Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News
Malaysia Today - Your Source of Independent News |
- Utusan defends MACC, holds DAP responsible for Teoh’s death
- In Malaysia, When in Doubt, Blame the Jews
- The Amanah Agenda- part 1
- Of Angry Birds and angry Malaysians
- EU mulls observer group as EC ‘not credible’, say diplomats
- Jawapan Kepada Isu Penyingkiran Datin Sabariah Ahmad, Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) ...
- Authoritative Verdict
- Public sees Najib as guilty in Scorpene deal, says Pakatan
- Malaysia: Delays of Habeas Corpus Hearing Unjust To 6 PSM Members
- Bersih 3.0
- AirAsia Moves Corporate HQ from KL to Jakarta
- Najib: Don’t dispute RCI report on Teoh
- Rule of law, rule by law
- Najib’s hypocrisy
- Ambiga dedicates UK doctorate to Baharuddin, PSM 6
- Bar Council says MACC responsible for Teoh’s death
- MACC suspends three named in Teoh RCI report
- Whatever were they thinking?
- Bar Council: Suicide finding is ‘a leap in logic’
- Sarbani’s family wants Commission of Inquiry into his death
- Teoh’s suicide: MACC suspends three officers
- Raja Aziz Addruse
- French probe to zoom into Altantuya-subs deal link
- The Amanah gambit and Mustapha Ong
- Is a Minister’s aide’s university degree for real?
- Putrajaya agrees to fund voter verification system
- Jaguh Reban
- Menunggu perubahan yang tak kunjung tiba - AMANAH terpaksa menggerak langkah
- Happy birthday Mr PM
- Ku Li’s Amanah a key to national revival?
- Mind analysis courses
- ‘Bourdon deported because he knew too much’
- Stagflation – Beware!
- Family demands RCI, new probe into Sarbaini’s death
| Utusan defends MACC, holds DAP responsible for Teoh’s death Posted: 23 Jul 2011 12:36 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Utusan Malaysia expressed sympathy for the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for bearing the brunt of the blame for Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying today it was DAP and its adviser Lim Kit Siang who should be held responsible. The Umno-owned daily's editors, writing under the pseudonym Awang Selamat, accused the opposition party of tricking Malaysians into forgetting the corruption allegation against its leaders by drawing focus to Teoh's death. "Malaysians have been dragged too deep into this issue (Teoh's death) until we have strayed from the actual path. The real issue — corruption — has been buried. "This is DAP's success... all this time, their actual intention is to hide the many shortcomings of its leaders in this case," Awang said in Mingguan Malaysia, the Malay daily's Sunday paper. Awang added that if the just-released Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report on Teoh's death is studied carefully, it could be surmised that there were elements of cronyism, corruption and financial manipulation in the case. As such, Awang said that DAP should be held responsible for Teoh's death as through his death, the youth had helped the party save its image from being further tarnished. "Awang agrees with the view from several parties that DAP should be held responsible. Its key leader Lim Kit Siang should apologise to all Malaysians, the government, the MACC and Teoh's family. "Awang hope that no one will question the cause of Teoh's death again, or even worse, continue to use it as a political tool," he wrote. Awang also urged MACC officers not to lose morale in their jobs and encouraging them to proceed with their "noble roles". "There is no need to be shaky if there are contents in the report that seem unpleasant and do not reflect reality. "Awang understands that the interrogation process is not easy," he said. The RCI report, which was released on Thursday, ruled that the former DAP aide had committed suicide as a result of "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" by MACC officers, particularly the then deputy director for Selangor MACC Hishammuddin Hashim and enforcement officers Arman Alies and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus. The officers, described in the RCI as "Arman the bully, Ashraf the abuser and HH the arrogant leader", had wanted to pressure Teoh into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds.
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| In Malaysia, When in Doubt, Blame the Jews Posted: 23 Jul 2011 10:42 AM PDT By Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Huffington Post It's time for Malaysian leaders to grow up. Relying on big-lie Jewish conspiracies is no substitute for honest and transparent governance.On July 9, 20,000 Malaysians gathered in Kuala Lumpur to demand more transparency in electoral laws in connection with next year's national elections. Police unleashed tear gas and chemical-laced water on the demonstrators and temporarily detained nearly 1,700 of them. According to reports, authorities also detained six opposition activists without trial and accused them of trying to use the rally to spread communism. Police said they found T-shirts and other materials linked to communist figures. Apparently, these measures didn't suffice for some of Malaysia's nervous ruling elite. The editors of Utusan Malaysia, owned by Prime Minister Najib Razak's United Malays National Organization ruling party (UMNO), defaulted to a time-tested maneuver: When in doubt, blame the Jews! The Jews? Most citizens of the overwhelmingly Asian economic giant have never and will likely never meet a Jew in their lifetime. And yet the folks at Utusan Malaysia, which is influential among Muslims in rural areas who rely on government-linked media to shape their worldview, are apparently confident warnings about a "Jewish plot" would resonate in a land without Jews. To understand why, you need only look at the track record of the man who dominated his nation for a quarter of a century, Malaysia's fourth prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad. Mahathir was credited with engineering Malaysia's rapid modernization and spectacular economic growth. He was a dominant political figure, winning five consecutive general elections. He also used his political clout and controversial laws to detain activists and political opponents. And Mahathir is an anti-Semite. Back in 1970, in his treatise on Malay identity, "The Malay Dilemma," he wrote: "The Jews are not only hooked-nosed ... but understand money instinctively. ... Jewish stinginess and financial wizardry gained them the economic control of Europe and provoked antisemitism which waxed and waned throughout Europe through the ages." In August 1984, a visit by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra was canceled when his Information Minister demanded that music by composer Ernst Bloch be deleted from the program. His crime? He was a Jew and the selection chosen was based on Hebrew melodies. In 1986, Mahathir charged "Zionists" and Jews with attempting to destabilize the country through allegedly Jewish-controlled media. He subsequently banned The Asia Wall Street Journal for three months describing the publication as "Jewish owned." In the 1990s, Mahathir used the Malaysian news agency, Bernama, to accuse Australian Jewry of conspiring to topple him. Mahathir, who made Islam a central component of Malaysian identity, made this chilling charge in 1997: "We are Moslems, and the Jews are not happy to see Moslems progress." Perhaps that would help explain the resounding ovation which greeted his screed at a Islamic Leadership Conference in 2003: "The Europeans killed 6 million Jews out of 12 million ... but today, the Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." And just last year the elder statesman of anti-Semites said this at a conference: "Jews had always been a problem in European countries. They had been confined in ghettos and periodically massacred. But they still remained and still thrived and held whole governments to ransom. ... Even after their massacre by the Nazis in Germany, they survived to be a source of even greater problems to the world." All this may help explain why Hitler's "Mein Kampf" and the infamous "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" are on prominent display at the Malaysian capital's International Airport. But there are some signs that in 2011 not everyone is drinking Mahathir's toxic Kool-Aid. Maria Chin Abdullah, one of the organizers of the mass rally that sought to prevent electoral fraud, charged that Utusan Malaysia's warning of an alleged Jewish conspiracy was "nonsense that is being spread in very bad taste," adding, "To rely on this claim of Jewish support is to insult the people's good intentions of seeking important reforms." Perhaps Kuala Lumpur hasn't paid much attention to the Arab Spring. Maybe its time they did, especially since it was inspired by Muslims demanding more freedom and democracy. It isn't world Jewry that is driving members of minorities to the streets of Kuala Lumpur, but the failure of a democratic government to provide equal rights and opportunities to all their citizens. It's time for Malaysian leaders to grow up. Relying on big-lie Jewish conspiracies is no substitute for honest and transparent governance. |
| Posted: 23 Jul 2011 10:24 AM PDT  By Sakmongkol It seems the main ingredients of an independent nation are being eroded and violated with irresponsible impunity. Our economy is slowly going to be run by powerful economic plutocracy. An elite group has taken over the planning and running of the country. We are simultaneously enthralled and goaded into believing that our economy can get better miraculously through stylish presentation using Microsoft PowerPoint authored by expensively paid consulting companies. Those people in Balakong, Sungai Besi and Jalan kelang Lama did not need power point presentations authored by McKinsey consultants. They didn't have to pay Idris Jala for leveraging on McKinsey people either! The economic elite are working hand in hand with the political elite of this country so that from democracy, we are moving toward Plutarchy. Plutarchy is the combination of plutocracy- the rule of the wealthy and oligarchy- the rule of the few. These people are no longer talking about development costs of millions- they are now talking about billions- the billion Ringgit MRT, the billion Ringgit River of Life Project, no billion- no talk. How is our country's finances managed? Can we trust them? Our founding fathers gave us a Westminster's type of democracy and we accepted it. We accept wholeheartedly that the way to form a government is through peaceful means and that is through fair and clean general elections. It must also mean that combatants and contestant are accorded the same facilities and treatment en route to forming a government. We accepted also a constitutional monarchy whereby the Malay rulers accept unreservedly that this country belongs to the people. By that, the rulers accept that they are also subjected to the powers of the constitution, whereby, rulers are also governed by the rule of law and do not have unbridled and absolute discretionary powers. What has happened then? The tipping point came in the late 80s when one person hijacked the democratic heritage and enthralled the nation with the glitter of fast-tracked material advancements. Since then, this country has traveled only on one option- divisiveness. Our heralded and self-congratulatory development is generally paid by the erosion of the democratic ingredients that we spoke of above. We praised and patted ourselves by calling our leaders, fathers of this and that. These terms are alas, empty phrases aimed essentially at according ourselves the feel good feeling. The aim of Bersih for example, was directed at one of these- which is, fundamental in a democracy is the way we choose our government. It must be done in a fair and clean manner. We have chosen a free market economy but nowadays, what is free, is the freedom by certain cliques in our country to plunder and gobble up the economy. Hence we no longer speak of millions and even 100 of millions but billions. The traffic congestion which is the bane of people in the Kelang valley can easily be solved cheaper by construction of elevated highways. But powerful economic oligarchs proposed to build an MRT whose final costs cannot be determined as yet. |
| Of Angry Birds and angry Malaysians Posted: 23 Jul 2011 09:39 AM PDT By Wong Chun Wai, The Star Even fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has found out, and lamented, that when he exposes scandals involving the government, he is a hero but when he does the same with the opposition, he is turned into a political pariah instantly. Partisanship is so strong on both sides of the political divide that we have become angry Malaysians. Can we stop being angry and try to make sense of the issues affecting the nation instead? IF you watched the live proceedings of the British parliamentary hearings involving the Murdochs, you would agree that they were impressive. Prime Minister David Cameron, in cutting short his trip to Africa to call for a special meeting of the Commons, was grilled incessantly by the Opposition. But he took it all in stride. Although he could not bring himself to apologise for hiring a former staff of News of the World, Rupert Murdoch's newspaper which has been accused of carrying out illegal hacking into mobile phones, he carried himself well, showing his willingness to take on his opponents. The Speaker moderated the proceedings with finesse and we were shown what the Westminster parliamentary system, which our own Dewan Rakyat is modelled after, is all about. A day earlier, also shown live, we watched the parliamentary select committees in action. Never mind if there were disagreements, even accusations of perjury at times, but everyone spoke in measured tones. Everyone went out of their way to ensure there was dignity and decorum – except for the moment when a failed comic attacked Murdoch with a foam pie. Now we all know about his young wife Wendi Deng. Her left hook and swift intervention by a constable were sufficient to wrest the loony away. Not much fuss there, and no need for an Emergency Order, for sure. Compare that with our Malaysian politicians. With a general election looming, possibly by next March, the posturing seems to have become louder. Don't look far. Just read the blogs, the political websites and the comments posted. Many of us seem to contradict ourselves. We call for a better political culture with intellectual discourse and debate over policies and issues, but we often degenerate into name calling. Instead of reading an entire commentary to consider the salient points raised, some enjoy picking up a single sentence or even a word to tear apart the writer's opinion. There's nothing wrong with this except that it often ends up in a distasteful round of name calling and personal attacks. Regardless of our political affiliations, it is hardly the political road that we want for Malaysia. If you support the opposition, you risk being labelled a traitor, communist, socialist, Jew or at least remotely Jewish-linked. On the other hand, if you back the government, or are simply being neutral, you are called a running dog, coward, corrupt or a spineless person and your next three generations will be duly cursed. Of course, you would also be labelled a traitor. In Parliament, MPs are suddenly transformed into verbal monsters with childish tantrums who, as they lunge at each other, call others by animal names. If we read the postings on blogs and tweets, we can see many shouting about transparency and accountability but most opt to remain anonymous even as they run down others as cowards. So who is the coward in the end? Perhaps it's the fault of our education system, or our lack of proficiency to speak or debate in more than one language, or simply our political culture. Being articulate is surely not our strong point. Maybe we have become so angry and fed up with what is happening that we no longer wish to be polite. Or have we really lost our marbles and are therefore unable to rationalise? Is it no longer politically correct to be moderate or neutral with the frightening emergence of the "us" or "them" syndrome? The partisanship is so strong that both sides expect the media to be excessively pro-government or openly slanted to the opposition. An objective and unbiased media, to some, even means being openly hostile to the government. That has become the fastest way to be popular, fortunately or unfortunately. Even fugitive blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin has found out, and lamented, that when he exposes scandals involving the government, he is a hero but when he does the same with the opposition, he is turned into a political pariah instantly. If the government is regarded as being intolerant to dissent, the same attitude is also detected among the ranks of the opposition. In the fight for votes and power, the end seems to justify the means. Nothing is sacred. So when we read about faked deaths in a recent demonstration, those who claimed to be righteous and demanded "truth and justice" can also become strangely silent. Malaysians do not know who and what to believe any more, what with new issues appearing one after the other. There is too much contradiction and sacrificing of principles, all seemingly in the name of justice. Look at it carefully, however, and it is simply about the advancement of individual political careers and attempts to control Putrajaya. The authorities have not been consistent. The police have stopped opposition ceramah, arrested those taking part in candlelight vigils and ridiculously nabbed politicians wearing yellow T-shirts with the word "Bersih". On the other hand, it is open knowledge that the opposition holds ceramah almost every other day. The demand for a 21-day campaigning period does not seem to gel. In fact, the ceramah is supposed to be a closed-door affair if its definition is strictly enforced, but many of them have turned into rallies. In short, the rules are not consistent. Make it clear and easy for all parties to apply to hold such talks. Let there be fairness. The political and media landscapes have changed but many of our civil servants and leaders are still stuck in a time warp, and seemingly indifferent to it. So we have officials who black out parts of an article in The Economist when one can easily access it online, or put hurdles out to ban the Bahasa Malaysia Bible when all it takes is a simple click to print the entire version from the Internet. But emotions and scoring points seem to have become the obsession of many Malaysians. Is it any wonder that one of the popular pastimes among Malaysians is playing the "Angry Birds" game on their mobiles and tablets? Can we stop being angry people and try to make sense of the issues affecting the nation instead? Or better still, just laugh at them? It's just the run-up to the silly season, as cynical reporters call it. |
| EU mulls observer group as EC ‘not credible’, say diplomats Posted: 23 Jul 2011 09:28 AM PDT By Jahabar Siddiq, Editor, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 24 — Despite Putrajaya's strident defence of the Election Commission (EC), European Union (EU) diplomats are looking into proposals to send observer groups for the next general election as they found the commission "not credible" after a recent briefing here. Several diplomats told The Malaysian Insider that EC chairman Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Mohd Yusof's briefing weeks before the Bersih rally on July 9 did not convince them of the commission's neutrality as he kept referring to being part of the government. "They are not credible. Abdul Aziz kept repeating 'us' and 'we in the government' during the briefing," a European diplomat told The Malaysian Insider. Abdul Aziz was the secretary-general of the Home Ministry before his appointment as the EC chairman on December 31, 2008, after his extension contract ended. A diplomat from another European nation confirmed the briefing and their conclusions. "It is sensitive but we are thinking of recommending observer groups to watch the next general election," he said, recalling that the Commonwealth Observer Mission had observed the 1990 general elections. The ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) government has kept out international election watch groups since then and had refused to make public the report from the Commonwealth Observer Mission. Several local election watch groups have sprouted but receive minimal cooperation from the EC. An EU diplomat said they had also met with Bersih 2.0 leaders to get a briefing on their eight-point demands calling for free and fair elections that culminated with a rally on July 9 that was dispersed by riot police despite locking down the capital city. "We had a briefing from Bersih 2.0 chair Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan about their cause," he said, declining to give specific details of the meeting. Bersih 2.0 estimated up to 50,000 people turned up at the rally after the Najib administration reneged on a promise for a stadium but city police say only 6,000 people made it through the barricades. Nearly 1,700 were arrested while scores were injured and one man died of a heart attack in the rally. The government had also outlawed Bersih 2.0, a coalition of 62 organisations, saying that it had not registered the movement. The movement's illegal status was also cited as a reason for not getting a stadium booking or a police permit for a gathering. Despite that, Bersih 2.0 has called its supporters and the public to wear something yellow every Saturday until the government looks into and implements its eight demands. The EC had said it was willing to discuss the points if Bersih dropped its plans for a rally.
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| Jawapan Kepada Isu Penyingkiran Datin Sabariah Ahmad, Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) ... Posted: 23 Jul 2011 09:21 AM PDT  Oleh Yayasan Selangor 2. Penyiaran kisah ini bolehlah dianggap sebagai usaha beliau atau pihak-pihak yang menyokong beliau untuk meraih simpati dan berniat jahat dengan memberikan gambaran buruk terhadap pengurusan Yayasan Selangor. 3. Beliau sebenarnya "bernasib baik" kerana diterima bekerja di Yayasan Selangor sejak tahun 1998 dan "survive" walaupun Laporan Siasatan Audit Dalam Yayasan Selangor yang bertarikh 18 Mei 1999 dengan jelas mengesyorkan supaya perkhidmatan beliau ditamatkan. 4. Ini kerana penemuan audit itu mendapati bahawa beliau telah memalsukan nama jawatan dan gaji akhir beliau semasa bekerja di Rangkaian Hotel Seri Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., iaitu kononnya beliau bertugas sebagai akuantan dengan gaji sebanyak RM5,500.00 sebulan, sedangkan pihak pengurusan hotel itu mengesahkan bahawa beliau hanyalah seorang Pegawai Akaun dengan gaji sebanyak RM3,500.00. 5. Hal ini mendorong pihak pengurusan Yayasan Selangor pada tahun 1998 menawarkannya jawatan tetap selaku Pengurus Kewangan dan Pentadbiran Gred N1 (setara dengan Gred 54 kini) dengan gaji sebanyak RM5,859.00. 6. Laporan Audit Dalam itu "lenyap" begitu sahaja apabila beliau berkahwin dengan Dato' Zolkarnain Abd. Rahman, Pengurus Besar Yayasan Selangor yang menyandang jawatan itu pada tahun 1999 hingga 2001. 7. Seperti staf yang lain, beliau dinilai mengikut prestasi semasa dan beberapa kali ditukarkan ke jawatan lain atas keperluan organisasi. 8. Beliau telah dinaikkan pangkat ke jawatan Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) pada 1 Ogos 2010 melalui surat bertarikh 12 Julai 2010 rujukan no. (91)dlm.YS/SM/03/037 dengan Gred Utama C (VU7). 9. Perlantikan itu dengan jelas menyebut perkara 2.8 Pengesahan Jawatan dan Tempoh Percubaan yang berbunyi: "Pengesahan jawatan puan adalah tertakluk kepada prestasi kerja puan di sepanjang tempoh percubaan iaitu selama enam (6) bulan. Puan boleh dikembalikan ke jawatan asal oleh Yayasan Selangor dengan gred dan tanggagaji yang asal sekiranya prestasi kerja puan dalam tempoh tersebut tidak memuaskan." 10. En. Ilham Marzuki selaku Pengurus Besar Yayasan Selangor mendapati prestasi Datin Sabariah Ahmad selaku Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) adalah tidak memuaskan, dan pada 10 November 2010, Pengurus Besar telah memaklumkan hal ini kepada YAB Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Menteri Besar Selangor yang juga merupakan Pengerusi Lembaga Pemegang Amanah Yayasan Selangor. 11. Beliau turut memaklumkan bahawa Datin Sabariah Ahmad telah dikembalikan ke jawatan asalnya selaku Pengurus Kanan Hal Ehwal Pelajar (mulai 1 November 2010), iaitu jawatan yang disandangnya mulai 3 Mei 2010 (sehingga dilantik sebagai Pemangku Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) pada 1 Julai 2010 dan seteruskan dinaikkan sebagai Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan). 12. Oleh sebab beliau membuat aduan kepada Dato' Menteri Besar Selangor yang kononnya beliau dianiaya dan arahan supaya beliau diletakkan semula (reinstated) ke jawatan asalnya, maka pada 3 Disember 2010, beliau telah dikembalikan ke jawatan Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan). 13. Pada 8 Disember 2010, semua gaji dan elaun tertunggak telah dibayar kepada beliau. Ini bermakna beliau telah menerima hak beliau sebagaimana yang dikehendaki. 14. Mengikut laporan Bahagian Sumber Manusia, beliau tidak hadir ke pejabat pada 1 - 3 Disember 2010, tetapi pihak Sumber Manusia ketika itu tidak mengambil apa-apa tindakan, walaupun Skim Perkhidmatan Yayasan Selangor menyatakan bahawa sesiapa yang tidak hadir 2 hari berturut-turut menurut fasal 4.6.1: "... seseorang kakitangan yang tidak hadir bertugas selama 2 hari berturut-turut tanpa mendapat cuti yang sah atau tanpa kebenaran terlebih dahulu daripada ketua bahagian atau tanpa sebab-sebab yang munasabah adalah satu kesalahan dan disifatkan telah menamatkan perkhidmatannya secara sukarela dengan Yayasan Selangor." 15. Beliau kemudian mendapat cuti sakit secara bersambung-sambung pada 4 hingga 17 Disember 2010. 16. Sayugia dicatatkan bahawa sepanjang tahun 2008, beliau pernah mengambil cuti sakit (klinik biasa) selama 63 hari dan cuti sakit kerana dimasukkan ke hospital selama 150 hari. 17. Manakala pada tahun 2009, beliau telah mengambil cuti sakit (klinik biasa) sebanyak 22 hari dan cuti sakit kerana dimasukkan ke hospital sebanyak 60 hari. 18. Beliau sebenarnya sekali lagi bernasib baik kerana Bahagian Sumber Manusia ketika itu patut merujuk kes kesihatan beliau kepada Panel Perubatan untuk diberi pertimbangan khas. 19. Berdasarkan perkara 12 dan 13 di atas, kes beliau sepatutnya sudah selesai dan tiada lagi kes berbangkit. 20. Bagaimanapun, pada 21 Disember 2010, beliau telah menulis surat yang kononnya beliau telah diberhentikan kerja secara terancang (constructive dismissal) hanya atas alasan pejabat beliau dipindahkan ke Asrama Yayasan Selangor Kuala Lumpur. 21. Sesungguhnya perpindahan beliau ke tempat tersebut adalah supaya beliau memberikan tumpuan kepada permasalahan kemerosotan pencapaian pelajar yang merupakan sebahagian daripada tugas dan tanggungjawab beliau di Bahagian Pendidikan. 22. En. Ilham Marzuki selaku Pengurus Besar Yayasan Selangor tidak sama sekali berniat jahat terhadap beliau kerana sepanjang perkhidmatan Datin Sabariah di bawah pengurusannya, beliau telah tiga kali dinaikkan pangkat, iaitu sebagai Pengurus Kanan pada 3 Mei 2010 dan sebagai Pemangku Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) pada 1 Julai 2010, dan seterusnya sebagai Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) pada 1 Ogos 2010. 23. Sekiranya beliau ditempatkan di ibu pejabat di Petaling Jaya, seperti amalan sebelum ini, keberkesanan tugasan beliau tidak dapat diukur. Oleh itu, dengan keberadaan beliau di lokasi khusus pelajar, beliau sepatutnya diharapkan dapat memahami dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi oleh pelajar. 24. Apa yang didakwa sebagai constructive dismissal hanyalah "persepsi" beliau bagi menutup kelemahan prestasi beliau dan masalah cuti sakit yang berpanjangan. 25. Perlu dingatkan bahawa jawatan sebagai Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan) yang beliau sandang itu masih dalam tempoh percubaan (1 Ogos 2010 hingga 30 Januari 2011). Adalah menjadi hak Pengurus Besar untuk menilai dan membuat keputusan mengenai prestasi beliau sebagai Timbalan Pengurus Besar (Pendidikan). 26. Oleh kerana beliau telah membuat aduan ke Jabatan Perhubungan Perusahaan Negeri Selangor, kes beliau kini masih di peringkat awal dan tiada sebarang keputusan dicapai setakat ini. Oleh itu, adalah terlalu awal untuk membuat sebarang rumusan demi keadilan kedua-dua pihak. 27. Yayasan Selangor bersedia mematuhi sebarang keputusan yang berasaskan undang-undang dan tidak berniat untuk berlaku tidak adil kepada beliau dan sesiapa sahaja, asalkan kepentingan majikan dan pekerja terpelihara. 28. Adalah ditegaskan bahawa kedudukan staf sebagai sebahagian daripada pasukan pengurusan Yayasan Selangor tertakluk kepada Skim Perkhidmatan, kepentingan organisasi dan rakyat Negeri Selangor. Prestasi kakitangan sentiasa dipantau supaya kehadiran mereka berbaloi dan setimpal dengan gaji, elaun dan kemudahan yang diterima. Disediakan oleh: Bahagian Sumber Manusia Yayasan Selangor. 23 Julai 2011.
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| Posted: 23 Jul 2011 12:19 AM PDT (NST) - Let no one impugn its rigour, credibility and integrity when the proceedings were held in the open, the 124-page report made public, and no punches pulled in stripping bare the abuses of power. IT was a foregone conclusion that the verdict of suicide reached by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) would be unacceptable to the family of Teoh Beng Hock. After all, they have insisted that the 30-year-old had no reason to jump to his death. Certainly, as the cold-eyed forensic psychiatric evaluations revealed, Teoh was by no means suicidal. Nonetheless, no dispassionate observer can rule out with absolute certainty the fact that the torment, frustration and despair that he experienced under the "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous" questioning from the officers of the Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) could have become so overwhelming that he broke -- with heartbreaking results for his family and a lot of ill-tempered politicking for the nation. One may not be happy with the verdict and disagree with the findings. Certainly, they can challenge the decision through judicial reviews and appeals. But like it or not, the considered judicial opinion of this panel of distinguished judges and reputable forensic experts was delivered after a thorough, meticulous and conscientious examination of the two postmortems, the assessments of forensic pathologists and forensic psychiatrists, the testimonies of witnesses, and the statements in the written submissions. It has also been able to come up with a definitive answer that the Shah Alam magistrate's court failed to provide with its open verdict in January. Let no one impugn its rigour, credibility and integrity when the proceedings were held in the open, the 124-page report made public, and no punches pulled in stripping bare the abuses of power. |
| Public sees Najib as guilty in Scorpene deal, says Pakatan Posted: 23 Jul 2011 12:12 AM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders today warned Datuk Seri Najib Razak that the move to deport French lawyer William Bourdon last night has only confirmed his guilt in the eyes of the public. They told the prime minister that chasing Bourdon out of Malaysia would not absolve him of blame but, instead, would resurrect the ghost of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaaribuu. Altantuya, who was killed in 2006 and blown up with C4 explosives, has been linked to the government's controversial RM7 billion Scorpene submarines purchase from French defence company DCNS which is now under probe in France. The purchase was made while Najib headed the Defence Ministry. Bourdon, who is handling the case in France, was held by immigration officers yesterday morning upon landing at the KLIA in Sepang from Penang where he had briefed an audience on the progress of the probe. "This strange move would only fuel public suspicion that something is terribly amiss in the Scorpene case... which, of course, is linked to Altantuya's case. "Instead of coming clean, he (Najib) is trying to cover up the matter. Everyone knows that Bourdon will be in the country to explain the progress of the case, that he is trying to prise open the layers of secrets surrounding the Scorpene deal, which is related to the murder case," said DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang. Lim pointed out that Malaysians were already aware of the RM540 million in commission for the submarine deal paid to Perimeker Sdn Bhd, a company run by Abdul Razak Baginda, and are now demanding answers if the sum was paid as "corruption money". Abdul Razak, who was tried for abetting in Altantuya's murder but was later acquitted, was said to be Najib's close aide when the deal was made in 2002. "Najib has committed himself to fighting corruption so this RM540 million must be subject to a public audit. Was it justifiable? How was it spent? All these details must be scrutinised via an independent public inquiry so that Malaysians will know whether it was a genuine above-board deal," said Lim. "The French prosecution is trying to decide if there is a case to go to trial but why wait? Najib has the responsibility to answer to Malaysians. Establish a commission and give the full details of the procurement," said Lim. PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar agreed with Lim that Bourdon's deportation last night would return soon to haunt the Najib administration. She however warned that any information revealed in the French courts would eventually reach Malaysia and could not be swept under the carpet. "They (Najib administration) prefer to sweet dirt under the carpet... deport possible whistleblowers and gag such exposes through their control over the mainstream media. The fact that information is globally obtainable stops them dead in their tracks," she told The Malaysian Insider via SMS today.
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| Malaysia: Delays of Habeas Corpus Hearing Unjust To 6 PSM Members Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:59 PM PDT By FORUM-ASIA The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a membership-based regional human rights organization, expresses its disappointment over the adjournment of a habeas corpus hearing of six leading members of the Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) . The Kuala Lumpur High Court postponed the hearing to 5 August 2011, after approving the application of the prosecutor for more time to file their affidavits yesterday. This postponement unjustly prolongs the deprivation of personal liberty of the six detainees on flimsy grounds.The PSM 6, including a parliamentarian, were detained on 2 July 2011 under the draconian Emergency (Public Order and Prevention of Crime) Ordinance, which allows for indefinite detention without trial. They were charged for being the prime movers of a rally on July 9 organized by the Bersih, a coalition of 62 civil society organizations that called for electoral reform. On 6 July 2011, the six filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge their detention. Initially, the High Court scheduled the hearing on 12 August 2011. The lawyers of the PSM 6 succeeded in their application to the court to bring forward the hearing to 22 July 2011. We believe the postponement of the habeas corpus hearing violates the six PSM leaders' right to a fair trial, and denies them the right access to justice as well as their right to liberty. Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights stipulates that "nobody shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile", yet, the Emergency Ordinance (EO) allows for indefinite detention without trial. While the application of the writ of habeas corpus is the only available legal recourse for the detainees to challenge the detention, international human rights laws require the detainees to be brought before a judge promptly, and to be entitled to a trial within a reasonable time. The PSM 6 were initially accused publicly by the police of attempting to wage war against the king. However, in the affidavits filed by the police in the habeas corpus hearing, they have been detained for only allegedly being the prime "movers" of the 9 July 2011 mass rally for electoral reform organized by Bersih 2.0. Even this allegation had been denied by the Bersih 2.0 steering committee. The inconsistency of the charges and the tactics to delay the habeas corpus hearing only reflects the bad faith on the part of the Malaysian government to prolong unnecessarily and unjustly the detention of the PSM 6. The right to freedom of assembly is enshrined in the Federal Constitution of Malaysia. The Bersih rally was held peacefully. There is absolutely no ground to continue to detain the PSM 6 for merely exercising the rights guaranteed under the Constitution, even if they are prime movers of the Bersih rally, which they are clearly not. FORUM-ASIA urges the Malaysian government to drop all charges against the PSM 6 and release them immediately and unconditionally. The PSM 6 are Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj, Sarasvathy Muthu, Choo Chon Kai, Sarat Babu, Sukumaran A/L Munisamy and Aseer Patham Letchumanan.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:56 PM PDT By batsman After the Bersih 2.0 rally on 9th July, some opportunities opened which could be taken up or not. What happens next depends on whether Bersih is as open-minded as it claims to be, but judging from comments made on web blogs and critics, such opportunities if left to these commenters will be abandoned on the wayside. Bersih 2.0 is on record as having invited BN and pro-BN NGOs to join it. It would be a great mistake if it now turns away those linked to UMNO or BN in some way whether directly or indirectly but have voiced sympathies for Bersih 2.0's aims and demands. Of course there will be risks involved, but which great endeavour succeeded by avoiding all risks? Unfortunately kiahsu web blog commenters and critics have created an atmosphere of suspicion that if pandered to, will turn Bersih 2.0 into an old boys' exclusive club dreaming of past glories. If Bersih 2.0 succeeds in winning over decent personalities and NGOs linked to UMNO or BN around its aims and demands for electoral reforms and clean elections, there is a great possibility that it will grow into Bersih 3.0, a truly non-party political coming together of decent and great people from the entire political spectrum. When this day comes, it will be a great day indeed for Malaysia. The risks involve being pulled every which way by political parties with their own agendas, but apparently this has already happened even without the participation UMNO or BN-linked NGOs. In fact it may also be happening even now in the form of party political pressure to try and keep UMNO-linked persons or NGOs out of Bersih 2.0. The steering committee will just have to fight harder to steer Bersih along a neutral non-party political path. People should have the confidence that the Bersih steering committee is more than capable of doing this. Join the fight for free, fair and clean elections! |
| AirAsia Moves Corporate HQ from KL to Jakarta Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:51 PM PDT By Asia Sentinel With all the troubles he has had over the last two months, the confirmation Friday that AirAsia, arguably Malaysia's most vibrant private company, is moving its headquarters out of the country to Indonesia is one more blow. Tony Fernandes, AirAsia's group chief executive, confirmed the decision in Tokyo Thursday, saying the move is an effort to upgrade his company's image as a regional Southeast Asian airline rather than just a Malaysian carrier.
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| Najib: Don’t dispute RCI report on Teoh Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:48 PM PDT
(Bernama) - KANGAR: Najib Tun Razak said today there should not be any more dispute over the report of the Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock, saying the findings were based on truth.
The prime minister said the commission was formed in the name of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and was an independent, just and credible body and that their findings would be the truth. "Don't question the findings because this will defeat the purpose of having the commission," he told a news conference here. He added that if the people continued to dispute the findings, what then was the alternative to establish the political aide's cause of death? He was asked to comment on the reaction to the commission's report unveiled on Thursday, with some disputing the findings that Teoh's death was suicide. The commission was headed by Federal Court judge James Foong Cheng Yuen and comprised Federal Court judge Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, former Appeal Court judge TS Nathan, Penang Hospital's forensic pathology consultant Dr Bhupinder Singh, Dean of Cyberjaya Medical Science College University and consultant forensic psychiatrist Prof Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom and Legal Affairs Division Director-General at the Prime Minister's Department Saripuddin Kasim. It was tasked with investigating the death of Teoh — political aide to Selangor executive councillor Ean Yong Hian Wah — whose body was found on July 16, 2009, on the fifth floor of Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam, Selangor. On the three officers of the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission whose "relentless, aggressive and oppressive" interrogation techniques were blamed for driving Teoh to suicide, Najib said any action taken against them should be based on existing laws and regulations. - Bernama |
| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:43 PM PDT By Ambiga Sreenevasan I urge you to use this arsenal of knowledge and your passion for justice to fight for those who are downtrodden. JULY 23 — Good Morning! Chancellor, vice chancellor and graduating students. There were some in government who opposed the methods used to shut us down. Even doctors left their comfort zones to speak up against injustices. And of course there were the lawyers and the independent media who stood on the side of truth and justice. However, the real heroes of that day are our friend and supporter Allahyarham Baharuddin Ahmad who paid the ultimate price in fighting a noble cause, the six members of the Socialist Party of Malaysia who, as we speak, sit in solitary confinement under preventive detention laws and finally the brave people of Malaysia who overcame their fear of intimidation and harassment to uphold their fundamental rights. With all my heart I dedicate this honour you have bestowed upon me to them. * This was the acceptance speech delivered by Datuk Dr Ambiga Sreenevasan upon her conferment with the Honorary Doctorate Of Laws, University of Exeter. |
| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:40 PM PDT By Ronald Benjamin The statement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak that Christians have to respect Islam before they are respected is disappointing because one would have expected the prime minister to speak in an inclusive tone since he articulated the importance of a global coalition of moderates in his overseas trip. A leader who sincerely believes in moderation would have said that it is time for Muslims and Christians to work together to promote peace, justice and prosperity in the country. It is this type of statement that would have been most welcome instead of demanding respect on an imaginary assumption that Christians have no respect for Islam. How does he come to this type of conclusion? What is the evidence to show that Christians have no respect for Islam? The prime minister, from time to time, has shown that he is incapable of courage and honesty in dealing with religious matters as that would make him look weak among extremist elements in his party. This has made him a weak leader who is not capable of confronting extremism in his own party besides having a poor understanding of human rights. It reveals elements of poor governance. The question is why he has chosen a right-wing tone in conceptualising the relationship between Muslims and Christians, after establishing diplomatic relations with Vatican? Is it to show to right-wing groups that he is a firm Muslim leader in dealing with Christians, and diplomatic relations with Vatican have no bearing on current issues such as the usage of the word Allah in the Bible? Would this type of tone start the ball rolling for upcoming propaganda for the general election in ensuring the Muslim-majority vote? The characteristics of credible leadership are its ability to dialogue and proactively solve problems and take a principled and inclusive position on issues of great importance that has major implications on the future of the country in terms of the common good, and not take the country towards destruction by playing to the tune of influential extremist voices. A resolution on the usage of the word Allah in the Bible is a test of Najib's governance on whether common good would triumph over exclusivity. The so-called slogan of a coalition of moderates should start in one's own backyard. |
| Ambiga dedicates UK doctorate to Baharuddin, PSM 6 Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:37 PM PDT  By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan has dedicated her honorary law doctorate to the late Baharuddin Ahmad and the six Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) leaders now held under the Emergency Ordinance. The Bersih 2.0 chairman also dedicated the award, conferred by her alma mater, the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, to the "brave people of Malaysia" whom she said had overcome "fear of intimidation and harassment" when they dared to march with her on July 9. "The real heroes of that day are our friend and supporter Allahyarham Baharuddin Ahmad who paid the ultimate price in fighting a noble cause, the six members of the Socialist Party of Malaysia who, as we speak, sit in solitary confinement under preventive detention laws and finally the brave people of Malaysia who overcame their fear of intimidation and harassment to uphold their fundamental rights. "With all my heart, I dedicate this honour you have bestowed upon me to them," she said in her university acceptance speech received here today. She touched briefly on the events of July 9 but did not lash out at the Najib administration, choosing instead to honour Bersih 2.0 supporters and advise graduating law students to use their knowledge to fight injustices. "You have already heard of the events of July 9 in Malaysia. Whilst it brought out the worst in some, it brought out the best in others and this is where our hope lies," she said. The former Bar Council president has been the target of much criticism of late, with many anti-Bersih 2.0 parties calling for her head over the chaos that took place on July 9. Even Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been generously doling out accusations against Ambiga and her Bersih 2.0 movement, claiming the rally was an attempt to oust him from government. Ambiga, however, highlighted in her speech that not all of Najib's men were happy with how the administration had clamped down on the rally. "There were some in government who opposed the methods used to shut us down," she said. "Even doctors left their comfort zones to speak up against injustices. And of course there were the lawyers and the independent media who stood on the side of truth and justice." Ambiga also spoke on the "rule of law", saying that Malaysia's democracy was still being held back by repressive laws, turning it into a country that practises "rule by law". She cited the example of preventive detention laws that "lock people away without affording them the basic right to a trial", likely referring to the Emergency Ordinance and the Internal Security Act (ISA). Ambiga told graduating students that in their quest to uphold the rule of law and pursuit of profit, they should also be reminded of their role to fight injustices.
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| Bar Council says MACC responsible for Teoh’s death Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:31 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 — The Bar Council said today the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is fully responsible for the death of DAP political aide Teoh Beng Hock and urged the graftbusting agency and the government to issue public apologies. Council president Lim Chee Wee said the council did not agreed with the suicide conclusion made in the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) report released on Thursday as it was not supported by facts and the evidence. "It is very clear to the Malaysian Bar that full responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock's death lies squarely and solely on the MACC," he said in a statement today. As such, Lim (picture) said the officers named in the report should be punished immediately for committing offences under sections 304 and 304A of the Penal Code, namely for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for causing Teoh's death by negligence. "The Malaysian Bar also calls on the government of Malaysia and MACC to consider offering an unqualified written apology to Teoh Beng Hock's family and to the citizens of Malaysia for his death and making reasonable recompense to Teoh Beng Hock's family in respect of his death," he said. Lim also rejected the notion that Teoh's "weak character" had led him to suicide, as described by Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz when he announced the release of the RCI report. He pointed out that forensic psychiatrist Professor Paul Mullen had not testified that Teoh had a "weak character" and had not concluded that Teoh had committed suicide. On the other findings in the RCI report, Lim said the council had concurred with the royal panel that Teoh had been subjected to "aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation" and that most of the MACC officers involved in the case were not credible as they "had the inevitable habit of lying". Lim said the council also agreed that the massive operation launched by the Selangor MACC at the time had been based on a mere belief without proper ground work or verification. The then-Selangor MACC deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim, he said, had been accurately described in the RCI report as "arrogant, given to falsehoods, untruthful and uncompromising" and "just too stubborn to retreat from his mistake in mounting such a massive operation". "Hishammuddin should be held responsible for the actions taken by him and his officers that led to Teoh Beng Hock's death," Lim agreed. The RCI report, which was released two days ago, ruled that Teoh committed suicide as a result of pressure from aggressive and prolonged questioning by MACC officers. The officers had wanted to pressure Teoh into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds.
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| MACC suspends three named in Teoh RCI report Posted: 22 Jul 2011 11:27 PM PDT By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider KUALA LUMPUR, July 23 – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has suspended three graftbusters who were said to have pressured DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock into committing suicide in 2009. MACC said the trio's suspension is pending the outcome of an internal probe on the findings of the just-released Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) report into Teoh's death. "Pending the outcome of this report, all three officers will be suspended or barred from any investigation operation," the statement said. The commission said the special investigation team to conduct the probe will be led by MACC deputy chief commissioner (management and professionalism) Datuk Zakaria Jaffar. It did not state, however, the names of the trio but it is believed that they are former Selangor MACC deputy director Hishammuddin Hashim and enforcement officers Arman Alies and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus, all of whom were named by the RCI. Upon completion, it said, a report will be sent to the agency's complaints committee comprising four independent individuals – former Court of Appeal Judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah as chairman and three members, namely former Prime Minister's Department deputy secretary-general Datuk Muhammad Mohd Noor, former Public Complaints Bureau director Datuk Wan Abdul Wahab Abdullah and lawyer V. Ravindran. Apart from the internal probe, the anti-graft body also pledged to give its full co-operation to the police to carry out its own investigation on the three officers named in the RCI report. "We will not protect any individual that breaks the law. MACC would like to stress that we will not tolerate any officer found to be guilty of any crime or wrongdoing," it said. The RCI report into Teoh's death, released two days ago, ruled that the DAP aide had committed suicide as a result of pressure from aggressive and prolonged questioning by MACC officers. The officers had purportedly wanted to pressure Teoh into becoming a witness in their case against his boss, Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, for alleged abuse of public funds. The RCI had also found fault with the MACC's techniques, saying that the graft officers on Teoh's case were not only brutal during interrogation but also had poor interview skills and viewed witnesses and suspects as "the enemy". It noted that the Selangor MACC's operation to obtain evidence to support its corruption case had led to the death of Teoh, whom it described in the report as "a young man in the prime of life who had everything to look forward to" and whose family had been "robbed" of a son, brother, husband and father. MACC said today it "accepts and views seriously" the royal panel's findings, adding that it has already moved to implement some of its recommendations and suggestions.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 09:57 PM PDT By Strawberrymilkshake For starters, it reeks of guilt and fear from the government. If there is no truth in what the lawyer is doing, why the extreme move to deport the lawyer? If there was any doubt in my regarding the investigation of the Scorpene deal, rest assured that it has all been put to rest. I wonder who is advising the Malaysian PM in dealing with this issue? This action has just reduce your credibility to an even lower level (as if it was possible given that it has probably reached an all time low). I can only think of 2 reasons for your advisors to convince you to take such an extremely imbecile actions:- 1. If it is the PR company, no wonder they are charging such high price for their services.They are helping you damaging yourselves further so that they can step in for 'damage control' and convince you that you need their expertise if you wished to retain the people's support in the coming elections. See? They are doing double jobs! Malaysian Government, you have been duped! or.. 2. Your advisors has the intelligence of a 3 year old (which is actually insulting to the 3 year olds) and finnesse of a bull in a china shop. May i suggest that you remove them immediately to protect your good image (Gasp! Assuming there is any left!) and cut down unnecessary expenditures on such unproductive advisors that only adds to your injury. For all we know, it may save Malaysians billions of ringgit in wastage on these advisors which coincidentally may probably be put into better use such as:- a) buying new quality submarine that can actually function as it is meant to for legitimate purposes proposed by our Ministry of Defense |
| Bar Council: Suicide finding is ‘a leap in logic’ Posted: 22 Jul 2011 08:39 PM PDT
The Malaysian Bar says the RCI's finding that Teoh Beng Hock had committed suicide was "unsupported by the facts and evidence". Lim said in view of the above, and as there were no evidence whatsoever produced at the RCI hearing of Teoh's whereabouts or movements after 6:15am, and that the MACC staff would have begun arriving by 8:00 am, "to surmise that Teoh had committed suicide between 7:15am and 11:15am requires a leap in logic and an assumption of facts not in evidence". Teoh EL San Free Malaysia Today The Bar Council has rejected the suicide finding of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on Teoh Beng Hock's death, saying that the conclusion was "unsupported by the facts and evidence". Bar Council president Lim Chee Wee also urged the government as well as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to apologise to Teoh's family and the citizens of Malaysia, over his death; and compensate Teoh's family over their loss. "It is very clear to the Malaysian Bar that full responsibility for Teoh Beng Hock's death lies squarely and solely on the MACC, and that immediate action must be taken to hold the culpable officers accountable for their behaviour," said Lim. He said the Bar welcomed the statement by Minister in Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz that "appropriate action would be taken against the officers through the process of law without delay". Lim said the authorities should investigate the relevant officers for possible offences under sections 304 and 304A of the Penal Code, namely for culpable homicide not amounting to murder and for causing the death of TBH by negligence, respectively. However, Lim said that Nazri had erred when he quoted forensic psychiatrist Professor Paul Mullen "Contrary to the statement made by Nazri, Mullen did not testify that Teoh had a 'weak character' that led him to take his own life. He did not conclude that Teoh had committed suicide," said Lim. Rather, Lim said, Mullen's testimony stated:"in [his] opinion, what we learned of Teoh Beng Hock's personality and behaviour do not suggest any increased risk of suicide". "He (Mullen) further opined that the context of the events that had taken place was not one 'which, in [his] experience, leads to suicide in custody', as he had not been made aware of anything 'to explain panic and distress sufficient to drive [Teoh Beng Hock] to conclude his honor had been irreparably tarnished'," said Lim. Lim said this was in stark contrast to what Nazri had stated during the release of the report as Mullen's testimony in fact did not provide the basis for a finding of suicide. Leap in logic
Lim said in view of the above, and as there were no evidence whatsoever produced at the RCI hearing of Teoh's whereabouts or movements after 6:15am, and that the MACC staff would have begun arriving by 8:00 am, "to surmise that Teoh had committed suicide between 7:15am and 11:15am requires a leap in logic and an assumption of facts not in evidence". Lim also noted that the the other joint expert psychiatric report tendered during the RCI by Dr Badiah Yahya and Dr Nor Hayati Ali (who were engaged by MACC and present during most of the court proceedings and had interviewed Teoh Beng Hock's family members, housemate and work colleagues) also said there was lack of information on whether Teoh had suffered any strenuous mental strain from an interrogation.
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| Sarbani’s family wants Commission of Inquiry into his death Posted: 22 Jul 2011 08:35 PM PDT
(The Star) - The family of late customs officer Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed are now calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the circumstances leading to his death at the MACC building. Maziah Manap, 50 said her hopes to get justice over the death of her husband, Ahmad Sarbani, were wearing thin, alleging that police were not taking her statements seriously. "My family's hopes are getting dimmer especially since the findings of the Teoh Beng Hock RCI were made public," she told reporters after lodging a police report at the Kelana Jaya police station on Saturday. Maziah asked for a fresh investigations to be carried out over a remark made by an Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer about those responsible for her husband's death. "Until now the police did not record my statement regarding the officers remark, it wasn't me, it was my people', which he made to me when I told him I was dissatisfied over my husband's death," she said. "I am very confident that my husband did not commit suicide but there is foul play," she said adding that she hoped an RCI would be formed to investigate her husbands death. Ahmad Sarbani, the Selangor Customs assistant director, was found dead on April 6 after he was believed to have fallen from the pantry on the third floor of the MACC Kuala Lumpur office on Jalan Cochrane here and landed on a badminton court on the first floor. The most recent outcome from the inquest was a forensic investigator's conclusion that Ahmad Sarbani did not jump to his death nor was he pushed from the KL anti-graft office. Raja Petra alleged in his blog on the Malaysia Today website that Ahmad Sarbani accidentally fell to his death after being forced onto the ledge by a senior MACC investigator. He further claimed that the MACC investigator convened a "conference" with his colleagues to "brainstorm and concoct the most plausible story" to protect their careers. Up till today, Raja Petra has written a nine-part series on Malaysia Today alleging that Ahmad Sarbani's death was caused by the anti-graft body's officers. When contacted, City CID chief Senior Asst Comm Datuk Ku Chin Wah declined to comment as a public inquiry was already being carried out on the case.
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| Teoh’s suicide: MACC suspends three officers Posted: 22 Jul 2011 07:58 PM PDT
The three were named by the Royal Commission of Inquiry as driving Teoh Beng Hock to commit suicide. (Free Malaysia Today) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission today suspended three officers identified by the Royal Commission of Inquiry as being indirectly responsible for Teoh Beng Hock's death. The suspension is pending an outcome an internal probe into their actions. "Pending the outcome of the internal investigation, all three relevant officers have been suspended or exluded from any investigative operations," said a MACC statement today. The three suspended officers are Negeri Sembilan MACC director (then Selangor MACC deputy director) Hishamuddin Hashim and two enforcement officers Mohd Anuar Ismail (then the investigating officer) and Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus. They were alleged to have driven Teoh to his death. MACC said that it will not protect any of its officers that had broken the law. "We want to stress that we will not tolerate or protect any of our officers who are found to be guilty of any criminal offence or breaching any code of conduct," said MACC. The decision followed Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz's request to the police to investigate the three officers. "We would also give our full cooperation to the police so that investigations would be independent and transparent." A special investigative team — led by deputy chief commissioner (management and professionalism) Zakaria Jaffar — will look into the claims made against the three officers, and the results would be submitted in a report. The results would then be tabled to the MACC Complaints Committee that consists of four independent individuals, and is chaired by former Appeals Court judge Mohd Noor Abdullah, added MACC in its statement. MACC added that it viewed with seriousness the recommendations of the RCI which had released its report on July 21.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 06:40 PM PDT
He was without a doubt a tenacious and learned lawyer, and a great believer in the sanctity of the Rule of Law. He was my first boss and I was with him for the first four years of my working life. He was also instrumental in me becoming involved with the activities of the Bar Council. Datuk Zaid Ibrahim This towering Malay lawyer passed away last week, at 75. I was fortunate enough to have been in town and was able to pay him one last visit at his home. With his death, the country and the profession has lost a symbol of justice. |
| French probe to zoom into Altantuya-subs deal link Posted: 22 Jul 2011 06:29 PM PDT
(Yahoo News/Malaysiakini) - Investigations by French authorities into the controversial RM7.3 billion Scorpene submarine deal , which allegedly involves kickbacks to top Malaysian officials, may shed light on the mystery surrounding the death of Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu. Paris-based lawyer William Bourdon, who was in Penang on Thrursday, said the probe would probably reveal relevant details related to Altantuya's involvement in the purchase of the two French submarines by Malaysia. Police investigations have already revealed that Altantuya and Abdul Razak Baginda, a close confidante of Prime Minister Najib Razak, had been beneficiaries of travel expenses paid by an obscure French company in Malta. Bourdon, who was detained by immigration officers at the KL International Airport upon arriving from Penang about 10.30am yesterday, said he had kept abreast of Altantuya's case since her death in 2006, and had noted that her murder trial had been overly dramatised. Speaking to Malaysiakini in exclusive interview just hours before he was detained by immigration authorities, who boarded his plane at KLIA this morning, Bourdon said: "The manner in which the trial was conducted provoked many questions; a lot of obscurity remains regarding her murder." The trial ended in 2008 with two of the bodyguards of Najib, who was then deputy prime minister and defence minister, being convicted of her murder. The duo are currently appealing their death sentence. Abdul Razak, who had been charged with abetting the duo, was acquitted without being called to make his defence. Observers had remarked that despite the high-profile trial, two pertinent questions surrounding Altantuya's murder were yet to be answered: why was she killed and who ordered her killing? Najib, who as defence minister was in charge of the mega-Scorpene submarine deal, has denied any involvement in the murder. On the Suaram case which the lawyer filed in Paris last year, Bourdon said he was confident he would be able to access the related documents and files very soon. These expose is expected to bring to book high-profile Malaysian officials who are said to have received kickbacks amounting to millions of ringgit from the submarine deal. Bourdon said the case was still under the investigation phase, where the police still interrogating witnesses. On behalf of human rights group Suaram, Bourdon has applied to the public prosecutor to allow the Kuala Lumpur-based NGO to be admitted as a civil plaintiff in court. If accepted, he said, an investigative judge will be appointed to handle the case. "The investigative judge is the only real independent institution to deal with sensitive cases such as corruption," he said. No real democracy if judges not independent On whether the independence of the judiciary could be guaranteed, Bourdon said this would be assured through the appointment of the investigative judge by an independent body. "The judges in such cases answer to no political hierarchy, so there is at least a legal guarantee that ensures their independence," he added. "There can be no real democracy if judges are not independent." However, Bourdon does not discount the fact that in sensitive cases like corruption, there could be a possibility of the public prosecutor being approached to keep the truth from coming out. "Especially if the truth is dangerous (to the people who approach the prosecutors)," he said. "Which is why we need an independent media to balance between state power and these institutions," he said, adding quickly that he was aware of the current state of the media in Malaysia. Although Bourdon - who was accompanied by his lawyer wife, Lia Foriester, in his trip to Malaysia - is confident that the case is making headway in France, he is still careful not to be presumptuous on whether Suaram would eventually be accepted as a civil plaintiff. This is due to the circumstances in any case involving corruption, which can be very challenging anywhere in the world, he said. The public prosecutor could well deny Suaram the right to appear as civil plaintiff and if this happened, Bourdon said, he would definitely file an appeal. Even if Suaram failed to make it to court, there would be the opportunity for its lawyers to access the relevant documents and files in the case. "In my opinion, if Suaram is not accepted as a civil plaintiff, it would seem like a breach of international legal standards and law," Bourdon added. A Plan B in place In any case, he said, he has a Plan B, about which he would not speak now. "All I can say is that we will move forward." Bourdon himself has been involved in battles to make government leaders accountable for their corrupt ways and in issues of human rights abuse over the past 30 years. He set up Sherpa, a non-profit organisation, with other lawyers in Paris in 2005 to work on international justice cases. He has conducted about 50 monitoring missions in several countries. During the course of his work in various countries, the authorities have threatened him with deportation - but never went through with it. They did, however, monitor his movements and he felt he was 'in permanent control by the secret police', for example, in Tunisia and Turkey, from 1995-2005. In all these years, his team has not only registered defeat but there have also been several victories. For example, in a forced labour case between France and Thailand, his intervention helped secure a better life and working conditions for his clients. Bourdon said he has realised that these days citizens, from Malaysia to Tunisia, were no longer tolerant of corruption. "In the last 20 years, there has been a sense of resignation where corrupt practices are in a way 'acceptable' but not any more," he said. "What has become important is democracy and rule of law, and corruption involving government leaders can break the confidence of public votes," he added.
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| The Amanah gambit and Mustapha Ong Posted: 22 Jul 2011 05:56 PM PDT
UPPERCAISE Today, we have a different political and social scenario. UMNO-BN are still in total denial of what the majority of the people wanted across the political divides… Anwar is in a political siege as he had yet to emerge clean from his personal encounters… Amanah in its true form as a new NGO may change the political, economic and social landscape of the nation By Dato Haji Mustapha Ong Yes I do have something to say and I will say it loud and clear based on my own personal conscience without fear or favour. I am only one of the minority voices within the minority in UMNO politics since my involvement from 1963. Although I am not in the league of Tengku Razaleigh, I share the same vision with Ku Li but I do not simply criticise my YDP Agong, party leaders, my government and this beloved nation which had given me so much in my 69 years as a patriotic citizen. I had given more than 34 years of my life back to national service as a party official and government officer since the mid 60s with distinction and recognition from the nation. I am proud of my small contribution to the nation. Contrary to those who had criticised me for my bloggings in the cyberspace, I have never received any special favours and financial benefits from the party or government. I vouch that my success and that of my children are all due to our own hard work and not through political patronage from the UMNO leaders and the government. UMNO/BN had given me nothing absolutely although I have walked together with them in the corridors of power in my capacity as a party and government senior officer for more than half of my life. Today, we have a different political and social scenario and the BN government had paid dearly for their mistakes and wrong doings as we had witnessed the loss of 5 state governments in the 2008 general election. UMNO and their crony BN component parties had not learnt their lessons and until today, 2011, they are still in total denial of what the majority of the people wanted across the political divides. Former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was given the opportunity to lead UMNO and the BN government, through the popular support he had garnered in the 2004 general election but he had failed the electorate and the people in particular. Thus we had lost heavily to the opposition pact led by Anwar Ibrahim as proven in the 2008 general election. Anwar together with his PR partners are in the final lap of their attempt to overthrow the BN government under the leadership of Najib Tun Razak as a political run up to the 13th general election. However, Anwar is in a political siege as he had yet to emerge clean from his personal encounters in his current ongoing sodomy II trial beginning in early August. Anwar had diverted a lot of public attention to other issues that he had created in order to neutralise the people's opinion about his dubious character that had badly affected his reputation and creditability as an opposition leader. By hook or by crook, Anwar wants to topple this government by force with all his unconventional strategies in order to capture Putrajaya and become the next prime minister of Malaysia.
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| Is a Minister’s aide’s university degree for real? Posted: 22 Jul 2011 05:36 PM PDT
By K Pragalath, FMT PETALING JAYA: The university degree of a private secretary of a minister could be a fake degree. This allegation comes from a little known NGO, People's Rights and Welfare Coalition (POWER).
POWER claims that Human Resources Minister, Dr S Subramaniam's private secretary also known as S Subramaniam holds a fake degree as the Kensington University was deregistered in 2003 by the Hawaiian authorities . "The minister has recruited a private secretary who holds a fake degree from a university not recognised by JPA," said POWER chairman, S Gobikrishnan today. Subramaniam who is also Puchong division MIC Youth leader holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Kensington University. Gobikrishnan said: "We have evidence to show that the university was deregistered on Oct 2003 by the state of Hawaii.
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| Putrajaya agrees to fund voter verification system Posted: 22 Jul 2011 05:29 PM PDT (The Malaysian Insider) - KANGAR, July 23 — Putrajaya has agreed to pay for a voter authentication system that will quell talk of phantom voters, a key demand of outlawed electoral reforms group Bersih 2.0 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the system was one of the initiatives undertaken by the Election Commission (EC) to ensure transparency in the country's elections. "The implementation of the biometric system will be able to counter allegations about the existence of phantom voters," he said at a meet-the-people programme at Dewan 2020, here today, according to Bernama Online. Bersih 2.0 had sought to send a memorandum to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong over its eight demands for free and fair elections, after the EC said it was too busy to meet the movement, a coalition of 62 groups. However, the EC later agreed to meet Bersih over its demands, but on the condition they stopped the July 9 rally. The commission also said most of the demands involved amendments that needed parliamentary approval.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 05:24 PM PDT By batsman The Jaguh Reban is back. Advertisements on Bapa Transformasi milking Tun Razak's name has been shamelessly ramped up to coincide with his triumphant return. The shamelessness and cockiness of the man! But something should be said for his style. After looking like a pert schoolboy in the company of world statesmen for more than a week, he is now all bravado upon his return. His whole body language has changed from one that screams cowed strictly chaperoned henpecked husband to macho Don Juan. Oh! What the air of Malaysia does to one's demeanor. He was even moved to turun padang in the nearby kampung. I have never liked the phrase. It implies high and mighty VIPs who deign to go "down" to the level of the people, but it was nevertheless well- orchestrated. The exercise even elicited responses like "He's the man!" from SWTs and equally enamored sighs from matronly sunburnt women. Nobody has ever said NTR does not have deadly seductive charm. Putrajaya's Cockywood machinery has also certainly done its job. Our Jagun Reban is looking like a seductive potentially genocidal Don Juan compared to the Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde image of DSAI. So OK – let's move on to the next round. |
| Menunggu perubahan yang tak kunjung tiba - AMANAH terpaksa menggerak langkah Posted: 22 Jul 2011 05:19 PM PDT
Aspan Alias Pelancaran Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (AMANAH) semalam merupakan satu pengisytiharan bagi kita melakukan perubahan kepada susur galur perjalanan kearah mencapai masyarakat dan rakyat yang berpadu, satu-satunya perjuangan yang diusahakan oleh pimpinan kita yang terdahulu khususnya perjuangan YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman dan sahabat-sahabat pemimpin seperti Tun Tan Cheng Lok, Tun Sambantahan dan yang lain-lain yang bersama-sama membentuk Persekutuan Malaysia dari Sabah dan Sarawak. Bagi sesiapa yang mengamati matlamat AMANAH ianya merupakan perjuangan dan usaha untuk membina hanya satu matlamat iaitu perpaduan di antara semua kaum yang telah berpecah belah kerana dipecah belahkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin politik yang terdesak untuk mendapat sokongan. Jika kita telek dan kaji dengan serius sebenarnya perjuangan pemimpin kita terdahulu hanyalah satu, iaitu perpaduan kaum yang hakiki.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 04:36 PM PDT
Najib turns 58 today and as far as the rakyat are concerned, they can only pray that he is bestowed with wisdom in leading a nation as diverse and challenging as Malaysia. The 'green light' from Najib was all that the police needed. It spared no effort in firing tear gas and water cannons at the supporters. The tear gas was even fired inside the compound of the Tung Shin Hospital in Jalan Pudu, a fact which the Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai initially refuted. Jeswan Kaur, Free Malaysia Today Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak has a knack for ditching the rakyat when they need him the most. In just two years, the premier has succeeded in proving that his 1Malaysia and 'people first' mantra are nothing but lip service and rhetorics. Typically, 'what goes around comes around', the tide has turned against Najib. Najib's latest antic of leaving the people to face the wrath of the police on July 9 was enough for many to decide he is not the leader they want as the nation's premier. The Facebook page demanding Najib's resignation had as of this morning recorded 207, 935 "likes". The page, titled '100,000 People Request Najib Tun Razak's Resignation' was created immediately after the July 9 Bersih 2.0 rally. It was reported that the page registered 300 "likes" per minute following the July 9 rally and hit the 100,000 mark within three days of creation. The July 9, 2011 rally was the initiative of election watchdog Bersih 2.0, the aim being to free the electoral system from corruption and manipulation. Despite the coalition's willingness to work with the police, Najib at the last minute turned back on his word and left it to the police to deal with the 'Walk for Democracy' supporters. The 'green light' from Najib was all that the police needed. It spared no effort in firing tear gas and water cannons at the supporters. The tear gas was even fired inside the compound of the Tung Shin Hospital in Jalan Pudu, a fact which the Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai initially refuted. The July 9 incident which bears proof of the police brutality has also gone on to earn Najib the ire of foreign nations. His official visit to the United Kingdom was not as pleasant as he had expected. The UK premier David Cameron reportedly had queried Najib on the Bersih rally. And w hen Najib and wife Rosmah Mansor had an audience with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace, the queen too sent home a message to Najib, knowingly or otherwise. Her yellow attire was enough to give Najib a 'jaundice' attack. Najib's popularity is now at an all-time low and with the latest development concerning the death verdict of Selangor political aide Teoh Beng Hock, it is very difficult for Najib to regain the trust of the people. RCI finding no surprise Teoh, 30, had fallen to his death at the then Selangor MACC office in Shah Alam on July 16, 2009, after an overnight interrogation. Does this disturbing verdict free the MACC of any wrongdoing? Whatever it is, the conclusion leaves no room to doubt that the country's justice system continues to be manipulated by the 'powers that be'. The public outcry that this latest development is set to result in is something Najb cannot pretend to ignore. When he refused to select even one of the seven names suggested by Teoh's family to sit on the RCI, that itself was ground for doubting that justice would ever come Teoh's family's way. Najib's lack of respect for the judiciary is going to cost him his plush chair in his cosy Putrajaya office. The Bersih 2.0 rally and now the doubtful verdict on Teoh Beng Hock's death will become the noose that with time will end up suffocating the prime minister. To most people, they have not forgotten the arrogance Najib has displayed since assuming premiership in 2009. Najib has not made an effort to assist the Penan women and girls who are continuously raped by timber loggers attain justice. It is also Najib who has shown no courage to rebuke the Umno-owned Malay daily Utusan Malaysia for fanning racial discord through its seditious editorials and articles. Likewise, Najib is the least bothered with Perkasa, the extremist Malay group which keeps threatening and humiliating the non-Malays. The premier displayed no interest in solving the issue surrounding the novel 'Interlok' which is used by Fifth Formers. The novel is said to degrade the Indian community. Najib has shown no interest in tackling issues affecting the Christian community and this alone was enough to earn him the ridicule of many during his trip to Vatican City where he met Pope Benedict XVI.
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| Ku Li’s Amanah a key to national revival? Posted: 22 Jul 2011 04:11 PM PDT
We know that because of half a century of abuses, manipulation and instituionalising of corrupt practices into becoming a culture, the very attempt at repairing these damages through such reforms will be a gargantuan task, but we must make the first few steps towards repairing the damages and putting the nation on a path of revival. DANIEL JOHN JAMBUN I feel it is very exciting that our highly respected veteran leader Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, popularly known as Ku Li, has already launched his new outfit Angkatan Amanah Merdeka (Amanah) towards nurturing unity as espoused by the country's founding fathers.
In the midst of our sharp racial divisions at the moment, Amanah said in a statement recently that the group wants "to reaffirm, inculcate and re-ignite the sense of togetherness and true family spirit that prevailed among all Malaysians during the time of our common struggle for national independence". It also said it wants to rekindle the legacy, promise and ideals of Bapa Malaysia and the founding fathers so that all Malaysians may live together as members of a truly just, fair, progressive, united and happy nation community. Its other objectives are:
(1) To earnestly acknowledge, affirm and respect the sovereignty of the constituent states of the Malaysian Federation, consistent with the principles of federalism, democratic principles and in the true spirit of the Federal Constitution;
(2) To ensure that our national institutions respect and uphold the rule of law, democratic principles, rights and universal values;
(3) To support a government and administration that is transparent and accountable, truly competent, efficient, free of corruption and cronyism, clean and honest, fair and trustworthy, and that will be fully able to serve its functions and meet its responsibilities, freely and fairly; an administration that will always be mindful of the rights and interests of the people in whose name and cause it is appointed to serve;
(4) To promote the socio-economic well-being of the people, so that all Malaysians may enjoy truly advanced, progressive, fair and equitable lives – individually upholding filial piety and other noble values and collectively joined together in sincere family kinship as members of our national community and as stakeholders in our common national destiny;
(5) To support an economic policy that will help achieve and sustain a high standard of living for the people, based on the principle of justice, fairness and balance, consistent with the constitution and under a stable monetary condition.
In two several papers presented locally and abroad (Shattered hopes and broken dreams and Disenfranchisement of bona-fide Sabahans) I had touched on the sweet promises made by no less than the Father of Malaysia, Tunku Abdul Rahman, who assured us that no colonialisation of any sort will be imposed on Sabah. At the outset of the formation of this federation, we had dreams of a new age of progress in which we Sabahans and Sarawakians will be enjoying a kind of development that will propel us strongly into the 20th and the 21st centuries, under a government which would be just, with no prejudice against any Malaysian regardless of skin colour and belief. Sabah and Sarawak would be part of a federation, not a nation, hence retaining their respective nationalities on equal status with Malaya. We were assured of many rights in perpetuity. But they were not to be. Successive governments and leaders were sweet-talked into surrendering those rights until we are just tools and stooges to federal powers. Through political manipulations and stratagems in the politics of federalism we fell into the traps and ended being what we are today – just one of the 13 states in Malaysia, and the poorest of the lot at that! In the second paper mentioned above I had listed our disenfranchisements due to so many losses and victimisations: (1) Loss of right as a national entity, (2) Loss of rights guaranteed in the 20 Points, (3) We have been victims of demographic re-engineering, (4) We have been victims of Kuala Lumpur's divide-and-rule manipulation, (5) We have lost the true democratic system, (6) We have been victims of gerrymandering and the manipulation of the electoral rolls, (7) We have been re-colonised, (8) Our security has been substantially compromised, (9) We are losing our land rights, (10) We are the poorest state! (11) We are victims of Malay supremacy, (12) Loss of harmonious and peaceful co-existence. I then followed up with a list of demands of things that are should have been rightly ours. What Ku Li's Amanah can do are many, but what comes immediately to mind is the re-institution of real justice (in all matters including the fair redistribution of wealth and opportunities), liberty, transparency, true democracy, meritocracy, and freedom of the press. But amanah itself had made an excellent summary of all that need to be done by stating them in its comprehensive list of objectives. If we were to analyse everything mentioned in those objectives it would take a whole thick book. I have high hopes when reading objective No. 3, which aims for "a government and administration that is transparent and accountable, truly competent, efficient, free of corruption and cronyism, clean and honest, fair and trustworthy, and that will be fully able to serve its functions and meet its responsibilities, freely and fairly". We know that because of half a century of abuses, manipulation and instituionalising of corrupt practices into becoming a culture, the very attempt at repairing these damages through such reforms will be a gargantuan task, but we must make the first few steps towards repairing the damages and putting the nation on a path of revival. The biggest damage has been in the area of race relations. We are now living in an era of interracial and interreligious suspicions and paranoia. We are so far into interracial distrust that we are actually nearing the point when another interracial riot may take place and bring the whole nation down to its knees – no thanks to many bigots and hate mongers like Ibrahim Ali of Perkasa. The second biggest damage, I believe, is in the area of economic confidence of the people as a result of rampant and unbridled corruption. With these two combined, the effect on the economy has been devastating, resulting in increased poverty and the frightening brain drain. And all these are dragging us deeper and deeper into the abyss. Without any drastic change, even with the so-called transformasi of the Prime Minister, the nation will continue to sink deeper and deeper into trouble. We need more NGOs like Amanah, UBF, MCLM, CigMa, Bersih and others with similar aims to operate against the BN-sponsored tranformasi and 1Malaysia movements which have the single agenda of keeping BN in power and perpetuating the abuses. With enough pressure, the BN will be brought to heel. The only acceptable change is to beat BN and change the government. And with a giant like Ku Li making the move even while he is still in Umno, the BN is suffering a double injury. One injury is the stab in the back of BN by Ku Li, and the other is the great damage on the BN when Ku Li reveal all the dirty inside stories. It is very exciting to read of his speech at the launching of Amanah last Friday during which he said, "I believe at the end of the road that we are taking in these early steps, we will be called upon to make several important decisions for the future of our nation – choices that we must take regardless of the problems, challenges and obstacle that we face. This morning could be another normal social event or it could be the beginning of a journey towards something that has never taken place before, that may change the current of our country's future." Agreed, totally. And truth will prevail. Ku Li will be a major force, with a strong potential to become the leader of the Third Force, and to become the key to the great change we have been dreaming of. Can we dare to foresee him becoming our next PM? After all, politics is the art of the possible, isn't it?
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 02:42 PM PDT
By Farrah Naz Karim, NST MACC takes steps to train officers on investigation procedure. PUTRAJAYA: Malaysian Anti- Corruption Commission investigation officers will undergo courses on psychoanalysis to better assess the state of mind of witnesses during interviews. They will also relook the duration a witness or a suspect is held for investigations. These are among some of the immediate measures being put in place after the report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry into the death of Teoh Beng Hock was made public yesterday. The report stated that Teoh was driven to suicide and it also highlighted several shortcomings in MACC's handling of witnesses. Commenting on the findings of the RCI, a senior MACC investigating officer admitted there were flaws in their standard operating procedure but stressed they could not make outright changes that could jeopardise their role as an anti-graft body. "Some of our officers do not know enough experience to gauge the state of mind of witnesses, as shown in Teoh's case. "That is why we are now determined to include courses on psychoanalysis in the training module." He said said some officers did not realise witnesses get stressed out after prolonged hours of interviewing. "They feel that the witness is holding back information and in their zest to get that information out, they forget that the witness is not as resilient as they are. "This is where the problem arises," he said. "Then there is the risk that if a witness is released without providing the necessary information, he may jeopardise investigations by making contact with the suspect later.
"Do we let the witness go and stop asking him pertinent and crucial questions simply because he is tired? "At the end of the day, it is also the responsibility of the MACC to protect the interests of the public." He explained under the MACC SOP for interviewing witnesses, they first contact the witness through the phone and give them the time and venue of the meeting. However, the source said 80 per cent of witnesses who were contacted were not cooperative. "In such cases, the commission will issue them a notice, compelling them to turn up," he said. The source insisted that MACC investigating officers would not rough up witnesses. "Our IOs have been trained to withstand long hours of investigation, but as human beings, if they are seen to be agitated and losing patience with a witness, another officer will take ove r. " Through its SOP, the officers are also trained to use their discretion when dealing with witnesses and would not deny them breaks. In cases where witnesses needed to be examined by a doctor, MACC would bring them for treatment. |
| ‘Bourdon deported because he knew too much’ Posted: 22 Jul 2011 02:32 PM PDT
By G Vinod, FMT PETALING JAYA: Was French human rights lawyer William Bourdon deported because he knew too much?. That's what PKR vice president Nurul Izzah Anwar thinks. She claims that Bourdon may have had access to crucial documents that may link Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak to the controversial Scorpene submarine purchases. "But the French court will provide public access to the investigation papers when the case goes on trial in September," claimed Nurul at the Ops Scorpene fund raising dinner in Petaling Jaya yesterday. The dinner, attended by nearly 500 guests, was hosted by Nurul's aide, Fahmi Fadzil. Yesterday, Bourdon, who was tasked to investigate corruption involving the submarine purchases, was detained at KLIA at 11.40am by the immigration officials when his flight arrived from Penang. Subsequently, Bourdon was served a deportation order for violating the terms of his social visit pass and left the country at about 11pm. Bourdon was supposed to be one of the speakers at the fund raising event yesterday. Nurul, who is also Lembah Pantai MP, thanked Bourdon for his courage in taking up the case on behalf of Suaram to investigate the mystery involving the submarine deal. "He is a well known personality worldwide yet he was kicked out of the country dishonorably," she said. Fellow PKR vice president, Tian Chua reminded the guests at the dinner on how the Scorpene deal was also linked to the gruesome murder of Mongolian translator, Altantuya Shaaribu. Chua said that recently Kelana Jaya MP Low Gwo Burne went to Mongolia and subsequently met the Altantuya's father, Dr Setev Shaaribu. In his visit, Chua said, Low was told by Shaaribu that his daughter's ashes still remain in a Malaysian court as the case, in theory, is still unsolved. "We may feel sympathy for his family but also remember that our tax money was used to finance the Scorpene deal," he said. In 2006, Altantuya's remains were found in a secluded area in Puncak Alam, Shah Alam. Police investigation found that she was shot twice before her body was blown up using C-4 explosives. She was said to be working as a translator for Perimekar Sdn Bhd, a company linked to Najib's aide Abdul Razak Baginda, which was the company that sealed the deal on the two Scorpene submarines for Malaysia. The multi-billion ringgit deal, which was inked in 2002 during Najib's tenure as defense minister, was reported to have involved kickbacks worth RM500 million.
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| Posted: 22 Jul 2011 02:27 PM PDT By Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam The latest release of data by the Statistics Department raises alarm bells of possible stagflation ahead. Stagflation generally implies slowing or stagnant growth and rising inflation. According to the latest statistics issued by the government's Statistics Department, the industrial production index decreased by 5.1 per cent in May this year compared to May last year. In May, both exports and imports declined month–on-month by 4.7 per cent and 0.4 per cent. These are dramatic declines and cannot be taken lightly. The economic growth rates are therefore revised downward by the Malaysian Rating Corp (MARC) from the earlier optimistic estimate of 5.3 per cent for this year to an uncertain wider range of 4-5 per cent this year! The earlier scepticism of official economic growth and inflation projections are now proving to be justified. We can now only hope that the situation will not deteriorate to a path leading to stagflation. Unfortunately the global economic outlook does not appear encouraging either. The US economy, which is the biggest economy in the world, is also foundering. Its economy grew by only 1.9 per cent in the first quarter this year and about 1.5 per cent in the second quarter and about even less than three per cent for the whole of 2011 and 2012. The current US debt crisis is staggering! In Europe the economic is as bad or even worse. With Greece, Spain and Portugal and Italy and other countries facing real economic decline and financial instability, and reinforced by the Japanese economic catastrophe, our export prospects can be adversely affected. Now the fear of rising inflation is real. The Consumer Price Index has risen by three3 per cent in the last six months and at the higher rate of 3.5 per cent in June this year compared to June last year . What is worse is that the CPI for food and non alcoholic beverages went up by 4.5 per cent for the first six months this year compared to the same period last year. This is very worrisome as we are talking about the poor and lower income groups having to pay so much more for their basic consumption of food and beverages. So how will the poor cope with these rising prices? More importantly, what hope do the poor have that the government has a well conceived plan or a sound strategy to counter this likely prospect of stagflation. I have no doubt that the government is aware of the serious social implications of low growth and high prices on the possibilities of social dissatisfaction and even some social unrest. It is thus sincerely hoped that the government will be more transparent and communicative with the public on these disruptive economic trends. The government would need to inform the public soon, that it recognises the impending dangers of weaker employment opportunities and lower standards of living. The government will also have to show that it has specific anti-stagflation strategy, to firmly address these socio-economic problems, to instil more hope and public confidence. * Tan Sri Ramon Navaratnam is chairman, Centre of Public Policy Studies (CPPS). |
| Family demands RCI, new probe into Sarbaini’s death Posted: 22 Jul 2011 02:15 PM PDT
By Melissa Chi, The Malaysian Insider PETALING JAYA, July 23 — Dissatisfied with the ongoing inquest into the death Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamed, the Customs officer's family today again demanded for a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into his untimely demise during a graft investigation. The family previously asked for an RCI to be convened immediately, but later relented to the inquest after Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk VK Liew said that it was the first choice, and that there was a "procedure" which needed to be followed. Today, Sarbaini's widow Maziah Manap also asked for a fresh investigation over a remark made by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officer Abdul Ghani Ali about those responsible for her husband's death on April 6. "Until now the police did not record my statement regarding Encik Ghani's remark, 'it wasn't me, it was my people', [made] to me when I expressed dissatisfaction of my husband's death," she said in the report lodged at the Kelana Jaya police station hear her house. Abdul Ghani is a MACC investigating officer and the 18th witness to be called in the ongoing inquest into Ahmad Sarbaini's death. He had defended his statement and told the coroner's court that he meant Ahmad Sarbaini had went to see his officers, not him personally, on the day of his death. Ahmad Sarbaini, the Selangor Customs assistant director, was found dead on April 6 after he was believed to have fallen from the pantry on the third floor of the MACC Kuala Lumpur office on Jalan Cochrane here and landed on a badminton court on the first floor. The most recent outcome from the inquest was a forensic investigator's conclusion that Ahmad Sarbaini did not jump to his death nor was he pushed from the KL anti-graft office. |
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