the federal government. It needs Barisan Nasional to be able to form the government. So Umno can't tell the non-Malays to got to hell -- like it did pre-March 2008. Umno needs at least 112 seats to be able to be the Boss again -- or at least 112 seats together with MCA, MIC and Gerakan (which have 20 seats combined). Therefore Umno needs roughly another 35 seats or so. And these would be the 35 seats in the Malay heartland of Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, and Mainland Penang. So what you and I -- the rational and intelligent bunch of Malaysians -- think is not important. We have already formed our opinions anyway and we know who to vote for in the next general election. Nothing is going to change our minds. It is what the simple-minded and God-fearing Malays in the Malay heartland think is what matters. And what are they going to think now that it has been 'proven in court beyond any shadow of doubt' that Anwar is the man in the video? I don't know how gullible these simple-minded and God-fearing Malays in the kampongs are. Will this perception game and psy-war of Umno work? I don't know yet but in time we will know. It is a brilliant move nevertheless, whether it works or not. This is what perception games and psy-wars are all about. As what Najib Tun Razak said last week: this is not about reality. This is about perception. The question now would be: has Umno managed to get the simple-minded and God-fearing Malays in the Malay heartland to perceive what Umno wants them to perceive? You tell me! ***************************************** Hail, the Datuk T trio — Othman Wahab (The Malaysian Insider) - You mean the powers-that-be took months to play out this video tape sandiwara. Maybe they were waiting for a suitable lawyer, err say, someone with aspirations for higher office and who is not so picky about the character of the clientele. But that is lain cerita; this charade of a court case was already sketched in the minds of most Malaysians after the sordid tape was given unusual play by the mainstream media, the three stooges were feted like heroes by the Najib administration and the police spent an unusual amount of time investigating a simple case (the cops seemed more interested in the identity of the actor than the perpetrators of the sex video). So many of my friends figured that the government would have a sham case, charge the three jokers, give them a slap on the wrist and then introduce the identity of the man as an aside. This came to pass today. So does this qualify me and my friends as brilliant? Sad to say it just means that we are either as average as the thinkers in government or that we can think ahead of the rascals. Does it matter if it is proven that Anwar Ibrahim is the actor? Yes it does because he has denied it. But I still say that this is not proven because the so-called "evidence" and "experts' info" were introduced by the government in court. It was not examined or challenged by anyone. But this was meant to be this way, get the three to plead guilt, give them a token fine and then slip in some dirt on Anwar, dirt which can't be examined. The idea here is to persuade fence-sitters that Anwar is soiled goods and cannot be supported. This is about the coming elections and the three stooges were just that, stooges in a play dictated by Umno leaders. Anwar is a flawed individual, no question about that. But this is where we must not fall into the trap set by Messrs Najib and Muhyiddin. Anwar is not the opposition nor does he represent a better vision for Malaysia. Nurul Izzah, Husam Musa, Tony Pua, Ambiga Sreenevasan, Khalid Samad, Haris Ibrahim, Fuziah Saleh, the former Perlis mufti, the people behind the Sarawak Report, you and me. Now we are the hope of the country. The scoundrels have used all the institutions of the country to damage and destroy one man. They have no respect for the soul of this country, they destroy everything to stay in power and to continue to pillage. Today's courtroom sham should be seen in this light. Don't forget Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik, Eskay, Shuib when you vote. Don't forget Ibrahim Ali when you vote. Don't forget the IGP or the A-G when you vote. They only act for Umno. *********************************************** Police, A-G major casualties in 'Datuk T' charge delay, says Lim (The Malaysian Insider) - The independence and credibility of the police and the Attorney-General's chambers have been dented by the delay in charging the 'Datuk T' trio, Lim Kit Siang has said. "The farce this morning in the magistrate's court where the "Datuk T" trio were charged for the Sri Carcosa sex tape screening has only served to further lower public confidence and esteem in the efficiency, independence and professionalism of the Attorney-General and the Police. "The way the three criminals preened themselves as if they are national heroes for the crimes they have committed raised many questions — including why the AGC and police have to take more than three months to charge the trio in court," Lim said in a statement today. The "Datuk T" trio pleaded guilty and were fined in a magistrate's court today over their involvement in the screening of a sex video allegedly featuring Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was charged with abetting former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah in "openly" screening the pornographic material featuring sex acts between a man and a woman at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel here on March 21. Shazryl was fined RM3,000 or three months' jail, Shuib was fined RM1,500 or two months' jail while Abdul Rahim was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail. Lim, who is DAP parliamentary leader added that both the police and the AGC have been exercising double standards in other cases, and listed them- inaction over Utusan Malaysia's Christian Malaysia claims and Perkasa president Datuk Ibrahim Ali's threatening bloodshed and another May 13 to counter the upcoming May 13 rally by election watchdog Bersih. "Is it any wonder that never before in the nation's history has the ruling coalition suffered such massive and sustained erosion of public support and confidence to the extent that uppermost in the minds of Malaysians is the question whether the time for the end of UMNO and Barisan Nasional rule in Malaysia has really come?" Lim asked. |
| Another day, another bogeyman raised Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:44 PM PDT 
Don't get me wrong. I love my country, and I have no wish to see it descend into Arab Spring-like chaos, but I think our politicians should give us a bit of credit too. Most of us are actually mature adults capable of holding rational discussions. Farah Fahmy, The Malaysian Insider In all the furore surrounding the Bersih 2.0 rally, I couldn't help noticing that all the things and events used to scare us are being dragged out yet again, presumably so that we would all be scared of history repeating itself and therefore stick to the status quo. First up is of course the spectre of May 13. Time and again self-serving politicians bring this up to remind us to toe the line. You know what? I was born after 1969. I didn't live through those events, and all I know about May 13 I learnt through my own endeavours. If May 13 is so important to us, and if we're always exhorted to remember it, then why, if we so much as try to discuss what happened then, are we told NOT to do so because it may be detrimental to our racial sensibilities? I mean, come on. How can we be expected to remember something that we don't fully know about, and that nobody seems to want to discuss objectively? It's as if we rakyat are little children told by our adult politicians not to open a cupboard because monsters hide in there. What rubbish. Don't get me wrong. I love my country, and I have no wish to see it descend into Arab Spring-like chaos, but I think our politicians should give us a bit of credit too. Most of us are actually mature adults capable of holding rational discussions. Yes, the events of May 13 were horrendous, and I fervently wish that it would not happen again, but I also think that we need to bust the myth of May 13 by discussing it openly so that we can learn from it — the lessons learnt in its aftermath might need reviewing after more than 40 years. Then there's the other favourite bogeyman — the Jews. For a country that doesn't even have a Jewish population, politicians of a certain type in our country are obsessed by the Jews. Anyone accused of blackening the country's name is denounced as an "agent of the Jews." Have any of these people even met a Jewish person? Funnily enough, they're just like you and I (contrary to what an ustaz told me years ago, they don't have hooked noses either!) and quite frankly, I think most Jewish people have other things to think about than worrying about our country! I don't quite get this obsession with the Jews actually. Is it because of Israel, and its treatment of the Palestinians? Is it because we want to show solidarity with the Arab world? Is it just because they're Jews? Well, at the risk of sounding callous, the Israeli treatment of the Palestinians is no better and no worse than the treatment of the Talibans towards their fellow Muslims when they were in power in Afghanistan (where were the demonstrations and agitations against the Taliban then, eh? And what about those Saudis and their penchant for beheading maids who have the temerity to strike back against employers who abuse them?). There are bad people everywhere. Should we demonise an entire race just because one country oppresses some of its people? Yes, I too feel anger when I see the demolition of houses in the West Bank; when I see the shelling in Gaza. I too feel anguished when I read about men and women forced to abandon their ancestral lands simply because a wall has arbitrarily split their land into two. I too feel loathing when I read about the attitudes some of the Israeli settlers have towards the Palestinians. But you know what? If I was an Israeli I would probably feel a lot of hatred towards the Palestinians too, because Hamas and its ilk have made life unpalatable. All I'm saying is, there are two sides to every story. Neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians are whiter than white and I find it extremely tiresome when a Malaysian politician peddles the Jewish line to score some points because it just comes across as being ill-informed and plain nasty. READ MORE HERE |
| BERSIH 2.0 Announcements: Upcoming Road Shows & Global Solidarity Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:36 PM PDT 
It is 16 days before Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0 on 9 July 2011. We are increasing activities on the ground in ensuring that as many people as possible receives information regarding the demands of BERSIH 2.0. Road shows
BERSIH 2.0 would like to announce that this weekend will mark our second leg of our national road shows.
Our road shows are intended to spread awareness to the general public the issues pertaining to the Malaysian electoral system and explain our demands for electoral reform. The road show will also promote the upcoming Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0.
Details for this week's road shows:
1. Shah Alam, Selangor
Date : 24 June 2011
Time : 10:00pm
Venue : Kompleks Muhibbah, Jalan Taugeh 24/17, Persiaran Sultan, Seksyen 24, Shah Alam
Speaker : Syed Shahir, former President of the Malaysian Trade Unions Congress (MTUC) and one of the leaders of BERSIH 1.0
2. Kuala Selangor, Selangor
Date : 25 June 2011
Time : 8.30pm
Venue : Dewan Asam Jawa, Kuala Selangor
Speaker : Zaid Kamarudin, BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee member
3. Johor Bahru, Johor
Date : 25 June 2011
Time : 8.30pm
Venue : Pusat Aduan Rakyat Kempas, Taman Dahlia, Johor Baru
Speaker : Hishamuddin Rais, Non-Governmental Individual (NGI)
4. Sungai Siput, Perak
Date : 26 June 2011
Time : 8.30pm
Venue : Dataran PSM, Taman Orkid, Sungai Siput
Speaker : Wong Chin Huat, BERSIH 2.0 Steering Committee member
BERSIH 2.0 hopes that residents of this area will attend our road shows to find out for themselves why electoral reform is needed in Malaysia. BERSIH 2.0 merchandise will be available at the road shows.
Global Solidarity
During the launch of the rally on 19 June 2011, BERSIH 2.0 announced that there will be rallies held in UK and Taiwan in solidarity with Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0.
All the overseas solidarity rallies held were initiated by Malaysian citizens living abroad who supported the demands for Perhimpunan BERSIH 2.0. They personally contacted BERSIH 2.0 and expressed interest in organising a rally where they were. We regard this wide interest by the Malaysian diaspora as an indication that Malaysians from all walks of life believe in the need for electoral reform and the upholding of democracy.
We would like to announce that there are rallies confirmed in more countries:
1. Korea
Date : 9 July 2011
Time : 3.00pm
Venue : Malaysian High Commission, 4-1 Hannam-dong, 140-210, Seoul
2. Australia
Date : 9 July 2011
Time : 12.00pm
Venue : Malaysian Consulate in Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney (simultaneous)
3. Japan
Date: 9 July 2011
Time: 3.00pm
Venue: Tower of the Sun, Osaka
4. USA
a. Los Angeles
Date: 9 July 2011
Time: 10.00am
Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia, 550 South Hope Street, Suite 400, Los Angeles
b. San Francisco
Date: 9 July 2011
Time: 9.30am
Venue: Chrissy Field Picnic Area, Presidio, San Francisco
c. New York City
Date: 9 July 2011
Time: 10.00am
Venue: Consulate General of Malaysia, 313 East 43rd Street, New York
BERSIH 2.0 calls on all Malaysian citizens living in UK, USA, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Australia to attend the rallies if they too believe in the need for clean, free and fair elections in Malaysia. Malaysian citizens living abroad should rise to the occasion and demand for their right to vote via postal ballot in the upcoming 13th General Elections.
Issued by,
Steering Committee
Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH 2.0)
The Steering Committee of BERSIH 2.0 comprises:
Dato? Ambiga Sreenevasan (Chairperson), Andrew Khoo, Arumugam K., Dr Farouk Musa, Haris Ibrahim, Liau Kok Fah, Maria Chin Abdullah, Richard Y W Yeoh, Dr Toh Kin Woon, Dr Wong Chin Huat, Datuk Yeo Yang Poh, Zaid Kamaruddin, Dr Subramaniam Pillay and Arul Prakkash.
Temme Lee
Bersih 2.0 Secretariat
13 Lorong 4/48E
46050 Petaling Jaya
Selangor, Malaysia
Tel: 603 77844977
Fax: 603 77844978
Email: temmelee@bersih.org |
| Don’t walk away from democracy Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:16 PM PDT 
The Bersih spirit will live long enough to surface again with greater force when the whole country walks to the polls for democracy. It is unlikely that Bersih will light the fuse to blow up the country. Trouble makers like Perkasa and all those self-anointed sentinels who have lodged police reports are more likely to do the incendiary job. The government's "goon squads" have always disrupted peaceful forums in the past while the law enforcers stood idly by. Editorial, Free Malaysia Today There is nothing wrong if tens of thousands take to the streets in a stroll for democracy, come July 9. It is the right of citizens to express their displeasure when the government of the people, by the people, for the people becomes a government of the few for the few. People elect politicians to high office on the understanding that they will respect all the venerable institutions that govern the lives of the people. When the elected misuse their powers and undermine the vital organs of the government, they have lost the right to stay in office. There are two ways to punish political perverts who have raped democracy: vote them out or take to the streets. The ballot box is the ideal choice, but the date with destiny has not been fixed. In the meantime, the people can send a strong message to the recalcitrant government to mend its ways – by taking to the streets. The streets are the most effective platform to bring a wayward government to its senses. They are better than pumping fists or making pointless speeches in the stadiums. Stadiums are meant for concerts, football matches, circus shows. More often than not, a new country is born in the streets. But this is not a "spring offensive". The walk for democracy is not designed to overthrow the government by violent means or to whip up public hysteria. Its aims are simple: "to press for electoral reform, take a stand against corruption and strengthen public institutions". It is not a cheap tactic to gain political mileage. The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) is a civil movement fighting for these causes that the government has long ago abandoned. It has become the voice of the people and has taken up the cudgels on their behalf. Unfortunately, the picture has been deliberately muddled by the government to make demons out of the organisers of the peaceful march. If you believe the government's tall tale, the rally will create chaos and in the ensuing mayhem, the whole country will slide into anarchy. Foreign investors will take to their heels and all those grandiose economic plans will lie in ruins. People will suffer and perhaps die of starvation. It is unlikely that Bersih will light the fuse to blow up the country. Trouble makers like Perkasa and all those self-anointed sentinels who have lodged police reports are more likely to do the incendiary job. The government's "goon squads" have always disrupted peaceful forums in the past while the law enforcers stood idly by. Instead of clamping down on the interlopers, the organisers were given the stick. Any attempt to show up the weaknesses of the government were foiled by thuggish third parties. Yet again, the government is displaying the same pattern of loutish behaviour when Bersih announced it will take its peaceful fight in the open. It tacitly encouraged the trouble makers to jump into the fray and organised its own rally. Right on cue, the seemingly concerned ministers raised the alarm that the country is heading towards the brink with two opposing rallies on collision course. Perkasa, helmed by an addled brain demagogue, and all the other like-minded dimwitted firebrands are determined to turn the walk for democracy into a run for life. READ MORE HERE |
| Umno goes berserk with Bersih Posted: 23 Jun 2011 04:10 PM PDT 
If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change. The Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector–General of Police, Ismail Omar have refused to act against Ibrahim who is aware that he is protected by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim is free to continue his tirades. Mariam Mokhtar, Free Malaysia Today Ambiga Sreenevasan, the Bersih chairman, may yet be the person who leads this country out of the quagmire. Ambiga was the Malaysian Bar chairman from 2007-2009 and in March 2009, received the US Secretary of State's Award for International Women of Courage from Hillary Clinton, with the US First Lady, Michelle Obama in attendance. Mrs Clinton praised Ambiga for her pursuit of judicial reform and good governance. She described Ambiga as a champion of religious tolerance, a staunch advocate of women's equality, whose work and influence was felt in Malaysia and in other countries. Early yesterday morning, Ambiga received a text message; she was threatened with death if she persisted with her "Walk for Democracy" on July 9. The chilling contents of the SMS were in Malay and part of the message read: "If the rally takes place my people and I will kill Ambiga and all those around her one by one including the idiot politicians who are in cahoots with this infidel. This is my warning. You watch out." The sender also accused Ambiga of being manipulated to spread discord amongst the Malays. It said, "The PAS and PKR camps are both deaf and blind. If the Election Commission wasn't clean, how could they have won Selangor, Kedah, Penang, Kelantan and Perak?" The DAP was dubbed "Cina sial" for its role in the perceived downfall of the Malays. It was accused of plotting to rule the country and converting everyone to Christianity. Ambiga has managed to galvanise the nation to demand free and fair elections. She has urged all politicians, from both sides of the political divide, to unite and seek clean elections and to advocate electoral reforms. As soon as Ambiga announced the date for the proposed rally, many tried to undermine her. Chief amongst her detractors was Ibrahim Ali, president of the Malay NGO Perkasa. Ibrahim Ali said that the "Chinese should stock up food" in a thinly veiled reference to ensuing violence if the march went ahead. The Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein and the Inspector–General of Police, Ismail Omar have refused to act against Ibrahim who is aware that he is protected by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Ibrahim is free to continue his tirades. Ibrahim's stance will provide the excuse for police intervention, possibly with the use of violent tactics, purportedly in the name of national security. Umno Youth has also said it too would take to the streets. With two Malay groups, each vying for attention, the use of force by the police is unavoidable. Our Summer of Change The nation is well aware that the chaos in the middle-east has rattled despotic nations around the world. The Malaysian authorities know only too well that their authoritarian rule is not immune from the changing world order. The rakyat has exercised caution and acted with restraint in pursuance of its rights. But how much longer can it tolerate all the injustices? Are they prepared to wear the yoke for another 54 years under Umno? If the Arabs had their defining moment in the form of the Arab Spring, Malaysians might well have their day of reckoning in our Summer of Change. So who stands to lose the most, when Bersih marches on July 9? Umno of course! Umno, and the various people who benefitted from its largesse in the form of contracts, awards, scholarships, directorships and donations are desperate. If the rakyat triumphs and true democracy is restored, Umno and its cohorts stand to lose everything – their riches, the false respect they have been accorded, their supposed elevated status in society and naturally, their freedom. Their fall from grace is palpable. Ambiga is focused on her mission, to save the Malaysian soul. She is leading us to exercise our right to freedom of peaceful assembly on July 9. She has the rakyat's backing. The authorities may be left standing on the beach trying to stop a tsunami. When the various ploys to make Ambiga change her mind had failed, Umno got to work, possibly at the instigation of APCO. Bernama reported that 'several political analysts' criticised Ambiga for "tarnishing Malaysia's image as a nation blessed with peace, harmony and prosperity". Although Bernama was not able to name one credible political analyst, these analysts avoided all reference to the simmering tensions and cruel acts practiced on people who are non-Malay and non-Muslim. These analysts decried Ambiga for distracting the rakyat from the sodomy trial of the Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim. The chairman of the NGO '1Agenda' lodged a police report against Bersih for inviting international media coverage. The Bernama report described how the assemblies of 1998 and 2007 had inconvenienced the public, caused damage to public property and attracted negative publicity abroad. One lecturer from the University Utara Malaysia in Kedah, condemned the march because it would mean Malaysia would not be seen as a "paradise for shoppers and tourist and be seen as a place of chaos". Since when are lecturers in our higher institutions of learning more concerned about the frivolities of shopping rather than true democracy and principles of good governance? What sort of lecturer has our Minister of Education, Muhyiddin Yassin cultivated? READ MORE HERE |
| Datuk T: ‘Mission accomplished’ Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:49 PM PDT 
(The Malaysian Insider) - The "Datuk T" trio behind a sex video allegedly featuring Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim emerged victorious today despite their criminal convictions, declaring they had "accomplished" their mission to prove the opposition leader's immorality. The three — businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, former Malacca chief minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Tamby Chik and former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim — were given a hero's greeting when they left the Jalan Duta court complex here after being fined for screening the video in public. Shuib was first to be whisked off into a waiting vehicle but Abdul Rahim and Shazryl, both with wide smiles on their faces, stood at the top of the stairs leading to the court complex entrance to address the hundreds that surrounded them. "Mission accomplished today and we are very happy. We have proven to the people, through the judicial system of the country. Now, it is up to the people to decide the future destiny of the country," Abdul Rahim boomed to the crowd. Beside him, Shazryl maintained his silence but nodded at his comrade's every word. Abdul Rahim, who himself once faced persecution for his sexual assault on a minor, shredded Anwar's morality to bits in his four-minute victory speech, drawing inferences from the points that were raised in court today. "Today in court, we have seen that the truth has been revealed. We are confident that Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was the man in the video who has committed vice. "We did this to defend our country, our national security, from a leader who is corrupt and immoral, we see him as a man who is a hypocrite, who does not deserve to be our nation's leader," he said. MORE TO COME |
| 30pc of Customs officers fail to declare assets Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:09 PM PDT By Jason Gerald John, NST
MALACCA: Some 3,900 Customs officers could soon see themselves in cold storage if they fail to declare their assets by year-end.
Customs deputy director-general Datuk Khazali Ahmad said they formed 30 per cent of the 13,000 Customs officers required to declare their assets.
"These irresponsible officers face the risk of being barred from promotions." They could also be banned from getting scholarships to further their studies, going on holidays abroad or getting overseas postings.
Khazali said declaring assets enhanced the department's image.
According to him, a Customs officer must declare his or her assets upon being appointed or when there were changes in their assets.
"Even officers getting promoted must declare their assets," he said after a gathering of state Customs officers at the Customs Complex in Ayer Keroh.
Present was state Customs director Datuk Mohd Nasir Said.
As for the Malacca Customs, Khazali said 80 per cent of its 236 officers had made the declaration.
Earlier, Khazali opened the Internal Tax Clinic, the first in the country, that would act as a one-stop-centre for clients requiring assistance on the payment of internal tax.
"The clinic will help companies in the state answer all their questions on taxes. In Malacca, there are 884 companies paying service tax while another 601 are contributing sales tax.
"Last year, the Malacca Customs collected RM1.63 billion in taxes, including RM28.7 million service tax and RM402.2 million sales tax."
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| US experts confirmed Anwar as man in video, court told Posted: 23 Jun 2011 03:06 PM PDT 
By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — US authorities have identified the man in the controversial sex video screened by "Datuk T" as Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, a magistrate's court was told this morning. The point was raised in the facts of the case read out today after the "Datuk T" trio of Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah, Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik and Datuk Shuib Lazim pleaded guilty to their involvement in the screening of the video on March 21. "Results of the analysis by experts from Dartmouth College, Handover, New Hampshire in the US verified the authenticity of the video, that there was no tampering or any act of super-imposing and that it originated from a DVR camcorder taken from Datuk Shazryl," deputy public prosecutor Kamalluddin Md Said said when reading the facts of the case this morning. Abdul Rahim's lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, who also submitted on the point, told reporters later that according to the experts' report, it was 99.99 per cent certain that the man in the video is Anwar. MORE TO COME HERE |
| RM300m for 1km of rail line Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:28 PM PDT By Patrick Lee, FMT PETALING JAYA: It costs more than RM300 million to build one kilometre of railway track here. In China, however, the cost is much lower – at less than RM15 million for the same length of railway. In Parliament this week, PKR-Telok Kemang MP Kamarul Bahrain Abbas asked the Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak why the 150km Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit needed a budget of more than RM50 billion. He compared this with the RM15 billion that was used to build the 1,140km-long line from Golmud in Qinghai Province, Western China, to Lhasa, Tibet. In a written response, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Abdul Aziz said that it was difficult to compare the two lines. "The comparison of costs between two different systems without detailed information is very difficult and would not give the right picture," he said. However, Nazri said that the vast difference in costs between the two lines could be due to: - the period in which the lines were built;
- track alignments above or below the ground;
- the track's location, which was dependent on the population density in the area; and
- the system's configuration due to size and complexity.
READ MORE HERE. |
| The Dog-Fight for Scholarships Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:26 PM PDT By batsman When Bersih 2.0 leaders are facing death threats and the Chinese in Malaysia are being picked upon as easy targets for threatening genocide, the perception still persists that reforms are nothing more than dog-fights over scholarships, no, not just over scholarships but those scholarships that guarantee a place to study overseas. Since RPK is also talking about perception, let us see what such a dog-fight over choice scholarships mean in terms of perception. Most things contain the seeds of both good and bad. Human beings too have the ability to do both good and bad. Both good and bad are contained in a singular entity. This can only mean that people have to use good judgement when making decisions. They have to be able to differentiate not only between many colours but in various shades of colour. Physically humans are able to differentiate between many thousands of colours and shades of colours just with their eyes and nervous system. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for human intellect. Too often when asked to make decisions on social or political issues, humans are encouraged to differentiate only between black and white. They are not even encouraged to see the various shades of grey not to mention all the varied multi-colours and shades of colours of life. When there is a question over the granting of scholarships to our brightest and best students, there is just cause to do so. After all UMNO is using government scholarships to offer to family and cronies. Beyond that, Malaysia is so rich that scholarships are being used to buy votes. Beyond that still, Malaysia is so well endowed that the ruling elite wants to monopolise all that wealth and use scholarships to implement policies of divide and rule to keep people quarreling amongst themselves. Such a phenomena should involve Bersih 2.0, since Bersih is concerned about clean elections and scholarships are being used to buy votes and support for the ruling elite. It should come as no surprise if the leaders of NGOs threatening Bersih 2.0 have at one time or another been able to get scholarships for their children or other family members through corrupt crony contacts. So the fight over scholarships contain both good and bad points. If it is to expose the ruling elite for using scholarships to buy votes and support as well as exercising corrupt monopoly of scholarships for their own family members and cronies, then the fight is just and good for democratic reforms in Malaysia. Unfortunately if the dog-fight is over who gets the best scholarships to study overseas and who is more qualified to get these elite scholarships, then a bad perception sets in. How many students get 8As or 10As out of the tens of thousands? The perception arise if the fight is just for an extremely small minority? This is going beyond the just fight against cronyism, favouritism, corruption and vote buying. It has gone into the fight that elites on both sides are more concerned with. It is not a question of who gets the scholarships but whether our institutions for award of scholarships is transparent and effective – whether they have integrity and are trusted to do an honest and effective job of encouraging the best students to achieve their dreams and pay back the favour by contributing their best for the country. The fight is being distracted from the reforms of our institutions especially the electoral reforms, by our Prime Minister going on FM radio to provoke questions on who gets the best scholarships. This is using government assets and services for party political gains. It is the same as using the wealth of the country for personal or private gains such as arranging for the marriage of one's own daughter even if it is just by partially using government expenses. Similarly, anyone who tunes in to RTM 1 can see that it is campaigning openly for BN's party political advantage. Again, this is using government assets, government money and government services for party political or even personal gain. It is not uncommon for RTM 1 to give exposure and advertisement for private businesses under the guise of documentaries. If people are unable to see that government power and money must never be used for party political gains or for personal gains, then it comes as no surprise that our institutions are slowing being corrupted and going down the drain. Even in Parliament, someone is bold and arrogant enough to say, "You MPs cannot chase me out but I can chase you out" (quoted from newspapers). This clearly shows a person well on the way to abuse his powers, a person who believes he is not answerable to anyone and who can act against MPs as he wishes – on mere whim and fancy. Such clearly dictatorial tendencies are slowly corrupting our institutions even those of the seat of our democracy – our Parliament. So it is important to see the good and bad enmeshed together in singularities and be able to differentiate them. The fight for who gets the best and choicest scholarships is a distraction. Cronyism and abuse of powers is bound up with Bersih 2.0's fight for clean elections and electoral reforms. Do not get distracted. If you are more concerned about who gets what scholarship or who hopes to get what future houses in the old RMAF Sungei Besi grounds than about Bersih 2.0's fight of clean elections, then you have been distracted. |
| That Effing Show #56: The Obedient Wives Club Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:09 PM PDT By Mark Teh The club that has garnered more attention and buzz than all of those in Jalan Changkat combined. Its spreading like wildfire, even Singapore is not spared. What exactly is Kelab Taat Suami? And in these post-modern, politically correct times, what is an appropriate or inappropriate response?
In this episode, semua ada: feminism, sexism, activism, egalitarianism, and truth be told, any other -ism you can hope for: http://yumm.my/luy6E8
  From us all at, PopTeeVeezzzz
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| Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia: substance over form Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:04 PM PDT The latest Kedai Rakyat 1Malaysia is in substance, as this writer sees it, another branch of the Mydin chain of shops. Replace the 1Malaysia wrappers and change the signboard then it is just another Mydin outlet. By Lee Wee Tak Part of politics is about creating the right impression (for oneself and for one's enemy). Self advocate is necessary to let people know that you are doing your job well.
However focusing too much on impressions can lead to substance over form.
The current prime minister has taken a different path from the previous ones in that he is quick to make announcements pertaining to private sector investment decisions, a smart move I would say, to create an impression amongst the more media savvy Malaysians that he is an "investment-generating prime minister".
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By Razak Ahmad
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Oil giants Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) will invest 15 billion ringgit ($4.9 billion) in new oil, gas and energy assets in Malaysia, the government said on Tuesday, in a move that could help the Southeast Asian country reverse a decline in output.
Pime Minister Najib Razak who announced the projects said the investments were in line with the introduction of tax breaks in November to develop new oil and gas resources and enhance recovery from ageing fields.
The planned investments by the oil companies are part of the Malaysian government's initiative to attract $444 billion in investments by 2020 to drive economic growth.
Of the total, Exxon will spend 10 billion ringgit while Shell Plc will invest 5.1 billion ringgit to upgrade and build energy facilities, the authorities said, although Shell said some of its investments had already been announced.
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 Meow, you remind me of someone lah.....
In the 1990's when Malaysian economy was attracting many investors due to our novelty as an investment destination and absence of competitors like China, Vietnam and Cambodia for low cost manufacturing destination, I do not recall Dr Mahathir rushing to the podium and said so and so invested how much for such as such project.
Is there a peri bahasa sounding like "bertelor sebijih riuh sekampung"? In fact, such stance give me the impression that only one man can generate business opportunities in Malaysia and the business community are not empowered enough to create opportunity and value on their own. Did you ever see Clinton, Bush or Obama announcing planned investment projects in Silicon value or Sunshine Industrial Park, Arizona? While we are in the midst of over exposure to and frankly abuse of 1Malaysia brand, it is worth recalling the much touted, all-encompassing, tear-jerking and hope-giving Wawasan 2020 slogan which Mahathir used to garner support, only later to be replaced by Idris Jala's "we will be bankrupt by 2019" and Mahathir's endorsement of Perkasa. By next decade, I won't be surprise of this 1Malaysia thingy has the same fate as Wawasan 2020 today. Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2011/06/kedai-rakyat-1malaysia-substance-over.html |
| Pua: Why pay for high power reserve margins? Posted: 23 Jun 2011 02:00 PM PDT By Shazwan Mustafa Kamal, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The government needs to explain why Malaysians should continue paying for high electricity reserve margins when countries such as Thailand, Indonesia and the United States are paying much less, Tony Pua said today. The DAP national publicity secretary pointed out that Malaysia's electricity reserve margin has been consistently close to 50 per cent over the past decade, while the reserve margins for Thailand and Java in Indonesia are only 25.4 and 26 per cent.
"Is the (Energy, Green Technology and Water) minister (Datuk Seri Peter Chin) claiming that both these countries, who have been attracting greater foreign direct investments than Malaysia consistently over the past five years, do not have sufficient margins?" Pua (picture) said in a statement.
He said even in the United States and Canada, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) study indicated a reserve margin of 28.6 per cent despite both countries being more "advanced and developed."
"The minister should perhaps enlighten Malaysians as to what makes Malaysia so special that Malaysians are forced to pay for electricity reserve margins which have been consistently close to 50 per cent over the past decade?" added Pua.
Chin has defended the country's reserve margin of 45 per cent as an intended government policy to prevent any sudden rise in electricity demand.
Pua continued his attacks against Chin for saying that independent power producers (IPPs) were not being subsidised by the government.
"While the minister and the IPPs are absolutely right 'technically' and 'legally' speaking, the subsidies have allowed the IPPs to mask the high electricity prices they sell, particularly to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
"For example, despite subsidising less in Thailand where natural gas is sold at RM23.10 per MMBTU to IPPs compared to RM13.70 per MMBTU in Malaysia, the electricity tariffs in Thailand are similar, if not cheaper than that in Malaysia... (The) average commercial tariff rate today is RM40/kWh after the recent tariff hike compared to RM38/kWh in Thailand," Pua said.
He also said that this showed that the government was "insincere" about renegotiating the power purchase agreements (PPAs) with the IPPs. READ MORE HERE. |
| ‘Datuk T’ fined for sex video Posted: 23 Jun 2011 01:57 PM PDT 
By Clara Chooi,The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — The "Datuk T" trio pleaded guilty and were fined in a magistrate's court here this morning over their involvement in the screening of a sex video allegedly featuring Pakatan Rakyat de facto leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. Former Malacca Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Thamby Chik was charged with abetting former Perkasa treasurer-general Datuk Shuib Lazim and businessman Datuk Shazryl Eskay Abdullah in "openly" screening the pornographic material featuring sex acts between a man and a woman at the prestigious Carcosa Seri Negara Hotel here on March 21.
Shazryl was fined RM3,000 or three months' jail, Shuib was fined RM1,500 or two months' jail while Abdul Rahim was fined RM1,000 or one month's jail.
The three committed the offence between 10am and noon at the Seri Makmur room in the hotel.
Shazryl and Shuib were charged under section 292 (a) of the Penal Code while the charge against Abdul Rahim, also under the same section, was read together with section 109 of the Penal Code for abetment.
The three face a maximum three-year jail term, or fine, or both.
The trio's lawyers had earlier protested against the charges when they were read in court and requested to meet with magistrate Aizatul Akmal Maharani in chambers.
After a 30-minute discussion, the lawyers emerged and the trio pleaded guilty to the same charges. READ MORE HERE |
| Sistem Ekonomi Negara Kebajikan Posted: 22 Jun 2011 10:56 PM PDT 
DARI JELEBU Keuntungan maksima tidak boleh wujud jika kebajikan ramai ingin diberi. Dalam masa yang sama kebajikan ramai tidak mungkin wujud jika keuntungan maksima ingin di capai. Hishamuddin Rais Tetiba Negara Kebajikan menjadi isu perbincangan. Ini adalah hasil dari keputusan Muktamar Pas tahun 2011 yang baru selesai dua minggu lalu. Hasil dari Muktamar ini umum telah diberitahu bahawa Pas akan membawa Negara Kebajikan sebagai akidah perjuangan. Bila sahaja Pas mengajukan Negara Kebajikan kepada umum dengan serta merta United Malays National Organisation bangun mengaku bahawa dasar ini telah mereka jalankan. Justeru mengikut United Malays National Organisation Pas hanya menjadi Pak Turut. Saya rasa memang ada warga kurang faham tentang apa sebenarnya Negara Kebajikan. Saya yakin – ramai yang kabur dan kurang faham dan mungkin menjadi sasau apabila United Malays National Organisation mengakui bahawa mereka telah menjalan dasar Negara Kebajikan. Jika dasar yang sedang dilakukan oleh United Malays National Organisation ini sebagai ajenda Negara Kebajikan ini bermakna warga Palestin di Gaza juga hidup dalam Negara Kebajikan. Hampeh. Pengakuan United Malay National Organisation ini betul-betul mengkelirukan ramai warga. Pengakuan ini United Malay National Organisation ini sama seperti George Bush mengakui yang dia menyerang Iraq untuk membawa demokrasi dan keamanan. Justeru, ciri pertama Negara Kebajikan ialah apa sahaja dasar yang sedang dilakukan oleh United Malays National Organisation ianya bukan Negara Kebajikan. Sesudah kita semua menyedari 'cakap tipu' United Malays National Organisation ini biar saya sambung penerangan tentang Negara Kebajikan. Sesebuah Daulah wujud berasaskan ekonomi. Dalam dunia wujudiah kita pada hari ini hanya ada dua bentuk sistem ekonomi. Ekonomi kapitalis dan ekonomi sosialis. Ini adalah dua sistem ekonomi induk. Yang lain lain hanyalah pecahan dari sistem ekonomi ini. Ekonomi kapitalis berpaksikan keuntungan maksima. Keuntunganlah yang mengemudikan arah dan dasar negara yang mengamalkan sistem ekonomi kapitalis. Manakala sistem ekonomi sosialis berpaksikan kepada kebajikan ramai. Justeru negara atau daulah yang mengamalkan sistem ekonomi sosialis akan menjadikan kebajikan ramai sebagai pedoman. Tanah Melayu pada satu ketika dahulu adalah negara bersistemkan ekonomi feudal – sistem ekonomi ini muncul sebelum ekonomi kapitalis. Raja menjadi kepala yang mewakili seluruh kehidupan hidup. Raja berkuasa memungut cukai. Raja berhak memiliki tanah. Maka lahirlah budaya Melayu yang melambang sistem ekonomi feudal ini. Justeru kita melihat Orang Melayu tunduk kepada Raja walau pun Raja itu hampeh. Hingga ke hari ini saki baki budaya yang dilahirkan oleh sistem ekonomi feudal itu masih wujud sebagai bukti. Di negara-negara tandus berpadang pasir seperti Saudi Arabia telah muncul satu budaya dan tamadun yang berpaksikan ekonomi padang pasir. Di Khutub Utara yang sejok bersalju telah melahirkan budaya dan tamadun negara bangsa warga Eskimo. Amat jelas bahawa sistem ekonomilah yang melahirkan tamadun negara bangsa. Saya tidak perlu bersuluh untuk memahami bahawa dari sistem ekonomilah munculnya budaya, moral, nilai, tatasusila dan tamadun. Semua budaya bangsa dalam dunia ini wujud hasil dari sistem ekonomi. Tamadun negara bangsa adalah cermin dari sistem ekonomi yang di sedia pakai. Mari saya bawa kembali untuk memahami dua sistem ekonomi – kapitalis dan sosialis. Untuk saya amat jelas dua bentuk sistem ekonomi ini memiliki perbezaan yang hakiki. Malah dua sistem ekonomi ini bertentangan antara satu sama lain. Keuntungan maksima tidak boleh wujud jika kebajikan ramai ingin diberi. Dalam masa yang sama kebajikan ramai tidak mungkin wujud jika keuntungan maksima ingin di capai. Ini adalah hakikat pertentangan dua sistem ekonomi ini. Memang betul kita sering cuba di kelentong dengan kata-kata 'sama sama menang' atau 'win win situation'. Dalam sistem ekonomi tidak wujud sama sama menang. Jika loji Lynas di Gebeng akan dibuka – hasilnya yang untung membuat kekayaan ialah syarikat Australia. Yang akan rugi warga Gebeng dan Kuantan. Mustahil syarikat Loji untung dan warga di Gebeng juga untung. Tidak pernah lagi dalam sejarah ekonomi sosialis atau kapitalis akan wujud situasi sama sama untung. Dalam bahasa orang kampong - tidak mungkin towkay untung dan kuli juga untung. Saya tahu ada juga yang berani berkata sedemikian. Untuk saya ini adalah kata-kata dari orang gila yang tidak faham asas ekonomi. Kita selalu mendengar/membaca kata-kata – win win situation - kata-kata ini datangnya dari mulut politikus United Malays National Organisation yang kerjanya hanya menipu orang ramai. Dalam sistem ekonomi kapitalis pelaburan dibuat untuk membawa untung. Justeru balak ditebang untuk menguntungkan towkay balak. Mustahil penebangan balak ini akan menguntungkan kera dan siamang dalam hutan, jauh sekali Orang Penan. Tanah sawit dibuka dikatakan untuk membawa peluang pekerjaan. Ini kata-kata dari seorang munafiq yang menyurukkan niat asalnya untuk mencari keuntungan dari tenaga buruh pekerja ladang sawit ini. Saya amat berharap yang para pembaca yang budiman telah faham bahawa politik itu ialah ekonomi. Perebutan kuasa politik itu ialah perebutan kuasa ekonomi. Kerana itu kempen politik adalah kempen tentang dasar ekonomi. Jika para pembaca telah memahami sudut ini maka dengan senang sekali para pembaca akan memahami apa dia politik terkini didalam negara kita. Biar saya jelaskan disini bahawa para penyokong sistem ekonomi kapitalis tidak henti-henti merancang untuk merebut kuasa politik agar mereka dapat membolot semua punca ekonomi. Rasa saya ini fakta yang jelas dapat kita lihat dalam budaya politik United Malays National Organisation. Justeru kaum kapitalis ini akan menyokong United Malays National Organisation kerana parti ini menyebelahi kepentingan mereka. Bagitu juga pendukong yang mengajukan sistem ekonomi sosialis – mereka juga akan menyusun penyokong. Kalau dalam sistem ekonomi kapitalis yang menyokong ialah kaum pemodal dan pelabur. Dalam sistem ekonomi sosialis yang menyokong ialah kaum buruh, kaum tani dan warga miskin yang hidup tanpa harta kekayaan. Justeru, sekali lagi saya tunjukan wujudnya pertembungan antara dua sistem ekonomi. Lalu pertanyaan muncul dimana hendak kita letakan Negara Kebajikan yang telah diajukan oleh parti Pas? Biar saya terang dengan sejelas mungkin tentang Negara Kebajikan ini. Negara Kebajikan bukan satu sistem ekonomi. Jangan sesekali silap untuk mentakrifkan bahawa Negara Kebajikan ini adalah satu sistem ekonomi. Bukan. Negara Kebajikan ini muncul dari satu sistem ekonomi. Negara Kebajikan dilahirkan dari sistem ekonomi sosialis. Hanya sistem sosialis sahaja yang memiliki kudrat dan iradat untuk membawa kemunculan Negara Kebajikan. Lalu timbul persoalan bahawa Pas ini bukan parti sosialis. Pas mengakui diri sebagai parti Islam. Pas sebuah parti Islam adalah kenyatan yang betul dan tepat. Wajib kita sedari bahawa Islam itu adalah agama kepercayaan dan bukan sistem ekonomi. Dalam kitab suci Al-Quran yang di munculkan adalah ayat-ayat yang membawa naratif-naratif contoh yang menggambarkan Negara Kebajikan. Justeru terpulangkan kepada si penganut untuk menggunakan akal dan fikrah untuk melakar dan mencipta satu sistem ekonomi yang melahirkan Negara Kebajikan. Ditahap tamadun manusia hari ini Negara Kebajikan hanya dapat diwujudkan melalui struktur sistem ekonomi sosialis. Lalu timbul satu lagi persoalan – bukankah sosialis ini tidak beragama dan tidak bertuhan? Saya rasa masa dan ketikanya telah sampai untuk kita semua berani membebaskan diri dari diperangkap oleh propaganda 'perang dingin' yang mengatakan bahawa penyokong sistem ekonomi sosialis ini tidak bertuhan. Ini sebenarnya lahir dari kejayaan propaganda licik ketika pertempuran hebat antara dua ideloji sistem ekonom. Idealogi sistem kapitalis yang dikepali oleh Amerika dengan sistem sosialis yang dipimpin oleh Russia. Pertemporan ini berjalan hebat bermula sesudah Perang Dunia Kedua hingga runtuhnya Tembok Berlin pada tahun 1989. Adalah betul dan tepat apabila kita mengatakan bahawa sistem ekonomi kapitalis atau sosialis tidak memiliki agama dan tidak memiliki tuhan. Sistem ekonomi ini samalah seperti injin kereta yang wujud. Tugas injin hanya untuk bergerak dari Kampong Ini ke Kampong Itu. Tidak mungkin injin kereta ini beragama dan bertuhan. Read more at: http://tukartiub.blogspot.com/2011/06/ajenda-negara-kebajikan.html |
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